Yay For Research!

We had another group meeting at the Wave and I gathered more information! My group discussed bullet time effect and found footage, which I honestly did not know much about until I did more research later. These techniques are creative and can be artistic as well as unique elements within the piece. Although I am not convinced that my group will be incorporating either technique into our film intro, it was another important step in my process because I learned more about film and it allowed me to rule some ideas and techniques out. However, please keep reading for more interesting research on both topics!!

The camera set-up of Sherlock when creating
the bullet time effect. 

So, bullet time effect is essentially an effect that detaches the dimension of time from the dimension of motion. To be more clear, it is presented in a manner where the audience can visually capture motion that is realistically too quick to really see. For example, a bullet being projected through air moves extremely fast, and so it is difficult to capture this on camera. Therefore, this bullet time effect is utilized to slow the perception of time in order to capture instant action, like projected bullets. This effect is captured through the use of many (many!!) still cameras that surround the subject of the piece in an organized manner. The cameras are then fired at the same time or sequentially, that produces single frames. These frames are then edited to create an orbiting viewpoint of the subject in (extreme) slow-motion, or completely frozen in time. This creates an artistic and creative shot that emphasizes and dramatizes the subject that is “frozen”.  

An example of the effect in Sherlock!!

This is an example of found footage from the movie, Cloverfield. 

Found footage is literally supposed to be presented as if it were footage that was found.  It is considered a sub-genre of the horror genre, as all the events are presented through the use of a camera of one of the characters or of different characters. The composition and movement of the shots are usually captured with a hand-held in order for them to be shaky and raw. This is supposed to dramatize the story or action since the shots look raw and real. Due to the use of the hand held, many of the shots include dutch angles, which is when the camera is tilted to one side to create off-kilter images. These angles also convey the “homemade” look and seeming madness and chaos within the subject. As such, another important camera shot utilized within this sub-genre is the point of view shot, which shows something from the subject’s perspective by putting the viewer in the place of the subject. All of these elements work in conjunction to magnify the interest and emotion within the audience when watching the horror film.

Better than SFX. (1999). Retrieved March 15, 2016, from http://www.theguardian.com/film/1999/jun/05/features2

Editorial: An Apologist's Rant: In Defense of Found Footage - Dread Central. (2012). Retrieved March 15, 2016, from http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/33208/editorial-an-apologist-s-rant-in-defense-of-found-footage/

Found Footage Film Genre - Found Footage Critic. (n.d.). Retrieved March 15, 2016, from http://foundfootagecritic.com/found-footage-film-genre/

Frozen f/x still in action. (2001). Retrieved March 15, 2016, from http://variety.com/2001/film/awards/frozen-f-x-still-in-action-1117792382/
Sherlock... shooting on site, so many cameras.. (n.d.). Retrieved March 15, 2016, from http://9gag.com/gag/aD06e9Z/sherlock-shooting-on-site-so-many-cameras

The 11 Best Found-Footage Horror Movies. (2014). Retrieved March 15, 2016, from http://www.villagevoice.com/news/the-11-best-found-footage-horror-movies-6663495