The Camera as Storyteller

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The Camera as Storyteller
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The Camera as a Storytelling Device

• A writer uses words and sentences to convey
  thoughts and ideas. Camera shots are the basic
  element of the directors visual vocabulary.
• The director uses the camera to express ideas
  and to tell the story by combining shots. How the
  audience perceives and interprets these shots
  involves them in the story.

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Consider the following when you compose a shot

• Camera placement
• Composition of shot
• Use of color or BW
• Type of shot
• Size of shot
• Camera movement
• Continuity (linking between scenes or shots)

• Specialty shots
• Lighting
• Editing

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2 questions to ask before shooting

• Where will the camera be placed?
• How will the actors move in front of the camera?
• Note Is the camera in the right place to tell
  the story properly? Are we seeing what we want to
  see? To determine where the camera is to be
  placed, ask yourself, From whose point of view is
  the scene experienced? Who is doing the seeing
  here? Is it a main characters POV, or that of an
  unknown bystander or the omniscient storyteller?
  The POV can shift back and forth within a scene,
  but you should always know from whose vantage
  point the scene is unfolding. You should also
  determine whether the shot is objective or
  subjective. Distant shots tend to be more
  objective and are suited for the storytellers
  POV. The closer a shot, more subjective it
  becomes. Ex. Characters speaking to each other
  with the camera directly over one characters
  shoulder creates an extremely subjective POV.

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Point of View (POV)

• The camera is normally placed at eye level
• Altering this perspective creates definite
  emotional responses from the audience
• A camera placed high, looking down on a character
  gives the audience a gods eye view.
• A camera placed low, looking up to a character,
  makes the character seem powerful or domineering.
• Note Eye level this is how people normally see
  the world.
• Differentiating high and low shots If the
  camera is positioned to look down slightly on one
  character, it makes the other characters seem
  superior.

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Composition of Shot

• Think of the frame as a picture frame
  surrounding a painting. Make the elements in that
  picture move, and then make the frame itself
  move.
• Because each image will be linked with another,
  the director must be conscious of how each shot
  will cut with the next. This contributes to the
  style of your film and sets the pace.
• Note This is the magic of the camera, and the
  director orchestrates it. Each frame may
  contribute to the telling of the story, reveal
  something about the relationship of the
  characters, and contribute to the tone and mood
  of the scene. The visual nature of a shot
  shouldnt be judged on simply whether it is
  pleasing to the eye it should be a vital element
  of communication.

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Types of Shots

• Master (or Establishing) Shot a wide shot
  usually used at the beginning of the scene to
  establish or show where (and sometimes when
  day/night etc.) the action to follow takes place.
  
• Ex. In sitcoms, when they show the exterior of an
  apartment or restaurant before they go inside
  and pick-up with the action. It sets the scene
  and creates context.
• Note Often, the action really doesnt take
  place at the location, but the illusion is
  created by this type of shot. Our brains connect
  the images and make sense of them. You could have
  an establishing shot of the White House and then
  jump to a room set up like the Oval Office and
  one would presume that it was of a presidential
  meeting a la Saturday Night Live.

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• Example of Establishing Shot

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• Over-the-shoulder shot A shot of one actor
  speaking to another when a portion of the second
  actors shoulder appears in the foreground. This
  shot allows the audience to get closer to each
  character while still keeping the other one in
  the frame.

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• Close-up shot

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• Medium shot -

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• Wide shot

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• High angle

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• Low angle

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• Reaction shot Quite simply, reacts to a
  previously shot action.

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• Point of View shot -

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• Birds eye view shot

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• Dutch Angle A slightly tilted or skewed
  perspective meant to off-set the viewer or create
  a sense of uneasiness.

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Other types of shots

• Pan A pan is when the camera moves horizontally
  to the left or right.
• Tilt A tilt is when the camera points
  vertically up or down.
• Handheld Camera Handheld work brings a special
  dynamic to a scene. It adds realism and tension
  for example, in a chase scene it feels as though
  you are part of the action. It is not for all
  scenes though and it must be determined if it
  might be too distracting or agitating.

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Storyboarding

• Storyboarding gives the director (and crew) and
  visual instructions for carrying out the shooting
  of each scene. The storyboard serves as an
  illustrated version of your script, though it
  will visually represent the action. It contains
  instructions for each scene by way of camera
  angles, shot type, and camera motion.

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Example of a Storyboard
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and another
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Editing

• Editing is the joining of one shot to another
  taking the footage youve already shot and then
  putting them together.