During this we edited pre recored footage from a previous student, the reason for this was to get us familiar with editing and to understand the DO's and DONT's. Personally i have experience with editing so i was able to proceed the task with no problems by my self.
The example footage it self was similar to what off we are to do in are preliminary task. So it included match on action, 180 degree rule but there was no shot,reverse shot. Within the footage it was simply a women walking in a corridor, opening a door, sitting down and opening a bad. The footage it self was very easy to edit and from this it was easy to take advantage and see all the different shots used and feather everything out to make it look perfect. Since this is a continuity task the objective was to make the flow and make it look clean. Since i have edited before i found this task very simple to do as myself i am constantly editing videos at home, so i was able to apply that knowledge in this task.
The 180 degree rule is a shot type used in media. The objective of the 180 degree rule is for the camera to stay behind an imaginary line where only one side of the characters would be recorded. The 180 degree rule is quite important to use as it gives a sense of idea where the characters are located in the room. This gives more of an understanding to the audience and really reels them into the film more and makes them feel a part of it. The picture below demonstrates of what the 180 degree rule looks like.
As well as demonstrating different shot types the main thing about this picture is that it shows the 180 degree rule. It is very noticeable that the camera has not crossed the "imaginary line" but is still behind it. This rule may suggest that you can not go over the "imaginary line" but it is very possibly. The way to do it is that the camera must be tracked behind the characters head. So the camera would start of at the original section (behind the imaginary line) and while recording it would go behind the characters head then remain in that section. The only way the camera could go back to the other side of the line is to track behind the characters head once again.
This would impact my preliminary task very positively. Through doing this activity i have understood the 180 degree rule in more detail. During my preliminary task i will need to use the 180 degree rule and since i understand this rule now i will be able to apply it to my preliminary task. Even so during this activity i have planned a story board and also the different positions of the camera. I can use this in my preliminary task as it allows me to understand more as well as how the audience would perceive everything, so i need to focus on how the different shoots are set up to not make it confusing.
As a class we were told to get in pairs and with the resources (jelly babies, pen, paper and imagination) to try and recreate the Todorov theory with 5 lines of dialogue. This task helped to increase the knowledge off Todorov Theory as the task had to include an Equilibrium, Disequilibrium & a new Equilibrium. We have managed to show this affect in the video below, where everything seems to be going well just before the Disequilibrium takes place causing everything to change.
From this i have learnt and understood more of Todorov's theory and the reason behind why he created it. The effect of this theory is quite strong and it gives true effect and understanding of a story line. When we created this with the kelly babies we saw how this theory came into effect. They fact that everything starts of as a normal day, something disrupts the peace and then happiness is restored.
The definition of narrative in media terminology would be; the way events are put together to be presented to the audience. Meaning the way certain things are put together to make up the plot, which initially is the narrative. There are 4 different theories and that is what we are going to discuss.
Todorov
He came up with the idea of having a 3 part structure. Equilibrium (where everything seems to be normal), disequilibrium (where normal unbalanced) and New Equilibrium (where normality is restored). This 3 part structure can also be described as the beginning, middle and the end. Majority of films and stories go with this structure.
Syd Field
This man is said to be the "guru of screenwriters", his theory is based on all films follow 3 acts.
[ACT 1] Plot Point 1 - Approximately 20-30 minutes in, there would be a setup and the film tends to pick up from there
[ACT 2] Midpoint - Half way through the film. This is the first half of Act 2 and the dramatic content is emerging.
[ACT 2] Plot Point 2 - Approximately 80-90 minutes in. This is the second half of Act 2 and there is a lot of dramatic content.
[ACT 3] Climax - Towards the end of the film. This is where the new equilibrium would occur.
Vladimir Propp
Vladimir analysed basic components of the plot in folk tales. He then came to a conclusion and construed a list of 31 function as well as 8 character types that tend to appear in all films or stories. Those character types are: Hero - Leads the narrative and tend to be looking for something.
Villain - Has a conflict with the hero and tries to stop them succeeding with there quest/mission.
Donor - Helps the hero by giving them something to complete "their quest"
Princess - A prize or reward the hero is after. Could be anything not necessarily a human. Helper - Helps the hero, is known to be the sidekick. Princesses Father - The authority figure who offers the reward for the completion of the quest False Hero - One who takes credit for the heros actions
Dispatcher - Sends the hero to start the original quest.
A character can be more then 1 character type, there do not have to be 8 different characters to suit each specific type.
