Kyle I. Kelley's Lounge Discussions

Academic theory of geometric symmetry? The 180˚ rule is about facility and fluency within the language of film. The "Leon" scene is a very good example. Only 2 characters and minimal movement. Great acting and writing. A wonderful scene. Breaking the line didn't lead to confusion but to a question. The question in that scene is a film-making one. As they cross the line and then cross it again (or uncross) part way through, which time was the error? Or was the error planned and if so, for what reason? If it was not planned was it based upon as it an error based in something left on the cutting room floor or a great performance that begged to be used?

See also, GRAMMAR OF THE FILM LANGUAGE by Daniel Arijon.

PARIS there are NO RULES .. if u know HOW IT's gonna APPEAR on SCREEN ... no 180, no 2 shot, 3 shot, CU MCU LS ..whatever ... U R THE FIRST MAN BORN WHOSE MAKIN a FILM ... Film making is indeed an audacious task ... u've got be arrogant at times .. with all due respect ... :)

The whole purpose of Film Grammar (like the rules of any language) is to make it all flow so that the audience doesn't "see the join" and to establish and maintain the geography of the set and the characters therein. Crossing the Line is only one of many. A neat way to cross it is to dolly over it. The other rules are: Do not Jump Cut. Creatively done in Seven Samurai. 1,2,3 cuts on shot of the wise man's house. Always cut on action. Again a great one in that film when one man walks away from the group in long shot and then falls to his knees in close up. Note he drops his head BEFORE the cut. Rock it back and forth on an editing machine to see how it was done. A great film for study. Break the rules to deliberately confuse the audience. Keep them to maintain smooth continuity. In real life our vision does not go Cut,Cut,Cut to different scenes, does it? So keep the rules if you want the audience to be totally engrossed and not disturbed. Any editor will tell you to maintain continuity. The number of times one gets footage on the Avid which just will not cut together!!! Editors have been known to flip the image to get it right, so make sure there isn't a clock or signage in the background. This is why gaffs on IMDb report wrist watches changing sides etc because the editor has had to flip the footage. Hugh Grant's single earring (when he was trying to be trendy) suddenly changes sides in Notting Hill!

PS Also Maintain a Sense of Direction. Another rule to discuss! See the early films made in Brighton 1895-1905 period! Classic establishment of the basic rules.

Yes lenses are potentially the isue here. As mentioned cine lenses are designed differently,and keep focus in a zoom, and have different mechanisms. Incidentally I am putting the finishing touches to my Stage 32 WEBINAR happenng on the 29th April at 1pm PST. It is called "Intro to shooting on DSLR" and this is one of many areas of interest covered. Also sound recording, recording the data, rigs, and much more. It isnt advertised on Stage 32 yet, but it is happening. Get an early bird discount ! Talk soon. If there is any experience of DSLR shootuing you want to add then let me know and I will see how it can be included. best John Keedwell GBCT

Hi John Very happy to hear about your webinar. Might I ask how can I register? Also during your webinar, if you could please elaborate, about the best quality yet most affordable gear out there, and what in your view are the best options (basic-moderate-advance) kits, I think that would be terrific. Asier Jon

you'll need a follow focus and someone to pull focus. check out zacuto.com. And record sound separately using the zoom h1n or similar

Yes, ken, follow focus is a skilled art, and unfortunately a great many don't know how crucial it is.. If the shot is out of focus, or hunting through the focus then it is both distracting and unprofessional. If shooting a documentary then it may not work, depending on the subject,. Yet a drama, the lower depth of focus is desired as a "look" by many, (and is often why the Canon 5D is chosen due to the larger sensor size). the focus can be extremely critical at wider apertures and longer lenses. Again it all depends on the subject matter, how it is lit and the treatment of the visuals and story, so there is no one answer. If in doubt find yourselves a good experienced focus puller and shoot a picture with that area all in hand. It will be a better film because a focus puller (or nowadays the 1st assistant camera) will bring more than the focus elements, they bring a whole lot more. Lets be professional in whatever situation we are in

If u can't afford all this then shoot with a smaller sensor, especially for documentary you'll use lots of depth of field. I shot docs for many years and always use the hyper focal distance (gives you maximum depth of field at a given f-stop for a given focal length)