camera shot analysis

Today in class we watched a short clip from king Arthur and we talked as a class about how may different shots there were and we said there were about 250 to 300 shots in a 4minute clip. We also looked at the different types of camera shots and why they were used. We worked in pairs and found a scene of our choice from any film and analysed the different camera shots in there and why they were used and the purpose behind them.

















I have chosen to analyse a battle scene from "300" I have chosen this film as there is a range of different camera shots and a lot of meaning behind why they have they used them:

close up 

In this screenshot you can see here from 300 that its a close up. The producer has decided to use a close up to really convey the feeling on his face and for the audience to get a good understanding of the sense of worry and shock as he has his mouth open which shows he cant believe what he is seeing. In the background you can see the other character he is looking down and is out of focus making the audience to pay more attention to the man at the front as he is more in focus coming across as the more important character in this shot.

 

establishing shot

In this screen shot of "300" it is a establishing shot (ES). The purpose of this shot is to show the audience where the location is held and give a better understanding of the sheer scale of the battle and how many people are involved.

 

 

medium long shot and high angle shot

In this screenshot it is a medium long shot and the camera is angling upwards towards the man on the horse showing power and dominance. You can also see soldiers in the back ground standing facing the man on the horse showing the audience that he is important and could be a leader.

 

 

big close up and high angle shot

In this screenshot is there is two different camera shots involved there is the high angle shot and big close-up (BCU) in the same shot. The high angle shot shows that the character is in position of weakness because he has just been hit by a arrow. The high angle shot also creates a sense of vulnerability. It also shows what the other soldiers would of being seeing at the same time this can give the audience the sense that they are one of the soldiers and can see the shot from someone else's point of view. The close up shot really shows the pain and shock on his face and shows the true emotion of the character.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Camera shots-movement

In todays lesson we looked at camera movement and how they are used and some of the equipment needed to film these shots.

 In todays lesson we watched a video of the different types of camera movement and the techniques and equipment involved when using the camera. Good camera movement can enhance the emotion of a scene and reveal elements that are off screen and can help the viewer feel like part of the action.

Tracking shot/travelling shot/dollying shot
Terms used for a shot when the camera is being moved by means of wheels:

• on a dolly (a low tracking shot)
• in a car
• or even a train.

The movement is normally quite fluid (except perhaps in some of the wider car chases) and the tracking can be either fast or slow. Depending on the speed, this shot has different connotations, eg:

• like a dream or trance if excessively slow
• bewildering and frightening if excessively frenetic

A tracking shot can go

• backwards
• left to right
• right to left
• in to out

The way in which a person is framed in that shot has a specific meaning, (for example, if the camera holds a person in the frame but that person is at one extreme or other of the frame, this could suggest a sense of imprisonment).

Camera Pan

A pan is a horizontal camera movement in which the camera moves left and right about a central axis. This is a swivelling movement, i.e. mounted in a fixed location on a tripod or shoulder.
Pan: Moving the camera lens to one side or another. Look to your left, then look to your right - that's panning

Pedestal

 Moving the camera up or down without changing its vertical or horizontal axis. A camera operator can do two types of pedestals: pedestal up means "move the camera up;" pedestal down means "move the camera down." You are not tilting the lens up, rather you are moving the entire camera up. Imagine your camera is on a tripod and you're raising or lowering the tripod head (this is exactly where the term comes from).

Tilt
Moving the cameras lens up or down while keeping its horizontal axis constant. Nod your head up and down - this is tilting

Zoom
Zooming is one camera move that most people are probably familiar with. It involves changing the focal length of the lens to make the subject appear closer or further away in the frame. Most video cameras today have built-in zoom features. Some have manual zooms as well, and many have several zoom speeds. Zooming is one of the most frequently-used camera moves and one of the most overused, therefore must use it very carefully.

