Storyboard
• Storyboard – A series of
sketches that represent the individual shots in a film. They are arranged in the normal sequence of action and represent a visual blue print of the entire film.
Dialogue, sound effects, music, and camera
Screenplay
• Usually consists of written dialogue and instructions for when shots
• A shot-by-shot breakdown for a
critical study of a film. Each shot is described in detail (camera angle) with complete visual
and aural information. Sometimes sketches of individual frames or a series of frames are included.
Shot Breakdown
• Shot Breakdown – A list of all the shots to be used in a film
presented in proper order and including the location for each shot as well as the
performers, personnel, and equipment
Frame
• Dividing line between the edges of the screen image and the enclosing darkness of the theater
Types of Shots
• Cinematic shots are defined by the amount of subject matter within the frame
• Shots can vary in duration
– Shots vary in time from subliminal (a few frames) to quick (less than a
Establishing Shot
(or Extreme Long Shot)
• Shot taken from a great distance, almost always an exterior shot, shows much of locale
• ELS
Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom
Long Shot (LS)
• (A relative term) A shot taken from a
sufficient distance to show a
landscape, a building, or a large crowd
Austin Powers and the Spy Who Shagged Me
Medium Shot (MS)
• (Also relative) a shot between a long
shot and a close-up that might show two people in full figure or several
Close-Up (CU)
• A shot of a small object or face that fills the screen
• Adds importance to object photographed
Extreme Close-Up (ECU)
• A shot of a small object or part of a
face that fills the screen
• Kill Bill and The Sandlot
Over the Shoulder Shot
• Usually contains two figures, one
with his/her back to the camera, and the other facing the camera
Types of Angles
• The angle is determined by where
the camera is placed not the subject matter
– Angles can serve as commentary on the
Bird’s Eye View
• Camera is placed directly overhead • Extremely disorienting
• Viewer is godlike
Worm’s Eye View
• Camera is positioned to look up
• Extremely disorienting
High Angle (h/a)
• Camera looks down at what is being
photographed
• Takes away power of subject, makes it insignificant
• Gives a general overview
Without Limits The Birds
Low Angle (l/a)
• Camera is located below subject
matter
• Increases height and power of subject
• h/a & l/a in Scrubs
Oblique Angle
a.k.a. Dutch Angle
• Lateral tilt of the camera so that figures appear to be
falling out of the frame
• Suggests tension and transition
• Sometimes used as the point of view
of a drunk
• 12 Monkeys
The Matrix
Point of View (POV)
• A shot taken from the vantage point
a particular character, or what a character sees
“Eye-Level”
• Roughly 5 to 6 feet off the ground,
the way an actual observer might view a scene
Framing
• Framing a shot pertains to how your main subject and the elements surrounding it to fit the
rectangular space your camera provides. This plays a vital role in exploring the varying
meanings, implications, and emotions in a scene. The composition of each shot allows specific
elements on screen to be in or out of focus,
Rule of Thirds / Golden
Ratio
• The guideline proposes according to the principle of the Golden section search that an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two
equally spaced horizontal lines and two equally spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional
elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections.[2] Proponents of the technique claim that
aligning a subject with these points creates more tension, energy and interest in the composition than simply centering the subject.[citation needed]
Pan
• The camera moves horizontally on a
Tilt
• The camera points up or down from
Tracking (dolly) shot
• The camera moves through space on
Boom
• The camera moves up or down
Zoom
• Not a camera movement, but a shift in the focal length of the camera lens to give the impression that the camera is getting
closer to or farther from an object
• Clockwork Orange Opening Scene
– Also an example of an ECU to LS
• Psycho End Scene
Camera Movements
• Some dude shows/explains camera
Cut
• Transition between scenes when one
scenes ends and another one begins
Dissolve
• A gradual transition in which the end
Fade-out/Fade in
• A scene gradually goes dark or a
Wipe
• An optical effect in which one shot appears to push appears to push the preceding one from the screen.
• STAR WARS!
– Clip 1
Iris
• An optical effect in which one shot
appears to emerge from a shape on the screen.
• Iris-out – Looney Tunes
• These are the
basic elements of film that a director can use to tell his/ her story.
• Through editing,
these shots are put together to create (hopefully!) a
coherent story.
“Move the camera to help
tell your story…not just
because you can”
• Motivated Camera Movements In BREAKING BAD
Movie Clips
• Throughout the week, we will watch
movie clips.
• Don’t just pay attention to the plot.
• Analyze the use of the camera angles and camera movements.
Roger Ebert on How to Read
a Movie
• Right is more positive, dominant, favorable, the
future
• Left is more negative, submissive, less
favorable, the past
• Top is dominant over the bottom
• Foreground is stronger than the background
• POV above character’s eye line reduces him;
below eye line enhances him
Practice
• Raising Arizona
– Look at screenplay format and what it includes