TV: Media Language
Camera Work:
Low Angle - A low-angle shot occurs when the camera is placed below the subject and the lens is pointing up, it can give the impression of the subject being bigger, more powerful or even sinister!
High Angle - A high-angle shot is a technique where the camera looks down on the character or subject from an elevated perspective. High angle shots can make the character appear vulnerable, powerless, and weak.
Canted Angle - A camera angle which is deliberately slanted to one side, sometimes used for dramatic effect to help portray unease, intoxication and madness etc
Aerial Shots - Ss a shot of a scene is taken from an elevated point. This gives a deeper understanding of what is happening. Other names: Bird's eye view shot and overhead shots.
Elaborate Camera Movement Such As Tracks, Steadicam or Crane Shots:
- A tracking shot is any shot where the camera moves alongside the object(s) it is recording.
- Steadicam is a device that enables smooth video shooting by stabilizing a camera and isolating it from shock and vibration.
- a crane shot is a shot taken by a camera on a moving crane or jib. ... Crane shots are often found in what are supposed to be emotional or suspenseful scenes.
POV Shots - A short film scene that shows what a character is looking at. It is usually established by being positioned between a shot of a character looking at something, and a shot showing the character's reaction.
Shallow Focus - One plane of the image is in focus while the rest is out of focus. Shallow focus is typically used to emphasize one part of the image over another.
Focus Pulls - A creative camera technique in which you change focus during a shot. Usually this means adjusting the focus from one subject to another.
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Editing:
Shot/Reverse Shot - A film technique where one character is shown looking at another character, and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character.
Juxtaposition - Is the film editing technique of combining of two or more shots to evoke an idea or state of mind.
Non-Continuity Editing - To create the illusion of smooth continuous action and helps to keep the audiences' attention to the story. Non-continuity editing is when shots are mismatched to disrupt the impression of time and space.
Crosscutting - Action occurring at the same time, and usually in the same place. In a cross-cut, the camera will cut away from one action to another action.
Fast-Paced Editing - A film editing technique which refers to several consecutive shots of a brief duration (e.g. 3 seconds or less). It can be used to convey a lot of information very quickly, or to imply either energy or chaos.
Less Common Transitions; Dissolve, Wipe and Fade:
- A dissolve is a gradual transition from one image to another.
- A wipe is a type of film transition where one shot replaces another by travelling from one side of the frame to another or with a special shape.
- Fade is when a shot gradually fades to (or from) a single colour, usually black or white.
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Soundtrack:
Music - Music will include common elements such as pitch, rhythm, dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture.
Diegetic Sound - Diegetic sound is a noise which has a source on-screen. They are noises which have not been edited in, for example dialogue between characters or footsteps.
Non- Diegetic Sound - Non-diegetic sound is a noise which does not have a source on-screen, they have been added in.
Sound Effects - A sound effect is an artificially created or enhanced sound, or sound process used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media.
Sound Bridge - A Sound Bridge is when the sound comes in before the images of the next scene (e.g. in a cut from a quiet room to a busy street.
Voiceover - Voiceover is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative —is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations.
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Mise en scène:
Lighting - Illumination by which objects within the frame can be seen.
Low Key Lighting - A low-key image is one that contains predominantly dark tones and colours.
Location/set - Those elements within the frame that function to depict space, place, and time period.
Costume and Make-up - The clothing and attire of characters--or lack thereof. Make-up; Pigments and materials applied to figures to construct their characters.
Props - Props are when an object has a function within the on-going action.
Casting and Performance Style - The physical performance of character, including gestures, expressions, and actions.
Blocking (The Composition of elements within the shot) - Blocking is the arrangement and movement of actors in relation to each other within the single physical space.
- One efficient way to block actors and camera is to use drawings.
- A director must pay close attention to how actors use their bodies and what is signified by their postures and gestures.
