Oscar Winner Predictions

So my boyfriend and I decided to predict the Oscars… More or less all of our answers were the same, so eventually we had to compromise on some so we had a clear winner by the end of it (whoever gets the most right wins chocolate).
We’re both massive Gravity fans, so neither of us were willing to change our answers for Best Picture or Best Director.
We also took a sweepstake at school, but looking again at the nominations, I’ve decided I’m not happy with the answers I gave for that, swapping Judi Dench for Cate Blanchett.

I’m actually really looking forward to the Oscars tonight, particularly because they’re being hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, who is just brilliant.

Best Picture:
Lauren: Gravity
Sam: Gravity
Winner: 12 Years a Slave

Best Director:
Lauren: Alfonso Cuarón
Sam: Alfonso Cuarón
Winner: Alfonso Cuarón

Best Lead Actor:
Lauren: Leonardo DiCaprio (he deserves one by now!)
Sam: Leonardo DiCaprio
Winner: Matthew McConaughey

Best Lead Actress:
Lauren: Cate Blanchett
Sam: Sandra Bullock
Winner: Cate Blanchett

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:
Lauren: Jared Leto
Sam: Barkhad Abdi
Winner: Jared Leto

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:
Lauren: Jennifer Lawrence
Sam: Julia Roberts
Winner: Lupita Nyong’o

Best Animated Feature Film:
Lauren: Frozen
Sam: Despicable Me 2
Winner: Frozen

Achievement in Cinematography:
Lauren: Emmanuel Lubezki
Sam: Emmanuel Lubezki
Winner: Emmanuel Lubezki

Achievement in Costume Design:
Lauren: The Great Gatsby (Catherine Martin)
Sam: The Great Gatsby (Catherine Martin)
Winner: The Great Gatsby (Catherine Martin)

Achievement for Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score):
Lauren: Saving Mr. Banks (Thomas Newman)
Sam: Gravity (Steven Price)
Winner: Gravity (Steven Price)

Achievement for Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song):
Lauren: Frozen (Let It Go)
Sam: Despicable Me 2 (Happy)
Winner: Frozen (Let It Go)

Achievement in Visual Effects:
Lauren: Gravity
Sam: Star Trek Into Darkness
Winner: Gravity

(This Oscars selfie made history by becoming the most retweeted photograph ever;
by the end of the ceremony the figure stood at 2,070,132)

Tech Talk – Camerawork (Movement)

This video explains many different types of camera movement; how they are done, and what effect they have on the audience.

Steady-cam: Steady-cam is a camera worn on a harness, which helps create smooth shots; the shots aren’t overly mobile or overly still, just ‘steady’, as the name suggests.

Dolly-shot: For a dolly-shot, the camera is on tracks, which means it moves smoothly and can be easily controlled by a computer. However, this is expensive, as it is very high-tech equipment.

Hand-held shot: A hand-held camera is literally held by the cameraman, which means it is mobile and can get into difficult places. Moving shots can feel more engaging, relatable, and realistic, and this technique is used for purposefully shaky shots, or to show a character filming, such as in Chronicle, where a lot of it seems to be shot by Andrew.

Pan: Panning is done by tilting the horizontal axis from one direction to another. This is similar to standing still and looking left and right; it is used to follow a character, but the camera stays in a fixed place, it simply turns.

Tilt: This is like a panning shot, but it moves vertically rather than horizontally, so it is looking up and down. Again, the camera itself does not move, it is just adjusted slightly to look up or down.

Dutch tilt: This is where the camera is tilted at an unstable angle. This technique can create the illusion of drunkenness, uncertainty, madness or unease.

Crane-shot: This is basically a camera on a stick; it can be lifted or lowered, and put in difficult to reach places.

Tracking shot: A tracking shot involves sideways movements often to follow something/someone who is moving. The shot stays roughly the same distance away from the subject throughout. This makes the audience feel like part of the action.

Zoom: This is where the camera literally zooms into (appears to get closer to) the subject. This is done by using the camera lens to zoom in and out of a subject so you can see less or more of the shot. It is used to show size and perspective, and to focus on a certain thing.

Crash zoom: This is the same as zooming, but much faster. It is usually used during a dramatic situation, such a fight.

Aerial shot: A shot taken from a moving plane or helicopter, looking down on a scene.

Tech Talk – Camerawork (Shot Types)

Establishing Shot
An establishing shot helps to contexualise; it establishes who is in the scene, where it is set, when it is set and what is happening. These are used at regular intervals throughout the film, to help the audience understand what is happening.

Mid-shot
These are the most common types of shot used in film. A mid-shot, or ‘medium shot’, is generally a shot from the waist upwards, although some people would say that a mid-shot shows the character from a little above the knees. They are midway between long shots and close-ups.

Long-shot
A long-shot is a full body shot.

Close-up
A close-up is often a full face, or a close-up of an object. They are used to show emotion as they do not allow the audience to look at anything other than the person or object in the close-up.

Extreme close-up
An extreme close-up shows things such as an eye; extreme close-ups are used to show much more detail which would probably be missed otherwise.

Reaction shot
A reaction shot does exactly what the name suggests; it is a shot of a reaction. It helps establish how the character is feeling.

Over-the-shoulder shot
An over-the-shoulder shot allows the audience to see what the character sees, along with their reactions to it.

Point of view shot
A point of view shot shows what the character is seeing in order to to help the audience empathise and understand.

Wide-shot
A wide shot shows the subject and most of the room. It can be used to clarify a character’s location and to show the whole of a character in relation to the surroundings.

Two shot
A two shot shows two characters in the same shot.

Low Angle Shot
Low camera angles look up at the subject, often used to show the subject looking more powerful or dominant.

High Angle Shot
High angled shots are used to look at the subject from above, usually used to show insignificance or powerlessness.

Extreme Long Shot
This shot is used to set the scene; the camera is usually so far back the subject is not clearly visible.

Aerial Shot
An aerial shot is a shot from somewhere high up, normally used to establish the surroundings.

Preliminary Exercise – Shot List

To make the most of the time we have, we have planned a shot list, so we know which order to film in, and which shots to use.

1. Mid shot. This will be used to show Brad walking up to the room.
2. Establishing shot (tracking shot). An establishing shot will then be used to set the scene, show the location, and show both the characters. It will track to show Brad walk in and sit down.
3. Establishing shot. 
4. Over the shoulder shot. The next three shots are shown as shot/reverse shot, showing each character’s reaction.
5. Over the shoulder shot.
6. Over the shoulder shot (tracking shot).
7. Over the shoulder shot, goes to a close up of Brad’s face.
8. Reaction shot.
9. Extreme close up. This will show Brad’s reaction to the news.
10. Mid shot.
11. Wide shot. In this shot, Tina gets up and walks away.
12. Mid shot. The scene will end with Brad crying on the table.

Shots four to seven are shown as shot/reverse shot.
Match on action is shown when the character walks into the room.
We will demonstrate the 180-degree rule throughout.