Thirds
The ‘thirds’ setting displays a grid with two vertical and horizontal lines placed in each third of the
image. Thirds are an extremely powerful tool to help compose your shots. For example, the human
eye typically looks for action near the points where the lines intersect, so it’s helpful to frame key
points of interest in these zones. An actor’s eyeline is commonly framed along the top third of
the screen, so you can use the top horizontal third to guide your framing. Thirds are also useful to
maintain framing consistency between shots.
Horizon
The ‘horizon’ meter indicates when your camera is rolled left or right and tilted up or down. This can
help you keep the horizon level during handheld shots and balance the camera tilt on a gimbal.
The gray vertical and horizontal indicators move away from the center as the camera is rolled and
tilted. The distance the lines move away from the central crosshair is proportional to the amount of roll
or tilt. After you calibrate the camera’s motion sensor, the motion indicators will illuminate blue when
the camera’s roll and tilt become level.
Note that if the camera is tilted straight down for an overhead shot or straight up, the horizon meter
takes this into account. If you roll the camera to shoot in portrait orientation, the horizon meter rotates
its axes 90 degrees.
This table shows examples of the horizon meter indicating tilt and roll of the camera.
Horizon meter Description
Straight and level
Tilted down and level
Straight and rolled left
Tilted up and rolled right
For normal use, calibrate the horizon meter for straight and level operation. If you want to use the
horizon meter to help maintain a consistent ‘dutch angle’ or a consistent tilt for a low or high shot, you
can calibrate the horizon meter at an incline. For information on how to calibrate the horizon meter,
see the ‘motion sensor calibration’ section.
Crosshair
The ‘crosshair’ setting places a crosshair in the center of the frame. Like thirds, the crosshair is a very
useful compositional tool, making it easy to frame the subject of a shot in the very center of a frame.
This is sometimes used when filming scenes that will be assembled using very fast cuts. Keeping
viewers’ eyes focused on the center of a frame can make rapid editing easier to follow.
Dot
The ‘dot’ setting places a dot in the center of the frame. This works in exactly the same way as the
‘crosshair’ setting, albeit with a smaller overlay that you may find less intrusive.
31Using the HUD Controls
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