Unit 21: single-camera techniques

SINGLE CAMERA TECHNIQUES...

TASK ONE...

Single camera format...

Using a single camera allows us to see a certain point of view, for example, we could be following a person with the camera (Using a point of view shot, or tracking shot), this would be creating an enigmatic situation where we are taken to the resolution or to another enigma. We are lead into the unknown and the only way of finding out is to follow the shots. Shooting with one camera has its advantages, One would be the simple reason that it would save a lot of time and effort. Shooting with a single camera allows us to do this when shooting a dialogue scene or a stunt (which would be difficult to do more than once) There would probably be less time spent shooting, meaning they could move straight on to the next scene. Using Single camera technique is much more practical than having a multi camera range as there would be no need to re-set the lighting for each individual camera not to mention there would be easier positioning and panning. Even with these advantages though, there are disadvantages. One example is the amount of shots. There would be only limited amount of film to edit so it would be very important that everything fitted in well and all the necessary shots were captured.As there would be less shots the editors would find it even more difficult to fit in the clips and assure they follow on and simply look good.

Saying this, one of the main advantages to multi-camera format would be the fact that there would be a lot more shots and filming to edit than that of a single camera format thus making it simpler to structure. I think that this is a very good advantage as it would make it easier to edit the clips so that they run smoothly together. Using a variety of cameras would then allow the director to choose which angle from the shots he/she would like to use, It allows them to look at a variety of camera shots and choose the most creative and best fitting clip for that scene. Another advantage would be that the filming would not have to happen in clusters but would happen in a chronological or non-chronological order making the acting easier to film. We mainly see this format used in panel shows such as mock the week, QI and never mind the buzzcocks...

An example of a single camera format...




Single camera format would usually be used in films to portray a tracking shot or point of view shot. It would usually show a group of events connected together in the same room, road, or place. It creates an enigma or allows us to follow characters towards their destination.

An example of a multi camera format...



Multi camera shots are generally used shooting TV shows like mock the week, have i got news for you, QI etc... however they are generally used for every form of television media. They create a range of shots such as close ups of people along with an establishing shot of everyone involved. I believe generally that this technique applies a lot more shots and angles allowing the directer to be creative in his/her choices.


TASK TWO...

Soap operas like 'eastenders' are examples of serial's. A serial is usually fictional and is divided into separate parts which are broadcasted perhaps everyday or once a week for an hour. The story would be ongoing for example tomorrows episode would be a follow on from today's and so forth. A serial is very common in today's television with soap opera's being the main example. each program would leave us with a cliffhanger for example, one character would say something like 'Is he dead?' then the program will end. using this technique they draw in the audience allowing them to find out what happens next on tomorrows episode thus creating a follow on.


A series is not always based on fictional work. An example of this would be something like 'have i got news for you' and 'mock the week'. sometimes there may be a program on different news topics or events that are happening like in 'QI' there will be the same structure to the program but the topics of each show will be different, nothing continues from the last show. if the series is fictional it is usually self contained and will consist of a beginning, middle and end. this is less common, however it is seen in panel shows, documentaries and news programs. A series is easily identified as it consists of an ending. the program needs no continuation as it has already ended which creates closure for the program.

TASK THREE... 

There are many types of narrative from sequential to non-sequential,linear to non-linear and its an important to know where each narrative fits in.


A linear or sequential narrative takes us through the story in a chronological order, one event after the other until the final destination is reached. examples of linear narratives include:

• Coronation street
• Eastenders
• lord of the rings: The fellowship of the ring
• Cinderella
• peter pan

Non-linear or non-sequential narrative is the total opposite to linear, it is shown in a non chronological order. the TV/Films are usually shown from a variety of points of view containing flashbacks and flash-forwards. the endings usually don't reach a destination thus, create and enigma. examples of this include:

• Family guy
• 500 days of summer
• lost
• Donny Darko

Flashbacks are a form of non-sequential narrative.They involve moving form the present time to the past. They add effective openings and endings to films not to mention they help add in extra information. the examples of this include:

• criminal minds
• lost
• CSI
• Waking the dead

Realist and anti-realist. 
Realist follows the portrayal of realistic events. It powers the idea of realism in films and tv programs and allows the uses and gratification theory to occur (personal identity).examples include:

• The pursuit of happiness
• Eastenders
• pearl harbour
• saving private Ryan

anti-realism is basically the opposite of realist. it is based on fictional events and includes anti real characters.

