6 shot system

The six shot system is a very important piece to making an interesting news package.  Having a variety of extreme wide, wide, medium, close up on hands, close up on face, and over the shoulder shots help tell a story that intrigues the viewer and gives the video a more professional look.  Putting theses shots in order is called sequencing, which drives the story.

An extreme wide shot should be used as an establishing shot.  Typically extreme wides are used in the beginning of videos to set the scene and reveal the location to the viewer.

A wide shot shows the view of the subjects entire body, from head to toe.  This shot is important because it shows your subject's entire appearance. 

A medium shot is a shot of your subject from the waist up.  This shot is a little tighter than a wide and it shows the hands and the face of the subject.

A close up on the hands creates an intense feeling.

A close up of the hand focuses on what the hands are doing and draws your viewer into just looking at what they are trying to accomplish.  

A close up on the face is a dramatic shot that
often times can be hard to get.  The close up on the face is important however because it displays the subjects expression.  This shot can be used to display emotion an create suspense.  

The over the shoulder shot reveals what the subject views.  It is important while going behind your subject that you don't break the 180 degree rule.  This rule means that if you start filming on one side of the subject you should stay on that side and not film on the other side in order to avoid confusion and looking like you are shooting circles around your subject.  

When you are filming your shots it's important to film each shot for 20 seconds that way you can capture action within that time and edit out where there is nothing exciting occurring.  When you are shooting you should try to make 50% of your shots close ups, 25% mediums, and 25% wide/ extreme wide. The reason for so many close ups is because it creates a depth and a more interesting look at the subject.