In this weeks lesson, we watched and analysed an interrogation scene from L.A. Confidential.
From this scene, we analysed the different shots and cuts to discuss how they are effective.
For example,
In the first 20 seconds of this clip, it is evident that their is a continuous shot while the two policeman walk down the hallway before entering the office. This particular shot is effective because it portrays a sense of a build-up to the main action of the scene.
Furthermore, the continuous shot also has great significance to the scene and how it effects the audience. The use of the continuous shot forces the audience to follow the cop's narrative. Therefore, this is effective because it gives the audience a sense of being on the cop's side, even though they interrogated the male protagonist in this scene, the audience would be in favor of the cops due to the continuous shot at the beginning of the clip.
Many different shots are used in this scene to emphasise emotion and reactions of a character. For example, the dolly shot ensures full emotions of the character are portrayed to the audience through a change in depth of field. In addition, as well as to show emotion, the shots are also used to manipulate the audience.
Along with learning how shots are used for effect, we also gained knowledge about the cutting of the scene. For example, there were four main cuts that we noticed of which included the bathroom scene, along with the reaction of the protagonist as well as the shot of the protagonist being thrown out the window, followed by his reaction.
These specific cuts are made to ensure the different camera shots can be used to portray and express the story of the film in the best way possible.
Recently, we looked more in to the history of editing and how different styles of editing and shots came to be. To gain more knowledge on this topic, we watched a video on the Birth of Cinema and Continuity Editing by Filmmaker IQ on YouTube.
Primitive Cinema
The first film screening was in the basement of a grand cafe in Paris on December 28, 1895 by the Lumiere brothers, of workers leaving the Lumiere factory, Among the audience of the first ever screening, was a professional magician, George Melies. Melies became inspired by this screening and as a result, bought an Animatograph to then reverse the mechanics to create his own camera. Whilst shooting a bus emerging from a tunnel in Paris 1896, Melies' camera broke in the middle of a take. When the camera began working again, the bus has been replaced by a hearse and when editing, Melies realised the faulty in the camera had invented a Jump Cut, where the bus appeared to turn into a Hearse.
Melies also discovered:
Fade in and Fade out
Overlapping dissolves
Stop Motion Photography
Using these shots, he merged them all together to create a narrative story instead of a mundane single shot. However, he had a reoccurring problem throughout all his movies- they were all shot from the same angle as he failed to move the camera during shooting.
Birth of the Edit
Edwin S. Porter, a director and camera man, used his unique insight into film to take footage from 'Life of an American Fireman' and combine it with stage scenes to create a fictional narrative. However, there was still the problem of a Tableau mentality and there were many Temporal Overlaps among Porter's film productions.
D.W. Griffith (Lawrence Griffith) stepped in to resolve this problem. He managed to create a film where a medium shot, smoothly changed to a full shot of two characters in an emotional dialogue to engage the audience in the story. This became known as a continuity shot.
Continuity shot - Cutting style that maintains a sense of continuous space and time
Along with the Continuity shot, came the 180 degree rule. The 180 degree rule means to keep the camera on one side of the Axis of action to avoid continuity problems of cutting.
Griffith also discovered inter-cutting.
Inter-cutting shot - Cutting between shots in different scenes in a parallel action
Inter-cutting was haled as a masterpiece and the long, medium and close up shot became known as the classic Hollywood continuity shot.
Following this, he also discovered:
Establishing shot
Revers shots
Matching Eye Lines
Cutting on Action
Griffith then progressed to releasing his own independent film in 1914, 'The Birth of a Nation'. This film was cinema's most expensive film to make, and was the world's most famous Blockbuster. It contained a combination of all of Griffith's editing and cinematic techniques. However, the film was condemned as racist, of which Griffith took personally. The criticism taken personally provoked Griffith to release 'The Rise and Fall of Free Speech in America' where he defended himself and claimed the film was intolerance.
To further defend himself, Griffith later released a film called 'Intolerance' which although did not go down well, was the apparent key to a new theory of editing called montage.
Lawrence Griffith invented the conventions of editing that established the continuity style of editing.
Filmmakers constantly took inspiration from each other's ideas to eventually create a consistent way of editing to ensure every production had a sense of continuity, of which is still used today.
