In week 6, we did a bit exercise of camera angles. Sometimes a transition between two different size and angles of a shot would look awkward without a good shooting location. In this exercise, I operated camera, firstly there is a wide shot of two people standing opposite each other. Then we changed the camera location to have a medium shot of both of them talking to each other. We need to make it look no big difference for audience, to achieve that we have to choose very similar background like white walls. But the most important thing is the connection and direction of actors’ eye sight. They should be looking at the same spot in different size of shot and frame. And also they should be looking at each other.
What is in the background does not matter too much, but make sure there are some related elements in background, just make it look fit. Audience does not care too much about background. Camera location is quite important, it affects the way of audience watching. So locate camera at the position which is a suitable and reasonable position for last shot.
During the weekend, I shot the scene of ‘You are a difficult guy’. During this practice, I found the importance of setting, lighting, framing, also the connection between dialogue and acting, communication.
We shot it in my friend’s living room. Before shooting, I did some changes on the original setting of the living room. For example, I moved the sofa a bit closer to the bookcase to get them both in the frame. Also I made sure that the angle of setting the sofa make audience can see actors’ movements and expression clearly, giving audience a looking space. The piano in the background was a bit awkward though.
About lighting, the sunlight is always tricky for shooting, so I shut the curtain half way to make it a bit bright, not too bright. And then I turn on the light of living room to make the room light more balanced. When I did the white balance, I used the wall to be the background. So the entire color is bit beige because of white balance and the lights. I think it is a good color for a living room and a casual atmosphere. At the beginning, pictures are a little bit out of focus, I forgot to do a focus at first two takes.
About framing, I think I did a pretty good framing in this scene. When I was shooting, I always keeps that in mind. When zooming out and in, always keeps the frame still. Also, I was careful about the angle of actors looking at each other, made sure they are same angles in different shot size and location. When I shot the dialogue between them two, I gave them both a middle close up shot, but kept the other out of the frame. When editing, I realized that maybe it will looks better if the they are both a little bit in the frame when the other is talking, like just showing a little bit of shoulder, to acknowledge audiences their relationship and connection better. But no big influence I think.
This ides just came up to me when I editing. I was think of the found scene of week6, in the scene of restaurant, audience first heard the voice of them two, then camera start panning around, finally audience saw the characters. To establish the connection between two characters, I changed the scrip a little bit. Instead of sitting next to Esteban, Roger walked around a little bit. camera started panning at the beginning, Esteban was in the frame, then Roger appeared in the frame when panning. Then she started talking when she appeared in the frame. I think it will be better she starts talking immediately after shooting, and then she appears in the frame. To achieve that, I can shot the voice and the movements separately. For the movement, I can shot lots of Roger walking around (shoot-to-edit) and then do some editing after.
Mise en sceneis a french word for ‘placing on stage’. Frame and camera work is important in Mise en scene. Usually a director needs to all of its elements like lighting, custom, location. In pre-production, director will discuss with his AD, set designers, prop masters, costume designers and scenic artists to determine the final look and feel the movie will achieve, the entire mood of the movie. More information and examples on here.
Montage is a kind of editing style. It cut a series of different scenes together to create time and space in film. Usually it is made up by the most important part, the most impactive part of the scenes. It would be New York this second, then next second it would be Paris, this kind of space and time differences will make audience excited and wonder. A montage cannot be two long or too short, too long would make it look boring, too short would make audience not satisfied by it.
Découpage, before we shoot a scene, we need to think about editing earlier before or during shooting. What kind of shoots are needed in later editing needs to be considered earlier. If we think it when cutting, it is too late. Sometimes we need a special angle, or special size of shot to get a better editing later, so think it earlier! ‘Almost universally confused in English-language writing on film with editing—when it isn’t completely ignored—découpage articulated instead an understanding by French critics that sequencing was conceived before and during the shooting of a film, not in the cutting, and that the camera played not merely a pictorial role but instead structured the film through its formal treatment and sequencing of the mise en scène’.
