PRACTICE - Practice Shots

In order to experiment with shot types, as a group we filmed very short clips and took a few still shots of different situations with different camera angles. These included: taking a big close up shot of someones face, taking a wide shot of an area, shooting feet in an interesting way, taking a shot of the rule of thirds, taking an over the shoulder shot and taking a shot of someone in front of a window.

In these shots, we used the video camera to capture close ups of our faces. In the first shot, the close up is moderate as it includes the neck whereas in the second it is close to the point where some of the face is cut off. We tried both to see which is most successful and to see what different effects they have visually. As a group we decided that in a thriller the first shot would be more effective for the 'bad guy' as the audience doesn't wish to relate with them. The second shot would be best for a victim-like character as the viewer is able to intimately relate to them and their emotions.

This is a wide/long shot of an area. It shows the floor and ceiling as well as both walls from side to side. The main character is shown in the middle but at a distance - this makes him appear vulnerable and small which is very important in a thriller. It also establishes the setting and where exactly the character is at this point in time.

Here we have a still shot and a video shot of feet. The first one tracks the feet's movement and the direction they are going in. This shows the audience they should follow that character. It also builds tension as the identity of the character is unknown when only their feet are shown. The second still shot is captured from a strange angle. This connotes that in this part of the movie something is not quite as it should be. It creates suspense and makes the audience wonder what is going on above.

These shots explore the rule of thirds. In the first shot which is an over the shoulder shot, Mukhtar takes up two thirds of the screen. This breaks the convention as usually the person looking towards the camera is the one with two thirds of the shooting space. In the second shot, both characters are looking towards the camera however Ali takes up two thirds of the shot. This shows that he has more status/power at this point in time. The same goes for the first shot where the character looking away from the camera seems to have an inferior view on the other one.

This too is an over the shoulder shot. It is used to show that a conversation is occuring between two characters. The use of a slight downward angle causes the character behind to look inferior.

This shot is taken in front of a window. It shows that lighting can be a problem.