Evaluation of Continuity Sequence

Mise-en-scene

Mise-en-scene refers to showing everything that is within a scene. This is stuff like camera angles, props and costumes which are essential to show to the audience. One of the key areas that we used mise-en-scene was the introduction of the package. From the beginning you can see that all the camera angles, setting, lighting and props was all used to imply the importance of this package. From the close up of seeing the package being passed from person to the next we are able to see how significant the envelope is due to never being left alone till the ending. The use of mise-en-scene continues with seeing a low angle shot of the package being held by a new person and how mysterious and secret this package is. With using mise-en-scene within our work we were able to let the audience see that this package has more significance than expected and how the use of music makes it more dark and mysterious.

Lighting

Lighting is all to do with getting the right amount of light to be shown within each scene. If the lighting isn't right then the audience is unable to see all the details that the directors want within the film. Within our project we focused on getting the lighting as good as possible due to wanting to make it black and white. I found in our scene that we were using ambient lighting which is the use of available natural lighting. This became a problem however due to filming on a cloudy day and filming on the second day were it was more sunny. This caused us to struggle with the exposure levels when coming in and out of buildings throughout our piece. Even though this was difficult I found our group was able to make it successful with editing and retaking shots we did not find to be strong enough with the rest of the clips. Below is the shot we struggled to get good lighting with due to the exposure when coming outside.

High or Low Camera Angles

High Camera Angles are where the camera is looking down at an actor to show how vulnerable and weak they are towards the audience; whilst Low Camera Angles are where the camera looks up at someone to show power, authority and success. In our group we had a few low camera angle shots; one at the beginning and one near the end. The one at the beginning was to show the power that the actor had then received and how mysterious the package is to him and the audience. The second use of the low camera angle was at the end with Joe coming down the steps to show that he was able to escape from the chase and portrays success towards the audience. Looking back at the clip I found that we didn't use any high angle shots within our clip and would be one of the things that we would add if we did this project again.

Different Shot Distances

Throughout film and media there is a wide range of shots and angles that can be used to portray different emotions to the audience. The main six are Extreme Close-up, Close-up, Medium, Long, Extreme Long and Wide.
An Extreme Close-up is where you focus on a particular detail where tension or suspense is being created. An example of this would be a single eye or both the eyes.
A Close-up is a little further away and shows mainly the face and shoulders to the audience which is there to show emotion and detail.
A Medium shot is where you see from the waist up on an actor and is a great shot to show facial and body language, costume and emotion.
Long shots are used to show the whole body of an actor, whilst Extreme Long shot is used to show the environment.
The last one is Wide Shot which is where you shows a full body shot with parts of the surrounding beside it also.
There is also Point of View shot and Over-the-shoulder shot.
POV is to show the actual point of view of a victim and is shown within most horror movies. Over-the-shoulder is most common in interviews and conversations and is where the camera is positioned over a characters shoulder to show where the other character is.
Within our film we used a range of camera angles to portray suspense and tension. The most common ones we used within our project was Medium, Close-up and Long shots to allow the audience to follow the story. We also used a POV shot to bring more suspense into the piece half way through the scene, such as Neve looking for Joe.
The only shots we did not use was an Extreme Close-up and an Extreme Long shot.
Below are some screenshots of various shots we took within our project.

Fades or Dissolves

Fades are used to portray the ending of a film. It is much slower than cutting straight to black at the end of the film and suits slower paced scenes to make it more dramatic.
Dissolve is also known as a cross fade which is fading one clip into another clip.
Within our piece of work we used one fade which was to fade into our establishing shot. This was to show the beginning of the scene and with the music made it slightly tense. We also had a fade out near the end of our piece to show that the ending was near and brought more tension towards the audience. Here is the fade in on the establishing shot below.

 

We did not use any Dissolves however in our work but instead used a fade from black. If we were to do the project again we would add more editing techniques like Dissolve and Fading.

