Video – I am a camera
First, let’s watch a clip from Dziga Vertov’s Man with a Movie Camera…
Kodak Zi8
Optical zoom – which means DON’T USE IT
USB is built it on the side – flips out from bottom
You might want to get an SD card – they can be erased or damaged - $30 or more
Immediately get a tripod. The hole at the bottom is for the baseplate of the tripod.
Kinds of Shots
Extreme Long Shot – you see the subject as a small object in the frame surrounded by the environment
Often from a height, or a helicopter, but we can use them too
We can use these from a distance to show some large scale action or something
Stretches time. (think how long it takes to run from A to B in a long shot)
Long Shot – same, only less focus on the environment, more on the action – common in chase scenes and action movies – shows context – good for stunts
Your use? Shooting outside and showing the place to some advantage
Level 4 thoughts? Oh yes, they went there, they planned this out, they got the right place.
Medium Shot – this is the most common kind of shot – used for something called a MASTER SHOT
- a crucial thing to learn in order to shoot scenes correctly
- medium shots show character action, expression and interaction with others
- medium shots are as close as knees up, and as far away as three or four people in a room
- you shoot a whole scene in this style for your master shot –
- Medium shots are good for fight scenes, light action scenes and comedy bits
Close up – close ups and shots that reveal detail on objects and people and are used to show that X is important
- you show things that are going to be used
- you show faces that are experiencing emotion
- you show them in shots that highlight the key part – ie the face or the object being used
- Extreme Close up – distortion – usually for grotesque or horror bits – creepy, eerie, or sometimes used for extreme emotion or particularly skilled acting or beauty
Camera Movements
Pan – side to side from a fixed position (tripod)
Tilt – up and down from a fixed position (tripod)
Zoom – using the optics of the lens to fake a movement in or out of the subject – Kung Fu movie style