Tuesday, 23 June 2009
Thursday, 7 May 2009
First Task- Script
The setting is Therfield School matt is walking down the corridor to his class he enters a room.
Matt: How are you?
Naomi: I am thankyou, you?
Matt: I am fine.
Naomi: Good, what have you been up to?
Matt: ive been doing this media project its taking ages.
Naomi: Really me too, its so boring.
Matt: well i dont care what you think.
Naomi: I hate you!! ( slaps matt)
Matt: How are you?
Naomi: I am thankyou, you?
Matt: I am fine.
Naomi: Good, what have you been up to?
Matt: ive been doing this media project its taking ages.
Naomi: Really me too, its so boring.
Matt: well i dont care what you think.
Naomi: I hate you!! ( slaps matt)
Evaluation-First Task
Firstly we used Laura and Owen as our actors in our first task Alex and I both filmed, collectively we directed as we went along trying to perfect the piece. looking back on it now what we should have done was planned it out as a group and decided what everyones roles were and kept to them. This may have been the reason why none of us where happy with our first piece
so we filmed it again using different actors who were not part of our group, this gave us the vision that we could all contribute well to choosing shot types and angles and varying the shot length.
We filmed using Matt Bingham and Luke Thomas in one of the sixth form study rooms. In the piece they discussed an Ice Hockey match that they were watching on the TV monitor. We yet again agreed that are work was not sufficent enought to get a high enough grade so we gathered as a group, then watched some other films and read through shot types, and angles to develop are camera and directing skills.
After are planning we filmed again using myself and Naomi as actors. In our final project i walk along a corridor, then into a classroom were i meet Naomi, the two of us have a converdation which turns bitter and I end up getting a slap. ( They found it halarious mucking this up so i got slapped again and again and again.)
In our film I performed a variety of different roles including acting in our final piece, I also edited with my group. I thought my directing skills were good and i had a good vision that i wanted to achieve. In future i think my planning will improve my Films.
so we filmed it again using different actors who were not part of our group, this gave us the vision that we could all contribute well to choosing shot types and angles and varying the shot length.
We filmed using Matt Bingham and Luke Thomas in one of the sixth form study rooms. In the piece they discussed an Ice Hockey match that they were watching on the TV monitor. We yet again agreed that are work was not sufficent enought to get a high enough grade so we gathered as a group, then watched some other films and read through shot types, and angles to develop are camera and directing skills.
After are planning we filmed again using myself and Naomi as actors. In our final project i walk along a corridor, then into a classroom were i meet Naomi, the two of us have a converdation which turns bitter and I end up getting a slap. ( They found it halarious mucking this up so i got slapped again and again and again.)
In our film I performed a variety of different roles including acting in our final piece, I also edited with my group. I thought my directing skills were good and i had a good vision that i wanted to achieve. In future i think my planning will improve my Films.
Romantic Comedies- Common Settings
Romantic comedies:
Common settings are:
Weddings
Hitch
The weeding singer
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Parent’s house
Meet the parents
Failure to launch
On Holiday
Six days seven nights
The Holiday
Heartbreak Kid
Work
How to lose a guy in 10 days
What Women Want
Never Been Kissed
Using these settings can all relate to the audience as they are common to them and give them a sense of hope in that they can find true love like in the films they see. This crates alarge typically female audience who stereotypically all want true love.
Common settings are:
Weddings
Hitch
The weeding singer
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Parent’s house
Meet the parents
Failure to launch
On Holiday
Six days seven nights
The Holiday
Heartbreak Kid
Work
How to lose a guy in 10 days
What Women Want
Never Been Kissed
Using these settings can all relate to the audience as they are common to them and give them a sense of hope in that they can find true love like in the films they see. This crates alarge typically female audience who stereotypically all want true love.
Out Of Your League - Film
Comment left by Emily: Matt i think you can see a lot of effort has been put in and you came up with a good idea to start off with but your lack of planning and clear cut decisions hae not helped you and made your film not as good as it could be. I liked your baby pictures, they create a background behind the charachters and the film.
Romantic Comedies- Plot
Romantic comedy films are movies with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as a true love able to surmount most obstacles. Romantic comedy films are a sub-genre of comedy films as well as of romance films and often have elements of screwball comedies and stoner comedies. They are quite often three part narratives with equilibrium, disequilibrium, equilibrium. This creates interest in the film and gives a good plot.
