Camera Techniques - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Camera Techniques

CinematographySlide2

Camera Techniques: What to Know

Key areas

Shot Type

Camera Angles

Camera Movement

FocusSlide3

Production Elements

Production

elements

include everything that

you can see

or hear on

screen in a narrative.

They

include

:

Camera

Acting

Lighting

Mis en Scene (Visual Composition)

Sound

Editing

Cinematographers:

P

rimarily responsible for how the films looks

D

ictate how the camera and lighting will be used

W

ork

with

production designers, actors and editors to ensure the overall look comes together the way it was intended to.Slide4

Camera

A

ll

films are made with a camera and the camera is used in specific ways in order to tell the story

.

There

are four main elements of camera

:

Shot Type

Camera Angle

Camera Movement

Camera FocusSlide5

Camera: Shot Type

Shot Type

The

distance of the camera from the subject determines the shot sizes or shot type. Shot types include the following:

Long shot

(LS)

The

subject takes up the full frame, or at least as much as possible.

Mid Shot  (MS

)

Shows

some part of the subject in more detail whilst still giving

Medium close up (MCU)Half way between a MS and a CU. Slide6

Camera: Shot Types

Close up shot (CU

)

A certain feature or part of the subject takes up the whole frame.

Extreme close up (ECU)

The

ECU gets right in and shows extreme detail.

Cut away (CA)

A

shot of something other than the current action. Slide7

Camera: Shot Types

Cut

In

Shows

some part of the subject in detail.

Two shot

A

comfortable shot of two people, framed similarly to a mid shot

Over-the-shoulder-shot (OSS

)

Looking

from behind a person at the subject Slide8

Camera: SHOT TYPE

Point-of-view shot (POV

)

Shows

a view from the subject's

perspective

Establishing

shot

U

sually

the first shot of a film is an extremely long or wide shot that establishes the setting and location of the story. Slide9

Camera: Angles

The relationship between the camera and the object being photographed (i.e. the ANGLE) gives emotional information to an audience, and guides their judgment about the character or object in shot. Slide10

Camera: Angles

Bird’s eye view

This shows a scene from directly overhead, a very unnatural and strange angle.

Familiar

objects viewed from this angle might seem totally unrecognisable at first (

e.g.

umbrellas in a crowd).

This

shot

can put

the audience in a godlike position, looking down on the action. People can be made to look insignificant, ant-like, part of a wider scheme of things.Slide11

Camera: Angles

High Angle

Not

so extreme as a bird's eye view. The camera is elevated above the action to give a general overview.

High

angles make the object photographed seem smaller, and less significant.

The object or character often gets swallowed up by their setting – they are often seen as less powerful when shot from a high angle. Slide12

CAMERA: ANGLES

Eye-

level

A

fairly neutral shot; the camera is positioned as though it is a human actually observing a scene, so that actors' heads are on a level with the focus.

The

camera will be placed approximately five to six feet from the ground. Slide13

Camera: Angles

Low

Angle

These increase height and give a sense of power or authority to the character.

The

added height of the object may make it inspire fear and insecurity in the viewer, who is psychologically dominated by the figure on the screen. Slide14

Camera: Angles

Dutch

tilt

Sometimes the camera is tilted (i.e. is not placed horizontal to floor level), to suggest imbalance, transition and instability.

This

technique is not as

common.Slide15

Camera: Movement

Panning

A

movement which scans a scene horizontally, that is left to right (or right to left). The camera is placed on a tripod, and is turned, usually to follow an object, keeping it in the middle of the frame.

Tilting

A

movement which scans a scene vertically, that is up and down, otherwise similar to a pan. Slide16

Camera: Movement

Tracking

Shots (a.k.a. Trucking or Dolly shots)

The

camera is placed on a moving vehicle and moves alongside the action, generally following a moving figure or object.

Complicated

tracking shots will involve a track being laid on set for the camera to follow. The camera might be mounted on a car, a plane, or even a shopping trolley (for low-budget films).

A

dolly shot may be a good way of portraying movement, the journey of a character for instance, or for moving from a long shot to a close-up, gradually focusing the audience on a particular object or character. Slide17

Camera: Movement

Hand-held

shots (Or Camera Vest Shots)

It

gives a jerky, ragged effect, totally at odds with the organised smoothness of a dolly shot, and is favoured by filmmakers looking for a gritty realism, which involves the viewer very closely with a scene.

This will be a favoured technique in the production of our mockumentary TV SeriesSlide18

Camera: Angle

Zooming

The

zoom lens means that the camera need not be moved (and saves a lot of time and trouble). The zoom lens can zip a camera in or out of a scene very quickly.

The

drawbacks include the fact that while a dolly shot involves a steady movement similar to the focusing change in the human eye, the zoom lens tends to be jerky (unless used very slowly) and to distort an image, making objects appear closer together than they really are.

Zoom

shots are usually avoided in most types of filmmaking with the exception of documentaries and

mockumentaries

.

In these cases, zooming in gives a more realistic look to your film and can by used in a humorous way.Slide19

Camera: Focus

Cameras are able to focus on certain objects within a frame, thus directing the audience’s attention towards the important information whether it is a significant object or an important conversation.

The depth of

field

H

ow

much of the information in the frame is in focus.