Shot analysis

Assignment: shot analysis

• Due: Monday, Arpil 6th, 5:00 p.m., Submit to Canvas

• Material: Use this Worksheet

Five components:

1. Shot: specify the period of a shot

2. Shot Type: Long shot (LS), Medium shot (MS), or Close-up (CU)

3. Sound: Diegetic, or Non-diegetic

4. Editing:

   • Point-of-view (POV) editing
   • Eyeline match
   • Match on action
   • Screen direction (180 degree rule)

5. Summary paragraph at the end

Definition of shot

A shot is "a series of frames that runs for an uninterrupted period of time".

1. Shot types

Long shot

Whole body plus some above/below (but not too much)

Medium shot

From the waist up

Or

Close-up

Full frame of face or other object

2. Shot description

Simply describe the shot. For example ¹:

• Close-up of the flowers next to the woman, the camera tilts up and zooms to identical flowers held by the woman in the painting

or

• The man, clearly worried, exits the frame, moving to the right.

3. Sound

See more information about sound in Prof. Tim Bell's fourth video.

For this assignemnt, you are only required to specify whether it's Diegetic or Non-Diegetic.

• Diegetic: Coming from inside the story (the current shot); characters can also hear it.

• Non-diegetic: Coming from outside the current shot; Only we can hear and the characters cannot.

Some examples of Non-diegetic sound ¹:

• narrator's commentary
• sound effects which are added for the dramatic effect
• mood music

4. Editing

1. Point-of-view (POV) editing

2. Eyeline match

3. Match on action

4. Screen direction (180 degree rule)

Point-of-view (POV) editing

We start with a close-up of a character looking at something, followed by a shot of what he or she is looking at. Then we go back to their close-up to see their reactions.

Eyeline matches

The illusion of a character looking at something in another shot, created through framing and editing

Match on action

An action started in one shot is completed in another, giving us the illustion that we are watching one complete action.

Screen direction

action continues in the same relative direction between shots. This is also called the 180 degree rule.

4. Summary paragraph

Write a brief paragraph describing how your understanding of the characters and/or situation are shaped by a combination of the specific elements you have identified. You don’t need to discuss all the elements, but you should discuss at least three.

Recap:

1. A shot consists of several footages. Specify the time period to indicate the shot.

2. Shot type: LS, MS, CU

3. Shot description

4. Sound: diegetic vs. non-diegetic

5. Editing: POV editing, eyeline matches, march on action, & screen direction

Example: Analyzing Porcelain Unicorn

Here is the Link to the short film of Porcelain Unicorn

What's next

• 13th Week topic: Video Game Design

• Reading for next week: The formal systems of games and game design atoms

• Assignment coming soon: Game Design