The basic plot of a romantic comedy is that two characters, usually a man and a woman, meet, part ways due to an argument or other contrived obstacle, then ultimately reunite. Sometimes the two characters meet and become involved initially, then must confront challenges to their union. Sometimes the two characters are hesitant to become romantically involved because they believe that they do not like each other, because one of them already has a partner, or because of social pressures. However, the screenwriters leave clues that suggest that the characters are; in fact, attracted to each other and that they would be a good love match. The characters often separate or seek time apart to sort out their feelings or deal with the external obstacles to their being together. The characters usually come together at the end of the film to create a happy (equilibrium) ending.
The basic plot of a romantic comedy is that two characters, usually a man and a woman, meet, part ways due to an argument or other contrived obstacle, then ultimately reunite. Sometimes the two characters meet and become involved initially, then must confront challenges to their union. Sometimes the two characters are hesitant to become romantically involved because they believe that they do not like each other, because one of them already has a partner, or because of social pressures. However, the screenwriters leave clues that suggest that the characters are; in fact, attracted to each other and that they would be a good love match. The characters often separate or seek time apart to sort out their feelings or deal with the external obstacles to their being together. The characters usually come together at the end of the film to create a happy (equilibrium) ending.
Generic Conventions
Generic Conventions
Fifty First dates
Straight away you can hear Hawaiian music and see a beautiful beach in the background with a lovely sun set. The films opening titles come up on the screen; the words are blue and ripple to create a sea affect. The shot fades into a kitchen where two women are talking. Following this there are several women talking about their holiday trip to Hawaii. The women have all shared their holiday having a romance with the main character Adam Sandler. The women talk about their own individual experiences with Adam Sandler’s character Henry Roff. It seems that he is playing them all along and does not want to get involved with any women in long term relationships. The shots cut quickly to create an image in your head of Henry Roff.
Love actually
At the beginning of the film you can see people at an airport arriving and being greeted by friends and family. You can see tears of happiness and huge smiles. People embrace each other as they have not seen them for along time. Hugh Grants character as the prime minister talks over the beginning. He talks about emotions and feelings and how he thinks the world is portrayed in the wrong light. You are only introduced to one character.
Holiday
At the opening of the film there is a gardener cutting the grass in front of a large posh home and a swimming pool, the shot pans to a man asleep on the sofa, (Hinting he has done something wrong as this is often the case when you find a man asleep on the sofa) the man proceeds upstairs where he shouts out “Kelly, Kelly “as he is looking for her. As he opens her bedroom door he has a shoe thrown at him confirming our judgement that he has done something wrong.
They argue about their relationship and that he has cheated on her.
As the two girls go through their break up, they hop online to get some relief that their not the only ones going through that. So they start talking over the internet and saying things like "how about we swap houses for a few weeks?" "where do you live?" And that’s when their new lives start.
Summary
In all three of these films the first character you see is not actually the main character, I think they do this to build up the scene for the character and letting you know something about them before the enter the scene, for example In the film The Holiday you can clearly see the house is large, there is a pool and they have their own gardener all before you see the main character Kelly, this lets you know what the character is going to be like.
In fifty first dates you are told all about the main character Henry Roff and his love life and romance all before his entrance in the film.
The Holiday and Fifty First Dates are both face pace and exciting openings to attract your attention to the film and keep you interested so you want to watch the whole film. Love Actually is different to this because Hugh Grant is talking over a clip where people are expressing emotions, this is done to create the mystery of Hugh Grants character.
Fifty First dates
Straight away you can hear Hawaiian music and see a beautiful beach in the background with a lovely sun set. The films opening titles come up on the screen; the words are blue and ripple to create a sea affect. The shot fades into a kitchen where two women are talking. Following this there are several women talking about their holiday trip to Hawaii. The women have all shared their holiday having a romance with the main character Adam Sandler. The women talk about their own individual experiences with Adam Sandler’s character Henry Roff. It seems that he is playing them all along and does not want to get involved with any women in long term relationships. The shots cut quickly to create an image in your head of Henry Roff.
Love actually
At the beginning of the film you can see people at an airport arriving and being greeted by friends and family. You can see tears of happiness and huge smiles. People embrace each other as they have not seen them for along time. Hugh Grants character as the prime minister talks over the beginning. He talks about emotions and feelings and how he thinks the world is portrayed in the wrong light. You are only introduced to one character.