Claude Levi-Strauss
He came up with something called the binary opposition. He examines how stories unconsciously reflect values, beliefs and myths of cultures. This is known to be called the binary opposition (against two sides). Each individual movies has a contrast, an example such as the fight good vs evil. So his research was adapted by media theorists to see if there is a link between films and the binary opposition.
Roland Barthes
Ronald was a french semiologist and he suggested that a narrative works with 5 different codes which active the reader to make sense of it. These 5 codes are;
Action - A narrative device by which a resolution is produce through action e.g a shoot out
Enigma - A narrative device that teases the audience by presenting a puzzle or riddle to be solved. Almost like a mystery.
Symbolic - Connotations associated with selected symbols
Semantic - Denotations that are associated with the narrative.
Cultural - A narrative device where the audience can recognise as being part of a culture e.g a "made man" in a gangster film where it is a part of the mafia culture.
There are many different shot types when it comes to photography and videography. In a group of 3 we went out and took example pictures of each shot type.
The first one is known as a high angle shot. The high shot is used to make the subject look weak and have no power what so ever. This technique is used in films and tends to make a moment more dramatic. Even so if there is a character who is really tall he is the one that tends to have the power so when a smaller person is talking a high angle shot is used to make the character seem as if he is looking up, to something more powerful. The picture to the right is an example of an high angle shot which where on the people in my group had his picture taking in the. The shot really makes the character inferiors and show him as scared or looking at something which has much more great more then him.
The picture on the left shows an example of this shot being used in a film. The film is the 'Big Buck Bunny' and really does shot the shot in full effect. This shot does make the bunny look inferior and shows as if he is being 'swallowed up' by the setting. If he is looking up at something which undermines him part of the effect is that we see the ground leading to that we (the audience) are being put in the shoes of what he may be looking up to.
There is also an opposite of high shot and this tends to be called a low shot. The point of a high show is to make the subject look more powerful depending on the situation of the scene. The picture represents the low shot in a perfect example. The subject in this picture is looking straight as if he staring at someone and the shot makes him look in control. This technique of shot is used a lot in films to make the subject looked bigger, in control and generally showing he has power. The low shot is more under the eye line and the subject tends to look ahead, and this gives a sense of power.
The worms eye view angle is know to be the opposite of a birds eye view and still gives that sense of feel that the subject is big and powerful just like in a low shot. The point of a worms eye view angle is in the name, it as if the observer was a worm and that is how the angle is represented. Angle with the worms eye view shot can be on the right, left or middle side pointing up towards the subject, the picture on the left represents this perfectly. If the subject was a holding a gun and pointing down towards subject this style of angle would give a perfect effect and really show the power to the audience.
An over the shoulder shot is tend to be used when there are 2 people engaging in conversation. This type of shot really does give perspective and usually puts the subject in frame while still indicating that the conversation is still carrying on. Many a times the over the shoulder shot is used in suspense and give some meaning to the convoersatiom. If it is an emotional talk and the conversation is short then the over the shoulder shot can be used to show emotion and meaning of the situation/conversation. This shot really is effective and is positioned like this to give you a different view of what is going on and most of the time what the other person would see from there side
The two-shot is when there are two people in one frame of the shot. The sense of meaning behind the two-shot is to give the sense of motion behind the two characters and there relationship. Depending also on the posture and body language of the subjects you get a sense off what they are doing. More so the two-shot should be done in such a way that it is natural and no tension is between both subjects, showing there true relationship. The picture to the left show the subjects as being quite relaxed and we get the idea of what they are wearing is that they are in a formal environment most likely. But two-shot can also be used in videography where in a film two subjects could be walking and the camera would be focused on them, keeping note of there surroundings, interaction and there relationship. Similarly if there were three people in one shot then it would be called a three-shot.
An extreme long shot is used a lot mainly at the start of a film or show. It tends to set the scene and another word for it would be called an establishing shot. It helps to let the audience know more of the surrounding and where the picture or video is taking place. The best way to capture an extreme long shot is with a wide angle lens so more of the surrounding is captured. The picture to the right does not show this in the best way but it does give perspective. With an extreme long shot the audience now more of what the picture/video is about as they are aware of the surrounding and that is the type of affect that it should have on them.
