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June 02, 2009
Response: Movies and Meaning Chapter 1
When watching films in the past, I never really noticed the elements such as camera position, angle, movement, shot length, or lens type. The usage of such elements in films seems natural, as if it is the logical way to shoot the scene. For example, when I, as a viewer, am experiencing a character's emotional response, I expect to be able to have an intimate relationship with that character, so a close-up seems natural. When reading this chapter I realized the role of these cinematographic elements in allowing the viewer to see the situation from a desired point of view. Cinema seamlessly creates a mood or conveys information about a person or situation by combining narrative, light, sound, music, dialogue, and cinematography in such a way that the viewer hardly notices them nor realizes the director or cinematographer's deliberate employment of them. However, if an inappropriate camera angle, camera position, or shot length were used, the viewer would not experience the intended drama and the effect would be unnatural.
Jackie
Posted by jxp166 at June 2, 2009 07:01 PM
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