TFM160-01: Cinema as Art

Chapter 6 My Movie Log #2: My Movie in Three Scenes – Exploring Cinematography

Two of this unit’s My Movie Logs are designed to help you develop your proposal for a short film which you will be sharing in the Unit 03 Group Discussion. Feel free to read the Group Discussion guidelines before working on this My Movie Log.

You will complete your My Movie Log work here, and then you can take this work into your Group Discussion for the proposal you’ll post for your peers.

Objective:

Now that we’ve explored cinematography through our readings, lectures and analysis of Pan’s Labyrinth, this My Movie Log allows you to consider and explore the cinematography for your short film proposal “My Story in Three Scenes”).

My Movie Log Prompt:

For each of the scenes in your original short film, what types of shots, camera angles, camera movement, framing, and use of space – including deep space composition — do you envision using to most effectively tell your story? To help, imagine seeing your movie projected on screen – how would you describe the cinematography you see? No need to go into a lot of details; describe the overall approach and choices of the cinematography.

Here’s an Example: (using the story example from the Chapter 5 My Movie Log #2 initial prompt guidelines)

Scene 1: The camera will focus on the abandoned flip-flops and wallet and tilt up to take in an establishing shot of the ocean’s horizon, we can barely distinguish the man swimming seaward. We then have medium shots of him swimming and then struggling. Perhaps a full shot of his collapse on the beach.

Scene 2: Close shot of the man awakening, and then a variety of medium, shot/reverse shots as the man and woman negotiate their relationship at the campfire.

Scene 3: Camera reveals the abandoned campfire. And then pans to take in the moonlight over the calm waves, and the man and woman walking away together along the surf. The camera will track toward the two until they are held in a full shot. And then use rack focus, pulling focus from the couple in background to the foreground and two pairs of abandoned flip-flops in the sand.

Target: 150 words for this Journal. You are free to go over this word count, but keep your answers focused.