camera workshop no.2

In the second camera workshop on the 18th of January we were taught more about cameras and we focused more on the filming.

The 180 degree rule is a rule which helps the audience watching know where characters and objects are and so they don't get confused.

The 180 degree rule means that the cameras can only be in 180 degree around the subject

this is used so that if there are 2 subjects the subjects will always be on the same side of the screen

The rule of thirds is where the screen is split up into a grid of 9 squares 

it is used to make the shot look better or allow an important subject to be the focal point

The subjects can be put into certain bits of the grid to make them a focal point or a background point 

in the first row bottom picture you can see the snake is the focal point and the sunset is a background point

in the second row bottom picture you can see the gun is more of the focus than the man

the gun being closer than the man connotes its importance

the order in which you shoot is in order from largest view to smallest view

example:

1. wide shot

2. mid shot 

3. close up

4. extreme close up 

you do this so that you can film the shots you originally wanted to do and find other shots that you may want

it also allows you to see the whole scene at first so you can add bits you didn't plan on videoing in the background

you film lots of different shots so you can switch between shots to make the narrative of the scene more appealing

continuity is where the scene and the things being done in it has to be consistant

this means a object can't switch hands between shots unless you see the person switch the objects in their hands 

marks are a spot you can make with an object or usually electrical tape which allows the characters to know where to stand to do an action or some dialogue 

the marks are out of view from the camera so that it can only be seen by the characters 

it helps when the actors are repeatedly doing the scene over and over again and the mark lets them be in the same spot in all scenes

the callouts are used so that the crew and actors on the set know what is happening 

the call outs go in an order

1. stand by

2. standing by

3. roll camera

4. camera rolling

5. action

6. cut

stand said by the director telling everyone to stand by (get ready) to start filming the scene

standing by is said by the crew telling the director that they are ready to film

roll camera is said by the director telling the camera operator(s) to start filming 

camera rolling is said by the camera operator(s) telling the director that the cameras are rolling

action is said by the director telling the actors to start the scene

cut is said by the director telling everyone that the scene has ended and to stop rolling the cameras 

there is a pause between both the "cameras rolling" and "action" as well as when the scene ends and "cut"

the pause between "cameras rolling" and "action" is so that the cameras can be checked if they are working properly so that an expensive stun isn't done and not filmed. The camera could be out of film, broken, not have power, etc

the pause between when the scene ends and "cut" is so that you can use the bit where nothing is happening in the film to add effect and make it look better

You don’t watch the footage back on set for 2 reasons:

The actors can get insecure and change their actions and they can become weird

Watching the footage on set wastes time and if the location is expensive you can waste lots of money