The 180 rule tells us that we cannot go over a certain point when we are filming someone or something. This rule is set in place because if it is broken, things will appear in different place sin each cut which can be confusing for the audience. This will result in the audience losing interest. As the rule suggests, you can only use half of the scene from the point of the characters. The diagram and the story board will show you how exactly the 180 rule is set.
Because we have started on the right hand side of this circle, we can move about anywhere on that side of the circle. We CAN NOT then cut and be shooting from the other side of the circle, because the person we are filming will be on the opposite side which will be confusing because we would be asking ourselves how they got on that side when we clearly saw them on the other side.
Breaking the 180 Rule
There is however a way to break the rule in a legit way. You would have to move the camera past the line without going to a cut. So as the diagram on the right suggests. The audience will know that the characters positions have changed. The video below does not break the rule properly and you will see a huge change in the way you do things because they broke it the incorrect way. The boy who first walks in appears on the other side of the setting and then back again. They have broken the rule.
Realising the rule
The storyboard below shows the 180 degree rule. If you observe this properly you will notice the characters always stay on their side of each shot; they never end up on different sides. On board 2 and 3 you can also see their heads are on different sides, this re-enforces the 180 degree rule because if their heads were on the same side it would be saying that they are on the same side. Its evident that they are not on the same side from the shots. This is why the 180 degree rule is paramount and why there is a specific way you can break it
This is my preliminary task which we had to do in
order to asses our own ability at more editing more than acting capability.'
however we managed to do both to the best of are ability. It took us a while
since we were new to the whole editing aspect of media and i think its good
that we got to do this task because it got us ready for what yet to come. It
was because it was our first time doing this that we did in fact come across
some issues at times.
My experience as a novice
At first when i saw Final Cut (which is a software designed to help you edit your videos) I was completely baffled by the mechanics and just the visual look of it :
Of course, i was ready to take on the up coming task and i had previous editing knowledge from GIF's so once i had a good look at it i had a brief understanding of how it worked. After the software was introduced to us properly, I then had a better insight on where every i needed was and how it worked. We edited a dummy video which was no yet edited to get the hang of using this programme. After an hour or so, i was a lot more confident in using Final Cut.
The Delay
The following week, we began to make our own videos
in groups of 3. Unfortunately my group did not have the privilege of 3 members;
instead we had only my working partner and myself. With one member short, we
had to do heavy improvisation and would record and pause the tape when we
wanted to get into another shot. The most catastrophic thing about this day was
that we had re winded back to see what we had filmed which in effect made our
video have massive blank spaces in between. We did not have knowledge of this
until the end of the lesson, which ultimately delayed our editing time.
The outcome
Once we had sorted out this issue, it was amusing
to see our out takes and interesting to see our work on the screen. To be
honest i now give credit to actors for doing what they do because we done at
least 10 takes on just half a scene at one stage, but we got there in the end.
We would then arrange and crop out what we didn't want and use a variety of the
same scene to make up on big scene. An example is when i was walking through
the door. It too 4 scenes to just get me into the room and to sit down. The
different shots added to the feel of the video.
Dialogue: conversation
between 2 people in a certain scene. This applies to any type of media weather
it be a film, drama or TV show. Any more than 2 people in the conversation, then it is no longer dialogue.
Matrix Reloaded: This film is a perfect example of dialogue because the characters are isolated in a room so if you had any mis-understanding of what dialogue means, this videos clears it up. Since only two people are in a room talking to each other its quite clear to us what dialogue is. in addition, Matrix is famous for its dialogue scenes
Diegetic sound: Any
sound made in the scene. Absolutely anything. From the sound of me typing these
words, to the roar of a bear. However the main character must acknowledge the
sound. Dialogue is a even better example of diegetic sound.
Ray: This film is about a blind man who had a passion for music; the piano to be more specific, and for him growing up to his death, sound was the most important thing to help him get around. He has to hear most if not all things in a scene to know where he's going and what's happening around him. Sounds in Ray Charles surroundings were diegetic and because he's blind it only heightened his hearing.
Non-Diegetic: Sounds
that the characters cannot hear. This will entail the music to add to the atmosphere,
Narrato's and theme tunes
Naruto: This is a very famous Manga and anime and its non-diegetic sounds is what make the anime of Naruto rather interesting and exciting to watch. The soundtrack and strange noises they use to signify something (e.g. if someone does or says something obvious or a situation is awkward, a sound might play that the characters cant hear that stand for that particular weird or awkward moment) noises in this video count as non-diegetic because the character cant actually hear them
Sound motif: A sound
we can associate with a certain programme, one of the most famous sound motifs
would be the Jaws theme tune and Easterners.
