Practice Analysis

Dutch Angles

Dutch Angles

The Dutch angle is an angle which puts a noticeable tilt on the camera's axis. These angles are used to enhance unsettling or disorienting moments and emphasise a foreboding feeling portrayed in a scene. The Dutch angle was used and created by German expressionists in the early 1900s. 

There are three things directors must consider when filming a Dutch angle: Identify an unsettling/disorienting moment in their script, consider the moment, and enhance the moment. There are four things that can effectively enhance a Dutch angle - increasing the degree of the tilt on the shot, lowering the camera height, choosing the most effective lens for the scene, and keeping in mind the depth of field.

Motif in Film

Motif 

A motif refers to any recurring element in a film which has some sort of symbolic meaning relevant to the story being told. Using visual motifs ensures that a film is able to operate effectively on more than one level and convey messages to the audience without the need for dialogue or other verbal explanation. 

By including small details and motifs in a film, you create something which the viewer wants to come back to over and over again, in order to find new a level of depth and understanding of the themes and story line of a film which they may not have had before. The most effective way of utilising and creating motifs as a director is not to ask what is happening in a scene, but why it is happening. Giving meaning to even the smallest of details adds depth to a film. 

Insert Shots in Film

Insert Shots

An insert shot is an isolated shot which focuses on a specific feature within a scene. Inserts often involve an object or objects seen from a character's point of view, and are used to show the audience/focus their attention on a very specific detail. Inserts are used to communicate crucial narrative information. There are three main aspects of an insert shot; composition, colour, and timing. 

Composition of an insert shot involves shot angle, shot size, and camera movement. This can help to foreshadow a future event within the film, or an important message which will soon symbolise more meaning. Colour can be used to draw attention to specific points within an insert shot, and can add extra details which will create a deeper impact later on. Timing changes the meaning of a scene: How long the director dwells on a shot and how quickly they switch between insert shots creates a certain level of urgency depending on timing. This has a direct effect on the viewer's understanding of the scene's importance. 

Colour in Film

Colour

Different colours convey different emotions, and have various psychological effects on people - therefore, colour in film can be used to create mood in a scene. There are three main factors of determining colour in film, these being hue (the colour itself), saturation (the intensity of the colour), and brightness (how light or dark the colour is). 

Take The Matrix, for example. Throughout the movie the hue is almost entirely in different shades of green. This is because The Matrix is a sci-fi movie which takes place in a digital simulation - we associate the colour green with coding. The shades of green in The Matrix also tend to have a sort of sickly quality to them, reflecting the dreary feel of the story being told.

Some directors choose to heavily desaturate - this drains the colour out of each scene, setting a cold, dreary, and overall unpleasant mood for the film. This is also in some cases done to create reminiscence of the time period this movie takes place in. Desaturation can often be seen in war films such as Enemy at the Gates, Hacksaw Ridge, and Dunkirk.

The brightness in a film dictates the mood of a film, and can create contrast. Scenes containing entirely brighter colours were very common during the era in which colour was first introduced in film, and was for some a good enough reason to watch it alone. Scenes containing less bright colours create a darker and foreboding or gloomy atmosphere.

How does Camera Movement Work in Film?

Camera Movement

The pan is a term used for rotating the camera during a scene whilst keeping the camera in it's current placement. Two types of pan movements are the whip pan and the slow pan, both having different purposes. The whip pan is the film equivalent of quickly turning to look at something, and creates a sudden jolt of energy, whereas the slow pan gives the audience time to take in the landscape in a scene.

Tilt shots are often used to reveal something to us, and divert our attention from what is currently happening in a scene. The dolly zoom is a smooth movement which entails moving the camera through a space in a scene, creating a different visual experience. When the dolly and zoom movements are used at the same time, it shows the viewers that the character who is the subject of this scene is having an intense internal experience. The steadicam is a movement which creates the same effect as the dolly shot, however as the camera is placed/mounted on the shoulder of a cameraman, the camera is able to move more gracefully and steadily. The handheld shot is a more shakey intense camera movement which can cause the viewer to feel a higher sense of panic, tension, or anxiety during a scene. 

