Student’s Lesson

The Interviews

Student activity: analysing filming techniques

Create a new section of the web site paulkellythemovie.com.au.au that:

• explains how the interviews were filmed and
• invites comments from viewers on the interviews themselves and their filming.

The first page of your section will have hyperlinks to some of the following:

Work in small groups to develop your pages of the web site, each group taking a different interviewee to analyse. You will need to address the questions below and you may include sections of the movie to illustrate any points you are making. If you are unable to use web development software, use an application such as PowerPoint to simulate the effect.

What film techniques are used to engage the audience? What is their effect?

• Consider the choices of composition including
• the interviewer placed off-screen and editing out of questions
• use of the rule of thirds
• the direction of the subject’s gaze
• what the location/mise-en-scene might indicate about the interviewee and the nature of the interview
• how the interview relates to its surrounding film footage.

How is the subject filmed?

The interviews were filmed using 2 cameras set in the same position but with different lenses – one for wide shots and one for close-ups.
Consider

• the effect of using of wide shots and close-ups
• how the interplay of these shot types reflect the content.