Unlike Hollywood movies that consist of an immense budget, special effects, and well-known actors, Independent Cinema is composed of a small budget with actors not as known in the acting world. However, some of the greatest movies ever produced, like Boyhood and A Street Cat Named Bob, are considered independent. Boyhood had an ensemble cast that was nominated for best film and best director in 2015 and A Street Cat Named Bob won a national film award for the best British Film. While both of these films fit the basic definition of an independent film, camera techniques, storylines, character roles, and personal issues concerning the director expand the fundamental definition.
Boyhood clearly presents the rough parts of growing up
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The camera angles and framing in this film played an immense part in creating the tone of the scenes. Medium shot and long shot are two of the main framing styles used throughout this film. Medium shots are typically used when a conversation is occurring between two characters or to show some detail of action. Long shots present the actual distance between the audience and the screen in a cinema, while remaining focuses on the characters and including sufficient background detail. Eye level, a fairly neutral shot, is when the camera is positioned as if a human is observing the scene. A particular scene in this film where a medium close up is used to portray the intensity of the scene is when James Bowen OD’s and wakes up in the hospital. His drug support worker is there standing over his bed in disappointed. The focus switching back and forth from the talking character shows that each person’s dialogue is of equal importance. Camera techniques in independent films assist in emphasizing the details of the …show more content…
James Bowen, a homeless, recovering drug addict was given one last opportunity to better his life by his drug support worker, Val. Val gave Bowen his own apartment to live in, in which a ginger cat appeared in his kitchen one day. After believing it was to be a neighbors, he set on the lookout to find the cats rightful owner. However, had no luck. A few days following, Bowen notices the cat has a wound on its back and quickly gets it the attention and care the animal needs by a charity vet. From this point forward, the “two lives became entwined,” in which Bob, the cat assisted in Bowen’s busking. It was because of this cat that Bowen gained responsibility for life and determined that he no longer was going to be hooked on
There are many techniques used in films that help to strengthn the plot and rmphasize a certain theme. Usually, to most viewers, these camera techniques go seemingly unnoticed. Yet, this ability to fly under the radar ensures the success of the style, as smooth transitions and clear storytelling are hallmarks of the editing process known as continuity editing. One approach of continuity editing is known as point of view editing. Basically, the viewer is able to see a scene from a character’s perspective. Notably, point of view editing plays a significant role in the film Notorious. With the repetition of point of view throughout the film, Notorious utilizes point of view as a vital aspect of the film, as it provides clues to the viewer, heightens
There is a brilliant use of diagonal dimensions in this scene in the railing behind the hearse, again sending a message of disorganization and anxiety. There is also the use of movement here as a gentle breeze ruffles the hair of the character, almost as a caress, and it is a stark contrast to the underlying sense of danger. The brightly colored almost cartoon-like use of the graffiti hearse and the colorful signs as dominate contrasts suggest that there is bit of hope for the characters in this film. At second 5 the scene changes to a center framed shot with the main character shot at a quarter turn. The subsidiary focus is the characters in the background who also are at a quarter turn. The shot is with a hazy lens to depict their secondary significance to the main character. The lighting used here is both high and low key with the emphasis in high key lighting on the center foreground character to draw the viewer’s eye to him. He also appears taller than the subsidiary characters to reinforce his status as the
The use of cinematography helps to convey the superior relationship between characters. This occurs during the film frequently to demonstrate the superiority
Bob charms Dr. Marvin’s family with his witty personality and humor. To the family, Bob is fun, kind and sensitive, but Dr. Marvin sees him as a crazy man. Bob bonds with Dr. Marvin’s daughter over sailing, teaches Dr. Marvin’s son to dive and compliments Dr. Marvin’s wife. Dr. Marvin feels like he is losing his family to Bob. He tries to get rid of Bob, but he keeps returning back to the house. Bob is given a
When the scene starts, Thornton uses a handheld camera paired with a close-up shot showing Delilah’s aunties gripping a stick and beating Delilah. As the scene continues Thornton uses high angled close-up shots of Delilah to show the contrast in the characters as she gets beaten up. When the camera is focused on Delilah, the audience get a brutal and real image of a helpless young girl being beaten, crawling on the ground and reaching out for help. These close-ups with the handheld effect makes the audience uncomfortable and tense. When the audience are shown the expressions and actions of Delilah the camera is more focused elaborating on her pain.
The first element is Camera distance; it is used in every scene and in every shot. It refers to how far away the camera is to the characters in the scene. Camera distance was developed in order to provide more to the mise-en-scene of a certain scene. “Mise-en-scene encompasses of variety of categories related to the staging of an action”(Belton 47). Camera distance is one of these important factors in making the scene and giving a sense of what you are supposed to be experiencing during the film. Without using camera distance to its fullest the scene or shot may not come across to the viewer as what the director or writer intended. An example of camera distance being used to its potential is in the opening sequence at ricks café. The first shot that we see at ricks is of ricks sign on the ca...