An extreme close shot is a very interesting kind of shot type. The lens is well zoomed intro the subject to show the emotion in them. Whether it be series, upsetting or casual emotion is well captured in a extreme close up. The extreme close up is commonly known to be zoomed into the eyes of the subject but can take place anywhere you see emotion (i.e a bead of sweat falling off the characters face). The picture to the left is zoomed intro the subjects eyes and it is noticeable that he is looking down at something. If this was a video then the common artistic would be too zoom out and show the audience what he is looking down at.
This type of shot is called point of view. The objective of this shot is to place you in the shoes of the photographer/videographer, putting you in that certain situation. This is a powerful meaning shot as it really gives perspective and makes the audience a part of what is going on. The picture on the right is an example of what being first person looks like. Again it shows as if you where looking down at your own shoes.
A canted angle (otherwise know as Tilted shot / Dutch angle) is a type of shot where the camera is tilted to either to the left or right. A picture in this style of angle would make it look more creative. Even so it con make something look more dramatic of if there is a point of view shot then it could represent the 1st person character as being in a drunken state.
The picture to the right represent an angle know as Birds-eye view. This style of angle tends to be elevated so it gives the audience the perspective of a bird on the subject. This is a very famous angle. The effect of the birds-eye is very strong it makes the subject look very insignificant and puts the audience in a position where they are looking over the subject and feel powerful and it control. This shot can also appear at the start of a film as on a wider scale it will give the audience the location of where the shot is taken place. The picture to the right is not the best angle as it has not been taken high up but it does give perspective.
A medium shot tends to be shot from the waist up. There is usually less interaction with the background in this shot as the main focus should be the subject. A medium shot can be used in conversation too but that then would be on videography. In photography the point of a medium shot is to get close to the subject in a way that we can see them in more detail without zooming in any more. As with this we can then see the facial expression of the subject and his posture, just like in the given example image on the left. This shot feels more natural as it is close enough as if you would be having a conversation with someone in real life, thus giving realistic perspective.
Dialogue – This is a conversation that tends to take place between 2 or more characters. If one was to shoot a scene where conversation is involved between multiple people then the correct media terminology would be Dialogue.
Diegetic Sound – This would be a noise that is created within a scene that what the character hears. The sound does not have to be directly recorded with a microphone but if it is a sound effect (such as a book dropping) that it an be added in editing which the character would of reacted to. This would then be called diegetic sound, because it is a sound that was fixed within the moment of the scene.
Non-Diegetic Sound – With non-diegetic sound this is a sound that a character would not be able to hear. This type of sound is later added in editing and the character tends to not react to it but is rather then in the background to add emphasis for the audience. A good example would be a background song on going in a trailer. It is considered non-diegetic sound as the character does not react to it as it is not apart of the scene.
Sound Motif – This is a sound
that becomes associated with an object or programme. When you hear the
sound you would most likely be able to associate it with something. Such as a very common theme tune of a programme, when you hear it then you know what it is associated with.
Synchronous Sound - The simplest way to describe this would be a visual and audio are in sync with each other. Such as if you were watching a video clip and a man was dancing in-sync with a background song then it would be considered to be a synchronous sound.
Contrapuntal Sound – These
would be sounds that do not match with what you are be able to see. Meaning if there is an on going scene where the sound does not suite the given visual then this would be called a contrapuntal sound. Such as if there was a dinosaur roaring but you heard a mouse squeaking instead then this would be a contrapuntal sound.
Voice Over – Narrator or
character talks over the scene, you tend not to see them, but are able to hear
them talking.
Soundtrack – Background music
that is played over the scene and the character would not be able to hear it.
This technique could be used where there is a sudden death and a chracter is upset so a background song that represent how they are feeling is going on, but it is not apart of the scene, meaning it is not in the characters world.
Ambient Sound – Ambient sounds tend to be the normal everyday noises you hear within a basic scene. Many of these sounds are natural and are recored with a microphone and later added when editing. The reason these are used is too make scenes more realistic and give it meaning.
Sound Perspective – This
refers to the apparent distance of the sound. Meaning it would be whatever sound the character would hear. This type of sound technique would be used with a POV camera shot. It puts the audience in the character's shoes as well as seeing what they are able to see, the audience will also be able to hear what the character hears.
Mode Of Address / Direct
Address – This occurs when the person who is narrating the scene would directly address the audience. With this they
confine the audience with information that the characters would not know or be able to hear.
Sound Bridge – This lets audio lead in from the beginning (or end) of a scene and later go over to the next scene then begin to lead out when expected. This helps different scenes blend in together, with a simple link of an audio.
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