section 7-lesson 1 camera angles -...

Section 7: Documenting LOCAL TRADITIONS with video Lesson 1 - Using Different Camera Angles to Tell a Story

TEACHER: THEME/SUBJECTS: Local History (Language Arts, Social Studies, Technology) GRADE LEVEL: High School - can be adapted to upper elementary and middle school levels

Dates of Assignment: Suggested duration: 2 -‐ 3 days LESSON 1 - USING DIFFERENT CAMERA ANGLES TO TELL A STORY Objective:

to gain an understanding of how different camera angles portray emotions and help to tell a story

Activities:

1) View film clips and photographs to familiarize students with the 15 different angles listed.

2) Discuss “rule of thirds” for composition of shot (tic-‐tac-‐toe grid) and view the 8 minute video about shot compostion “Take 5: I’ve Been Framed!”

http://www.digitaljuice.com/djtv/detail.aspx?sid=66#download-‐wrapper 3) Students identify angles viewed in class as a group. 4) Using a camera, demonstrate how to get different the camera angles. 5) Discuss general ‘themes’ students can choose: suspense, mystery, comedy,

drama, etc. 6) Each student list the 15 camera angles angles in an order that suggests a

mood or theme. 7) *Students may storyboard their 15 shots (template below) but not required-‐

-‐some students get discouraged trying to draw, especially perspective and emotion.

8) Discuss in-camera editing: Record each shot for 3 seconds (one Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi).

9) Working in crews of 2 to 3, each student videotapes their list of shots in the order planned.

10) Present project to the class for discussion and review. Product: One 50 – 90 second in-‐camera edit video demonstrating a theme or mood using the provided list of 15 camera angles and sound bites. Materials: • DVDs-‐to show film clips of different camera angles • Camera Angle definitions (below) • Video Production Vocabulary (below) • Magazines, photography books, or photography websites of camera angles • Storyboard Template (below) • Video camera with microphone, (iPad can be used to record) • Tripod Section 7 - Using Different Camera Angles to Tell a Story page 1/10

Section 7 - Using Different Camera Angles to Tell a Story page 2/10

Student Name: ___________________________ Theme:______________________ In-Camera Edit: Pause camera after each shot, then set up the next shot, record etc. Record each shot for AT LEAST 3 SECONDS! Count to yourself: One Mississippi, Two Mississippi, three Mississippi… Organize or rearrange the shots

1. Low Angle (worm’s eye view - wide or medium) of a doorway, then someone walks past the doorway.

2. Close-up of someone’s hands active (ex, typing, sewing, pointing, combing hair)

3. Wide shot of someone reading.

4. Two-Shot (medium) of two people having a conversation

5. The words: recited, written on the board or paper or from letters in a magazine: “WELL, WELL, WELL, THERE YOU ARE!”

6. High angle (camera looking down) of three people laughing.

7. Tilted (wide) shot of a stairway or steps.

8. Close-up of someone looking right, then left...

9. Wide shot of one person walking very fast towards the camera.

10. Zoom-in from a medium shot to a close up shot on someone’s hands.

11. Low Angle (camera looking up) at someone screaming.

12. Tilted shot of someone sitting on a bench or chair reading a book or letter.

13. Over-the-shoulder shot: (interview) of two people having a conversation.

14. Straight line PATTERNS-created by shadows or lines on a building, fence, stairs etc

15. Medium shot SILHOUETTE (back-lit) of a person standing (in front of a sunny window or lamp)

THEME SUGGESTIONS: Comedy/Funny Drama/Serious Mysterious spying on someone Scarey Etc

Section 7 - Using Different Camera Angles to Tell a Story page 3/10 Student Name______________________________ Theme ______________________ List the 15 shots in an order that will illustrate your theme.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14. 15.

Section 7 - Using Different Camera Angles to Tell a Story Student Assessment page 4/10 STUDENT ASSESSMENT STUDENT NAME Y N Points

possible: 27

Points earned:

1. Theme selected 3 2. Worked with partner

3

3. Shots listed and storyboard complete before shooting

3

4. Each shot at least 3 seconds long

3

5. Steady camera or Tripod used

3

6. Audible Audio 3 7. All 15 shots recorded

3

8. Edited in-‐camera 3 9. Viewed in class 3 ALASKA CONTENT STANDARDS: ARTS: Pg 27 A -‐-‐ A student should be able to create and perform in the arts. A 1-‐5, 7 TECHNOLOGY: Pg 31 C -‐-‐ A Student should be able to use technology to explore ideas, solve problems and derive meaning. C 1, 2, 3

Section 7 - Using Different Camera Angles to Tell a Story page 5/10

CAMERA ANGLES, TERMINOLOGY, ABBREVIATIONS, DEFINITIONS: Background: The area behind the subject. Make sure the background isn’t distracting. Close-up (CU): A close view of the subject that fills the frame. Person: shoulders to top of head; Hands typing on a keyboard or phone pad

Classroom: Stack of Books; pencil(s); notebook; computer mouse; eye-‐glasses. Compose: How you frame your shot in the camera’s viewfinder. Dutch Angle: Subject is at an angle. Camera is tilted to the right or left, the horizon line is tilted. Establishing Shot: (also see Wide Shot) All or most of the subject, tells the audience where you are. Eye level: Looking at subject from camera’s eye level. Extreme Close-up (ECU): (Use a tripod) Extremely close view of part of a subject that fills the frame.

Details of Flower petals or tree leaves Person: Eye(s), mouth or nose, hands or feet Classroom desk: section of notes in notebook, easily read the screen.

