Film Techniques Essay

Shots wide shot- a wide shot is a shot that shows the setting as well as the character. This kind of shot is used so the audience can understand the characters physical experience with the setting. normal shot- a normal shot usually shows the characters waist and up. This is a standard shot that helps to focus attention on the action. close up- a close up shot is a shot in which the camera focuses on a characters face or a particular object this kind of shot is so it can grab attention. This is used to sometimes show emotion or tell that the object is significant or important to the storyline. Angles high angle- a high angle is positioned above the character or objects. This is usually used to make the character or the object appear smaller, scared or vulnerable. eye level- this angle gives a ‘real life’ effect, as the camera is positioned towards the character or object. This angle focuses attention and is mainly used in conversations. low angle- this angle is positioned with the camera looking up at the character. If a character/object is filmed with the low angle, it will appear that the character/object will be looking down at the audience to create an effect in which the character/object seems tall, scary and powerful. Camera movement Camera movement is when the charcter is moving the camera does the same. This shows a point of view. The purpose of the point of view is for the audience to get the impression that they are seeing exactly what the character can see. Framing Framing is what contains and what excludes certain objects. Unecessary objects in the film may be excluded but important objects may be included so the film can make more sense. Editing Editing is putting all the shots of the film together in chronological order. As well as peicing the shots together, the editor must match the music and sound effects with the correct scenes. Depending on the film’s genre, the editor must edit the scenes so the music, the lighting and sound effects all correspond with each other so the scenes are suited perfectly. Pace Pace is editing the sequence at different speeds. When scenes are being edited they pace cetrain shots, some shots are shorter others are longer. When a scene is shorter it is faster and is suited for an action genre. When a scene is longer it is slower and it creates tension which is iseal for a romance genre. Transitions Transitions are used to take one shot to another. There are three ways in doing so; wipes, dissolves and fades. These are sometimes uesd for a skip in time. All of the transitions are used to either skip time or take one shot to another. Lighting, Music and Sound Effects Lighting creates either a bright scene or a dark scence to create an ambience. Lighting does many things: tells whether if it is day or night, it creates an atmosphere and a mood. It can help focus attention towards a specific part of the scene. Music is very important in a film. Although many viewers do not realsie the music it helps to create a mood and an atmosphere. Sound effects are easy to recognise. They are the simple sounds that can do so much more than the audience thinks. If it is the noise of an animal it can make thescene more realistic. In general lighting, music and sound effects are uesd to create mood and atmosphere. View as multi-pages