Shooting a conversation

How to shoot a conversation

The shot shows the character entering the room, this sets up the scene and lets the audience predict the tone of the conversation based on how he walks. In this shot we can clearly see the use of over the shoulder shots which captures one characters reaction whilst the other is speaking. It uses the occasional pick up where we can see what else is going on in the room and the other characters reactions to this conversation. This scene challenges the factors of filming a conversation by rarely using a master shot. The shots are mainly mid shots/over shoulder shots of each character rather than a master of both people. 

How to shoot a conversation:
When shooting a conversation mid shots and over the shoulder shots are most commonly used. This way the audience can engage themselves with the characters, their dialogue, gestures and facial expressions. When using an over the shoulder shot, the other characters reaction to the characters dialogue can be seen. The 180 degree rule must be abided by otherwise the characters will suddenly swap sides which would be very confusing. Shot/reverse shots are also used. This is when the person is filmed, what the person is looking at, and then back to the person again. This creates dramatic affect and makes the audience feel involved.

When using a single camera the master shot (typically a camera set up in front of the conversation) will film the whole dialogue scene. The characters will then be filmed seperately and lastly the picks up will be shot (e.g. close ups of props or shots of the room). This is a time consuming way to shoot a conversation in the industry and is it is also difficult to avouid incontinuity issue due to the fact the characters are filmed seperately.

When using 2 cameras, the master shot and picks are filmed in one go, then the two characters will be filmed at the same time, usually from opposite sides. This way the reactions, gestures and facial expression will be more consistant as they are filmed at the same time.



Opposed to the other scene from Rush Hour 3 this scene is made up mainly of the master shot, capturing both subjects from a side view which shows a conversation/interview. The scene challenges the conventions of conversation shooting by using no over the shoulder shots. Instead mid shots of each characters are used switching between the two people to capture their reactions or main sections of speech, 

Shot Types + Camera angles

Camera movements and Shot types. 

Different Camera movements and shot types are used to create different emotions and highlight the difference in scene or situation within a film. For example different camera movements/shot types would be used for a horror to a rom-com. Different shot types are used in different circumstances to engage the audience and let them know how they should feel and give an atmosphere.

This video explains different camera movements and what they are typically used for;



This Video briefly explains the basic shot types, including long shots, close ups and mid shots.

shot types.pptx Camera Angles.

How to shoot people walking.

This you tube clips shows a variety of different movie walking clips. To achieve these cool walking scenes a variety of shots and camera angles would have been used. 

For one, the tracking shot;

This is when the camera is fixed to a dolly and moved alongside the actors as they power walk through various settings. This gives the impression the audience are a part of the action. By moving the camera the audience is being moved a long with them. 

Another type of shot is the crabbing shot;

This is similar to the tracking shot however it moves from side to side, like... a crab. This achieves a similar effect to the tracking shot. Which is brilliant for creating a power walk scene!

Mid shots are a recurring shot type in this montage. This shot presents the characters and introduces them, and their personalities to the audience. A lot can be told from this shot about the role of the character within the film. e.g. in Kill Bill, the mid shots of the hench men portray them to be a rowdy bunch of guys that want to beat people up. 

Close ups of feet are used as well, this seems to present the characters similar to the mid shot. These shots tend to start at the walking feet and pan up to finish as a mid shot. 

Long shots are used to introduce the scene of the film, which creates the atmosphere and suggests to the audience how they should feel in this particular scene. It also gives a further look into the characters and their reasoning's for walking for so long.. 

The soundtrack, I feel is the most effective part of walking scenes, it adds a sense of drama and excitement. It also gives the characters empowerment and makes them seem superior to the audience and the others around them. It gives a sense that they are the people everyone wants to be. 

Introduction

Hi, I'm Lizzie Adcock and this is my AS media blog.