• shrek
• finding nemo
• heroes
• nightmare before Christmas

Take two film or programs of your choice and apply the theories of narrative to them. Grease is a typical closed ending romance comedy film, orientating around the Propp's theory. The theory has being applied through the use of characters, having the main female character (Sandy) as the damsel-in-distress, the main character's friends (Frenchy etc) as the helpers, the hero being Danny Zuko and what could be classed as the villain, the racer boy. This theory has being applied nicely, as it gives each character an individual personality (for example, Kenickie has a lovable but fiery attitude, and is the most recognised character out of all of the 'T-Birds').The single-strand narrative allows the director to focus more on the one narrative, creating a strong, in depth storyline, which is one of the reasons why Grease is such a well renowned film, grasping billions of viewers since 1978. Torodov'stheory has not being used in this film, however you could consider the beginning of the film, where Sandy and Danny re-unite, as the disruption in the film, and the resolution being where they drive off together as a happy couple. Therefore, an equilibrium has not being used in the film, starting the movie off with a bang. The range of information given is restricted, as we only find out what is happening whilst it is happening, like the characters do. This makes the film appear more live and uncut, and grasps us into the moment as we have no inkling what could or will happen in the film later on. By doing this, the producers of the film have being able to attract the audiences attention well. The plot of the film could be referred to as journey oriented, as Sandy experiences life-changing journeys which reflect onto her personality, dress sense and overall outlook to life, therefore supporting my idea of the plot being journey orientated.The realist narrative is contradicting against the closed ending, as the car starts levitating, demonstrating a fictional storyline. Finally, the storyline is sequential, as the film gradually comes to an end is chronological order. However, there is a 'flashback' style beginning, where they show Danny and Sandy where they first meet on the beach.






True Blood follows a fictional narrative, portraying the life of a vampire and the events of his never-ending life. Bill (the vampire), could be classed as the hero in the series, but could also be seen as the villain, as in some episodes he is accused of killing humans. Sookie (the damsel-in-distress) is the main character of the programme, and demonstrates the science fiction side to the show, as she can read minds. The multi-strand narrative allows the audience to see what is happening from different people's point of view, and nicely compliments the restricted format of the programme, as you only see what is happening, when it is happening. This a nice effect,as the audience's attention would be completely on the programme, and they would want to know what is happening. Also, they would feel the emotions that the actors do at the same time, as they are as shocked as what we are. Furthermore, the anti-realist narrative supports the theory of the programme being fictional and science fiction-like, as 'anti-realist' portrays the theory of fiction rather than fact. Torodov's theory has being slightly applied to the programme, as their is an equilibrium (right at the very beginning of the programme, where Sookie is serving customers at the restaurant), and the disruption, which elongates into the rest of the episodes, until it climax's with a cliffhanger at the end of the series. However, there has not yet being a resolution to any of the disruptions, signifying that the programme is the first part of a 4-6 season series. Mental subjectivity has being used very cleverly, as you can hear the characters thoughts, but only through the main character, Sookie's, monologue (she can read people's minds). To conclude, flashbacks interrupt the linear storyline, as they make the programme non-chronological. However, the flashbacks have only being used in a few episodes, and are vital for the programme as the narrative would not make sense otherwise. 
TASK FOUR...

