Making a movie...

One of the basic techniques we learned about is the rule of thirds which basically means to divide the shot of the camera into three equal parts vertically and horizontally. To utilize this technique, it’s important not to have the subject in the same third over and over and not to film the subject in the center third. Changing the positioning of the subject adds a dynamics to the shot and helps with the aesthetics of the movie. Viewers’ eyes are drawn to the top line of the horizontal thirds and the outer sections of the vertical thirds, so keeping the subject in those areas help emphasize anything important about the subject. Also, it can help convey different emotions depending on the mood of the scene. I think the rule of thirds will be a pretty easy technique to use in the five minute project because it doesn’t require anything but the camera and the creativity of the people making the movie.

Manipulating the lighting is another very important technique that can help enhance a movie. Lighting, similar to the thirds rule, is a technique used to emphasize the subject. V for Vendetta uses lighting very well. There’s a shot where the main, female character, Eve Hammond, is in the front of the shot and the lighting is placed so that her face and shoulders are more illuminated than the background and other character in the shot. Adjusting and manipulating the lighting of the subject and background would be an accomplishable task for student movie-makers; lighting is pretty cheap and easily accessible.

As far as composition, I think using the 180 and 30 degree rules will help in the editing process of the movie. These two rules will be easy to employ. Basically, these rules help with continuity. With the 180 rule, there is a line of action and the camera is not supposed to cross this line of action because it confuses the viewer. The 30 degree rules states that a new shot should be taken from greater than 30 degrees from the previous shot because shots taken from less than 30 degrees are deemed unnecessary. An example of the 180 degree rule is commonly seen during the conversation scenes of movie such as the conversation between Vince and Mia in Pulp Fiction. In this movie, close-ups and cross cutting were used along with the 180 degree rule during their conversation in the restaurant booth.

I think the techniques we’ve learned in class so far are easy enough to employ in our movies. Simple manipulations can go a long way in creating a mood or conveying a theme in a movie. I think it’s more about understanding the techniques and finding different ways to use them effectively and not randomly and without purpose.