THE language of moving imAGE

narrative theory – space, size and scale while in other words, key terminology – which also suggests that there is a GRAMMAR or CONVENTION or set of rules

Camera and focus – I am going to use focus creatively when I film my sequences by starting a scene out of focus and slowly focusing on the key feature in that scene

Insert shot – to provide further detail I am going to use an insert shot on a prop in my film

Editing – stitching things together by connecting different images and its the moving part of moving image in a chronological order

  • High angle / Low angle / bulls-eye / birds eye / canted angle
  • Tracking / Panning / Craning / Tilting / Hand held / Steadicam
  • Establishing Shot / Long Shot / Medium Shot / Close-up / Big Close-Up / Extreme Close Up (students often struggle with the first and the last again issues with SCALE, SIZE & SPACE, so practice is really important)
  • Insert Shot
  1. EDIT ON ACTION
  2. EDIT ON A MATCHING SHAPE, COLOUR, THEME
  3. EDIT ON A LOOK, A GLANCE, EYELINE
  4. EDIT ON A SOUND BRIDGE
  5. EDIT ON A CHANGE OF SHOT SIZE
  6. EDIT ON A CHANGE OF SHOT CAMERA POSITION (+30′)

Shot Sequencing 1: Parallel Editing

The use of sequential editing (editing one clip to another) allows for a number of key concepts to be produced:

  • parallel editing: two events editing together – so that they may be happening at the same time, or not?
  • flashback / flash-forward – allowing time to shift

Conventional shot progression – to create VERISIMILITUDE (ie realism, believability) usually involves the following shots (although not always in the same order).

  • establishing shot / ES, moving to
  • wide shot / WS,
  • to medium shot / MS,
  • to close up / CU,
  • to big close up / BCU;
  • and then back out again

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