*If no tripod: • Put your camera in Wide Angle and get as close to your subject as possible. • Set your camera on a steady object such as the floor, stack of books, table as a ‘makeshift’ tripod.

Extreme Wide Shot (EXT Establishing): Shows the entire subject and area around it. Your village looking from a hill

Entire building and the area around it A room with all the people in it, such as a classroom or auditorium

Foreground: The area in front of the subject. Layer below describes how to use objects in the foregraound Focus: How sharp or soft is the subject, is it “in focus” or “out of focus”. Frame: What is seen through the camera’s viewfinder on the screen -‐-‐ Think of a picture frame.

Section 7 - Camera Angles, Terminology, Abbreviations, Definitions page 6/10

CAMERA ANGLES, TERMINOLOGY, ABBREVIATIONS, DEFINITIONS: Headroom: The space above the head of your subject. Too much headroom looks like the subject is dropping out of the frame. Too little can cut off the top of the subject. High Angle: Looking down at subject from above the subject. Makes the subject look weak and small. Low Angle: Looking up at subject from below the subject. Makes the subject look powerful and large. Medium shot (MS): Part of the subject with space around it or one third or half of your subject. Person: sitting at their desk, you see from their waist to their Classroom desk: Keyboard and mouse; telephone and notebook Over the shoulder: Camera is behind one person looking over their shoulder at what they are reading or at a person are talking to. You see some of the person’s shoulder or side of their head. Rule of Thirds: Use a “tic-‐tac-‐toe” grid to compose images. Subject: What are you focusing on? What is in the frame of the camera view-‐finder Wide Shot (WS) - or Establishing Shot: All or most of the subject, tells the audience where you are.

Person: head to toe Classroom: the entire room including student and teacher’s desks

View-Finder: What you look through or the screen you look at on your camera to see what your camera sees.


CAMERA ANGLES, TERMINOLOGY, ABBREVIATIONS, DEFINITIONS: MAKING YOUR SHOTS CREATIVE: Frame other objects around your subject: In the background or very close to the subject, put a book, a potted plant, other object on one side of the subject in the background. Look through something: As if you are spying, look “through” a plant at your subject-‐(put camera in manual mode to focus on the subject in the distance); OR literally look through lacy fabric, a fence with gaps, open window blinds at your subject. Layer: Put objects or people in the foreground and the background of your subject.

For Example: In a classroom setting, the teacher is in the middle of room, some students or desks are in the foreground, other students sitting at desks behind the teacher. Camera is placed in front of the students in the foreground.

Patterns/Repetitions: Look for lines, patterns (natural: trees, clouds, or man made: phone lines, buildings) Silhouette: back-‐lit, the sun or other light behind your subject.

CAMERA MOVEMENTS: Pan: Move camera from left to right. “pan left or pan right” Tilt: Move camera up or down on subject. Track: Camera physically moves towards or away from the subject (camera & camera operator follows the subject by walking with or towards them) Know the difference: TRACK verses ZOOM. Zoom (in & out): Camera stays on one place, and the camera lens zooms in close or zooms out wide


VIDEO PRODUCTION VOCABULARY: Actor/Actress: The person who portrays a character in a movie or play. Example: Jennifer Lawrence is the actress who plays the character, Katnis Everdeen in The Hunger Games. Background sound: Radios, TV, Appliances, airplanes, conversations. Ask to turn off radios, TV, point mic away from appliances. Backlight/silhouette: The light is behind the subject creating a black shape without details. B-Roll or Coverage: A variety of shots that illustrate or “cover” what the interview is about. Can be a variety of shots of the interviewer and interviewee as well as something that is demonstrated. Character: Who the actor protrays in the video (documentaries don’t have actors or characters unless there is a dramatization or re-enactment of an event discussed in the documentary. Closing Credits: The credits at the end or close of your video. The cast, crew and their jobs listed. Coverage: See B-Roll Edit: (both written word and video) Video: To select sections of an interview and other footage to use in a final video. Written: to write a script based on an interview and other research of the topic. In-camera edit: The camera is paused after each shot is recorded. Set up next shot, record, pause etc. Interviewer: The person asking the questions. Interviewee: (also called: Subject) The person answering the questions. Log: To list each shot videotaped. This is used to organize and write your script to know what footage you have to go with your script. Lower-thirds: Titles on the lower third of the screen indentifying the person speaking. Microphone: (mic) used to record sound, built into camera; external mic plugged into camera, is best. Narration: (voice-over narration) The script that is read over the video to describe what is seen when the interview is not being played. Used to describe what is not said during interview, or explain what is said differently.


VIDEO PRODUCTION VOCABULARY: Natural Light: Light that exists naturally from windows, the sun, street lamps, etc to light the subject. White, reflective cardboard, white clothing, and other light reflecting sources can be used to reflect natural light onto the subject. Open-ended questions vs close-ended questions: Descriptive answers vs. one word answers. Opening titles: The titles seen at the beginning or opening of your video. Production Assistant: Crew member who helps in all ways—carry equipment, arrange location for better sound and light, get water for the interviewee or interviewer, etc Shots: Refers to video (motion) and photographs (still pictures). Be sure to know if you are shooting photographs or video! Storyboard: Hand drawn sketches of shots planned for a video production. Subject: The person or object being videotaped or photographed. Transcribe: To write word for word what is said during an interview. This is used to organize your script. Rule of Thirds: A way to compose photographys and video. A tic-tac-toe grid is often used to demonstrate. Video: Images with motion. Videoing: The act of recording video.

Section 7 - Using Different Camera Angles to Tell a Story page 10/10 STORYBOARD TEMPLATE:

section 7-lesson 1 camera angles -...

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