For this Assignment we were randomly spilt into groups and asked to analyse a short film that was assigned to our group. Our group included Chris, Chloe, Zoe and myself. Our short film was Nodding off by Kailey Choi.
This animation is about an office worker (owner of the car) taking his daily trip home from the office and falls asleep at the wheel from exhaustion. The pet bobble head in the window becomes the hero and saves the owner from crashing, although at the end is not recognised for its bravery as the owner continues on heading into his home.
In the weeks leading up to this assignment we had lectures with Ryan to understand how to actually analyse and break down the different aspects of film making such as cinematography, sound, mise-en-scene and editing. We were shown different examples of movies such as Whiplash, Isle of dogs, the Sandman and The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford. After watching these films we were able to understand why certain techniques had been used which would hopefully be able to help us understand how to make an animation more engaging using these techniques.
For our Group Presentation, we decided to break down each aspect of film making and work on one part each. During Ryan’s lectures I was really interested in the Framing/camera techniques so I decided that I wanted to work on that for our group presentation, although our group all agreed on our choices before we made any decisions to ensure the group work was fair and everyone was happy with what their task was.
Here are my slides from the group presentation:
Before starting my slides, I began to do my own research that I could use to make summary points in my slide.
Dolly Shot:
In this shot the car is seen to be approaching very rapidly and a Dolly Zoom camera effect has been added to create the sense of depth and to make the viewer feel an extreme reaction of danger as the car approaches. The dolly zoom affect is also known as a vertigo shot as it draws the viewers into the story and the characters state of mind. In this case, The characters state of mind would be in panic as this car approaches them, so this affect really helps to demonstrate this through to the audience.
Urgency/Depth:
The narrow field of view and compressed perspective is giving the affect that the car is moving extremely fast due to the fact the background seems to be out of focus while the car
is in focus. This helps the viewer focus on the important parts of the scene, which would be the car and help them understand the world inside this animation.
Shock/POV:
In this scene the character point of view is approaching this sign very rapidly. The film maker has been able to create this affect by using a POV shot starting off blurry and then
becoming more focused to gradually reveal as a shock what is actually ahead. Using a POV shot helps to make the viewer feel like they are also in this moment with the character and help them experience emotion towards the film as this will make them feel more connected to the story and the characters within. The POV shot almost gives the viewer a sense of panic as the sign gradually becomes more clear. If you could imagine the sign was visible the whole time, how would that impact the emotions of the viewer?
Concentration/close up:
Close up can mimic human vision as we are focusing on details instead of a whole figure. Just like talking to another person, we tend to focus on their face rather than their whole
figure at once they can also be used to highlight emotion or concentration that a character is expressing, it makes viewers feel sympathy towards the character or even a moment that they can relate to. In this scene the character seems to be facing an extreme reaction to the oncoming traffic as they are trying to take control of the car as their owner falls asleep at the wheel. The close up shot shows the characters concentration and allowing the audience to feel more connected with the character.
180 Degree Rule:
In this short the camera will cut from close up scenes to long shot scenes, all from different angles although it never crosses to the other side of the ‘180 Degree line’ which is an
imaginary line that you could imagine being the yellow road markings. Staying on one side of this line keeps the viewer focused on the action instead of distorting the composition.
In terms of angles, this shot from above can also give a more dramatic effect of the car steering all over the road, although it can also be used to make the object to seem at a disadvantage to the viewer, which could also be why it was used maybe to make us feel guilty for looking down on this car about to crash into another car while we sit and watch?
Space:
Using the rule of thirds helps to guide the viewers attention and emphasizing important elements in the frame. This is achieved by balancing certain aspects in the shot, the same
way we would usually paint or draw an image. It would look very unappealing, and the viewers would not have a confirmed area/aspect to be drawn to. In this case the two main characters are placed in a way, so that they feel closer to the audience and the background is in the distance. In this specific shot the character has been placed to one side of the frame while the background is out of focus with barely anything going on to attract the audiences attention. This displays the character as being very isolated and lonely.
References:
Books:
Mercado, Gustavo [05.07.2019]. The Filmmaker’s Eye: The Language of the Lens. Routledge
Bordwell, David; Thompson, Kristin, and Smith, Jeff (2020) Film art: an introduction. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.
Barnwell, Jane (2008). The fundamentals of film-making. Bloomsbury Academic.
Website:
Motion Array, Film making [7.4.2022] URL: 7 Rules For Better Shot Composition and Framing – Motion Array
[last accessed on 7.3.2023]
SC Lannom, StudioBinder, Cinematography [12.02.2023] URL:What is a Dolly Zoom — Scene Examples of the Vertigo Effect (studiobinder.com)
Last Accessed on [8.03.23]
Indie Film Hustle, close up shots: why they are a powerful tool in filmmaking [ 23.03.2022] URL: Close-Up Shots: Why They are a Powerful Tool in Filmmaking | Indie Film Hustle®
last accessed on [8.03.2023]
Videos:
Studio Binder [5.10.2020] Ultimate Guide to Camera Movement — Every Camera Movement Technique Explained [The Shot List Ep6] URL:
Mk Art Studio, The Best Dolly Zoom Shots Ever – Review Video. URL:
Reflection:
Overall, I really enjoyed this module and its something new to me as I had never really analysed a film before although the more I got into it the more it felt like I was just analysing a piece of art or everyday scenarios. After learning how to analyse and knowing why certain aspects are used in films, I can take this knowledge and understanding and use it when creating my own animations in the future.