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Perspective Workshop

Perspective.


It's important as a director to view a shot from every perspective to get to know the scene. You should also know who is going to be where when you arrive on set; this way you can get started quickly and have time for all the shots you need. It's important to remember you're the director and you make the decisions- plans should be made all the way up to the shoot, but if something is going to be changed on the day of the shoot, that's your call.

On Set

When you arrive on set, there are a list of actions you must do in order to start production.
  • Recce of the location
It's important to recce the location when you first arrive to ensure everything is as it was when you first recce'd. This gives you a chance to understand the area in which you're working.
  • Talk with cast
Next, talk with the cast and ensure they're happy with what they're doing that day.
  • Talk with crew
Talk with the crew and make sure they're happy with where they're going to be and when.
  • Block out action
Plan out how the shots are going to be done, and plan with all cast and crew how action is going to take place.
  • Rehearse
Rehearse the shot so that you can get over any mistakes or confusions quickly.
  • Shoot!
Start recording. Every time a location changes, this process starts again.


Techniques in Workshop

  • Shot Reverse Shot
Shot Reverse Shot refers to the most common and easy way to film a conversation. The shot is on one person, looking left to right, and then it switches to the other person, looking right to left. 
  • Inside
Being 'inside' the action is describing a shot taken from between the 2 characters; it makes the viewer feel more involved, as though they are a third character, which is good for emotional scenes.
  • Outside
Being 'outside' the action is the opposite to being inside; it's viewed as though the viewer is an observer of the situation, for example over the shoulder shots.
  • The lens and shot types
The use of the lens in different ways can help you achieve different shot types just by using the zoom on the camera and moving it backwards or forwards. If you move a camera closer with less zoom, you'll get more distance visible between 2 subjects, making them visibly more distant. If you move a camera back and zoom in the subjects will appear closer.
If you put an object in the foreground of the shot it makes it seem more suspicious, very thriller. An outside shot is drama. An inside shot is romance/emotional.
A focus-pull is a good way of showing how separate 2 characters are.
  • The camera is the audience
If you view the camera as the audience, you will see a shot in a different perspective. This will help you understand what is going to look more realistic (i.e. 2 people don't generally stand face to face when talking). When planning the actors, are they in the best position? Is there any way it could look different?

In the workshop I learned how the slightest difference in shot can make the audience view a character in a completely different way. An outside and inside shot give 2 completely different impressions of the characters. This is something important to think about when producing a storyboard as this will affect a very important aspect of your production that is easy to overlook.
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