When filming someone walking, there is a number of things to bare in mind. One of them is the main things is the 180 degree rule. This is the idea that the camera filming remains on one side of the characters. This usually reduces confusion of the viewers as the characters don't switch sides, they stay on the side the viewer originally see them on. When a camera crosses the 'line of action' which connects the two subjects it is called 'crossing the line'. If this happens, shots are often reversed. On the left is a visual example of the 180 degree rule. When the camera passes the straight black line on to where the red line is, the characters switch (as in the red box) and would be standing in reverse.
Variety of Camera Movements
Panning Shot: This is when a camera goes from side to side (panning the room) usually with the use of a tripod for a steady shot. This is an example that I found;
Tracking shot: This is when the camera is on wheels, usually a set of tracks, allowing the camera to go back and forth. Here is an example of one;
Dolly: This is simple when the camera can do anything. The camera can go up and down, side to side, horizontally, vertically, and so on. For example;
Dolly Zoom: When the camera moves either even closer to or further away from the characters whilst the zoom angle is simultaneously being adjusted, allowing the characters to be able remain the same size. Here is an example that I've found;
Tilting shot: This is when the camera is tilted up and/or down, An example to showing this:
Following shot: This is quite literally when the camera follows something or someone at a reasonably constant distance. For example;
Jib: A jib shot is when the camera is on a crane. Here is an example of this:
Pedestal shot: When the camera moves vertically (in a pedal form). Here is an example of how this could be done;
These are examples of shots that can be used while someone is walking, for a variety of different effects. Though, not all of them need to be used at once.
Example in a movie - Staying Alive (1983)
To begin with, there is a slam through the door, followed by a series of following shots. This creates an effect of consistency and fluency in John Travolta's walk. In-between these shots, there are cut-in shots of different parts of his body. For example, his feet. In this circumstance, it emphasises the fluency as although we don't see his face and upper body moving anymore, it is clear that he is still moving because of his feet. Here are a few examples of the cut-in shots:
These show what he is wearing, quite casual clothes (jeans, leather jacket, casual shoes and a shirt). The leather jacket in itself has connotations of 'bad'. This connotation, along with the slamming through the doors at the beginning, gives John Travolta a 'bad boy' image.
There is also an example of a tracking shot in this clip. From this we can establish his settings/environment. This is important as it allows the audience to see where he is important, and allows them to come to terms again with where he is, as now he's left what seemed to be a club. He appears to be walking passed plenty of shops, showing he is on a street. He also seems to have a 'bounce' in the way he walks which, along with his slight smiling, gives the impression that he is happy about something. All these things are made obvious through the shots used, showing the impact shots have on a film.

Another Film Example - Night At The Roxbury
In this scene, we see a wider variety of shots, an more angles. We see other people walking on the street also, giving a sense of normality, daily life. The light levels in this clip are a lot brighter, portraying daylight and positivity. Compared to the first clip, there is a lot more focus on the mise-en-scene, settings, surroundings.
Here are a few examples of the surrounding shops used in this clip.

This is a simple flow chart of the shots of the main characters used in this clip.
Compared to the Staying Alive clip I used earlier, the shot variety is much higher. This elongates the audiences interest in the film. All of the main elements that should be used to enhance the effects on filming someone walk (e.g. the 180 degree rule and shot variety) is used in this clip.
First we see a shot of the characters' feet, which moves slowly into a 2 mid-shot of them, walking in sync. The camera then moves into a mid-shot of Steve drinking something. This then changes into a tilted low angle shot of Doug walking then into a tilted low angle shot of Steve. After this, there is a long/wide shot of the pair of them together again walking, watching a young lady walk by. They then turn and chase the girl, so it's a shot from behind, into a 3 mid-shot of them with the girl. The final shot is a tracking shot of Steve and Doug walking into a flower shop. Changing from front to back, low shot to mid shot etc allows the audience to see everything from different perspectives, also adding to the interest because it means the viewers aren't just looking from one point of view.
Similar to the clip of John Travolta's walk in Staying Alive, there are plenty of cut-ins of parts of their body while walking, for example, their feet. Both also end with a long shot of the characters converting into a mid-shot as the characters walk towards the camera. However, Night At The Roxbury is less repetitive with the cut-ins used. This could be due to technological convergence and the improvement/development of films over the years has allowed producers to understand this and better film quality. Although this has been a good thing in this aspect, other times it may not be so good as it means audiences have higher expectations of films.
The clip begins and finishes with Steve and Doug together, side by side. This creates a looping, echoing effect. The audience should feel a sense of unity and good friendship between them. This means they familiarise themselves with this aspect of the film, giving them a deeper understanding as well as making them feel their part of the film.
No comments:
Post a Comment