Camera Workshop 2

There is a rule which we learnt about, known as 'The 180- degree rule' which means that the camera should stay on one side of an imaginary line between the characters always appear to be facing in the same direction and not change regardless where the camera will be positioned. when you keep your camera on one side of this imaginary line, you have the left/ right relationship of your characters and help the audience maintain a sense of visual consistency. this means that no matter what type of shot you use, the audience still knows where everyone in the scene is located.

another rule we learnt about was 'The Rule of Thirds' which is to divide the shot into thirds using 2 vertical and horizontal lines. these lines create a 9 square grid. when you position the most important elements of your shot at the intersecting lines, you produce a more of a natural shot. it is also suggested that any horizon is placed on the top or the bottom line. off center composition is good for the eye because it's typically where our eyes draw t first, into the left corner for example. When the subject or actor is off center, it also gives the audience the ability to interact with that space between them. This allows for interpretation and conversation between the subject and the background, as opposed to be a fully centered object.

All the shots you will use are a wide shot, medium and close up in that order. the reason you will shoot the wide shot first this is because this gives the actors a couple of takes to get into the scene and warm up. if the start and end is a wide shot the final shot may suffer as there emotion might not match as it was in the close up.

Continuity is the principle of making sure that all details in a film are consistent from shot to shot and from scene to scene. if a scene upholds the standards of continuity, each shot feels as though it seamlessly flows from the previous shot, reinforcing a sense of realism in the story.

A 'Mark' is just as the name implies. it is a marker that lets the actors know where he or she is to position themselves during parts of their scene. it helps to make sure that not only is the blocking correct, but that the camera operator knows exactly what's going on and they can get a proper and good focus.

Stand by -  everyone to get ready with what they are going to be operating said by the director. 

Standing by - about to start filming, said by the director.

Roll camera - tells the camera operator to hit the record button

Camera rolling - The response of the camera operator after starting to record or roll film

action - When the director yells this it means they are ready to start the scene, and film the action.

Cut - is yelled again by the director letting everyone know the scene is over and the camera operator has stopped recording.

They start filming before they say action to quickly make sure that everything is working properly so that the action can be properly recorded. The same goes for the end they keep rolling after they say cut just so they don't miss anything in the scene.

The reason you shouldn't ever watch back your footage on set as its a waste of time and takes time out of your shooting time, most likely if you don't feel as happy with the shot and want to check it, its more safe just to film it again and see if your happy.