How to learn

Instructions: look back at a piece of work you have produced and make a list of achievements and reflections on some questions. 

I went over the camera angles work. I wanted to understand how the high and low angles work and interpret the feelings that are produced because of them. 

I specially focused on the emotions rather than showing some examples merely. That was because it was not difficult to find shots done by using these ideas but it was (and still is) difficult to see the intentions of the film maker. 

To identify what I achieved is enough to read the comments that go with each of the frames that I picked. There you can have a brief explanation of my views about the use of framing in order to convey specific impressions. In this manner I went for four high angles and one low one. With the high angles I put some frames across to illustrate some sensations such as hopeless, vulnerability or danger. I did the same for thw low angles. Furthermore, if you watch a film with me, you will realize that I'm all the time trying to dicover a meaning behind every shot that is not ordinary. 

I don't think that I achieved my goal completely as I'm still struggling to understand what's going on when the standar point of view is skipped to give one of these angled shots way. I guess that a lot of times is only a matter of imagination as there's not always an idea of alter the relationship between the viewer and the film. This is where I struggle. Why is this is happening just for aesthetics reasons? Perhaps the shot in that way is more beautiful that the one the logic would be asking for. 

On reflecting, I think that is better to focus on the weaker aeras and have a go at them. I think also that you will know well what these areas are after making some films. After watching them, it is very clear which parts you must improve. But it's better to move on and not being stuck with your previous fails. They must be there to compare with the new work. They have to be the measuring table to know if the things that were wrong are now right.   

Emotive frames

The following pictures have been chosen as good examples of emotive frames or frames that contain a particular meaning according to the attitude of their protagonists. It has to be taken into account that I made the decision of working only with photos of sports because I was well aware that it was going to be quite easy to find the things that I was looking for. By and large, sports offer a wide range of feelings.

Desperation

This is a very old picture of a football game where a goal is scored. Thanks to the size, it's quite obvious that the goalkeeper, in spite of his effort, can't do anything to avoid that this happens. We can see the ball and the goal. And because of the position of the ball, we can get a strong feeling of desperation. There's nothing that can be done. It's goal. The keeper is too late. 

Desolation and happiness

It's the European Cup Final. It's injury time. It's Bayern one nil up against Manchester United. And the, all of a sudden, United bounced in a minute. There was no more time. And the german players were, not only exhausted but also, desolate. And that's precisely what the picture shows. A surrendered footballer lying on the pitch and, in the backgroud, blurred but clear, the winner team celebrating. A big contrast of emotions well reflected in a single image. 

Admiration

What do you do if you had the opportunity to meet your idol? Just admire him. That was this group of kids did when they met Bobby Moore, the football star of the sixties. They gathered around him completely fascinated. And they were impressed by his presence to the point that the only thing that they could do it was to take pictures. And not all of them. Only a few. There is a car behind so we can understand that this took place in a car park. But, certainly, this is not important. Did you notice the registration of the car? I'm afraid you didn't. 

Velocity

This is well known picture of Carl Lewis. It was the famous race of the Olympics in 1984. I think that there's no need to go in further details when explaining why the image makes you feel velocity. The size of the frame and the photgraphic technique used, might be considered perfect. We have the essential information to understand what is going on. The runner is well defined and the only protagonist, placed in the middle of the shot. For its part, the background is blurred in motion and contributes to sense that the runner is faster than anyone else.

Seduction and mischief

This is a scene of flirtation perfectly caught by the camera. It could be regarded as a decisive moment as the girl is just looking at the guy with a very particular pose. At the same time, he is at her foot being a little bit mischievous. The size is ok because that's exactly what we need to see to understand the attraction between each other. Just behind them we have some pegs with jackets and clothes so we may understand that they are in a boutique. But the question is: is this relevant?

Defiance

This is a very good of example of how what you choose to show can alter the meaning of everything. Let's imagine for a moment that the only thing that we saw was the player who is turned. In that case, it would be a very normal shot. An ordinary footballer being caputerd by the lens of a photographer. Just that. However, with this wide shot we have the team perfectly lined up on the bench, everyone with his number on the back and, just in between of this, a defiant boy. It's like if the guy wanted to tell us, see, I am not like them.