The ultimate challenge for the director of a film in terms of camera movement is figuring out how to  combine these camera movements in a unique way which affects the audience in the way the director intends to. When creating these sequences, it is important that directors ask themselves if it they are using these movements in a way which compliments the story. Camera movements should be able to effectively move the audience's point of attention in a way which is relevant to the overall story of the visual text and what is occurring in the scene.

Blocking

Blocking 
Blocking can be defined as the precise staging of actors in a film or performance, and can entirely change the feel of a scene and create visual dynamic. In cinematography, blocking refers to where actors are placed in the frame in a scene. There are three basic shapes for film blocking - space, shapes, and lines.

Space refers the distance between characters in a scene. The distance a character is from the camera can determine what level of importance they uphold. Character's closer to the camera tend to be seen as more imposing. The three basic shapes - triangles, squares, and circles - all create a different assumption about a character. Anything can be turned into one of these shapes, including a character's face, the props in a scene, or the space they are in. Circles create a inclusive and safe atmosphere. Squares create limited space, closing or boxing someone into a smaller area. Triangles can make a scene sharper or more aggressive. Shapes dictate where the audience's eye travels to when watching a scene. Using lines in a scene creates tension and imbalance between characters in a scene, and also emphasises who in a scene holds the most power.

Blocking can help with both revealing subtext (the hidden message in a scene) and contrast.

Establishing Shots

Establishing Shots

An establishing shot in a film is a shot which establishes a scene, and they are usually used at the start of a scene to show the relationship between the subject and the location they are in. It also establishes the atmosphere of the scene, e.g whether it is a light-hearted or dark scene.

Establishing shots are well planned out to ensure they aren't time-consuming to shoot and are effective before they are shot, as they tend to be some of the most expensive shots in films. This is due to the fact that during scenes using these shots you can see everything that is going on.

Production Design

Production Design

Production design refers to the overall look of the production. This includes set design, props, prompts, wardrobe, and all other physical aspects of a scene. Production design can reveal three things in a film. It can set the mood of a scene, reflect the state of a character, and articulate a stories themes. 

Production design can be used to set the mood of a scene by using it in a way which conveys the emotions the director wishes to reflect. It can visualise the state of a character, making a set reflect the emotions the character is feeling and the place they are currently in in their lives. Finally, production design can be used to create a subtext of sorts, a hidden meaning. It can be used to intelligently tell it's own story without the need of verbally given context to explain/show what is happening in the scene.

Contrast in Film

Contrast in Film

Contrast adds to visuals what conflict adds to a script. Directors can contrast in film through tone, art direction, in blocking, camera movement, and in colour. In Spike Jonze's Apple Homepod ad, contrast can firstly be seen in lighting, tone, and saturation. It starts with a dark and desaturated world, short of colour. In terms of art direction, the clothes worn by the characters in scenes became progressively darker with each layer. Surrounding architecture is dark. Lighting is minimal. But as the woman begins to interact with the homepod, the whole atmosphere of the scene shifts. 

Lighting increases, the woman's face becomes more visible. Her surroundings became more vibrant with colour, she takes her dark jacket off to reveal a white shirt underneath. Spike Jonez contrasts these things to create a visually pleasing and eye catching ad, grasping the attention of viewers and showing how a constricted individual breaks free. 

  

POV Shots

Point of View Shots

A point of view shot is a shot which shows us exactly what a character sees. It puts us in their shoes and allows to see the world they live in through their eyes. A point of thought - commonly used in films created by Steven Spielberg - is a series of angles which are put together to convey emotion and visualise the thoughts and emotions of a character which the audience can empathise with. It's gives the viewers a visual expression of the character's mind.

