How do Directors film a conversation?

Directors use various techniques to film conversation. Each technique is highly useful and can add immense depth to a character. In this post I am going to analyse the various techniques used by directors to film a conversation.

In "The Lord of the Rings" there is a scene including Gollum which stays very true to the 180 degree rule. In the scene Gollum is having a conversation with himself. When Gollum is shot from the left he is speaking as the evil Gollum whereas when Gollum is shot from the right he is speaking as Smeagol, Gollum's previous self before the Ring corrupted him. The director uses the different shots to show the two sides of Gollum- the good and the bad. 

The camera angles also use head/nose room too. Towards the end of the conversation Gollum takes up the a large proportion of the screen creating a claustrophobic setting. The claustrophobic shot places the viewer in a confined space with the twisted Gollum. When the shot is on Smeagol there is a lot of nose/head room. Smeagol does not take up a lot of the shot and it presents Smeagol as isolated. This creates sympathy from the audience towards Smeagol and a hatred towards Gollum and ultimately creates confusion as the viewer feels indifferent towards Gollum/Smeagol. At the end of the scene the pace increases and Gollum gains independence by shouting Gollum away. The abundance of nose/head room presents Smeagol as independent rather than alone and isolated.  

Watch the scene below:

In "The Walking Dead" there is a scene between Carol and a young boy named Sam. The director stays true to the 180 degree rule during this scene. The use of the 180 degree rule is paired with a continuity cut and the entire scene is smooth. This may hint at Carol's relaxed composure even though she is threatening a young child with death by zombies. The scene is overall disturbing due to the dialogue but the various techniques used magnifies the effect. The scene begins with Carol appearing to have a sunny disposition however as soon as Sam mentions he has to tell his mother her mood changes. Carol forces Sam against a wall and a shadow covers half a face. The light and dark colours on her face conveys the idea that Carol has two sides to her: friendly and approachable and malicious and scary. 

The camera uses close ups of the characters and this draws more attention to their expression. Carol's expression doesn't change which is unsettling as it does not match what she is saying. Sam's face however shows his genuine fear of Carol. At the end of the scene Carol is standing close to Sam and every shot of Sam shows Carol towering over him presenting him as scared and as the weaker character. Sam has nothing in the background except a wall which shows he is in a confined space and with his back up against the wall whereas Carol has room behind her. This conveys Carol as the stronger character and makes an emphasis on how lethal Carol actually is.

Watch the scene below:

"The Road to Awesomeness"

 The 180 degree rule's main purpose is to orientate the viewer and make the scene easier to watch and comprehend. It is extremely important as it allows viewers to clearly understand a shot without being confused and creates a smooth conversation, show down etc. However directors can break it to achieve the opposite effects.The 180 degree rule may however be broken in certain circumstances. For example, in "The Good, The Ugly, The Weird" the 180 degree rule is broken to create disorientation. The broken 180 degree rule allows the director to subliminally show character's mentalities by disorientating the viewer. 

Peaky Blinders Essay

 The colours in this shot contrast with the previous shots due to the intense colours which may reflect the character's personality. The characters look like ordinary civilians for the time era and do not stand out much in the previous shots however in this shot the bright and vibrant colours may symbolise the gang's mentality portraying them as villains. Also, the characters all have the same expression on their face which informs the viewer that they are a gang and due fire the viewers will assume they are the villains. The red colours connote danger and power which portray the gang as powerful as well as dangerous.

The characters are shot at eye level from the side in slow motion. The eye level suggests that there may be another equally powerful gang approaching. The slow motion constructs their power as well. Also, the slow motion may reflect their composure: relaxed. This portrays the characters as sadistic as they are causing destruction and yet they do not seem to flinch where most people would be afraid of the fire etc.

In this shot the gang are walking together through a puddle. The puddle was still and calm until the heavy boots disturbed it. This could foreshadow the oncoming chaos as the calamity of the scene is disturbed by the gang. It could also signify the loss of peace which portrays the characters negatively due to the loss of tranquillity. The idea of lost peace is also introduced due to the loss of the white sky, The gang marches through the puddle and whilst doing so they block out the white sky. White has innocent and peaceful connotations so the loss of the sky could reflect the loss of innocence as well as the loss of peace.  Also, the dark boots may symbolise the impending brutality due to the heavy steps which are taken whilst walking through the puddle.

