Camera angles, Shots and Movement;

This is a very important aspect of our trailer and takes much thought and preparation before filming, so that the angles, shots and movements of the camera create the effect we want from each scene and are used in the right place at the right time. 

We decided on the following options:

 

• Birds eye view 
• Close-up shot
• Mid-shot                                           
• Match on action
• Over the shoulder shot
• Tilt
• Panning
• Low mid-shot

Birds eye view;

The birds eye shot is taken from above the central object/person and is directly overhead, it is a strange angle to use, as at first, you may not be able to see what the object is, until the camera moves lower towards it or the camera angle changes. We are going to use this shot at the beginning of our trailer, when Helena is kneeling next to the grave of her recently deceased husband. This view can sometimes put the audience in a powerful position and can give a sense that God is looking down on what is happening (making the audience be in Gods position). This links with the scene as they are in a graveyard, maybe even suggests her husband is looking down on her.

Close-up shot and extreme close-up;

A close-up shot is a very intimate shot as it focuses on one person or object, it does not show much background, and represents the importance of the person/object. It can express feeling and emotion through expressions. We plan to use this when Helena is happy with her baby, to show her emotion at this point as pleased and excited. then we will use it again when she is sleeping, to show the audience that she is not awake, as it then leads into the dream sequence. An extreme close-up is a simply a extreme form of the close-up and is zoomed in even further. This shot is normally used in a dramatic scene, often showing eyes to show expression, we are going to use this shot at the end of our trailer to show Helena's eyes, as she is at her worst, before she gets locked into the psychiatric ward, showing a dramatic part of the film and showing her distress.

Mid-shot and low mid-shot;

A mid-shot is usually taken from the waist up of a person in the shot, and shows more background then a close-up, This can be used to show more of an action rather then just focusing on a persons expression. A mid shot can involve a two-shot and a three-shot, depending on the amount of people within the shot (two-shot meaning there are two people in the shot, three-shot being three people within the shot). We are planning to use this shot when we have just seen a close-up of Helena in the hospital with her baby, it will fade into a mid-shot, showing more of her surroundings, so we gather a picture of where she is. We also plan to use this show when we see a figure next to the cot in the dream sequence. A low mid-shot means that the mid shot will be taken from a low angle, looking up at the focus of the shot, this can be used to represent power, making the audience feel lower then the person the camera angle is looking up towards, which is why we are choosing to use this show to show the police man get out of his police car, as they have authority in society, and so we can see him clearly getting out of the car. 


Over the Shoulder shot;
This is a very common shot when two characters are having a conversation. This shot is taken from behind a person and literally looks over their shoulder, focusing on the other subject/person. We are planning on using this shot in our trailer when Helena is looking into the cot at her baby, the camera will look over her shoulder into the cot. This gives the audience a different perspective of the scene, creating a mysterious effect as we can not see Helena's facial emotions or expressions.


Match-On-Action;
This is an editing technique used for continuity editing, It means that one shot cuts to another shot showing the action taking place. It gives a flowing feel as the action is carried through. It brings the attention from an overall image to the action taking place. We plan to use this twice during our film trailer, the first time being when we see Helena walking into her house, and the 'action' part will be her opening the front door, this makes the scene more interesting for the audience. The second time we will use match-on-action is when the police man gets out of the police car, for the same reasons as the previous scene.


Tilt and Panning;
A tilt angle is a camera movement taken vertically, whereas, a panning movement shows a shot horizontally. To get a successful panning movement, the camera is placed on a tripod, which theoretically is used as a stable axis point as the camera moves or follows the moving object. A tilt is exactly the same, apart from it being placed vertically rather then horizontally. We plan to use the tilt movement, for when Helena is asleep, and the camera tilts up the wall and fades into the dream sequence. This will give a flowing effect to the scene, creating a smooth transition from one part to the other.