PRODUCTION • One Foot in the Grave - Cinematography | Research

Roger Goss was the cinematographer for Series 4, Episode 6 which was the main episode I looked at from my research into this show. He was also the cinematographer for the British sitcom The River (1988). I chose this episode as the main one because there were a few different aspects in the episode that helped me in my research and gave me some ideas about how to film certain aspects of my own production. 

Shot Sizes: 

There are a range of different shot sizes used throughout the show, examples of ones seen most often being mid shots, mid long shots and long shots. These different shot sizes are all used for different parts of the show, for example, the wide shots of the exterior of the house show a change in location between scenes which establishes where we are and that we have moved into a different scene/setting. The mid shots are used for the characters and when they are speaking, this is so we are close to them and so that an audience can feel as though they are in the situation with the characters and not just watching from the outside; the mid longs are for when there is often lots of props important to a scene of for when there are a few characters in a scene and they want to have them all in one shot.

Below is a shot taken from a scene in the kitchen where the character Victor, is cooking at the stove. During this shot he us is stood against the counter facing sideways so we can see his profile and the actions he is doing. We also have a scene similar to this in our project where our two characters are in the kitchen standing against the counter. I was struggling to work out how we would film this section as I wanted to have face on shots where we could see their entire face rather than a profile shot. However, after seeing this example I’m happier about our plan for filming that scene as our shots should look very similar to this one.

Victor Meldrew standing next to the counter - camera in the centre of the room. 

There is another scene in the kitchen where the camera has been put on the counter and in front of the two characters so that they can be seen from the front. The camera is also slightly to the side and the characters are angled so that they look as if they are facing forward but they’re actually slightly diagonal from the counter. Due to this show being filmed on a set, the sink unit looks like a prop and I can see on the left side of the female character this is no more counter on the other side of the sink which makes me think that it is a separate unit and has been brought forward so that the crew could be behind the sink.

Patrick and Pippa in their kitchen - Camera on the counter.

During our shoot, this will not be possible, so I will have to try some test shots and see what works best for us, however I think from just looking at these examples that having the charactering facing to side and having a slightly portrait shot will be what we end up doing as this seems the most plausible for our location and the contents of the scene. 

Movements: 

The show uses pans and tilts to follow characters movements, for example, if a character is to sit down on a sofa from standing up, the camera will tilt downwards to follow them from standing to sitting. This happens in a scene where Victor his already seated in the living room and his wife and friend enter and sit down in the adjacent sofa. The camera is initially at eye level and then tilts down in time with the sitting down which gives of the effect that the audience are sitting down with them. 

These types of movements ensure that we are following the right characters and that the audience feel as though they are involved in the scene as it is as if they are with the characters and following the around, moving as they move. This also breaks up the amount of static shots in a scene and allows for a bridge when a character change room in their house. This can be scene when *Victor walks out of the kitchen and into the living room, the camera follows him, panning from left to right from his initial position to him walking out the door. 

For our project Young & Famous, our director has said that they don’t want any specific camera movements within the production and that the cameras are to be static unless a character dips out of shot or moves too much I which case the camera is to follow the character. Some of our scenes will develop from now to shoot week and we might possibly include more specific camera movements if they are appropriate to the scenes. 

Lighting: 

The lighting is like the traditional sitcom lighting where the lights are attached to the ceiling on a grid. This is more readily available for big budget sitcoms are they are most likely filmed on a set where they can easily install the grid. As previously mentioned my aim is to imitate this style of lighting by having my lights high and directed down onto the location and actors to give off the overhead lighting feel. 

What I have learnt: 

From looking at the camera work from One Foot in the Grave, I have noticed a few different aspects which I would like to take forward and incorporate into my own project, for example the variety of shots sizes and using them in the appropriate way. I also want to try and test out the kitchen scene and see what is going to work best for our production, in our scene and in the location as well because I know we have a limited space.