Guide
Throughout this guide you will learn: • • • • •
How to use the camera equipment To know what the camera shots, angles and movements are To know what is the rule of thirds To know what is the 180-degree rule To know what is the shot- reverse- shot
How to use your camera equipment
Equipment When making a production you must have the following equipment: • A camera When making a production you must have: • A tripod • A camera • A tripod
A tripod is used to keep the camera stable because if you take a
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Camera shots Extreme long shot- This can be taken from as much as a quarter of a mile away, and is generally used as a scene setting, establishing shot. It normally shows an EXTERIOR, e.g. the outside of a building, or a landscape. There will be very little detail visible in the shot as it's meant to give a general impression rather than specific information. Long shot- This includes the full shot showing the entire human body, with the head near the top of the frame and the feet near the bottom. While the focus is on characters, plenty of background detail still appears. Medium shot- Contains a figure from the knees/waist up and is normally used for dialogue scenes, or to show some detail of action. Background detail is minimum, this would probably be because location has already been established earlier in the scene - the audience already knows where they are and now wants to focus on dialogue and character interaction. Another adaptation in this category is the over-the-shoulder shot, which positions the camera behind one figure, revealing the other figure, and part of the first figure's back, head and shoulder. Close up- This shows very little background, and concentrates on either a face, or a specific detail of mise en scène. Everything else is just a blur in the background. This shot magnifies the object and shows the importance of things, be it words written on paper, or the expression on someone's face. The close-up takes us into the mind of a character. In reality, we only let people that we really trust get that close to our face - mothers, children and lovers, usually - so a close up of a face is a very intimate shot. A filmmaker may use this to make the audience feel extra comfortable or extremely uncomfortable about a character, and usually uses a zoom lens in order to get the required framing. Extreme Close Up- This shot is an extreme version of the close up, generally magnifying beyond what the human eye
Suspendisse elementum rhoncus velit. would in reality. An extreme close-up of a face, for instance, would show only the mouth or eyes, with no Nulla experience turpis metus, faucibus nec, background whatsoever. This is a very synthetic shot, and can be used for dramatic effect. The tight focus required dignissimdetail at, cursus in, tortor.
means that extra care must be taken when setting up and lighting the shot - the slightest camera shake or error in focal length is very noticeable.
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Camera angles The Bird's-Eye view- This shows a scene from directly overhead, a very unnatural and strange angle. Recognizable objects viewed from this angle might seem totally unrecognisable at first (for example; umbrellas in a crowd, dancers' legs). This shot puts the audience in a godlike position, looking down on the action. People can be made to look insignificant, ant-like, part of a wider scheme of things. High Angle- This angle is not so extreme as a bird's eye view. The camera is elevated above the action using a crane to give a general overview. High angles make the object photographed seem smaller, and less significant (or scary). The object or character often gets swallowed up by their setting - they become part of a wider picture. Eye Level- This is a fairly neutral shot; the camera is positioned as though it is a human actually observing a scene, so that e.g. actors' heads are on a level with the focus. The camera will be placed approximately five to six feet from the ground. Low Angle- These increase height (useful for short actors like Tom Cruise or James McAvoy) and give a sense of speeded motion. Low angles help give a sense of confusion to a viewer, of ineffectiveness within the action of a scene. The background of a low angle shot will tend to be just sky or ceiling, the lack of detail about the setting adding to the bafflement of the viewer. The added height of the object may make it inspire fear and insecurity in the viewer, who is psychologically dominated by the figure on the screen. Oblique/Canted Angle- Sometimes the camera is tilted (i.e. is not placed horizontal to floor level), this is to suggest imbalance, transition and instability (very popular in horror movies). This technique is used to suggest point-of-view shots (i.e. when the camera becomes the 'eyes' of one particular character, seeing what they see and so a hand held camera is often used for this.
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Camera movements Pans- This is a movement which scans a scene horizontally. The camera is placed on a tripod, which operates as a stationary axis point as the camera is turned, often to follow a moving object that is kept in the middle of the frame. Tilts- This is a movement which scans a scene vertically, otherwise similar to a pan. Dolly Shots- These are sometimes called TRUCKING or TRACKING shots. The camera is placed on a moving vehicle and moves alongside the action, generally following a moving figure or object. Complicated dolly shots will involve a track being laid on set for the camera to follow. The camera might be mounted on a car, a plane, or even a shopping trolley (this is a good method for independent film-makers). A dolly shot may be a good way of portraying movement, the journey of a character for instance, or for moving from a long shot to a close-up, gradually focusing the audience on a particular object or character.
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Rule of thirds
The rule of thirds means that you should always try to make sure your main point of focus and the part you would like to highlight most is on one of the four intersection lines.
The rule of thirds is a guideline that applies to the process of composing visual images such as paintings, photographs and designs. The guideline proposes that an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections. Proponents of the technique claim that associating a subject with these points creates more tension, energy and interest in the composition than simply centering the subject would.
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180-degree rule
In filmmaking, the 180-degree rule is a basic guideline regarding the onscreen spatial relationship between a character and another character or object within a scene. An imaginary line called the axis connects the characters and by keeping the camera on one side of this axis for every shot in the scene, the first character will always be frame right of the second character, who is then always frame left of the first. If the camera passes over the axis, it is called crossing the line or jumping the line. The 180-degree rule enables the audience to visually connect with unseen movement happening around and behind the immediate subject and is important in the narration of battle scenes.
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Shot reverse shot
Shot reverse shot is a film technique where one character is shown looking at another character (often off-screen), and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. Since the characters are shown facing in opposite directions, the viewer assumes that they are looking at each other.
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The End
Noura Rashid