Planning Cinematography - Miss Miller

Planning Cinematography

Cinematography is an important aspect of the filmmaking process as it is made up by all of the different camera shots, angles and techniques that appear within the sequence. The use of different types of cinematography helps to make the sequence more interesting, and also helps to dictate the way the audience feel while watching the film. For example, a long shot will give the audience a better view of the surroundings, which may make them feel more relaxed and comfortable with the scene. The planning stage before the filming is required in order to produce an excellent sequence as it will give us an idea of what we want to see during the filming of our sequence, and it provides us with a guidline that by following we will be able to meet the aims that the thriller genre has, which is to create tension and suspense, and to make the audience feel shocked and surprised.

 

Close up

We plan to use a close up shot during the phone conversation that takes place between Cameron and his girlfriend after she finds his mother dead. The close up shot is used to focus on the characters facial expression which will give the audience a clear view of how the character is feeling. We have chosen this shot as it will allow the audience to focus on the most important part of the sequence, the girlfriend's facial expression, which will lead to the audience sympathising with the character, and then being in fear that the same thing could happen to her. A close up shot is conventional to the thriller genre as it can hlep to build tension due to the audience only being able to see what the girlfriend character is feeling on the outside; they do not know what they spoke about on the phone or what is going to happen next.

Low angle
We are going to use a low angle shot when Cameron is killing his mother. This shot is used to make certain characters look superior to others, and allows the audience to see how powerful that character really is. By using a low angle we will be able to build a relationship between the audience and the character as they will fear the antagonist and what he is capable of, and then subsequently, the audience will feel sympathetic towards the mother. Fear is a typical convention of the thriller genre as the victim will always fear the antagonist, and the audience will fear what will happen to the other characters that are still alive.

Handheld
We are going to use the handheld technique when the girlfriend is searching around the house for Cameron after finding his mother dead. This technique is used to create a sense of panic, as what appears on the screen in front of the audience will be shaky and unsteady, and the pace of the film will also be picked up. We have chosen to use the handheld technique as we want the audience to feel sympathetic for the girl and worry about what is going to happen to her if Cameron finds her. The technique will be used to portray the fear within the girlfriend character, and the shock that she feels after finding the mother death. Handheld will also help our group to create suspense within our opening sequence as the audience will not know what is going to happen to the girlfriend, or where Cameron has disappeared to.

Point of view

A point of view shot is used to give the audience an insight into the perspective of one of the characters by allowing them to see what they can see, almost as if they are the character themselves. We have chosen to use a point of view shot when the antagonist is killing his mother as we believe this element of cinematography will engage the audience, and make them feel more involved with what they are watching.
Point of view shots are conventional to the thriller genre as it helps to build engima if the audience do not know who the character is, or what they are going to do. The audience will also be able to build a relationship with the character as they are seeing things from their point of view, which will make them feel as though they are part of the film.

Medium shot

We plan to use a medium shot when Cameron and his mother are eating at the dinner table. A medium shot is a camera angle shot that is a medium distance from the characters are focus points in the scene. This shot will be used in our sequence in order to show the audience both the characters and their location, which we believe will help to build a relationship between them as the audience are more aware of the surroundings and the possibilities of what might happen. A medium shot is conventional to the thriller genre

 

Different types of cinematography can be used more effectively than others in order to create different emotions or get a reaction from the audience. For example, a close up is more likely to engage the audience and attract their focus. This is conventional in relation to the thriller genre as it will create tension as the audience are only given a shot of a specific thing or person, they are unaware of what is happening in the background. Planning what different types of cinematography we are going to use before we started filming allowed our group to decide where and how we are going to use those elements in our sequence, which also helps us to ensure that the cinematography we are going to use is conventional to the thriller genre. The planning process also allows our group members to voice any new ideas that they might have, which may help us to improve our opening sequence.