Fresh Prince Of Bel Air: A Sitcom Series which went from 1990 to 1996. It starred a black family and black sitcoms were very rare back in the 20th century, the only other one i can think of is the Cosby show. The fact that even today's generation watch and love this sitcom make it a largely popular TV show and its because of that that when we hear this jingle, we instantly know its fresh prince. This is a perfect example of a sound motif.
Synchronous sound: The
visual will go in perfect harmony with the soundtrack playing. This happens in
musicals and when someone’s is happy because it’s usually up beat soundtracks
that we can spot synchronous sound.
Since i'm a fan of funny compilations, i found a compilation that goes with a certain sound effect within each scene. the "DAH" in "FUS RO DAH" . Most if not all parts in those scenes are in great sync with that sound in the soundtrack. An example is in 0:30 in the video, they are slaying down a snowy hill and the guy knocks into the person right on the part where the soundtrack says "DAH".
Contrapuntal sound:
Sound that does not go with the visual. This is usually implemented in horror
films when they put a nursery rhyme in a tense and gore expecting scenes. A
good example is when a guy who has just broken up with a girl and Akon-lonely
is playing while he’s talking to girls, but he would seem perfectly happy. It’s
a purpose contradiction.
In this scene we can see the circumstances entail murder and violence as well as torture. However, we begin to hear up beat music play which, if we were blind, could say otherwise and that this scene isn't about violence and torture.
Voice over: When the narrator is
speaking over whatever is going on in a particular scene. This is used all the
time In the TV programme Scrubs when JD’s imagination always establishes the
situation or if he’s just think about what to do next.
Morgan Freeman is a very famous voice over because he makes his voice so interesting and can make the most boring thing sound like an adventure. In this video we can hear him narrating what is happening in the video and this would be considered a voice over.
Soundtrack:This is when music is
included in a scene to suit the moment. These are mostly used in games and film
trailers.
Like i said, games mostly use soundtracks to give the game that feel for each area or scene. Final fantasy X is known for its beautiful and nostalgic soundtracks. Some examples are in this video but i recommend looking at the playlist of this video found under the publish date in YouTube.
Ambient sound: Sounds that you hear
on your everyday life however only these noises are in the background. A simple
example is footsteps in a huge crowd.
Using this video as an example, these are the sounds that would typically count as ambient sounds because we are used to hearing them, ergo why they are considered ambient sounds.
Sound Perspective: When a sound gets
either louder or quieter within a short time period. Sounds in a certain
sequence go off. This happens in movies when someone’s feeling ill in a movie
and they can only hear certain sounds like a bell ringing over 100’s of people
and then they collapse.
This video gives shows us how this is demonstrated and put into practice
Mode of address:This is when the
character/narrator involves the audience with the actual film. This very rare
to come by and isn't really used because it breaks the feel of the movie. Dora The Explorer: A well-known kids TV programme that engages the audience o purpose because it helps the children to learn and to help them observe things. It is a rule in media to never look directly into the lense of a video camera unless the camera is supposed to be taking the point of view of a character. A movie like mission impossible cant have Tom Cruse looking into the lense as he is discussing plans to break into a vault because it will break the whole vibe of the movie
Narrative is how a story is carried out; this is completely different to a storyline and isn't to be confused with. A good example of this is a book. The storyline you will find at the back of the book. We call this the blurb. This is because it sums up everything that happens in the book. The Narrative however, is what's written inside the actual book; it tells us how the story unfolds which is why its a narrative. There are some theories on how narrative is structured and these people go into detail about what it is they think about narratives.
Todorov
Belgium male philosopher who proposed that all narratives fall under three parts. We know these sections as beginning middle and end but he says that It is broken up into 5 parts, however ultimately its only three parts since 2 parts of the theory link to another part.
Equilibrium is the "normal" for that film or novel. What we perceive as normal may be different to what is normal in that narrative. so "equal" meaning the same as is saying that everything in that point tin the novel or film is the norm and nothing out of the ordinary is happening. A couple of examples of different equilibriums would be:
The Hunger Games: This is a 2012 film and is rated around about a 7/10 in terms of storyline. What i want to point out though is that what they consider normal is being held in terminals against their will by the more richer people "the higher ups".This of course differs greatly with our "normal". The trailer is proof that at the beginning of this film. Hunting for their own food and scavenging for food was their normal. It wasn't ideal however its what they were used to.
