Doctor who essay

The scene opens with a long shot of a room in a spaceship. The protagonist enters the frame and from her costume we can tell that her representation challenges stereotypical ideas of how women are to be represented. Martha’s costume is rather masculine and dark/dull coloured. This suggests that she is not a typical woman; therefore she is able to undertake hard tasks, portraying her strength and the fact that she looks powerful. The audience is then introduced to the antagonist. This is the main male character in the scene; he is represented as a powerful character. His costume is very man-like, a long black suit, which also makes him look smart and like he is in control. Nevertheless he is emphasised as a stereotypical male which integrates power. Furthermore we also notice the woman in red, who is positioned behind the master throughout the sequence; she’s wearing a bright red cocktail dress, has long flowing blonde hair and doesn’t really have a dialogue in the sequence. This suggests that she doesn’t have any power in the sequence and is there to serve the master. She’s a damsel in distress. Also the colour red emphasises passion, lust, and fire. In addition the sequence is followed up towards the maids who look scared, they were always presented in a two shot, and this concludes the natural stereotypical of the representation of women. The fact that they can’t do anything without each other, they always have to have someone by their side and this portrays their weakness and vulnerability. Moreover the security guard is presented as a powerful character who stands in front of the other characters also he is a male, this adds onto the part of him being big, bold and aggressive. His props of holding a gun makes him look threatening and in control of the situation.

The scene uses natural lighting collided with spot lights, to give the sequence a lot of light so that its clear and bright for the audience to watch.  At the beginning of the sequence there is a high angle used. This angle is used so you are able to see Martha kneeling down to the master, this is used to make her look vulnerable and completely out of power. Furthermore a range of shot reverse shots were used when the master was talking, this was used to show the other characters facial expressions and engage the audience into the tension and drama of the scene. Moving on the audience should be able to understand that by the end of the scene there is a low angle looking at the master showing the power, however the shot then changes into a high angle shot of the master, this shows the idea that his power has been taken and he is now the weaker one.

The editing of the sequence gives us the full idea of what the characters are feeling and the position that they are in.  Shot-reverse-shot has been used to show the rivalry between two characters, both the shot reverse shot and the 180 degree rule makes the audience feel like they are there in the scene. Also you are able to realise the eye line match where the master looks down at Martha, this gives him the power of the situation and makes him feel confident. However this can be criticized because both Martha’s and the masters eyes are on the same level and they are both given the same amount of shot, this suggests that actually they both have equal power. Also the eye line match at the beginning of her point of view gives us the idea that she will be the main character in this scene.

The 180-degree rule is easy to spot where both Martha and the master are having a conversation, as they both always stay on the same side and does not change. This is importantly used so the audience do not get confused and because it fives off the sense of continuity and reality.  Cross cutting techniques are also popular throughout the scene as its obvious that cuts get shorter, because it builds up the tension and matches to the music. Cutting point of view shots to the ticking timer during the conversation between Martha and the Master is there to remind us that they are running out of time, this builds suspense towards the viewers.

Flashbacks are used for Martha’s explanation of her mission to save the doctor. The flashbacks show us what she did and went through, so the audience are able to see clearly for themselves. Also slow motion techniques were used here to emphasise Martha’s struggle of going around feeling tired, cold and out of breathe. Moreover transition flashes of white indicate that the flashback is positive and gives off the feeling of hope and peace.

Ellipses in the dialogue tell us that she has been all over the world, it compresses the time and all comes together to show her power. Moreover with the action match, close up shot to the time in between the shots again have been used to build up the tension reminding us that they are running out of time.  While also when the different races around the world was saying the word “doctor” made it sure that the audience knew this situation was affected by the whole world. Furthermore the visual special effects have been done by post production, which is after filming. The doctor does not look human; it indicates that he is god-like where it looks like a religious moment matching the music. The white light portrays purity and higher power.