Holiday
At the opening of the film there is a gardener cutting the grass in front of a large posh home and a swimming pool, the shot pans to a man asleep on the sofa, (Hinting he has done something wrong as this is often the case when you find a man asleep on the sofa) the man proceeds upstairs where he shouts out “Kelly, Kelly “as he is looking for her. As he opens her bedroom door he has a shoe thrown at him confirming our judgement that he has done something wrong.
They argue about their relationship and that he has cheated on her.
As the two girls go through their break up, they hop online to get some relief that their not the only ones going through that. So they start talking over the internet and saying things like "how about we swap houses for a few weeks?" "where do you live?" And that’s when their new lives start.
Summary
In all three of these films the first character you see is not actually the main character, I think they do this to build up the scene for the character and letting you know something about them before the enter the scene, for example In the film The Holiday you can clearly see the house is large, there is a pool and they have their own gardener all before you see the main character Kelly, this lets you know what the character is going to be like.
In fifty first dates you are told all about the main character Henry Roff and his love life and romance all before his entrance in the film.
The Holiday and Fifty First Dates are both face pace and exciting openings to attract your attention to the film and keep you interested so you want to watch the whole film. Love Actually is different to this because Hugh Grant is talking over a clip where people are expressing emotions, this is done to create the mystery of Hugh Grants character.
Tuesday, 5 May 2009
Out Of Your League Evaluation
Film Evaluation out of your League
To start off with I was troubled with ideas and started with the first idea of a school spy movie, I drew up the story board and script, and also completed research on the genre yet did not carry through with it as I was unsure if it would actually work.
Stuck again I teamed up with Laura in the ambition that two heads are brighter then one it certainly worked to start off with and we were underway quickly with a new plan of a Romantic Comedy set in our school. We planned it well and researched the genre and re-capped on shot types and angles so we could plan the filming better.
I tried to use a different variety of shot distances to create different affects and moods. We used tripods regularly throughout are filming to create a steady shot, this made it look more professional and kept the focus on what was in the shot rather than the filming.
Our first day of filming went poorly with Boyzie messing around a lot and a poor lack of variation of shots used. Knowing this and knowing undoubtedly we would receive a low grade. We decided to film our piece again concentrating on variation of shots and techniques. Learning from this experience taught us that in future we would select our cast differently; you do not have to pick your best friends just because you will joke with them. In future I will pick an A Level Drama group to help me. They will be good at acting and work hard.
We decided too go our own way with our editing to give it our own personal touch.
I targeted a young audience as they can relate to the school characters and the setting. My target audience is between 15- 20 as they have a dispensable income the money to go to the cinema. I chose a Rom-Com as it is a hybrid genre and will draw in a bigger audience to see the film. Its intended mostly towards females but will also draw in a male audience when they go on dates etc to the cinema with their female companions.
In my trailer I also attracted a male audience by relating it to a very masculine theme football, most men love the game of football and this makes them interested in the film. The audience will be attracted to the film by the way the trailer is left on a cliff hanger and you don’t know what’s going to happen.
My Film represents the youth of today, it gives both sides of the spectrum and involves Emily’s character an evil destroyer of friendship, Boyzie and I acted oppositely to Emily’s and fought to keep our friendship and eventually had a laugh at her expense. Teenagers are often portrayed in the media in the wrong way often linked with anti social behaviour and more typically drugs and alcohol.
I think a media institution like Working Title Films would my film as they often produce low budget films and turn them into a success. Working Title Films is a British film production company, based in London, England. The company was founded by Tim Bevan and Sarah Radclyffe in 1984. It produces feature films and some television productions. Eric Fellner and Bevan are the co-owners of the company now. I think they having a name such as working title behind my film would instantly add a following to the film.
I felt my film definitely had room for improvement and if I had the opportunity to do so I would change a lot, firstly I would use a different form of computer software too make my film more professional. I would learn how to use the software by working in IT with a teacher so that I felt more comfortable with what I was doing.
By Matt Scott
To start off with I was troubled with ideas and started with the first idea of a school spy movie, I drew up the story board and script, and also completed research on the genre yet did not carry through with it as I was unsure if it would actually work.
