Shot Quiz

For our first quiz in this class, we were limited to telling a story through a set of fifteen shots. There were other conditions, such as using inanimate objects as our main subjects, incorporating ten specific types of shots, and working in pairs. The main purpose of the activity was to demonstrate our understanding of the types of shots learned in class, enhancing our storytelling through our shot selections. The primary task for my partner and me was to determine which shot would best communicate a feeling or sensation during the story.

With this in mind, we created a shot list, matching plot points of the story with shots that would effectively portray the particular emotions conveyed in each scene. Our story ended up being quite ambitious for a small task like this one, so we had a hard time ensuring that the story was understood solely through images.

We decided to tell the story of an old book that no one wants to read because it is in poor condition. This results in the book losing its confidence, symbolized by it losing one of its pages. Another book, one in good condition, helps the old book regain its confidence by placing the fallen page back. The story aims to convey a deeper meaning, though it is somewhat subtle. To try to clarify this message, we focused on making the shots look dramatic, with a lot of contrast between highlights and shadows added in post-production. This, I would say, was our strongest point; thanks to my partner's skills, we were able to create high-contrast images that matched the mood we were aiming for.

As previously stated, the story we came up with was a bit pretentious, and I believe we could have done a better job of giving complete meaning to our shots. One particular aspect we could have improved is the clearer identification of the types of shots. Our subjects were books, so distinguishing between a mid-shot and a close-up was really difficult. If we had managed to frame our subjects more effectively, the narrative intentions of our shots would have been more specific, giving us the chance to portray drama through different elements.

For example, this shot was meant to generate intrigue about what the new book was going to do with the page. That is why we chose a mid-shot, so the spectator could see a large part of the subject, as well as the page and its surroundings, trying to anticipate some sort of movement. However, we framed too much of the subject, making it a shot that didn’t fulfill its purpose correctly.

Another aspect we could improve is our management of time. We ended up having to rush the final shots, resulting in lower quality.

Overall, I learned a lot from this assignment, and I’ll focus on improving my mistakes in future projects.

Link: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGPMZNe9_4/--TyNFTMxOimlPCLT-VAHQ/edit?utm_content=DAGPMZNe9_4&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton