Classwork

 This is the classwork that I have learned in class and in my individual time about media languages, camera works, etc. 

In class, the teacher introduced us to the way media companies convey certain messages through camera works, editing, and many more. I also watched YouTube videos (attached right below this) which my teacher recommended to the class so that we can grasp a better understanding of them. Here are my notes on these topics. 

Below are the videos that I watched to get a better understanding on these topics.

Camera Angles

• Long shot

• A camera angle which captures the entire subject from top to bottom and shows the surrounding environment

• Often used to show the relationship or context between the character and the environment. In the example below, 

• Extreme long shot

• Captures a very wide view of an area from a distance, where the subject often appears small compared to the area.

• Often used to convey loneliness or isolation

• Medium shot

• Captures the subject from approximately the waist up. 

• Often used to bring focus onto both the character’s emotions and the surroundings by giving them an equal presence on screen. 

• Close-up shot

• Captures the subject at close range 

• Usually done to bring focus onto small details, such as facial expressions. This can create suspense and help the audience connect/emphasize more with the subject 

• Extreme close-up shot

• The extreme close-up shot focuses on greater details compared to a normal close-up, this could be the eyes of a character, or a grain of rice on a table, and many more.

• Often used as an indication of the importance of the subject shown in the scene or to further emphasize on a character’s emotions and inner thoughts.

• Establishing shot

• Wide shots of buildings, landscapes, and other settings.

• Introduces and gives context of the setting/where a scene is gonna happen

• Cowboy shot

• Captures the subject face down to around below the waist

• Often used to make a character appear heroic and powerful 

• Over the shoulder shot

• The camera is placed behind one character (usually their shoulder) and facing another, so the one character's back faces the audience.

• Often used to show the relationship between two characters

• POV shot

• Captures scenes from the character's perspective by positioning the camera right where the character's eyes would be.

• Used to immerse the audience into the scene, making them feel like they’re experiencing it with the character.

• High angle shot

• Camera captures subject from above (as if looking down on it)

• Used to convey inferiority and vulnerability of the subject in frame

• Low angle shot

• Camera captures subject from below (as if looking up at it)

• Used to convey superiority and power of subject in frame

• Dutch angle shot

• Camera 

Camera Movements

• Zoom

• Camera movement where the camera doesn’t move closer to the subject but rather by adjusting the focal length of the lens.

• Brings the focus of the audience onto the subject by narrowing in on the subject in a frame 

• Dolly zoom

• Camera moves the camera closer or towards the subject while zooming in or out the opposite direction.

• Creates a sense of uneasiness or disorientation

• Tilt

• The camera angle is moved vertically (up or down) while remaining in its position

• Reveal new information or emphasize a subject’s height/depth

• Pan

• Camera is rotated horizontally while remaining in a fixed position

• Follows subject/action across the screen or reveals parts of a scene

• Tracking shot

• Camera moves along with the subject either from the front or back.

• Immerses the audience into the scene, building up anticipation.

• Trucking shot

• Camera moves along with the subject from the side 

• Gives context to the subject’s surroundings

• Boom

• The camera is moved vertically up or down with a crane

• Adds a change to the perspective, can also be used to reveal new information

• Crane 

• The camera is moved up, down, or across large distances with a crane

• Makes the scene more dramatic, especially for complex or large scenes. 

 

• Pull in / Push out

• Camera is moved physically towards or farther from the subject

• Pull in → Grab audience’s attention on a subject

• Push out → Creates a sense of distance or reveal more of a scene

• Handheld / Random 

• The camera is held by a hand or purposely made to look like it was

• Creates a sense of realism or chaos

Mise-en-scene

Mise-en-scene is the composition of different elements of a media product that is used to portray meaning. Below are the types of mise-en-scene that media companies utilize to convey a message or set a mood to the audience.

• Props

• Set design

• Costume

• Hair

• Makeup

• Color performance

• Lighting

• Blocking

• Focus

• Weather

• Environment 

Edit

• Continuity Editing 

• Scenes flow smoothly with this since it keeps time and action in order.

• Montage Editing 

• Combines quick shots to show information quickly or to events happening overtime. 

• Parallel Editing (Cross-Cutting) 

• Switches between two scenes/events happening at the same time but in a different place

• Cutaways and Inserts 

• Cutaways → Shows something related to the main subject/event

• Inserts → close ups of important details in a scene

• Cut to the Beat (Rhythmic Editing) 

• The cuts matches the rhythm of the sound or music

• Match Cut 

• Cuts from one scene to another where the both of them has a subject that looks alike or has the same composition

• Crossfade (Dissolve) 

• Split Screen 

• Jump Cut 

• Flashback and Flashforward

Sound

• Diegetic sound

• Diegetic sounds are any sound that comes from the character’s universe, basically any sound that the characters in the film can hear

• E.g. the characters talking, footsteps, etc.

• Non-diegetic sound

• Any sound that doesn’t come from the character’s universe; any sound that they can’t hear

• E.g. edited music

Media Theories – We also learned about media theories which we can implement into our project. Below is a soft copy of my teacher’s presentation, explaining the theories we learned.

Classwork Presentation

Reflection:

This classwork was really interesting to me. From this, I realized that there are so many thoughts that have to be put into when making movies and music videos. I usually just watch them without thinking much of it, but turns out they have to think of even the angles, props, lighting, and sound in order to convey a message to the audience. Some problems I did face when making this was mostly from learning theories. I found some of the theories rather confusing and difficult to understand, but in the end, I asked my friends to explain it better to me and I finally understood it. Moreover, some of the types of edits are hard to memorize, so I will have to study that more intensely. On the list of edits, I gave very short descriptions to only a few of them and this is because I wanted to save time to do other tasks so I decided to give descriptions to the type of edits that I will most likely use on the music video project. Despite this, I think that this lesson has helped me gain a better understanding about media language and contexts and will definitely be very helpful for upcoming projects.