Problems of Long Shot

Recently I had a problem of camera long shot.

If I want to make a long shot of the internal spaceship to make more things within the frame, the camera will be easily outside of it. The picture below is showing the screen and control pannel in the spaceship, if I make more things within the frame, the camera will be outside. However I can not delete any surface of it to put camera in a longer position as the lighting effects will be influenced. I have to solve this problem. 

Employing Camera Angles_Area

According to Mascelli (1965), the area photographed may be employed in various combinations to produce a motion picture story with visual variety, dramatic interest, cinematic continuity.

The area photographed determines the subject's image size on the film. The camera may film long shots, with tiny images; or close-ups, with large iamges. Image sizes may be employed in a series of shots to present the event in a progressive( or regressive), contrasting or repetitious manner.

Progressive shots utilize a series of images increasing or decreasing in size. Sequences may proceed from long shot to medium shot to clese-up; or procedure may be resersed. The sequence may begin and end with any type of shot. Most important is the progressive change in image size from shot to shot.

Reference:

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

Space Lighting Test_ Spaceship Model

Interface with wireframe on shaded

This is the spaceship model without any materials and textures.

The story will happen in the universe, where most of people have never seen it before. They usually appreciate its mystique from wathcing films. So I have to watch more films, to analyse and summarize how to illuminate the space to make audience understand the place of the story happening for the narrative.

This is the photo American arrived at the moon for the first time.

http://image.baidu.com/i?ct=503316480&z=0&tn=baiduimagedetail&word=%B0%A2%B2%A8%C2%DE%B5%C7%D4%C2&in=30877&cl=2&lm=-1&pn=0&rn=1&di=42888064188&ln=2000&fr=&fmq=&ic=&s=0&se=&sme=0&tab=&width=&height=&face=&is=&istype=2

This picture is from Wall-E made by Pixar in 2007.

From two pictures above, we can find that the shadows are very hard in the universe.

This picture is from Wall-E made by Pixar in 2007.

This picture is from Wall-E made by Pixar in 2007.

This picture is from Starship Troopers in 1997.

So in the universe the light is cold and its contrast is hard.

Reference:

http://image.baidu.com/i?ct=503316480&z=0&tn=baiduimagedetail&word=%B0%A2%B2%A8%C2%DE%B5%C7%D4%C2&in=30877&cl=2&lm=-1&pn=0&rn=1&di=42888064188&ln=2000&fr=&fmq=&ic=&s=0&se=&sme=0&tab=&width=&height=&face=&is=&istype=2

The pictures are from Wall-E made by Pixar and Starship Troopers.

The Experiences of Holding an Exhibition

Last week I went to London to help my friend Jingjing Han to hold his first exhibition. The painter is a Chinese artist named Luo Qing. The exhibition was hold in the basement of a church, which is matched for its scheme: life, death, ideal and reality.

I like this exhibiton very much and during these days, I have learned a lot of things. This is the first time I participated in stage lighting design work, which is similar to my project and inspires me a lot.

Amazing dancing at the beginning of the exhibition

The designer is a nice girl graduated from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. Since the area is not too big and the audience could be close to the stage, she just uses three lights for illuminating, one is top lighting and the others are side lightings faced each other. The top light has a relative small illuminating range which could express people's contradictions and constraints status, like something bounded in a limited area. However, the two side lights could shape dancer's body strongly, expressing the conflict between their strong heart and weak response. On the other way, side lights allow dancer moving in a big area to some extent.

The performance is combined with the video on the screen to heighten the atmosphere, which reveals the contradictory between ideal and reality. So the intensity of lights are low to make sure the screen is clearly enough for the audience. 

working photos

Hollywood Telt "Dutch" Angles

In Hollywood studio parlance a "Dutch" angle is a crazily-titled camera angle, according to Mascelli(1965), which the vertical axis of the camera is at an angle to the vertical axis of the subject, so that it slopes diagonally, off-balance. Such slanted images must be used with discretion to avoid detracting from the story-telling sometimes. They could be reserved for sequences when weird, violent, unstable, impressionistic or other novel effects are required.

For instance, a player who has lost his equilibrium, he is drunk or delirious, or in a high emotional state, may be shown to advantage in a titled shot, or a series of tilted shots, perhaps in pairs of opposing tilts, so that the audience realizes he is behaving irrationally.

These shots may be combined with subjective point-of-view shots, in which the upset player sees other players or events in a tilted off-balance series of shots.

These two pictures are from The.Incredibles made by Pixar in 2004.

They are combined for the narrative vividly. We could clearly understand that the incredible man is attacked strongly, he is off-balance and fainting. 

Then the killer girl is appearing and walking to him, which is important for the next step.  

Reference:

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

The pictures are from The.Incredibles made by Pixar in 2004.

Camera Height_Low Angle

A low-angle shot is any shot in which the camera is titled upward to view the subject.

Low angles should be used when desirable to inspire awe, or excitement; increase subject height or speed; separate players or objects; eliminate unwanted foreground; drop the horizon and eliminate the background; distort compositional lines and create a more forceful perspective; position players or objects against the sky; and intensify dramatic impact.

Low angle shots of religious objects or architecture, such as a crucifix or church interior, may inspire awe in the audience, because the viewer is placed in a lowly position from which he must look up to the symbol of the Almighty. The same effect is useful in filming important personages, such as a President, judge or company executive.

The picture is from The Incredibles made by Pixar in 2004. From the low angle, the audience could identify the robot's big size in relationship with surrounding buildings.

Low camera angles are also useful when one player should look up to another player who dominates the story at that point. The star, or dominant character in a scene, may stand out from a group if he is positioned slightly forward of the others and filmed from a low angle. This will cause him to tower over the players behind him. This simple trick will give a player prominence, and allow him to dominate the event.

The picture is from The Incredibles made by Pixar in 2004. Obviously the big guy in the middle of the image is the main character dominating the other people.

A low angle is excellent for cheating a cut-away reaction close-up against the sky, or other nondescript background. Dropping the horizon out of the frame removes all background identity  and permits filming such close-ups almost anywhere at any time.

The picture is from The Incredibles made by Pixar in 2004. A good example of close-up against the sky.

Reference:

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

All of three pictures are from The.Incredibles made by Pixar in 2004.

Model_Cargo ship_Unfinished

This is the Cargo ship model unfinished. I will make more details on its weapon and mechanical arms. During the story there will be some transformation on them to improve its interesting.