Pre Visualisation 101 - Camera Work Continued
Distance Shots
Experimenting with distance can have a range of effects on a scene. Extreme close-ups could suggest the importance of the objects within the frame. Shots from further away could suggest a perspective from an observer, secretly watching. The image below shows three dolly shots from three distances, an extreme close-up, a close-up and a long shot.
The image below shows the perspective of the extreme close-up shot. In this example, this shot has been used to display the props the character's are interacting with. Hand gestures and movement would be important to convey the tone of this situation. By using key frames, pan movement and height movement, I am able to adjust the position of the camera and abide by the 'rule-of-thirds' to create an effective shot.
To prevent any drifting, I can use Maya's Graph Editor to adjust the speed in which my characters travel. A straight, uniformed line means both the camera and my characters are moving at the same speed, creating a tidy and continuously centred shot.
When setting up a shot, its ideal to keep the knees either hidden or completely in-frame; an in-between can create strange and distracting movement.
The image below shows the setting-up of a long shot. The hedge is covering the bottom three boxes, suggesting that this point of view is attempting to stay hidden. In this situation, it creates mystery and implies suspicious behaviour. Its important to keep the character's centred, as they're harder to see, yet still important to the shot.
Completed Distance Shots
Camera Coverage
In this experiment, five cameras are used to cover a fast paced action scene. Covering multiple viewpoints allows the scene to feel inclusive and immersive for viewers. The image below shows one of three cameras mounted to the front of the main car, the additional two capture footage from the paths within the environment.
After exporting all five camera positions and their movements, I imported them into Premiere Pro. This allowed me to edit the clips together, creating a fluid scene that covers the entirety of the situation. Quick cuts between face shots create opportunity for expression, long cuts with fast panning actions are able to dramatically capture the main actions, the car crash.
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