Film Language: Camera Movements in Cinema and Film Studies.
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camera movements
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Transcript of Film Language: Camera Movements in Cinema and Film Studies.
camera
movements
why camera movement is important:
there are lots of camera movements.
we’re going to focus on just 9
how and why do we analyse camera
movement?
1. a camera moves to show, tell or reveal information to an audience. Sometimes though, this
isn’t in straight lines.
2. if you can clearly see a camera movement:
A. describe what the movement is, B. then where it moves from then to. C. finally, describe what it tells, shows or teaches us.
There are lots of different camera movements and many different ways of describing them. for
clarity, we’re going to focus on nine different ones and use the following terms for them:
pan tilt ped dolly track zoom crane
steadicam POV
pan tilt
zoom
The camera moves from left to right (or right to left) from a fixed position.
(Imagine shaking your head as you say no)
The camera moves from down to up (or up to down) from a fixed position.
(Imagine nodding your head as you say yes)
The camera does not move, the camera lens does. As the lens moves closer (or further away) so
the image increases in size (or decreases).
ped dolly track
The camera moves up or down in a fixed position. (imagine your neck getting taller or shorter)
A DOLLY IS A CART THAT TRAVELS ALONG TRACKS THIS ALLOWS THE CAMERA TO MOVE SMOOTHLY ALONG A PRE-DETERMINED PATH. (CAMERA MOVES IN OR
OUTWARDS)
a smooth shot in which the camera moves alongside the subject, usually mounted on a dolly. sometimes known as a crab shot.
CRANE
POV
steadicam
THE CAMERA IS FIXED TO A CRANE (ALSO KNOWN AS A JIB OR BOOM) AND CAN MOVE INTO AND AROUND IN THE AIR.
STANDS FOR POINT OF VIEW. CAMERA IS IN THE POSITION OF A CHARACTER AND PLACES US IN THEIR POSITION.
a smooth shot in which the camera follows a subject or situation. This is sometimes known as a ‘one shot’ because the film often doesn’t
cut away from the action.
watch the video closely, looking at the examples of
camera movements.
watch the videos closely, looking at the individual
examples of camera movements.
what movement is this?
remember to describe the directions, from were to where?
what movement is this?
“a pan from left to right”
pan
what movement is this?
remember to describe the directions, from were to where?
what movement is this?
tilt from the bottom of the frame to the top.
tilt
what movement is this?
remember to describe the directions, from were to where?
what movement is this?
the camera quickly zooms inwards
zoom
what movement is this?
remember to describe the directions, from were to where?
what movement is this?
dolly ‘inwards’ from the back of the frame inwards.
dolly
a series of dolly movements from stanley kubrick
what movement is this?
remember to describe the directions, from were to where?
what movement is this?
the camera tracks from left to right
track
what movement is this?
remember to describe the directions, from were to where?
what movement is this?
the camera tracks from left to right.
track
a brilliant example of a track from right to left:
this movement is sometimes referred to as a lateral track, as it will follow a track in
a ‘lateral’ direction meaning sideways.
This is also why it’s sometimes known as a ‘crab’.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdSKot0psNg
here’s the brilliant every frame a painting to explain the importance of the the track:
what movement is this?
remember to describe the directions, from were to where?
what movement is this?
the camera peds upwards from the bottom of the frame
ped
what movement is this?
remember to describe the directions or what it shows
what movement is this?
the pov shot puts us in the shoes of the spy as he tackles a range of issues and enemies
pov
what movement is this?
remember to describe the directions or what it shows
what movement is this?
povthe pov shot shows us the scene from the perspective of a murderer as he stalks through the house.
what movement is this?
remember to describe the directions or what it shows
what movement is this?
crane
what movement is this?
remember to describe the directions or what it shows
what movement is this?
the camera moves upwards above the scene after starting low in a close-up.
crane
what movement is this?
remember to describe the directions or what it shows
what movement is this?
steadicam
the camera follows james bond in a seamless scene that lacks obviousedits or cuts to show him finding his target
what movement is this?
