Cinematography Research

Camerawork can be used to represent characters in a range of ways:
High/low angles and tilts to show dominance or inferiority
Point of view/over the audience to encourage the audience to identify with the character
Camera movements to suggest the character is fast paced and energetic or chaotic, anxious, lazy e.c.t.
Two shots to emphasise the relationship between characters (proxemics)
Zooms for emphasis
Close up to show emotion/reaction
Long/establishing/master shots to show setting or costume

KEY:
ESTABLISHING SHOT – often the first shot seen in a film and establishes the setting of a scene (often long shots).
MASTER SHOT – shows where characters/objects are positioned in a scene.
LONG SHOT – shows characters’ whole body and provides clear view of the setting.
MID/MEDIUM SHOT – shows character from the waist up/waist down.
CLOSE UP – shows one part of a character’s body (usually their face).
EXTREME CLOSE UP – shows a certain part of a character’s face or a prop to convey information.
WIDE SHOT – shows a wide view of the scene.
TWO SHOT – shows only 2 people.
OVER THE SHOULDER SHOT – used in dialogue or to conceal an identity.
POINT OF VIEW SHOT – shows the audience a view from a character’s perspective.
HIGH ANGLE SHOT – positions the camera above eye view, looking down at a character.
LOW ANGLE SHOT – positions camera below eye view, looking up at a character.
EYE-LEVEL ANGLE – positions camera at eye level, looking directly at a character.
BIRDS-EYE VIEW – camera raised above the action (using a crane/helicopter).
CANTED ANGLE SHOT (oblique or Dutch Angle) – tilted camera so nothing in the scene is horizontal or vertical (sense of instability, drama, crime, mental illness).
PAN – camera moving horizontally.
TILT – camera moves vertically.
STILL – camera doesn’t move.
TRACK – camera placed on a wheeled platform which is placed on rails to form a movement.
CRANE – camera on a crane is able to move both horizontally and vertically in the air.
STEDICAM – camera placed on a stabling mount isolates the camera operator’s movements, enabling a smooth shot even when the operator is moving.
HANDHELD – camera held by a person and not positioned on a tripod or crane. The camera shot often appears shaky.
ZOOM – camera zooms in or out.
SHALLOW FOCUS – a technique incorporating a small depth of field. In shallow focus, one plane of the image is in focus while the rest is out of focus.
DEEP FOCUS – a technique incorporating a great depth of field, using relatively wide-angle lenses and small lens to render near and distant planes in sharp focus simultaneously. A deep-focus shot includes foreground, middle-ground, and extreme-background objects, all in focus.

Camera Shot List

Character Decisons

In our preliminary task we only have two characters. The protagonist is played by a black female and the antagonist is played by another female of Indian heritage. We wanted to do this to challenge the stereotypes in movies. Typically females are portrayed as the weaker ones, who are in need of constant attention from the males. They also depend on the males to get them out of dangerous situations. So, instead of  casting a heroic male protagonist, we chose to cast a female, who is black. By this character being black we also challenge the stereotypical ideas of blacks being presented as the best friend of the main character, or a brassy woman. As our protagonist has none of these attributes we believe that the audience would be more intrigued in our film, as we do not follow the conventional patterns of the movie industry.

We have also have made the antagonist a female as well. The most successful antagonists in the movie industry are typically male. We thought that it would be unique to have a female antagonist, especially one from a Indian background. The common stereotypes of Indians in movies are beautiful maidens, magical medicine men and bloodthirsty warriors. Additionally, in major blockbuster films, the antagonist rarely Indian but usually Caucasian men. So, to have a female playing the role of a villain, especially one from a Indian background challenges the stereotypical ideas, of  a successful antagonist being a Caucasian male.

Script For Preliminary Task

INT. ROOM, DAY

Detective walks into a dark questioning room and sits down opposite SUSPECT (Jessica) to question her about the murder of her friend earlier that month. This conversation lasts roughly 1 minutes. During this time, the DETECTIVE moves around the room, sitting on, and leaning over the table.

DETECTIVE#
So, Jessica…. Do you know why you’re here?

SUSPECT
No I don’t! I already told you people everything.

DETECTIVE
I think you do Jessica. Now, can you tell me your whereabouts on Saturday 17th of December?

SUSPECT
Uhhhhh I’ve explained this. I was at home most of the day, and then I went to the mall to shop for some clothes. That’s it! I went straight home afterwards and got there at like 5:30.

DECTECTIVE
Explain this then (lays out images). If what you say is true, then why do we have CCTV footage of you leaving Parkson Lane at 9:43 pm? Hmmm.

SUSPECT
I-I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.

SUSPECT
Okay I'm sorry, I did it! But that girl got what she deserved.

