Language of Screen

Okay, it's week 3 of the second semester .. I'm not sure how everyone else is feeling, but for me personally, this time of semester is that time when I ask myself if I really wanna do this all again. I constantly catch my mind drifting off to areas that are totally unrelated to my work ...

This week we delved into the area of screen production - discussing screenshots and just how much detail directors and film crew go into when making a movie. We learnt these sorts of things back in high-school and it to be quite honest, learning all these tricks ruined movie-watching for me. I find myself struggling to enjoy certain movies or certain scenes cos I'm thinking "oh that's bad continuity" or "look at how there's an american flag in every scene" .. and so on. Like Pearl Harbor. God, what a propaganda infested movie. No to mention historically inaccurate. 

Despite movies like Pearl Harbor that grate on my nerves, there are some brilliantly presented movies out there. I suppose it's all about personal taste when it comes to films, however despite the odd film, most directors follow a certain technique when it comes to shooting and producing movies. 

There are many different types of screen shots you can have. When they're written down or typed up in a script, they're often just a bunch of letters like the following: VLS/WS, LS, MLS, MS, MCU, CU, BCU, ECU. These stand for:

Very Long Shot/Wide Shot

Long Shot

Medium Long Shot

Mid Shot

Medium Close Up

Close Up

Big Close Up

Extreme Close Up

Each of these shots aim to portray different moods, actions, locations, times and to help the audience understand what is happening in the movie. 

Some examples from some well-known movies ...

Medium Long Shot

The Godfather (1972)

Close Up/Big Close Up

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

I think most people become more aware of this as they get older. It's fascinating to watch the way a film is put together, but can be incredibly frustrating when you just want to sit and enjoy a movie. Next time you're watching a movie, have a look and ask why you think the director chose to film a certain in a certain way ... it might just drive you crazy.

References:

Dummies.com. (2009). Examining the Various Film Shot. [Web document] Available: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/examining-the-various-film-shots.html [15th August 2009]