Stuck again I teamed up with Laura in the ambition that two heads are brighter then one it certainly worked to start off with and we were underway quickly with a new plan of a Romantic Comedy set in our school. We planned it well and researched the genre and re-capped on shot types and angles so we could plan the filming better.
I tried to use a different variety of shot distances to create different affects and moods. We used tripods regularly throughout are filming to create a steady shot, this made it look more professional and kept the focus on what was in the shot rather than the filming.
Our first day of filming went poorly with Boyzie messing around a lot and a poor lack of variation of shots used. Knowing this and knowing undoubtedly we would receive a low grade. We decided to film our piece again concentrating on variation of shots and techniques. Learning from this experience taught us that in future we would select our cast differently; you do not have to pick your best friends just because you will joke with them. In future I will pick an A Level Drama group to help me. They will be good at acting and work hard.
We decided too go our own way with our editing to give it our own personal touch.
I targeted a young audience as they can relate to the school characters and the setting. My target audience is between 15- 20 as they have a dispensable income the money to go to the cinema. I chose a Rom-Com as it is a hybrid genre and will draw in a bigger audience to see the film. Its intended mostly towards females but will also draw in a male audience when they go on dates etc to the cinema with their female companions.
In my trailer I also attracted a male audience by relating it to a very masculine theme football, most men love the game of football and this makes them interested in the film. The audience will be attracted to the film by the way the trailer is left on a cliff hanger and you don’t know what’s going to happen.
My Film represents the youth of today, it gives both sides of the spectrum and involves Emily’s character an evil destroyer of friendship, Boyzie and I acted oppositely to Emily’s and fought to keep our friendship and eventually had a laugh at her expense. Teenagers are often portrayed in the media in the wrong way often linked with anti social behaviour and more typically drugs and alcohol.
I think a media institution like Working Title Films would my film as they often produce low budget films and turn them into a success. Working Title Films is a British film production company, based in London, England. The company was founded by Tim Bevan and Sarah Radclyffe in 1984. It produces feature films and some television productions. Eric Fellner and Bevan are the co-owners of the company now. I think they having a name such as working title behind my film would instantly add a following to the film.
I felt my film definitely had room for improvement and if I had the opportunity to do so I would change a lot, firstly I would use a different form of computer software too make my film more professional. I would learn how to use the software by working in IT with a teacher so that I felt more comfortable with what I was doing.
By Matt Scott
Wednesday, 4 March 2009
Out Of Your League
We have now finished filming all of our piece and are soonly going to edit it, we have taken our time over this piece to try to obtain a high standard piece using a variety of angles and shots. We specially concentrated on the lighting and continuty to make it good.
Wednesday, 28 January 2009
Out Of Your League
Laura and I were both puzzled by our previous film ideas, and i had a lack of focus on my own.
we decided to work together on the film and decided on a genre of Romantic comedy, the ideal location of the school came to mind as we could film during and after our lessons and not have to travel to far. we based it on me and Boyzie and our friendship as we have grown up leading to a unpredictable split in our relationshp when a new girl came to the school and stole both our hearts. we used the way neither of us let on we like her to create some comedy. so far we have filmed half of it and thought about the opening credits and the music we are going to use.
we decided to work together on the film and decided on a genre of Romantic comedy, the ideal location of the school came to mind as we could film during and after our lessons and not have to travel to far. we based it on me and Boyzie and our friendship as we have grown up leading to a unpredictable split in our relationshp when a new girl came to the school and stole both our hearts. we used the way neither of us let on we like her to create some comedy. so far we have filmed half of it and thought about the opening credits and the music we are going to use.
Our roles in the Film
My role in the film was as an actor and helping in the chocie of shot angles and types. We used many shoty types such as close up's to concentrate on the charachter, medium shots to have a view of the charachters upper body and ots shot's to watch a conversation. Naomi helped us by acting along side me, laura created the story board and edited with Lexi, and owen mainly filmed.
When describing camera positions, or choosing them yourself, you have to think about three important factors
The FRAMING or the LENGTH
The ANGLE
If there is any MOVEMENT involved
When describing camera positions (or shots), different terms are used to indicate the amount of subject matter contained within a frame, how far away the camera is from the subject, and the perspective of the viewer. Each different shot has a different purpose and effect. A change between two different shots is called a CUT.