The shot is taken from a low angle which focuses on the feet stampeding through a puddle which draws attention to the disturbance of the calm puddle. The low angel also portrays the characters as powerful as well as negative as they march toward the camera and intimidate the viewer. The low angle prevents the face from being seen first but the heavy boots instead. The viewers first impression will be based off the boots and due to the dark colour negative connotations are produced.

 The puddle in this scene is very still which is significant as the gang walks through the puddle and destroys the calamity. This also juxtaposes against the gang as the puddle is still and tranquil whereas the gang is anger-fuelled and agitated.

The shot is taken in an unusual low shot. Due to the puddle's still nature the camera appears upside down however once the gang draws closer the viewers become orientated and realise that the camera was directed at the puddle.

(Edited) Media Studies Summer Task - Comparison of ‘Casino Royale’s’ and ‘L.A Noire’s’ opening scene/ title sequence.

 In “Casino Royale’s” opening scene the genre is established quickly through the use of tension. “Casino Royale” begins slowly but then becomes faster which builds tension and entices the viewer to keep watching. As well as this half way through the clip there is a pause where the music and fast-paced action is paused. We are then taken back to the beginning scene in a room with 2 characters. Also, there is little dialogue and instead the focus is on the action. This reinforces the action stereotype and sticks to the conventions of the genre (masculine characters. guns, violence etc) as well as sticking to the generic theme of the "James Bond" series.. Also, in the "Casino Royale" clip the antagonist is followed by a camera as the background music begins to speed up. The camera follows him and the camera jolts often which creates panic and tension whilst creating a chase scene. The viewer follows the antagonist and as the music reaches the fastest and most exciting climax Bond bursts through the door and the fight scene begins. This is very different to “L.A Noire’s” title sequence as the title scene is very relaxed with no suspense. The genre is not established clearly and therefore presents the game as a mystery. The only things that are learned by the viewer are the time period (due to the fashion and the mellow music) and the narrator describing the city. The mysterious nature conveyed through the title scene provokes the viewer to want to discover the mystery. There is also another difference between the two which is that in "L.A Noire" the clip is mainly narration. The narration provides a basic insight into the background and describes the city as well as showcasing the time period.

The representation of gender is very male-dominated. In “Casino Royale” the primary focus is on a male. In "Casino Royale" it is widely known that whenever a woman is present in a "James Bond" film it is for one reason: a love interest. This is similar in “L.A Noire’s” title sequence as the detective is a male. The women are all wearing make-up too. The make-up reinforces the female stereotype and may reflect the society’s view on women. This may be the video game designers criticising society's views towards women too due to the excessive make-up. Also, there is on scene where the viewer is shown a class room with a male teacher. In the classroom it is difficult to make out any females however many male characters can be seen. This could also reflect the harsh sexism women suffered in that time period. As well as this there are no women entrepreneurs. Each one is male which reinforces the stereotype that women are not able to do hard labour but instead are restricted to stay at home. The other job women were shown to have in the clip was acting. There was one scene which was almost purely women-dominated however all the women were lining up for an audition for a movie which once again reinforces the idea that women cannot do hard labour. 

In the "Casino Royale" clip there is no colour. The clip is monochrome which allows for important characters to be spotted and draws the viewer's attention to them. For example, whilst James Bond is at the cricket match the audience is seen in white whereas Bond is adorned in dark colours. He stands out against the crowd and is established as a major character instantly. Also, his face cannot be seen due to the shadows which portrays the character as mysterious and entices the viewer to watch and discover who he is. The use of colour in "L.A Noire" is completely different. Throughout the clip colour is used and no excitement is created due to the normal setting. The normal and plain atmosphere created invites the player to discover the game and indulge in the rich back-story of the city as told by the narrator. 

Introduction

Hi! I'm Sam Fisher and I am currently studying Media Studies, Psychology, Biology and English Literature and Language at CNS Sixth form.