Whiplash: first response
Daily Archives: November 7, 2021
Filters
definition of editing (film)
‘dictionary.com’ defines ‘edit’ as “to prepare (motion-picture film, video, or magnetic tape) by deleting, arranging, and splicing, by synchronizing the sound record with the film, etc.”
Cinematography examples (‘inspired by kubrick’)
ONE POINT PERSPECTIVE:
One-point perspective is a way of crafting cinematic shots with near-perfect symmetry. The composition of these shots draws the viewer’s eye to a specific focal point within the frame, absorbing them into the dimension of the shot and manipulating the experience by telling them exactly where to look (‘Filmmaker’s handbook via the-take.com)
SYMMETRY:
the quality of being made up of exactly similar parts facing each other or around an axis (google definition via Oxford Languages)
DEEP FOCUS:
Deep focus is a photographic and cinematographic technique using a large depth of field (wikipedia definition)
STEADICAM TRACKING SHOTS:
A Steadicam shot uses a Steadicam, which is a camera stabilizer that combines the stability of a tripod, flexibility of a handheld camera, and the movement capability of a dolly. Steadicams absorb shake by mechanically isolating the operator’s movement as to always produce smooth tracking shots. A Steadicam Operator wears a vest that is attached to the camera rig. This makes the camera nearly weightless and easily controllable. It can get these smooth shots in any direction — around corners, up and down stairways, and even on bumpy roads (studio binder definition)
shot types and their uses (table)
shot movement examples
PAN (LEFT/RIGHT):
WIKIPEDIA – ‘In cinematography and photography panning means swivelling a still or video camera horizontally from a fixed position. This motion is similar to the motion of a person when they turn their head on their neck from left to right.’
TRACK (OUT/IN):
MASTERCLASS.COM – ‘In cinematography, a tracking shot is any shot in which the camera physically moves sideways, forward, or backward through the scene. Tracking shots usually last longer than other shots, follow one or more moving subjects, and immerse the audience in a particular setting’
DOLLYING VS TRUCKING:
MASTERCLASS.COM – ‘Two common types of tracking shots are dollying and trucking. A dolly shot is when the camera is moved forward or backward along a track. A truck shot is when the camera is moved left or right.’
CRAB (LEFT/RIGHT):
WWW.MEDIACOLLEGE.COM – ‘The term crabbing shot is a less-common version of tracking, trucking and/or dollying. These terms are more or less interchangeable, although dollying tends to mean in-and-out movement whereas the others tend to mean side-to-side movement at a constant distance from the action.’
ZOOM OUT/IN (LENS):
STUDIOBINDER.COM – ‘A zoom shot is when the focal length of a camera lens is adjusted to give the illusion of moving closer or further away from the subject. Zoom shots are done with a zoom lens, which have variable focal lengths. The most typical camera zoom types are the “zoom in” and “zoom out,” but it can also be combined with a dolly shot to create a “dolly zoom.” ‘
PED (UP/DOWN):
OXFORDREFERENCE.COM – ‘In film and video, a track where the camera moves in a vertical direction (along the y-axis). Ped-up and ped-down shots involve motion parallax which creates a feeling of depth, as the relative occlusion of foreground and background elements dynamically changes in the frame‘
TILT (UP/DOWN):
STUDIOBINDER.COM – ‘A tilt shot is shot that uses a cinematographic technique called tilting in which the camera stays fixed but rotates up and down on a vertical plane. Tilting is similar to the motion of an individual raising or lowering their heads. This is different than the panning of a camera which also sits on a fixed but moves left to right. Equipment like a tilt-shift lens enables this vertical camera motion.‘
SHOT ANGLES EXAMPLES
LOW:
EYE-LEVEL:
HIGH:
WORM’S EYE:
CANTED/DUTCH:
BIRD’S EYE:
shot distances
Activity: give an example of each shot distance from a film you have watched and explain the effect on the viewer.
Big or Extreme Close Up (BCU/ECU)
(Allows the audience to focus on specifically, characters’ emotions relative to the circumstance. Can also be useful as dramatic reaction shots to denote to relationship dynamics.
Close Up (CU)
Much like the extreme close up, these show the audience a character’s emotions by focusing on mainly their face (usually close enough to observe the eye movement), however there is room in this shot for elements of background characters (whether portrayed with shallow or deep focus) or even body movements which can be linked to the emotion portrayed. This example is implying a strong tether between Merida and her bow and arrow as we as an audience are able to read her expressions and the other people featured are eliminated by use of focus to arguably emphasise the weapon’s importance.
Medium Close Up (MCU)
A medium close up is a tool to introduce the audience to what is going on below shoulder level or what the character is physically doing which may relate to the purpose of the scene, without totally disassociating from the identity and emotion of this person. It could be said to be the bridge between close ups for emotional and theoretical purposes and long or wide shots for literal and objective purposes.
Medium or Mid Shot (MS)
Medium Long Shot (MLS)
Long Shot(LS)
Long shots are arguably an opportunity for viewers to begin to take in and focus on setting surroundings. Inclusion of long shots is important as they ground the story and remind the audience that scenes and sequences are occurring relative to the place and time revealed.
Panoramic Shot
A panoramic shot can be an easy way to detach characters emotionally and to additionally help the audience to focus on the setting, (can be utilised as an e.g. foreshadowing technique) as well as separate characters physically from the setting itself to remind viewers that there may be other characters and places featured throughout the story, reflecting the enormity of the natural world compared to the subject.
(WRITTEN ELEMENTS NOT FROM SOURCES…. FROM ME?)
| Film | Preference /10 | Memorable Scene | Film Element Focus |
| Whiplash (Damien Chazelle, 2014) | 8/10 | Neiman’s practice scene | Editing |
Whiplash – First Response
| FILM | PREFERENCE /10 | MEMORABLE SCENE | FILM ELEMENT FOCUS |
| Whiplash (Damien Chazelle, 2014) | 10/10 | Neiman’s final drum solo | Editing |
