Approaching Cinematography

In addition to our discussion of plot and script, we have been talking about the range of shots and edits we wish to use in our piece.

Due to the subject of the film, I would like to use a variety of different close-ups and handheld footage to enhance the dark mood of the situation, whilst still using fixed tripod footage to give a sense of professionalism. This has yet to be finalised, as handheld footage often makes the film-maker seem lazy and incompetent in amateur productions, and takes practise to achieve the required effect. Often, in Sixth Form videos prior to ours, handheld footage has simply made it seem as though the crew forgot their tripod, and improvised their shots on the spot with no real idea of what they were doing. I would also like to use a "dolly zoom", a technique first developed by Irmin Roberts, as the shot would add an interesting twist to the filming style. This will have to be well though out, due to limits in our equipment choices.

An example of this style, whilst in a different genre, is BBC drama/thriller Spooks. The series often makes use of long zoomed shots, handheld close ups of characters, and handheld tracking shots of movement in some more dark or faster paced situations to give a sense of chaos or mystery. This is spliced with more conventional use of SteadiCam footage, often used during dialogue so as not to distract the viewer from critical plot developments.

As always, our approach to cinematography for this film is subject to change, and will be discussed extensively before we decide on a filming style.
- Joseph Lawrence