camera techniques
sound
light
editing 
The short film begins with blurred titles which first engages the viewer and gives us a clue as to the genre (we guess it is a thriller/action film). It creates confusion and suspense, therefore allowing us to fill in the plot before seeing it. The title 'Se7en' is also blurred and follows the idea of drug abuse, It allows us to see through the eyes of a drug user involving us in the film before it is shown. The title also contains the number 7 which is in the colour red, this is a signifier and connotes power, danger and anger (all of which we see throughout the short film). The noise of a train is played through the beginning titles, this gives us the connotations of setting (obviously being in a train station or somewhere near trains). Its almost as if we are taking a metaphorical journey through the film to reach our destination.The first shot we see is an establishing shot of the train station. It is a long shot however the shot is covered part way by a wall, as if we are standing against the wall looking out at the station.This gives the shot an enigmatic introduction.There is also an establishing shot of the characters, this allows us to gather an idea on the characters before we know more about them. They use the reflection of a puddle to grab another shot of the characters, this is effective as it gives us another point of view to see the film from. It creates a sense of power and suspense which grabs our attention to the reflection. The Extreme close up of the woman helps to portray her emotions. We are intrigued and this and follow a sympathetic opinion on her. Perhaps we gather her thoughts and feelings which makes us follow her emotions. The use of a low angle shot makes the woman look victimised and pressured. We are at the concussion that she is the damsel in distress and again follow a sympathetic route. An explosive sound effect is used to connote a flashback, splitting the narrative and ending an enigma however adding a new one. Another thing that was cleverly done was the use of the black and white colours which connote the past, i see that it is perhaps hi-lighting a depressive mood and acts as a blank canvas for us to paint our ideas on. The heart beat is used to create tension and suspense, and could also indicate some sort of enigmatic conclusion. It is used to build up on a further happening and helps continue the sense of mystery. Finally i notice the use of fast cutting which links the two clips together. It follows the heart beat sound and keeps up with the pace of the drama. 


TASK FIVE...
Today the media is changing and developing. Even when we may not know it we are entered into the world of media; newspapers, magazines, television, radio, Internet, billboards and e-mails. This amount of options is making it extremely difficult for TV companies to reach a broader audience. It is effecting who has power, who is in charge and who is to blame.

"Everyday new technology is tearing down old ways of doing business."
-Rupert Murdoch

As the media grows companies fight for the new technology. We as the public act like moths following the light, if we do not keep up with technology we feel we are missing out on something, something important, something new. It is fundamentally affecting our TV experiences. 20 years ago there was only channels one to five, only one television in the house meant everyone watched the same thing. Today, we take this for granted, we have on average in the UK 3-5 televisions per household Each containing at least 6 usable channels. One large digital company would be virgin media. We are entered in to the experiences of pausing live television, recording more than one program and even using on demand television to catch up on any program we have missed. We are also seeing plus one channels and second chance TV, which although making television convenient for us as users is causing problems for TV broadcasters. This as a whole could even be killing off television as it is. Audiences don't even have to own a television to watch it nowadays as channels for example, BBC, ITV, Channel 4, even Living TV have online TV broadcasting. This again helping explain how we are taken over by the media. 

"The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the most innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of masses."
- Malcolm X
(American black militant leader who articulated concepts of race pride and black nationalism in the early 1960s, 1925-1965)

TASK SIX... 
























TASK SEVEN... 

Equipment and software...
Software: Our main piece of software used was imovie HD, it gave us better options for editing and would best fit our production. we found it had a lot to offer in its software for example the effects and transitions. Transitions that we used such as 'cross dissolve' and 'overlap' allowed us to experiment with our genre. They gave us an even finish and a softer transition from each clip. Another piece of sotware we experimented with was called Garage Band. We used this to incrperate sounds effects and music into our drama however, we found that it was easier to add the noises in from the camera shots. Effects from imoie HD we found most useful were monochrome colour and gohst trails, this was because it allowed us to add suspense and mystery to the drama, clearly identify turning points in the narrative. 
Equipment: The main and most obvious piece of equipment we used was the cannon MD 205 camera, this was used to film all of our footage and was very useful. We thought it would of added a better effect if we used a hand held camera instead of a higher quality camera the shots we needed were mainly point of view shots and moving shots. Another piece of equipment we used was a tripod camera stand, the reason we used this was so we could get a steadier, more professional shot especially with the panning shots, We found this was mainly used during the interviw scenes. We choose not use any artificial light as we only needed natural day light. The natural light worked well fo the shots and helped portray the moods ofthe narrative. The last bit of equipment we used was a Idorol IO 90 voice recorder, we used this for the interview scene as we found some of the camera sounds were distorted or not at the right sound level. The recorders helped greatly and helped usfit in the voices of the characters.
People Involved: the people we used for our production were; Aaron Price, Hannah Hussey and Keiron Smith, these were the actors and actresses in our film and also the editors and directors. Also we used some props to make the film seem more real and more professional, we used a mobile phone and false blood to signify that someone was dead. The location we used for our film was a place called the Valley, near occupation road. We thought this would be a good place because it secluded form busy roads and wouldn't get and excess noise. We also thought this was a good place as it seem more realistic. Also the tress gave it a sense of mystery which suited the genre.

