The story-boarding workshop was one that was very influential on my ideas, however I found it difficult at first to come up with any concepts that were linked to the theme of 'Altered States'. I considered story-boarding a short sequence that explored peoples emotions and state of minds, I felt strongly that I could create a visually and mentally interesting short film that captured someones drastic fear of heights as well as an opposite reaction from someone else. I revisited my research on camera shots, angles, and movement within film to see if I could take inspiration. Upon re-reading my notes I was able to use this information to start planning the camera angles and shots that I could create and use within the storyboard:
Shot types:
-The Close Up: draws attention to the expression on the face.
-The Extreme Close-up: is a variation of the close-up in which generally the top and bottom segments of the face are cut out of the frame to display the eyes creating a moment of drama.
-The Long shot: displays the entire body of the subject and you get a sense of the location. Another reason to use the long shot is to cover action within a scene.
-The Extreme Long Shot: makes the subject look small in relation to their surroundings.
-The Medium Shot: is when half of a person is in shot and is usually done when when the subject is holding something or using something or when you are trying to capture their body language.
-Single Shot / Solo shot: is a frame with only one character within it.
-Two Shot: is a shot with only two characters captured within it ect...
-POV shot: is when the camera points at whatever the character is looking at. It is used if you want the viewer to feel as if they are that person within the scene.
Camera Angles:
-Eye Level: is when the camera points straight ahead and is typically used if you are trying to remain objective with the scene and if you are not trying to manipulate the situation or scene.
-Low Angle: is when the camera points up from a lower angle to make the subject appear bigger or more dominating.
-High Angle: is when the camera points down and has the opposite effect of the low angle, and instead makes the subject look diminutive and weak.
-Top Angle / Birds Eye View: is an extreme case of a high angle and is used to display the topography of a location and an aerial shot is an even more extreme example.
-Dutch Tilt / Tilted shot: is used to draw attention to the fact that it is not a balanced frame.
-Over the Shoulder / OTS shot: is typically used during confrontational events and the shot is confrontational by nature.
Camera Motion:
-Pan and Tilt: this is the simplest type of motion and it is as if you were watching a tennis match and moving your head back and forth to watch the action. The audience should feel as if they are a spectator.
-Tracking Shot: moves sideways either left or right.
-Dolly Shot: moves forwards while widening the lens / moves backwards while shortening the focal length, to produce the look of warping reality.
-Crane Shot: goes up or down to track a subject or landscape.
-Zoom Lens: where you want to move in or out of a scene but you don't want to leave the actual space.
-Random Motion: used to provide motion or energy to a shot and make it come alive. This type of motion can be distracting to the viewer or it can be seen as energising.
-360 degree shot motion: you want to showcase the subject with the camera moving around the subject displaying the landscape and the environment around them.
There were a few camera shots that I was sure I wanted to use within my storyboard, these included a 'Dolly zoom', an 'Extreme Close-up' and a 'Dutch tilt'. All of these shots and movements can be used to create a strong sense of unease and being distressed or disturbed. The Dutch tilt works well with the concept of fearing heights as not only does it create unease but a sense of being off balance which directly links to the fear of heights and falling.
The Dolly zoom is a very famous zoom that implies there is a great deal of sudden terror and realisation. This technique is famously used in the Steven Spielberg film, Jaws - in which Martin Brody (the police chief) watches in awe and fear as he realised that a boy is being attacked by a shark. A dolly zoom is created by starting with a telephoto shot that converts into a wide angle shot while moving forwards at a set rate (as used in the film Jaws), however the method can be done in reverse to create another form of Dolly zoom with a different affect. Telephoto shots are generally used within close-ups so that you keep focus on the objects in the foreground. When a camera is moved around while using a telephoto lens, the background looks like it is moving a lot faster and whips around, this is because the camera takes in less of the background.
Wide angle lenses are better in landscape shots. Vertigo, and Alfred Hitchcock film, and Jaws directed by Steven Spielberg are the go to perfect examples of how a dolly zoom can be used effectively.
Then finally I had also considered an extreme close-up shot which I would just have the eyes filled with dread and fear in the frame to enhance the sense of terror that the character felt from the heights.
*insert storyboard 1 here*
I wasn't massively pleased with the narrative or story that I was trying to tell with this storyboard. I spoke with Joel and we explored the concept of how you would film a sequence that imitated the movements and fear of a child separated from their parents. We discussed how I would create a scene that realistically portrayed what a child would do in that situation. There would be no child actors so I had to decide on the best way to imitate a child with my camera.
I decided that if I were to record this sequence that I would:
-Record from the direct POV of the child.
-Reduce the height that I recorded at to imply that we must be a child due to the reduced camera height.
-Use quick camera movements to imply that the character is panicked and looking back and forth.
-Have the camera duck and dive under low objects, arms and legs to further reinforce that we are a child.
After considering this an option I explored the concept of an 'Altered' Reality instead. I wanted to work with digital animation as that was something that would fit in with my other portfolio work. I reconsidered the meaning of 'Altered States' and felt inspired to make an alternate reality in which I changed the world that we lived in to something almost fantasy and surreal.
*Insert photo of storyboard here*
The entire storyboard was very ambitious and I know I don't have time to create all of the scenes and animate it so I will either have to choose a simpler film to record with a camera or animate with a virtual camera with a shortened animation. I am not sure which one I am going to pick yet though.
This workshop was very enjoyable and informative as I chose to research into lots of different, camera movements, angles and shots so that I could properly create a storyboard with this knowledge.
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