Class

I have been a long-time film lover, so I was very excited when we started learning about film. I knew that different shots were made for different reasons, but I'm sure I couldn't have told you what all of those reasons were. Now, however, I know a bit more about because of the stuff we talked about in class.

It's interesting how the different angles of a camera or different focuses can change the tone of the scene or the entire film. I hope I don't have to experience passing out (I haven't passed out yet) but I know now what it might feel like and look like by the skewed angle of the camera that we saw in the film A Beautiful Mind. Also, it was interesting to realize that certain shots can give the audience clues about what will happen or what the characters are really like. For instance, in the clip from The Omen that we saw, we may not have seen the nurse's actual power, but we know that it's there. If I had just heard the dialogue, I would have assumed that it was the mother who had the upper-hand in things. However, since we watched the scene, we know from the tilt of the camera, that the nurse will have a larger part to play than just being a meek nurse. I got the impression that another conflict would arise between the mother and the nurse over the child, and next time the nurse would not shy back.

Now I kind of want to go back through the movies that I own and look for any clues that I can pick up in the cinematography that I never noticed before. This is really exciting because I love when I pick up on some hidden clue that has an important meaning. Also, I know more about books than I do about movies. I get really excited when I start noticing patterns in a novel or when the author makes a casual reference to something that seems unconnected with the surrounding action. The alarm goes off in my brain, and I think, "Aha! That's important later on!"
I want to look through my movies and see if I can find any of those little tidbits that I may have missed. My family is really into murder mysteries. Maybe that's why I love little clues so much.

One thing that I never really noticed before is the difference between a medium shot and a shot where we see the entire bodies of the actors. I knew, obviously, that one shot is farther away than the other one, but I didn't know about the differences in purpose. The same goes for the close-up shot. Now I know that movies with a lot of close-ups have a lot to do with the emotional reactions of each character.

Also, it is interesting to realize the differences in movies like Pride and Prejudice vs The Bourne Identity. The duration of a scene varies depending on mood. I like watching Pride and Prejudice when I just want a relaxing movie that lets my mind think about what's going on. It's a nice one to watch late at night and maybe even fall asleep to. I also like action movies, but I'll watch them when I'm in the mood for some good action. The scenes go faster it seems, or they move at a faster pace with quick cuts here and there.

You know what's cool? The same pattern is evident in books. It only makes sense, I suppose. I learned in one of my creative writing classes that once the climax of the book is approaching, you want to make the reader feel like they are turning the pages more quickly. Just like in a movie, where the scenes might become shorter, the chapters might become shorter or the author might use up less space with narration and more space with dialogue. It's interesting to figure out what kinds of tricks films and books use to captivate their audiences.