The sound in this sequence was a usual change of tune to fit the editing, situation and cinematography of the scene. At the beginning of the scene there was a low paced, low tone music played to build up the tension, low choir suggested a funeral feeling. Where Martha was in control there was a drumbeat, which built up the pace of the scene to create the sense of excitement and emotion for the audience. Louder in sounds mix. A higher pitch was used instead of lower. And you are able to hear a steady drumbeat, which shows that Martha is in control of the situation. The major key was used to create a happy sound by the end of the scene, while a minor key was used at the beginning to show a sort of sadder sound. In addition religious music was played to suggest the growing hope and big event of the doctor being back. Moreover melody gained speed when the doctor came back to life, building up the tension a little. Trumpets were getting louder, indicating triumph and happiness by the end of the scene. 

P1

P1 single camera techniques

Single Camera Set-Up – Introduction

Unit 22

      The single-camera setup is a method of shooting films and television programs. The shots are often taken out of order and the single camera film or video is employed on the set. As you can guess from the name, only one camera is employed. Each of the various shots from high to low, side to side is taken by one camera. Which is either reset or moved to capture each shot? Single camera setup is usually used for prime time dramas, made for tv movies, music videos and commercial advertisements. With Single cameras you are allowed to do different sections of the scenes and start from the end and put it all together when editing, single cameras are good to be used when you have time on your hands. Otherwise a multi camera should be used where all scenes are filmed in order and shown live without having the time to go through and edit them.

      

      A single camera set up is different to a multi camera set up. One being the obvious where more cameras are used to shoot the production. It’s known as an alternate method, which uses two or more cameras running simultaneously and not one camera. Multi shots are generally taken, and you do not need to film a scene from beginning, you can cut to other scenes. Whereas you would have to do that in an editing room if you use a single camera. Generally in a multi camera scene, there are three cameras set up. Two outer cameras are placed to shoot close ups or crosses, and the centre camera is used to capture the overall action and establishment of the scene, which we can call being a master shot. Using a multi camera is efficient because it takes up less time and there is no need for lighting up the scene, or setting up the alternate angles for the scene to be shot again from the different angle.

     

      

     
 The advantages of using a single camera setup is that it allows the scene to be filmed perfectly, by adding the lighting and other features to make the characters and scene look amazing. Furthermore it’s also essential because the person filming can move freely with the camera. They are able to film all around different angles, without having to caution themselves to the fact that another camera may be seen in the scene. Therefore it is common for a single camera to break the 180 degree rule as it doesn’t really apply that much of a great deal as it does to a multi camera scene. However a disadvantage of a single camera setup is that it is much more time consuming, because it has to cover a series of shots and angles meaning that you would have to repeat shots more than what a multi camera would require. Also using a single camera may be a challenge as it may be hard to make the films continuity perfect, especially if the scene is where there are a load of people involved or a crowd. The cuts may be spotted. This means there will be even more time wasted in the editing room where everything will be required to put together perfectly and fitted in.  Moreover it’s hard to repeat the shots especially if it’s high drama or chaotic.

     

      It would be better to use a multi camera set up, where you need a range of different shots. For example in a live show. It’s essential to use a multi camera because you are able to film the whole show form different aspects. You are able to come close towards characters and establish the whole scene of the show. Also because it is a live show, it need to be aired straight away therefore there is no time for editing or going through the scenes. Using a multi camera would allow you to do that without the need of re shooting or editing, like you would need to if you used a single camera shot.  

      The types of programs that tend to use a single camera setup are usually documentaries and TV Dramas such as Merlin, Scrubs, Gavin and Stacey ect.. These are all series. Therefore it is suitable to use a single camera, as special lighting is required to light up the characters to make them look perfect for the scene. Also there is time to edit, reshoot and go through the scenes.

      A single camera setup would not work for a news programme; because the new is a live show and more cameras are required. One camera is needed in the studio where there are people presenting the news and more cameras are needed where people are being interviewed, outside or there is a scene represented live outside. Also because the news is constant and has to be ongoing for 24hours, there is no time for cuts, edits or reshoots. Therefore a single camera would not work in this case. It would cause disorientation and contribute to a crash in the news system.