This week I found three scenes in the same movie, Fast and Furious 2 movie. Those three scenes have a common shooting way.
1. Brian and Mia, at dinner, the restaurant scene
This scene contains a very smooth, casual panning, but causal doesn’t mean that camera is panning with no certain framings and angles. Also it is a medium speed of panning, not very fast. Camera first stops at the statue, and then music starts, and camera starts panning as well. From audience’s view, it’s like the camera is our eyes, searching for Brian and Mia, stop for like nearly one second for some people and tables and check. After that continue searching. Audience hear their voices before see their face, so this is a good motivation for audience to search for them, and director satisfied audience’s thoughts by a camera panning. This panning also makes audience feel like going and sitting in that restaurant too, this makes movie mood nicer.
2. Brian and Mia in bed, Brian picking a phone call scene
In this scene, camera tracks wiggly with Brain’s phone ringing, tracking and phone ringing at the same time. As I wrote in the first scene, camera is like audience’s eyes, finding where does the sound come from? The frame is also clever in this scene. every time camera stop tracking for one second, in the frame there will be a shelf with car elements on it. Camera stops tracking when Brian sits up quickly, and the frame stay still with Mia sits up too.
3. Brian and Jesse, at the car racing site
This scene also contains two pannings. The first panning is from a high angle, panning with Brian’s car moving, through the entire car racing site. Audience can see a lot in that frame, gorgeous car ladies walking around, lots of cars parking there, people laughing, cheering… Another panning of Brain and Jesse walking through the site and talking. About this panning, it is like panning far away from the characters. There are lots of other people in the site walking pass the camera, and they also get blocked by something during the walking. But we can hear their voice clearly. This is a brilliant way to bring audiences into the atmosphere.
The common thing about those three scenes is that it makes audiences feel personally on the scene by shooting with different angles and perspectives. This movie is about cars, this theme is also very well presented in those scenes. There are lots of car racing scene in this movie which makes the movie mood cool and fast. The pannings and trackings are kind of fast, but is like stable and well framed kind of fast and with an aim, not like aimlessly panning around and confuses audiences. I found them very enjoyable to watch.
For rest of semester, I want to learn more about camera coverage and editing style. To achieve that, there are lots of aspects I can invesigate and practice. For example, I can watch lots of good scenes in films over and over again and analysis the certain shots. This would make me more sensitive about the camera coverage. Also, try different shot angles, size, perspectives, different locations, different framings on the same scene. With comparison, the better way to shot one scene will be easier to scene. Different versions of editing tells different meanings, and it also effects the entire watching mood. So a bad cut would confuse audiences in some degree. To express the plot in an good and clear way is important.
A director is the creator of a film, he/she needs to direct lots people, from actors to backstage coworker like dip, support team members. Directing is also an art, a director need to ask team members to express his/her meaning well, this needs good communication.
Director and actors
The performance of actors expresses the entire mood of film. So what kind of expression is needed, what motivations characters get should be well discussed before shooting.
Director and DOP
As I wrote before, a DOP is the director of camera. However what kind of shooting angle, size, zoom in or out, track or not is also depends on director’s call. A DOP is more like a person who execute complicated camera movements.
A very essential and technical part of filmmaking is camera operating, the related position is cinema photographer (DOP). A cinema photographer needs to express a director’s meanings and thoughts by operating a film camera. During this process, DOP is the guarantee of technology. Director may not be a good camera operator. Good communication between DOP and director is significant. A good DOP should express director’s idea perfectly through shooting. There can be lots of ways to shoot the same scene, a DOP should choose the way that perfectly expresses director’s meaning and makes audience pleasant to watch.
shooting technology
-different shooting size and angle
-camera movement like panning, tracking…
-zooming
-framing
I did some camera operating in exercises, it is harder than I imagined, practice makes perfect.