F.L - Technical Analysis, Alice Francis - St. James Ballroom

Technical Analysis, Alice Francis - St. James Ballroom

Shot Type	Camera Movement	Editing	Mise-en-scene	Duration
Establishing long shot.	Static shot.	Flickering light overlay, with a sepia overlay effect.	A scenic shot of a 1920s ballroom floor, full of circular tables dotted around. Also grand chandeliers hang from the ceiling matching the 1920s aesthetic.	6 seconds
Long shot moving into mid shot.	Moving handicam shot, following a ‘wavering’ line of movement.		Smoke machine to fulfil the 1920s ballroom atmosphere. A dark-lit stage featuring the singer dressed in a lilac era-appropriate dress, sat in a single spotlight.	4 seconds
Mid-shot of the room.	Slow moving handicam shot panning slow upwards.	Intercut shot between the previous shot and next shot.	Smoke machine used again, the shot focuses on an eccentric chandelier which is central to the shot and clearly emphasises the elaborate, ballroom 1920s style.	2 seconds
Mid-shot.	Handicam pull in towards the central singer. Camera pans up at the very end.	Continuation of shot before last.	Closer shot of singer, clearly shows 1920s aesthetic through generic hair and clothing. Sat on dark stage, lit by single central spotlight.	3 seconds
Long shot.	Static  shot.		Lights flick on in domino-effect. 1920s chandeliers and tables, emphasising the era-look of the ballroom. Single spotlight (and chandelier lights) which create a dimly lit, smoky room.	1 second
Long mid-shot.	Static shot.		Three singers on stage, all in 1920s-style clothing, such as a flapper dress and a man in a top hat.	1 second
Mid shot.	Slow pan shot down.	Fade to next shot.	Reoccurring chandelier central to shot, with two other chandeliers on edge of shot. Smoke filled shot, with low-lit lighting to create a 1920s ambiance atmosphere.	2 seconds
Long shot.	Static shot.	Time lapse of people fading in and out of the shot. Sepia colouring effect.	Similar style to previous shots – ballroom floor, chandeliers and characters in 1920s styled-clothing (suits and dresses). Repetitive style throughout all shots to emphasis the era aesthetic.	4 seconds
Mid-shot to long shot.	Handicam pull out away from singer.		Smoke machine used. All characters dressed in 1920s clothing – suits, braces, flapper dress and feather fans. Dancers in background performing  fast Charleston-style dancing.	4 seconds
Extreme close-up.	Static handicam shot.	Intercut shot between two shots of the lead singer on stage.	Waist of female dancer (festishistic style shot). Shows clothing (braces and shirt)  clearly 1920s styled attire.	1 second
Mid shot.	Static.	Black and white overlay.	Three characters all dressed in 1920s evening wear. Hairstyles and clothing all heavily emphasis the era.	2 seconds
Long shot, set behind audiences heads.	Static		Dancing on stage is Charleston style, accompanied by appropriate clothing, all enhancing the genre and era being portrayed.	1 second
Mid shot.	Handicam shot	Soft lighting overlay on the top third of screen.	Shows the lead singer and a musician – both are dressed in 1920s clothing, and the woman is dancing against the man, in a slow, stylistic way.	2 seconds
Mid shot.	Tracking pull out shot.	Fade from sepia to full colour.	Centers two dancers, surrounded by other dancer, all wearing 1920s attire and performing a Charleston-style dance.	4 seconds
Long shot, down the aisle between sets of seats.	Static shot.		Similar to features in previous shot. Emphasis in the aesthetic of the ballroom, costume and dancing. Spotlight on dancing to emphasis their movement and dancing.	1 second
Long shot.	Static seat.	Soft lighting overlay on top third of screen.	Shows dancers, lead singer and a technician on stage. An Apple laptop is shown, which breaks the continuity throughout the video of the 1920s style.	1 second

Conclusions

• Repetitive use of intercutting 1/2 second shots of narrative shots in between dance/performance shots with short, is frequently used.
• Throughout the video, clothing, hairstyle and the decoration of the ballroom are all focused on in mid shots and extreme close-ups, which helps the continuity of the 1920s aesthetic that they are conveying.
• The shots were largely static or a handicam pan shot - with largely static shots being used in narrative, and handicam shots in performance.
• Most shots were long shot or mid shots, both clearly showing the background and setting of the ballroom.
• The performance shots used natural colour (which some changes made to exposure etc), however, the narrative shots were edited with a black and white or sepia overlay effects.
• Most shots were relatively short (1-3 seconds, with some longer establishing shots of 4/5 seconds) with a fast cutting rate which attempted to match the speed of the track.
• A large cast is used (with the lead singer being the clear lead), and the narrative cutting between different characters storylines - no real character narrative is portrayed.
• A smoke machine is used in all shots, however it is more emphasised in the performance shots. This will be replicated in our production because it helps create that 1920s ballroom-style, and also creates the appropriate atmosphere. This will be supported by low-lit lighting as well.
• Overall, in our production we will incorporate similar aspects in regards to costume, hair, lighting, décor, as well as a large array of mid and long shots.

Stills

The stills I have chosen aim to present all aspects of the video which I discussed above - such as the setting, cast, clothing and type of mid shots. They clearly exhibit the generic features of 1920s style videos, like the smoke machine and low lit lighting.

This could be used in our final production because it represents a similar location as to what we will attempt to create for our location, which is a ballroom.

We could use this shot in our final production, because we would show our lead on stage, and we would attempt to recreate a similar style of shot.

Similar to before, this would be a similar aesthetic that we will try to achieve for our final production. Therefore, this is a key representation. Also, we would attempt to create a similar 'hazy' look using a smoke machine.

The black and white overlay could be recreated in our production because it creates a strong 1920s aesthetic.

This shot clearly demonstrates the 1920s style, which we will try to recreate when we make our production. Furthermore, the lighting also emphasises the retro style of the video.

This shot shows the audience as well as the performance on stage, which is a key idea within our production, and therefore this shot clearly presents a large aspect of our narrative - so it could be easily recreated.