The Secret Code of FilmingMovement

• Movement within the Frame

• Movement of the Frame

• Movement by Mechanical Distortion

Theory of organic form: form and content are mutually dependent in any art form.

Movement Within the Frame• Motion can be depicted literally or

figuratively– Literal movements are photographed concretely

and depict only the action and are used to advance plot and to provide verisimilitude

– Figurative movements are highly stylized and conventional, and while they advance the plot they may not be concerned with verisimilitude but rather be concerned with communicating something above and beyond plot points

Intrinsic Meanings of Movements

• Upward movement seems freeing, positive– Aspiration, joy, power, and authority

• Downward movement seems grounding, negative– Grief, death, insignificance, and weakness

• Movement from left to right seems natural

• Movement from right to left seems uncomfortable

Upward movement seems freeing, positiveAspiration, joy, power, and authority

Click on the space above. Notice that Vincent’s goals require altitude, literally as well as symbolically.

Going up for him will be freeing; it’s his only dream.

Downward movement seems grounding, negativeGrief, death, insignificance, and weakness

Here Vincent is at his lowest point. He travels down the DNA staircase, apparently a prisoner of others’ expectations of his abilities. It is not coincidental that he comes to rest on a toilet.

Movement from left to right seems natural

Notice that Vincent and Irene meet and walk in a left to right direction, as they begin taking the first steps in their loving- unconditionally relationship.

Movement from right to left seems uncomfortable

The right to left movement of and within the frame adds to the tension Vincent feels with the possible detection of his true identity, not to mention the public performance issue.

Intrinsic Meanings of Movements

• Movement toward or away from the camera can be contextual– Bad guys moving toward are threatening– Good guys moving toward are reassuring– Good guys moving away can seem to be

withdrawing– Bad guys moving away can make audiences

feel more secure

Impression of Movements are Influenced By the Way They are Filmed

• Lateral movements will emphasize speed and efficiency unless an extreme long shot is used

• Moving a character or an object in and out of depth will seem to slow that motion, unless an extreme close-up is used or a wide-angle lens

• The longer and higher the shot, the more slow the movement seems

• The closer and lower the shot, the faster the movement

Movement of the Frame• Movement of the frame occurs:

– when the camera itself is moved or – when a lens is used to change the boundaries of

the frame

• Seven basic moving camera shots– Pan – Tilts– Crane Shots – Dolly shots– Zoom shots – Hand-held shots– Aerial shots

Pans• Camera scans a scene horizontally , usually

rotating on a stationary axis follows • Emphasize the unity of space and the

connectedness of people and objects within that space

Tilt Shots• Camera scans a scene vertically, usually from a

stationary horizontal axis• Used to capture point-of-view shots and to suggest

psychological changes within characters

Crane Shots• Shot from the arm of a crane, which can move the

camera in and out of a scene • Moves in almost any direction

– Up, down, diagonally

Dolly Shots• These are shots taken from a moving vehicle

– As a point-of-view shot it emphasizes a character’s destination

– As an objective shot it can emphasize the fluidity or duration of a movement

Zooms• Allows almost simultaneous changes of the frame

from wide-angle distances to close-ups– More rapid movement than a camera movement

– Foreshortens people and flattens space

Hand-held Shots• Allow more real, less smooth, movements

– Often jumpy and confused, especially from close ranges

Aerial Shots• Variation of a crane shot, usually taken from a

helicopter– Can move in nearly any direction– Nearly limitless in the perspective of distance

The bird’s-eye shot of the boys swimming into the frame is as close to an aerial shot as I’ve found in the film; likely, it is actually a crane shot—we see no distortion of water from

helicopter’s blades.

Mechanical Distortions of Movement

• Manipulating the 24 frames/second illusion• Manipulate the timing mechanism on the

camera or projector– Animation– Fast Motion– Slow Motion– Reverse Motion– Freeze Frames

Animation

• Each frame is filmed separately

• Subjects being photographed do not ordinarily move

• Can combine film with traditional art

• Can be combined with live-action

Animation

Notice that computer animation can add life and visual interest (a dominant) to a traditional “paper” storybook tale

Fast Motion

• Achieved by filming at a slower rate than 24 frames/second

• When projected at 24 fps, it will seem accelerated

Slow Motion

• Subjects are filmed at a rate faster than 24 frames/second

• Projected at 24 fps will tend to slow down the movement

Reverse Motion

• Filming a subject with the film running reversed

• When projected the events run backwards.

Freeze Frame

• A single image is duplicated and reprinted for as many frames as necessary to suggest the halting of motion

• This can be combined in post-production with live action to have one character walking through “frozen” time