On the 25th of September, our media studies class had our second practical camera lesson, in which we learnt how to create a sequence. In order to create a successful sequence, it takes many takes performing the same action e.g putting on a coat, using a variety of camera angles. First of, film the scene with a Wideshot, then a mid-shot, a close-up and an extreme close-up. Despite being out of the frame in some scenes, we were told that if you edit these shots together, we could create an interesting and unique scene using a collection of different shots.
On top of this, our class learnt the 180 degree rule. This was when one can film anywhere along a straight line, to make sure the shot made sense. For example, filming a car driving from left to right will look totally different if you film passed the line, as it will look like its going from right to left. To finish off, we were told to never watch a recorded clip back on set before filming that scene has finished, as it would be a huge waste of time and money.
Camera angles and movements are of vital importance when directing a film. Different camera angles add different tones, moods, images and opinions about what is happening in the film at the time. I will be describing three of my personal favourite opening sequences about how they are effective and highly intriguing for the audience viewing them. The Dark Knight
The first sequence, which is my the introduction from my favourite film The dark Knight, is an absolute pleasure to watch. The sequence starts with an establishing shot which gradually zooms onto a dark building. The establishing shot grants the audience into an insight of the location which the film is set, and the zoom adds surprise to the shattering of the glass which happens immediately after the zoom has finished. The camera then zooms slowly onto the back of a mysterious character, keeping him unknown, them shows a close up of the clown mask. This plants the idea that this man is a criminal as we have not yet seen his face. Then as a car pulls up, the camera tilts upwards to see a long shot of the man. During a rooftop shot of two men harping across rooftops, the camera pans around to follow them, which emphasises the distance they had to cross, and the camera does a tracking shot to follow them to give the impression we are going from rooftop to rooftop as well, which adds thrill and a sense of danger.
There is also an over the shoulder shot in the back of the car. This gives the audience the feeling that they are criminals too, as the criminals are re-capping their plan out loud to each other, letting the audience know their plans. Then it cuts to a close up of the two men in the front, to once again portray the mysterious and dangerous image we have of them because we cannot see their true faces. Finally, their are two effective tracking shots in the sequence. The first one is when the three men enter the bank at 2:05. This shot makes the audience once again feel part of the operation as we seem to be following the men into the bank, which makes the audience feel uncomfortable, as we feel like we are about to do some illegal actions with the men. Additionally, at 2:18, the tracking shot is used to show the scale of the bank as the entire length of the bank is in the frame. And it is also used for the audience to be able to see what each of the three men are doing at each moment.
Finding Nemo
The next opening sequence I love is Finding Nemo's. The audience is immediately introduced with an establishing shot to clarify the location, which is this case is the outskirts of a coral reef. Throughout the majority of the dialogue between the two characters, mid shots and over the shoulder shots are used. This is to try and get the audience an emotional connection with the characters by sharing their joy about them about to be parents, and being very physically close to them. The audience feels as if we are there with them.
Panning shots are used to emphasise the greatness of the neighbourhood, which brings joy the audience as this is where their future children will grow up. It may also have been used to bring back nostalgic memories of childhood for adult viewers about their neighbourhood and where they grew up. Two close up shots are used. The first is when the camera tracks back from all of the eggs, whilst being very close to them. This is to reveal the tiny, baby fish in the eggs and to see their small eyes. This is to add more grief and sorrow when, later on, it is revealed they all died apart from one. Additionally, an extreme close up is used to show the size of the deadly fish's teeth. This adds a huge sense of panic and danger for the audience, and emphasised how insignificant and helpless the clownfish are against them. I Am Legend
Finally, the last opening sequence I will be analysing is I Am Legend. Similar to Finding Nemo, we are immediately introduced with an establishing shot of a deserted, empty New York City. There is also a tilt upwards to emphasise the scale of the city, and to show the many skyscrapers in the city. I also think that it is maybe to show how such a powerful and over-standing city like New York is just as vulnerable and unsafe to global catastrophe as any other city.
In this shot, a bird's-eye view tracking shot is used. This is to give the impression to the audience that we are some sort of hunter stalking their prey, which I think is a drastic correlation with the film, as the leading actor Will Smith is hunted by the monsters in the entire film. It is also used to highlight the destruction and desertion of the city, which adds a sense of shock and bewilderedness to the audience.
A weapon
The characters weapon is the first object that we see in the car, and we see it even den before we see the characters face with a close up shot. Through the use of this close up shot of the main characters weapon, it is emphasised majorly that in order to survive the mysterious and unknown dangers in current times, a weapon if this calibre is needed. This illustrates a huge sense of danger for the audience.
Finally, a point of view shot is used when the character is driving through the deserted city. This is to demonstrate what the character is seeing, which is to try and make the audience feel the same emotions as the character. It also makes the audience feel like we are in the car with him and his dog, which is a major contradiction as the majority of this film is him on his own. I think this shot is used to make the audience feel like we are with him to try and help him survive, despite knowing full well we cannot do so.
Today, I had my first practical lesson in which I learnt how to setup a Sony NX5 camera on a tripod, attach the handle, and how to zoom, focus and adjust the white balance. Additionally, I managed to learn how to ' bubble' the tripod, which definitively means making the tripod perfectly horizontal to acquire the straight, and not wonky, shot. This was brand new information to me as I am an amateur at camera use, but I was intrigued and cannot wait to start using them in the near future.
This is the Sony NX5 camera which we studied, analysed and used.
