Claswork: Technical Elements

 Here I will be summarize all of the technical elements that will be needing when executing the music video project

Camera angles: 

Close Up (CU): Focuses on a character's face or part of an object, emphasizing emotions.

Extreme Close-Up (ECU): Highlights specific details (e.g., eyes) to intensify emotions.

Medium Shot (MS): Shows the character from the waist up, allowing for body language and facial expressions.

Cowboy Shot: Frames characters from thighs up.

Long Shot (LS): Shows the full body in relation to the environment, emphasizing action.

Extreme Long Shot (ELS): Shows the character at a distance, focusing more on the setting.

Establishing Shot: A wide shot that introduces the location, setting the scene.

Point of View (POV): Shows the scene from the character’s perspective.

Over the Shoulder Shot: Frames one character over another’s shoulder, common in dialogue.

High Angle: Looks down on the character, making them appear weaker or vulnerable.

Low Angle: Looks up at the character, making them appear powerful or intimidating.

Dutch Angle: Tilts the horizon, creating a disorienting effect that indicates distress.

Camera movements:

• Panning:

  • Horizontal or vertical movement of the camera to follow a subject.
  • Draws focus to specific elements or reveals surroundings, adding spatial context.

• Tracking Shots:

  • Camera moves toward or away from a subject, often using a dolly.
  • Creates a sense of approaching or retreating, enhancing the viewer's immersion.

• Zooming:

  • Enlarges or reduces the subject without moving the camera.
  • Emphasizes details but can be distracting if overused; good for documentary-style effects in MV.

• Tracking (Sideways):

  • Camera moves left or right, often on a track.
  • Follows characters or actions across the frame, engaging viewers by aligning with movement.

• Crane/Helicopter Shots:

  • Camera is elevated off the ground for expansive views.
  • Often used at the beginning or end of a scene to set the location or to conclude with a wide perspective.

• Tilt:

  • Pivots camera up or down, often for POV shots.
  • Useful for following a character’s gaze or scanning scenery.

• Handheld:

  • Operator carries the camera, creating shaky movement.
  • Adds immediacy or realism, often used in action or emotional scenes for raw effect.

• Steadicam:

• Camera is stabilized in a harness for smooth movement.
• Allows fluid, floating shots in complex environments, adding a dreamy or eerie feel often seen in MVs.

Mise-en-scene

mise-en-scene is a term that refers to the visual elements that a director or filmmaker controls within a scene to convey meaning and mood. The term is French for "putting in place" or "stage". 

Some key aspects of mise-en-scene include:

Setting: The time and place of the scene, including the location, scenery, and environment. Setting can help establish mood or foreshadow events. 

Costumes and makeup: Clues about characters that can include clothing, hair design, and makeup. 

Lighting: Sets the mood and guides the audience's vision. 

Staging of actors: The movements and performance of the actors.

Edits

- Cross-Cutting: Switches between multiple storylines or actions happening simultaneously to build tension.

- Continuity Editing: Joins shots in a linear flow, keeping time and space consistent.

- Fade: Gradually fades one shot out and another in, often to show time passing or transition scenes smoothly.

- Jump Cut: Quickly shifts between similar shots to create a jarring effect, emphasizing emotional change or passing time.

-J-Cut: Audio from the next scene starts before the visual cut, creating a smooth transition.

-Montage: Assembles a series of images or clips to tell a story or show progression.

-Cutaway: Briefly shifts focus to something outside the main action, helping to orient the viewer.

-Cutting on Action: Cuts from one shot to another right in the middle of an action for a seamless effect.

-Graphic Match (Match Cut): Links two scenes by aligning visual elements from one shot with the next.

Color Theory 

I also learned through this video that colors relates to psychology in a number of ways, including how they can affect our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. As from the psychology of color, they could convey a specific meaning. Bright, warm colors (reds, oranges, yellows) stimulate energy and happiness while cool, subdued colors (blues, greens, purples) are soothing and calming. Bright, warm colors are best in rooms for entertaining like dining rooms or kitchens, while cool colors work best in relaxing spaces like bedrooms or even bathrooms. In this video, they also mentioned that creating color palette could be through 3 things, such as: 

 

- product design & costume 

- lighting = warm or cool

- color grade: which is a post-production process that involves adjusting the colors in a video, film, or image to achieve a desired look or mood

using: baselight or da vinci resolve 

Reflection: Learning all these technical elements is fun for me because I have already had some exposure to them in Grade 11, so they feel more familiar now. I enjoy experimenting with different techniques and seeing how they can transform a scene or convey specific emotions. It's exciting to realize how each camera movement or editing style can add depth to a story, and I feel more confident using them now that I have learned the basics. It is rewarding to see how much I have progressed and how I can now apply these skills to my own projects.