Composition: Rule Of thirds

In filmmaking, composition is another important factor of camerawork used by many filmmakers to direct the eyes of the audience to the right places of the frame, centering the focus of the audience to one area in the scene. In this blog, the techniques of composition will be discussed with one of the four categories: Rule of Thirds, Balance, Blocking and Depth of Field. The next blogs will continue discussing composition.

Rule of Thirds:

The rule of thirds is used by filmmakers to give a more aesthetically pleasing look to a frame, making audiences attracted to certain types of pictures and creating memorable scenes in the film. The rule of thirds is achieved by applying a grid to the camera; the grid having two vertical lines and two horizontal lines across the screen. The part of the process which is considered the rule of thirds is when the subject of the frame is off-centered and placed in three of the nine rectangles of the frame or when there is a scenic shot of the ocean and land; it would be best of the horizon or the line between the land and sea we placed on one of the lines of the grid.

Camerawork: Framing

In filmmaking, camera framing, like shot sizes and angles, is important because they help enhance the felling of being in the movie towards the audience. In this blog, I will be discussing the definitions of camera framing techniques which are used in film.

The first shot on the framing list, the "single" is defined as one character in the shot, instead of multiple. The two types of singles; the "clean single", where there is just the one character in the shot, and the "dirty single" where there is presence of another character (not their full body) on screen. A clean single would be a wide shot, isolating the subject of the frame. A dirty single would be an over the shoulder (OTS) shot as a conversation between two or more people.

Next, the "two shot", is like the single shot, except there are two people in the shot instead of one. Two shots can be used in a wide shot as well, showing a relation to each other in distance and where they are in the shot.

Then the list continues, the "three shot" has three characters, "four shot" having four characters, and so on. The list of shots could be endless, but it is regular to have too many characters in one shot to count, which is why filmmakers refer to it as a "crowd shot" where  there are many characters in one frame. 

An "over the shoulder" shot is when the camera is looking over one character's shoulder, showing the face of another character in front of them. This technique is typically used in scenes where there is a conversation taking place, to give the audience a feeling of inclusion in the conversation.

Next is the "POV" shot; POV stands for "Point of view" and means the camera is looking at the subject of the frame, seeing what one character sees. The video is usually used alongside a POV audio, when the camera hears what the character can hear as well.

The "insert shot" (discussed in a previous blog) is "used most commonly to highlight and isolate something important to the narrative of a scene or film, emphasizing the importance of the subject of the frame. A good example is if the camera zoomed in on a character opening a box with a ring inside. This is considered a decent example because the camera captures and allows the audience to see something that was important to the scene of the film and creates dramatic irony between the audience and a certain number of other characters in the film."

Camerawork: Angles

In filmmaking, camera angles, like shot sizes and framing, is important because they help emphasize the meaning behind a specific scene or the entire film. In this blog, I will be discussing the definitions of camera angle techniques which are used in film.

Camera angles are basically the direction of the camera looking at the subject of the frame. In other words, where the camera is in relation to the subject and where at the subject the camera is looking at. This section of the blog discusses angles of camerawork and the next blog discusses framing of camerawork.

The first angle is called the "low angle", where the camera is usually closer to the ground and looks up at the subject of the frame. This is sometimes used by filmmakers to give the audience a feeling that the subject of the frame has power over the situation.

The next angle, the "high angle". The high angle is basically opposite to the "low angle", where the camera is typically higher than the subject of the frame, facing down towards the subject. Filmmakers usually use this angle to make the subject of the frame look small, outnumbered or like they have less to no power over the situation.

The "Dutch angle" is described as the camera slightly tilting. Filmmakers typically use this camerawork to give a dramatic touch to a frame, or emphasize the drama of the scene.

The "overhead shot" is defined as when the camera is above and looks down towards the subject, giving a map-like view of the scene's setting.

The "eye level shot" is self-explanatory, meaning that the eyes of the subject is in the center (vertically) of the frame. Filmmakers use this typically with close-up shots or over the shoulder shots to give the audience the illusion that they are apart of the scene of the movie and can understand what emotions each character has. 

The "shoulder level shot" is similar to the "eye level shot" but instead of the eyes being the main focus, it is the upper-half of the subject's body. The "hip level, knee level and ground level" shots basically fall along the lines with the same pattern so there is little need for an explanation there.

Camerawork Shot Sizes

In film making, shot sizes are a critical element of camerawork. Shot sizes determines how much of a scene is showed in one shot. In this blog, I will be discussing all of the different shot sizes that are used in filmmaking.