Next lesson plan- camera movement filming

Next lesson on the 17th, we have to plan a number of shots we want to practice with the camera and film them. We are going to do this to get experience with the camera and have a good understanding of what shots goes best with type of scene. We are going to be in groups of 3 or 4 and practicing using the camera and getting an understanding of how to film certain shots. We are going to plan before the lesson what shots we are going to practice filming.

Camera Shots - Medium Shot - MS

I will be talking about the medium camera shots and will explain why producers use this shot and what affect is has and the audience and the purpose behind why they used it. A medium shot is normally filmed from the waist up so that you can see their facial expressions in context to there body language. In medium shots there could be two people in the scene showing how they act together with there facial expression some of there body and location in it so that the audience sort of knows where it takes place and can see part of the actors costume to give more of an indication to what's going on.

This camera shot from the new hope is a medium shot because there are three characters in the shot as well as there body and some of there background. I think the producer has chosen to use this shot because he wants the audience to have a idea of where they are and the facial and body expressions to also show the audience how they are feeling. As you can see han solo the man at the front of the shot is looking quite optimistic where as the other to characters look a little worried, scared and confused and they seem to be standing on there back foot with princess leia holding onto han solos arm. You can also see some of the location in the background which shows us they are in the enemy's hanger. Without this camera shot the audience wouldn't know their body's expressions or as much of the location. I think the producer decided to use this shot because he wanted the audience to see how the characters were feeling with there body expressions and facial expressions at the same time to give them more of indication of what is going on and where they are without giving away too much.

Get Carter - Car Park Scene

Relationships-
In this scene there are 4 main characters, as soon as it starts we see `kipper` the boss of the two workers. Later in the scene we see "Jack" who seems to be the main character. In the opening seen we kipper and his two workers. kipper is pictured the closest to the camera giving him a sense of power and authority as he looks bigger and he is the on in focus drawing the viewers attention. He is also looking away from his wokers out of the window with his back turned to them. Kipper looking out the window can give the auidence the sense that he owns this building and is looking out onto his land that he owns like a king making sure everyone is doing there jobs. By kipper having his back turned to the two men which seems to be his wokres shows the auidence that he doesnt think they are very importanat and he knows that he owns them knowing they are not going to leave, paying less attention to them. Kipper is also holding a cup in his hand this could show that only the impotant people have this luxury also implying that he is the boss again. When kipper the boss has something to say to the two workers he doesnt attemt to fully turned round to speak to them he turns slightly and points to where he wants them to put the hole, this shows how little kipper thinks of his two workers by not attmepting to show any attention to them. It shows that he doesnt really care the respect he shows to the two wokrers by pointing aggresively and his tone of voice is very demading in what he wanst showing yet again that he is the boss.
When kipper storms off in a mood the two workers say something about kipper when hes gone this shows that the two workers feel threatened by kipper as they dont want to say anything around him because they know hes their boss it might also show that they know what he is capable of so they may always be wanting to please him and for him not to hear them say a bad word about him.
As kipper walks across the bridge to see whats going on jack gets out of the car underneath him kipper the boss is above him in the sunlight this shows kippers power and sunlight can be linked with power and greatness and also godlike. Jack is underneath him in shawdow and his face is hideen this can make the audienece wonder who it is? and his identy is a mystery making it more interesting. As kipper walks further down the bridge jack underneath him disappears under the bridge but you can still see the shadow of him walking . This can show the audience he is a bad character as bad characters can often be in the shadows and in darkness .
When kipper meets jack he instantly steps back and is shocked when he sees him showing that jack is the more powerful character now and that kipper doesn't seem to have the "boss" status anymore. He doesn't seem to fight back showing a sense of loss and giving jack the more powerful status. If you have a look at 43seconds into the video and pause it when jack is speaking to kipper, jack is stood very upright and as tall as he can be rather kipper is bent down looking up to jack. Height is often liked with power making jack look like the more powerful character. Kipper is bent over looking up to him giving him a sense of hopelessness and his hands down by his sides shows that he is willing not to fight back showing that he may only pick on people and fight back when he knows he's going to win.