Introduction
Hello and Welcome back! This time we will be continuing our conventions research. In my last blog I started researching light, sound, and ambience conventions, this time I plan on researching different types of shots and editing techniques. I will specially explore these conventions with my films genre in mind, for example how me and my partner would use a specific camera angle for an intense gymnastics scene.
Shots
All camera shots can be grouped into two categories, static or dynamic. In static shots the camera does not move, it stays in a fixed position to draw emphasis to the dialogue or a certain thing in the scene. Dynamic shots include movement that add energy to scenes.
Shots in sport dramas commonly show emotion, intensity, and movement. Some examples of this that I will likely use in my filming to portray emotion are close up shots and medium shots because both show the protagonist body language and both show emotion but the close up can better portray emotion since it can show small details that might otherwise be overlooked like sweat dripping down their forehead showing stress, nervousness, or determination. A close up can also show the characters face relaxing during triumph. Here I have two example pictures bellow one where a close up shot shows a determined girl and a medium or mid shot that shows a runners reaction to crossing the finish line.
Wide or long shots are also popularly used to create emphasis on the event in the characters life, by this I mean that when setting a scene or maybe after a close up, a wide shot could be used to show how serious the setting is or the stakes of the game or example a wide shot showing a large game arena would be taken more seriously then a shot showing a small game but both would set the setting for the game. On the other hand, a tracking shot during a sports event would make the audience feel more involved since the shot would cause the audience to focus on the movement or progression of the charter if they are moving forward.
Some more dramatic shots used in sport dramas are slow motion shots and low angle shots. Slow motion shots add suspense while heightening drama, while low angle shots are often used during the characters comeback or win where the shot creates dominance or shows their heroism. The last two shots id like to look into are the over should shot and reaction shot. The over the shoulder shot is usually used during a conversation scene of two characters and to build a relationship between two characters. I can use this scene in a coach and athlete conversation or a confrontation between two rivals, the shot in that scenario can also show tension. Lastly, the reaction shots or cutaways can help build suspense, emotion, and show the impact of an action. An example of this scene being used is to show the coaches reaction to a flip of the protagonist succeeding.
Editing Techniques
Editing in sports drama needs to create emotional investment, intensify action, and use strategic slow motion scenes with correlating music to go with the scene but most importantly, editing helps to properly pace the scenes without the film feeling too fast and rushed or too slow and boring, like when a show lingers on scenes for too long making the film boring due to lack of action, but when a film is too fast paced it feels rushed and too stimulating.
The first two editing techniques I’d like to draw attention to are continuity shots and fast cutting/ straight cuts. These two techniques are in a way contrasting because continuity shots keep the action smooth and easy to follow; the shots follow seamlessly into one another, it appears smooth and visually appealing because the cuts aren’t supposed to be noticed. The difference between the two techniques is that straight cuts are much more noticeable because one shot replaces the next to give linear narrative, that last part they do have in common but faster paced straight cuts are more popular in sports dramas because they build tension and adrenaline, an example of this could be a scene where the camera quickly switches from the athletes face, to their feet and the vault whereas an example of continuity would be a mid shot of the athlete taking a deep breath and then running, another shot of the athlete’s feet as she runs towards and then another shot of the athlete jumping and sticking the landing, this show the two techniques are similar but create different moods.
This video bellow explains the continuity system using the hangover movie as an example.
Some more editing techniques common used in this genre is reaction shots and slow motions which I wont go much into because I’ve already discussed both but slow motion helps emphasize key moments while reactions help add emotional context.
An editing technique I am yet to discuss is montages and action matches. Montages are commonly used in training sequence across many genres because they show the passing of time and the character improving. An example of this can be a montage sequence that starts with a gymnast trying to land a flip so we see multiple failed attempts and improving over time where then the gymnast is able to perform the flip with assistance and later can do it by themselves. Here is video displaying young gymnast training and practicing.
https://youtu.be/vftEUHwAVRw?si=3kxEgu7RfMwzC50A
The action match technique on the other hand is a transition between two shots by cutting from one shot to another while an action is in progress. This type of transition helps create continuity and makes editing feel natural to the audience.
Conclusion
This conventions research on popular shots and editing techniques in sports dramas has helped me picture what type of scenes me and my partner might use for our film opening. I feel the deeper and deeper we get into our research the more the idea in our heads become clearer, with that said we definitely still have more research to go but my next blog will be my last conventions blog so I better understand the conventions that make up sport dramas. Next blog will be on mies-en-scene because I did originally plan on researching that convention in this post but each convention has so much to it that this blog is significantly song and id rather creat mies-en-scene as its own post since there is so much that goes into that convention and I will include many pictures. Thank you for reading and till next time!
https://sportandmotion.com/7-techniques-to-use-in-your-sports-production/
https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-film-editing-
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