Starting the preliminary exercise

Starting the preliminary exercise

Today we started to film the preliminary exercise. The first 45 minutes did not go to plan as we could not decided on which shot would be better to shoot, so we did all of them. This wasted a lot of time but on the plus side it gives us more options for the final edit

Low angle shots

Low angle shots


A low angle shot is where the camera is low to the ground and is pointing up towards a character or object, this gives the effect that the object/person is physically bigger and intimidating. It could also give the effect that the character is dominant to another character in the room. Here is an example from the 2012 film The Avengers.

Establishing shots

Establishing shot

Establishing shots are usually at the start of a film or the start of a new segment of a film to generally set the scene for the upcoming events. This can allow the viewer to get a feel for the surroundings and be able to understand the situation the characters are in. To the right there is an establishing shot from the trailer of The Great Gatsby.

Long shot

Long shot

Long shots are used to show the backdrop and sometimes the characters as well, it often shows an impressive scenery or an important location for the film. The image to the right is a screenshot from the new Bond film Skyfall. This shows James Bond falling off of the bridge an plummeting to the ground below although this may not be visible in this image.

Mid/Medium shot

Mid/Medium shot

Mid or medium shots are the "normal" distance of many films, in this shot you can still see the character/s involved and see the scenery that surrounds them. This is a common shot that is used in films because of that reason 

Close up

Close up


Close up's are used to show a character or object with more detail, this is usually to show a characters expression or specific detail on an object, Here is an example of a close up from the lord of the rings film.
As you can see, it is focused on his face and you can see his reaction clearly, unfortunately this screenshot has the background removed but nether the less you can still see that very little of the background is visible, this forces the viewer to look at the main focus and take in the information being shown.

Continuity Mistakes

Continuity mistakes

Many things can class as continuity mistakes and many of those are very obvious and can be changed, for example hairstyles, clothing and props need to be kept the same. There is also the background to be careful of. There are many examples of poor continuity in this video.

Continuity

Continuity 

Continuity is very important during a film or short clip, It is key to making a video look professional and  overall better quality. Basically continuity is the continuous condition of the characters and props being used in the video, for example a character should be wearing the same clothes when he starts walking through a door and when he appears on the other side.

Shot/ Reverse shot

Shot/Reverse shot

The shot /reverse shot is mainly used when two people are talking, the camera will change from above the listeners shoulder looking at the speaker, And then when the other character speaks the camera will change position to again face the speaker and being above the shoulder of the listener, an example of this is in the video to the right.

Match on action

Match on action

Match on action is where the camera changes view when an action happens, for example during this video the camera zooms in on the book when it is opened. Another example of this could be movement of the camera the swing of a bat or the zooming in of a hand on a door handle. These are used to emphasise and draw attention to item or action in the clip.

180 Degree rule

The 180 degree rule

The 180 degree rule

The 180 degree rule is simple enough to follow, the cameraman has just got to keep one side of the actors they are filming, I will give an example using the image to the right. If the cameraman was on the green side of the image to the right of the man with the yellow top he will have to draw an imaginary line through both of the actors (as displayed by the dotted line) he will know that he can't cross this line as it will change the direction the people are facing on the video.

Preliminary exercise brief

Produce a continuity exercise which involves a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom they exchange a couple of lines of dialogue. The task should demonstrate;

• Match on action 
• shot/reverse shot
• 180 degree rule