what is single camera technique?

Single camera technique is very simply a focus on filming a scene in multiple takes. This is what sets a lot of Tv and film apart.

Films are in general always single camera techniques purely because they have the time and the money to spend time redoing each shot and working on each take. Because of the way its done for films it means the scenes are often filled with a lot more in depth acting then those on TV reality shows or soaps. My favorite examples for single cameras are Films and TV shows like Zombieland, Teachers and Doctor Who which all use single camera technique to emphasize Comedy and Drama and Horror, in Zombielands case. When Filming with single camera movies and shows it basically in an action sequance to exactly the same thing again so different angles ca be filmed. Like in the shot below, from Zombieland, the characters spot the zombie and Jessie Eisenberg (Coloumbus) starts to run from the zombie with out sliding under Woody Harrelsons (Tallahasse) bat, so they cut to a new shot and film Jessie Eisenberg Sliding under. Its basicly continuing each scene after each cut again and again.

(http://www.aceshowbiz.com/images/still/zombieland03.jpg)

When it comes to  other TV shows it is only reality shows, soaps and competition shows like X Factor who use multi-camera as they have to produce an episode on a tight schedule like on a weekly basis. In my opinion this makes the acting seem less convincing and wooden. Many dramas on TV use single camera as it makes the acting look much more real as the actors have the chance to work for the camera and the emotion. Another place where multi-camera is used is in TV comedies like Friends and Big Bang Theory.

(http://simplifyingfabulous.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Sheldons-Apt-BigBangTheory-1024x682.jpg)

Overall the difference is about the actors quality and emotion really. As well as the way each scene is set up with the cameras. Without a doubt both types fill the role they are intended to fill really well.

Shynola Vs Gallagher

To really decide who has the best argument you have to look at both sides of the story. Because of the nature of the dispute i will look at the side who claims to have had their work stolen first, Gallagher.

Andy Gallagher's video is very well done. The use of chalk in his video is the biggest similarity to shynola's Strawberry swings. Some scenes in which the chalk is used can be seen as similar. Similar is as close as it gets. Dan Gallagher claims there are "striking similarities" between the two videos.(http://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/sep/22/coldplay-video)

Looking at these pictures side by side, yes they are similar, are they identical? no but the are clearly inspired by something in both cases.  

From Shynola's point of view they do also see the similarities " Looking back, it has enough similarities to Mr. Trevor's video itself."(http://www.shynola.com/originalityexplained.pdf). its nice to see them admit is is similar but they also explain that they did not see the video till it was mentioned " Having never seen Mr. Trevor's video before, we can categorically deny that his video was any influence on our video." (same place as above). The rest of the site has loads of pictures showing the similarities of the works but also shows how they got the inspiration for their piece without watching Gallaghers piece.

Looking at both videos its clear to see that they are similar to each other but i think personally its is wrong to criticise Shynola of stealing an idea when they are not identical. Yes in many situations people have claimed that because its similar its a direct breach of copyright. Both films have their own merits and in some appearances they do look similar. But that is the case for some very small clips in the whole films and not a huge percentage.

Evaluation Time- One Shot Music Video

 The review of the one shot homage to Metronomy's "she wants" that we made as a group in college. While I put forward as the main character and director but i was not voted in. Even though i didn't have the authority I still got involved with ideas. I managed to get the idea I wanted into the video which was the part where i was wearing my latex horse mask and brushing the fake hair on it.

Looking back at the video its clear that there is some faults in the video quality, but i remind myself that as a first group project for us it was still really good to watch and you do forgive some of the shortcomings. One of the main things i had an issue with when watching it was the focusing of the camera. We probably should have had someone with a focus puller to keep the video in focus but they might have made the video harder to shoot.

One of the the better things for the video was the organisation and positioning of the different pieces that were chosen by the directors. The sequences that followed were one of my favourites Ive seen in a video. My particular favourite was the zombies at the arcade games machine because of the effort put into looking the part and the way they stared intently at the camera like zombies have done in many films.

Working as a group was very crucial to this and I think the directors did manage to pull the large group together really well. The organisation and timing was to the credit of both of them as they had to plan the route and the setup of each act placed well enough that they flow really well from mini scenes to mini scene.

This being the first production team of this size the directors both did really well in keeping people ready and doing their jobs without being too bossy which I think is very admirable. The ease of the piece was probably down to the fact everyone was really excited to do this video and were happy to do what was necessary to make the video great. Including doing what you are told.

