Task 3 - Narrative Structures

·         Linear (Sequential) Narrative – The events happen in chronological order from the start to finish. The plot is told without using flashbacks or flashforwards of certain events involving the current story. Some examples of films that use Linear narratives are Drive, Now you see me, and Of mice and men.

·         Non-linear (Non-sequential) Narrative – The film isn't shown in order, often used in literature films. Non-Linear narratives do not follow in chronological order. They are the opposite to linear, they often have flashbacks and flash-forwards, they are never shown in a sequence. Some examples of Non linear narratives are 500 days of summer, Forest Gump, pulp fiction, memento.

·         Flashback – Flashbacks are where the narrative goes back in time from the current point that the film or story has reached. The often use special effects so there is no confusion with where abouts the film is. Some examples of films or programmes that use flashbacks are  How I met your mother, lost, films like titanic as it was filmed in flashback

·         Realist Narrative – Story lines that are believable because they appear real based on true story that happened in the past. Used in horror films to appear scarier than it would be when it first happened. Examples where realist narrative are used are Shameless. Soap operas, drama films, romance film. Shot hand held camera in horror

·         Anti-Realist Narrative`- Something that doesn’t or will never happen in real life.  Cadburys advert 2007. Fantasies, superhero films, child’s programs where animals talk. Donnie Darko.

·         Open Narrative - An open narrative is where the story is left wide open, the viewer has to guess what happened of is going to happen at the end It usually happens if there is a sequel in a program or if it is due to be made into a film or if a program is in two parts.  They are often used in crime dramas to keep the audience on their seats and guessing what happened and who is the criminal

Open Narratives can also be ongoing and never ending, for example soap operas as they have one more story running at one time

·         Closed Narrative – A closen narrative has a beginning, middle and an end. They are opposite to open narrative. The audience Expect an ending. A closed narrative doesn't leave questions it has a clear ending. Some examples that used closed narratives are Titanic, limitless. Mice and men, Sweeney Todd

Task 2 - Moving Image Formats

I have researched into different moving image formats and i have made a powerpoint showing different examples of each

Task 1 - Sinlge camera VS Multiple camera

Single and Multi-camera set ups

This essay is to explain the differences and similarities between single and multi- camera set ups and to explain the advantages and disadvantages of both techniques. For both set ups this essay will explain, what the technique is, good points and bad points and what the technique is commonly used for.

What is Single-Camera set up?

As the name suggests, a production using a single camera setup uses just one camera. Each shot and different camera angles are taken with the same camera which is manoeuvred around the set and then reset to get each shot or new angle needed within the frame, the lighting set up of the scene may also be reset for each new single-camera set-up. For example, if a scene cuts back and forth between actor A and actor B, the director will direct the crew to first point the camera towards A and shoot a number of different shots for example 1,3,5,7 and so on, then he or she will point the camera towards actor B and do shots  2,4,6,8.

After all of the necessary shots have been taken and done at various different angles the post production editing starts in which the shots will be assembled into their final order which the director wants. In television single-camera technique is commonly used in prime-time dramas for example Game Of Thrones and Downtown abbey to allow the director to have more creative control over the flow of the scene and the different camera angles used within the production.

 

This is an example of a single-camera set up, as shown in the diagram only once camera is used but is switched between actor A and actor B

What are the advantages and disadvantages of single-camera set up?

There are many advantages to single-camera set ups, one of these advantages is allowing the production and director to strive towards perfection of the scene’s set-up from the lighting and art requirements to the blocking of the actors, if a shot is wrong or an actor makes a mistake the shot can easily be retaken just once whereas multi-camera set-ups require the whole shot to be retaken and takes more time.

Another advantage to single-camera set up is the camera placement, the crew place the camera where they have a clear line of sight to the action needing to be filmed, they look closely through the camera to make sure no unwanted clutter is in the background or anywhere else in the shot and if it is they remove it before taking the shot.

There are also disadvantages to single-camera set ups, one of the disadvantages is the cost, single-camera set ups are more expensive than multi-camera as it more time consuming and means the actors are there for longer and therefore being paid more out of the films budget.

Another disadvantage is multiple takes, in some instances you may need to shoot a scene several different times from different angles and they wardrobe, makeup and lighting set-ups have to be identical throughout each take.

 What is a Multi-Camera set up?

Again as the name suggests, the production is filmed using more than one camera, often three or four. Usually the two outer cameras shoot close up shots or ‘crosses’ of the two most active and important characters on the set at any given time, while the main camera or cameras shoot a wider ‘master shot’ to capture all of the overall action of establish the space in which the scene is set.  In this technique there will be cameras on actor A and actor B at all times and different angles.

With this technique, multiple shots are obtained in a single take without having to stop and start the action. Whilst shooting, the director and assistant director create a ‘line cut’ by instructing the technical director to switch to various cameras, the cut may be refined later in editing.  Using multiple cameras is mainly used in talk shows, news programs and any other live programs that are set-up in a studio or a controlled location.

 As shown in the diagram there is always a camera on actor A and actor B

What are the advantages and disadvantages of Multi-camera set up?

There are many advantages to multi-camera set-ups is the time it takes to set up and shoot the scene, since there are multiple camera’s the shots don’t take as long to shoot compared to the single-camera set up and there are  more variations of camera angles used.  There is more coverage as there are multiple cameras.

Another advantage of multi-camera set-ups is the cost, multi-camera set up is the cheapest out of the two techniques as the shots are taken with more than one camera, the actors and crew aren’t there for as long and therefore not paid as much as they are with a single-camera set-up.

There are also disadvantages to multi-camera set-ups, an example is the time it takes to set up the whole set, since there are multiple cameras, they all need to be set up in the positions the director wants and make sure the actors are in the right positions also.

Another disadvantage to multi-camera set-ups is the retakes, if an actor or crew messes up on set the whole shot has to be set up and retook whereas in single-camera set-up only one single shot has to be retaken and isn’t as time consuming as multi-camera set-up.