Activity 2.4 - Analysing camerawork in a drama
For this task I analysed a short piece of action sequence from a youth drama series called Waterloo Road. The sequence is from series five and shows two schools engaging in some conflict. The use of camerawork in the sequence helps to build up tension and it implies that there is going to be a big event about to happen through the length of the pan shots. They track around the scenario, giving a wider image of what is going on. The shots are unremarkable in length; they are neither long nor short, but this creates an effect of both sides being evenly matched.
The action is emphasised by the length of these shots. The end of the sequence has much shorter scenes and the camerawork is from unusual angles which helps to suggest chaos and utter confusion.
There is one long establishing shot which helps to show the location of the setting as well as show that there are a lot of people involved in the fight. It suggests somewhat of a mob mentality which is an idea that gets reinforced when the fight actually breaks out.
The camerawork does not necessarily emphasise the importance of the setting; it shows the setting to a great degree. The showing of the field on which the characters fight could be seen as showing that this is where the fight is going to take place but apart from that it seems to have no real significance.
Activity 2.5 - Analysing camerawork in television documentary
For this task I watched Meet The Ancestors, a documentary about the excavation of a 5000-year old burial tomb in Orkney.
This documentary featured a multitude of camerawork techniques. Some of these were more generic techniques found in most types of shows, such as two-shots of people talking and establishing shots that help to show the location in more detail.
A high angle was used when showing the entrance to the burial tomb, which made it appear ominous and very isolated. This effectively has the audience a little entranced by the object on the screen. Low angles are used to show the 4x4 driving along the road. The low angle of the shot means that it looks very powerful in it's surroundings and combined with the sound, it seems to be very important to the show so far.
There is an aerial shot used to establish the general location; showing Orkney in a much more broad sense.
There is a point of view shot used to look out of the front of the car when driving, and although this is short is conveys the sense of there being an important, personal journey going on.
Pan shots are used and show relationships between certain things; for instance there is one when the 4x4 enters the site where the excavation will take place. There is a reverse zoom in the title sequence which shows a carved face, suggesting that this is the sort of discovery the show is aiming to find at the end.
The camerawork definitely adds authenticity to the show, giving it a classical documentary type feel through the multitude of establishing shots as well as close ups. The documentary does not specifically draw the audience's attention to the presence of the camera operator, although it is clear that one is there, for instance when presenter Julian Richards is talking as he drives. This helps to reinforce the idea that the show is in fact a documentary.
Activity 2.9 - Analysing sound in television documentary
For this task I watched five minutes of Walking with Beasts, a documentary from 2001 about the planet and it's inhabitants millions of years ago. First, I watched it without sound. Then, I watched it with sound and found that it aided me hugely in understanding what was going on.
Without the sound, it appeared to me that there was simply a series of images showing the beasts moving or something. However, the voice-over means that I was told about how interesting and spectacular these beasts being represented are. This voice-over is very effective in a documentary, and especially so when the subject matter is so unfamiliar to us.
With the main feature of the documentary being animated beasts, most of the sound heard is a sound FX; this is of course only a representation of the noises made.
The sound FX and the incidental music play a big part in the show. Incidental music is the use of music to punctuate a specific event or action, or to provide a sound background; which is exactly what the soundtrack to Walking With Beasts does. It is fast paced and edgy in a scene where a small mammal is being chased, and it is grand and spectacular when talking about the splendour of beasts.
It helps us to see the images on the screen a certain way; for instance, when the small mammal seen to the right of here is shown, we see that it is in danger; our interpretation is aided by the incidental music.
2.11 - Analysing special FX in television drama
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