READING & WRITING
Summary of Chapter Three – Basic Sequence and Chapter Four – Screen Direction from The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video by Tom Schroeppel
Chapters three and four continue Tom’s straightforward coverage of photography. As opposed to the more technical workings of the camera itself, or say the mechanics of sound or lighting techniques, these two chapters focus on important shot sequence and screen direction considerations.
Chapter Three
In chapter three’s How a Basic Sequence Works section the author foundationally walks us through how a basic sequence works beginning with the wide or establishing shot, which is duly supported by medium, close up, and cutaway shots. Here I learned some of the uses of cut away shots. Cut away shots are not just, for example, to shorten an overly long scene. As it relates to our assignment I’m reminded that I believe cutaway shots can be especially useful in helping to smooth over jarring or uneven footage.
In chapter three’s Shooting a Basic Sequence section I learned that the important thing to remember in shooting a basic sequence is that each new shot should, if at all possible, involve a change in both image size and camera angle. Here I was exposed to a classically ideal camera set up diagram showing there should be at least 45 degree angles for the various shots – wide, medium, close up and cutaway.
Another tip that I more readily understood was the benefits of having a “clean entrance” and a “clean exit” for shots. Tom offers a good summarizing word of advice for chapter three: The more you cover yourself wit changes in image size , changes in camera angle, cutaways, overlapping actions and , and clean entrances and clean exits, the better your final product will be.
Chapter Four
In chapter four’s Screen Direction and Crossing The Line section Tom foundationally defines screen direction as the direction people and things face when viewed through the camera.
Here Mr. Schroeppel also very relatedly defines the concept of crossing the line, also known as the axis of action as the imaginary line which determines the direction people and things face viewed through the camera. Tom doesn’t quite say it quickly enough or strong enough for me but I did deduce that crossing the line is a bad thing!
Right or wrong in my mind I can best understand crossing the line as a sort of cinematic blooper where you, through you sequence of shots, have unintentionally reversed the screen direction of the shots that you have taken. One of Tom’s tips here is that you need to stay one side or the other of the imaginary line – don’t go jumping back and forth lest you confuse the viewer. Having defined a problem Tom goes on in this section to give solutions as to how to fix such photographic bloopers. One good example that I’m likely to remember is to insert what’s called a neutral shot in between the two shots that are obviously not facing the same direction as they should.
In the Using Screen Direction to Solve Shooting Problems section Tom points out an important corollary to this issue of unintentionally reversing the screen direction. The corollary, which sort of makes intuitive sense to me is: As long as you don’t cross the line, as long as you keep the same screen direction, you can move people, things and the camera anywhere you want.
RESEARCH TO INFORM
In having to search for videos that show smooth continuity through multiple angles I’m noticing cinematic techniques that as a casual viewer I hadn’t particular noticed before. Just watching the movie. Now I’m wanting to shake my wife sometimes when we’re watching a movie or tv show just to point out all of the different shots and techniques think that I recognize. Sorry hun — I just knocked over your popcorn!
1 —— Red Cliff Official HD Trailer –- This trailer does show smooth continuity through multiple angles. Specifically about 8 seconds into this clip the editor shows a classic wide shot of a Chinese army followed by a smooth, close up of presumably the Chinese army’s leader. At about the 10 second mark the editor follows the close up of the Chinese leader by going back to another wide shot of the army.
I noticed a bit of a pattern here with other epic war movies. Specifically where they tend to show wide shots of the epic battle followed by close ups of the actors to pick up on their associated emotions and passion to fight.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW to access smooth video transitions being referred to.
2 —— Braveheart Trailer –- Similar to the Red Cliff trailer above about 6 to 8 seconds into this trailer a wide shot is shown –this time of a river and mountainous location. This wide shot is followed up by several seconds of close ups of the main character, Mel Gibson, and his longtime sweetheart — “then (as kids) and now (as adults)”
Then, at about the 19 second mark, there is another wide shot of Mel Gibson and his sweetheart sitting down and talking on a mountain ledge against (presumably) a backdrop of the same or similar mountainous location mentioned earlier
CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW to access smooth video transitions being referred to.
3 —— The Life of Brian (1979) –- The first few seconds show a man sneaking up behind a statue followed by a closeup of the man’s face. The closeup of the man’s face is followed up, In turn, by a wide out of the man running to hide behind the next statue on his way to the main old building.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW to access smooth video transitions being referred to.
4 —— Bonus Points — Dad/Toddler/ Train Crossing Scene –-
Found this gem of an example that has a continuity error. Note that I didn’t have time to sift through many videos just in hopes of finding a “caught in the wild” version of such a continuity error. Never-the-less, at about the 7 second mark where I have set the video to begin, the adult male clearly does not have on a jacket where at about the 27 mark, all of a sudden he does!
CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW to see the jacket continuity error being referred to.
CREATE
Filming a how to/”continuity” video this week was interesting, a little challenging, and indeed a learning experience. My unstated frame of reference (no pun intended) just looking at the assignment was a naïve one. Some almost inevitable equipment challenges aside I guess that I fundamentally I didn’t initially understand the “continuity” part. Or at least I looked at continuity from another angle. (pun this time intended).
I just assumed going in, that to shoot a how to video, I would do just that: continuously shoot the entire video several or even many times until it was close enough for the editing process. Wide, medium, and close ups, I naively figured, would *all* be shot in one, long continuous shot. Shot over and over again until, again, it was time for editing in post. Filming continuously this particular way I thought that I would not need to be as concerned about such filming rules that I would learn later such as match on action.
I knew that I wasn’t totally crazy in my film *all* in one shot continuity thinking when some research revealed the similar question “Why do we shoot a sequence instead of one long shot?”. Apparently its essentially because “The use of the sequence shot allows for realistic or dramatically significant background and middle ground activity.”
I guess I now get it!
Speaking of continuity, even my very short filming was such that it was done over two days. It had to be done this way as it became dark outside on the first day of shooting. To maintain continuity, I had to wait until the next morning when it was once again light!
CLICK below to see my basic How-To video on how to caulk windows to conserve energy!
Kevin
