The Secret Code of Filming Movement

1
The Secret Code of FilmingMovement

• Movement within the Frame
• Movement of the Frame
• Movement by Mechanical Distortion
• Theory of organic form form and content are
  mutually dependent in any art form.

2
Movement Within the Frame

• Motion can be depicted literally or figuratively
• Literal movements are photographed concretely and
  depict only the action and are used to advance
  plot and to provide verisimilitude
• Figurative movements are highly stylized and
  conventional, and while they advance the plot
  they may not be concerned with verisimilitude but
  rather be concerned with communicating something
  above and beyond plot points

3
Intrinsic Meanings of Movements

• Upward movement seems freeing, positive
• Aspiration, joy, power, and authority
• Downward movement seems grounding, negative
• Grief, death, insignificance, and weakness
• Movement from left to right seems natural
• Movement from right to left seems uncomfortable

4
Upward movement seems freeing, positiveAspiration
, joy, power, and authority
Click on the space above. Notice that Vincents
goals require altitude, literally as well as
symbolically. Going up for him will be freeing
its his only dream.
5
Downward movement seems grounding,
negativeGrief, death, insignificance, and
weakness
Here Vincent is at his lowest point. He travels
down the DNA staircase, apparently a prisoner of
others expectations of his abilities. It is not
coincidental that he comes to rest on a toilet.
6
Movement from left to right seems natural
Notice that Vincent and Irene meet and walk in a
left to right direction, as they begin taking the
first steps in their loving- unconditionally
relationship.
7
Movement from right to left seems uncomfortable
The right to left movement of and within the
frame adds to the tension Vincent feels with the
possible detection of his true identity, not to
mention the public performance issue.
8
Intrinsic Meanings of Movements

• Movement toward or away from the camera can be
  contextual
• Bad guys moving toward are threatening
• Good guys moving toward are reassuring
• Good guys moving away can seem to be withdrawing
• Bad guys moving away can make audiences feel more
  secure

9
Impression of Movements are Influenced By the
Way They are Filmed

• Lateral movements will emphasize speed and
  efficiency unless an extreme long shot is used
• Moving a character or an object in and out of
  depth will seem to slow that motion, unless an
  extreme close-up is used or a wide-angle lens
• The longer and higher the shot, the more slow the
  movement seems
• The closer and lower the shot, the faster the
  movement

10
Movement of the Frame

• Movement of the frame occurs
• when the camera itself is moved or
• when a lens is used to change the boundaries of
  the frame
• Seven basic moving camera shots
• Pan Tilts
• Crane Shots Dolly shots
• Zoom shots Hand-held shots
• Aerial shots

11
Pans

• Camera scans a scene horizontally , usually
  rotating on a stationary axis follows
• Emphasize the unity of space and the
  connectedness of people and objects within that
  space

12
Tilt Shots

• Camera scans a scene vertically, usually from a
  stationary horizontal axis
• Used to capture point-of-view shots and to
  suggest psychological changes within characters

13
Crane Shots

• Shot from the arm of a crane, which can move the
  camera in and out of a scene
• Moves in almost any direction
• Up, down, diagonally

14
Dolly Shots

• These are shots taken from a moving vehicle
• As a point-of-view shot it emphasizes a
  characters destination
• As an objective shot it can emphasize the
  fluidity or duration of a movement

15
Zooms

• Allows almost simultaneous changes of the frame
  from wide-angle distances to close-ups
• More rapid movement than a camera movement
• Foreshortens people and flattens space

16
Hand-held Shots

• Allow more real, less smooth, movements
• Often jumpy and confused, especially from close
  ranges

17
Aerial Shots

• Variation of a crane shot, usually taken from a
  helicopter
• Can move in nearly any direction
• Nearly limitless in the perspective of distance

The birds-eye shot of the boys swimming into the
frame is as close to an aerial shot as Ive found
in the film likely, it is actually a crane
shotwe see no distortion of water from
helicopters blades.
18
Mechanical Distortions of Movement

• Manipulating the 24 frames/second illusion
• Manipulate the timing mechanism on the camera or
  projector
• Animation
• Fast Motion
• Slow Motion
• Reverse Motion
• Freeze Frames

19
Animation

• Each frame is filmed separately
• Subjects being photographed do not ordinarily
  move
• Can combine film with traditional art
• Can be combined with live-action

20
Animation

• Notice that computer animation can add life
  and visual interest (a dominant) to a traditional
  paper storybook tale

21
Fast Motion

• Achieved by filming at a slower rate than 24
  frames/second
• When projected at 24 fps, it will seem accelerated

22
Slow Motion

• Subjects are filmed at a rate faster than 24
  frames/second
• Projected at 24 fps will tend to slow down the
  movement

23
Reverse Motion

• Filming a subject with the film running reversed
• When projected the events run backwards.

24
Freeze Frame

• A single image is duplicated and reprinted for as
  many frames as necessary to suggest the halting
  of motion
• This can be combined in post-production with live
  action to have one character walking through
  frozen time