Prelimenary task

For our preliminary task we were given a simple storyboarded scene which we had to shot in at least five different shots . We had to shoot the wide shot first , then one set of over the shoulder and close ups and then the reverse of these two shots . After we have completed the basic shoot , we then were free to film any additional shots that helped us to make our sequences more interesting . We were filming our sequence in the classroom , following the 180-degree rule . 

Camera shots , angles and movements

Extreme Wide Shots (EWS) act to establish the area.

Wide Shots (WS) show the entire person or area.  They’re great for establishing the scene and allow for good action of the characters.  Sometimes this is known as the long shot.

Medium Shots (MS) frame the subject from the waste up.  This is the most common shot and allows for hand gestures and motion.

Medium Close Ups (MCU) shots show the subject in more detail and are often framed from just below the shoulders to the top of the head.

Close Ups (CU) show a particular part of your subject.  For people this usually means the shot frames just the head!

Extreme Close Ups (ECU) are much tighter close-up shots in which you get detail greater than the human eye might be able to normally perceive.  An example of this shot might be of the mouth and eyes 

Two Shot: This is a shot of two peoples (or other individuals) together. 

Cut Away (CA): Cutaways are used in the editing process to fill in footage which is different from the main action.  B-roll is often used for cut-aways.  An example might be a cut away of a bird singing if the shot is focused on a couple in the woods. 

Over the Shoulder Shots (OSS) are shot from behind the person towards their subject.  Generally the frame is cut off just behind the ear, although there are several variations.  A good technique to use to get this shot is to frame the person facing the subject with about one third of the frame.

Point of View (POV): This is an effective shot that gives the audience the feel that you’re seeing it from the eyes of the performer.  It is taken from near the eye-level of the actor and shows what he might see.  It could be used to give the perspective of other animals too like a frog, a bird, or a fish.

Selective Focus: By using a large aperture value (f/1.4, f/2.0) you will be able to create a shallow depth of field.  This effectively leaves one part of the frame in focus while blurring others, such as the foreground or background.  When you change the focus in the shot from the foreground to the background you’re doing another advanced camera shot called a rack focus.

First plan for an opening sequence

Plan for an opening sequence of a thriller

(1) Two girls get lost in the forest ( can be after a party and they are drunk but not necessary ) and they are trying to find a way out . They are walking and thinking what to do and where to go. Suddenly they see a house in the middle of the forest and they decide to go and ask for help as their phones have no charge and they cant call their parents and ask to pick them up . They knock into the door and a friendly and smiling men opens . They start talking and the girls explain what happend to them . He suggests to come and stay in his house overnight as its really late and he cant drive them back to the centre . They come inside , he gives them a cup of tea and afterwards they go upstairs . They go into the room and he locks them from the outside . Then he goes to his own room and takes a big album … a big album of those people who he killed already.

  

A close analysis of a sound

A close analysis of a sound in 2 min sequence from a film (750 words)

“Taken”

     For my prep to describe a close analysis of a film sound in a two-minute sequence I chose to write about the film called “Taken” which I have seen so many times and which is an action thriller directed by Pierre Morel, which came out in 2008 and had to more parts after this. The sequence which I chose is in the first 15-20 minutes of the film and is the first main tragic scene of the kidnapping when dad cant help his ‘little’ daughter as he is in a different country and can just give her instructions when they are on the phone until they take her.

     From the very beginning of a sequence we can hear a calm but very intense non-diegetic sound, playing as a background for both of the main characters even though they are in different places and even in a different countries which suggests us that there is a sound bridge between them which connects them and us the audience as well. Also when they are talking to each other on the phone we can hear each of them even when the shots are changing from dad to daughter and other way around because it’s a pleonastic sound as usually we cant hear that clear when someone else is on the phone. Producers definitely made it on purpose to give us a feeling like we are not just random people who came to watch the movie but we are actually part of their conversation and maybe they want to make us feel like we are in the same room and even in the same situation. We obviously can’t talk to them but we can probably feel the same as they do.

When he is giving her instructions which is a diegetic sound, of what to do, she doesn’t really reply, we can only hear her crying which creates a feeling like something is about to happened and we feel very sorry for her. Also, producers use a sound bridge to show and give us a clear feeling that they feel the same thing.

Talking about the steps of the unknown for us people and a creak opening of the door which is a diegetic sound really pushes us towards the scene which we think is more likely to happened- the kidnapping of his daughter and which is also a diegetic sound. Very calm but intense music suggests that dad’s words were correct and it only makes us feel sorry for her and it makes us wait.

Another interesting fact to consider is when those people who come into the room start talking on a different language which none of us can understand but also our characters cant. They might be saying something really important which could help dad to find his daughter. Something like what they do with all of these girls or where they keep them. Straight after you see this shot you start thinking about the following possible circumstances which can happened to his daughter. There are more or less likely to be 2 possibilities, one of them is they take her and the second one is they leave and she is free to go.

But that’s when our thoughts stop. We hear them leaving the room and going in the same direction from where they came from. There is a non-diegetic sound on the background which we can compare to the heart beating. Now we really understand what she feels like lying under the bed with no possibility to do something. Afterwards she takes her phone and starts talking to her dad. There is no any music on the background, but only her scream when one of the unknown men is pulling her from the bed.

The sequence ends with breathing of the person on the other side of the phone from her dad. There is a calm non-diegetic sound playing as a background which can suggest that they have done what they wanted to do. They took his daughter. Now dad has to do something. Music stops and the shots are changing to the next sequence. 

Shooting studio 2

Our second lesson in the shooting studio

Yesterday was our second lesson when we went to the shooting studio .Matt  was teaching us how to make a combination of shots which to stick together will make a sequence .

 He told us about the 180-degree rule which as he explained is a basic guidline regarding the on-screen spatial relationship between the chracter and another character or object within a scene . An imaginary line called the axis which connects the chracters , and by keeping the camera on one side of this axis for every shot in the scene , the first camera is always frame rigght of the second character , who is then always frame left of the first . The camera passing over the axis is called jumping the line or cossing the line ; breaking the 180-degree rule by shooting on all sides is known as shooting in the round. The object that is being filmed must always remain the center , while the camera must always face towards the object , but if you really need to cross the line , you need to use a neutral shot (middle photo) . The neutral shot starts a fresh state  allowing you to cross the line with out confusion . Matt also told us that we cant only make a close up shots as it just wont look nice and neat .

After that we were in groups of three making our own small sequence . Katie was our actress . We made 5 shots . Some of them we close up of Katie's face or phone , others were middle shots . The plot for our really short film was that Katie had to come and sit on the sofa , take her phone , look at it and put the phone back . 

It was a really good experience for all of us .