Shot Variation

Shot Variation;

What is shot variation?

Shot variation is a technique used in film-making to achieve the most effective coverage of an entire sequence of action. Shots used include wide shot(WS), extreme long shot(ELS), long shot(LS), medium close shot(MCS), close-shot(CS), close-up(CU) and extreme close-up(ECU).

Shot variation is used a lot in action films when a fast paces scene is being shot. In addition to a high number of cuts in a short space of film time the variation of shots and dynamism also help to fasten the pace of the overall scene.

Wide shots:- A wide shot is generally used to set the tone of the scene as well as introducing the location.
- This enables the audience to understand the overall concept of the scene. 
- Long shots are used to present a new location. 

Medium shots:
- Medium shots are commonly used to show the dynamics of two or three person interaction;
Closer coverage is used for:
- Intensity
- Intimacy
- Detail

Different shots & angles;

Medium Shot:

Bird's eye view:

Wide/ Long Shot:













High Angle:












Low Angle:












Over-the-shoulder shot:

Shot Variation Example^

Manipulation of diegetic time and space

Manipulation of diegetic time and space:

What is it?

- The manipulation of diegetic time and space refers to a range of techniques used in film-making to change the dimensions of space and time in ways that would not be possible in real life.
- Time can be condensed and stretched. However space can be compacted and expanded. 
- Wide angles can be used to constrain large spaces to the dimensions of aspect ratio and frame. 
- Deep focus can be used in conjunction with lighting effects to add enormous depth and detail to interior spaces. 
- Cutting from one location to another location can make the two appear connected.
- Editorial techniques such as ellipsis and expansion of time manipulate time as it is experienced by the audience.
- Flashbacks presenting recollected events in a characters memory can be used to reveal key aspects of plot.
- Flash forwards into the future can reveal what a character is planning/envisaging/expecting.  

Diegetic Sound - Sound that the actors can hear and are aware of.
Non-diegetic sound - Sound that the actors cannot hear and are not aware of.

Examples of Manipulation of diegetic time and space:

Time:




Within the Indiana Jones scene it is noticeable that once Indiana and his companion trigure the traps they are then having to try to escape, but the directors have manipulated time which is noticeable with the trap door as when the capture changes, but us as the viewers are still able to see the trap door and it clearly shows that its gone down but then the next shot it would be higher than it was before. This was noticeable as the trap door was going down faster than it appears to be when the directors are switching the camera position shots.

Space:



However with space the directors have manipulated how the creature beneath the water when dragging Luke Skywalker under the water it is noticeable that the water is just above their ankles yet when Luke is pulled under the water their is no sign of struggle as if the water they had been standing in was really deep to suggest that Luke had gone far under. It should clearly show Luke on his back being dragged across the water if the depth is that shallow.

References:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-8AP0To4k (Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7U3Oti2L8S4 (Star Wars Episode IV)

Multiple POV

Multiple Points of View:

What is this based on?

At the editing stage, the editor will switch between camera angles depending on what the subject is doing. This effect of changing distances and angles; opposed to sticking to one shot all the way through, brings shape, texture and depth to the scene. The editor uses this to keep continuity, which makes the cut invisible and the audience gets a multi-faceted perspective on events which engages them in the action. This is a technique where a number of different camera angles are employed to film a single event.

There is a difference between [following the action] and [multiple points of view]. This difference is that in the latter we are focused on a single piece of action seeing that action from many different vantage points.

The Multiple Points of View techniques are able to:

- Enable the audience to see a bigger picture and help them understand what is going on.

- Add dynamism to the action making the scene more engaging.

- Manipulate time: observing the same action from multiple perspectives elongates time.

- Reveal key information from different perspectives.

Film & Video Part 1 - Analogue & Digital

Film:

Film refers to a chemical process which is used for analogue recording, copying, playback, broadcasting and display of moving visual and audio media on a material called celluloid.

Celluloid is a transparent, flammable plastic made in sheets from camphor and nitrocellulose. It was used for making cinematographic films. 

 

The first celluloid film was a size 16 mm. The small negative size meant that films often appeared grainy. The arrival of a larger 35 mm negative brought improved quality. 

Video:

Video is an electronic medium used for analogue recording, copying, playback, broadcasting and display of visual and audio media on magnetic tape using an analogue video signal.
Digital video is a type of digital recording system that works by recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display using a digital rather than an analogue video signal.

Digital cinematography refers to the process of capturing motion pictures as digital video images as opposed to the historical use of motion picture celluloid film. Digital capture may happen on video tape, hard disks, flash memory, or other media which can record digital data through the use of a digital movie video camera or other digital video camera.

A YouTube video showing the difference between analogue and digital signals:


Short description of the difference between analogue and digital signals:

Analogue Signals:
- Music and speech vary continuosly in frequency and amplitude. These can also vary in frequency, amplitude or both.

Digital Signals:
- Digital signals consist of pulses, these consist of two states 1 ON, 2 OFF. DAB radio is Digital Audio Broadcast radio, this is transmitted as digital signals.

Analog Signal example:

Digital Signal example:

Film & Video Part 2 - Analogue & Digital

Film & Video:

The word analog or analogue recording comes from the Greek, ana "according to" and logos "relationship".

An analog or analogue signal is any continuous signal for which the time varying feature (variable) of the signal is a representation of some other time varying quantity, i.e., analogous to another time varying signal. For example, in an analogue audio signal, the instantaneous voltage of the signal varies continuously with the pressure of the sound waves. It differs from a digital signal, in which the continuous quantity is a representation of a sequence of discrete values which can only take on one of a finite number of values. The term analogue signal usually refers to electrical signals; however, mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, human speech, and other systems may also convey or be considered analogue signals.

Analogue recording is a technique used for the recording of analogue signals which, among many possibilities, allows analogue audio and analogue video for later playback. 

Analog recording methods store signals as a continuous signal in or on the media. The signal may be stored as a physical texture on a phonograph record, or a fluctuation in the field strength of a magnetic recording. This is different from digital recording which digital signals are represented as discrete numbers.

Digital signals are a sequence of pulses consisting of just two states which are ON (1) or OFF (0). There are no numbers or values in between.


Film can be a 'chemical' or digital process.

When it is a chemical process a light sensitive silver halife emulsion coated on a  film base is exposed to light in a camera. This creates a latended image which is made visible by emerging the film into a chemical solution which we refer to as a 'developer'. A print can then be made by projecting the image from the film onto sensitized photographic paper and processing the paper through a number of chemical baths. 



A movie projector is an opto-mechanical device for displaying motion picture film by projecting it onto a screen.

Digital imaging does not require chemicals. Digital images are captured using arrays of photo sensors and these images are then processed by specialised software. Prints can be made through for traditional projection. Or the film can remain in a digital form for digital protection.

In everyday speak people commonly refer to chemical photography as analogue to contrast it with the digital process. Here, analogue is referring a signal whose output is proportional to the input.

A good example for analogue in traditional photography is a light meter where light falls on a photo cell which generates an electrical current moving a needle over a scale. The more bright the light is the more the needle moves. Ironically, the sensor in a digital camera is also analogue: each one of the millions of pixels which constitute the sensor is a light sensitive photo cell generating a tiny electrical current which is responding to light. The brighter the light the stronger the current.


Short YouTube video explaining the difference between Analog & Digital Signals:



Bibliography:

"Analog Recording". En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 26 May. 2016.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_recording