READINGS AND WRITINGS:
While capturing a scene, it’s important to show it in an interesting or even unique way. By doing this it allows the audience to become more involved with the characters and what’s going on in the scene. Having a sequence of different shots allows for all that to happen. In fact, in The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video, it talks about all the different shots that someone can do including a wide shot, medium shots, close-ups, and even a cutaway. Cutaways in fact are often needed by editors but forgotten by camerapersons, and they are needed to make an otherwise boring sequence interesting. From there as different shots are being taken the actors or whoever is in the shot needs to do the actions they did the first time over and over in the same way to in order for different cuts to match up like a cut on the action. This is where you can get smoother transitions so the action beings in one shot and ends in the next one.
“Remember, any still photographer can shoot a bunch of pretty shots, but only a real cameraperson can shoot a sequence.”
Tom Schroeppel
As a seen is being and edited it’s important not to cross the line. In other words, if two people are having a conversation, it’s important to start on one side and stay there while doing different camera shots. Otherwise if the camera is suddenly on the other side in the middle of the conversation without any wide or establishing shots to show a change happening, the audience will be confuse as to why the characters suddenly switched spots in the middle of of it all.
RESEARCH TO INFORM:
Avengers Argument:
While this scene becomes very complicated as there are 6 characters in one area. However, along with the close ups, medium shots, and over the shoulder shots, there are also wide shots here are there to remind the audience where they are and to further the scene. Also, with some of the shots, instead of cutting to someone new each time and having it be choppy with a lot of cuts, the camera pans from one person to another causing the scene to become more intense since it’s all about them arguing about a weapon. It also allows the audience to relate to it since this shots makes it seem like we are there in the room with them and the shot shows how we would look around the room when someone new is talking in the argument making it more intense and believable. Whenever the camera shows a conversation happening within the whole argument the camera is on one side of the characters and stays there as it goes back and fourth without crossing the line in order to have good continuity.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban:
Start at 1:00 and End at 2:20
Sirius Black, Harry, and Hermione are having a conversation after breaking Sirius out of Azkaban. There are wide shots to establish where they are as well as over the shoulder shots, close ups, and medium shots that come together to create continuity. However, as Sirius and Harry are talking the camera is either angled up to Harry who is sitting on a bench or down to Sirius who is kneeling in front of Harry depending on who is talking. Then when Sirius gets back onto Buckbeak to fly off to somewhere safe to lay low for a while he talks to Hermione. Here the camera is angled up to him as he’s talking in order to show his point of view from where Hermione is. Then the camera is angled down to show Hermione’s reaction to what he said and to show Sirius’ point of view. In each conversation the camera never crosses the line and when Sirius Black goes to put his hand on Harry’s heart you see a little movement as the camera is on Sirius and then matches on action with the next shot that shows the hand on the heart.
Supernatural: A Conversation about God:
Start at 0:05 and End at 1:44
In this scene, Sam and Dean are on one side of the room talking to Castiel about how they just saw a version of themselves from a different world. Then all of a sudden the character Billie (or Death) shows up to reveal why that happened and more insight into the plan to defeat God and Jack (the one eating a sandwich) shows up as well since he is part of the plan. I couldn’t find a clip of the entire conversation with Sam, Dean, and Castiel before Billie shows up, but it does have good continuity. The scene didn’t start with a wide shot since the establishing shots have already been done and the audience knows where the characters are and the camera shots included medium shots, over the shoulder shots, and close ups. It was interesting in that instead of starting the shots showing the person who is talking they showed a shot of Castiel first while Sam was talking off camera in order to get Castiel’s reaction. Then as Billie appears we first hear her off camera and then a wide shot happens to establish where everyone is in the room so that the camera can cross the 180 degrees line. The camera never crosses the line when it’s a conversation with Billie and Jack. From there there are a lot of medium and close up shots and over the shoulder shots. There are even shots where it’s not the usual over the shoulder shot but the camera is on Billie as she is talking with Jack in the shot as well and the camera is down lower than Dean’s shoulder and not really on an angle at all. This was interesting since I don’t really see a shot like that unless it’s further away or angled up at the same position.
Gilmore Girls: Continuity Error:
Start at 0:30 and End at 1:35
As I have learned more about continuity, I couldn’t help but be on the look out of continuity errors as I watch and re-watch TV shows and movies. Especially during this time, I have been rewatching some of my favorite shows. Recently, I have been re-watching the show Gilmore Girls, and I found a continuity error that I didn’t notice before since I didn’t recognize a lot before I learned more about film and how it’s created and now it’s all I notice. In this scene, Lorelai, Rory, and Max have breakfast at their usual place, Luke’s Diner. However, while the camera shots are good the error comes into play when they are given coffee mugs. The mugs change from red to blue and then back to red throughout the scene.
CREATE:
After learning about continuity and different shots that can create a captivating sequence, I created a video about how to make chocolate chip cookies. Watch and cook along! Enjoy!
Michaela Ganezer 