The great thing about doing this whole video was getting to practice my editing skills more the before on any other task. The time we had to work with on the music helps make a sense of urgency to the editing so you fit the video to the ending of the music.

In the event that all copies of the videos were lost I would pretty much do exactly the same if possible but have a focus puller for the camera and position some people in different places. On the stair case i would have have had the stampede running before the camera focuses on them instead of watching them start running. But other than that the video was done really well and it looks really good.

Critique Of Planes, Trains And Automobiles. "Going The Wrong Way" Scene.

 Planes, Trains And Automobiles is a classic comedy film staring John Candy and Steve Martin. The film was released to the public view in November the 25th 1987 and the scene where they drive between two lorries while going down the wrong side of the freeway is definitely one of my favorite scenes as a kid due to the comedy between the two characters facing a near death situation.

The scene starts of with several different medium close ups that quickly swap between John Candy and Steve Martin as they react to the couple in the car shouting at them from across the freeway. The couple also feature a different shot as they both have share multiple medium close ups and one medium long shot.

As the they begin to approach the lorries ahead of them, the camera switches to a long shot of the lorries hurtling towards them with only the lights visible. The camera is actually slightly lower then the characters would see the lorries. This technique in films is to make the target, either a person or object, look more menacing and dangerous. It is also used to convey a sense of fear and shock to the audience.

As the scene progresses so quickly the next shots also increase in pace as the shots become more rapid and varied to help convey the characters fear(as shown in the Gif. above). The shots being used in this rapid sequence of events are mainly close ups and extreme close ups to focus mainly on the faces as they convey the most emotion when scared and portray the horror of the situation better then a medium shot would. The shots work very well and do portray the emotion in a way that's clear and easy to understand.

The music here is a very key part of the scene as the tempo of the music increases to match the scene. speeding up to signal the impending crisis of the trucks reaching the car and then the music drops to allow for the sound of the metal scraping and John Candys manic screams then laughter to dominate the sounds-cape. This adds a real sense of slapstick horror to the characters as John Candy changes into the devil to show how dire the situation is.    

Critique of Lord Of The Rings The Return Of The King- Mt Doom

This scene is my second choice for a multiple reasons. not only is the camera work simple but effective, but its the depth of emotion in the actors that support the camera work. In this scene we see Frodo after walking across the whole of Middle Earth preparing to throw the ring into the lava from which the ring was made. This is all happening while the rest of the fellowship are fighting

Saurons army outside the black gate in a last ditch effort to distract them away from Frodo's mission.

Instantly when watching this scene you can see a variety of different camera shots. Some are CGI but they are done to mimic the real shots. But those that really stand out to me are the real ones that focus on the expressions of the characters and their struggles at this point in the film.

One of my favorite shots is the close up of Frodo as he contemplates keeping the ring. The close up brings together the turmoil between throwing and keeping it. Obviously its focused solely on Elijah Woods performance as Frodo but the camera captures the intricate details like the way his eyes gloss and focus on the ring forgetting almost everything else. Multiple different types of close up and medium shots are used solely on Elijah and the decision, because of its significance to the movie.

Very quickly after this scene Golem appears and successfully removes the ring from Frodo's invisible hand by biting his ring finger. The shots that are used for this scene is interesting as technically they are not done with only camera but also with CGI. While some of these scenes are CGI some are a mixture so i have decided to count it. The particular shot of Golem biting of Frodo's finger is a brilliant example as it combines CGI and real acting from Elijah Wood with a great panning close up shot that captures Frodo's emotion as his finger is bitten off at that very second. 

Watching the scene over and over the order of the shots have been specifically chosen to try and convey the struggle between the desire in Frodo to keep the ring and the choice to throw it away. 

The other key things that surround the scene is the sound effects that they are using. In several of the scenes its mostly the sound of bubbling lav, miniature lava explosions and gusting winds flowing in the volcano. These all add to the overall atmosphere of the scene and make it look and feel highly realistic. 

Critique Of Zombieland "Be A Hero" Scene

From watching and enjoying this film multiple times, this scene hold a particular place in my mind because of the style and the way the camera is used to add suspense and drama.This scene is the last climax of the film and it draws focus on Columbus (played by Jessie Eisenberg) as the main protagonist. The scene requires that he overcomes one final zombie to rescue the female protagonist Wichita (played by Emma Stone) who is stuck atop a ride in a dire situation where a zombie is about to bite her and her sister's, little rock(played by Abigail Breslin), legs.

