R1 – https://www.mediafactory.org.au/tully-hemsley/2020/03/19/week-1/

R2 – https://www.mediafactory.org.au/tully-hemsley/2020/03/19/week-2-3/

R3 – https://www.mediafactory.org.au/tully-hemsley/2020/03/19/scene-analysis/

Coach Carter (2005) Our Deepest Fear

Scene Link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_fDhqRk_Ro

I chose this scene because it plays an extremely significant role in the films message and is quite impactful and emotional point in the film. I really like this scene in the film and was keen to analyse further to understand why.

This scene begins with a tracking shot from behind Coach Carter as he turns a corner to reveal the team sitting in the gym doing their school work. It then switches between a tracking shot in front of the coach as he begins to take a few steps further towards the boys and a static wide shot of the boys. The next 9 shots in the scene consist of MCU’s of both the team members and the coach. The camera then begins to dolly in, from a Medium to a closeup of both the coach and the player; Timo Cruz as it cuts between the two. Within this, MCU’s and CU’s of other players are cut in between the two primary characters in the scene. It then cuts to the wide shot of the players before cutting to an extreme long shot of all subjects in the scene.

I think this scene does an excellent job of camera coverage. While it has a lot of different shots with a variety of different shot sizes and camera moves, it isn’t disorientating for the viewer at all. I think this is because the scene plays out from 2 primary perspectives or angles. The perspective of the coach and the perspective of the players. By keeping this scene to two perspectives, despite the number of different shots and visible characters, the scene feels quite intimate which works perfectly in conjunction with the overall film. By shooting and blocking the scene this way the director; Tom Carter is able to incorporate all the characters in the scene without making it feel crowded.

Due to a public holiday, Week 2 was condensed into one class. We primarily discussed the role of a focus puller. Essentially a focus puller’s role on set is keep the camera perfectly focused on the correct subject throughout the duration of the shot. We did an exercise where we constructed a scene with a character is late to class. Making his way through the depth of the room to eventually sit down. Placing the camera in the front of the room with a set focal distance, the focus puller would have keep the subject in focus throughout the shot, as the character slowly moved closer to the camera. In this exercise Robin introduced other set roles like the 1^st Assistant director, Director of Photography, Camera Operator and a Grip whom all have an impact on the focus pullers job. This was interesting exercise and provided me with more information of each individual roles on set duties. I quickly understood that no matter what your role on set, it’s going to be heavily influenced by other crew members and vice versa. The decisions you make on set are going to impact other’s roles and the film as a whole.

Week 3 was heavily impacted by the Coronavirus and learning was switched to online information. As part of the online tools I’d like to reflect on Part 2 and the contrasts in the 2 scene’s featuring dialogue at a bar. The First scene from “Gossip Girl” follows the 180-degree rule to a tee. Starts with an opening tilt/dolly shot in the bar to then a standard over the shoulder MCU and CU with what appears to at least a two-camera setup but potentially 4. This is a very conventionally shot dialogue scene and the coverage does not draw attention to itself at all. The second example from “The Fire Within” is extremely unconventional. The dialogue is shot from a multitude of different angles and half way through this the scene the 180-degree rule is broken. The consistent cutting between different angles is to me, as a viewer, disorientating. To then break the 180 degree seems to further confuse the viewer. I’m not sure what the director’s aim was when deciding to shoot the scene this way and as I haven’t seen the film in it’s entirety, I can’t comment on the camera coverage’s place within the whole film. However, the choices of the director do have an extreme effect on the viewer and the coverage in the scene definitely draws attention to itself.

In Week 1 we were introduced to the Scene In Cinema. Simplistically I understand this studio to be about the Camera Coverage in cinema and the process’ involved in developing and filming the action that plays out within a scene. Through this studio I hope to further my learning of camera coverage and how it intertwines with every other aspect of filmmaking. Hoping that by the end of the semester I have a sound understanding of my own taste and filmic style when blocking and shooting a scene.

Robin provided an entertaining introduction into the first tutorial of the semester. We did a blocking exercise where we were separated into groups and given separate scripts. Tasked to shoot a scene from our short scripts in one shot with one set focal distance. We then sat down and watched everyone perform their scene live from the camera onto a screen in the class room. We then watched some of the original examples of the same scripts we were given. Looking at how those were shot with the same constraints, and what decisions the cinematographer made compared to us. This exercise was an interesting look at how different creative minds decide to block and cover a scene.

In response to one of the set readings; Tom Reilly’s The Big Picture, its clear he has a very specific view on the blocking of a scene. In Reilly’s view, The entirety of the decisions of the scene’s blocking should come solely from the director. While I can appreciate Reilly’s opinion and understand that letting the actors dictate the blocking of the scene could potentially tarnish the directors creative vision. It doesn’t necessarily have to. I agree that overall, just because an actor is uncomfortable moving in specific ways within a scene should not mean the creative direction or pace of the film needs to go out the window. I also agree the director should always complete creative control however, Films are without a doubt collaborative works and without alternative creative opinions from actors and crew I truly believe the director is limiting the films overall potential.