Shot Variation

September 25, 2012

Shot Variation Part 2 - Angles and Movements

These are adjustments to the camera that can be done within the context of your focal length - ie you can set up shot variations within each shot length

Shot Movements

these are moving camera shots that add a great deal to a movie or scene or sequence

SteadiCam - one of the most appealing kinds of shots in movies - the camera is on a mount that an operator wears - the mount makes the shot smooth, and the shot can go wherever a person can go
it has a floating, smooth look, but is also like a handheld in terms of immediacy
it’s an active feel - adds excitement and intensity

Dolly - easy to do with equipment - wheels and devices and, in the pro world, it uses track - these shots looks awesome and smooth and create a real sense of action - can you make one? sure - mess around with tricks like a skateboard or maybe some other device

Mount moving shot - cameras can be put on any kind of vehicle or contrivance - wheelchairs are film school standards - smooth because the cam is locked down - the helicopter shot is one of the best of these - there’s a cool effect from these mounted shots

Handheld - these are powerful and nauseating for Mr. Lobb - good for giving immediacy and POV - the Bourne movies have amazing handheld - director Paul Greengrass is a master of this technique - creates a realism (naturalism) that many people love (and makes me sick)- must be used carefully and sparingly

Pan - a horizontal moving shot - left to right or right to left - on a device (a tripod or a sliding tripod) - Pedestal pan - just rotate the camera from one side to the other

Tilt - a vertical moving shot from a fixed mount - up and down - these shots (pan and tilt) are basically for revealing offscreen information - the viewer is “rewarded” for watching by getting new information

Zoom - fake motion - it’s a lens trick, or an optical illusion - the lens can adjust the focal length quickly and appears to get close - note - it does not get closer - every camera shake or jitter or movement is much exaggerated - cheesy - do it rarely

Dolly In - this is awesome - dolly into action and it adds a great deal - feels 3D

Camera Angles -

High Angle - overhead down to just above shoulder, shooting down - makes the subject appear smaller and can be an interesting choice, because it’s rare

Low Angle

Dutching the Frame - shooting on a wacky angle

You can think about 360 degrees

Eye level, straight on is NOT the best thing to use all the time - angles create interest and surprise in

September 24, 2012

Shot Variation - kinds of shots -

Focal Length

Extreme Long Shot - the environment fills the frame - it IS the subject - large scale action - reveals something about the place

Long Shot - close in on the subject in a place, where the place is still the focus - the action is a little tighter - car chase in a city

Wide Shot - like a long shot, but the effect is a little more pushed out on the sides - the lens can distort things to seem wider than reality - the action tends to be centered

Medium (master) Shot - the most important shot in any movie - this is a continuous shot from a medium distance of the entire action of a scene - shows the entire event that the scene is about, with multiple characters - this is like the spine of any scene in a movie and you cut other shots into it

Medium Close - maybe, maybe not shots - two shots - show characters in action - (your master may cover this) - you see the character in a room, in a place - doing some small scale action

Close up - a shot where one thing is the focus - maybe a person, an object of importance (a gun or a knife) - this is crucial in movie history because close ups made movie stars - CUs give emotion

Extreme Close Up - this is all about distorting something - exaggerating and intensifying elements of the object - ECU is often about making faces exaggerated for emotion taken to an extreme or to be truly disturbing


Septemberthe viewer