Process
Since it is the game which involves the most props, we decided to test out game 2 in the workshop, despite there not being much action. This is because as long as the director knows the space the action will take place in, despite its unpredictability, they can position cameras around that space to achieve the most coverage (Singleton-Turner, 2011:396).
To begin with, I made a "floor plan" of what the set will look like, which acted as an overhead view of the whole space (Cury, 2013:3). From this, I could get an idea of where the cameras, contestants and presenter could be positioned by thinking about where the props will be.
However, before adding any camera positions to the floor plan, I first thought about what type of shots I wanted, since:
"the Director’s choice of shot and sound add to the piece. Instead of simply illustrating the spoken word, perhaps the shots comment of what is going on and relevant pictures can contradict or intensify what is being said"
(Singleton-Turner, 2011:68).
To further develop this I therefore made a shot list of the shots I wanted to achieve, thinking about how these could affect the style and tone of the show, as well as the audience's perception.
For example, I aimed to get closer to the subjects and props as the questions went on to help build tension and uncertainty so the stakes of whether they were going to win or lose were raised. Thinking about my aims like this helped me to position the cameras where I thought I could achieve the best coverage.
Yet, to help communicate these ideas, I also made some basic storyboards of some of the shots since these also helped me organise my overall plan (Singleton-Turner, 2011:359).
Evaluation
My main aim when testing this game was to ensure that it didn't just consist of shot reverse-shots, since I thought this wouldn't be very interesting and therefore could lose the children's attention. To try and avoid this the camera operators and I decided to vary the shot sizes on the contestants and presenter, coming in closer as the game progressed:
I think this worked well with the presenter, because it reinforces the idea that they are important, and are there to guide the contestants and audience through the round. However, with the contestants, I think this was more difficult since there was more than one of them, thus they need more space in the frame so it needs to be wider.
Because of this, in a close-up shot the contestants ended up centre frame which is slightly confusing because it almost looks like a line cross, since one contestant becomes framed screen left, the same as the presenter. However, I think this could be solved by either having two cameras to film the contestants with, so these could be cut between and keep the screen direction consistent, or the contestants could be panned between as they discuss, and a tracking motion could lead the audience to focus on the cadet leader as they give their answer to the presenter.
To capture the props, close-up and medium shots were used. However, because this was a test, we didn't have a battery monitor which filled up, therefore the delivery of the questions and answers was a bit quicker than it would be if the battery monitor had been filling up. Therefore, although we did use the camera filming the close-up of the book to pan to the battery as the contestants were discussing, it didn't fit into the edit.
At first, this move was a bit confusing to the camera operator, especially since I couldn't cue and cut between cameras so neither operator knew when their camera was supposed to be "on air". However, with some rehearsal I think this will improve.
Yet, during the live show, I think it would be simpler for the camera operators if I avoid shots which include more than one element, such as the shot of both the book and the battery, as this would mean their camera would have to move less. Also, I think the close-up shots of only one element better direct the audience's attention, so they are not for example distracted by the battery in the back of the shot of the book. I also think that using tracks could help focus the audience since it would be possible to slowly push in on the battery monitor, making the move simpler.
Nonetheless, having two elements in one shot did work when the presenter was talking to OBIC on the TV screen, but this was because the audience need to be focused both on the presenter and OBIC in this moment. I think this shot would also help with the transition to the VT at the end of the game, since this will appear on the TV screen, which can then be brought full screen since it helps the audience understand why they are seeing a video, so the transition is less jarring.
Long shots can be used to establish in a similar way to an extreme wide shot, showing subject's positions compared to the props and other subjects in the frame (Dise, 2017). Thus, I used this type of shot as a the locked-off wide because it showed the whole layout, and could therefore always be cut to (Singleton-Turner, 2011).
Yet, I think during the workshop we should have payed more attention to details such as bags in the background, and microphones dangling down the front of the contestants and presenter since these can be distracting for the audience and do not show high production values. I think monitors would have helped this, since the screens on the cameras are quite small so details can be hard to spot.
There are also some continuity errors which I think could be avoided by using more than two cameras, as we will have five during the production.
References
Cury, I. (2013) Directing and Producing for Television: A Format Approach. (4thed.) Oxon: Focal Press.
Dise, J. (2017) 'Filmmaking 101: Camera Shot Types.' In: B&H Explora [online] At: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/video/tips-and-solutions/filmmaking-101-camera-shot-types (Accessed on 20 February 2019)
Singleton-Turner, R. (2011) Cue & Cut: A Practical Approach to Working in Multi-Camera Studios. Manchester University Press: Manchester.
Comments
Post a Comment