First, there is the the Establishing Shot. Abbreviated to EST. Shot, establishing shot is used to establish the geography and time of day and is also used to show the scale of subject in relation to their environment. EST. is also used to open a scene or entire film or to transition from one scene to another. An example of an establishing shot could be the camera over-looking a city. Reason being is because it shows the location and time of day of the scene.

The master shot does something similar to the establishing shot, but follows the establishing shot and introduces the characters, where they are in the scene and where they are in relation to each other. An example of a master shot could be the camera facing a cast of actors of a school play bowing towards the audience. It is considered a master shot because it shows the environment of the scene and where the characters are in relation to both the environment they are in and to each other.

A wide shot places the subject far from the camera to only connect the subject to its environment, unlike the establishing shot, the wide shot mainly focuses on the subject. Wide shots are used to make the subject feel lost, lonely or overwhelmed. An example of a wide shot could be a dog in an empty car park. This is because the dog is the subject and being in an empty car park suggests that the dog is lost and lonely.

When the subject's body reaches the top and bottom of a frame, it is considered a full shot. Full shots often have the subject in the center of the frame, but having the subject in the middle of the frame is not mandatory. Filmmakers use the full shot to make statements about the subject's physicality and present the character in all their glory. An example of a full shot is in a family photo, where the subject is in the center and front of the family in the first scene of a movie. This is used as a good example because it helps the subject to stand out and gives hints to the audience of what type of character the subject may be.

A medium full shot or cowboy shot consists of the subject head to just below their waist in the frame. It is called a "cowboy shot" because it is used in a lot of films based on the height of the cowboy's holsters. There does not have to be any gun holster, but it is difficult to not think about a cowboy when seeing these shots because of their confrontational appearance. An example could be the camera facing a man from a low angle whilst he draws a gun. This example was used because it reminds the audience of cowboys due to the range of the frame from the head to below their waist.

The medium shot is a very popular shot size among all of media because of its neutrality. It sets the mood between dramatic (close-up) and distant (wide shot) making the mood of the scene neutral. The shot captures the scene in a similar way to how us humans interact with each other. The size to aim for when using a medium shot is above the waist, below the chest and just above the head captured in a frame. This shot is used to dig in to the subject's eyes without losing the subject's physicality or environment, or use it to utilize a middle ground approach that is neither jarring nor especially dramatic. An example of this could be in Coco because when Miguel was watching his idol on T.V., the audience can see the joy on his face clearly as well as the reason for his joy.

The Medium Close-up shot is applied when the camera sees from the subjects mid-chest to just above their head. These shots are used to minimize distraction and prioritize story in character detail. It is also used to get intimate with a subject without losing its physicality. A good example is an apology from one person to the subject of the scene. This is used as an example because we can clearly see the emotions of each of the characters which adds the mood to the scene and not being so close to the character's faces prevents too much emotion to make the scene just the right amount of dramatic. 

The close-up shot is used by filmmakers as a powerful visual tool to highlight a change in emotion or beat on screen. A lot of filmmakers arrange close-ups at eye level to dig in better to the subject's eyes. The close-up shot allows the audience to see a character's thoughts, feelings and emotions. Close-ups are also used for empathy and to show how dramatically effective the scene is in a time of decision. An example of this could be in a battle between the protagonist and the antagonist, making a choice between whether to kill the antagonist or to save a character in the film that is very close in relation to them. At the same time, the audience can hear the protagonist's thoughts, giving hints towards who they will choose and why. This is a good example because the camera's position allows the audience to share the same feelings with the protagonist as they make their decision, having empathy for that character and relating to that character much more than they thought they would.

The extreme close-up shot, (ECU), is similar to the close-up shot as they mostly focus on one part of the subject and a lot of the time used on the eyes of a subject, giving meaning to the scene, only, the subject of the frame is isolated, emphasizing the importance of the subject and can have more meaning with things such as ears, mouth, nose, etc. Instead of reducing distractions, they rid of them entirely. An example of which could be the camera using the subject eyes as a mirror to reflect a silhouette walking away from them. This example was used because it shows not only loneliness as the silhouette becomes further away from the subject, it also lets the audience have sympathy for the subject as the frame captures the eyes filling with tears.

When filmmakers need to highlight a crucial element to a scene or when an intimate detail needs to be shown to the audience, they use the insert shot. Insert shots are used most commonly to highlight and isolate something important to the narrative of a scene or film, emphasizing the importance of the subject of the frame. A good example is if the camera zoomed in on a character opening a box with a ring inside. This is considered a decent example because the camera captures and allows the audience to see something that was important to the scene of the film and creates dramatic irony between the audience and a certain number of other characters in the film.

