Some Notes in Objective and Subjective Camera Angles

When the camera replaces a player who must relate with other players in the scene. Whenever other players in the scene look into the eyes of the subjective player they must look directly into the lens as eye connection.

The unexpected appearance of a player looking directly into the lens will startle the audience, because they suddenly become aware of the camera. It is as if the people being filmed detected the eavesdropping camera. Such treatment can prove very distracting, and may disrupt the story-telling.

A sudden switch from an objective to a subjective look-into-the-lens shot is startling in a dramatic film becasue the audience is unprepared for such treatment. Viewers can not immediately adjust to active participation in the event.

The subjective player may be intrduced in an objective shot; but when the camera replaces him, the audience must view everything subjectviely, as he sees it.

Objective Shot

Subjective Shot

There are two pictures from "One Man Band" which is made by Pixar. One is objective shot and the other is subjective shot. The scene following that of a little girl looking off-screen will be interpreted by audience as what that girl sees. The little girl above is looking up- at two taller clowns filmed from her point-of-view. The upward or downward points of view in the subjective shot should be stimulated by similar camera angling in that objective shot which are coherent and make audience more easily understand.

Reference:

Mascelli, J. V. (1965). The Five C's of  Cinematography. The United States: radstone publications.

Those two pictures are from "One Man Band" made by Pixar in 2005.

Types of Camera Angles

Objective Camera Angles

The objective camera films from a sideline viewpoint. The audience views the event through the eyes of an unseen observer, as if eavesdropping. Directors sometimes refer to this candid camera treatment as the audience point of view. Since they do not present the event from the viewpoint of anyone within the scene, objective camera angles are impersonal. Roles photographed appear unaware of the camera and never look directly into hte lens. Should a player look inadvertently into the lens, even with a sideways glance. the scene must be retaken. Of course it will be easily avoided in 3D animation. Generally speaking, most motion picture scenes are filmed from objective camera angles.

This picture is from "One Man Band" made by Pixar. It belongs to objective camera angle which introuduces the main characters and environment of the play for audience.

Subjective Camera Angles

The subjective camera films from a personal viewpoint. The audience participates in the screen action as a personal experience. The viewer is placed in the picture, either on his own as an active participant, or by trading places with a person in the picture and seeing the event throught his eyes. Most importantly the viewer is involved in the picture when anyone in the scene looks directly into the camera lens- thus establishing a performer viewer eye-to-eye relationship.

The camera acts as the eyes of the audience to place the viewer in the scene. For instance, camera may act as eye of audience to place viewer aboard airplane. If shot is preceded by close-up of person looking out window- viewer will comprehend that he is seeing what screen player sees. Similarly, a camera may be dropped from a height- on a shock cord- to simulate what a falling role sees.

This is another picture from "One Man Band", which belongs to subjective camera angle. What the audience could see from the picture is what that little girl sees. So it is easy for audience to understand what the little girl wants to get and they will be curious what will happen next.

In these instances the camera acts as the viewer's eyes. Each member of the audience receives the impression that he is in the scene- not merely viewing events as an unseen observer. The camera places him in the midest of the setting, as if he were flying the airplane. Subjective shots add dramatic impact to the story-telling. 

Reference:

Mascelli, J. V. (1965). The Five C's of  Cinematography. The United States: radstone publications.

Those two pictures are from "One Man Band" made by Pixar in 2005.

Different Camera Angles, Different Functions

3D Animation is a type of screen story made up of a series of continuously changing images which portray events from a variety of viewpoints. Choice of camera angle can position the audience closer to the action to view a significant portion in a large close-up; farther away to appreciate the magnificent grandeur of a vast landscape; highter to look down upon a vast construction project; lower to look up at the face of a judge. Camera angle can shift viewpoint from one player to another, as dramatic emphasis changes during a scene; travel alongside a galloping horseman as he escapes pursuers; move into a dramatic scene, as story interest heightens; move away from gruesome setting depicting death and destruction; see otherwise unseen microscopic world; observe the earth from a satellite in orbit.

 http://image.baidu.com/i?ct=503316480&z=0&tn=baiduimagedetail&word=wall+e&in=7280&cl=2&lm=-1&pn=1&rn=1&di=2393680638&ln=1&fr=&fmq=&ic=0&s=0&se=&sme=0&tab=&width=&height=&face=0&fb=0#pn15

The audience may be positioned anywhere- instantly to view anything from any angle- at the discretion of the cameraman and director. Such is the power of the motion picture and importance of choosing the right camera angle!