Point of thought and point of view shots are important as they - if used appropriately - can consistently express a character's thoughts and emotions throughout a film, strengthening the impact which scenes have on the viewer. 

Over-the-shoulder Shots

Over-the-shoulder Shots

Over-the-shoulder shots are used in film to connect the characters in a given scene. By using an over-the-shoulder shot you create a subconscious connection between these characters in the mind of the viewer. A single shot, on the other hand, disconnects the characters in a scene. This also suggests the characters involved in the scene see eye-to-eye/are on the same page in regards to whatever it may be they are talking about or what is happening during a scene. A single shot causes an absence of another character, and therefore creates an emotional disconnection between the characters in the viewer's mind.

In this scene from West World, John Nolan places the camera on a dolly and uses a push in technique, slowly moving in on one of the characters and slowly obstructing all view of the other. A close up shot later on in the scene isolates the female character once and for all, shortly after both characters being reconnected by the waiter who re-enters the scene.

How does Tone work in Film?

Tone
Tone in films, is also referred to as brightness. The three main elements of tone include lighting, exposure, and art direction. Lighting referring to the areas in which are lighted in a scene, e.g frontal or back lighting, exposure referring to how much light is in the scene, and art direction referring to the colours and shades of set, props, and costumes in a scene, which add to the affect caused by exposure and lighting.

In the classic movie 'The Godfather', tone is used perfectly. In the very first scene of the movie, Don Vito Corleone, head of a Mafia family, is underexposed and barely a silhouette. As the scene continues on and the camera moves to a position where Vito's face is visible, brightness increases, but only by a small amount. The darkness and lack of exposure in this scene fits with the darkness of the scene. This scene is discussing how the God Father deals in violence in death, the room is dark and underexposed. However through the slits in the windows, light is blown out. Outside, the rest of his family is celebrating his daughter's wedding. Its a sunny day, the scene is bright. The contrast between these two scenes shows how the Corleone family are a traditional family out in the public (in the light), however behind the scenes, they are much darker.

Directors can control the emotion conveyed in a scene by using all these individual aspects which contribute to tone. Changing the exposure in a scene can change the atmosphere, making a scene darker in a metaphorical sense as well as a literal sense or vice versa. Using art direction helps to make a scene more believable and convincing, and lighting is used to change the intensity of a scene.

Mini-Writing: The Bystander Effect

Mini-writing

Topic: The Bystander Effect

When you’re in a public space, perhaps with your friends or family, and you see someone struggling with a task, what do you do? Do you help, or do you simply wait for someone else to do it for you? This is called ‘diffusion of responsibility - or more commonly, the ‘bystander effect’. It has been proven that when in large groups, individuals are less likely to help another person than they are when they’re alone. This written text will be informing you of the concept of the bystander effect, and the possibilities for why it occurs.

As previously stated, people in large groups are less likely to help out a stranger than they are in small groups. This is usually due to the fact that when surrounded by other people, we feel less personally responsible for the events which are going on around us. In thinking this, we are passing on the responsibility to someone else. This doesn’t necessarily define us as bad people, or unhelpful, or even irresponsible, it is simply a common process of thought. For example, if you are in a busy shopping mall and you see someone drop their groceries, you more often than not instinctively expect that someone else will help them out, and carry on with your day. However, if you are in the same circumstances but the mall is empty, you feel more personally obligated to give them a hand. Whether it be out of guilt, second-hand embarrassment, or genuinely just wanting to help. Hopefully it’s the latter.

Another possibility for why this occurs, is overthinking. Perhaps you’re self conscious, or afraid that you’ll somehow offend them, or look ridiculous in front of your peers/complete strangers. Maybe, you just want to wait it out and watch how others will react to the situation at hand. This is in our nature, studying other’s reactions to certain situations. In saying that, we should try our best to break this habit - the world would be a much simpler and better place if we all tried to help each other out when we can.