Preliminary Task Finished

Preliminary Task Evaluation

Task 1: Scan your storyboards and any other planning onto your blog in order to reflect your ability to plan

Task 2: Evaluation of Preliminary

1) What planning did you do for your filming task, and how did this planning aid the filming?

My group and I endeavoured to create a storyboard when brainstorming ideas after concluding upon the topic of our conversation; I was to lose the History textbook that Laurie had lent me.

Finding this planning process to involve time we thought would be better put to use by filming and editing, however, as we could clearly visualise the scenes and shot types we wanted, creating a shot list emerged as a more appropriate solution.

Constructing a chronological list of camera angles within the same lesson in which we recapped conventional shot types, we set about trying to replicate as many of them as possible in our Preliminary Task. Examples of shots we were inspired to utilise include the bird's eye view, the worm's eye view and the more advanced tracking shot.

2) What is the 180 degree rule, and how is this rule important to the filming task?

As the image above demonstrates, the 180 degree rule, or the rule of line-crossing, is a guideline of which must be conformed to in order for on-screen interaction between two objects, or characters, to work successfully.

An invisible line is known as the axis, and connects two individuals or more by keeping the camera on one side of it. Maintaining the camera positioned within a field of 180 degrees makes the interaction between two or more objects an interaction of which is easily understandable. Should the camera cross the imaginary line (axis), viewers undergo disorientation; they shall feel confused as to who is talking, for example, as a character consequentially never stays in one place, or remains on one side. This is called crossing the line or jumping the line.

3) What shot types and camera angles did you use in your filming task, and to what effect?

My favourite shot is the Study Hall tracking one, of which I previously mentioned. It resembles Tarantino's extensive tracking shot featured in the opening to Jackie Brown, a shot type studied briefly in class. The subject - or Laurie - is depicted throughout the clip at length from the camera I pushed on a tripod and dolly, so as to ensure a smooth manoeuvre, resulting in the shot additionally acting as a sort of establishing one; the pod he latterly enters hosts our conversation, and the location of the pod is established by this shot.

An earlier angle incorporated, the bird's eye view, I feel personally is particularly required, as it makes Laurie's journey down the corridor far more interesting; if were to have solely shot him walking with less sophisticated over the shoulder shots and tracking ones, the pace and accumulation of tension would likely have suffered. Virtually all of our shots were cut, even if ever so slightly, so as to heighten audience anticipation as a direct result of extracting any irrelevant footage.

Camera training: Still images

'PRACTICE SHOOTING'

- ESTABLISHING SHOT -
These include vast amounts of space enveloping the primary subject,
or focal point, of a scene. The attention of the audience is often driven
directly to the part of the composition that actually establishes the shot

- POINT OF VIEW SHOT -
A fairly self-explanatory shot type; the image illustrated to viewers is that
of which the character's supposedly seeing also. The audience temporarily
embody the eyes of another

- WORM'S EYE VIEW -
Usually a worm's eye shot is incorporated when a scene involves fear,
or is sometimes included within a production when a character is fleeing
from a situation. Audiences tend to feel either exposed or neglected,
witnessing events from a more helpless perspective

- BIRD'S EYE VIEW -
The accuracy of this image is rather weak - I think it would be
strengthened by the [toy] gun being held as oppose to resting, so as to differentiate it from such shots below, like the close up and medium close up.
Bird's eye view shots provide viewers
with alternative and exciting viewpoints of intense action

- EXTREME CLOSE UP -
Used when a character's action or emotion is
particularly significant or symbolic.
Frequently featured to portray terror in films of a
thriller genre, for example

- CLOSE UP -
A type of shot utilised when concentrating
exclusively upon one object; an angle allowing audiences to identify with a
character and their emotion

- MEDIUM CLOSE UP -
This shot type is employed to bring to focus a subject,
indicating his or her feelings and intentions during a sequence

- TILT SHOT -
Constructs an illusion of confusion or disorientation

- LOW ANGLE SHOT -
Creates connotations of authority, power, status
and fear. Characters depicted at lower angles are often
evil and menacing

- HIGH ANGLE SHOT -
Renders a subject more insignificant and/or vulnerable,
however due to my object this may not become apparent
so easily

Practice makes perfect

Over the summer, aware that I was to return to Sixth Form and start my Media Studies A-level in September, I decided to experiment with camera angles whilst on holiday in the south-west of England.

Below are a few of the results.

The image above follows the same rule as an over-the-shoulder shot; the subject at closest proximity to the camera lens is blurred, like the shoulder, neck and back of head of a person, and the second subject, which in this instance is the sea and the ships upon it, is in focus.

Rotating the chosen focal point of the picture from the background to the closer subject, this second snap captures the stonewall with a higher quality finish than the ocean behind it. In filming, this concept of blurring the ‘less important’ subject within a scene is employed in one-on-one conversations and evidences a nice, easy way to show audiences who is speaking, or who is conducting something of particular interest in comparison to their secondary subject.

The photograph of the seagull perched on the wall is a low angle long shot. The primary subject, the bird, is empowered by the low angle and rendered more significant. The fact that I chose to take the photo at a distance from the predominant focus of the composition and make it a long shot results in the subject being the clear central point of the image and established its location (resting on a stonewall).

The next two images may appear a little amateur, as they are so blurred. The subject is simply sunshine reflecting off water. Once again, I wanted to explore this idea of depicting scenes in such a way that they become blurry. I currently wish my thriller opening to incorporate flashbacks, in which recording must come across as unclear, or hazy. Blurring environments ensures success in achieving this somewhat distorted feel and shall assert the cut to the past with much needed clarity.

The medium close up shots, featured above, can be best defined perhaps as angles which settle half way between mid shots and close ups. The subjects in each image are presented to their viewers with detail, but the pictures do not concentrate upon exclusive regions of either focus in particular depth. This camera shot type plainly provides an outline or overview of subject and situation.

This photograph depicts a boat as the primary subject. The shot type is that of a medium close up. Medium close ups are commonly used to bring objects or characters into focus.

This picture, similar to the one before it, is a medium close up of a boat. Although no particular qualities differentiate it from the previous photo, I thought the snap above was rendered more interesting, solely through the composition, of which includes more water. I think it’s important to remember how minute alterations, much like the one demonstrated here, can enhance a scene and make a shot type appear uncommon, and therefore more creative.