Shot_01

According to Mascelli(1965), choice of camera angle may be decided by analyzing the purpose of the shot. In the shot_01 I want to introduce the place and the background of the story.

At the beginning, it will last 4-5 seconds with a slight zoom in and shining.

The spaceship appears at the left side of the image with a high angle.

In this shot, audience could feel its power and appreciate its details on the main body.

In the end of this shot, the spaceship is at the right side of the image with a low angle.

The shot_01 is a camera animation. Obviously, the spaceship is coming from the left side and leaving at the right side, which will make the audience feel comfortable and balance. The audience also could understand where it comes from and will go. (I will make more details in the background.) In the shot, the camera angle is translating from high angle to eye-level angle, then to low angle, which is beneficial for audience to understand its structure. Especially, in the low angle, audience could feel its huge power from its propeller, as it looks much bigger within such an angle, audience also could clearly understand its destination from its direction.

The series of camera angle is the progressive viewpoint. According to Mascelli(1965), in a progressive series, each angle is either greater (or smaller) than the preceding angle. Angles may also progress in height, going from low to eye-level to high angle (or may regress in opposite manner). Or they may progress in relation to the subject, such as going from front to side to rear angle. Any series of angles progressing in orderly fashion- in or out, up or down, or around, the subject- is governed by this principle.

The right view of the spaceship in the software

The top view of the spaceship in the software

The yellow lines in two pictures are the movement path of the camera. I make it smooth, avoiding severe shaking, which will make audience have some misunderstandings. 

Reference:

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

About My Animation

First I will talk about a piece of animation "Appleseed", which is made in Japan in 2004. It deeply touched me for two reasons when I watched it for the first time. One is it has used motion capture to put real performence into an animation. The other is the combination of the real effect of scenes with the cartoon material of the character. I like it very much as it has a sharp contrast to make images more powerful.

The picture is from APPLESEED made in Japan in 2004.

http://image.baidu.com/i?ct=503316480&z=&tn=baiduimagedetail&word=%C6%BB%B9%FB%BA%CB%D5%BD%BC%C7&in=18873&cl=2&lm=-1&pn=6&rn=1&di=25692066405&ln=1799&fr=&fmq=&ic=&s=&se=&sme=0&tab=&width=&height=&face=&is=&istype=

So in my animation I want to make the scenes more realistic but the material of characters is cartoon to improve the visual impact. However I will make it by key frame rather than motion capture, as the appearence of my character is exaggerated, which I need to magnify its action to match its figure.

The picture shows the models of my current work The Guest.

However I have tried the cartoon materials before, but it is not successful.

The two pictures are from my work The Rock & The Opera in 2006.

Obviously there is no influency on character's surface by intensity of lights and shadows. Maybe as its face is made by textures instead of models. One point of my current research is lighting design in the narrative so I will solve such a problem in terms of materials and models.

Employing Camera Angles_Area

I have introduced progressive (or regressive) shots last week, and today I learned some other different shots, like contrasting shots and repetitious shots.

Contrasting angles are pairs of shots employing camera angles in direct opposition to each other. A high angle may be followed by a low angle, such as dialogues between a tall people and a child facing to each other, like two pictures below. Camera angles should be dramatically opposing in viewpoint to be most effective. According to Mascelli( 1965) , each pair of shots should have sufficient difference in image size to provide suitable contrast. 

Both of them are from One Man Band made by Pixar.

Repetitious shots utilize a series of same size images, which means repetitious angles are series of similar angles applied to the same of different subject matter. A series of shots may be filmed from the same angle at intervals, to show various stages of manufacturing process. Of course It also may be employed to film different people, objects or actions.

Reference:

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

Camera Angles Test

It is happening in the spaceship. The story of this part is that the man receives the UFO, and it is sent into cockpit by lift.

At the beginning, the cylinder (lift) and the man are all in the frame, the camera on front of them and at the left side. At this moment the cylinder does not appear completely, which is just a little bit higher than the ground. The shot attracts audience focusing on the man and the cylinder, and introduces their space relationship. 

This is the layout of the camera movement. 1 is its beginning position and 2 is ending position. The red line is its motion curve.

Then the cylinder is moving upward slowly and the camera is spinning around them until forming 45 degrees with the man, like the picture above. During the time, the camera is closer to the man and has a higher angle, which gradually make his face in a bigger size, in order to attract audience focusing on his facial expressions, anxious and curious. The audience will feel his psychological movement and curious about what objects are in the UFO and how the man will do next. Obviously the camera angle and camera movement are beneficial for the story development in the narrative.

Solution of Camera Long Shot

Today I have solved the problem of cameral long shot for internal spaceship.

I can use different parameter settings of a camera to change its point of view, just like using a real camera. So it is possible to make a camera long shot within a certain airtight space.

This is the interface of the camera.

I can add some special materials on camera to make the frame dramatically, like cartoon ink.

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.