The purpose of shot sizes is to help emphasize meaning in a certain frame in the correct manner. The reason it is so crucial to filmmaking is because without filmmakers paying attention to shot sizes, the film will not catch as much attention as they would with shot sizes.

First Draft of Film Opening

With the first draft of my team’s film opening complete, this blog will discuss my contribution to the film opening, what was good about it, and what could have been done better or differently. To summarize, I have been the cameraman for most of the shots in the film, and a background character for some other shots.

https://youtu.be/eBuf74v4QW8 

To start with, the very first shot introduced two girls taking an afternoon jog in a park. My job was to apply my skills of camerawork to display a medium full shot (shot size) combined with a three shot (framing) at shoulder level (angle). The movement is a trucking shot because the camera follows the two runners in a straight line. What could have been better about this revolves around the movement of the camera. I should have been more stable with the camera, as shown in the video, I was shaking the camera too much. The second shot consists of an introduction to the third character, Kayla, and the names of the first two runners, Sarah (runner in blue) and Paige (runner in grey). The camera films and over the shoulder shot which was static, or still, with a three shot along with a medium full shot. This shot was decent, and I cannot see any way to better the way in which this shot was filmed/edited.

After the transition from the second shot to the text and black background, there lies another transition to the third shot. This shot includes the three girls having a conversation about things they like when Kayla mentions dissecting animals. The shot was also a medium full shot, at shoulder level, combined with a three shot, using a trucking movement. The shot cuts straight to the fourth shot, consisting of the same thing, only showing the runners faces instead of their backs, as Sarah and Paige swing their heads to look at Kayla. The trucking switches to static and then the fifth shot starts. When this shot starts, Sarah and Paige have switched positions on the filming set and look awfully confused and concerned. The shot sizes, angles and framing remain the same until Kayla mentions dissecting humans as well. The camera is now at a cowboy angle and the framing becomes a two shot as Sarah is behind Kayla due to the position of the camera. The next shot is a wide shot, an insert shot of a duck swimming in the nearby lake and a shoulder level shot as the camera pans from the duck to the three friends in the same position, where the shot size, angle and framing remain the same as previous shots. The next shot has Sarah saying she needs to use the bathroom at a shoulder level, medium close-up single shot and the following has Kayla saying she will go get water from her car with the same shot size, angle, and framing. The next shot has Paige stating that she will be sitting on a nearby bench whilst waiting for the two to come back, again, with the same elements. What could have been better was that Kayla’s actor would stop looking at the camera so many times, the reason for this is because the character breaks the fourth wall with no context or explanation.

After another transition from the previous shot to text, the film opening cuts to Kayla repeating the fact that she enjoys dissecting humans as she sneaks up on Paige, who is distracted and sitting with her back turned to the camera. The camera is at shoulder level, combined with a medium full two shot and a trucking movement. What was slightly unrealistic was that Paige would have heard Kayla repeating her sentence and sneaking up on her because of all the dry leaves. The final draft, I hope, will be more realistic. The next shot is the same, but Kayla stops walking and holds a knife to Paige’s neck. Paige lets out a gasp before the camera cuts to the next shot. This is where Sarah comes out of the bathroom only to find no one on said benches with a splatter of "blood" on the bench instead. The first shot was a single + medium close-up shot at eye level combined with a trucking shot. The next was a POV shot, obviously at eye level, and a wide shot combined with a trucking shot. The following shot is a continuation of the previous shot, but becomes an insert shot and during the recording, forms from a trucking POV shot to a static POV shot. In this shot, it was intended that I was to be a fourth character helping to find Paige and Kayla, but those shots were not properly loading into the editing software, so I just appeared as a background character of the insert shot with the blood on the bench. The next shot was also a single, medium full, shoulder-level trucking shot of Sarah calling out for her friends and the last shot I had recorded was of Kayla dragging Paige's body towards the body of water in which the ducks swam in, the lake. The shot was a two shot, at shoulder level with a medium full shot combined with a tilt.

The remaining shots of the film opening were recorded by someone who was helping Kayla's actor and was edited into the film. What should have been fixed was that the credits to the film opening should not have been at the end because it makes the opening looks like a short film. And the previous shot should have had the yelling cut out or edited to not have sound, with Sarah's voice actor doing a voiceover to recreate the sound in the shot. Apart from that, the film was decent and I hope that the final draft will be better.