Preliminary Task and Results

How to shoot a conversation

Shooting a conversation is very similar to shooting someone walking, it's all about diversity. You want to have a wide range of shots and angles to stop the viewer from getting bored.
My example of a conversation will be from Star wars a new hope where Han and Greedo have a conversation in a bar.

When watching the scene i saw 5 different camera angles, none of them lasting very long. There were two over the shoulder shots from Greedo's side looking at Han, then two mid shots, one of each character, and finally an extreme close up of Han and his gun under the table.

This range of shots is to keep the viewer entertained as conversations, like walking scenes, aren't very interesting to watch. These are the master shot, the master shot is the most important shot as it shows both characters, and the surrounding area.. Character 1 and 2 master shots mainly focus on one character each, they are mid shots but can also be close ups and are used to show a reaction or the person talking. And the pick up shots are used like fillers or to show extreme detail in something that is happening. Most conversations are only filmed with one camera, this means that the conversation has be done over and over again.

This is where continuity editing comes in. It is important for things not to get too out of place when filming a scene more than once and from different angles, for example the characters must be wearing the same clothes.
The 180 degree rule also applies to conversations, it may be broken, but as a rule of thumb you shouldn't cross the line. This stops the viewer from getting confused.
To conclude, getting lots of different angles and shot types is crucial, it keeps the audience entertained as you keep having to adjust your vision and take in the new surroundings.  It is very similar and follows some o the same basic rules as how to shoot someone waking.

How to shoot people walking

Shooting people walking is an essential skill for any director as it will come up in any film. It is important to not let the viewer get bored when watching something as simple as a shot of someone walking. Here are just a few of the ways:

A tracking or crab shot is an excellent way of showing the character(s) walking from a sideways perspective, while also developing the background and involving the viewer into what is going on. It is used here in Reservoir Dogs to help introduce the characters.

While some directors don't follow this it is a common practice to not cross the line. Also known as the 180 degree rule it basically says that there is an invisible line through the character(s) that cameras should stay on one side of. This stops the scene flipping and characters ending up on different sides of the screen. Eg. With a walking scene they should always be walking to the left or the right of the screen, not both.

Close ups are important for walking scenes especially to introduce a character at the beginning of a film. By having such an extreme close up there is no mistaking who our attention should be on. An effective use of close up is to focus on the persons feet while they are walking, for example, the intro to Saturday Night Fever. It keeps the audience interested in something quite mundane like walking.

The key thing to remember for shooting people walking is variety. Without it viewers lose interest as walking isn't exactly the most exciting thing to watch in the world, but with the right music and a range of different shots anything can be interesting.

Different Camera Angles

Different Camera Angles
This Powerpoint is to show different types of camera angles, the uses for them and what sort of scenes they could be used in to make that scene more dramatic. A useful guide with picture demonstrations.