Blog Post #6 - Preliminary Exercise

         For my preliminary exercise, I decided to focus on creating shots that I may need to use with my actual film. By doing this, I gained knowledge and practice in how I should go about creating and setting up shots such as these. For my 4 shots, I created a close up, a pan, a wide shot, and a dolly out. 

       This shot is an example of a close up. I chose to create this to test out the best ways to catch the key lighting in the best way to clearly display the subjects face. By doing so, I will be able to use this skill in my interviews as their emotions can be conveyed with a shallow focus. This type of focus keeps the audiences attention on the subject of the shot, forcing them to read their emotions and facial expressions during the interviews of my final excerpt. I also chose to use a side angle that helps display her face much more clear and less uncomfortably when using a close up angle which I will ensure I implement into my filming to make it more cohesive and compelling. 

       This shot is an example of a pan. For this shot, I again used a shallow focus as I would in interviews to keep the viewers focus on the actor but I added a camera movement from a close up on the keyboard of the laptop to her face. With the movement, her struggle and emotions are revealed to the audience, communicating her situation subconsciously without having to explicitly say what is occurring in the scene. This will help me as it will allow me to film content of action scenes during Volleyball play and create meaning through it without it being directly outspoken. Location wise, I made sure to choose this area as it displayed the subjects crowded room with makeup on the vanity to show her struggling on a deeper level, making it relatable to specific audiences which is what I intend on doing in my documentary too. 

      This video is an example of a wide shot directly related to Volleyball. For this, my goal was to create a moment showing the reality of play from a slightly lower angle. The composition of the shot being extended from each side shows both sides of the court and the players on the teams. This helps communicate the reach of the sport and angle creates a daunting look, showing the pressure that players are put under as everyone in frame looks tense. Also, the loud, busy diegetic sound in the video allows viewers to hear what the sites actually sound like and lets them experience the environment that the players have to experience. There are many things I could have done better with this shot but mostly I should have gotten just a little closer and cleared the audio some which will help me create these shots in a better way later on. 

      Lastly, this shot is an example of a dolly out. Right off the bat, I could have chosen a better location, specifically one more Volleyball oriented like in a gym or a club. But this shot was essential for me to create as it gave me an idea of what filming athletics is like. By keeping the girl in focus, I could show her technique and part of her focused expression in one shot. This helps tell the audience her emotions while also showing a Volleyball skill, continuing to create meaning and a deeper theme which will be essential in the final product of my project. Another thing I could have done better was keeping the girl in the rule of thirds. This would have simply provided a focal point for viewers and kept their attention on her and the ball in their peripherals which will also be an important skill I will utilize later on as it will let me show the players talent and skill, not just the movement of the ball.