23/09/14
This is an evaluation of the shots and editing techniques I have learnt so far.
Camera shots
This is an extreme close up shot. It fills up the whole frame showing only the character's face. This shot can be useful in multiple genres because it highlights a character's emotions adding to the narrative of a drama.
This shot is a close up. It shows only the face but it does not fill the entire frame. This can useful in a similar way to an extreme close up, but may be more useful if the background to the shot is particularly interesting or necessary for the shot to have an emotional or story-telling importance.
This is a medium close up. This shot shows the upper body of the character. This could be useful because it gives room to show the body language of a character. In a sadder piece of television this could communicate as much as the face does and this shot allows that to be expressed. It is also good in conversations. Like I said before it shows most of how a person communicates which makes for more effective dialogue scenes.
This is a medium or a mid shot. This shot is a bit further out than a medium close up. This is also useful because it shows all of a characters ways of communicating. Additionally it shows more of the setting which could be good for scenes where a character is doing something on a table or with another prop which also needs to be shown, as well as what they are trying to say.
This is a long shot. It shows the whole body. It can give a better sense of height for a character who is stood on his own. It can also show the authority a certain character has other the others by the way he/she is stood around the others. Again, this shot includes more of the character's surroundings.
This is a long shot. It includes the whole body of the characters and is at a distance from them. This can be very useful when the surroundings of the characters is equally important as the characters themselves. This can be useful to set the scene of a part of the show.
Somewhat similar to a long shot is the establishing shot. Usually even further out than the picture I managed to get, this shot focuses a lot more on the scene than the long shot. You usually see this at the start of movies or shows to completely set the scene.
This is a medium long shot. It is similar to the long shot except it is from the knees up. It is a good shot for showing a lot of a character and his surroundings at the same time.
The low angle shot is very useful for giving a character a heightened status. This is a common shot in super hero movies, or any piece of media where there is a character who is a main protagonist or antagonist. It makes the character in shot look taller than they are which gives them a more powerful look.
The over the shoulder shot is used when two characters are having a conversation. It allows the brain to register who the speaking character is talking to whilst also getting a full sense of how that character is expressing themselves. This is a pretty essential shot in almost any piece if drama with dialogue between characters.
The two shot is a shot where there are two characters in the shot. It can also be used for conversations or for showing the non verbal communication of two characters.
The pov (Point of View) shot is useful because it puts you in the eyes of a character. This could be used to give you more empathy for a character in a horror or an action movie or show. Combining this camera angle with a handheld camera technique puts you in the body of a character very effectively.
`
The tilted shot could be useful to show the drama in the scene or perhaps that a character is a little bit eccentric or different. The tilted or canted angle is different from what you expect to see and therefore it throws you off a little bit. This foreshadows what is to come.
Camera techniques
This footage is not from a drama or a movie but I feel that it shows the handheld camera technique quite well. This footage is pov of the rider of the bike and it shows you what he is seeing. In the context of a tv show this would put you in shoes of a character, giving you an idea of the way they may be feeling. It goes well with the POV shot.
This YouTube video shows the tilt camera technique. The camera looks upwards on an axis, sort of like nodding your head. This could be useful in action or horrors where something tall is running towards the camera and characters. It also creates the effect of a low angle shot which gives the object or person that is being looked up at a higher status.
This YouTube video shows the pan camera technique. It is similar to a tilt however it is horizontal instead of vertical. It is good for showing a whole room and giving an evaluation of what is in it. You may see this technique when a character enters a room that they are unfamiliar with or is surprising to them.
This YouTube video demonstrates the crane technique. The crane technique is like the tilt except instead of being fixed on an axis looking up, the camera itself actually moves up. This could be used when characters are on two different floors of a building to transition between the two.
Camera Edits
This YouTube video shows several different editing techniques. The first one shown in the video (0:04-0:20) is jump cut editing. This breaks up gaps in conversations and makes the scene a lot more straight to the point, jumping forward through any gaps.
The wipe edit is shown at 0:48 to 1:00. The wipe edit makes for a transition between two scenes and makes it obvious to the viewer that there is going to be a change. This edit technique is used a lot in films such as star wars.
Also, throughout the video, whenever an example clip has finished being shown, the video fades. This technique gives a clear ending to something which is obvious to the viewer. This could be used at the end of films as it fades to a title screen. The black that it fades into signifies an ending.
Another technique which is in the video but isn't highlighted is the straight cut. At around the 0:10 mark there is a straight cut from one character speaking to another. The straight cut is useful in conversations because our brain can piece together the fact that the change in camera shot is still a continuation of the same scene, providing the 180 degree rule is followed.
This video shows the shot/reverse shot in Spiderman. This shot allows you to focus on both an object and the reaction of a character largely at the same time. As shown in this scene, it can also build drama. The frequent changing of shot to shot gives a manic feel which can be disconcerting to watch, in a way which indulges you further into the scene.
At around 0:30, this video shows the dissolve effect. Similarly to the wipe, it clearly shows a change in scene. However this edit is more gentle than the wipe and can perhaps play on the emotional side of a scene.
