Timeline

Camera Techniques pioneers

Transitions

Transition cuts are used when we film a shot or a scene we use transitions to cut out and cut in different transitions such as cut in and cut out. The was in which these were gradually developed was from George Melies as in his films he used jump cuts and transitions to create a sense of atmosphere or the viewers. there are also shot dissolves for example in the film psycho which was directed by Hitchcock in the shower scene were we see the victim get ruthlessly murdered we see the plug hole and it uses a dissolve transition and cuts to her eye. this shows us she's dying as the plug hole shows darkness.  So the transition technique was used mainly by Alfred Hitchcock were he used two transition types in his film Psycho.

Jump cuts

Jump cuts play a huge part in the editing we do today and it was discovered by accident George Melies was filming a bus but since he is only able to record 10 minuets of footage he had to just keep filming but his camera jammed and the bus was now a car as he fixed it. But as Melies was a live performer he used this to his advantage and then used the jump cut as some what of an allusion this made the audience very entertained as they have not yet seen film in this sort of manner from this point forward all over film pioneers used the jump cut for the sort of realistic events as we see in modern films today.

In the video above was a film by George Melies called the haunted castle in this sequence we see a large number of jump cuts as we see the bat turning into the man this suggested to the people that this was a sort of magic trick and this weren't the only bit the skeleton appears in front of the man with the sword this is clear evidence of a jump cut that is being used.

3 short films analysis 

The smiling Man 

I researched a film called the smiling man in this film we see it is set at 2am the character is walking in the dark motionless streets. We see a very bizarre man who is intimidating the character we see walking home. He makes very strange movements towards him as he takes very strange steps towards him. 

In this scene we are able to gather that this man has seen something very eerie or is looking at something very creepy and disturbing this is why close ups are effective in thrillers from this we can gather that he is tense or frozen from what he is looking at the reason for this being is his facial expression shows us that he is very scared and looks frightened.

Here we see a long shot of a very strange crouched man this could mean that he is watching something from a distance this has been used to show he is a freak as they have placed him far away from the man looking this is what makes the character it also distances him because he doesn't belong and he looks like he is ready to attack someone.

In this mid shot we are able to see what the character looks like and his clothing scheme this looks very creepy and we see he is trying to intimidate the young man who is walking home this has a strong use of low key lighting as the background behind him is all blurred out. this shows the man is all alone and this means he is in serious trouble.


The lighting which is used is very effective as it is set in the complete darkness of 2am. the street lights help to show the characters in very clear visibility. This is also very effective because this way we are able to see the whole characters appearance and it also adds to the dark grainy atmosphere. As this a thriller the idea that it is 2 am helps camera lighting as well as it picks up the street lights very clearly. and the characters. The lighting which is used in this sequence is Low Key Lighting as its dark.

 Here we can see a shot were we are able to see the lighting of the characters surrounding. the color is very dark which makes us feel that something very awful might take place or something very creepy but the lighting in this short film plays a massive part in its role as the atmosphere is the second most important form for suspense and tension.

Camera angles: in the film we move on to see a variety of different camera angles this includes long shots, mid shots, extreme close ups and close we see a long shot of the smiling Man this distances us to add a sense of mystery as to who this intriguing and creepy Man is, it also makes a chill go down your spine as it is weird as to why this character is here. we also see some mid shots. We see a mid shot of the main character as he slows his movements we can see from his facial expressions that he is looking something eerie. In this short film analysis the lighting is dark as you are able to tell but the reason for this being is because something dark is about to take place. such as the smiling man the dark color is used to show evil.

In this image we see see an extreme close up this shows that he is either scared for his life as when we see his facial expression shows off lots of fear. He also might be incredibly scared as in this scene we also see the lighting is completely blurred this has a use of depth of field as focuses on the characters facial expressions to show that he is scared as someone very strange is following him around.

In this very scary image we see the smiling man staring down at his victim this shows he is clearly crazy as the facial expression he is putting on is very happy he looks like he wants to kill someone this is effective in thrillers as it creates strong senses of suspense. We also see another use of depth of field as we can see and focus on the characters face and see he is insane.  

