Unit 16: Editing Blog - Callum Taylor.

Callum Taylor (01151002)                                          Editing Blog.

 Task One. 

For task one, we were asked to create a story board. Once that was done we were asked to take pictures to put in the story board to illustrate the story that we were telling. The point of the exercise was to show our understanding of the basic ideas of editing and the different kinds of shots that go into making a media product.  

This is the story board that I produced. Using a few different kind of shots to show my understanding of the kinds of shots that can be used to tell a story. This story boards and story boarding is a very, very important part of the production of a moving image product as it allows everybody involved in the production what the shot should look like once it has been filmed. It also allows the director to visualize the product before they go into production and they can have a copy of the story boards on set so they can check how they had planned a certain shot.

In Film and Television there are a number of different shots which can be used. The basics are:

Extreme Long Shot (ELS):

http://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/doingfilmhistory/files/2014/10/extreme-long-shot-300x200.jpg

Extreme long shots can be used for a myriad of different reasons, some of the most common reasons are to show how empty, or filled a space is or as an establishing shot. How ever these are not the only reasons. An extreme long shot is taken at a distance of the subject. I.E the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz (1939)

Long Shot (LS):

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DBqFOA1sE9g/TovXRGjE0-I/AAAAAAAAAH0/fxgdzCLPswg/s1600/long_shotbest.jpg

 

A long shot is used to show the full body of a person. It is a common shot in film and television as it can be used in many different ways. Using long shots allows people to see more of a person which may be important for certain projects. This is a long Shot of The Joker in The Dark Knight (2008) 

Medium Long Shot (MLS): 

http://filmenglish.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/medium-long-shot-eastwood.jpg

 The Medium long shoot is another common shot used in the entertainment industry, especially in westerns. This shot allows the audience to see the character and his gun in one shot. Leading it to be used in many shoot out scenes, like this shot  from The Good, The Bad & The Ugly (1966) which shows The Man With No Name.

Medium Shot (MS): 

http://mediacommons.psu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/3196/2013/07/katniss.png

 This shot from The Hunger Games (2012) which shows the films protagonist Katniss is one of many examples of medium shots being used in film and television. It is used to show a character from the waist up. This is why it is also known as a mid shot.

Medium Close Up (MCU):

http://videos.videopress.com/bkdXYiEd/safariscreensnapz001-medium-close-up_std.original.jpg

 This shot of Red from The Shawshank Redemption (1994) medium close-up. A medium close up is when you can see the character from the chest up. It is the halfway point between a medium shot and a close up.

Close Up (CU): 

https://hannahlovescomedy.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/extreme-close-up.jpg

 Close ups are another common kind of shot in films and television. They are used to to show emotions and nuances that might not be visible in another kind of shot, like this one from Se7en (1995) which shows David Mills' reactions in the films tense climax. These shots are in all kinds of films and can be used for a number of different reasons.

Extreme Close Up (ECU): 

http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/business/Clockwork_Orange_Shot.PNG

 An Extreme Close Up is another kind of shot which is used to show the very subtle emotions that are portrayed on screen. This shot for example shows the terror in the eye of Alex from A Clockwork Orange (1971) as he is put through behavioral therapy. This shot is one of the most famous uses of an extreme close up in cinema and shows just one of the many uses of an extreme close up.

 Point of View Shot (POV): 

http://www.theasc.com/asc_blog/thefilmbook/files/2011/08/thefilmbook-RW-Lisa-first-shot-d.jpg

 A point of view shot is a shot that is from the point of view of a character, this kind of shot is sued when it is important that the audience sees what the characters is seeing at any particular time. This may be another character's reaction, it could be an object or a reaction but the this shot is an easy way of making sure the audience is seeing what the director wants them to see. This shot from Rear Window (1954) is from L.B Jefferies' POV a he sees his girlfriend Lisa Fremont as he wakes up. This is another famous example of the Point of view shot.

Over The Shoulder (OTS): 

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8HBgn8INCXIJznnINRcMOAzBbHCfD63hjVWfz7MIzFv1sEfxdK3WDZ30tcS3UrG7oUexMhLsW6LoRuzfzh09DqhcMHzPd_fhoUUmPBUcv0LNMnOuyQTdUBZ4ner6i3PGeM7b_Dyofa1N/s1600/SinCity_005.BMP

An Over the shoulder shot is usually used when two characters are having a conversation, it can be used to show the character who is talking or the character who is listening depending on what the scene needs. There are other uses but this is the main way over the shoulder shots are used, most the time the director will cut between them as the conversation moves on. This shot from Sin City (2005) shows a conversation between The Man and The Customer as they stand on the roof of a building and is just one of many, many different examples of this shot in film.

As is the case with all shots in film, they can be high or low angles and there are many different ways that any kind of mixture of these shots can be used in order to tell a specific story.

180 Degree Rule.

In order to complete this task another thing that we had to learn was the 180 degree rule. This rule is used in media production and says that when filming a scene all camera movement must be kept in the same 180 degree semi circle around what is being shot. If the camera goes on the other side of the semi circle then objects will be on the other side of the frame as they were. If it is essential that the camera move to the other side of the circle then there must be a reason that is shown on screen as to why. This is most important when shooting a conversation scene as it might cause confusion and draw attention away from the conversation if the actors suddenly switch side mid way through.

http://mattjblake.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/180-degree-rule1.jpg

 This picture shows what the 180 degree rule is and why it is important. As is seen in the shots from camera's 1,2 and 3 the man in the shot is one the right hand side of the frame and the woman is on the left but in the shot from camera X the woman is on the right and the man is on the left. If the director cut from camera 2 to camera 3 then to camera 1 and back to camera 2 there would not be any problems with the finished scene but if the director was to cut from camera 1 to camera x the man and woman would be on opposite side of the frame giving the illusion that they had swapped places. This would be very confusing for people watching the scene.