film perspective relations

PERSPECTIVE

RELATIONS

The Lens

- gathers light from a scene and transmits the light onto a flat surface of film to form an image that represents size, depth and other dimensions of the scene

Focal Length

- the distance from the center of the lens to the point where light rays converge to a point of focus on the film

- It can alter perceived magnification, depth and scale of things.

Wide-angle lens

- 35mm-gauge, less than 35mm lens

- Distorts straight lines near edges, bulging them outward

- Can exaggerate depth, distances of foreground and background are greater, thus subject covers ground faster

Normal lens

- 35mm to 50mm lens

- Avoids perspective distortion

Telephoto lens

- 75 to 250mm lenses or more

- Flattens space, reducing depth and volume cues, things are unnaturally close to one another

- Takes more time for subject to cover a seemingly small distance

Zoom lens

- Permits continuous varying of focal length

- Substitute for forward and backward camera movement

- Magnifies-demagnifies, excluding-including

Depth of Field

- The range of distances before the lens within which objects can be photographed in sharp focus

- Controls perspective relations by determining which planes will be in focus

Selective Focus

- Choosing to focus only one plane and letting the other planes blur

- To claim viewer’s attention

Deep Focus

- The use of wide-angle lens and intense lighting to get greater depth of field

Racking Focus

- Adjusting perspective relations while filming

- Pulling focus from a plane to another plane

Special Effects

- The use of models and computer-generated images (CGI) and other techniques to render an image’s perspective relation

Superimposition

- Double exposure in the camera or laboratory printing

- One image is laid over another

Projection Process Work

- Projects footage of a setting onto a screen with actors performing in front of the screen

Kinds of Projection

Rear Projection

- Seldom creates convincing depth cues

Front Projection

- Projects the setting onto a two-way mirror

Matte:A portion of the setting photographed on a

strip of film with a part of the frame empty through painting and computer programs

Traveling matte:The actor is photographed against a blank

(usually blue) background and the moving actor is jigsawed into the moving gap in the background footage

Just means and not ends in themselves…

Such photographic techniques and manipulations function within the overall context of the film

They should be judged less on criteria of realism than on criteria of function