DIRECTING DETAILS

In Directing Film Techniques and Aesthetics, Michael Rabiger (1997) p.213 says “The camera should seldom be a passive recorder, but should be used as an active instrument of revelation.” The relation of the camera lens with the characters should be both intimate at times and radically distant. I used many established styles when planning the directing of the film. Below is an outline of the directing styles I wrote before animating my scenes.

Medium Shots - Medium shots will undoubtedly feature greatly in the fight scenes as they allow the audience to focus on the characters facial features and with the aid of the music, their expressions and mannerisms can help communicate the mood and thoughts of the character. Not only does the medium shot allow the eyes, lips (perhaps not for robots!) and mouth to converse, it allows the arms of the character complete freedom to convey expressions and messages without the need of vocals from the character. The whole upper body is available in this shot, much like the real life conversations we are used to standing half a meter or so away from each other. The medium shot is a perfect balance of intimacy and space allowing the audience to not be constantly overwhelmed with the characters face. However by over using the medium shot I could find the audience forget the environment of the story as not enough of the surroundings are shown, so I must make sure makes sure I space out the regularity of these shots.

Close Up Shots – These are very effective shots and I am sure I will use these shots often. This type of tight camera control invites the audience to become intimately involved with the film and the characters. When the two characters are ‘dueling’ close up shots can portray feelings using just the eyes. They build tension and force the audience to focus on only the eyes and nothing else. The top of the head, the mouth and the ears are all eliminated from the shot. Because of the nature of the shot, it magnifies the expression in the characters eyes.

Long Shots – These shots can create an impression of tranquility and space and I will be wise to minimize the use of this shot only to where it is necessary, i.e. to show scale and detail of sets. It can distance the audience from the characters so I will be careful how and when these shots are used.

Other Shots - The use of camera angles can alter the perception of the viewer as the camera lens is in essence, a point-of-view of the audience. It provides the information the director delivers. I have discussed the most common shot, the medium shot, but that is not concerned with angling of the camera. Traditionally the low camera angle is used to show the subject in a position of authority, so this will be perfect for when Juniper is knocked to the ground and Jed is seen as the victor. It can make Jed appear domineering and put Juniper in a position of weakness. The high angle shot has the opposite effect of the low camera angle as it can make the subject look inferior as if you are looking down on a small child.

Framing & Lines – I will need to be aware of how objects are framed and their place within the scene. The morgue will provide opportunities to shoot through objects and use them to frame the characters. I will also need to plan with the connotation of lines in mind. Wide selections of vertical, horizontal, curved, straight etc… must be used throughout the film. Tim Burton’s first stop motion film Vincent for example incorporates dominant lines, the horizontal and diagonal in particular due to the nature of the background which is more often than not a tiled angled black and white chess board pattern. These help build and combine the foreground and the background and highlight shadows and graphic mass. The use of vertical lines is apparent when Burton interrupts the viewer’s likely eye path. The vertical lines are there to be noticed, they stand out because of there unyielding nature of ‘going against the grain’ of our eye paths. These are all factors I will consider when setting up my animation for each scene. The rule of thirds or the ‘golden mean’ must also be used so that the prominent features of a frame fall on areas the eye is most comfortable with. However, it can also be refreshing to sometimes break the rules.