Whether using far off views or close, cramped ones, the audience can understand what the characters go through within the story and can even experience the emotions that the characters are feeling. One movie where he uses this technique to its full extent is in Edward Scissorhands. He portrays inventive and claustrophobic camera angles to communicate the central concepts of isolation and self-discovery, as well as enhancing the underlying themes of societal uniformity and prejudice, to the audience. Not only that, but also uses them to cleverly define the difference between the main character and the developed society that he has yet to explore. One example is when Peg gets in her car and begins to drive to Edwards mansion, the camera angles up at the mansion and shows the contrast between the bright, lively town compared the dark mansion on a cliff far away from the town.
One popular camera technique used in films is panning. Camera panning can emphasize emotion in films. According to a writer on camera techniques, "Following the subject's gaze down to the floor may symbolize rejection or desperation and loss. The moves work because they are related to your story" (Stevenson). In the movie Requiemfor a Dream, panning came into play in a particularly important scene. Marion, a main character, was walking down a hallway. She just had sex with someone she didn't like to get some money for drugs. The camera was right in front of her face, and portrayed the emptiness in her eyes. She was glancing towards the floor and looked like she was going to throw up. The camera also followed her face so closely, that you could tell how fast she was walking. The panning portrayed her feelings and actions so well, that it made the scene more interesting. It was a lot better than just seeing a view of someone head-on.
...successful collaboration of sound, colour, camera positioning and lighting are instrumental in portraying these themes. The techniques used heighten the suspense, drama and mood of each scene and enhance the film in order to convey to the spectator the intended messages.
I volunteer at Bay Area Humane Society or (B.A.H.S.) with my mother and my sister. My family has adopted two cats from B.A.H.S.(including cami). Hemi and Cami are a bonded pair. They play all the time like goof balls. They are four years apart, but they act like they’re kittens even though that Hemi is six and Cami is two and they are best friends.
In many scenes, the camera is positioned to reveal Bauby’s first person prospective. A confronting scene where this filming technique is present is when Bauby has his eye sewn shut. As the doctor begins sewing Bauby’s eye, the audience can see, through an extreme close up, the needle and thread, pulling the flesh closed. While this scene is extremely confronting, its purpose is to unsettle the audience, displaying the feelings of horror Bauby is experiencing. Through movements that are out of focus, consisting of unusual framing, we also learn just how little vision Bauby has in different environments, allowing the audience to get a stronger understanding of how much Bauby struggles in his daily endeavours. Beginning the film, a low camera angle is used from Bauby’s perspective, with various doctors looking down on him. This low camera angle portrays to the audience the little power Bauby has at this point in the film along with the overwhelming feelings that he is experiencing. As the film proceeds, we notice that the camera angles become frequently more level with Bauby and other characters are shot to an equal scale from a third person perspective, allowing the audience to understand Bauby is of equal significance to those around him. This is evident when Bauby is sitting with his publishing assistant, with a level camera angle which illustrates to the audience Bauby ha accepted his conditions. As the scene proceeds,
Due to the film’s quality and interest it became an award winning film. The film had excellent sound effects such as the battle scenes. The image quality was also outstanding; it used many different angles to depict the actor to make you feel involved in the scenes. In the action scenes the most common viewpoint used was a close up shot which allows the audience to see and feel the intensity of the scene. The second viewpoint mostly used was a tracking shot due to the actors c...
Therefore, it is possible to notice how the cinematography, the mise-en-scene and the editing are used to resemble the peculiarities of the space in which the actions are taking place. For instance, the first part is characterized by long pan or tilt shots, the camera is steady but still manages to follow the characters actions. The editing points to the linear occurring of the events. Also, the characters and the objects are usually methodically placed in the scene. All of the elements are used to convey the rigid organization, efficiency and control typical of the military environment. On the other hand, in the second part, there are usually shorter shots and steadicam shots. The camera is free to investigate the space of action. Here, the editing is used to create a dynamic perception of the events. In this way Kubrick is able to bring in the spectators’ minds the chaotic reality of the war. Moreover, colors become another tool to communicate to the audience this sort of split within the film. In fact, after Pyle’s death the viewer can notice how those metallic and cold colors, that are present at the beginning of the film, shift into wormer colors. It is actually through Pyle’s suicide that the the spectator gets this switch. In that scene the dark red blood stains, and ideologically violates, the cold white tiles of the bathroom. This film is also different on
I have a love for cats. Ever since I was a teenager I always wished for a cat of my own. When I moved in a three story apartment in California, the Manager of the complex said that cats were allowed in the units. I mentioned to my Aunt at the time that I was searching in the newspapers under advertisements for cats wanted. One cool breezy evening, my Aunt called me and said that a friend of her's named Judy had a cat named Katie who did not get along with her other two cats. So I agreed to meet with Judy to see if I'd love to adopt Katie.
Both camera angles and camera distances allow for and create different film image perspectives, meanings, and effects. The camera angle of a film shot can be defined as the perspective that the viewer sees, while the camera distance, a.k.a. camera framing, of a film shot can be defined as how far away the video camera is from the subject or object as seen and measured from the front of the frame image. In order to describe the measurements and determine the camera distance for each film shot, the terms extreme long shot, long shot, medium shot, close-up, and extreme close-up are used. An extreme long shot is a film shot in which there is hardly any detail that is visible and that is used at either at the very beginning period of a film shot