Camera Shots/Angles

Camera Angles
The three camera angle which my group will be focusing on in the main task is the 180 Degree Rule, Match on Action and also Shot/Reverse Shot. We have chosen these angles because they match the requirements and as we had practise at them in the preliminary task, we thought it would be relatively easy.

The first of shot which will be used is the 180 degree rule. This will take place in the bathroom where I am as I am speaking to the the other actor Honor who is in a different room. This will distuinish between me and the mirror in front of me. Ellie, the person who was holding the camera at the time had to pretend that their was an imaginary line between me and the mirror. She also had to maintain continuity as this line must not be crossed.

The next shot is shot/reverse shot. This is a film technique used to show one character looking at something off screen. Usually another character in a convrsation. Then the camera switches to another person that the original character was looking at. Since me and Honor (the actors for this scene) are shown facing in different directions , the viewer unconsciencly assumes that they are looking at each other. The scene has not moved the for shot/reverse shot and both actors are in the games room. This is a cold, dark place. This type of shot will really show how tense me and Honor are as the camera points straight at out faces of worry.

The last of the shots used is match on action. Match on action is cutting from one shot to another view that matches the action and the place of the first shot. This creates an impression of continuity although the shots may have been filmed weeks apart. If I was to begin an action in the first shot and complete an action in the next shot, a visual 'bridge' is created which acts to disguise the cut from one to another. A typical example of this is a car entering from one side of the shot and leaving and then appearing from the left again. In my group's main task, this is when I walk out of the door and Ellie film me from behind, and then the camera is cut whilst Ellie runs in front of me and then filming is resumed.

 

Shot Types

The Rule of 3rd's - This a compositional rule of thumb in photography. The rule states that the image can be divided into 9 parts by two equally spaced lines horizontally and vertical. The four points formed by the intersections of the lines can be used to align features in the frame. Users of the technique claim that aligning a photograph with the points creates more tension, energy and interest in the photo than simply centering the feature would.

Panning shot - Panning is the horizontal movment or the rotation of a camera, or the scanning of a subject horizontally on video or display device. Panning a camera is a motion similar of that to someone shaking their head 'no'.

Tracking shot - A tracking shot is also known as a dolly shot or a trucking shot. It is a segment in which the camera is mounted on a wheeled platform which is pushed on rails whilst filming or photographing. Tracking in on a stationary subject is used for emphasis, as is tracking out, and also tracking beside a moving subject. Tracking shots can include smooth movements forward, backward, along the side of the subject, or on a curve. Trackers with hydrualic arms can also smoothly 'boom' or 'jib' the camera several feet on a vertical axis. However, tracking shots cannot include complex pivoting movements, arial shots or crane shots.

Dolly-zoom shot - The dolly zoom is an unsettling in-camera special affect that appears to undermime normal visual perception in film. The effect is achieved by using a zoom lens to adjust the angle of veiw (aka field of view) while the camera moves towards or away from the subject in such a way as to keep the subject the same size in the frame throughout. In its classic form, the camera is pulled away from a subject whilst the lens zooms in, or vice versa. Thus, during the zoom, the subject stays the same, however the directly noticeable feature being in the background appears to change size relative to the subject. The effect was first developed by Irmin Roberts, a Paramount second-unit cameraman, and was famously used by Alfred Hitchcock in his film Vertigo.

Pedestal Shot - A pedastal shot means moving the camera vertically with respect to the subject. This is often referred to as “pedding” the camera up or down. The term comes from the camera support known as a pedastal. They provide a great deal of flexibility as well as very smooth movement, and have the ability to move the camera in any direction; left, right, up, down. 

Tilt shot - This means that the camera is in the same position but tilts the angle of veiw up and down. It means that the camera is looking up or down at the subject in the frame, instead of being at the same level, as these are usually more dramatic than straight-angle shots. A downward tilt is usually used to observe a large area or oversee action, creating a kaleidoscope effect, making the subject seem less important. However an upward shot, creates an impression of superiority.

Crabbing Shot - A crabbing shot is basically tracking or dollying, however it is a side-to-side movement at a consant distance from the action or subject. It basically mimicks how a crab would walk along the beach.