2023 SPRING: ASSIGNMENT THIRTY-EIGHT: A HUMAN PROP (WITH MOTION)
Due: November 21, 2023
This assignment is similar to many we get in the commercial realm. It is usually for an ad or a collateral piece and it features a product, thing, item, or widget. In order to give the thing scale, or to show it as a dimensional item, a person is included in the shot.
Kinda like a kid and a baseball glove. Or a model and a car. Or a laptop in the lap of a business person or college student.
The person is there to provide context for the ‘thing’ you are photographing.
The conundrum can sometimes be how it is lit… do we pay great attention to the model or the object?
In this assignment, the object gets our attention and the person can be used as, well, a prop.
Perhaps the item is lit perfectly and the subject is in silhouette? Maybe there is a shadow that obscures the person, while perfect lighting highlights the thing in wonderful product photography finesse.
Whatever we do, the person must not take precedence over the subject. If it is a man with a power saw, the power saw must hold our interest. If it is a woman with a watch, the watch must be lit correctly.
The item is the hero, and the priority is to light and feature the item in the best light and composition. If the person is not recognizable, or in a shadow, that is not a problem. In fact, it can be considered a positive.
Note how this parameter is applied to three beer ads:
The motion component.
We are going to shoot the still shot for the client, BUT they also want some motion for their social media ads. The clips are to be between 4 seconds and 8 seconds long.
6 seconds of video can feel painful if it is not interesting to watch. We will find ways to keep the interest by using tried and true video techniques.
NOTE: NO AUDIO IS REQUIRED. This is what we call B-Roll.
Here are SIX videos explaining some simple moves you can use to get a professional-looking piece of motion for your clients.
I would suggest highly that you spend some time and watch all six as you plan your video clips.
The assignment is 1 image and two video clips (short but impactful).
These are single motion clips. Do not combine video. One single shot each.
(For information on Color Grading see these videos.)
Color Correction for Beginners
DaVinci Resolve Color Correct 5 Minute Tutorial
Color Grading Made Simple (1 Hour Course)
DaVinci Resolve Software (Free)
4-8 seconds in length for both.
The humans become the prop and the items become the star.
As applied to electronics:
SEPTEMBER 2021
The product/item you choose to shoot is up to you. How you want to include a human element is up to you, but do keep these thoughts foremost in your planning:
- How will the human element impact the message of the item I am showing?
- What part of the human experience with this item do I want to feature?
- How will the human element compete with the product I am showing?
- How can I make the product “stand out” from the human element I am using?
- What roles do color, highlight, shadow, sharpness and composition play in the creation of this image?
Your assignment is one photograph of an item shot with a person, featuring the item as the star. A second shot will feature the person as the hero of the shoot, and the product a prop.
An example of the product as hero in bike ads.
Images may be landscape or portrait, color or black and white – but both images must be the same ie; both landscape and in black and white or both portrait and in color or whatever you choose, just make sure the images are the same in presentation. They should look like they are from the same shoot, just with some subtle changes to the hero aspect.
There you go. Make them outstanding, please.
2020 Group
