Friday, 13 November 2015

Camera Shots and Movement

Camera shots and movement

Establishing shot- Describes where you are and gives a shot of the exterior of something e.g. Building
Wide Shot- a broader shot to show the scale of something
Crane Shots-like if a camera has been put on a crane and gives an aerial shot
Aerial Shot/Birds Eye View-variation of a crane shot and gives a view from high up
Close-Up-shows little background and is focused on an object or someone’s face so you see their emotion
Extreme Close-Up- a close up but to the extreme as in the camera is focused on just their eyes or sweat on their forehead
Point of View- we see through the actors eyes
Subjective point of view/over the shoulder shot-we can see what they’re seeing but not from their POV but it still puts the viewer in the scene
Two Shot-shows a conversation between two people
Shot/Reverse Shot- the shot is on one person talking and then switches to the next person talking and then back again. You have to follow the 180 degree rule
Angles/Movement
Pans-a movement which scans a scene horizontally, using a tripod, which operates as a stationary axis point as the camera is turned in order to follow a moving object or cover a scene
Tilts- A movement which scans a scene vertically
High Angle-implies things like they character is insignificant or weak
Low Angle-Implies things like the character is big or important
Dolly Shots/Tracking- Camera physically moving alongside the action, generally following the moving figure or object
Hand-held Shots- gives jerky effect as literally held by hand and can add to the panic or suspense. Used by film makers for gritty realism.

Zoom/reverse Zoom- This is when the camera move closer or away from the action in a very quick motion

Editing

Editing
·        Most films use a system of editing known as continuity editing
·        Its sole aim is to get the story moving along and get the audience completely immersed in the plot and characters
·        In drama sequences, the purpose of editing is often: Identification (with characters), Conflict, Intensification
·        The function of this system is fast can to make the action as fluid as possible, so that we are not aware of the construction process
Editing pace
·        This is the speed and tempo of the cuts- slow can suggest emotion and suggest tension, action or uncontrollable events
·        This is the first obvious thing to look for as it gives an insight into the tempo and feel of the sequence
·        Editing works because it is a juxtaposition

Cut
·        Most common technique is the cut where it goes from one scene to another
·        These cuts produce a beginning and middle and an end to the film
·        THERE IS ALWAYS A REASON FOR THE CUT
·        Match on Action- A cut that makes the scene like a seamless move, there is an action that is fluid in both shots, the director creates a visual bridge
·        Jump Cut-abrupt, noticeable to the audience, sometimes to show a passage of time
·        Cross Cut- cuts the that show two different scenes are happening at the same time and the cuts keep going back and forth
·        Cutaway-the shot cuts away to another, best used when a POV is being used
·        Reaction Cut- cuts from a scene of an action like an explosion to the a person’s reaction
·        Matched Cut- is a cut between two different objects, spaces or people in which they graphically match

Transition
·        Fade- a transition to or from a blank screen (usually black)
·        Dissolve- a slow transition  as one image merges into another
·        Wipe- An optical effect which one shot “wipes” another off the screen for dramatic effect
·        Super Imposition- Where two images are placed on top of eachother
·        Montage- A series of shots that are connected together to create a meaning
·        Slow Motion- scene slows down to add drama
·        Long Take- Where the shot does not cut away but lingers
·        Split Screen- A division on the screen to show to shots simultaneously





Sound

Sound
Selective sound- is used to emphasise key sound elements
Ambient Sound- used to create atmosphere (e.g. a bird chirping to add realism to the scene)
Sound Bridges- The use of sound to help transitions between sequences more fluidly
Sound Effects- are these used to create a sense of realism or to create some physiological impact or effects
Diegetic Sound- sound whose source is visible on the screen or whose source is implied to be present by the action of the film: voice of characters, sounds made by objects in the story, music represented as coming from instruments in the story space.
Non-Diegetic- Sound which is not in the world which is used to create atmosphere like music. Also any voice over/narration. Also sound effects for things like gun shots or explosions
Synchronous sound-This is when the sound matches the action-reinforces the effect
Asynchronous sound- This is when sound originates from outside the film like musical soundtracks
Contrapuntal- noise or sound effect which doesn’t match the visuals, often juxtaposed to create alternative meaning
Voiceover- This is the “voice” of a character. This voice often guides the audience
Theme Music- This is the music that introduces, develops throughout the film to add personality to the film
Musical Score- used to create atmosphere, to link shots or sequences, to help create narrative or to offer information about characters