TASK EIGHT...



SINGLE CAMERA DRAMA... AMNESIA


Treatment... 

For my single camera drama i aim to fit the running titles in with the sound of fast paced drums, creating energy and suspense. They will be blurred and will move softly as if being shaken, so that the viewer will have to concentrate on what is being said. The enigmatic introduction allows for us to leave questions for the audience. The first full shot will be the establishing shot. The establishing shot will be of a young 16 year old girl sat in a room, the scene will be in black and white to create mystery and give it an edge to the typical genre,. The shot will include part of a table and the girl on the chair. She will be covered in blood and dirt and will be looking at a piece of paper on the desk in front of her. Presented as the damsel in distress, this character will have a helpless look on her face.We will show this through the use of close ups to portray her emotions. The camera will pan to see the left side of her face, the line "So what went on?" will then be said by the interviewer. There will be a flash of light and a cross over transiton to enter her flashback. The shots will then be in a monochrome colour, I have decided to do this t portray the sense of it being her past that is returning to her. We will begin the flashbacks with a long shot of 'the valley' followed promptly by a panning shot of trees to identify the location. The music will be slow and will connote peace and tranquillity thus signifying what is happening in the scene at this point. We could use point of view shots to connote movement and panning shots to portray action and movement. As the music will be slow we will use fading and overlapping transitions, these will allow us to create a softer atmosphere to the scenes. The music will then change to a faster paced sound, this will signify a disruption in the narrative. As this happens we will see an argument between the boy and girl and as they walk away from each other the camera will follow them in a point of view shot, first the girl then the boy. A distruption is connoted when a sfx of twigs cracking is heard and the shot from behind a tree looking at the girl is shown. She will look over her shoulder then run fast in the opposite way. This will trigger the boy to look suspicious, he will stop and as the camera pans around him we will see her standing before him. The flash back will stop and we will be in the interview room again. We now see the interviewer banging on the table and the girl jumping out of shock. dialogue will be added here to bring the scene back to reality. A close up of her emotions will be shown and we will suddenly enter her flashback again. The music will go slow again and the girl will look up to the interviewer, he looks back and all that is heard is him breathing. A flash of light is again seen and we see the girl kneeling over the boy, he is covered in blood and she is crying silently. I will use a low angle shot changing into a high angle shot. The man will ask "Did you do it, did you kill him" she will simply look him in the eye and say “I don't know". I will fade out and we will just see a black screen. The music will suddenly become loud and fast paced and flashing images of her experiences throughout the events will appear. The drama will now end and we will add our running titles. The drama is left open to produce an enigmaticending, I feel this will work well and we can incorporate some good camera shots.

TASK NINE...

SCRIPT...

Characters...

Boy: aaron

Girl: Keiron

Interviewer: Hannah

[Drums stop and the scene is introduced, Girl sat at table looking blank]

Interviewer: so, what happened?

[long pause]

Girl:i dont know

[Enter flashback, slow music 'love scenes', ARGUEMENT, interview room is seen again after the girl and boy have an arguement]

Interviewer: so were you angry?

Girl umm...well...[pause][suddenly angry] yes

[back into flashback, scenes with the follower shown, miming is seen but no set words]

[interview room]

girl: i was scared, i ran back to him.

