I was pleased that the author made references to theatre in
explaining the fourth wall. I personally have never gotten the experience on a
round stage, but I have on a three-quarter stage and it is quite a different
experience from performing straight out in front of oneself. The importance of
angles and camera placement often goes unnoticed as the viewer takes in the
story through the way it is presented, rather than paying attention to the
technical presentation. Videos allow us to take in the world through many more
perspectives – as if we are a fly on the wall and can see more than just what
is in front of us. Funny enough, when we participate in watching videos, we are
only focused on what is in front of us even if what is in front of us provides
us with multiple perspectives.
In high school, I was assigned to analyze a movie scene by
scene and, while it took an incredibly long time, I gained a greater
appreciation for camera techniques. If every movie and television show were
shot from the same angle, there would be little to no depth. One television
show that plays around with camera technique and angles is That 70’s Show. In
That 70’s Show, there is a recurring joke called “the circle” where the
characters sit around in a circle and get high – much like the actual practices
of teenagers in the 1970s. What makes this recurring joke so effective is the
camera technique: in what is called a ‘360’, the actors sit in a circle and the
camera is mounted on a swiveling dolly and panned in to each actor’s face. The
effect is that the viewer feels that they are participating in the circle and
can fully immerse themselves into what they are watching.
(start at 3:00)
I believe that the goal of television and cinema is not just
to entertain, but to let the viewer escape their daily life and jump into a
fantasy world. As McLuhan would say, the medium is the message and in videos,
using different camera techniques only makes the message stronger.
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