The Continuity System

180 Degree Rule
The 180 Degree Rule is where an imaginary axis is used where the cameras can be placed to show continuity in the filing sequence.
The image beside shows how the 180 Degree Rule works. You have the interviewer and the interviewee on either side of each other as though they are about to start an interview. The line known as "Axis of Action" is the line you must not cross when filming the interview. The cameras must stay on the semi-circle that is drawn on one side of the interview. The reason the camera must stay on one side it will appear as though the interviewer/interviewee would have changed location due to the background change. There would also be the worry of people walking around behind them as well as looking like they have swapped places. Looking back at our project I believe that we did well not to break the 180 Degree Rule and did good with displaying the different shots without breaking this key filming sequence.

Establishing ShotsAn Establishing Shot is where you show the audience where the scene is being set. Our Establishing Shot was outside the college and we saw that we had some problems looking back at the piece. One of the problems we noticed was it was slightly blurry and not sharp. Also the exposure was too bright on the camera. With seeing these problems we had at the end of the filming we realised this would be one of the things that we would do again.

Match cuts on Action
Match on Action is where you have two clips that show action carrying on through a transition. An example of this would be a man getting into a car. The first clip you'd have would be a long shot of the man getting into the car on the side of the road. The transition would take you instantly into a close-up shot of the mans hand holding the keys in the ignition to show the car starting up. With these scenes placed together so quickly the audience is able to see a continuous flow of action. For our Match on Action we did Neve walking through a door. The first clip we used was a medium shot of never opening the door and turning to close it. The next transition was a close-up of Neve's hand pushing the door shut. Below is the screenshots of our Match on Action and we believed it was a successful way to show a Match on Action within our project.

Eye-line Match Cuts
An Eye-line Match is to show a character's line of sight. An example of this would be a close-up shot of a man looking out a window. The transition then changes to an establishing shot on what he can see. The second image is also a POV shot.

For our Eye-line Match we had Neve look over a balcony to try to find Joe. In this clip we used a medium shot and went into a POV shot of the area she was looking towards. We found this to be a success due to the lighting being good and how the clips fitted in well together. Our example of doing this shot is below.

POV shots
As I said above, a Point of View shot is where you show the actual view point of a character and is used mainly within horror films. We used one Point of View shot within our piece and that was during the chase. Whilst making this clip we wanted it to portray tension and worry towards the audience and found that it worked well as we continued through filming. Our Point of View shot was in Neve's POV looking for Joe in the corridor and rooms.

Shot Reverse Shot

A Shot Reverse Shot is where you make the character maintain position to make it look as realistic as possible. Our Shot Reverse Shot was when Joe walked down the corridor on the left hand side and Neve went past him on the right hand side. The camera then did a close up on Neve turning to Joe but still remaining on the correct sides of the corridor. The final shot of this technique was of Joe slowly turning round to see Neve looking at him. Once again Joe remains on the right hand side of the corridor and Neve is still on the left. This therefore allows the audience to see that it is realistic and not much movement has been done by either character. Below is our Shot Reverse Shot screenshots that we found to be a success.

Summary
Altogether I have learnt different camera shots that make a film or short piece successful and know what shots would look good on characters; such as a villain on the stairs would need a low angle shot to portray power towards the audience. With editing I have learnt how to place clips onto Premier Pro and how to add music onto the clips. I enjoyed working with the camera and shooting the different angles the most and found our piece to be a success. 

Connotations

Connotation of WeaknessOne was the connotation of weakness but struggled to come up with anything at the time so I based it on a google image that would represent it well. This image informs the audience of how weak and vulnerable the character is due to using a low angle shot. From this we are able to see that they are in danger and having her lower than the men, we get a sense of panic come across us due to how the camera is positioned. I believe this is a good example of showing weakness towards the audience and having their face no showing also allows us to dread what is happening to hear and how vulnerable the character is.

Connotation of Fear

We were unable to think of a good idea for fear so I found this image over the internet that to me is a good interpretation of fear. From this photo we are able to see it is a long/medium shot and is able to show how fear comes across differently to people. The facial expressions and the positioning of hands tells the audience that these people are scared and are either hiding or screaming. This is a successful shot due to how it shows different states of fear and how people react to it.

Connotation of Danger

From this specific connotation we were inspired by the previous work we did on shadows and the power they have in a scene. From the previous work we decided to keep it simple and did the shadow of a hand submerged in light within a dark hallway to give the appearance of danger. This instantly allows people to be alarmed and panicked by what they can see and the use of shadows intensifies the experience of danger. I found that our group worked well to create this image and with the use of a low angle shot we are able to make the audience feel small and vulnerable whilst the hand looks sinister and threatening.