I could easily write a review about the whole film but I've decided to focus on this scene in particular because it is built around overcoming your fears and the camera work fits and molds to emphasize the task that "Columbus" is faced with.

As mentioned earlier in the film, "I hate clowns"-Columbus, he has a particular hatred for clowns even before the zombie outbreak. This is beautifully shown in this scene by using a variety of shot like close ups,medium shots, crash zooms and long shots. The chosen shots are all linked to the suspense they are trying to convey between the zombie clown, and Columbus. The previous reference leads to this point as it is Columbus's personal climax of the film. The significance of this part to the story is shown by great the camera work.

 My personal favorite shot is when the crash zoom is used on Columbus, It really shows his contempt,anger and fear towards the zombie. It also shows that moment that he realizes that its time to break the rules and "be a hero". Other shots that catch my eye specifically is the close up of the clown zombie when its staring at Columbus. The shot plays perfectly on the expressions of Derek Graf. Due to the closeness of the shot you can see all the movements in the eyes, mouth, jaw and for the finale, the blood/pus falling from the mouth. The close up on that sets the darkness and terror that the zombie is instilling in both the audience and Columbus. When I look at the zombie I know that I would be terrified at this situation. To me that shows how effective the shot is.

The sounds that are used in this scene are designed to not only really heighten the sense of fear and terror that the zombie gives off, but to also show the change in heart from Columbus. For the zombie it was mainly centered around his grunts,growls and the sound of the blood pouring from his mouth. This is what drives the scariness of this zombie home. The combination of the shots and the sounds really show him as the absolute horror of the film. For Columbus's shots its the faint heartbeat and the sound of the rule being broken that shows his desire to overcome his fear and rescue Wichita.  

In order of release to the public eye.

1.The Way Things Go- 1987

2.Honda Cog- 2003

3.Ok Go-This Too Shall Pass- 2010

It is fairly clear when watching the 3 videos in age order that they are inspired by the previous. Its a fairly simple concept of chain reactions that lead to ever increasing contraptions. We cannot say that its plagiarism due to the fact they are not identical but a variation. They Mimic it but don't copy them. Its similar but not the same is what I am getting at in the last four sentences (sorry for that).

When it comes down to it i personally i think This Too Shall Pass was my favorite. I say that as its the most exciting out of the 3 too me. The combination of different things is what makes it my favorite. It always finds the way to be more interesting then the others, my choice to represent this one is having the TV sliding on the wire and then being hit by a sledgehammer. While i am not sure why it happens it keeps me intrigued and shocked me at first as the hammer is not visible before it falls. The way it ends is also a reason i enjoy it, the ending adds some slapstick comedy as the paint is fired at the four people who appeared throughout the piece. What sets this apart from The Way Things Go is speed. This Too Shall Pass is nice and snappy with each of the reactions and that draws me in.

When It comes to The Way Things Go. Its my least liked in all of the 3. It just doesn't draw me in like the others do. It just seems like a pointless thing with no real end. The main problem is that they made the reactions take 3 times as long as any in This Too Shall Pass. Its just too long to hold any form of interest for the length of the video. If it was as fast as the others it wouldn't have been too bad its just for the length. they always say "quality not quantity". if everything was as detailed as it is just shorter it would have been awesome to me. I say all this but i can see that a lot of effort went into the video and the quality of the movements because while long they are very precisely worked out and work very well.

Now to the Honda Cog Advert.This is what i would say is a good standard of these videos. I say this because its clear that its been really well thought out to include all the pieces that the car is built from. Including bolts,wheels and speakers. This appeals to me because i have a fascination with little details and noticing each of the pieces as the go along in the video is cool to me. Seeing the window wipers being used to rotate and hit the bucket is the sorta thing that grabs my attention. Using things abnormally to make a sequence grabs my attention.

Overall my opinion is that they all work well but some need to be a bit faster to keep attention. Other then that they are really cool and precisely executed.

Is Anything Truly Original?

Short and simple answer is no. Nothing is ever original due to the fact the our lives are influenced by what we hear,see and read. Its is the same for all of our creations. We are inspired by the things we enjoy and aspire to be similar but not the same. I experience this often when I try to draw my own comics and make animations. I try to choose a style that mimic those that I know are popular,and that I enjoy, without being too easy to criticize for being copying.

As a species we are born to adapt and survive. This applies to everything we do from the food we eat to the television and films we watch. Its all influenced by each other. Especially in films.
I could talk about this for a while but I know Tomska explains it better.(link is the picture)

Please don't see this as me trying to skip on the work but i know i cant explain it as-well as he does.