Camera Lesson 2

We went back into the studio for the second time to begin to learn the basics of film creation. We began the session by setting up the camera again the the same manor that we followed last week with extending the tripod, setting the spirit bubble, attaching the camera and battery and setting onto pan.

                    

We were first taught about the 180 degree rule and where it applies specifically to the art of filming and how we can remember to use it. The 180° rule in a cinematography guideline that states that two characters in a scene should generally maintain the same left/right relationship with each other. When the camera passes the invisible axis connecting the two subjects , it is called crossing the line and the shot becomes what is called a reverse angle.

Prior to this lesson i was unaware of what the 180 degree rule was yet it was something i have noticed before on the TV. I have noticed when i conversation takes place it is always shot on this line and is never crossed. Matt proceeded to describe the 180 degree rule using three detailed examples:
1) Matt's first example was the sequence he created using his toy bike, he filmed the bike driving across the table from the left to the right, after breaking this rule and filming it again it became apparent on screen that the bike was actually travelling from right to left making the shot look as if the bike was in the wrong direction.
2) Next he used an example of 2 people having a conversation with one another, once again upon breaking the rule and re shooting again it looked as if everything had been reversed and as if the two people have switched sides making the shot look inaccurate.
3) The last example is one that is used on TV regularly and if the rule is broken in this matter it will cause upset and that is using the rule at a football game. If the 180 degree rule is broken in a football match it can look as if a team is scoring in the wrong goal if the camera is to switch to the other side meaning points could be given incorrectly.

In Matt's first example of a toy bike sequence, he showed us exactly how he created this sequence and important things to remember when doing so. He began by choosing a side, left or right, and ensuring he kept within the 180 degree of that particular side he firstly shot a wide angle which is also refereed to as the "safety shot" it is known as this because even if other shots that are taken do not look good or do not fit in with the plan this shot can always be used as all important aspects can be seen. He then moved on to take a mid shit so that although not all of the set is visible the important aspects can be seen in more detail. Mid-shot meaning that the shot is closer to the object of interest but not so close it is the only aspect to appear on screen. Lastly Matt showed us how to film the close up of the bike. The camera was zoomed right into the bike and the lens was then focused meaning that it was the only part of the shot that was in full focus. These 3 shots were all shot from the same camera placement but the zoom and focus was slightly altered to fit the specific needs to make the shot look best.

Using the techniques we were shown by Matt we were placed into groups and created our own sequence. In my group was Tori, Harriet, Eduarda and Molly and we had Tori as the person of interest and her objective was to simply walk in and sit on a chair and leave approximately 3 seconds later. We took a variety of shots but of course as always started with the wide-angle shot. The other shots we did included: close up, close up (eyes), close up (mouth), side profile, feet, legs and feet, hands and a mid-shot. We learnt that the more shots you take the better the final product will be when edited.