CG087.
Time-based Multimedia
Assets
Week 8. The language of the
Camera.
Today
 The Camera in general.
 Cinematography
 Camera Angles
 Camera Distance and Language
 Mobile Framing
 Reframing
 Composition and Framing Your Shots.
Cinematography
 The “shot”
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1 –> n frames of images captured sequentially (or designed to
appear so)
 Photographic properties of shots
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Framing of the mise-en-scene
Exposure, focus
Layers (composites)
 Cinematographic properties of shots
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Frame Rate
 Apparent speed can be affected by difference in capture frame
rate and playback frame rate
– Slow-motion
– Fast-motion
 Movement of camera and and/or camera support
 Lens
 Tripod
 Truck
Static Framing
 Size and shape of the frame
 Aspect ratio
 Masks
 Framing defines on-screen and off-screen space
 Off-screen space
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Space beyond each of the four edges of the frame
Space behind the set
Space behind or near the camera
 Framing controls the distance, angle, level, and
height of a vantage point onto the mise-en-scene
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Angle
Level
Height
Distance
Camera Orientation
 Angle e.g.
 Straight on
 High angle
 Low angle
 Level
 Canting (rare)
 Height
 Often relative to human figure
Camera Angles
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Shots with different camera angles.
one of the major distinctions among types of shots is the camera angle.
Changing the camera angle changes the appearance and function of
your shot.
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Horizontal camera angles.
Moving the camera around the subject horizontally while aiming at the
subject creates different camera angles below:
Horizontal camera angles.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Frontal. The frontal angle tends to flatten the three
dimensionality of facial features and environments.
Three-quarter front. The three-quarter front angle is more
often used than the frontal angle or profile because it shows
more depth and volumes.
Profile.
Three-quarter rear.
Rear.
Vertical Camera Angles.
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Moving the camera around the subject vertically while aiming at the
subject creates different camera angles below:
1. High angle. The camera is placed above eye level, looking
downward. A high angle shot can make a character look smaller,
younger, weak, confused, or more childlike.
2. Eye level. Most commonly used.
3. Low angle. The camera is placed below eye level, looking upward.
A low angle shot can make a character look bigger, stronger, or
more noble. It also gives the impression of height.
The images are from "The Art of Technique: An Aesthetic Approach to Film and Video Production"
by John Douglass and Glenn Harnden
Note: Indecisive cut
When cutting from a shot to another shot with a different
camera angle (e.g, from a frontal shot to a three quarter
front), framing the same subject, the difference between
the two camera angles must be greater than 35 degrees.
If the difference is less than 35 degrees, and the
appearance of the subject does not change sufficiently,
you will get the unpleasant effect of an indecisive cut and
the audience will perceive it as a mistake or a distraction.
Camera Distance and Language

Extreme long shot
 Human figure is barely visible,
shows a broad view of
surroundings around the character
and conveys scale, distance and
geographic location

Long Shot
 Figures are more prominent than in
the extreme long shot, but the
background still dominates
 Medium Long Shot
Human figure is framed
from the knees up (very
common shot) good
enough to show physical
setting in which action is
taken place, yet close
enough to shot facial
expressions.
 Medium Shot
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Human figure is framed
from the waist up
(expression and gesture
are more visible)
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Medium Close-Up
 Frames human figure from the top
of the chest up
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Close Up
 Head, hands, or feet, or a small
object. Close enough to show
subtle facial expressions
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Extreme Close-Up
 Singles out a portion of the face
(eyes or lips) fills the screen with
detail
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NOTE: In judging camera distance, the
relative proportion of the material
framed is the basic determinant
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Notes:
 Indecisive cut and shock cut
When cutting from a shot to another shot of a different shot size (e.g,
from a wide shot to a medium wide shot) while framing the same
subject, the difference in image size must be decisive. If the size of the
subject does not change sufficiently, you will get the unpleasant effect
of an indecisive cut and the audience will perceive it as a mistake or a
distraction.
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On the other hand, when cutting from a shot to another shot of a
significantly different shot size (e.g, from a wide shot to a close-up
shot), you will produce a shock effect which is most likely inappropriate.
The usual compromise is to have a shot of a shot size that is inbetween the sizes of the two shots (e.g., from a wide shot to a medium
shot, and then to a close-up shot).
Mobile Framing
 Camera movements
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Lens movement
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Camera movement on static support
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Zoom: The camera's lens is adjusted to increase or decrease the
camera's field of view, magnifying a portion of the scene
without moving the camera.
Pan: The camera rotates from side to side, so that it aims more to
the left or right. The camera does not change the location.
Tilt: The camera rotates to aim upward or downward without
changing the location. Tilt is sometimes called "pitch".