Silence- film/TV are very rarely completely silent  vut is used occasionaly 

Preliminary Task Evaluation

Preliminary Task Evaluation
What Went Well
In my preliminary task I was able to demonstrate the 3 techniques needed. Match-on-action was used at the beginning of the film when the “Hero” walks through the door. And I was able to keep to the 180 degree rule while using shot/reverse shot where the hero exchanges dialogue with villain. I also believe I had a wide range of camera shots that worked very well which included: close-ups, point of view shots, subjective point of view shots and mid-shots. I also like the music used. I believe it sets a tense and dark atmosphere which is juxtaposed by how silly the situation is creating a comedic effect. I believe the character of the villain was done really well by Rory Giddings. While a villain is meant to be cynical, dark and serious, he completely ignores this and makes him comical.
What I Would Do Differently

Even though I was able demonstrated Match-on-action once at the beginning, I feel like I could have done it a lot more. This is would be to make it more obvious that I have used this technique especially as it is not obvious in my film due to the shortness off the scene it is used in. The camera is also not fully focused throughout the film which is small error which can easily be fixed for future projects. While I believe it wasn’t done terribly, I don’t think my part in the film was very convincing and so maybe using someone else as the hero would have been a better choice. While the location used was a somewhere the hero and villain could have a conflict, I feel it wasn’t somewhere that people would fight over the end of the world, maybe some sort of special effects or green screen would have added to the atmosphere and sense of place.

The Duel

Tuesday, 10 November 2015

Preliminary Task Script

Preliminary Task Script
Fade in from black to give an extreme close up of the hero’s eyes. The angle changes to show the hero walk to and open a door to a room. This reveals a hooded man sitting at a table at the end of the room. Our hero then walks to the table and sits opposite to the hooded figure.
HOODED M
-So you decided to show up…
HERO
-Did I have a choice? What else would I have done?
HOODED M
-(Pause) Don’t have any hope of winning… It all ends here; the world as you know it will be gone forever.
HERO
-well I can try…
HOODED M
-Don’t fool yourself everyone you know will die before the end of the day
HERO
Well I guess it’s time, I won’t let you get away with this
Shot shows the entire table to show a set off cards
HOODED M
-With the power of China I commence the battle
(Small Montage of the battle)
HOODED M
- (draws card) hahahah, there is no way of you winning after I play the all might pepe! Now your f*****! (censored)
HERO
-((internal monologue)I have to believe in the heart of the cards…) *over acting draw of card* *looks at card stunned* *turns it to camera* Its….

END

Tuesday, 6 October 2015

Pre-lim Ideas


Preliminary Task-Ideas

Checklist:
·         Obey the 180 degree rule (happens during conversation)
·         Match on Action (when character enters door)

·         Shot-reverse-shot (follows the dialogue, so when one person speaks the camera is on them on the opposite person’s shoulder)
       
       Idea: For my preliminary task i have chosen to make a short almost parody of  popular  children's TV shows where cards are used to decide the fate of people. The scene will begin with dark music, a character walks into the room to see a hooded man sat at a table, he sits opposite him and they begin to talk, they talk about the end of the universe and how it all comes to this. A children's card game. He must believe in the heart of the cards to send the hooded man to the shadow realm and save all of reality. Its a silly idea but will allow me to use all 3 shot types I need to use to pass my preliminary task.

      


The Chase