In the following shots, I practiced different camera techniques as well as composition within those techniques. Composition is the placement of characters and objects in a shot. Understanding composition is important because it allows your shots to become more appealing to audiences.
In this shot, I utilized rule of thirds. By placing my interviewee to the left of the frame, the audience's attention is drawn to her and the words being spoken. This is a technique that I will utilize in my documentary when filming interviews to ensure that my encoded meaning is decoded dominantly by viewers. This practice shot expressed my understanding of composition thoroughly. However, when I use this technique in my final production, I will ensure that the placement is exaggerated and stands out much more.
In this shot, I utilized mid shot which is a camera technique often utilized in documentaries. These are used to highlight a character's body language. Body language is a mise en scene technique in which characters subtly express their thoughts on a topic through things such as hand gestures or movement. In this practice shot the interviewee appears to be tense and movement less which hints that she is clueless on the topic and doesn't contain many opinions on it. In the Pridgen Productions final documentary excerpt, mid shots will be a heavily used technique in the interview sections to allow audiences to see the passion coaches and athletes have for their sport. In this practice shot, the composition was weak and in my final production will be strengthened and apply more meaning to the interview.
In the shot below, I practiced using extreme closeups. Closeups allow audiences to see facial expressions which may give a clearer insight on how a character feels about the topic being discussed, similar to mid shots. In this shot I utilized composition by placing my character slightly turned right to give the effect that she is speaking to an interviewer. This creates a more realistic effect and allows the viewers to make connections between the questions being asked and answers being given by the interviewee. This technique will surely be a factor in my final product because it creates immense meaning which will allow me to successfully express my themes of teamwork and importance of cheer.
Attached below is a wide shot of the Hudson high school junior varsity team performing their cheer at a competition. This wide shot allows audiences to understand the setting, people or athletes involved and allows them to feel as if they are present in the moment. By showing other audience members and filming from their viewpoint, it creates the effect that the viewer is in the crowd, watching the action. In doing this, they are easily able to understand the energy put into cheerleading as well as the stress they are under when performing in front of such large crowds. This exact shot will be utilized in my final product with a voice over of an athlete explaining the adrenaline rush they feel performing. This will allow me to communicate my purpose which is to inform audiences on the impact cheer has on high school students. After conducting this practice, I have concluded that I thoroughly understand the importance of composition as well as my skill regarding completing camera techniques such as close-ups, wide shots, rule of thirds, and mid shots.
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