10 // Camera Pan

Skipping ahead to part 3 of the project brief - "Design a scene which changes over three frames. This can be an arbitrary movement, a dramatic or action orientated scene, a camera movement, a mood change, etc." - I've chosen to present a 3-stage shot focusing on Gath (Death Dealer) stalking through his homeland, The Shades; a densely overgrown, dark forest full of danger and threat.

It was my intent to have the camera initially situated high in the trees, spotting Gath as he walks through the forest, partially masked by overhanging vines and leaves in the FG. From there, the camera will swoop down from the tree and skim along the forest floor before coming to rest at Gath's feet, looking up at him, silhouetted by the moonlight streaming in through the branches behind and overhead.

I chose to use plenty of strong foreground elements as silhouettes throughout each stage so as to emphasise the busy feel of this setting, both on the ground and within the treeline. I think I was fairly successful in this approach, and I feel it helps to add a claustrophobic, oppressive atmosphere.

I chose this kind of shot as a way to bring the viewer into the setting, presenting the environment and the character in one swoop. 

The perspective of each shot is important to achieve this effect; the first shot is 3-point perspective, with focus on catching a glimpse of Gath from above, with just a tease of the environment; the 2nd shot opens up the area for the viewer to see the depth of the forest by pulling them from the high tree and pulling them into the undergrowth, to sit level with the floor and see Gath a little closer in 1-point perspective; shot 3 is the final stage of the transition, by which point the camera has ended its swoop along the forest floor and now looks up to Gath's silhouette, slightly backlit for imposing purposes. The 3-point perspective of the 3rd shot mirrors that of the first in that the camera now looks up rather than down; this variation allows the viewer to see the forest from yet another angle - for variety - and also lets them know that Gath is a powerful figure.

My colour palette for this stage is relatively simple as it is a night-time scene, so plenty of blues are used for the cold shadows, with some green lights bringing a little colour variation.

It's worth noting that my inspiration for this shot came from a mood/inspiration/reference board I compiled, full of screengrabs from the original Predator movie.