camera movements, camera angles, shots

In order for us to shoot a short film of 5 to 6 minutes we need to learn the essential rules of video-graphy.

The essential rules of video-graphy are as follows:

• objective/theme:the basic theme and idea of the scene being shot. 
• set up a scene:  establishing the characters setting.
• establish your character(need camera angle for this):the camera focuses on the main character.
• elaborating the activity:focusing on the activity of the character, what they are doing.

 Camera Movements 

Are a very important part of any film. The movements of the camera makes all the difference in instilling emotion in the viewer. The movements enables the viewer to feel like a part of the characters life.

The movements of a camera a divided under two categories

    Stationary movements                                                    

Stationary movements is where the camera is fixed on a tripod(it is stationary and still), the  camera position is stable and the movements involve panning, tilt, zoom, boom, follow, pedestal etc.. 

    Traveling movements

In traveling movements the camera is physically moving. the camera movements are on the horizontal pathway.Either in the form of dolly, crane, crab, tracking, arc shot etc.. 

Camera shots

The exact terminology varies between production environments but the basic principles are the same.

• Extreme wide shot:also known as establishing shot. the view is so far from the subject that he isn't even visible.
• Very wide shot:the subject is visible but barely. The emphasis is still on placing him in his environment.
• Wide shot/long shot/full shot:The subject takes up the full frame, or at least as much as comfortably possible.its a head to toe shot where the subject is given enough space to allow other subjects as well or movements on their part as well.
• Mid Shot:Shows some part of the subject in more detail while still giving an impression of the whole subject.
• Medium full shot:Space is left above the head(head room) but the first cut appears right above the knees
• Cowboy/Medium shot:Space below waist as such that if the subjects let their arms hang loosely the wrist or the hands will not be cut. Head room is given.
• Medium close shot:Great shot for less environment.Cut above the waist. Leaves small head room but will allow for props and other subjects but limited environment.
•  Close shot:face primarily on the emotional state. Head is cut slightly and the frame cuts horizontally right in the middle of the chest.
• Wide close up: subjects head is cut but the bottom frame cuts just below the shoulders of the subject. Inner world of the character is emphasized and leading room is given although the character is not placed exactly on the center of the frame, he/she is slightly off-center following the rule of thirds.
• Full close up: following the rules of third. The top part of the head can be cut slightly but not the chin(below the chin can be cut).
• Medium close up:face can be cut just above the eyebrows of the subject and the chin can be cut but only slightly.
• Extreme close up:from eyebrows to clips. Great details of the characters face.
• macro close up:featuring particular part of the body.
• Cut-In:Shows :some (other) part of the subject in detail
• Two-Shot:A shot of two people, framed similarly to a mid shot
•  Over-the-Shoulder Shot: Looking from behind a person at the subject
•  Noddy Shot:Usually refers to a shot of the interviewer listening and reacting to the subjet
•  Point of view shot:from the perspective of the viewer. Either the viewer, or the subject or the camera.

essential shots of any video

•  jump cut:A sudden cut away.
• shot reverse shot:when the shot cuts from one person to another person, back and forth. For example when a conversation is taking place between two people.
• action shot:a shot that views an action from different angles but each time the shot changes the action shown in one shot is again show in a different shot in a different angle.

Camera angles

• Birds eye view:is where there is an aerial view of the setting
• High angle:is where the camera is right-on the top of the subject so that a proportion of the subjects body is exaggerated that is their head a-is seen to be very large and the feet and legs very small and long.
• Adult angle: is when the camera is on the eye level
• Low view:is the opposite of the high view with the feet of the object exaggerated and the head is very small.
• Worms eye:view is a child's view or a kids view. almost the same as a low view but it is taken from some distance so the camera is not exactly under the main object.

  Composition

Rules of third

Head room

Horizontal and vertical lines

Check your background

continuity shots 

 Establishing shot are long or extreme long shot that has important figures and codes. It shows the spatial relationship between the important figures and objects and its setting in the scene.

Shot reverse shot are 2 shots edited together alternating characters. Characters in one frame usually looks left and in the other frame, right following the 180 degree rule. Over the shoulder framing are common in these shot reverse shot.

180 degree rule is a very important rule for vidoegraphy.It is usually followed in any video and is very rarely broken. The line of axis plays a very important part in the 180 degree rule. This line stretches from one subject to the  other subject creating an invisible but straight line among the two subjects. On the basic of this line does the camera move in an angle of 180 degree.If the camera is placed on the right side of one subject, it would rotate at 180 degree angle. After rotating it will be placed at the left side of the other subject while maintaing the line of axis.The rotation is not always show,but the180 degree rule can be applied in different shots like shot reverse shot or action shot or eye line shot.

Eye line match is that the camera matches your eye direction. It follows your eyes to where you are looking.Like one shot would be a persons face with his eyes look up at something. The next shot would be of what he is looking at, which might be a lizard on the wall.Camera angles play a part here,(high and low camera angles.)
Match on action is are shots that shows an action being carried out like throwing a ball. one shot might be from the back of the person when he pulls his arm back and and brings it forward with speed and release the ball .The next shot would be from his front where we see him releasing the ball, his arm stretched out in front of him, the ball no longer in his hand. it would be the same action continued in two shots.
 

There is also a 30 degree rule that acts as a jump cut, from one shot to an other. often of the same scene showing the subject in one shot, then showing the subject in a 30 degree angle in a other shot just to make it less monotonous.
 

Axial cut is a shot where the camera slowly moves at a 30 degree angle and simultaneously zooms in on the character as well.Also a type of jump shot that moves closer or further away from the subject.
 

Cross-cutting are two scenes from different or same locations going simultaneously together. The directors show it by dividing the frame in half where on one side the activity of one person is show. Simultaneously on the other side of the frame the activity of the other person is being shown.Or it can be simply be shown in various shots,one repeated after the other. Helps to add suspense, thriller and drama to the scene.
 

Cut away is a shot that breaks the continuity of the film by adding another scene relating to it like a scene shows a classroom, a cut away shot is of a boy sleeping at the back. The cut back shot would again be of the whole classroom.
 

Establish and Re-establishing shot is the same of first showing a wide angle shot of the environment then another shot with various close ups of the subjects in the frame, then a re-establishing shot of the environment again.
 

Treatment and buffer shot/cheat shot is a shot that is added after the rough cut of the  film has been made, the director realizes that another shot was needed to show the linking so a new shot, that has been cleverly edited is added to the rough cut of the film.
 

L cut/ Spilt shot is when the shot is cut before the person says something. the shot is changed to show the other subject when the voice of the first character is heard.
 

Fast cutting are several consecutive shots of a brief duration.
 

Slow cutting are shots that are of a longer duration.
 

Match shot also called Graphic shot are 2 different objects, two different spaces , or two different composition in which an object in the two shots graphically match. it helps to establish a strong continuity of action and linking the two shots metaphorically.
 

Transitions comes in the form of dissolve, wipe or iris.