Chapter 1 Motion Picture Language 3CHAPTER IN FOCUS
In this chapter you will:
- create short motion pictures using visual planning techniques
- investigate standard shots and techniques that are the foundation of a
visual language - evaluate the effect of continuity and other editing techniques in
motion picture sequences
Screens
You wake up in the morning, and you prepare for the day. As you go about
doing various tasks to get ready, with what screens do you come in contact?
Do you light up a computer and check your messages? Is there a TV on in
the kitchen? Do you watch a show or play a game on a hand-held device?
When you arrive at school, you will probably look at screens, whether pulled
down from the ceiling or lit up in front of your keyboard. When the weekend
arrives, you may go out with friends to see a movie on a big screen or stay at
home and watch shows on a little one.
Screens are a constant part of our lives, from those of televisions or
computers to the white screen at the front of the standard American classroom.
Public spaces are littered with them, whether one is waiting for jury duty or
barraged by fi ft y televisions at a sports restaurant. At the beginning of the
twenty-fi rst century, research has indicated that the average adult spends
almost nine hours daily in front of a screen, whether it is a television, computer,Figure 1-1 Screens in The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan, with, left to right, Michael Caine,
Heath Ledger (on screen as The Joker), and Christian Bale. (Courtesy Warner Brothers/Photofest).Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).