Conversations are a vital part of film.
Despite the visual imagery, the sound imagery is vital in the flow of a story.
The story is displayed through the characters and conveyed and interpreted through them and the script.
This is why conversation is vital.
The key to capturing and enhancing the conversation is to convey it from all aspects.
This means all angles and every perspective; how one character sees the other, from the distance, from above.
The conversation featuring here is the ever famous THIS IS SPARTA scene from 300, between Gerard Butler, Eva Green and Peter Mensah.
The conversation is captured from several angles
to enhance the mood, the feeling and build up the scene.
It shows the full passion and intensity of the conversation.
There are several ways to capture a conversation, but they always have to stick to 'the rules'
The 180 degree rule:
The 180 degree rule is essentially the line travelling straight through the two characters. For example, King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and the Messenger (Peter Mensah) are both standing along the metaphorical line of sight. The camera never breaches the line. The characters will always have a set position on this line, to make sure the shot doesn't confuse the viewer.
Shot Variety:
To keep a scene interesting a variety of shots is necessary, to keep the flow of the conversation, and to catch the entirety of the conversation.
The most common shot in the THIS IS SPARTA scene is the midshot; the face, shoulders and some background present.
Like King Leonidus here:
And then there are master shots; featuring both involved from a side on angle. Like when Leonidus delivers the kick that makes the film memorable.
Picks Ups:
Little bits that are edited into the shot after the main action has been filmed; fillers to add context or extra detail when no conversation is present. For example, in this scene it could be where he glances at his wife, or when he looks into the distance, at Sparta itself.
Little bits that are edited into the shot after the main action has been filmed; fillers to add context or extra detail when no conversation is present. For example, in this scene it could be where he glances at his wife, or when he looks into the distance, at Sparta itself.
Continuety Editing:
The process of editing a scene to increase the fluency. In the beginning, we see Leonidus talking to the messenger. We follow them walking and talking from several angles, both moving shots, and still camera shots. We see their faces, other characters faces, background shots etc. It all links the shots together to make everything organised and structured, so the scene flows into itself perfectly.
Shot/Reverse Shot:
When we have a shot of a characters face which then switches to what the character is looking at, through their viewpoint. It then returns back to a shot of their face. This is to emphasize what they're looking at.
For example, in the 300 scene, we know that when he looks at his wife, they're both considering what the messenger said. Without conversation, we can tell this doesn't meet their approval. When she nods, we, the audience, can tell that something big is going to happen.
When we have a shot of a characters face which then switches to what the character is looking at, through their viewpoint. It then returns back to a shot of their face. This is to emphasize what they're looking at.
For example, in the 300 scene, we know that when he looks at his wife, they're both considering what the messenger said. Without conversation, we can tell this doesn't meet their approval. When she nods, we, the audience, can tell that something big is going to happen.
Your choice of clip here enables you to anchor and focus your discussion well, Felix, and you use the terms accurately.
ReplyDeleteHow could you make your work stronger? Is this writing formal and critical, or chatty? Are there occasions where you could go into greater depth and detail? Is this you at your most analytical?