Asking the focus group

This is a printscreen of the email I sent which had attached our photomatic and the questionnaire

Photomatic

This is mine and Alys' Photomatic in the form of a series of pictures. We had the soundtrack 'The Streets - Blinded By The Lights' playing as each slide fades in then out.

Photomatic for The Hunted

Preliminary Task and Evaluation

For continuity editing in our piece we made sure to stick to the 180 degree rule, especially when the two characters are having a conversation, we made sure the camera is not moved past a certain point.

We used a Sony bloggy hand camera to film our piece, then uploaded it to a school computer and used Serif software to edit and cut it, and to add a non diagetic sound track to it.

I feel like the prelim task was quite effective as it taught me how to actually film a sequence, and what rules there are to be followed, such as the 180 degree rule. We worked well as a group and worked hard to create this piece. It was helpful having a few of us, as we had Alys on camerawork, Kiran as location manager, and I was directing some of the filming. Being able to spread the workload makes for a much more efficient and better project. If I was to do it again I would probably want to have a few more takes of the actual filming, as I felt the camerawork could have been improved if we had properly surveyed and analysed it before putting it through edit.

Timeline

We did a title sequence from the 1989 version of Batman, because we felt it might be a similar genre and style as our group's. From inspecting this opening, we discovered that each title is on screen for roughly 3-5 seconds, and they usually have a smooth fade and entrance to the screen, as they are the forefront of what the audience is seeing.

Storyboard for Photomatic

This is the front and back of my groups storyboard plan for the animatic sequence we created as a pretext to our film opening

Camera Movements

1. Pan Shot

A pan shot is used to keep one character, or something key, in the middle of the screen whilst they're in motion. The camera is usually placed on a tripod, so as to make an axis and an unmoving base, then is turned to follow the action.

2. Tilt Shot

This shot is identical to a pan shot, except it is vertical instead of horizontal movement. Often used to film the entirety of a tall building.

3. Dolly Shot

This shot is something that follows the action, and is often a camera placed on tracks (hence the alternate name tracking shot), or a moving vehicle in order to keep up. It is used to suggest character's movement, perhaps showing a journey of some sort. It is widely used, especially in films with car chases.

4. Hand-held Shot

It wasn't until the mid 20th century until these caught on. Reporters in World War 2 found they could get disturbingly close to the action with hand held camera, and it soon began to catch on. These shots are, as the name suggests, just a camera in hand, following the action. Often used in documentaries, as it can easily create the 'fly on the wall' effect for the audience and makes them much more of a participant in the piece being shown. Occasionally, horror films - such as Paranormal Activity - use them to add an extremely realistic feel.

5. Crane Shot

This shot is more or less a mid air Dolly Shot. It follows the movement or action of whatever it may be on screen from an elevated position.

6. Camera Zoom Shot

This is, frankly, a hugely overused and popular technique in filming. This is when the camera zooms in on a character or object, whilst staying a distance away from it. Wildlife documentaries are the most frequent in zooming, but fictional films often do it also. The zoom can, if not done properly, be seen as very jerky, in contrast to the smooth dolly shot, but when executed correctly, this shot accurately displays a picture to be much closer than it actually is.

7. Aerial Shot

This is a  often a combination of a crane shot and an extreme long shot. Usually used at the start of a film to set the scene, and often taken from inside a helicopter. Due to the versatility of a helicopter, the aerial shot can easily follow action, but will not provide as much detail due to the distance at which it is shot.

                                                      

Group Horror Scene Plan

This is two images of the plan me and my group made of the scene we will make. We intend to make a horror scene, with the lighting coming on from the moon, and a character's torch. There will be trees and a leafy floor to create the idea of a forest. Each member of the group is bringing in a different item to add to the set.

Camera Angles and Shots

1. Extreme Long Shot

This shot is often used to set the scene in a film. It always be an exterior shot, such as a landscape (as shown) or the outside of an area. More often than not used in dramatic/thriller films to show the scene of a battle before the camera goes right in close to the fighting. It is always taken from serious distance - up to quarter of a mile away.

2. Long Shot

The Long shot, although arguably the most difficult camera angle to describe, or place in a certain category, is widely used. Generally speaking this shot is intended to show something in its actual 'life-size' form. Often, as is shown in this example, if the shot is of a person, their head and feet will be near the top and bottom of shot respectively. The shot here is attempting to show the man's actual size - perhaps roughly 5ft11. The focus is most definitely on the person in the picture, and background detail is not as important.

3. Medium Shot

This is a shot of a character/characters from, usually, the waist up. The background detail is both unimportant and very minimal. A medium shot will come later on in a scene, most probably after a long, scene-setting shot. Dialogue or action between characters is usually done in a medium shot, as is shown here. There are variations of the medium shot. Shown here is the two shot, and there is also the three shot, which is fairly self-explanitory.

4. Close Up

The close up shot is usually used to show a specific character's expression or, perhaps, reaction to something. There is no real background - it is usually blurred as a result of a zoom on a character's face, and often shows the significance of whatever it may be. A close up shot is, in a way, letting the audience go much nearer than usual to a character, so is therefore used by film makers to either let a character's guard down, and make the audience feel relaxed with them, or, contrastingly, to make the audience feel a bit uncomfortable around a certain character.

5. Extreme Close Up

As is made fairly clear in the name, this shot is an even closer version of a close up shot. Commonly showing just one facial feature of a character -their eyes, mouth, teeth. There is no background detail whatsoever, and a film maker must take care to get the lighting and setup right with a shot like this, as even a slight quiver will be easily seen when in as much detail as this. The shot is most often used to add to dramatic effect, for example cutting from a long shot to an extreme close up in a horror movie would, hopefully, frighten the audience.

Angles

1. Birds Eye View

This is a angle that is directly over-head of whatever it may be. Although quite an unnatural and uncommonly used shot, this angle makes the audience feel powerful, and puts them, quite literally, on top of things. It can also give a good perspective view of a large area - similar to an extreme long shot.

2. High Angle Shot

A less extreme birds eye view. It can be used to dwarf the character in shot, for dramatic effect, as is shown here. It it also often used to give a general, but still moderately detailed view of the action. With the height comes a degrading of significance for the character or object on screen - they appear smaller.

3. Eye Level Shot

This angle is to make it seem as though the audience are actually in the scene. The camera is roughly 5-6 feet away from the ground, and at eye level for the audience, so they are quite literally observing the scene.

4. Low Angle Shot

This angle adds supreme height and power to the character or object in the picture. As is shown here, the background is usually just the sky, or roof if it's indoors. This angle also gives the audience a sense of powerlessness and dwarfs them, further adding to the superiority of the object.

5. Oblique/Canted Angle Shot

This shot is mainly used in horror films, but also sometimes action thrillers. It shows instability, or lack of balance, and suggests that something/someone is falling all over the place, and confuses the audience. It is more commonly used when in a point of view shot.

Personal Introduction

My name is Gabriel Godfrey-Janni. I'm a year 12 at the Cherwell School in Oxford, taking Media Studies at AS level. This blog will contain a variety of posts connected to the work I'm doing in and around the subject at school.