[running scene fade into interview room]

girl: thats when it happened, he as dead, i dn remember, just dont remember.

[ fast paced clips of he girls memories shown to fast paced music]

[fade into shot of boy dead, muscic becomes slower. finish]

TASK TEN...

Task 11...

Task 12....
final production.

TASK 13...

Evaluation...

Purpose...

The purpose of our production was to produce a 3-5 minute short film that fitted in with the genre 'thriller'. We intended to make an entertaining drama which would leave the audience feeling uneasy and suspicious. We have achieved this by leaving an open enigmatic ending which left a few questions unanswered, we hoped that the audience could conclude the narrative by themselves. The production incorporated a range of camera angles which gave us more clips to edit and fit together, filming the shots twice to ensure we had the right shot for the right scene. Shots that we used included POV shots to portray the characters view at this point in time, over the shoulder shots to give suspense and allow the audience to interact with the drama and close ups which gave us a chance to portray the characters emotions and feelings. One shot which i think worked particularly well was the panning shot of the trees. I think it is effective as it shows the perspective of the character as she frantically looks around for help. The use of this shot allowed us to show panic and exhaustion of the character along with producing an 'on edge' feeling for the audience. Another shot i think helped portray the theme best of all would have to be the close-up of the girls face as she portrays an unreadable expression to the camera. The confusion created adds for an enigma and shows the suspicion build up for the open ending narrative. To add to the genre of 'thriller' we thought it was best to use an old black and white effect over the girls interview scenes and a monochrome colour distortion over the flashback of her memories. Blurred vision was another effect we used to give an uneasy feeling to the narrative and to exaggerate the fear of a different perspective on the shot. The transitions were chosen to fit the theme criteria; cross dissolved, fade in's and out's, overlaps and cut always were all used to accomplish this. The transitions created a way to smoothly change the clips so that there was not too many dramatic cross overs and each clip had its own effect on the audience. Last of all was the music. Although the music was hard to find at first i feel we have managed to fit the music to the genre very well, leaving that sharp uneasy feeling across the audiences mind. The soft almost supernatural music we used for the 'love' scenes fit in well with the clips(the lyrics being soft and appropriate). We then transitioned this song into a different one as to portray a different mood and meaning. For this one we used a sharp fast paced song which connoted anger and frustration. Using the two songs allowed us to reach a professional and multi-strand narrative easily, fitting in well with the genre and themes. One negative point which did not fit our purpose would have been the voice overs, the quality was not the best and could have done with more thought and effort, perhaps using audacity to change the pitch and maybe the volume of the voices. This would be one thing i could improve on in my next production.

Audience...

The audience we primarily targeted would have been people in their late teens to early adults who enjoy thrillers and murder mysteries. Some scenes, for example the clown like look on the close-up of the girl, may have disturbed younger viewers so as we considered targeting all ages we found it was easier to specifically suit a small group. We showed our drama to a range of people with different backgrounds all of the same age group, and found they responded reasonably well to our production. The negative points were mainly sourced from the narrative. The audience found it confusing to understand what went on and, even though we wanted this, it didn't go down well with the audience. However, i feel mainly positive comments were left. The feedback they gave us included:

The opening titles- people felt they fit in well with the genre and specifically added a good feeling of suspense and agitation. They worked well with the music and fit in with the beat.

The wide range of camera angles- People felt they all produce a good message and gave there 'stamp' on the drama.

The beneficial video effects- They thought the old black and white effect on the interview scenes worked well and stuck to the genre.

The transitions- The audience felt that the overlapping of the face at the beginning was used to a beneficial advantage as it gave a feeling of anxiousness.

One member of our audience specificlly liked the panning shot of the trees and it's blurred vision, he said- "the two effects worked well together with the mood of your film" .

Representation issues...