Camera movement on moving support
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Tracking/dolly/truck: The camera's actual position changes, such
as to move alongside a moving subject or to travel closer
to a character during a scene. Dolly in moves the camera
closer to the subject. Dolly out backs the camera away
from the subject. Dolly in and dolly out are sometime called
"track".
Crane
Aerial (helicopter, airplane)
 Camera supports
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Tripod, Steadicam, Handheld, Mounts on other objects and
vehicles
Camera Moves
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Dolly vs. Zoom
The difference between dolly and zoom is that when you dolly, you are
moving the camera in space, while zoom refers to changing the camera's
focal length. When you move the camera, the perspective changes.
Objects far from the camera change in relative size at a slower rate than
objects which are close to the camera. That is what you see through your
human eyes as you walk around, your perspective changes. On the other
hand, when you zoom (i.e., when you change the focal length of your
camera), your camera does not move and perspective does not change.
Reframing
 Reframing in relation to figure movement
 Subtle adjustments of pan and tilt
 Following shots
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Pan
Tracking shot
Crane shot
 Reframing independent of figure movement
 Guide attention of viewer on captured subject
 Reveal information
 Establish next location
Composition and Framing Your
Shots.
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There are many ways to compose a shot, depending
on your goals.
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You want to be aware of what is in the shot and what
isn't. And Why ?
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Ask yourself, can I clearly see what I intend for the
viewer to see? Any confusion?
1.
Rule of Thirds - Rule of thirds divides the frame into thirds
both horizontally and vertically. The points where the vertical
and horizontal lines cross are aesthetically pleasing spots to
place subjects or to have perspective lines converge. It is
usually best to avoid placing horizon lines exactly in the
middle of a frame, but to place the horizon either above or
below centre, approximately one-third or two-thirds up the
height of the frame.
2. Teeter-totter rule
Lighter weight can counterbalance a heavier weight if it
is placed farther away from the centre of the frame.
3. Avoid frontal angle
The frontal angle tends to flatten the three
dimensionality of facial features and environments.
Angling the shot produces more depth and volumes.
Shooting straight against walls
produces flat compositions with little
sense of depth in frame.
Angling the shot into walls produces
receding perspectives and a better
sense of depth.
Safe Areas
Text, e.g., the title of your work, should be kept in the
centre 80% of the screen, within a guideline called the
title safe area.
To make sure that your audience will not miss any
important action in your work, the vital parts of your
scene should take place within the central 90% of your
frame, a guideline called the action safe area.
Why? It's because what's outside the action safe area
is invisible on most TV sets.
Headroom
 - A term used with shots of people. This refers
to the space above the subject's head. You'll
see different amounts of headroom left,
depending on the intent of the creator of the
video. In general, if you're standing right in
front of someone, you'll see that they have
space all around them - they aren't cut off by
a frame. By leaving headroom, or space
beside them, you are imitating what you see
in real life.
 Talking/Walking Room - If you are interviewing someone or
have video of someone talking, you generally do not want them
looking directly at the camera (again, depends on your goals certain situations may call for that). Generally you want the
person to be looking off to the left or right of the camera a bit,
towards where the interviewer is sitting. When you do this,
frame your shot so that there is some talking room. That is, you
want to leave some extra space to the side of their face as if you
were going to draw a dialogue box in for them. This space is
"talking room." If the person is talking to another person on
camera, this is shown as space between them. Walking room, if
the person in motion, gives them space to walk to. It leaves
space in the shot for the action, whether it be words or walking.
Two shot & Over-the-shoulder shot
 Two shot shows two characters.
 Over-the-shoulder shot is a close-up of a character as seen
over-the-shoulder of another person in the foreground.
180 degree rule
 If you are using multiple cameras and plan to edit the different
shots in a scene into a seamless sequence, an important rule to
keep in mind is to place all the cameras on the same side of a
line of action. A line of action is a path which your subject is
travelling along or an imaginary line between two characters
who are interacting. This rule is called "180 degree rule".
Look at the following camera placements:
180 degree rule
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If Camera 2 and Camera 3 are used, the audience stays on one side of
the line of action. These shots are called
"reverse angle shots".
180 degree rule
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If Camera 2 and Camera 4 are used, the audience crosses the line of
action. It's disorienting and confusing.
Functions of Camera Movement
 Often increases information about the space of the image
 Objects become more vivid and sharp than in stationary
framings
 Often reveals new objects or figures
 Provides new perspectives on objects and figures adding to our
information about them and their 3-dimensionality
 Camera movement appears to be a substitute for our movement
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Unlike zooming or scaling, in genuine camera movement we see
different sides of objects and backgrounds
 When the camera moves, we sense our own movement through
space
 Whereas when the lens zooms, a part of the space seems
magnified or de-magnified