I'm not in any way saying the lecture was a waste of time for me, it was actually good because it refreshed my memory about the world of film.
Film is a great way for storytelling - its a popular choice made by composers to project their message to the world.
Now we talked about something Josh liked to call the "LEGO METAPHOR"
- plans to make a film is just like constructing a masterpiece made from Lego.
- usually when you lose the instructions - or in relation to film, the idea - the grand plans you once had for your creation never gets finished... or that finished product turns out terribly.
"SHOTS AS WORDS:"
Film making is about questions and answers.
WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHERE? HOW? WHY? - all of these questions can be answered by the types of shots directors and producers use. Shot sizes form the basis of the language of film.
WHO? - a close up reveals a character and their emotions, in turn answering the question of, who are they?
WHAT? - medium shots tend to reveal what the character is doing, as well as re-iterate who they are.
WHEN? - wide shots can be used to establish setting which helps determine what time of day it is. because time is not a physical thing it makes it difficult to establish a definite "when." although a number of shots can be used, or a combination of cuts to establish time passing by.
WHERE? - Long shots are another shot type used to help emphasise location. It helps show a character and their actions whilst establishing the location.
HOW? - Medium close up shows 2 things within the frame. It shows how they go about doing a series of things.
WHY? - big close ups tend to answer the question of why, by revealing something in their facial expressions that doesn't give too much away, but doesn't keep it too cryptic. "Why" is usually tied to a character. Directors tend to keep the why hidden otherwise audiences lose interest. The why is what the whole movie is based around. If that is discovered too early in the film, then what's the point in watching it?
I found that way of looking at certain shot types very interesting. Its an effective way to help you understand why the director used that certain shot size.
"HOMEWORK" TASK:
> Pick a movie and see if the shots used answer the six questions - who, what, when, where, how and why? - as explained in the lecture.
TWILIGHT:
WHO? - is answered by the close up of Bella and Edward. It is assumed that these two are the main characters.
WHAT? - is answered by the medium shot of them between two cars with Edward's hand crushing one of the cars, from this you can gather that he saved Bella's. So it shows what they are doing.
WHEN? - as explained in the lecture: it is difficult to portray, but any shot showing some form of setting can help establish time of day.
WHERE? - the wide shot shown below establishes just one of the places where twilight was filmed. a long shot will also have the same effect.
WHY? - is partially revealed in the big close up of Edward and Bella's faces after he saves her. But it also provokes many questions. Why did he save her? Why is she so special to him? Mainly one conclusion can be drawn from these assumptions - he loves her. (Which if you haven't seen the movie is the correct one).
HOW? - i didn't really look hard enough for a how. But if a film director/cinematographer wanted to show how a character did something - for example, make a cup of coffee - in the frame, they'd include the character possibly stirring the coffee mug, with the kettle and coffee jar also in sight.
ALL IMAGES COME FROM:
http://gallery.filmofilia.com/gallery/Twilight/pages/1/
But the questions about shot sizes wasn't the only interesting part to the lecture, the rules associated with the aesthetics of the film took me by surprise.
Who would've thought there were so many rules to make films so aesthetically pleasing?
HEAD ROOM: is where the director must keep the subject within the four edges of the frame, keeping in mind the space around the subject. If the head space is maintained correctly, the character will be shown normal, instead of looking like a gangly giant or a gimpy dwarf.
TALKING ROOM: only really two main things to keep in mind.
1. Don't make it seem as though they are talking to a wall.
2. Don't leave too much room between the characters - although used correctly it can help establish the spacial relationship between them
- keep it relatively even to maintain balance.
RULE OF THIRDS: Is all about positioning.
The aim is to keep the main image on or between the four intersecting points. This draws attention to the object, which keeps the audiences' focus.
180° RULE: usually refers to the eye line between 2 characters having a conversation. I'm not 100% sure how to explain it in a way someone else would understand so I'm going to add the picture from the lecture which "describes" this rule.
The only time to cross the 180° line is when you physically show that the camera is moving.
THE MAIN POINTS WHICH I FEEL SUMMED UP THE LECTURE QUITE NEATLY WERE:
1. EVERY SHOT HAS TO SERVE A PURPOSE
AND
2. EVERY SHOT HAS TO REVEAL SOMETHING NEW - TO MOVE THE NARRATIVE FURTHER FORWARD
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