Our video did not show a range of ethnic groups as we simply used the people who we worked with for the project, i do not feel this effected our drama in any way and a change in ethnic background was not needed to develop out production. We used a mixed sex cast so that the production was not biased in any particular way. The male and female roles were used only to portray a typical teenage relationship. The location of our drama was appropriate for the theme and narrative of our production as it was set in a woodland area. This helped as it was used to create any effect we needed, the light through the trees was one shot which worked the best. The fact it was in a forest allowed us to create the 'eerie' mood needed to fit our genre and gave us a range of places to shoot from. The room used for the interview scenes was perfect as the small space created a chlostrophobic surrounding and added to the girls fear. The walls being bland allowed us to add our own stamp on the room, in this case the girls complicated emotions juxtaposed against the plain background. Our primary target audience was people in their late teens who enjoy murder mystery programmes, so the lexis and the formal terms we used were appropriate as the audience would already be familiar with this language. i feel that all of these points together worked well for the genre and represented 'thriller' well.

Technical issues...

The first thing we did after placing the clips in order was checking the sound quality fromt he camera. The voices were not loud enough so we had to record them again using a voice recorder, as a result of this the voice levels were a bit pitchy. However, we finally managed to fit the voices to the acting well and made the levels easier to understand. we intended first to use an external microphone but soon realised that the amount of speech was limited and only few lines needed to be recored, because of this we found that a voice recorder would be more appropriate. When fitting in the music to the drama we found it ws best to use two songs. We had to ensure the songs transitioned well and to do this we faded each song into one another at points that coordinated well together. We also had to make sure that the volume level of the music was not overwhelming to the voices and production therefore we changed each level according to what was happening in the camera work. The camera work allowed us to incorperate a range of shots appropriate for the mood and tone of the narrative and portray different perspectives suggesting a 3rd person narrative to the drama. The variety of angles was not limited and engaged our audience well directing their eyes to a different part of the screen however, not over complicating the drama. Overall the editing process was the longest of all the process's, we were making changes and asking for advise at any point we could to make our end product one we could be proud of.

Conventions/Narrative...

Factors typical of a 'thriller'/'murder mystery' are...

Action

Emotion

Police interviews

Gore

Enima's

In my opinion all these factors would be the same in a similar professional product however professional companies have advantages over us because they have access to better facilities and much more expensive and advanced equipment to ensure their production is nothing but professional. They also have a lot mor money to buy props and professional actors, also unlimiting their resourses and locations. All of the effects and features given to us were used to their full potential and ensured a good and effective narrative. We did use a villain, hero and damsel to keep the audience engaged (the villain being the enigmatic person whom we do not know, the hero being the police saving the girl and solving the crime and the damsel being both the boy and girl who find danger in the forest. Our production would be multi-narrative due to the argument between the couple, the love scenes and the murder all in one. i feel it give a good enigmatic feel to the narrative and leaves the story open.

Own performance… self evaluation:

I have learnt alot from filming and editing this production, particually because i have worked with different people who give different contrabutions to the group. One thing i have found i need to improve on next timw would be the voice overs in our drama. i feel we could have spent more time on them however have spent too long deciding what editing to do. Time management is key to a distinction and although we made a production time table we did not always meet the requirement on each section. A thing i feel worked best of all was our team cooperation we managed to add in ideas and worked together well producing work which we feel is at a high standars. The editing process i found was a mix between difficult sound levels to possibly simple transitions. overall, i feel i had alot to offer in the group, the team worked well together, the product was of a high quality and i have enjoyed the single drama topic.

Ofcom Rules: Harm and Offence

We haven't broken any of the rules in the Harm and offence section of the ofcom rules and regulations, because our programme does not include obvious violence - it does however have connotations of violence which we have used for extra effect. No dangerous or anti social behavior is included in our video therefore it doesn't encourage others to copy this behavior. Methods of suicide of self harm are not included in our video thus we do not need to worry that it will offend viewers or oppositely, encourage them to engage in this behavior. Our film has then sense of an enigma and mystery and viewers may be left with the feeling that there was another life in our film - however no demonstrations of paranormal activity, exorcisms or the occult are seem in our video and the feeling of mystery is purely for entertainment.