Recently, we learnt about editing and how the editing is used to create effect.
Editing is a crucial part of film language. It structures the narrative, links scenes or events together and ensures the film follows in a logical order.
We discovered that there are many different types of edit and we specifically took a look at the types of cut that can be used:
Cut
- Change scene
- Compress time
-Vary point of view
- Montage, build up of an image or idea
We learnt that there is always a reason for a cut.
Matched Cut
- Continuity of direction
- Completed action
- A similar centre of attention in the frame
- A change of angle ( at least 30 degrees)
A few more cuts consisted of:
Jump Cut
Cutting Rate
Cutting Rhythm
Cutaway -A reaction shot
Buffer/insert
In addition, we also looked at the variety of transitions that can be used:
Fade/dissolve
Super impositions
Wipe
Inset
Split screen
Stock shot
- The less abrupt transitions are achieved with a fade, dissolve or wipe.
Following this, we watched a clip from a film that involved a car chase. We analysed the tempo and rate of the scene, as well as looking at the camera shots. For example, the tempo of this particular car chase was really fast before the rate fell down on a long shot, to then pick up again on a close-up shot. The shots were constantly swapping from close-ups to long Shots and back again. This is to ensure the audience are clear of what is going on. The long shots give the audience an opportunity to look at the surroundings and get an understanding of the story rather than gaining a full understanding of the emotions of the character without having any knowledge of what is happening in the scene.
From my own research, I found a clip from 'Skyfall' that portrays the variety of shots, transitions and tempo that we were discussing in the lesson.
In this clip from 'Skyfall' different paces of tempo are used throughout. For example, when the motorbike chase is being shown, the tempo and sound is upbeat and fast, however when the action scene transitions into a scene at the office, the tempo slows down and the sound becomes quieter to give the audience an opportunity to gain an understanding of what is going on.
This movie clip portrays clear evidence of how sounds, editing and different camera shots can be used together in order to create such powerful scenes for the audience to connect with.
Following this lesson, we have gained knowledge about how editing can link everything together to ensure the best aspects and qualities of each story are portrayed in an effective way.
A variety of different shots, taken by Daisy and I, to reinforce types of camera shots used in film, and to gain a full understanding of how they are used for effect.
In our most recent lesson, we learnt about camera shots and how different shots portray emotions or empowerment of the character.
For example, an extreme close up shot would be used to engage the audience in the emotions of the character by focusing on the facial expression, mainly used in intense scenes.
In addition, other shots, for example, a high angle shot, can be used to portray the character in a vulnerable way. A high angle shot means it is shot at an angle which is looking down on the character, to highlight their vulnerability and to enhance a possible sense of danger, most commonly used in horror films. In contrast, a low angle shot, looking up to a certain character, can be used to portray a sense of empowerment and to create an idea that the character is above everyone else and in control.
During this lesson, we watched and analysed a clip from Superman. We focused on all the different camera shots used in this particular clip, and analysed the reasons behind why they were used in the scene.
The camera shots we noticed in this clip were:
Close-Up (CU)
High angle (HA)
Low angle (LA)
Extreme close-up (ECU)
Big close-up (BCU)
Eye Level (EL)
Long shot (LS)
The variety of camera shots used in this clip ensured the characters were portrayed in a way the audience could understand their position. For example, the low angle was used for the villain when he shot at the policemen because he had the advantage, however it was then used again when Superman arrived to suggest he now had the power over the villain.
Many different camera shots are used to portray such powerful scenes. In some cases, like the eye level shot, for example when the villain was at eye level with the camera and aiming the gun, the audience are made to feel vulnerable and scared as it looks like he is aiming towards the audience.
Not only are the camera shots used to portray the emotions of the characters or the settings, but they are used to engage the audience in the scene and ensure they are feeling the full emotions of the story.
During our first practical lesson in AS Media Studies, we set up our own blogs. We were briefed on the course and given these web-links to relevant websites that contain a variety of updated information about all the different aspects of Media and topics that coincide with our AS course.
www.youtube.co.uk - Youtube is another useful website than can be used for downloading videos to ensure we have a variety of different evidence included in our posts, as well as varying the type of media we use.
