Safe place is our sickly ironic title of our video project.
Our plot is based upon two curious teenagers and their quest to find the dark
and mysterious figure known to haunt their school corridors and which is trying
to send sinister messages over to the living. We lure the audience to follow
the two characters in their attempt to find and expose the mysterious cloaked
figure, and to expose the gloomy secrets of Robert Clack School.
Our objective was to construct our video in order to demonstrate
our developed understanding of the range of different camera techniques
you can use when creating film. We were successful in the way that we were
capable of utilising many of the techniques that we had
previously admitted in our plan and were able to convey these with a
suitable degree of accuracy and precision.
Unfortunately we were not able to include all of the
different types of camera techniques in our short film based on various
different things such as storyline, timing and whether it was necessary. Also,
some shots were not pragmatic such as the crane shot and the rolling shot as we
did not have the necessary equipment to perform them such as a crane or a
dolly. An example of what a crane shot may look like if we were capable of conducting
one could be;
It is evident that if we had the ability to execute a crane
shot in our sequence, then it could be very useful in demonstrating how the
characters may be exploited if the area that they are in is very vast and wide
open. However, we did not see how we could input this into our film and
therefore did not use this camera technique.
Long Shot
We chose to use the long shot camera technique for the
opening section of our film based on the fact that it gives a good perspective
of the setting where the film takes place and we allow the audience to be
captured by the idea of two characters approaching them through a long shot.
This choice of camera technique was successful in the way that it allows the
section to flow smoothly without unnecessary editing which can make the picture
appear distorted and not very structured, and the long shot is a very strong
and thorough camera technique.
Pan
We believe that the pan shot should continue on from our
long shot of the corridor based on the fact that it is a useful technique to
allow the audience to follow the action and gain a feel of what direction the
film is moving in. It gives a perspective of the stairs that lead on from the
corridor and it is clear where the people in the scene are heading towards. No
location confusion is associated with the scene.
Low angle shot
The low angle shot which views the staircase is a useful
shot as it allows the audience to clearly identify that the two characters are
coming down the stairs that they previously started going down in the section
before. It allows the film to flow and is clever because the audience can
register that the same people are coming down the stairs and that there is not
a continuity error occurring. However,
this shot could have been executed better if perhaps we could have placed the
camera in a lower angled position to fully embrace the full extent of the
camera technique.
High angle shot
We used the high angle shot to finish the sequence on the
stairs because we made it our goal to keep the audience extremely involved in
the direction of the short film and helped them follow the characters. This
admittedly was not a major shot in our sequence although it does keep the flow
of things. High angle shots are useful in situations such as this because they
give good perspective of setting and location.
Over the Shoulder
We decided to utilise the over the shoulder shot when we
were conducting the conversation scene. This is a highly effective technique to
use as it allows the audience to fully engage in the conversation one of the
characters in the film.
This exploits features such as facial expressions, gestures
and movement of the characters involved so that the audience can thoroughly indulge
in the conversation. It shows clearly that one person is speaking to another
person in a direct approach which prevents confusion for the audience when
watching. I believe we executed the scene generally quite well however there
was a slight fault in our editing where two different mini clips were converted
into one with a slight jump in the editing.
This was an important scene in the film because it holds the
basis of our storyline and drives the direction of our short film.
We were inspired by the use of the shot from other different
films and we would attempt to replicate these scenes to the best of our
ability.
Medium shot
We used the medium shot to show us walking out of the doors
into the playground as we wanted to show perspective of the location appearing
on the screen for the first time but did not want to take the focus too much
off of the two in the scene so that the audience does not get lost to what is
going on. We conducted this scene to a good standard as we gradually showed the
two of us coming closer to the camera to establish a medium shot. In this shot,
I make a gesture with my head in a certain direction so that the audience can
tell that we were referring to something off screen.
There was an editing point in this short section which was a
mistake because we had already walked past the location of the camera and then
the next cut shows us behind that point again walking. This shows that we
should have edited our film in a more refined way and that the usage of baggage
editing may have helped in this situation.
We were also inclined to use the medium shot to show us
taking the picture of the window so that both of us could be seen in the shot,
and to show that it is clear what we were doing and this can be portrayed to
the audience. We performed this shot to a good standard based on the fact that
it provides good perspective of the setting and the meaning behind the clip is
evident to the audience.
Extreme close up
We decided to use the extreme close up shot to show what we
captured on the camera. The effect of this shot is that the dark figure can be
seen by the audience on the camera and it gives them the idea that the two
characters are looking at the camera to observe what they have found. This also
has a sinister effect which relates to the genre of our film. We could have
executed this shot with more precision and class where the camera could have
been more central so that it looks professional. On the other hand, the sense
of a shot that is unstructured and not too perfect has a realistic feel to it
where it is more believable.
Whip Pan
We decided to use the whip pan shot following on from the
extreme close up of the camera because it shows the two characters looking up
towards the window and then the camera is whipped around quickly to see the
figure in the window. The efficiency and smoothness of this shot allows tension
to build and suspense to be created because everything is high tempo and fast,
the audience feels like they are involved in the scene and the camera technique
allows them to be on edge and alarmed.
This shot was inspired by famous directors such as Alfred
Hitchcock where in his films he would use a close up on the character and then
a point of view shot on what the person is looking at. Another close up shot of
the character is shown to portray how the point of view shot has affected them.
This then allows the audience to feel like they are the character and they are
seeing what they are seeing in the film which makes them feel vulnerable and
unsettled. An example of this is:
.
The first image shows a close up of the woman and the
concern on the face allows the audience to infer that she is looking at
something that is troubling her. The next image shows what she is looking at
which explains the concerned expression on her face. The next shot is another
close up which shows her reaction to the horrific scene she has just witnessed.
POV
We used the POV shot for our final shot of the film. This
sequence was very tense and fast pacing relating strongly with the genre of the
film which is a thriller/horror. We utilised diagetic sound effectively in this
scene as when I was running with the camera, I breathed heavily and quickly to
add to the suspense and commotion on screen because the picture was quite
distorted which gives off the idea that we do not have control over the
situation. This is then cast on to the audience when watching and makes them
feel like they do not have control over themselves and makes them feel
unsettled and on edge.
I believe we executed the shot to a reasonable standard.
However, there were some moments in the sequence where our editing was not to a
high standard as both of the characters are holding the camera at different times
and when I am holding the camera, Corey is running in front of me, but when the
scene is cut, I am running in front of Corey which is a continuity error. This
makes the scene seem less professional.
The last angle of the film is a low angle of Corey holding
the camera up at the dark mysterious figure on the floor which is an effective
camera angle for the end of the film because it suggests that the figure has
power over us as we are on the floor and the figure is standing above us which
means the being has a higher status over us. This is evident to the audience
and then they can begin to feel fearful for us and our wellbeing.
By leaving the film on a cliff hanger it is effective
because it is left to the audience to decide what happens next to the
characters and this leaves them tense and creates and atmosphere of suspense.
Sound
Throughout our film we had a low background non diagetic
tune which sustained a feeling of unease and maintained a good level of
suspense. We could have further utilised sound by using sound effects for
specific parts of the film such as when the camera is whipped around using the
whip pan technique and the dark figure is seen in the window. I loud bang sound
may have aided the suspense of this event and made it more impacting on the
audience.
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