Dance for Camera - Introduction

We started this new project by matching up different camera angles with their definitions:

This is a task which I found easy due to learning about camera angles in Dance GCSE.



Next, we were introduced to the professional works we will be looking at:


1) Russell Maliphant - 'Two' (2001) - this dance explores being in a confined space. The dance is performed on stage in a small rectangular box. Watching it for the first time, I was able to pick up on some of the camera angles we had just discussed. The clip included medium, long and low shots, and also used close up.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUnSx8RwRvA - Performed by the famous ballerina - Sylvie Guillem.




2) Rosas Danst Rosas (1983/97) - this is a dance I already have a lot of experience with, having had to choreograph a 3 minute group dance with it as my stimulus. It is a dance which shows women locked up in an institution, due to their mental state. The pace of the piece is quick, with movement which is sharp and sudden majority of the time. Rosas will be the professional work we will be reviewing.


There are elements of this dance which I think I could incorporate into my dance for camera piece, such as zooming in and out and taking a side angle approach.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQCTbCcSxis - Rosas Film Clip


3) Merce Cunningham 'Points in Space' (1986) - This is a piece which explores tempo, showing the contrast between fast and slow choreography.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf_kLcdijz8 - Points in Space Clip

The picture above is aspects of dance for camera, which are things I need to take into consideration and make decisions about for my project. An idea which I'm likely to pursue is a 1920s piece. I wish to film it in black and white, giving it that classic feel. For the setting, I would like to use the dance studio, and possibly the theatre too. As for my number of dancers, I want one dancer. They will be dressed in a flapper dress, wearing character shoes. A main idea I had for movement was the Charleston. The clip below shows both the era and genre of dance I am going for:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJC21zzkwoE 

The music in the clip is similar to the kind I imagined for my piece. As the lesson I went on, I thought about putting a twist on my 1920s piece, and half way through have a transformation from flapper to commercial. In the film 'The Great Gatsby', modern music is used alongside more classical choreography, which is different and exciting.

In terms of filming, I had the idea of having moments where I just filmed the feet and then gradually go up the body of the dancer - going from a low to a high shot.

To make our film, we need editing software. I plan on using iMovie, because it is Apple and means I can do the project on my phone.

For our project, we will be using storyboards to plan where the dancer will be in the space and what camera angle would be used at that point. Above is a practice storyboard - a basic piece about a ballerina going from rehearsal to the stage. I learnt that I need to draw images according to camera angle. For example, my second box is a close up so I should draw a face .or in this case the skirt, big enough to fill the whole space of the box.