Camera Techniques Workshop Notes

• The first technique we looked at whilst learning about Camera Shots and Techniques was the rule of thirds. This rule is a convention used by most filmmakers to place the character in either the left or right third, depending on which way they are facing or walking. This makes it more comfortable for the audience as the characters are not placed in confrontational positions and are not intimidating to the viewer, however some filmmakers decide to break this rule by placing the character in the centre of the screen in order to make the audience uncomfortable, this is something I will do in my short film in order to follow the dark comedy genre.
• When using the rule of thirds, there are few key things to consider. One of these is 'Looking Room' By this we mean that there should be space in the direction that the character is looking. For example if the character is facing the right of the screen, he should be placed on the left third of the screen to allow room in the direction that he is facing.
• Another point to consider is 'head room', the character should have some space above his head so that we can see his entire face and what is above his head.
• Similarly to looking room, it is important to consider 'walking room' when the characters in the shot are moving, it is important to keep room in front of the character when they are walking so that we can see what is in front of them and where they are heading.
• We then practiced using tripods to create high angle and low angle shots we learnt how to assemble the tripods and attach the cameras, also we learnt how to change the angle and to keep the camera straight when using the tripod.
• Finally we were advised on how to shoot a dialogue between two people. It is important to use at least three shots from different angles when filming a conversation and it is important to place these angles on a 180 degree angle to one another, otherwise known as not crossing the line. This is important to ensure the audience do not become confused by the series of shots used.
• An example of the rule of thirds being followed is shown below.

 

 

• Furthermore in order to cater for my additional filming difficulties such as tracking skateboards at high speeds, I watched a few tutorial videos on youtube in order to gain a better understanding of filming skateboard films. It is easiest to track the moving skateboard whilst the cameraman is on another skateboard. This means that you can keep up with the skateboard but it is important to use cruiser wheels which are smoother and quieter in order to avoid distorting the sound.
• It is also important to shoot from a low angle most of the time to get closer to the skateboard and make the ramps and tricks look higher and therefore more skilful. Some example shots are shown below.