Lesson Task 1

Creative task 1:

Today, in my media lesson we made a start on the first creative task. 

Firstly, we had to learn the basics of shooting a scene. So we learnt two things,  the reverse shot and the 180 degree rule. 

Reverse Shot:

The reverse shot is very important when filming conversations in movies. To be able to film a reverse shot you must either have two cameras or film the same scene twice but from two different angles. The group I was in only had one camera so we decided to film twice from two different angles. My group planned out a story board of what we were going to film and from what angles. Some the shots includes over the shoulder, long shots, pan and side shots. We thought these types of shots would be perfect for our mini-movie because it gives an audience a better grasp of the setting. The angles also help the movie to look more professional as different angles convey different atmospheres. For example, a high shot makes the actor below look weak and small. The reverse shot also shows how all the actors in the scene are reacting to the conversation that is taking place. 

180 Degree Rule:

By imagining a straight-line directly through the two people having a conversation you are able to see that there is a left and a right side of the line. When filming you are able to film from any angle on one side of the line. This is called the 180 degree rule. If you film one shot of the left side of the line then you film the next shot on the left side, this will leave the audience very confused as to where they are and which character is which. However, this rule can be broken. For example, in the shinning there is a shot which is taken from both angles, crossing the line in a 180 degree film. This creates a anxious atmosphere which is what the film was aiming to do. 

Diagram of the 180 Degree rule.