This wide angle shot finds the character lost and abandoned in a baron wasteland, connoting hopelessness and desperation. The shot is arguably disorientating as the character is flailing down a path with a vanishing point off center, surrounded by murky water, this represents the confusion of the character and how they are trapped going down an enclosed skewed road. The second shot uses light reflections to resemble prison bars, which identifies the character as a criminal and possibly foreshadows future events. The focus is on the character and nothing else, suggesting he is aware of the consequences his actions may bring. Neither of the two characters are center frame, showing that one is dependent of the other, which further encompasses them in the space. The tunnel represents the path to criminality and immorality. the tunnels vanishing point is off center like the path in the first shot, this creates uncertainty. The darkness and mise en scene surrounding the tunnel directs the character towards it and it becomes the only apparent route to take.
In Se7en,
directed by David Fincher, there is emphasis on the establishing of character.
The picture shows the protagonists items laid out on a desk in an organised
fashion, reflecting the character of
Somerset. The shot is a close up which allows the audience to understand the true importance of the character’s items to
further establish the character, it is important to do this as it is one of the
first things that the audience learns about Somerset’s character. His homicide
badge teaches the viewer of his occupation, a detective, this area of work is a
common convention used in thrillers. The pocket-knife and gun create connote
danger and foreshadow potential fatalities. The weapons also represent Somerset
as a man who is prepared for anything including the dangers of his line of
work. The audience could infer that he has experience from this as somebody new
to the profession may not have these items. His gun is in a case, which shows
he is cautious and doesn’t like to resort to violence often. There are two other props, a pen which
represents his intellectual side, and an ambiguous piece of wallpaper which
hints at a sensitive side of Somerset’s character.
In this second shot Somerset is emphasized by a
depth of filed isolating him from the other characters and broadcasting his
individuality. The focus also demonstrates his concentration on small details,
picking up on things which others wouldn’t give a second thought. His dialogue
in this scene is sarcastic, unveiling his cynical undertone.
Tone/mood
The camera is moving slowly in this shot, and uses shallow focus to show
a wobbly squeaky, this scenario is common, but cuts something broken into an
otherwise tranquil scene to further push forward connotations of a dark under
tone. The camera tracking the wheel and moving alongside the trolley brings the
audience with the characters to engage them in the story further.
Location
Essex boys establishes location incredibly effectively, its vanishing
point is ambiguous and leads to the film having a somewhat enigmatic,
mysterious feel about it. The tunnel, in context with the film, represents a
gateway to crime, with all the hope and prosperity trapped inside the tunnel,
all around the tunnel is darkness. The shot is wide and all lines point towards
the tunnel, therefore the car is forced to go through. The lights are not
symmetrical and some may even be broken, this reflects the choices the
characters are making and how it will affect them.
The first still accentuates the arrogance of the gang, as they step through the puddle as if they haven't even noticed it. Further more, they are all wearing dark grey or black clothes, this shows that they are a coordinated group. these two elements of the shot bring about a sense of danger. The next shot uses a bright orange colour pallet, which leads to the viewer anticipating violence, the three front characters are in a triangle which shows unity between them. The viewer may feel anxious as they are all clearly focused on a single point, which is out of shot. Rule of thirds also separates out the three characters showing they are all individually important to the story. The final shot is a disorienting wide shot which along with the fire in the corner, gives the idea of organised chaos. It also displays the togetherness of the group, by setting them out with rule of thirds, and having them look down upon the viewer.
To improve my film, Making sure the 180 degree rule was followed at all times to maintain continuity and to avoid disorientating the viewer to detract from the viewing experience. Following the 180 degree rule would ensure a higher mark as it is crucial to the task required.
This was a continuity task which involved filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room, and exchanging a few lines of dialogue with another character.
Planning
Firstly I looked for a location to film, to enable me to have an idea of the kind of shots I wanted to use, and where they would be most suitable. This also allowed me to develop my ideas for the film and how I wanted the location to fit in with the story. I then drew a floor plan and story board, so I knew where the cameras would be, and where the characters needed to position themselves. This helped with continuity as I could apply the 180 degree rule easily. The script was basic and which, let me focus on the camera work and continuity instead of creating a good narrative.
Techniques
In this film I used a wide range of camera shots and angles. Firstly, allowing the character headroom while walking around the corner, and when using over the shoulder in the hall, the camera was handheld to make it shaky, which fits with the story of a drug deal. During the conversation, I tried to keep to the 180 degree while using shot and reverse shot, it was over the shoulder which is the opposite of what the Coen brothers do, but I feel it displayed distance between the characters more effectively. In editing I used some fades to black, and lots of jump cuts between shots with some slow motion for tension. I also chose to use a extreme close up for the exchange of hands as it accentuates the importance of the events taking place, for the final scene, a wide angle is used as it expresses the individuality of the characters.
Main learning Points
Making this taught me a lot about camera work and how to film more professional, for example how the way you hold a camera can affect the stability of the shot. Following the shoes at the beginning allowed the character to be introduced at a slower speed, working up before the reveal of the face, which allows tension to build. This task also developed my team skills as it required lots of co ordination between us to create an end product we were happy with. There is a continuity error with the door not fully closing before the next shot, it was left in as the character would have been in the wrong place on the wrong foot in the next shot, this could be eliminated by filming it multiple times and using the best result. There is also an error in the final shot, a frame jumps, which is a rendering error or down to Youtube compression, this could be fixed by cutting the part before the frame skip.
