BLOG QUESTION: HEADROOM

 

What is headroom? Why is it important to the videos you are making?

Headroom is the space between the top of the subjects head and the frame. It's important to have the right amount of headroom, because if you have too little of it, the shot will crop the subjects head and make the shot feel claustrophobic. If theres too much headroom, it can make the shot feel unbalanced. If you follow the rule of thirds when filming, you can have the right amount of headroom by placing the subjects eyes on the top line. This will work in most circumstances, but not always, but its still a helpful guide. The rule of thirds wouldn't work for wide shots or close ups of someones face. However, you can also break/bend this rule depending on what kind of shot you’re trying to film. For example, if you wanted to film a character thats going through grief, having a wide shot with a lot of headroom can make the audience feel like theres a weight on the characters shoulders.