Disruption is the cause of what disrupts that equilibrium and changes that consistent flow. this could be an event that happens that changes someone's life or it could be an invasion. The main thing is, is that something different happens in the narrative. This carries on until a resolution occurs.
Resolution is when the problem has an answer but is not yet been resolved. This usually happens when the hero has a burst of courage or if they obtain an ability to deal with the situation.
I will use the hunger games again as an example. This resolution entailed the hero killing herself because she didn't want to kill her lover. Eventually the judges decided that it was such good entertainment that they could both live and that their lives would be spared. The resolution in this scenario is to kill themselves. They had not yet done it when they had discussed it which is why its a resolution and not the end result.
Restored order is when the resolution has been carried out successfully or the restored order is how things turn out, weather it be bad or good. The bad guy could win and this would be considered restored order because the superior resolution has taken over.
New equilibrium is when the new "normal" of this film is established at the end. It may be better than the original equilibrium or worst. The fact that the end result has happen is proof of the new resolution.
Note: In media, we only go by: Equilibrium, Disruption and New equilibrium. However i have gone that step further to find out everything on this theory.
Syd Field
This man is known as "the guru" of screen writing. He is regarded by many Hollywood professionals. He was the one who wrote and produced the television series Men in Crisis his take on Todorovs theory was modified and put into finer detail. He believes that all films follow III Acts.
Act I is when the point plot occurs
Act II is the midpoint, however it has two halves. The first half is dramatic content and the second half is concluding that dramatic content
Act III entails the outcome/resolution
The character will start off, in what todorovs would call, the equilibrium (this is ACT I), Act II (part1) the hero will experience something which will alter his normal experience and begins to loose hope around about the end of Act 2 part 1, Act 2 (part 2) the hero will get a burst of courage and will find something to resolve the issue. Act III the matter is dealt with and regardless of the outcome, we have the new Equilibrium (in Todorovs terms).
Vladimir Propp
Russian male Formalist, analysed basic components of Russian folk tales to identify their simplest narrative elements. He believes their are 8 types of character in every narrative:
The hero:The person who tries to prevent evil doing or they try to prevent a bad cause from happening
The Villan: Has conflict with the hero to prevent the more positive outcome.
The doner: The person or object that provides the hero with something that will aid him in his quest
The helper/wingman: This person will help the hero in his quest til the very end
The princess: This is the prize at the end of the quest. Now this is metaphoric and not to offend females. The princess could be peace for a certain part of the world, the main thing is that this means the end result/ desired new equilibrium.
The princesses father: Rewards hero for his/hers efforts when the duty is for filled along with the new equilibrium (in some not all cases)
False hero: Tries to steal hero's efforts or sabotage the hero.similar to a villain ,however, the difference is a false hero's morals could be right but actions are inappropriate.
The dispatcher: The person who sends the hero off on their quest.
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Claude levi-strauss
Social Anthropology and he studied myths of the tribal cultures. He examined how stories unconsciously reflect the values, beliefs and myths of a culture. The fact that opposites attract each other in narratives in a negative manor really backs up Claude's theory.
Star wars: This film is well known throughout the world despite the nationality. I personally think that its known because of the concept of the film; light vs Dark. Its because of the plot and the opposites is why its so well known. We all know Darth Vader and he portrays the "dark" for the dark side. The jedi represent light as well as the iconic character Obi Wan Kenobi. Its our familiarity with the characters that make us remember what they represent.
The 180 rule tells us that we cannot go over a certain point when we are filming someone or something. This rule is set in place because if it is broken, things will appear in different place sin each cut which can be confusing for the audience. This will result in the audience losing interest. As the rule suggests, you can only use half of the scene from the point of the characters. The diagram and the story board will show you how exactly the 180 rule is set.
There is however a way to break the rule in a legit way. You would have to move the camera past the line without going to a cut. So as the diagram on the right suggests. The audience will know that the characters positions have changed. The video below does not break the rule properly and you will see a huge change in the way you do things because they broke it the incorrect way. The boy who first walks in appears on the other side of the setting and then back again. They have broken the rule.
