Match on action practice

This is our groups first task which I edited. It shows someone standing, walking up the stairs, sitting down, turning pages, and then a movement of our own choice which shows our understanding of match on action. I think the dropping of the bag looks good but we needed more footage of the page being turned in the first page-turning shot. There's also an issue in continuity in the sequence of the boy walking on the railing; his feet don't match up in the second match on action.This has taught us to always film more than we need. There's too much natural light, which is aimed at the camera, in the last sequence. For example when she gets out of her seat and when we see her walking up the stairs from behind. This also meant the continuity of the colours from shot to shot was bad. This is also the case in the first sequence when she sits down. The quick shots of the watch match well with the music but the shots are all the same which doesn't look very good. If I did it again I'd have different angles of the watch and perhaps different distances from the watch.

On this album cover he looks intimidating, from the way his head is tilted and his eyes are glaring at the camera, and therefore powerful and perhaps an important person. The cigar he's smoking implies he's rich, and because tattoos on knuckles originated from gang culture there's acpects of this about him. The pattern bordering the cover is the same pattern as that on bandaners which youth's often where accross the bottom half of their face to hide their identity; so there's a reference to crime in this photo.

Non-diegetic and diegetic sounds

Diegetic sounds are those whose source is visible on the screen or is implied to be coming from the action present. It can also been known as actual sound and is used to create realism. Examples of this are characters voices, sounds made from objects and music coming from instruments on the screen.

Non-diegetic sound is basically the opposite of diegetic sound; it's source is not visible on the screen and is not implied to be coming from any action present. This includes sound effects, narrator's commentary and mood music. This is an example of the use of non-diegetic sound made to seem like diegetic sound. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KUZVwsjTvw

Panning shot

This is where a camera is mounted to a tripod and is moved from left to right or vis versa and is commonly used in conjuction with a point of view shot. An example is when a character is searching a room. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds9LTr_m0Y8 Here is an example.

Crane shot

This is acheived by attatching a camera to a crane. It is often used at the end of a film; moving up and away from the characters. This is a very long example of a crane shot http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPRekG7hLM4

Arc shot

In an arc shot the camera moves a semi or a full circle around a character, characters or a significant object. A tracking dolly is needed to acheive this to a high standard.It means the audience can see the reactions of characters and it often increases the intensity of a scene. I couldnt find an example of this shot so perhaps later on il post an example of my own.

Tilt shot

A tilt shot is a simple movement of the cameras upwards or downwards on an axis. Using the upwards shot on a character creates a sense of height and power. It can be used in conjuction with a point of view shot meaning the audience can follow the characters point of view of the character or object. In this clip it is used so the audience can follow the action http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjudidLjXTE.

Crab shot

The side ways shot, or crab shot, is used to follow a character or objects movement enabling the audience to keep up with the action. A dolly or stabalizer is also used to acheive the smoothness the shot requires. Here is an example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oA4PeaQa-Bo.

Tracking shot

This is a simple movement backwards or forwards usually shot with tracking dolly to insure a smooth shot. Tracking inwards draws the audience into the action while tracking out signifies the end of the action. It puts the focus on a shot on a ceratin detail. The zoom shot is an alternative of the tracking shot if the correct equipment is not to hand and is acheieved simply by ajusting the focul length of a camera. Here is an example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL34nvz2MC4; it brings the focus of the shot onto her smile.

Other shots

Other shots include the eye level shot, which makes the audience feel as though they are observing the scene from a humans perspective.The low angle shot is another and it increases the height of an actor, useful when filming short actors, and it also makes them look powerful and intimidating. This is because we see the scene as if from a child's height. Oblique/ Canted angle shot is when a scene is shot at a slanted angle and creates an uneasy feeling.

High angle shot

This shot is a less extreme version of birds eye view, and is acheived using a crane which elevates the camera. The character becomes part of a wider picture and the angle makes the character look vunerable because people look at children from this angle and children are usually powerless. It is often used in films when a taller charcacter is talking to a shorter one. As you can see, the boy in the shot looks vunerable and powerless.

Extreme close-up shot

The extreme cloe up shot is a magnified version of the close up shot and is only used in dramatic scenes and not to just show the actors general reactions. It could show important emotional detail like a tear falling from someones eye. Above is an example of this shot, you can see clearly, just from her eyes, the concern the character feels. The extreme closeness makes the audience feel intimate with the character and they relate to their feelings.

