Camera: (what's used for what...)
CU range - emotion; involvement of audience in action; draw eye to something significant; shock value
Mid range - linking shots; dialogue; action
Long range - establishing scenes & settings; changing scenes & settings; showing large-scale action; distancing audience from action
OTS - making audience see something from a certain character's point of view (POV); creating empathy by placing us on their 'side'
[obviously different shot types and camera work are used by directors for variety as well as continuity..!]
Camera Movement:
Movements by the camera produce the effect of physical movement for the audience:
Tracking - literally moves the audience
Zooming - forces the eye to focus on something in particular
Panning, crabbing, and arcing - provide an overview as though the eye is sweeping up/around the subject in a panoramic manner
Tilting - creating perspective or moving POV
Editing:
a necessary process with 4 main functions:
- enabling the production to be the required length
- allowing the selection of desired material, and removal of unwanted material or mistakes
- altering the way events have been portrayed, or altering the order in which they were shot (making it make sense)
- establishing a particular style or character of the production
Transitions:
Cuts - as well as just being used for ordinary changes between shots, cuts affect pace and rhythm, and so can be used to produce variation in them
Fades - often used to indicate a change in time, to quietly introduce a scene, or to peacefully end one
Dissolves - often used to slow down the pace and time, or connect the action going on in different time frames, such as in dream sequences, flashbacks and flashforwards, etc.
Wipes - as a technique which openly draws attention to itself, a wipe can be used as a clear indicator of change
[nowadays, digital edit suites allow us to to edit in any order, no matter how the footage was shot, and to re-edit however many times needed, without any loss in quality - this type of editing where it is not done in order is called non-linear editing]
Continuity Editing
- follows unwritten rules which mean a seamless narrative can be created
- suture - the process by which the audience is metaphorically 'sewn' into the narrative; because they are so drawn into the story and the characters, the editing process is 'invisible' to them, creating the suspension of disbelief in what they're seeing - they're allowed to forget that what they're watching isn't real, thereby increasing the possibility of viewing pleasure
The Techniques:
The 180° rule (see diagram below) - refers to an imaginary line cutting through the middle of
the scene. The two characters (or other elements) should maintain the same left/right relationship to each other. Crossing this line causes confusion and disorientation for the audience because it changes the perspective of the scene, so is avoided. The 30° rule - states that the camera must move at least 30° between different shots of the same subject so as to avoid a jump cut (though excessive movement around the subject might violate the 180° rule). [However it should be noted that jump cuts are very common in horror films as a device to heighten fear in the audience, giving the sense of something paranormal.]
Shot order - particular shot ranges tend to be edited together in a certain order (e.g. Long to Mid to Close) avoiding sudden jumps in distance, so the audience can be taken smoothly through the narrative, and moved across physical space steadily.
Cuts/Dissolves - to create and change rhythm and pace, or for indicating change in time or space (dissolves)
Eyeline matching - must occur between characters and out of frame
Matched cut - the action of a shot matches with that of the preceeding shot
Match on action - the last action of one shot matches with the first action in the next shot
Shot-reverse-shot - in a conversation, cutting from a shot of one character to another (generally as they speak but also with reaction shots), and continuing back and forwards
Cross-cut - a cut from a shot of one line of action to a shot of a different line of action - audiences have gotten used to seeing them as happening simultaneously, for example in chase scenes - it adds tension and excitement to dramatic action
Parallel - the same as cross-cutting, but actions could be independent of each other; there could be a significant difference in time and space - editing in a parallel manner shows action as happening simultaneously
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