Connotation of Friendship

For this photograph we wanted to keep it simple and decided to do a medium shot of two people talking and smiling to represent friendship. As a group we were pleased with how this turned out due to the facial expressions seeming happy and not threatening. The figures bodies appear relaxed and not tensed or alarmed. The medium shot allows us to see all this with just showing the waist to the head and a little of the background. Altogether the interpretation of this image appears like two friends meeting up for the day.

Connotation of Purity

The connotation of purity we looked at in two different ways. For image one shown above we first thought of the symbol of a dove due to it being symbolic and pure. This image was not one of our most successful but I liked the way we tried to look at it. Our intentions were to get the outline of a dove with a group members hands in the middle of the light to signify a hopeful and pure creature due to the amount of light portrayed in the photo. This would then give the interpretation of it being heavenly and worked well with a low angle shot.

Our second way of looking at purity was through water. We took a close up shot of water flowing from a tap to signify the importance of water and how life only thrives with this liquid. The close up shot worked well for this due to being able to see the clear water flowing showing it is nothing but water representing its purity.

Connotation of Desire

We really struggled on what would be a good image to connote desire in general, so began to piece it apart of what could represent the desire of something. From thinking of this we thought of various things like the desire of love or the desire of power would be good ways to capture some aspect of desire. As a group we chose the desire of power and did a high angle shot with a figure pounding his fist into the air. From this we are able to connote the drive and the motivation coming from this person as he is wanting to succeed and thrive through his way to a higher power.

Connotation of Greed

For greed we focused on the want and need for food instead of items and possessions. For this we did a medium shot to show the figure clinging to the shutter with the food on the other side. With this shot we focus on the facial expression and the hands being tense on the shutters. With these being in place we were able to connote the thought of the person wanting something he is unable to get and the sense of being greedy in place.

Connotation of Strength

For the connotation of strength we struggled to find a way of showing it through a camera angle and after a long thought came across this as being our only successful idea. We did a long shot to portray the figure lifting the car and having it balanced on his back. I found this image was difficult to do in order to make it look realistic and would do this image again into something simpler like a fist fight or holding lots of books. We felt that we had achieved an image that showed what we were trying to do but failed in making it a strong photo to represent the connotation of strength. Even though this was not our most successful image, it represents what we were trying to achieve in a more challenging angle and I am pleased that we were able to think of something different compared to the other groups.

Connotation of Poverty

This was one of my favourite photos that we took as a group. For this we wanted to represent the notion of poverty and found that we were able to do well with this. For our image we decided to get one of our group members to hunch over on the ground on the opposite side of the fence to represent the restrictions and limitations that some people have within society. We shot this with a long shot that was close up to his body and found it really worked well to capture a sad and unsettled character. Altogether this photo is able to show the connotation of poverty due to the blank face that looks away from the camera and the hunched body trapped behind fencing.

Connotation of Love

This image was to reflect love and we used a close up shot to capture this feeling. Our shot was to show a bond and did this with two people from our group holding hands as a form of support. We found that the use of the shadows in the background was also a good way to represent a couple. In the end our group wanting to create the approach of their being love and the bond that a couple have together and found that this image was able to show this successfully.

Connotation of Loneliness

For this connotation we decided to do a long shot angle. I found this to be one of our successful pieces due to how the figure is placed on one side of the image. With this it appears that he is alone with the rest of the image being nothing but a blank field with no signs of life on it. The image appears a little too light but found that we achieved making an image look lonely, due to how small and distant the figure is.

Connotation of Wealth

The first photograph we took was to represent the connotation of wealth.

We placed the camera at a low angle to show the figure overlooking his achievements. We were trying to achieve the impression of a man overlooking his successes and how mighty and powerful he appears. I find this works due to his hands being open, his arms stretched and the camera being low.

The only reason I find this does not work is how far away the camera is from the figure and also the stance of the figure besides the building too. If we were able to do this shot again I would have the camera closer towards the figure but also have him closer to the building to make it look a lot bigger and dramatic.