DETECTIVE
QI think we've found ourselves a murderer.

Story Board For Preliminary Task

Film Proposal For Preliminary Task

Working Title:
‘Cold Case’

Production: 
opening title sequence

Genre:
Crime

Duration: 
1 minute 12 seconds

Target Audience:
15 to 60, male

Director/Editor: 
Rachel Fillon-Payoux

Outline:

DETECTIVE walks into a dark questioning room and sits down opposite SUSPECT (Jessica) to question her about the murder of her friend earlier that month. This conversation lasts roughly 1 minute. During this time, the DETECTIVE moves around the room, sitting on, and leaning over the table.

Cast:

DETECTIVE - Tia Weeks

MURDER SUSPECT - Ellie D’Sylva

Characters:

DETECTIVE - a middle aged black woman 

MURDER SUSPECT - a teenage girl named Jessica

Setting:

An interrogation room that is low-key lit and inside a police station.

Visual Elements: 

• lighting
• camera movement
• editing
• setting
• actors
• props 
• costume

Audio Elements:

• synchranous sound (diegetic)
• vocals

Equipment:

• Canon camera
• SD card
• mobile phone 
• torch

Props:

• chairs
• table
• folder
• printed photograph of MURDER SUSPECT in an alleyway

Rationale:

This idea was chosen because it isn't a conventional confrontation between two people; it has a plot and a resolve. A crime genre has strong senses of tension and anticipation as well as being unique because it is not frequently used or with the same story-line.

Budget: 

All equipment and props are borrowed. There are no added effects and actors are volunteers. Total cost = £00.00

Interrogation questions

As our group is basing our preliminary task on a an interrogation we thought that we might research into the techniques that they use.


With a few exceptions, the police are allowed to lie to a suspect to get them to confess. The belief is that an innocent person would never confess to a crime he/she didn't commit, even if confronted with false physical evidence of their involvement. However, that's not always the case, but it's a big part of the reason why the police are allowed to employ deceptive tactics in interrogation.

The psychological manipulation begins before the interrogator even opens their mouth. The physical layout of an interrogation room is designed to maximise a suspect's discomfort and sense of powerlessness from the moment they steps inside. The classic interrogation manual "Criminal Interrogation and Confessions" recommends a small, soundproof room with only three chairs (two for detectives, one for the suspect) and a desk, with nothing on the walls. This creates a sense of exposure, unfamiliarity and isolation, heightening the suspect's "get me out of here" sensation throughout the interrogation.

The manual also suggests that the suspect should be seated in an uncomfortable chair, out of reach of any controls like light switches or thermostats, furthering discomfort and setting up a feeling of dependence. A one-way mirror is an ideal addition to the room, because it increases the suspect's anxiety and allows other detectives to watch the process and help the interrogator figure out which techniques are working and which aren't. Before the nine steps of the Reid Interrogation begin, there's an initial interview to determine guilt or innocence. During this time, the interrogator attempts to develop a rapport with the suspect, using casual conversation to create a non-threatening atmosphere - people tend to like and trust people who are like them, so the detective may claim to share some of the suspect's interests or beliefs. If the suspect starts talking to the interrogator about harmless things, it becomes harder to stop talking (or start lying) later when the discussion turns to the crime.

During this initial conversation, the detective observes the suspect's reactions - both verbal and non-verbal - to establish a baseline reaction. The detective will use this baseline later as a comparison point. One method of creating a baseline involves asking questions that cause the suspect to access different parts of their brain. The detective asks non-threatening questions that require memory (simple recall) and questions that require thinking (creativity). When the suspect is remembering something, the eyes often move to the right - just an outward manifestation of the brain activating the memory centre. When he/she is thinking about something, the eyes might move upward or to the left - reflecting activation of the cognitive centre - the detective makes a mental note of the suspect's eye activity. The next step is to turn the questioning to the task at hand. The detective will ask basic questions about the crime and compare the suspect's reactions to the baseline to determine if the suspect is being truthful or deceptive. If the interrogator asks the suspect where they were the night of the crime and he/she answer truthfully, they will be remembering, so the eyes may move to the right; if they're making up an alibi (requiring thinking), the eyes might move to the left. If the interrogator determines that the suspect's reactions indicate deception, and all other evidence points to guilt, the interrogation of a guilty suspect begins. Because my group and I are limited for time and resources in regards to what we can include in our preliminary task production, we will likely be unable to use features such as a one-way mirror and the majority of dialogue (e.g. casual conversation) which would have helped to create tension and is common in a lot of interrogation scenes. Instead, we can pick out important elements of this typically structured interrogation scene such as using evidence and questioning the suspect until found guilty.

Mind Map for Preliminary Task