UNDERSTANDING OF CAMERA

SHOTS

Laura Hajdarevic

EXTREME CLOSE UP

Initially we see the character at a very up close level in which it emphasises the viewers concentration on it. In this case our attention is brought to the masked character. The idea that the extreme close up is focused on the mask shows the significance of the themes of “disguise” especially in a theft scene.

CLOSE UP

Much like in the previous slide, the attention from the viewers is still brought to the character, however the further away the “close up” is, the less significance it has. In this clip the audience isn’t as focused as the previous one

MEDIUM SHOT

A “medium shot” usually consists of a shot of the participating character, waist upwards and their head being reasonably close to the roof of the frame. In this shot the character is in the audience’s focus, however the surroundings/outfits/props are all still visable

LONG SHOT

In this example of a “long shot” we see the character within his surroundings. In relation to them, the viewers can estimate a rough idea of the size and impact the character has on the current situation as they can see his full body.

EXTREME LONG SHOT

A common convention of a movie opening (including this one) is an “extreme long shot”. In this frame the shot allows us to identify the location of the following/current scene. In a lot of occasions the director would chose a significant monument of a town if it was necessary to the movie, however here we just see skyscrapers. This still sets our understanding of where its is taking place, just not to that extent.

PAN

Pan is a shot in which a stationary frame turns horizontally, showing the viewers new areas. We see the characters sliding across a zip wire and more of the approaching building is revealed.

TRACK

Usually, the “track” shot gives the illusion of “following” a character, throughout this scene, the camera does exactly that whilst the character is moving. This therefore allows the viewer focus on the character easily without having to look for him themselves.

TILT

The camera is lifted upwards in order to allow the viewers to see the left over part of the frame.

ZOOM

At the very beginning the extreme long shot started to zoom closer to the building approaching it at a steady pace to bring the viewers attention specifically to a window which was about to be broken. (this also caused diegetic sound)

CUT

Once a frame cuts almost instantly to another frame, it usually consists of the second frame involving more fear and suspense such as an explosion/shooting/death. In this case it was more action on behalf of one of the characters. It creates a sudden change which is often used in horror/thriller/action movies in order to intrigue the audience.

PACE

The most common pace in movies is fast and upbeat in order to absorb the audiences attention. This occurs in this scene when the characters are running and the camera follows in a non-calm motion.

PERFORMANCE

There are difficulties in finding examples of performance in movies such as this due to the fact masks are worn and emotion isn’t always present. However we can see by the direction the character is looking in that there is a slight storyline behind it.

DIEGETIC

Gunshots (which are a diegetic sound) are fired in this scene. The characters react to it due to the fact that they can hear it, whereas if it was just the audience who could hear it there would be not internal reactions. The viewers are affected by this, in which the sounds are both sudden and loud.

NON DIEGETIC

As briefly mentioned in the previous slide, the non diegetic sounds are there to serve purpose for only the viewers. In this scene, the non diegetic sound is the background music which creates suspense and tension for the viewers.

MISE EN SCENE (SETTING, COSTUME, FIGURE EXPRESSION, PROPS)

Props such as masks and zip-wires are very significant features of the movie and represent the immense secrecy and skill involved. It impacts viewers in a way to allow them to see what sort of time of history the movie is set. E.g. In the early nineties a zip-wires wouldn't have been used

At the very beginning of the movie, the opening shows the setting of a city straight away.

ANGLE (BIRD’S EYE)

Once the characters had landed to their destination (the bank) the camera angle included a bird’s eye view/ overhead view in order to give the audience an insight of where they are and what they’ll be doing, prior to the main events.