Throughout the practical, we were repeatedly asked to gather round a single camera by Matt, the teacher of the lesson, who would them demonstrate the exact actions needed for each process. To turn the camera on, there is a green button which needs to be pressed, while sliding the switch to the 'on' position. We also learnt that to zoom in with the camera, one needs to adjust the 2nd ring or using the two levers on top, or on the side of the camera. To obtain the perfect focus, zoom in on someone's eyes, focus the frame using the 1st ring, then zoom back out using the 2nd ring.
We also learnt to adjust the white balance and brightness. For the WB, just press the white balance button on the side of the camera after you have acquired a perfectly zoomed and focused picture. Finally the brightness, adjust the 3rd, smaller ring until only the brightest part of the frame have the zebra lines on it.
My personal favourite film is Batman:The Dark Knight. The movie was directed by Christopher Nolan in 2008, and my all time favourite actor, Heath Ledger, plays an unforgettable and highly distinguishable role in the film as the Joker. Additionally, Christian Bale (Batman) suits his role perfectly and has engraved his role of Batman into mine and millions of other fans' brain. Furthermore, all-star actors such as Gary Oldman(Gordon), Michael Caine(Alfred) and Morgan Freeman(Lucius Fox) play respectively minor roles in comparison to Batman and the Joker, but still manage to have a major impact by their performances.
The main love I have for this film, as I mentioned earlier, is Heath Ledger(Joker). In my opinion, and most likely every other fans' opinion, I believe his performance in The Dark Knight was out of this world. The combination of his voice, facial expressions, and his recognizable laugh, Ledger absolutely stole the movie single handedly. However the tragic news of his death took the spotlight away from his performance and focused on the negative details about how he died, which I believe is a real shame. Ledger played a role in 'Lords Of Dogtown', in which he played a young, handsome surfer and skateboarder. After this, he was portrayed as a 'hunk' in films. Ledger immediately wanted to change this image as he thought it wasn't the real him. In this effort, he became the Joker, which drastically changed the typical character Ledger normally played as.
Additionally, I love this film for the simple fact that I adore all super hero movies, whether they are DC or Marvel. But for me, Batman as a concept, in my view, is by far the coolest and who everyone wants to be. Who doesn't want to be a billionaire who fights crime and is highly feared by the criminal underworld? His bone-breaking combat skills and awesome gadgets provide a perfect mixture of action, intelligence and evasiveness. For me, the fact that Batman hides in the shadows and sneaks around, taunting the grunts, is a cruel but perfect way in dealing with his opponents. And his Tumbler...who doesn't want a black tank at their disposal? To finish, the directive talent of Christopher Nolan is unparalleled to any other director that I know of. The Dark Knight trilogy is one of the most successful collection of films ever made, and deservedly so. If you haven't seen this film... "WHY SO SERIOUS?"
The opening sequence I recently viewed is called 'Through the Eye' and tension is portrayed in multiple occasions through a variety of techniques. I will be presenting my analysis of the opening sequence to thoroughly explain how tension is created and the significance of the tension.
The first obvious stimulator to tension is the lack of dialogue within the thriller sequence. The lack of dialogue casts a mysterious and unnerving shadow upon the opening sequence as the audience cannot relate to or get to know any character within it, leaving it to the viewers imagination. This adds tension because this makes the viewer question who are the bad guys and who are the good guys and, as seen at the point '1:55', whether the victim deserved her outcome or not. Who is the Protagonist?
Additionally, the music in the opening sequence plays an outstanding role in the creation of tension and suspense. Throughout the sequence, a low pitched, 'eerie' piece of music is used. This immediately forces a terrifying and uncomfortable atmosphere, and the volume increases as the sequence progresses. This creates tension as the audience seems to expect something bad to happen, and it sets up the audience for the powerful ending. The music's emotional impact is at its most reluctant at the beginning and at the point of the murder. 1. 0-20 seconds 2. 1:54- 2:00
Additionally, the sequence subtly adds hints of danger and hostility to increase the tension and suspense. At points 1:32-1:42, there is a brief but spine chilling inclusion of sirens. This adds to the tension as sirens immediately remind the audience of crime and illegal activity;which leaves the audience expecting something bad to happen. Furthermore, the perpetrators in the sequence are wearing a distinguished, sharp red. Usually, red signifies danger- this means that the audience is unnerved and is expecting something bad to happen, which adds to the tension created.
Additionally, many camera techniques aided in the creation of suspense. The entire sequence is filmed in one take, and the murder occurs at the end of it. This creates suspense as the audience have to wait the entire duration of the sequence to extinguish their natural craving of being thrilled. In addition, at point 1:08-1:30, the camera zooms in on the cctv monitor. As a result of the four split images, the audience scours each monitor thoroughly, hunting for anything to happen. This adds to the tension, as the audience becomes increasingly unnerved and uncomfortable.
Tension is portrayed in this opening sequence 'Through the Eye' in a very successful and effective manor. This suspense makes the audience become emotionally unstable by the end, as they are torn in half by the sorrow and guilt for the victim, and the urge to find out more about what happens next. Ending the sequence in such a way stockpiles the tension felt throughout the entire sequence.
Internet, my name is Freddie Gass. I am currently taking Media Studies at Hurtwood House school and have recently created this blogging website to upload, share and enjoy all my experiences with, well you guys! My entire life revolves around the media, from social networks to newspapers, and from plays to feature films.
I hope you have as much fun reading my blogs, as I have had writing them. Speak soon!
