Moving Image, Narrative, Theory

The Language of moving image

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The language of moving image suggests that there is a grammar or convention or set of rules. It deals with the aesthetic concepts of shape and size.

One of the most important camera tools in a movie is focus and depth of field. The focus is used to direct the audience’s eyes and prioritise the elements in a shot to present certain information.

  • 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

Sizes: Establishing shot – Insert shot – Long shot – Medium shot – Close-up – Extreme close-up.

Angles: High – Low – balls-eye – Birds eye – Canted angle

Movement: Tracking – Panning – Craning- Tilting – Hand-held – Steadicam

But the key question is WHEN TO EDIT ie when is it best to move from one shot to another? The answer is usually found in the following list:

  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

Shot sequencing 2: Montage

Editing is the process of putting one element / idea next to another. It was first conceptually theorised as the Kuleshov effect, in that adding one element / idea to another actually produces a third idea / element, which if constructed well can produce in the audience an idea that isn’t actually present! This is the basis of MONTAGE EDITING – often the connection of images / ideas to create a new meaning (1 + 2 = ?). It is often seen as an allegorical, metaphorical way of editing to create symbolism, in the same way COLLAGE and MONTAGE ART creates meaning through putting ideas and objects next to each other.

Montages tell the audience a lot of information in very little time. They can tell an entire story or show you who a character is in just a few shots.

Shot Sequencing 3: Invisible Editing / Continuity Editing

Continuity editing can be seen as the opposite of montage editing as the main aim is to create a sense of realism or ‘believability’ known as verisimilitude and has it’s own structure of rules where shots are edited together at particular times or on particular shots, as previously highlighted above.

  • match on action
  • eye-line match
  • graphic match
  • sound bridge
  • 30′ rule
  • 180′ rule

Can use a flash-back or flash-forward to show extra information on the character.

Shot sequencing 4: Shot progression

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

The use of these shots allow the audience to understand SPATIAL RELATIONSHIPS between locations, people, movements etc. The length of shot will determine the drama, empathy, theme etc. The choice of how to sequence each shot will determine the AESTHETIC QUALITY of the product. The next sequence will then follow a similar pattern, which again allows the audience to understand concepts such as SPACE, TIME, DISTANCE, MOVEMENT, MOTIVATION, PLOT, THEME etc.

Shot Sequencing 5: Shot / Reverse Shot

The Shot / Reverse Shot a really good starting point for students to both think about and produce moving image products. The basic sequence runs from a wide angle master shot that is at a 90′ angle to (usually) two characters. This sets up the visual space and allows the film-maker to to then shoot separate close-ups, that if connected through an eye-line match are able to give the impression that they are opposite each other talking. The shots are usually over the shoulder.

Firstly, they include both characters – which are called EXTERNAL REVERSES. As the drama increases, the framing of each shot then excludes the back of the head of the other character and moves in to a much closer over the shoulder shot – which are called INTERNAL REVERSES. Remember that these shots are not creating a direct look to camera. To look directly at the camera creates a very different relationship between the characters and the audience and is a technique that is only used for specific techniques / genres / film-makers.

These type of shots are known as Point of View Shots – POV shots, or even direct address to the camera, and are quite different to over the shoulder shots, close-ups, reaction shots, internal and external reverses etc. All of which are deliberately used to create a range of subjective / objective positions for the audience as they engage with characters in the moving image products. AND NOT FOR THE CHARACTERS TO LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE AUDIENCE (ie directly into the camera)

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