Film Language

What was the task?

In this task I worked in a group of three. We had to capture shots using a camera. When we finished the task we needed to make a presentation to say why certain shots are used and what meaning they create. This is useful for planning the film opening that I am creating with my group because we can use the shots that we captured for this task to emphasises the genre and tell the story of the film. We can also explore other shots as we create a film opening.

Over the shoulder shot

This is an over the shoulder shot which shows two characters. This particular camera shot shows one character’s back of their shoulder and a mid shot of the other character facing forward. This camera shot is used because it shows the facial expression of the second character and how the two characters are communicating. This shot is mostly used for when two characters are communicating and the atmosphere they create, whether its positive or negative.

Close-Up

This shot is a close-up of the character’s face. This camera shot is used to show the facial expression of the character and it gives us an accurate detail of how the character is feeling. A close-up allows the audience to get to know the character and the type of portrayal they have in a film.

Tilt shot

This shot is used to show the whole body of the character from toe to head. This shot is used because it is a way of introducing the character. How they are portrayed is through the clothes that they wear, their body position and their facial expression. The camera usually tilts from the toe up to the head of the character slowly and the character usually stands still with a facial expression.

Two-shot

A two-shot is used to show two characters. This can be done through close-up, medium shot or a long shot. This image is a medium shot. The two characters shown are facing each other which indicates that they are communicating. A two-shot shows how two characters communicate whether it is verbally, physically or emotionally. This shot presents the relationship that the two characters have with each other.

Zoom in and Zoom out

This shot is used in films to give us more details about the character and their background. Zooming in gives us details about their facial expression and zooming out shows us a moving image of the character.

Evaluation

This task was to capture different camera shots used in films. What went well was that we managed to get some shots using the recording camera given to us. We figured out how to use the stand and how we get the camera to record when me and my group needed it to. The shots we took was done outside the school. Although we got some shots it was difficult to upload them all on to the computer therefore I was only able to evaluate 5. I worked in a group of 3 and the teamwork was good because we accomplished something and worked together to get the shots done.

From this task I have learnt more about what type of shots are used in films such as tilt and establishing shot. The important thing is that we use the shot to create an effect and make it recognisable for the audience. Next time I will want to focus more on how to use the camera and the right buttons to press when using it.