Chloétale on NM2208

Class Exercise D

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Task: Making photo compositions
– Use your mobile phone, choose a subject and compose it in various shot sizes and camera angles
– State the purposes of using these techniques and how does it affect your audience who perceive your subject.

==============================

Here are some of the pictures Siew Ting and I took for this exercise.

Forgotten to bring my phone on that..and used a camera...hope that's fine:P

First up - (Extreme) Long Shot:

I've put a bracket on the word 'Extreme' because this is not really ELS as it is not 'Extremely' far and enough neither is it a view of the building. It really looks more like a long shot. However it serves the purpose of the ELS, that is; to denote the location, giving a general impression instead of specific information.

In this case, it sets the scene of the interior of a NUS building, busy with bazaar and Valentine's Day decorations.

(E)LS, with Canted Angle:
A canted angle usually makes people feel uncomfortable as it is not natural for a person to view in this angle. It gives an imbalance to the feel.
In this photo I'm using a 'point-of-view shot technique' giving the first-person's perspective to the audience. In this particular photo, with more focus on the ground, makes it seems like the person(with this view) is falling down. With added effects of motion blur it would seemed more like he is fainting.
The (E)LS also helps to set the scene of where the 'falling' took place.

Long Shot:
The LS helps to introduce a character or movement(what a character is doing).
Like in this photo, pretty lady MJ looks happy and is interacting with camera person while she is walking.

Mid-Shot:
A MS helps to portray emotions, and brings out the interactions with the character. It is usually shot at an eye-lever once again for us to relate, see the actions and interactions with the person. As when we talk to some one this is usually what we see.

In this case, we can tell that Siew Ting is Pretty happy with her food(Chinese)!

Close-Up:
A CU on the subject focuses only at a particular detail or a face, while everything in the background is blurred. It shows the importance of a certain subject and is used to convey emotions. It helps to bring us really close or into the mind of the character. We are only so close to a person when he/she is our family or significant other, hence it is a very intimate shot. And because of that, we can feel more comfortable or very uncomfortable about a character.
In this case, you can see my thoughts and truly believe that I am thinking about my food!

======================================

Other then in NUS, I've brought my camera out and try out more shots.

High Angle Shot:
It gives a general overview of the scene. Characters are just part of a wider picture and seems less significant.

Went home and took my hamster KERO! =D

As Hamsters are always on the move, it is difficult to capture a still shot of them.

LS + slightly high angle shot:

Anything with high angle shot makes it seemed less scary. This picture shows much motion of the wheel suggesting - He just ran the wheel!

MS+Eye Level:

I don't know why his face is twitched like this. But with MS and Eye Level Shot, it brings us closer to the hamster (like we can communicate with them!)