Year 9 - T4 - Week 1 - Remote Learning Task Sheet (05.10.

2021 –
08.10.2021)
Task 1: Lights, Camera, Action! ● Diagnostic Lesson on Film Techniques

1. Why might a director use the following techniques?

Along with good acting, scripts, and background music, the director of a production relies heavily on
film techniques to affect the audience. Film techniques are used to create meaning in a film, as well as
portray said meaning to the audience.

Camera angles are used to establish the subject’s different relationships (with the audience and with
other subjects in the production). A high angle is used to make the subject seem weak and inferior to
other subjects. A low angle is commonly used to make a character or subject seem superior. The bird’s
eye camera angle establishes the situation and scene. A canted angle is an unusually slanted angle used
to disorientate the frame and cause the feeling of unbalance and unease to the audience. An eye-level
angle is used to give the audience a familiar perspective.

Colour is used in production by directors due to its importance in creating ambiance. Colour is
commonly used to provide a familiar setting to the audience. However, more importantly, colour is
used to set the scene. Colour can simulate a period in time, as well as create an atmosphere.

There are 3 major components of lighting in a production. These are direction, colour, and quality.
Referring to these components, lighting is used to create an atmosphere. Bright light can portray purity
and calm, whereas dull light could show negativity.

Music and sound enhance the story of the production and help move the story along. Music is useful
to evoke emotion and can show the emotional side of the production.

In production, different shots are used to project different emotions more than to illustrate a sense of
space. Shots such as establishing shots convey feelings of new beginnings, etc. These shots are also
used to show the audience the setting of the scene. Long shots and extreme long shots do the same, as
well as show the subject’s place in said scene (literally and figuratively). Close up shots establish an
emotional connection between the subject and the audience.

Movement can be used for many reasons. Tilt and panning can be used to show landscapes or even
transitions. Zoom and tracking are more likely to give cinematic freedom to the director in terms of
focal lengths.

Task 2: Click & Create ● Research Film Techniques and create your own stills
1. Revise the Film Techniques listed on the website linked below. Choose TWO techniques that you were
previously unfamiliar with and use them to fill in the table. https://www.matrix.edu.au/essential-guide-
english-techniques/the-film-techniques-toolkit/

Film Technique Definition Example

(Write in your own words) (Find an image or a video)
★ Bridging Shot A bridging shot is a shot that is
used to show a jump in time or
space. It indicates the passage of
time between two scenes.

★ Rack Shot A rack shot is a technique that

allowed the focus of the lens to
shift from one subject to another
during the same shot.