Reference:

Mascelli, J. V. (1965). The Five C's of  Cinematography. The United States: radstone publications.

 http://image.baidu.com/i?ct=503316480&z=0&tn=baiduimagedetail&word=wall+e&in=7280&cl=2&lm=-1&pn=1&rn=1&di=2393680638&ln=1&fr=&fmq=&ic=0&s=0&se=&sme=0&tab=&width=&height=&face=0&fb=0#pn15

The picture is from "Wall-E" made by Pixar in 2008.

Some new understanding about Camera Angles

Today Andrew suggested me that I can put "Cinematography" into my project and I collected some of its information. Then I found I had some misunderstanding on Camera Angles in the past which is an important element in Cinematography.


Previously I thought audience viewpoint is controlled by cameral angle and the area covered in the shot is determined by cameral distance which are two different things. However, according to Mascelli, J. V. (1965), the camera angle determines both audience viewpoint and area covered in the shot. 3D animation as a type of motion picture is made up of many shots. Each shot the camera will be moved to a new set-up and required to be placed in the best position at that particular moment in the narrative. So the next step I will learn and research on what are the best viewpoints for filming those different portions of the event and how much area should be included in each shot.

Reference:

Mascelli, J. V. (1965). The Five C's of Cinematography. The United States: Radstone Publications.

Qualities of Light in 3D Animation

Distribution and Intensity

This is one of the prime factors in determining the location of the lighting instruments for a production. Modelling of actors and settings is principally a function of the direction and intensity of the light that strikes them. For these reasons it is essential that you be able to determine the direction and relative intensities of the key and fill lights that are illuminating your image of light if you hope to re-create that image in the scene.

Color

As a visual clue to the type of light source or the time, season and weather being represented outside of a scene, color is incredibly important. The designer needs to pay close attention to the indications of color in his or her image of light. The similarities and differences of lighting colors within a scene will help determine its mood, with more neutral colors giving a more somber tone. It is also a key element in creating psychological atmosphere. Colors have emotional properties. Generally speaking:

Yellow	stimulating, cheerful, exciting, joyful, serene, hostile, unpleasant, aggressive
Orange	warm, happy, merry, exciting, stimulating, hot, disturbed, distressed, unpleasant
Red	happy, affectionate, loving, exciting, striking, active, intense, defiant, powerful, masterful, strong, aggressive, hostile
Green	youthful, fresh, leisurely, secure, calm, peaceful, emotionally controlled, ill
Blue	pleasant, cool, secure, comfortable, tender, soothing, social, dignified, sad, strong, full, great
Violet	dignified, stately, vigorous, disagreeable, sad, despondent, melancholy, unhappy, depressing
Black	sad, melancholy, vague, unhappy, dignified, stately, strong, powerful, hostile, distressed, fearful, old
White	pure, tender, soothing, solemn, empty
Brown	secure, comfortable, full, sad, disagreeable

Of course the meanings of color are constantly changing. Color meanings are influenced by many factors: cultural background, personality, adjoining colors, and individual mood.

Shadow

Shadows play a massive role in describing a light, and this is an area that we will go into in much greater depth in a couple of charters’ time. Shadows add to a scene’s realism, consistency, relationships and composition. It is also very useful for hiding imperfections. So designing shadows is as significant a task as designing the illumination in a scene.

Motivation

Lights can be categorized by how they operate in the scene in terms of their motivation. Lights will sometimes be referred to as logical. Logical lights can represent an actual source such as a table lamp, or they can represent the illumination from outside a window.

The placement of lights can also be motivated by purely aesthetic reasons. The pictorial lights introduce the drama and creates the emotional link with the audience. This is one of the keys to good lighting.

Reference:

Gillette, J. M. (1989). Designing with Light. The United States: Mayfield Publishing Company.

Dramatic lighting effects in 3D animation (2)

Perhaps the most fascinating and rewarding use of light is the possibility of influencing the mental state of the audience. The word atmosphere can cover a wide range of situations. It can mean something as basic as using light to tell the audience shether the action is taking place on an April afternoon or a July morning. Moreover it can also help to control whether the audience feel happy or sad, extrovert or withdrawn, aggressive or submissive.

Almost all of us, in our childhood, have placed a flashlight under our chin and impersonated a monster by shining the light up into our faces in the night. Especially the cold color, like blue light, will create a horror atmosphere. As in lighting design, just as in literature, the concepts of good and evil are often associated with light and darkness. When a scene is lit with dark and murky shadows, most people instinctively react with a scene of foreboding. When a scene is brightly lit, we instinctively relax. Moreover, lighting the face from beneath in the night. It will be a strong contrast between highlight and shadow. Of course it could be used for someone who has a distinct and strong character.