Birds eye view shot

The birds eye view is a shot taken from above and is a very extreme and unatural angle. This makes familiar subjects look unrecognisable and could be sued to confuse the audience. It is used to establish where somone is and the action that is unfolding or even to show a character is lonely; have them alone in a birds eye shot. Birds eye view makes the characters in the shot look ant-like and therefore insignificant. The audience can not see what the people look like, what they're doing or how they feel which emphasises their insignificance and they appear only to be part of the bigger scheme of things. This is represented well in the image above.

Close-up shot

This type of shot concentrates on only one subject for example an actors face or a part of the mise en scene in the scene. It can be used to indicate a lead actors importance or to show an important detail, for example some text or an activity using their hands, or to emphasise and concentrate on someones emotions. It makes the audience empathise with the character because the closeness is very intimate creating trust for the particular character, but too many close-ups can confuse the audience; the characters actions are not put into perspective. A director may not use close ups for a character to create distance between the audience and the character; for instance in a horror film a killer may only be shown through extreme longshots and in the background of other shot tocreate unease. The caption above is a good example of a close up shot. You can clearly see the tears and her eyes and smile show these tears are from happiness.

Medium shot

The medium shot is the most commonly used shot in films and usually shows a character waist up It's used so the audience can closely watch a character; their faces and hands are the focus of the shot and these are what the actor will use the most to express themselves. When it depicts more than three people then it tends not to be called a medium shot but a long shot. This example shows the audience the characters body language without compromising the details of his facial expression; if it showed his whole body then these details wouldn't be so clear.

Long shot

Long shot depicts a scene from a long distance. A person in a long shot would have their feet usually close to the bottom and their head to the top. On a cinema screen the person would appear to be 'life size', as shown in the picture above. It's useful because it shows the whole person and what they're doing without putting anything out of proportion like it may if taken closer.

Extreme long shot

Extreme long shots are used to establish the general place of the scene, for example the outside of a building or a landscape. It gives a very dramatic effect when used to film a war scene because the huge number of people can be seen. The shot can be taken from a quarter of a mile away and if a character is included the details of their actions so they may have to emphasise their gestures. In this particular long shot it shows how vast the landscape is and gives the impression that it never ends.

180 degree rule

180 degree rule, which is shown above, is a basic rule for every scene. When two people in a scene, A and B, are facing each other (e.g. having a conversation) the axis which connects them divides the filming space in half. If the camera crosses this line into AREA 2 it will disorientate the audience (people A and B will be facing different directions). Imagine how confusing it'd be if there was a shot of someone walking down a street and then in the next shot they're walking in the opposite direction. Here is a famous example of a director, Alfred Hitchcock, deliberately cross the 180 degree line in order to confuse and unease the audience in Psycho. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VP5jEAP3K4 After 1:40 the camera crosses the l80 degree line many times in order to distress the audience. It gives the impression that the scene is a caotic and the woman has no control over what is happening, so she is sure to be stabbed. It's extremely hard to cross the line without the sequence looking cheap and unprofessional. Other than this film, most films apply all of their scenes to the 180 degree rule so I'll use the same video i did for shot reverse shot. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvof8mI6pXk As you can see the scene is very easy to follow; the characters always stay on the same side of the shot.

Shot reverse shot

Shot reverse shot is a film technique used to show two people facing eachother. The sequence alternates between two shots ;one of one character looking at another, who is often not in the shot, and one showing the other looking back. In actual fact the actors are sat at angles towards a camera each. I think it's very effective because it lets the audience see the actors facial expressions and puts them in the shoes of the character theyre talking to and uses eye line match to make them feel involved. It's important when using shot reverse shot for the character's reactions to what has been said to be included. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvof8mI6pXk This is a sequence using the technique. As you can see it really looks as if they are directly facing eachother. His smile is an example of a well edited reaction to what is happening.

Match on action

When there are a number of different shots from the same piece of action the match on action technique is be used. It involves editing shots together so that the action featured appears to be continuous, even though the shots may be shot at different times, shooting different people (stunt actors), or at different camera angles. If it is not edited well enough the sequenece may look jolty and innacurate, for example the subject may be moving in a differnt direction or the lighting may be different. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI82hsBrq8w&feature=related Here is an example in which quite a few sequences happen by match on action, for example the two shots which contribute to the apple being picked up and changing of the apple to the orange. I think they really succeeded in creating continuity; the cut between the knife cutting the apple from a birds eye view to eye level flows well. IIf i had to fault anything it would be the change from the melon to the apple, this is because its obvious the knife is not actually making contact with the melon. This is because the melon's too big though so it could be a critisism for the makers choice in props and not skills in editing.