My subject area is ‘how camera techniques are used in documentaries to show emotions’, I will conduct a range of research to find out how camera techniques are used and the emotional effect it has. By the end of this report I am hoping to find out how I can use camera techniques to have an emotional connection with my audience.

I started my research by looking at books that fitted my subject area, I checked each thoroughly before reading them in detail. Reviewing how recent each of the publishing dates were and comparing how accurate each book was. I explored each of my sources carefully including my books and online sources; I read reviews about the books and only used reliable websites that weren’t changeable.

The first few online sites I looked at mentioned which different types of shots are most effective to create emotions, Garrett Hemmerich and Odin Lindblom both discussed this. Lindblom said “Every shot you take […] should drive your story”. Overall this research has made me reflect upon what shots I will need in my film in order to create an emotional response from my audience.

A few of the books I read were based mainly around different shot types and angles and explained the effects of each. Gerald Millerson and Roy Thompson went into detail about a range of shots such as medium shots and close ups and how they effect the audience emotionally. Roy Thompson said “(the simple shot) is the most commonly used shot and is often the most effective in story telling”. Overall from this research, I have learnt how to use a range of shots effectively to develop an emotional relationship with the audience, it has allowed me to develop my knowledge about the effects of each and how to use each of them efficiently.

The next book I read discussed handheld shots- I have wanted to try this type of shot out for a while so I decided to read more about the effects it has on the audience and how to use it effectively. Odin Lindblom said “Handheld shots […] give the audience the feeling that the footage is real rather than a fictional story.” From this book I have learnt how to use this technique correctly, and what I need to do to show the audience that my work is true.

After not finding much about interview techniques in my books I explored online sources, I found a range of sites that helped me understand more about what to do in an interview including the shots to use and how to set up the cameras. Nick Willoughby stated that “Mid shots and close-up shots give the most natural look to an interview” I will be using interviews in my film and wanted to learn how I can make my interviews more emotionally effective and this research has allowed me to do this, overall I have developed my knowledge in this area.

From this research I have learnt how different camera techniques are used to show emotion and now know what I need to do to create an emotional connection with my audience. In conclusion, I have developed my knowledge in this subject area and now know more about using the camera effectively to display emotion.

 

Bibliography:

  • THOMPSON, Roy (1998). Grammar of the shot. England, Roy Thompson.
  • MILLERSON, Gerald (1994). Video camera techniques. England, Gerald Millerson.
  • Garrett Hemmerich, (2015). How to Use the Camera to Convey Emotion on Your Film & Video Productions. [online]. Last accessed at: http://www.kvibe.com/2015/08/07/how-to-use-the-camera-to-convey-emotion-on-your-film-video-productions/
  • Nick Willoughby, (2006). Interviewing techniques for your documentary film. [online]. Last accessed at: http://www.dummies.com/photography/video/interviewing-techniques-for-your-documentary-film/
  • Odin Lindblom, (2015). Use your camera to control audience perspective. [online]. Last accessed at: https://www.videomaker.com/article/c18/17682-use-your-camera-to-control-audience-perspective