I had so much fun working with three-point lighting and discovering the ways it can ultimately transform your shot. Of course, I was aware of the importance lighting has in a film shoot, especially in dark or boring spaces, however, I didn’t realise the importance each different light could make, depending on its position. My favourite light would have to be the back/hair light as it essentially created more dimension to the shot.

As seen in the video we were instructed to watch before class, it take’s the subject of the shot and separates them from the background. It provides that extra dimension, so they aren’t seen as lost in what appears behind them. While the sun can become an amazing asset in film making, I remembered from what Paul mentioned that a lot of “natural light” you see in movies and television shows is faked by extremely powerful and bright lights outside the set. I find it so fascinating that this can be achieved.

As you can see in the still’s shown, Nelson looks overexposed and dull in the lighting from the room in the picture. Yet, on camera, it tells a completely different story. The green in his hair has become more vibrant, the shadows on half of his face create amazing definition. It’s exciting how great lighting can affect the mood of the shot you desire to create.

As Paul touched on in class, setting up lighting and camera’s and audio equipment, all in one space, can become chaotic and messy. Leads are everywhere, people are everywhere. However, amongst it all, we seem to all know our roles and get the job done which is an element I really appreciate about film making.

Something we had yet to work on in regard to shot construction was camera movement, so when we got to chance to finally give it a go, it was exciting nonetheless.
In a group with Aria and Grace, we used a colourful backdrop to concentrate on our pans, follow throughs, zoom ins etc.

In my first edit, I focused on matching up clips and timing myself and Grace walking up the stairs. Aria was hand-holding the camera for this, and the result was great. However, it did help me realise how hard controlling the camera can be in regard to holding it yourself instead of using a tripod for stability.
It reflects back to the clip from a movie Paul showed in class, where shots were constructed with the camera operator HOLDING the camera while almost RUNNING to follow the subject in the shot. It looked clumsy and awkward to watch. Hence, I can say now I definitely prefer the use of a tripod, although holding the camera is easier in regard to quick pans and follow throughs.

My second edit is much messier as it focuses more on other shots and movements we did, rather than having them match up. It showcases more our experimentation.

In all honesty, we basically constructed every shot possible we could possibly do in terms of capturing someone walk up and down that staircase. Looking back, I really liked the shot where the focus on characters switched from Aria to Grace, as Grace walks past and up the stairs.

Although not included in the edit, a test shot with Paul in it focused on him going down the stairs but disappearing out of frame for a second before coming back in to continue down the other flight of stairs. I really liked that shot as it shows that the camera doesn’t need to follow the subjects every move for the shot to be effective.

The scene I have chosen to deconstruct this time is from the 1976 film adaption of Stephen King’s novel Carrie. It is quite different from the movie Juno in almost possibly every aspect besides them both being teen films. Drawing off elements of art cinema, Carrie features supernatural abilities within a high school setting, drawing on teenage issues such as puberty, bullying and romance as the film centres around the prom. The film is more disturbing than frightening in my opinion. Director Brian De Palma’s style is also notably different and unique, which also encouraged my decision to choosing this scene.

In this scene, Carrie is in class and surrounded by class mates and her teacher whom is reading a student’s poem. The student is revealed to be Tommy Ross, a popular athlete who eventually later in the movie goes to take Carrie to the prom. The scene opens with a close up on Carrie’s hand, copying down the poem word for word. What happens next is a zoom out, which in many cases, is avoided during shot construction. However, De Palma includes frequent zooms throughout his film, so much so that they seem unnecessary and random at times. However, I believe this one works as it establishes Carrie’s like for the poem, as well as then zooming out to establish where she is and where the voice is coming from.

The shot is then dragged out to be quite long, panning around the students until turning around to focus in on Tommy and become a medium close up. When the teacher announces Tommy’s name, a whistle is heard, assumingly from outside. It’s almost as if it was used to demonstrate Tommy’s athletic nature, yet the teacher goes on to speak of his “home runs” right after which leads me to think, was it necessary?

The most extraordinary shot, however, is the double focus on both Carrie and Tommy that De Palma constructed. Tommy is seen at a close up, while Carrie is shown over his shoulder at a mid-shot. De Palma is famously known for his shots using a Split Focus Diopter, which is a half convex glass attached to the camera’s main lens. It helps create that double focus, and in the case of this scene, capture the emotions and reactions of two characters at once. You can even notice the blurry line in the scene through Tommy’s hair. I think this shot is brilliant as I don’t recall seeing it done so well. As Carrie announces her admiration for the poem and Tommy is seen as bothered by her doing so, the shot shows the division between both character’s personalities and personas.