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Aesthetics of Video

While shooting a film, the director of the film and the director of photography sometimes meet with the storyboard artist to illustrate the flow of shots that will best depict the story of the film. The video camera and its various camera angles along with some other things are what help see this through. Breaking down the shot list and figuring out which shot whether it's a close up, medium shot, wide shot, or crane shot will help tell the story best. On top of that, perspective, location, lighting, etc. will add to the look and feel of the story. Most people don't really pay attention to things like this, I know I didn't up until learning about all of these tools and techniques throughout my TV Production class in high school, but once I did that's all I've really paid attention to. An example of how perspective aids the look and feel of a story can be found in a scene from Spiderman. I never noticed how this helped the viewer see the transition from Peter Parker to Spiderman until I watched it recently. After he's bit by the spider he starts feeling stronger and his eye sight improves. The director of this film made sure you knew Peter didn't need glasses anymore by using this particular POV camera angle. Without this shot, when viewers noticed that Peter wasn't wearing his glasses anymore they would've been confused, but with it there's no confusion at all. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qj7CXKwPfdc

Response to Aesthetic approach to video

Reading Douglass and Harden’s chapter really put film techniques to the forefront of my mind. While watching Brokeback Mountain with a friend of mine this week, I was constantly thinking about the article and what the different types of shots in the movie could convey. For instance, the director Ang Lee used many short focal length shots to exaggerate the huge and wild beauty of the mountain scenery in Brokeback Mountain as well as the smallness of the characters themselves. It made it seem as if they were swallowed by the world around them, which is highly symbolic given the circumstances. Because the two characters are hiding who they actually are for fear of becoming societal outcasts, their smallness and vulnerability in these shots subconsciously brought us to the emotional place that we needed to be for the movie to be fully effective.

One of these shots in particular was taken from above. As Douglass and Harden said of high-angle, short focal-length shots, it “makes them appear as if we are observing them from near the ceiling” (p 168). In this particular case, however, the two cowboys are actually being observed from above by their employer. This is especially significant because their boss realizes in this scene that they are in love with one another and that this is causing them to be slightly less effective at their jobs. The shot perfectly conveys the cold emotion of the situation, as well as emphasizing the feeling that they are being spied on even before we know that they actually are. It helps us to put their relationship back in the perspective of the society which they are part of – it reminds us that in their world, their relationship cannot be accepted.

Here is the scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuyH1j2jMRg

Watch from 1:28 to the end.

            I found the Douglass and Harden chapter to be hugely helpful in viewing movies and choosing which shots and techniques to use to convey certain things. I chose Brokeback Mountain because it is one of my favorite movies of all time, primarily because of the cinematography.

Aesthetics of video

I really like how much detail this article goes into in regards to angles. As an amateur automotive photographer, angles can be the difference between a good shot and an amazing shot. When filming and photographing cars, high and low angled shots can really bring about a new perspective of the car that the viewer may not have seen before. Likewise, CU, MS and EWS shots can also have a huge impact on what the viewer sees. Sometimes, you want a really close shot of a small detail of the car like the wheel for instance, but in other cases, you may want to get the whole car plus a good shot of the background, maybe with the sun setting behind the car. Things like this make a huge difference in how much the viewer can appreciate your framing. In automotive filming, the use of dollies and tripods are essential to making the final outcome that much better.




In this video, produced by a high-end wheel manufacturer, the film crew utilizes lots of variation between close up shots and medium shots. I like how, while they are a wheel manufacturer, most of the video doesn't revolve around their wheel, but rather the car and the fact that it is such a high end car ($230k) that has their wheels on it.

I really like the close up shots of the lights turning on, the tachometer revving up, and the close up detail shots of the engine, the interior, and the shots that utilize a helicopter.

My favorite shot has to be the medium shot where the car is driving along side of the cruise ship and you can make out the name of the ship.


I think, for this company, the close up and extreme close up shots really help portray that the company pays very close attention to all of the little details when it comes to their wheels. Thus, this video becomes an excellent marketing tool.

Aesthetics of Video response

Most people typically do not focus on how the camera is working when watching a film; we are more focused on the effects that the camera placements and movement have upon us, without necessarily being aware of them. This article explained the many effects different camera techniques can create for viewers. Good camera technique is essential in getting the audience to not just see the film, but to experience it.

I really enjoy films that experiment with camera use. Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream makes great use of framing, focal, and movement techniques to place the audience in the characters’ chaotic, illusionary world. The movie is about drug use and lives spiraling out of control, and the camera conveys that sense of disorder through shaky pans, fast forward and slow motion scenes, fast-paced montage of extreme close-up shots, special lenses, and other effects.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhsEKllL9iE

This scene from Requiem for a Dream uses a fish-eye lens to distort the frame, putting us inside the head of the hallucinating, mentally unstable Sarah and allowing us to experience her visit to the doctor’s office from her perspective. The use of deep focus also makes her doctor seem so far away from her, and his motion is sped up while hers remains slow. The distance and differences in speed between Sarah and the rest of her environment visually emphasize how she is “in her own world” and separated from reality.  

Response to Aesthetics of Video

This article talks a lot about camera techniques and how directors frame their scenes. The framing and composition is often overlooked when people think about video. Every shot and how it is composed bears significance. Every shot means something and every shot should be well thought out. Camera movements like slow zoom ins can make us feel very anxious and intensify our emotions during a particular scene. The main objective is to put the viewers in the shoes of the characters. This article talks about all kinds of video techniques that directors/cinematographers use to put us in the film and make us actively participate in the movie experience.

Shot at 4:13 is my favorite of the scene.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE9Qm8mShik
I chose the scene from Pulp Fiction where Samuel Jackson intimidates someone who crossed his boss, Mr. Wallace. The low angle shots and tight close ups of Samuel Jackson make us fear him just as if we were there. Whenever the shot transitions to the victim, he is looking up nervously at Samuel Jackson. Vincent, Samuel Jackson's partner is seen in the background to make us feel surrounded just like the victim. There are lots of other techniques used to give Samuel Jackson dominance in this scene, but I wont go on and on.

Response to Aesthetics of Video

From the reading, what I learn is the different ways of framing can create various meanings about human actions, bodies and expression. It is clear and straightforward. It illustrates the relationship between human and environment that captures in the frame. With the framing, good management and preparation will allow smooth cut and transition between each clip. In comparison, angles is to use to illustrate the images. It allows the viewer to understand the dominant subject in the film, which relates to the sizes of the subjects that are presented. Lens is also another element that needs to take into consideration. Lens matters more when it is shooting people's faces then landscapes.

The camera movement more critical for a short video shooting. Video shooting does not have the same equipment that film can have. The shaking and instability of the camera will affect the visions. Normally, when we watch videos, the shaking will cause the viewers to feel the dizziness, which will damage the enjoyment. Tripod and dolly are suggestions to decrease the dizziness. But it will also eliminate the objects and environment that presents in the film. So how to manage and express clearly is  challenging. I do not have the experience of experimenting with all the techniques that are introduced, but as I start looking into some of the clips. They are all included inside.

The idea is to use the cardboard to create a different point of view, but at the same time contains all the techniques that are described in the essay. It asks us to see the world in a different point of view, which the background music also complies with the entire theme. I learn a lot from it.