I found this article very informative and easy to follow. Not only did it present all the basics of filming in one chapter, but it also included examples from famous films to convey different attitudes. For example when describing the impact of using a low angle, the author used the example of Batman to convey the victorious and dominant characteristics of using that angle. Even if someone hasn't seen this particular film, they still get the image of Batman towering over Gotham City as the hero, to clearly point out the feeling that goes along with this use of a low angle. Using examples this way helps all these concepts stick in the reader's mind, which is very helpful since there are so many definitions in this chapter.
I also liked the fact that the author pointed out that with picking out shots and angles, the main thing to keep in mind is reality. If you want to maintain the reality of the characters' world, then you would want to keep a certain depth of field or match cuts, so that everything seems more believable. As shown from reading the article, the camera can manipulate any shot to convey the desired emotion. The same shot can give off a menacing serial killer vibe or a glowing love interest depending on the lighting and framing.
A little while ago, I came across this video, from Sparkles and Wine's music video teaser, that shows how light can drastically affect a character and convey different emotions in the same shot. Although this article focused more on manipulations of the camera and not lighting, I think this video still ties together the use of close up shots versus extreme close ups and can introduce how lighting can further manipulate the video.
https://vimeo.com/63602119
-Marisa Guerin
Monday, September 23, 2013
response to Aesthetics of Video
I liked how this reading focused on the
importance of cinematography in terms where the camera is and what it is doing.
Like the reading said, most people, when they are asked to talk about a film,
only really think about the plot, characters, effects, etc, what they don’t
even realize is that the way the camera is working makes a huge impact on how
we feel during the movie and how we think about it as a whole.
An example of this is in a movie I
watched recently, the well known Citizen
Kane. In the film, the main character, Kane, is often filmed from a low
angle, making him look very big. This creates the effect of making Kane look
very imposing, powerful and in control. This is also contrasted with certain
parts of the movie where Kane is in a wide-angle shot and looks very small, and
corresponds to when Kane is not in control. These impressions of Kane are
obviously reinforced with the plot of the movie, but the camera angles still
play a very important role in how we feel about the character.
Making the audience feel something through
camera angles could also be arguably harder than making them feel something
through things plot or acting because, as were discussing, camera angles go
much less noticed than those other things. It reminds me of something that
Steven Spielberg, considered a master of cinematography, said when he was on Inside the Actor’s Studio, paraphrasing,
he said that if you really want to see how movies are filmed well, you should
watch them with the sound off. I think this demonstrates how in video, it is
not always about what’s being said, it’s how you are capturing it.
Jeremy
Reich
http://www.ubu.com/film/kucera_burleska.html
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Response to Aesthetics of Video and Video Production
I enjoyed this article because I enjoyed the editing and
distortion part of film, more than the actual recording. I am fascinated by the
ability to take a situation, and give it a whole new meaning by standing on one
side of the scene versus the other end. I think to often the average person
forget how important the person behind the screen is to the outcome of an
artwork. Anyone can pose the right way, smile or not, but if the camera zooms
in or zooms out, or is at the wrong angle that great smile won’t be perceived
by the camera. I think is especially cool to play around with because it is
surprising how much size affects how something is perceived. There are details
that are usually just assumed, but when you find it was special effect and that
what you saw is not really what it is, it is mind blowing. In regards to short
focal length lens exaggerations, the passage reads, “this can be deliberate,
but it can also happen automatically” (Aesthetics 168).
By not moving the camera downwards or upwards, or having at eye level
with the figure in the view, or zooming out of the figure and putting it in the
corner- a whole new idea is created. It truly is incredible what the lens and
the eye fail and/or succeed to perceive.
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