NIFS 2014 – NEPAL

SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CAMERA WORKSHOP

DOCUMENTARY FILM

Bill Nichlos identifies six modes of documentary films: poetic, expository, participatory, observational, reflexive, and performative.

Cinematography/videography is the art of thinking in pictures, writing in movement, and filmmaking.  The camera is the main medium that takes first place in filmmaking.

In my classes, when I talk about film/video production, the main purpose is the images and camera position in a mechanical and mental way, and my first impression is how the film is recorded and the minds – director, and cameraperson – behind that medium.

In this way, I see the visible camera character in any film and not the words.

The character of a camera has two interdependent parts:

Mechanical position: The camera movements like panning, tilting, craning, tracking, Steadicam, etc.

Mental position: The Framing and aspect ratio: Close shot, long shot, Medium Shot, Panavision, widescreen, etc.

Both parts give a visible personality to the camera:

Passive personality:

The camera has a neutral view like Science and Natural documentaries, newsreels (without any manipulation), educative, informative, and history films.

Active personality:

The camera is dynamic and active in different ways:  judgmental, participant, attached, responsible, dedicated, intimate, interactive, curious, etc.

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Practice:

Try to be your own camera. Visualize your thoughts and move your body as a camera moves. With each movement, you would be able to understand the feeling of how a camera observes its environment. But there is a big problem with our eyes! Our eyes are not able to make any medium and close shots.

To solve this natural weakness we can create a virtual world by closing our eyes. In this way, we are able to fantasize about whatever we wish to see.

Those virtual imaginations are the most important ability of a camera.

The camera is the conscious mind. The recorded/filmed pictures – motion pictures – are rough productions without any sensation regarding the whole story. The editing is the subconscious mind. It means, “The Editing” is the spirit of the whole film.