Here we see him looking from a distance at something we also see the whole character, from his facial expression he looks quite weird as he can see something very unusual looking at him. This adds a very strong effect as we can gather from his reaction that he is looking at something very strange and peculiar. This could be either good or bad but likely to be bad


in the shot on the left we see a high angle long shot this shows that this character is in some dominant to the young man we see at the start of the short film. We can infer from this that the man is mentally unstable therefore could attack the man we see at the start of the short film this distances him from the young man but it gives off a really eerie feeling as he is not that for away he is also quite hard to make out.

This single thriller shows and outlines all of the topics which make it a thriller in this film we know they use low key lighting for the dark grainy affects of a thriller.

The activities within in thriller also suggest it as it shows the smiling man making the very bizarre movements we see in the clips this would suggest to us that it is a thriller it is also one character and the smiling man therefore making it a single stranded production. where as if we were to put are selves in his shoes we would know the full horror of his situation but we also hear non-diagetic sound which means we are able to hear sound the main character cannot hear this shows us whatever is following him is close and it isn't good as the sounds are very dark. which would explain more to us that the short film is a thriller.  

here is one of the images of the smiling man you can see from the lighting we are able to see the whole character in low key lighting making the viewers who are watching feel more fear as they are able to see the character in full also we see the body language he portrays to the audience who are viewing it this has conventions of horror but we know it is a thriller as horror shows off elements of blood, gore and the helplessness of people this thriller is very close to a horror as it shows of some of the conventions we see in horror films such as chases and people getting caught.

In this shot we see the deranged smiling man pick up pace and start sprinting towards the young man. This creates suspense as the man is now being chased by this deranged man this creates effective as this is a thriller it has gone from stalking to an all out chase this is frighting as if you were in the shoes of the pursued.

In this scene we see his reaction to this very strange man who is now chasing him this makes the atmosphere amp up with tension we can see that this close up makes his reaction clear to us that he is shocked and frightened because of this horrifying smiling man this makes the situation even more problematic as there are no witnesses and its 2am.

In this high angle camera we see this crazy man stare down this young man this shows off dominance as he looks bigger and also looks very very threatening. We also cant see his whole face this creates mystery as to who this insane person is and why they are being incredibly creepy this draws the audience in as it creates a form of motion that will kick off

Porcelain Rising

in the short film porcelain rising it is clearly a horror as it uses lots of aspects that you would see in a horror film. it is a single stranded production as the main character is just the little girl but it shows of horror conventions mainly due to lighting as you are able to tell in the film there is thunder and lightning this shows of a very strange and creepy atmosphere.
the main protagonist is a doll which seem innocent but the one in the film porcelain rising looks very sinister and scary. which makes it jump out in your face.

here you are able to see a shot of the lighting. you also get to see the doll they use close ups and mid shots to show the characters. and here we are able to see a close up of the doll as we see her head and her shoulders. these close ups are very effective when they are used in horror films as it shows suspense and it draws your attention to it. this has similar aspects to the smiling man except this is horror not thriller.


Here is another close up of the doll as we can see the facial expressions change as the doll is put in the cupboard. here is a clear example of low key lighting. as the doll is clouded in shadow. Lighting is more effective in horrors as it build up to the point were we see the doll. its also unsettling


this relays on sound to give it its ghoulish atmosphere this is because it is horror and uses elements of sound for its effects you mainly hear light music at the start of the video but it pulls off and gets heavier when we see the doll this helps build up to the moment were something bad is about to take place and at the end of the video we see the doll stab the small girl get stabbed by the hostile doll this is why sound is very important as it builds the atmosphere in the series.

Sound is very impact in moving image especially sounds we have lots of sounds used in this horror flick to diegetic to non diegetic these diegetic sounds are breathing, talking, water dripping thunder and lightning, giggling and shuffling. these sound are what make the piece realistic and it also adds to the sense of realism. but there is also sounds which the characters cannot hear


in the piece we are able to hear this dark music playing at the start but it is also very creepy and this grabs your attention this is what makes horror film these sounds are hear to let you know that something bad is about to happen. in the short film the way they used camera angles was interesting they used lots of mid shots and close ups to add fear to the experience this is what made the film even more creepy as it doesn't like to distance you from the horror but pull you in from this we can infer that there is no where to run therefore making the chances more scary for the girl and the audience.  


in the horror sequence porcelain rising camera angles are very important as this is a horror it flicks between shots quite slowly this is so it can build on its very grisly atmosphere also to help it low key lighting. they use the 180 degree rule effectively as in this short horror flick we are able to a realistic capture from above this then makes it easier for the viewer to understand the tension and drama.

