week 4 FILMMAKING WORKSHOP

Karl Swingle (MFA Film @ Columbia University, directer, screenwriter) stopped by our class today to help us get a handle on a few basic shooting and editing techniques.  He showed us some clips from a few films including Nobody's Fool, Sling Blade, and The Shining which highlighted the importance of distance, height, level, and angle of the camera when setting up and framing a shot.  We also discussed the 180 Degree rule, Point of View shots, and the difference between subjective and objective shots.  I was especially interested in how he showed us that sometimes its better to crop a portion of your subject instead of trying to get the whole thing in the shot, that widening the lens or moving back to capture more sometimes distorts the composition.

The following is the opening credit sequence from the movie Hud (1963) by Martin Ritt.  Almost every single establishing shot is filmed straight-on at eye level with the horizon in the center creating a very dead, flat impression of the town.  This was most likely Ritt's intention as the plot of the film focuses on the disintegration of a pre-pretroleum era.  Karl taught us that in trying to create a more favorable impression of a place we should shoot subjects at an angle and either above or below eye level...basically the opposite of what is shown here.

In this clip we can see how Hud's car is the subject of the shot but Ritt has chosen not include the entire car in the frame and yet the composition of the shot is uncompromised.  This is also the first shot of the movie that is filmed at an angle so we are finally starting to see some depth to the town, creating interest in the people that are inside the house beyond the car.

I just recently re-watched this film and I was surprised at how the majority of the film is shot at eye level or perpendicular to the subject, giving the overall style of the film a very flat look.  It is only during key moments that Ritt changes the angle of the shot, making that particular scene much more dramatic as a contrast to the rest of the film.


Overall, I think the most valuable contribution of Karl's lecture was how important it is to choose the shot you want, not just shoot randomly and hope you can edit your pile of footage down into something usable...make artistic choices.