The document provides a technical analysis of the music video for Hozier's "Take Me to Church" and identifies techniques that could be emulated for another film project. It notes that the video uses: 1) An ambiguous narrative structure that leaves the ending partly unclear; 2) Fast cutting between shots averaging 1.5-2 seconds each to keep a quick pace; 3) Steadicam and handheld camerawork to make the viewing feel intimate and realistic. The document recommends applying these techniques, along with varying camera angles and movement, when filming to improve visual storytelling.
2. Techniques, shots and sequencing we
could emulate - 1. Narrative
•The audience is given an ambiguous insight into what happens at the end which
creates enigma. In this video this is done by having clips of the box in the fire but
also of him burying it. Seeing as the box is being destroyed in the fire the audience
knows that when the man is burying it in the ground, something else has to happen
to reach narrative resolution.
•Multiple narratives in the past and
present could make our film more
engaging as the viewer is waiting for
the story arcs to link together.
Box
3. •This video uses greyscale. We don’t have to use
full greyscale but turning the contrast up and
down on different shots in the past and present
could contrast and distinguish the time zones
while setting the tone of scenes.
•Slow motion is another effect that seems to be
used in a lot of the shots. It creates intensity and
can put emphasis on certain shots, scenes or
actions in a narrative. E.g. when the two men see
each other and hug for the first time. We would
need a 50 fps camera for this and only slow it
down to about 0.7 to 0.9 X speed.
2. Effects & editing
4. 3. Camera work
•Handicam and Steadicam is used in every shot. This is to create an intimate and
realistic film which the verisimilitude makes the audience feel involved in the
story, like they’re experiencing it first hard. It creates far more visceral viewing
which is perfect for a narrative not breaking the fourth wall.
•Camera movement is in every shot. Even the shots that are seemingly stills are
actually tilting, panning, tracking or just wobbling due to the Steadi/handicam.
This attention to detail is what I think could make our piece stand out and look
professional.
5. 4. Cutting rate
•The cutting rate is extremely fast, the average shot being about 1.5-2 seconds
long. It’s also consistent in it’s shot length range of 0.5s to 4 seconds long. For
our Brighton preliminary our average shot length was far over this, some shots
being as long as 7s long. We need to make sure we pay attention to this whilst
filming. To do this we have to remember that even for the simplest of actions we
should have multiple shots from multiple angles to keep it interesting and keep
the cutting rate fast. An example of this in ‘Take Me to Church’ is when he is
digging a hole for the box. The director uses 4 shots just to show this.
6. 5. Framing & shot distance
•To construct an understandable narrative the director didn’t do too many
extreme longshots or extreme close ups. He mainly utilised interesting
movement of the camera and different angles to keep it interesting.