1 . Extreme long shot
Can be taken from as much as a quarter of a mile away, and is generally used as a scene-setting, establishing shot. It normally shows an EXTERIOR, eg the outside of a building, or a landscape, and is often used to show scenes of thrilling action eg in a war film or disaster movie.
2. Long Shot
The most difficult to precisely categorise, but generally one which shows the image as approximately "life" size ie corresponding to the real distance between the audience and the screen in a cinema (the figure of a man would appear as six feet tall). This category includes the FULL SHOT showing the entire human body, with the head near the top of the frame and the feet near the bottom.
3. Medium Shot
Contains a figure from the knees/waist up and is normally used for dialogue scenes, or to show some detail of action. Variations on this include the TWO SHOT (containing two figures from the waist up) and the THREE SHOT (contains 3 figures...). NB. Any more than three figures and the shot tends to become a long shot. Another variation in this category is the OVER-THE-SHOULDER-SHOT, which positions the camera behind one figure, revealing the other figure, and part of the first figure's back, head and shoulder.
4. Close-Up
This shows very little background, and concentrates on either a face, or a detail of mise en scene. This shot magnifies the object (think of how big it looks on a cinema screen) and shows the importance of things, be it words written on paper, or the expression on someone's face. The close-up takes us into the mind of a character. In reality, we only let people that we really trust get THAT close to our face - mothers, children and lovers, usually - so a close up of a face is a very intimate shot. A film-maker may use this to make us feel extra comfortable or extremely uncomfortable about a character.
5. Extreme Close-Up
As its name suggests, an extreme version of the close up, generally magnifying beyond what the human eye would experience in reality. An extreme close-up of a face, for instance, would show only the mouth or eyes.
CAMERA ANGLES
The relationship between the camera and the object being photographed (ie the ANGLE) gives emotional information to an audience, and guides their judgment about the character or object in shot. The more extreme the angle (ie the further away it is from eye left), the more symbolic and heavily-loaded the shot.
1. The Bird's-Eye view
This shows a scene from directly overhead, a very unnatural and strange angle. Familiar objects viewed from this angle might seem totally unrecognisable at first (umbrellas in a crowd, dancers' legs). This shot does, however, put the audience in a godlike position, looking down on the action. People can be made to look insignificant, ant-like, part of a wider scheme of things. Hitchcock (and his admirers, like Brian de Palma) is fond of this style of shot.
2. High Angle
Not so extreme as a bird's eye view. The camera is elevated above the action using a crane to give a general overview. High angles make the object photographed seem smaller, and less significant (or scary). The object or character often gets swallowed up by their setting - they become part of a wider picture.
3. Eye Level
A fairly neutral shot; the camera is positioned as though it is a human actually observing a scene, so that eg actors' heads are on a level with the focus. The camera will be placed approximately five to six feet from the ground.
4. Low Angle
These increase height (useful for short actors like Tom Cruise) and give a sense of speeded motion. Low angles help give a sense of confusion to a viewer, of powerlessness within the action of a scene. The background of a low angle shot will tend to be just sky or ceiling, the lack of detail about the setting adding to the disorientation of the viewer. The added height of the object may make it inspire fear and insecurity in the viewer, who is psychologically dominated by the figure on the screen.
5. Oblique/Canted Angle
Sometimes the camera is tilted (ie is not placed horizontal to floor level), to suggest imbalance, transition and instability (any Michael Bay movie
). This technique is used to suggest POINT-OF-View shots (ie when the camera becomes the 'eyes' of one particular character,seeing what they see - a hand held camera is often used for this).
CAMERA MOVEMENT
A director may choose to move action along by telling the story as a series of cuts, going from one shot to another, or they may decide to move the camera with the action. Moving the camera often takes a great deal of time, and makes the action seem slower, as it takes several second for a moving camera shot to be effective, when the same information may be placed on screen in a series of fast cuts. Not only must the style of movement be chosen, but the method of actually moving the camera must be selected too. There are seven basic methods:
1. Pans
A movement which scans a scene horizontally. The camera is placed on a tripod, which operates as a stationary axis point as the camera is turned, often to follow a moving object which is kept in the middle of the frame.
2. Tilts
A movement which scans a scene vertically, otherwise similar to a pan.
