Evaluation Of Continuity System Sequence

       

The Gun Deal

During our induction period into the course we were asked to make a 90 second movie sequence where a package is exchanged using the continuity system. In this sequence we had to include a set criteria of shots and camera movement to make sure we understood what we had been learning about.

Mise-En-Scene

Mise-en-scene is French for what's within the scene, this can include costumes, props, setting and lighting. In this shot you can see the gun that represents violence in the movie and the low key lighting on the shot shows that it is an action/ thriller movie.

Lighting

In filming lighting is used to create a mood of the scene, e.g. in horror films they will use a low key lighting to connote fear and danger whereas in a comedy film they will use high key lighting to connote happiness and love.During this scene we were using a low key lighting to connote danger and crime.

Camera angles

Camera angles are used in filming to create power or weakness. e.g. a high camera angle would connote weakness and poverty and a low camera angle would connote strength and wealthiness. In this scene we use a high camera angle to connote weakness upon the person receiving the package.

Different shot distances

Extreme close up (ECU)- An extreme close up shot focuses on very small details and is used to get an emotion out of the viewer when a scene gets more tense. We used this shot of the persons eyes to show that they are being careful and looking out for anything.

Camera Movement

Pan- A pan is a camera movement where the camera moves along a horizontal axis with the camera body turning to the left or the right on a stationary tripod. This movement is used to follow action or show location. We used this to follow the second person leaving the scene.

Fade

A fade in or fade out is used to signify an end. it is slower than simply cutting to black/white etc, so suits slower paced scenes. An image becomes less transparent in a fade in and more transparent during a fade out. a fade might stand for much later. As you can see in the image below we used a fade to show the end of our film.

The Continuity system

The 180 degree rule- This is an imaginary axis which governs where cameras can be placed in order to maintain continuity when filming a sequence. Crossing this imaginary line will result in a continuity error e.g. interviewees may appear to change places, people walking will change direction. etc.

Establishing shots- An establishing shot is usually the first shot of a new scene, designed to show the audience where the action is taking place. It is usually a very wide shot or extreme wideshot. We used this type of shot in our first scene to establish the location of the film.

Match Cuts On Action- A match on action is the term used to describe two shots which show action that carries through a transition, allowing for the audience to experience a continuous flow of action.We used this to have a constant flow of shots as the person was going through each door.

Eye-line Match- An eye-line match is used to show a characters line of sight. for example this is used when person 1 in the film is looking round the corner (image 1) and then it cuts to what he is looking at from his perspective (image 2). We used this type of shot to show how the character is looking out for other people and trying to be careful.

Point of view shot (POV)- Puts the viewer in the scene. POV shots are used a lot in horror to place the audience in the position of either the villain or the victim. We used this shot to show this character taking the gun from his own perspective.

Shot reverse shot- In order to establish positioning of characters, for reasons of believability, it is important to shoot from locations that allow the characters to maintain position within the scene. In a conversation shot 'over the shoulder' character A will always appear on the right side of the screen and character B will always appear on the left. No matter how many shot changes occur. We used this type of shot for the deal at the end of the film where the package is exchanged from one person to the other.