Presentation 2

Beware: Video intensive entry!

Part One:



The Ken Burns effect is a popular name for a type of panning and zooming effect used in video production for still imagery. This technique was principally used in historical documentaries where film or video material was not available. Action is given to still photographs by slowly zooming in on subjects of interest and panning from one subject to another. The zooming and panning across photographs gives the feeling of motion, and keeps the viewer visually entertained.

The parts that applied the Ken Burns effect in Cheryl’s video were from 0:12-0:35, 0:44-0:50, 0:58-1:08, 1:15-1:42. I felt that the panning applied at 0:12 was not very effective because the speed was slightly too fast so I was not able to catch the alphabets carefully. Besides it was a diagonal pan which was not the usual panning style, hence viewers might take some time to process the visual material presented before them. Furthermore, the photos for that shot were not very clear due to the bright lighting from the sun. Hence, all the more the speed should be slowed down further for that pan shot. However, I felt that the panning applied at 0:27 was good because the sound clip where Cheryl said “looking up upon that towering flight” matched the panning up the stairs perfectly. Also, at 0:30 the zoom in shot of Cheryl’s face was pretty good because she was the main focus for that frame, and by zooming in for a medium close-up shot, her facial expressions were conveyed clearly to viewers. Finally, I felt that the song was a good choice for the video because it was not too distracting and overpowering to drown her voice out.

Part Two:

Video transitions are used in video editing process, and editing refers to the coordination of 1 shot and the next shot (not just the physical joining of the shots). The importance of editing would be to help us to understand the relationships among the shots in a film, and to understand both the temporal relationships and the spatial relationships. Most video transitions are used to indicate the temporal relationships to show the different omissions of time between shots. Elliptical tools such as dissolve, fade, iris or wipe usually indicate some time omitted between shots e.g. a slow dissolve can indicate a flashback. But straight cuts often indicate that no time has passed between the shots.

The 5 video transition effects available in Adobe Premiere are dissolve, zoom, wipe, map, and iris.

a) Dissolve is whereby the outgoing shot is fading out at precisely the same time (frame-for-frame) that the incoming shot is fading in, thus resulting in a smooth blend between the two, and this indicates a change in time or place or both. A dissolve is like a brief blackout between scenes: the time and place might change but the action continued. The overall objective is for the image or clip to appear to seamlessly transit from one image to the other in a fluid motion.

Dissolve effect applied at 2:58


Dissolve effect applied at 0:32


b) The zoom transition effect like the zoom cinematographic technique is used to emphasize a subject, bringing it into viewer’s attention.

Zoom effect applied at 2.25


c) Wipes differ from dissolves in that they don't blend; they simply move one thing out of the way with another. An example would be clock wipe whereby this wipe technique is often used to mark the passage of time within a story between shots. It is done through sweeping a radius around a central point in the frame and then revealing the next shot which can be spinning hands on a clock or the flipping of a calendar.

Wipe effect applied at 1:26


Wipe effect applied at 0:13, 0:42, 1:30


d) Map is done by selecting or inverting specific channels, and dramatic solarizing effects can be created during the transition.

Map effect applied at 0:43-0:45


e) Like looking through a telescope, an iris puts the focus on the center of the frame, and the edges change toward that center.

Iris effect applied at 0:02


Part Three:

Cinematography is everything that has to do with the camera and it determines how we see what is in the shot. It would include things like camera angle, camera height, camera distance, duration of shot, camera movement, the kind of lenses used and the ways in which they affect what we see, the kind of film stock used and how it is developed, and the speed at which the film is shot.

a) Panning is rotation in a horizontal plane, and it is to select parts of the original filmed composition that seem to be the focus of the shot and make sure that these are scanned. When the important action shifts to a new position in the frame, the scanner will follow it, creating the effect of a "pan" shot. Slow panning is combined with zooming in or out on a single subject, leaving the subject in the same portion of the frame, to emphasize or de-emphasize the subject respectively.

Panning done at 6:05-6:11


b) Unlike panning, tilting is a cinematographic technique whereby the camera is stationary and rotates in a vertical plane. It is about making the camera angle look up or down at the object being filmed instead of being on the same level. Tilt shots are usually more dramatic than straight-angle shots. A downward tilt shot is used to observe action over a large area or to create a psychological impression of inferiority or weakness. Conversely, an upward tilt shot lends an impression of superiority, awe, or size.

Tilt up

Tilt up done at 1:29-1:31


Tilt up done at 8:11


Tilt up done at 8:16


Tilt down

Tilt down done at 1:32


Tilt down done at 8:08-8:10


c) A close-up tightly frames a person or an object so as to display the most detail, but it does not show the subject in the broad context of its surroundings. Moving in to a close-up or away from a close-up is a common type of zooming. Close-ups can be used for distinguishing main characters. Major characters are often given a close-up when they are introduced as a way of indicating their importance.

I like the close-up and extreme close-up that is done in the trailer for Push :)


There are 3 different forms of close-up: medium close-up, close-up, and extreme close-up. For close-up, it shows very little background, and concentrates on either a face, or a specific detail of mise en scène, and everything else is just a blur in the background. Such shots magnify the object and show the importance of things, and this is usually used to show the expression on someone's face. Through the close-up of the subject’s expression, we are being taken into the mind of the character to have a better understanding of the emotions of the character. A close-up of the face can be considered an intimate shot, and film-makers often use this to make us feel extra comfortable or extremely uncomfortable about a character.

Close-up

Close-up done at 0:54-0:56


Close-up done at 0:00 onwards, and 4:28


Extreme close-up as the name suggests, is an extreme version of the close up, generally magnifying beyond what the human eye would experience in reality. An extreme close-up of a face, for instance, would show only the mouth or eyes, with no background detail whatsoever. This is a very artificial shot, and can be used for dramatic effect.

Extreme Close-up

Extreme Close-up done at 0:51-0:52


Extreme Close-up done at 6:27, 7:56, 8:09


Extreme Close-up done at 8:49


d) The relationship between the camera and the object being photographed (i.e. the angle) gives emotional information to an audience, and guides their judgment about the character or object in shot. The more extreme the angle (i.e. the further away it is from eye left), the more symbolic and heavily-loaded is the shot. A high angle shot is usually when the camera is located above the eyeline, and not as extreme as a bird’s eye view. The camera is elevated above the action using a crane to give a general overview. With this type of angle, the camera looks down on the subject and the point of focus often gets engulfed by the setting, becoming part of a wider picture. High angle shots also make the figure or object seem vulnerable or powerless, and are usually used in film to make the moment more dramatic or if there is someone at a high level that the character below is talking to.

High angle done at 7:42-8:07


e) Perspective distortion is a warping or transformation of an object and its surrounding area that differs significantly from what the object would look like with a normal focal length due to the relative scale of nearby and distant features. With wide-angle, the object close to the lens appears abnormally large relative to more distant objects, and distant objects appear abnormally small and hence more distant – distances are extended. Wide-angle distortion is often implemented to emphasize some element of the scene by making it appear larger and spatially removed from the other elements. With telephoto, distant objects look approximately the same size – closer objects are abnormally small, and more distant objects are abnormally large, and hence the viewer cannot discern relative distances between distant objects – distances are being compressed. Telephoto distortion is often used to give the appearance of compressed distance between distant objects.

Wide angle done at 1:58


f) Fisheye achieves extremely wide angles of view by forgoing a rectilinear image, opting instead for a special mapping which gives shots a characteristic convex appearance. It can get the camera as close as possible for action shots whilst also capturing the context.