3. Dolly Shots
Sometimes called TRUCKING or TRACKING shots. The camera is placed on a moving vehicle and moves alongside the action, generally following a moving figure or object. Complicated dolly shots will involve a track being laid on set for the camera to follow, hence the name. The camera might be mounted on a car, a plane, or even a shopping trolley (good method for independent film-makers looking to save a few dollars). A dolly shot may be a good way of portraying movement, the journey of a character for instance, or for moving from a long shot to a close-up, gradually focusing the audience on a particular object or character.
4. Hand-held shots
The hand-held camera (despite its name, a heavy, awkward piece of machinery which is attached to its operator by a harness) was invented in the 1 950s to allow the camera operator to move in and out of scenes with greater speed. It gives a jerky, ragged effect, totally at odds with the organised smoothness of a dolly shot, and is favoured by filmmakers looking for a gritty realism (eg Scorsese), which involves the viewer very closely with a scene. Much favoured by the makers of NYPD Blue.
5. Crane Shots
Basically, dolly-shots-in-the-air. A crane is a useful way of moving a camera - it can move up, down, left, right, swooping in on action or moving diagonally out of it.
6. Zoom Lenses
The zoom lens means that the camera need not be moved (and saves a lot of time and trouble). The zoom lens can zip a camera in or out of a scene very quickly. The drawbacks include the fact that while a dolly shot involves a steady movement similar to the focusing change in the human eye, the zoom lens tends to be jerky (unless used very slowly) and to distort an image, making objects appear closer together than they really are. Zoom lenses are also drastically over-used by many directors (including those holding palmcorders), who try to give the impression of movement and excitement in a scene where it does not exist.
7. The Aerial Shot
An exciting variation of a crane shot, usually taken from a helicopter. This is often used at the beginning of a film, in order to establish setting and movement. A helicopter is like a particularly flexible sort of crane - it can go anywhere, keep up with anything, move in and out of a scene, and convey real drama and exhilaration.
The FRAMING or the LENGTH
The ANGLE
If there is any MOVEMENT involved
When describing camera positions (or shots), different terms are used to indicate the amount of subject matter contained within a frame, how far away the camera is from the subject, and the perspective of the viewer. Each different shot has a different purpose and effect. A change between two different shots is called a CUT.
1 . Extreme long shot
Can be taken from as much as a quarter of a mile away, and is generally used as a scene-setting, establishing shot. It normally shows an EXTERIOR, eg the outside of a building, or a landscape, and is often used to show scenes of thrilling action eg in a war film or disaster movie.
2. Long Shot
The most difficult to precisely categorise, but generally one which shows the image as approximately "life" size ie corresponding to the real distance between the audience and the screen in a cinema (the figure of a man would appear as six feet tall). This category includes the FULL SHOT showing the entire human body, with the head near the top of the frame and the feet near the bottom.
3. Medium Shot
Contains a figure from the knees/waist up and is normally used for dialogue scenes, or to show some detail of action. Variations on this include the TWO SHOT (containing two figures from the waist up) and the THREE SHOT (contains 3 figures...). NB. Any more than three figures and the shot tends to become a long shot. Another variation in this category is the OVER-THE-SHOULDER-SHOT, which positions the camera behind one figure, revealing the other figure, and part of the first figure's back, head and shoulder.
4. Close-Up
This shows very little background, and concentrates on either a face, or a detail of mise en scene. This shot magnifies the object (think of how big it looks on a cinema screen) and shows the importance of things, be it words written on paper, or the expression on someone's face. The close-up takes us into the mind of a character. In reality, we only let people that we really trust get THAT close to our face - mothers, children and lovers, usually - so a close up of a face is a very intimate shot. A film-maker may use this to make us feel extra comfortable or extremely uncomfortable about a character.
5. Extreme Close-Up
As its name suggests, an extreme version of the close up, generally magnifying beyond what the human eye would experience in reality. An extreme close-up of a face, for instance, would show only the mouth or eyes.
CAMERA ANGLES
The relationship between the camera and the object being photographed (ie the ANGLE) gives emotional information to an audience, and guides their judgment about the character or object in shot. The more extreme the angle (ie the further away it is from eye left), the more symbolic and heavily-loaded the shot.
1. The Bird's-Eye view
This shows a scene from directly overhead, a very unnatural and strange angle. Familiar objects viewed from this angle might seem totally unrecognisable at first (umbrellas in a crowd, dancers' legs). This shot does, however, put the audience in a godlike position, looking down on the action. People can be made to look insignificant, ant-like, part of a wider scheme of things. Hitchcock (and his admirers, like Brian de Palma) is fond of this style of shot.