remember to describe the directions or what it shows
what movement is this?
steadicam
the camera follows the couple as they enter the club through a special entrance and we do not cut away, allowing us to see everything that occurs in the kitchen and other areas.
please note:what we will be calling a steadicam shot is also known as a
one-shot or a tracking shot.
it is used to describe a one-take scene or shot that follows a character or situation developing. This is because the camera
‘tracks’ the action. steadicam / one-shot / tracking shot
we’re going to avoid describing a one-shot as a tracking shot, as it may contain more than one type of camera movement.
this can also be known as a sequence shot, a steadicam shot, a one-take, a ‘oner’ and many others!
steadicam / one-shot / tracking shot
sometimes, picking out camera movement is not easy…
because films are not always made the same way…
This behind the scenes feature shows how that incredible scene from the raid 2 was created:
describing camera movements can be difficult, especially in modern films where the camera doesn’t need to be on a tripod. if a camera moves and it seems important, just try to describe where the camera
moves.
for example: try to describe the camera movements in this scene
Modern filmmaking differs considerably from ‘classic’ filmmaking. Hitchcock was, at times, a traditional and
formal filmmaker who often used camera movements in a traditional manner.. This means that often it’s easier to
analyse clips from film such as his classic rear window.
Watch the following clip and then use it to complete the table on the next slide.
rear window:
rear window, this time only featuring the camera movements:
For the last column, describe what each movement is telling the audience.
why has the director made the camera move in the way that he does?
what is the point?
we hear no dialogue but we learn about the area, some of the people who live there and some key detail about our main character.
what do we learn? how does the camera movement help to tell us?
Finally, to create a formal analysis, try to write a 4 sentence explanation of how these movements communicate something about this scene:
(what do we learn about the view and the neighbours? How do these movements help in revealing these things?)
(Point) “In this clip we learn that or we react to the clip…
(Evidence) “We see this with the camera movements…
(Explanation) “these movements help the audience to feel/understand … because…”
analysis time! watch this clip and analyse the use of
camera movements. Identify the movements, explain what they show and then analyse what they aim to
inform us about or how they aim to make us react.
analysis time part 2: slightly harder!
watch this clip and analyse the use of camera movements.
Identify the movements, explain what they show and then analyse what they aim to
inform us about or how they aim to make us react.
analysis time part 3: hardest yet!
watch this clip and analyse the use of camera movements.
Identify the movements, explain what they show and then analyse what they aim to
inform us about or how they aim to make us react.
video credits:
BREAKING BAD - Motivated Camera Movement is on slide 3https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ7BBBh7JGY is on slide 14https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7m8_QLnRBFo is on slide 16Neighbors (8/10) Movie CLIP - Air Bag Prank (2014) HD is on slide 19Shaun of the Dead - The Plan is on slide 22https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur3121e_Cgg is on slide 25https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3uOitRaX9s is on slide 27Shaun of the Dead (2/8) Movie CLIP - Oblivious to the Zombies (2004) HD is on slide 29The Shining Ballscene 1080p is on slide 31Oldboy The Corridor Fight Scene is on slide 33Wolf Children (2012) - The Lateral Tracking Shot is on slide 35https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmMi1j2Zrkk is on slide 37https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42GwGBfGo3E is on slide 40https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBpugQt-uTg is on slide 42
Gone With The Wind (1939) Battle of Atlanta Injuries is on slide 44High Noon Crane Shot is on slide 46Spectre- Opening Tracking Shot in 1080p is on slide 49https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Sr-vxVaY_M is on slide 51The Raid 2 Car Chase (2014) HD is on slide 55https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErrRhXItBWc is on slide 56https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlQ_thbFtDA is on slide 58Camera Movement in Rear Window - an analysis task for Film Students is on slide 61Use of camera movement in Rear Window - simplified is on slide 62Iron Man to the Rescue - Iron Man (8/9) Movie CLIP (2008) HD is on slide 67Moonrise Kingdom - Sam and Suzy's first encounter is on slide 69Godzilla- The Arrival (Beach Scene) is on slide 71
