APRIL 16 TH, 2013 Media Studies 120

Warm-Up: Strange Ad-Ventures II I will show you an advertisement. I want you to try to guess what it is they are selling.

Practice Round

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Most Effective? Least Effective? Why?

Review of Yesterday iDoc assignment (exemplar)(exemplar) Writing a “treatment” Writing a “screenplay”

Screenplay OFFICE SPACE Starring Ron Livingston (Peter), Jennifer Aniston (Joanna), Ajay Naidu (Samir), David Herman (Michael), and Gary Cole (Bill) Written by: Jean Liew [Scene: A highway. There's a huge traffic jam. Peter drives forward a bit at a time and he sees an old man with a walker on the sidewalk. The lane next to his is moving, so he switches lanes, only to have it stop and the lane he was on move. He switches back and then it happens again. The old man is now ahead of him.]

Today’s Schedule Warm-Up Discuss Yesterday Discuss Camera Shots & Angles Practice Concept Work on iDoc

Camera Shots & Angles

Perspective is Everything!

Camera Shots & Angles The first films that were created simply captured life as it unfolded. However, as the art of filmmaking began to develop, people began experimenting with different camera shots and angles to achieve particular effects. In this way, people began writing the language of film. Today, we are going to look at a selection of camera shots and angles and their intended effect.

Close-Up Shot

This shows very little background, and concentrates on either a face, or a specific detail, object, etc., in a scene. This is used to show that something is important (think of how big it looks on screen). This is also used to show emotion or reaction on a person’s face. Filmmakers also use this to make us feel extra comfortable or extremely uncomfortable about a character. Intimate

Extreme Close-Up Shot

As its name suggests, this is an extreme version of the close-up shot. It magnifies beyond what the human eye would experience in reality. Used for dramatic effect and to show very specific details.

Medium Shot

This is usually shot from the waist or knees up from a medium distance. It shows more body language than the previous two, but also shows less specific detail. It is normally use for dialogue scenes or to show some detail of action. Less background.

Long Shot

This one is a little difficult to define, but basically, it is when the thing on screen appears to be “life size.” This category includes the “full shot,” which shows the entire human body, with the head near the top of the frame and the feet near the bottom. While the focus is on characters, plenty of background detail still emerges.

Extreme Long Shot

This can be taken from as much as a quarter of a mile away. Often used as an establishing shot to set up or establish the setting of a scene. It is also used to show scenes of thrilling action, for example: within a war movie or disaster film.

Low Angle Shot

As the name suggests, this is a shot filmed from a low angle. It is useful to increase height of short actors (i.e. Tom Cruise). It is also used to makes the object or person on the screen seem powerful or scary.

High Angle Shot

As the name suggests, this is a shot filmed from a high angle. This shot is used to make someone seem shorter than they really are (i.e. hobbits in Lord of the Rings). It also makes the person seem smaller or less significant.

Over the Shoulder Shot

Over The Shoulder Shot You will see this shot very often in interviews, or in conversations in film. This shot helps to establish the position of each person, and get the feel of looking at one person from the other's point of view.

Oblique/Canted Angle Shot

Sometimes the camera is tilted (i.e. is not placed horizontal to floor level). This is used to suggest imbalance or instability. It is often meant to cause anxiety in the viewer. This shot is very popular in horror films.

Practice Set Metallica – The Day That Never Comes

iDoc Assignment The rest of the class is yours to work on your iDoc. Yesterday you were supposed to: 1) Choose your documentary topic 2) Discuss logistical issues regarding equipment 3) Sketch out what your documentary will be about. By the end of today, you should have finished sketching out what your documentary will be about, and begun mapping out how you are going to represent it in a sixty second trailer.