So the light could influence the atmosphere and mood through molding the role. One of the principal ways of controlling such atmosphere is by mixing warm and cool light. Other possibilities include the balancing of light and shade; exaggerated contrasts can induce feelings of claustrophobia, apprehension, even terror.

http://image.baidu.com/i?ct=503316480&z=0&tn=baiduimagedetail&word=pixar&in=28788&cl=2&lm=-1&pn=79&rn=1&di=5457007755&ln=1&fr=&fmq=&ic=0&s=0&se=1&sme=0&tab=&width=&height=&face=0&fb=0#pn331



    warm color & cold color   



http://image.baidu.com/i?ct=503316480&z=0&tn=baiduimagedetail&word=wall+e&in=11923&cl=2&lm=-1&pn=130&rn=1&di=34528778640&ln=1&fr=&fmq=&ic=0&s=0&se=1&sme=0&tab=&width=&height=&face=0&fb=0

Reference:

Gillette, J. M. (1989). Designing with Light. The United States: Mayfield Publishing Company.

http://image.baidu.com/i?ct=503316480&z=0&tn=baiduimagedetail&word=pixar&in=28788&cl=2&lm=-1&pn=79&rn=1&di=5457007755&ln=1&fr=&fmq=&ic=0&s=0&se=1&sme=0&tab=&width=&height=&face=0&fb=0#pn331

http://image.baidu.com/i?ct=503316480&z=0&tn=baiduimagedetail&word=wall+e&in=11923&cl=2&lm=-1&pn=130&rn=1&di=34528778640&ln=1&fr=&fmq=&ic=0&s=0&se=1&sme=0&tab=&width=&height=&face=0&fb=0



Dramatic lighting effects in 3D animation (1)

Generally speaking, if there is a lighting effect being kept within a whole animation, it is boring.

Animation is different from film and TV programs whose characters would be anything the designer hope for, even not existing in the real world. So it has more space for designers to develop their imagination and creativity. They can use some special lighting effects according to storytelling, which would not only attract the attentions of audience but also achieve some dramatic effects and artistic accomplishments. 

First of all I want to talk about selective focus. Selective focus means directing the audience’s attention to a specific area. The lighting designer can selectively focus attention in a number of ways but frequently does so by increasing the intensity of the lights on the desired area of interest. When this happens, all areas that are less brightly lit become of secondary importance. A common example of the use of selective focus occurs when the lighting designer reduces the intensity of lights on one area of a unit set while simultaneously increasing it on another. Instinct literally forces the audience to look at the brighter area. A more subtle use of selective focus can be seen in the lighting designs for most interior settings. In these designs the lights are usually brighter in the major acting areas than they are in the upstage corners of the set.

It is similar to the focal length. For instance, there are role A and role B having dialogues in a scene. If there are lines for A and the director want to attract the audience' attentions on it, A should be focused on by the camera focal length, which will be looked clearly whereas the rest are dim. Vice versa, if the lines are for B and then B is a key role. The focal length would focus on B, then B is clearer than A. Instinct literally forces the audience to look at the clear area. So the audience will easily put more focus on the key role' expression and psychological activity. It is helpful to understand the story.

Reference:

Gillette, J. M. (1989). Designing with Light. The United States: Mayfield Publishing Company.

Heys, D. (1989). Light on the subject. The United States: Proscenium Publishers Inc.

Basic three-point lighting

The convention of three-point lighting is one that is firmly established in cinematography, and has become one of the main foundations for CG lighting and this is the method and one of the reasons for this is the technique helps to emphasize three-dimensional forms within a scene using light.

Key light

The key light is the dominant light, or the one that casts the most obvious shadows. (For instance it could be for night time indoor shots, sunlight for outdoor work or sunlight entering through a window for daylit indoor shots). This defines a scene’s dominant lighting, giving the biggest clue to the location of the presumed light source.

Fill light

The job of fill lights is to model the indirect lighting that is produced by direct light bouncing off an environment’s surfaces. Generally its position is on the opposite side of the subject from the key, where it opens up the lighting on the side of the subject in shadow and reduces the density of the shadows.

Backlight

Helping to separate the subject from the background, the backlights give a scene depth. Its position is at the back of subject and in doing so they create a subtle glowing edge to the subject, which helps to create definition.

Of course the designers could create more lights according to their aims and in my opinion we could make it just like painting.

Richard Cadena has ever said that light is like paint, and lighting a set is like painting a canvass. Then we can make the following associations:

a. abare lamp is like a bucket of paint.

b. a luminaire or texture that the lamp goes in is like a paint brush or air compressor and air gun.

c. the beam angle is like the width of brush stroke.

d. illumination is like the thickness of the paint on the canvas.

Definitely, such a lighting method is totally different from Global Illumination and HDR(High Dynamic Range) images, which is more flexible for artists.

Reference:

Cadena, R. Focus on Lighting Technology.

Brooker, D. (2003). Essential CG Lighting Techniques with 3ds Max. Oxford: Elsevier Ltd.