2. High Angle
Not so extreme as a bird's eye view. The camera is elevated above the action using a crane to give a general overview. High angles make the object photographed seem smaller, and less significant (or scary). The object or character often gets swallowed up by their setting - they become part of a wider picture.
3. Eye Level
A fairly neutral shot; the camera is positioned as though it is a human actually observing a scene, so that eg actors' heads are on a level with the focus. The camera will be placed approximately five to six feet from the ground.
4. Low Angle
These increase height (useful for short actors like Tom Cruise) and give a sense of speeded motion. Low angles help give a sense of confusion to a viewer, of powerlessness within the action of a scene. The background of a low angle shot will tend to be just sky or ceiling, the lack of detail about the setting adding to the disorientation of the viewer. The added height of the object may make it inspire fear and insecurity in the viewer, who is psychologically dominated by the figure on the screen.
5. Oblique/Canted Angle
Sometimes the camera is tilted (ie is not placed horizontal to floor level), to suggest imbalance, transition and instability (any Michael Bay movie
). This technique is used to suggest POINT-OF-View shots (ie when the camera becomes the 'eyes' of one particular character,seeing what they see - a hand held camera is often used for this).
CAMERA MOVEMENT
A director may choose to move action along by telling the story as a series of cuts, going from one shot to another, or they may decide to move the camera with the action. Moving the camera often takes a great deal of time, and makes the action seem slower, as it takes several second for a moving camera shot to be effective, when the same information may be placed on screen in a series of fast cuts. Not only must the style of movement be chosen, but the method of actually moving the camera must be selected too. There are seven basic methods:
1. Pans
A movement which scans a scene horizontally. The camera is placed on a tripod, which operates as a stationary axis point as the camera is turned, often to follow a moving object which is kept in the middle of the frame.
2. Tilts
A movement which scans a scene vertically, otherwise similar to a pan.
3. Dolly Shots
Sometimes called TRUCKING or TRACKING shots. The camera is placed on a moving vehicle and moves alongside the action, generally following a moving figure or object. Complicated dolly shots will involve a track being laid on set for the camera to follow, hence the name. The camera might be mounted on a car, a plane, or even a shopping trolley (good method for independent film-makers looking to save a few dollars). A dolly shot may be a good way of portraying movement, the journey of a character for instance, or for moving from a long shot to a close-up, gradually focusing the audience on a particular object or character.
4. Hand-held shots
The hand-held camera (despite its name, a heavy, awkward piece of machinery which is attached to its operator by a harness) was invented in the 1 950s to allow the camera operator to move in and out of scenes with greater speed. It gives a jerky, ragged effect, totally at odds with the organised smoothness of a dolly shot, and is favoured by filmmakers looking for a gritty realism (eg Scorsese), which involves the viewer very closely with a scene. Much favoured by the makers of NYPD Blue.
5. Crane Shots
Basically, dolly-shots-in-the-air. A crane is a useful way of moving a camera - it can move up, down, left, right, swooping in on action or moving diagonally out of it.
6. Zoom Lenses
The zoom lens means that the camera need not be moved (and saves a lot of time and trouble). The zoom lens can zip a camera in or out of a scene very quickly. The drawbacks include the fact that while a dolly shot involves a steady movement similar to the focusing change in the human eye, the zoom lens tends to be jerky (unless used very slowly) and to distort an image, making objects appear closer together than they really are. Zoom lenses are also drastically over-used by many directors (including those holding palmcorders), who try to give the impression of movement and excitement in a scene where it does not exist.
7. The Aerial Shot
An exciting variation of a crane shot, usually taken from a helicopter. This is often used at the beginning of a film, in order to establish setting and movement. A helicopter is like a particularly flexible sort of crane - it can go anywhere, keep up with anything, move in and out of a scene, and convey real drama and exhilaration.
First media Film
Our first film took a while to film due to our lack of use of film tecniques and variety of shots. we then understood to achieve the best possible grade we would have to re-film, after studying film shots and camera angles. We filmed again and we achieved a better film and obtained a higher grade. Our first editing experince was hard and only due to owens experince on his own computer did we actually work out how to use the softwear. I was happy with the end product and the whole first film experince.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)