Techniques de prises de vues

Study Notes

TECHNIQUES DE PRISES DE VUES

Classifications des plans: Different shot sizes are used in filmmaking, including: the general/long shot (P.G./P.E.), establishing the setting and overall scene; the medium shot (P.M.) showing characters from the knees up, demonstrating their physical appearance and actions; the American shot (P.A.) cutting characters at the mid-thigh; the close-up shot (P.R.), highlighting the character's face; the extreme close-up (T.G.P.), focusing on a small detail like an eye or mouth.
L'air dans l'image: Keep "air" (empty space) around characters vertically and horizontally. Air above characters relates to shot level. More air provides visual hierarchy, more air above a character suggests less importance or submission.
La loi des 30°: When filming a subject, change the camera angle by at least 30° between shots to avoid monotony and provide visual rhythm.
Le champ-contre champ, la loi des 180°: When filming conversations or interactions between characters, maintain consistent camera positions on either side of an imaginary line between characters (180° angle). This creates perception of characters facing each other during the edited sequence.
Utilisation des focales: The focal length of the lens affects the depth of field and how characters are perceived relative to each other. Wide-angle lenses create a larger field of view, while telephoto lenses compress the background and emphasize the foreground.
La hauteur de la caméra: Camera height impacts the subject's perceived importance. Shooting from above (high angle) diminishes a character, while shooting from below (low angle) magnifies them.
Cadrages penchés: Slight tilting of the camera can affect the perception of balance, but extreme tilting can look unbalanced.
Mouvements de la caméra: Camera movement (pan, tilt, dolly, zoom) gives viewers understanding and emotion by using camera techniques (following, leading etc.) to convey thoughts or feeling.
Déplacements de la caméra: Camera movement techniques, like tracking shots, cranes, and zoom, can be helpful in conveying movement or action. Camera movement should align with the action or story. Travellings (tracking shots) keep the subject in the frame throughout movement.