In this short film they also use high angles and low angles this to show dominance and the fact of insignificance. this is a very strong super factor in horrors as it tries show power and evil over the people who are getting tormented by whatever is trying to kill them. The lightning in this horror sequence is also very effective as this reflects on what is happening in the house.

in the shots we are able to see the area in which the girl is in and it looks very strange and unusual for a bedroom this infers to us that the is something evil in this horror sequence as the sounds heard in this horror are very eerie the sounds which the doll makes as well are very satanic and this is what builds on the effect of the horror as it shows she is helpless to defend herself.
When we see the footage of the Film Porcelain rising we see very strong elements very related to scenes as in one scene she crawls under the bed as she is frightened that something is trying to find her. This build suspense and tension as the slow atmosphere starts getting faster and faster until she is caught then the speed has progressed.

In the Horror it is really good at showing off the elements of helplessness as in the scene to the left she is tied up this shows that she has no were to and that she probably faces almost certain death. this is scary and shows us the fact that just using a creepy atmosphere reflects on the events that can take place in the horror.

In the horror there is also clear indications of struggle this is when the close ups used in this horror are very effective as it becomes very evident that the girl is not able to be helped either this shows us that the father is trying his best to save his daughter. but its hard as the door is locked and he is trying everything in his power to open the door.

Here is a mid shot of the doll getting ready to stab the girl from this we know that there are also references to a slasher were in a slasher it exposes the victims to serious struggle and we can see the doll does not have a shadow this makes it all the more scary and the mid shot has been used very effectively as we are able to see the whole arm and not just the hand and knife.


In this very creepy scene we see the girl that has the dolls face but it is covered in blood this shows to us that low key lighting brings out the characters background and we can see that the background is pitch black this makes all the more unsettling as it shows to us the character we see is pure evil and will stop at nothing to kill this a strong horror factor and this mid shot shows us the entire character not just the face so we can see its grisly appearance. In the picture with dad it is clearly a mid shot but we can see his body language is very tense and worried as he is slouched on his side we also see his facial expression and can understand he is very shocked and angry that his daughter has been killed by the killer doll. Like most horrors this relays on the effect that the girl is completely helpless therefore she ended up dying in the end.  


Charlie: 

in this short film which is based off of a horror this features a strange home invader called charlie this threatens the life of a young living in his home and facing a horror like no other. this is a linear production as it simply follows through beginning middle end and dosent use jump cuts or flashbacks. In the footage camera angles are used very effectively like the uses of high angles and low angles camera shots are also used very well. Such as close ups and mid shots.  

In this shot it is clear to us that it is a over the shoulder camera angle and they have implemented the 180 degree correctly using these camera angles and shots help us to understand what the characters are discussing we are also able to create a realistic feature of talking and it seems legit. We are also able to see character face expressions clearly.

In this shot it is clearly a close up from just looking at the torch and his facial expression from just looking we know he is scared as there is something in the house with him this creates mystery as we do not yet know what he is hearing or seeing. low key lighting also adds effect to the horror element in this short film this draws the audience towards it as somethings about to happen.

In this frighting shot we see the antagonist causing the problems they have used this effectively as it is a mid shot we get a new sense of fear now that we can see the character causing the issues this creates suspense. As the character is revealing itself to the audience and it in some ways creates wounder as you have no idea what the character will do next.

In this short film we lots of ways they have used editing to there advantage. as we can see the lighting is used really well as we are able to make out this characters horrid facial expression. The dark is also very tense as we cannot see were the killer is.

In this shot is used at 180 degree angle this way we also see the guitar. this shows us a calm environment as we hear the guitar and the lighting is also very bright. From this we can assume that since the atmosphere seems at peace there might be something just as equally bad that might try to harm this man. this leaves us with a sense of mystery.