HAYDON MEDIA DEPARTMENT

USE OF CAMERA

Will Smith in I Am Legend

Understanding the Role of Camera

By M Fisher

hough it is always important to be aware of how all the elements of lm language (Camera, Sound, Mise-en- scene, Editing) work together to create meaning, it is still interesting to consider how each separate feature can communicate ideas and has its own set of conventions. When studying camera it is important to look at the choice of shot, camera movement and framing can tell us a lot about the 1

character and their actions. It determines whose point of view we see events from and draws our attention to clues about what might happen later in the narrative. When we talk about camera framing we are looking at what we can see within the frame of the cinema screen. Camera framing can draw our attention to emotions, bringing us very close to the action, or it can place us some distance away. Particular angles may create a particular feeling or impression.

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CAMERA SHOTS
Each camera shot can be described with a specic term, for example a close-up, mid shot or low angle shot; and generally these shots are chosen to enable audiences to understand events in a particular way.

CLOSE UPS
A Close-up shot is used if the director wants to focus our attention on one particular thing. This is often a characters facial expression. Close-ups emphasize a characters emotions we generally read someones feelings by looking into their eyes or looking for reactions from their mouth movements.

happening; and this could be a signicant clue to a development in the plot. Maybe this character has not played a very signicant role in the lm; yet this shot would suggest they are about to. In a similar way, a close-up can show us a signicant prop. By focusing our attention on a knife on a table or a letter left unopened, we are made aware that this object is going to be important at a later stage in the story.

EXTREME CLOSE UP
An extreme close up shot focuses the audiences attention on even smaller details and these shots are often used for more artistic effect. Due to the tight framing of the shot, extreme close ups give audiences a sense of discomfort so can be used to really get the audience close to the action.

LONG SHOTS
A long shot on the other hand shows us the whole of a character, thus drawing our attention to a persons costume and body language. A long shot may be needed to offer perspective. For example in The Day After Tomorrow, we see a long point of view shot of the wave approaching the library. Long shots often give us more background to look at so setting becomes

A close-up will ensure our attention is drawn just to one characters face so we will know if they are angry, frightened or about to scream. A close up may draw our attention to someones reaction to something that is
Above: Close up from Baz Luhrmanns Romeo and Juliet Right: Extreme Close up from Un Chien Andalou Far Right: Long Shot from The Day After Tomorrow

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important to a scene as well as action. Sometimes this is because the setting is important to a particular character we may see a person inside an impressive ofce to suggest they have a position of responsibility. The can be referred to as establishing shots as they establish where the action is taking place. These shots are often used at the beginning of a lm or scene. Crime Films, for example, often have dark, city settings so the lm may begin with an establishing shot of a cityscape. In lms with intense action, part of the pleasure for audiences is the spectacle of the dramatic action and the special effects used to create it, so long and wide shots are essential to an audiences enjoyment of those conventions.

HIGH / LOW ANGLE

A high angle shot is when the camera is placed higher than the subject and so looks down on them. A low angle shot is the opposite. If, as a member of the audience, you are placed higher up than a character, one of the simplest interpretations is that the director wanted them to look more vulnerable. We are placed in a stronger position than them. Conversely, if the camera is at a low angle, the character looks bigger, making them look important. There are further angles that all create meaning for the audience, including Point of View shots and Over The Shoulder shots

MID SHOT
A mid shot allows us to see a person from the waist up and often this shot will be used so we can focus on the dialogue between two characters. A mid-shot allows us to gain some information about the setting as well, but not so much that it distracts us from listening to the conversation or considering what action is taking place.
Above: Mid Shot from Baz Luhrmanns Romeo and Juliet Right: Low Angle from Oceans 12 Far Right: High Angle from Oliver Twist

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CAMERA MOVEMENT
A camera can be moved in various ways to change an audiences experience of images presented on screen. The difference in experience is clear if you were to watch a lm made before steadicams for instance came into use and cameras were xed in one spot without the ability to move. Cameras can be placed on tripod to pan and tilt, on tracks (tracking shots) on cranes (crane shots) on trucks and even in helicopters (commonly use for birds eye view shots). However a director might want the camera to move more haphazardly to make the action feel more real and may use a hand-held camera possible due to the reduction in size of modern cameras. Although technically a camera movement as only the lens moves, directors can also zoom in and out of a scene, bring us closer to or further from the action. The camera could zoom in to emphasise a characters reaction or to highlight a particular prop. Likewise the camera could zoom out in order to show the magnitude of a situation. discuss the tight framing of a sequence of shots, which would probably be used to describe a sequence of closeups and maybe mid-shots where little of the background can be seen. In this instance our attention is focused on the characters. By not allowing us to see the background may also result in a sense if discomfort as we wont be able to see something which may be approaching

DEPTH OF FIELD
Another technique used to distract our attention form background details, or to make it noticeable, is depth of eld. This refers to the focus of the camera. Sometimes a director will only want us to focus on certain subjects within the shot so will make sure other elements are out of focus and blurred. If the setting, colours or landscape are important and the director wants every detail to be clear, deep focus is used to make sure everything is in focus. Shallow focus is the opposite effect where only part of the image is in focus. If youve ever taken a picture with a compact camera its likely to have produced an image with deep focus. If you start experimenting with an SLR camera then you can change the settings to create pictures that have a shallow focus.

FRAMING
Framing refers to the edges of the picture what has been deliberately placed in or excluded from the frame. This relates closely to camera angles but we often
Right: This shot from The Twilight Saga demontrates a shallow depth of eld where only the characters are in focus. Far Right: Thie shot from I am Legend uses deep focus to that the whole city is clear and detailed.