Birds-Eye View Shot | A Video Tutorial
I am ALL about switching up the types of home video shots on your phone to make your camera roll (and films!) more interesting. Slight changes in angles can make a world of difference.
The shot above is called a Bird’s Eye view shot, and it’s exactly as it sounds. This shot is taken from directly over your subject and offers a unique perspective. As adults we see this perspective all the time, but we don’t often capture this exact angle with our phones.
We all tend to get a bit lazy when we’re filming. We see a moment we want to capture, whip out our phone and just start filming. My goal is to get you thinking about subtle ways you can make your videos better. A Bird’s Eye Shot is NOT just taking video from chest high and calling it a day. You actually need to get directly over (or as close to!) your subject as possible. Hence, the name.
I’m not that tall so often I will actually hold my phone high above my subject - above my head - so that I can’t actually see what I’m filming. If you get crappy footage - delete it and try again! The following shot is an example of this. My hands were above my head but in front of me so I was filming blind. I love the result.
For this next one I was standing on a deck overlooking this scene. I love doing this!
I find myself using this shot a lot for b-roll (if you missed what b-roll is tap that link!). And to add interest I tend to rotate my body while I’m filming - especially if it’s b-roll that is otherwise not moving (aka boring!). To do this, I hold my elbows tight to my sides and pivot from left to right with my upper body - my arms and legs aren’t moving.
Some of my favorite birds-eye view shots come from my clients! This client included the following footage in their film and I’m SO glad they did. It cracks me up every time!
These three video clips are from two different families, but they were all filmed at Walt Disney World. Waiting in line is always better when you pass the time by doing something like this!
This mama just held her camera high above her head while filming. I LOVE that she got herself in this footage. Not enough of us do this!
You’ve probably already taken some birds-eye footage of your baby. It’s the easiest way when they’re tiny and not mobile!
I hope you get out and play with filming this type of shot. And bonus points for those of you with a drone - you can get an actual bird’s eye view!
