Week 3 - Language of the screen -

This weeks lecture was on the language of the cinematic screen (the movies). It started by talking about the different kinds of shots you would get in a typical film.

VLS/WS: Very LS/Wide

Shot

LS: Long Shot

MLS: Medium LS

MS: Mid Shot

MCU: Medium CU

CU: Close Up

BCU: Big CU

ECU: Extreme CU

The lecture then continued to show how different shots can create different meaning within the film and that some shots have become recognized as being a characteristic of a certain mood, for example a close up on a clock shows the time, a close up of someone shows who. From that the subject of headroom and talking room came up generally leading into the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds is that there is a set of standard accepted ways of framing a shot so that the viewers get the most pleasure from watching. Also in a film every shot needs to create a moving feeling, without this the film often feels dead or empty.

Thanks for viewing :)