March 1, 2012
Top Gear
I recently watched an episode of Top Gear where the Chevy Camaro, Ford Mustang, and Dodge Challenger all compete for the title of best muscle car all around. The episode consisted of many short scenes which made it seem like many events took place and makes it feel a little uneasy. The film technique I saw the most in this episode was the camera. The hosts of the show are often talking to the viewer, and the close up is used many times throughout the episode. Also, when the cars are being driven the camera angles change many times. The camera went from panning to tracking and many extreme long shots were used to show how much ground has been covered or how much more track there is left in the race. There really is just natural light in this episode because it takes place outdoors. The sound in the episode also plays a big role. The sound of the engines and the cars shifting really builds suspense and gets the attention of the viewer. Mis en scene can really only be seen during the race in this show. The car closest to the screen is usually the most powerful and in the lead while the car farthest back has the least power in the race.
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I also recently watched an episode of top gear. In the episode, they are racing a Ferrari 458, a Mercedes SLS, and a Porsche 911. The main techniques used in the show are camera, sound, and editing. Like Liam says, the show consists of many short duration shots, from many different positions, angles, and distances. All these shots help the viewer get a better look at the car as if it were right in front of them. Another important technique is sound. It has extremely good quality sound, especially the car engines, which draws the viewer’s attention. When the show uses camera shots from the driver’s perspective and these sound effects, the viewer can almost feel like he is in the car driving it. Often times when they are racing, the camera uses the techniques of panning, tracking, high angle, and long distance shots. Because the cars are moving so fast, these techniques help the viewer gauge just how fast they are actually moving and the positions of the cars in the car. Editing is used in the shot order the show plays out in. The normal show is regularly interrupted by a close-up where a character speaks directly to the audience and provides background on the show. The techniques are all used to engage the viewers and add interesting plot to the show.
ReplyDeleteI also have seen and episode of Top Gear a few days a go. It was the episode where they see what the best off road vechile is. The guys spend 5000 dollars on there own car and see who can get threw death vally and the desert. The other goal is to see if they can reach Las Vages 2 days. There vechiles were a chevy k5 blazer, ford bronco, and a jeep wrangler. They start by racing down the desert and they have to toe trailers the whole way. As they get threw the desert they have to go threw some rock valleys. As they go threw the rocks the Ford Bronco breaks down and he has to fix it to get back in the game. Once they reach the street the ford bronco picks up the pase and makes its way back to the other cars. Now its a race to Las Vages on a 1/4 tank of gas. Its a close race for the K5 Blazer and the jeep but the jeep runs out of gas and the k5 blazer wins the race and is proven to be the best off road car. This show is for someone that really likes talking and driving car so if you like that then this is the show for you.
ReplyDeleteI recently saw the Eurpoean version of Top Gear on Netflix. The episode was the debut of the Lamborghini Murcielago LP670. Firstly, the entrance of this extreme vehicle is sported with its familiar, Lambo sound. Then you see the car blow by at at least 120mph. From the viewers standpoint all you see is a blur, but you already know what car it is. The film techniques were focused on sound and camerawork. Since you hear the roar of the engine coming toward you and increasingly getting louder,it adds a ton of suspense to just seeing the car. And as for the camerawork, the director used an extremely low angle to the slopped track, so it made the car seem a lot higher up on the turn and the speed of the camera pan just goes to show how fast that super car was actually moving at. Another shot was where you were viewing the outside of the car aswell as the inside. There was extensive use of panning and tracking, as the car was slowly rolling by the camera to all the little details on all sides of the car. To my realization this show is heavily focused on how their camera angles are and how to make the car look even better to the viewer. If you take just a straight on shot of a car, you're missing a lot of details. For instance the length, model, and height of the car are very hard to determine by just looking at the front. With angled shots and tracking shots, your are able to see fine details and extensive information just by moving the camera around a little bit.
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