Language of Film Cont'd

Screen Direction: Logic to the way we watch a film, director will need to take many shot types into account in order to enhance the viewers perception of the film and give the meaning he wants these include: Pan, Tilt, Track, Elevate etc.

When shooting the director must make sure that screen direction is correct, so if your following a character and they exit a camera on the right the next shot they must enter from the left. When filmimg always plan the shots you are going to do and make sure they follow the rules of screen direction and if not structure in the shots in a way to compensate.

Cutting on Action:
"Cutting on action is one of the best ways to maintain the feeling of movement through time and maintaining screen direction and continuity. When editing, it is always best to cut as the talent does something - not as they are getting ready to do something or have already finished the action. If they are sitting, make the cut as they are on their way down, not while they are still standing. Cutting on the action will also hide the cut because the movement of your talent will distract the viewer from the hard cut. Cutting on action also lets you do a very interesting thing called a parallel cut. This is a cut between two similar actions yet involves two different subjects in two different places. For instance, say your subject is a boyfriend going to meet his girlfriend. He walks through a door; she gets into an elevator. You shoot him from the left and her from the right to give the feeling that they are moving towards each other. Cutting as he opens his door and her elevator door closes gives you two similar actions and speeds the action along. The 180 Rule, screen direction and cutting on action work together to bring these two together!"

180 Degree Rule:
This rule constitutes to when film say two characters talking to each and when thinking you must imagined that there is a a line through the two characters you must always stay this side of the characters when filming so not to ruining the continuity, the only time you can cross this line is if the camera physically is shown to move over it e.g. a tracking shot.

Zolly Shot:
These allow you to realise the importance of something that the character has realised, it is done by panning in and zooming out on the characters face at the same time.