(4) Several in and out of frame scenes with clean exits and entries will carry
the subject to a very long distance.
(5) Clean exit and entrance used once will carry a subject to a nearby location.
(6) Optical effects are mechanical methods done in the laboratory to reestablish
action and make transitions between sequences. The most common opticals are fadein and
fadeout; wipes; dissolves; and swish pans. The swish pan is a panning shot in which the
camera moves so fast that the action is blurred and unrecognizable. These effects can be
made with a television editing system when shooting TV tape.
d. These techniques are all part of filming a production. That is, you control all
the action. Understanding what makes a good documentary will also help you provide good
footage when shooting uncontrolled or semicontrolled action. You must first understand
what makes a good film. Once you have mastered the techniques, then you will find it
rather simple to make good documentation films or tapes.
2.
Camera angles.
a. Although the subject of camera angles is different from that of the basic
sequence breakdown, the two are very closely tied together. Refer to Figure 21 and
examine the soldier fieldstripping a rifle. If these three scenes had been shot a
little differently, the quality of the sequence could have been greatly improved. A
simple way to build interest at this point is to change the camera angle between each of
the scenes. When you bring the camera closer for each scene, change its angle at the
same time, as shown in Figure 22.
b. It should be apparent that there is a definite improvement in the sequence when
you change not only the camera angle but also the subject distance. If you merely change
distance, the only variation between the scenes of the sequence is the change of subject
size. Moreover, slight differences in action will be more noticeable on the screen and a
change of camera angle will minimize this. Another advantage of changing the camera
angle is that it provides variety in your scenes and makes the overall production much
more interesting.
c. When changing camera angles, be careful that you do not suddenly reverse or
change the camera position to an excessive degree between any two scenes. If the
reversal or change is too abrupt, the scene may look as if an entirely different subject
is used. By the time viewers realize what has happened, they may have lost the plot. A
good rule to follow is never change angle more than 45 between shots.
(1) While you are changing the angle between scenes during the basic sequence
breakdown, another variation possibility existsyou can also vary the height of the
camera. For example, both the LS and MS are shot at eye level and, then when you are
coming in for the CU, you lower the camera to almost ground level. Any type of variation
would be suitable here, depending
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