Sunday, January 11, 2009

Matched Action in Giving Fish a Bath

I can't get a link directly to the video either but go to the National Geographic video website, then click on the environment category, then click on Environmental News, then click on the Giving Fish a Bath video (which should be the 4th one).

I found this video on National Geographic's website in their collection of videos concerning environmental news. I know we're not supposed to be paying attention to the subject of the video but more of the usage of the video, but it's very interesting...basically marine biologists are having to wash the parasites off of fish....but anyways....

The matched action in this video first occurs at the 26 second mark with the two biologists pouring water into a bucket, with a more close up shot following and finishing up at about the 32 second mark. This shot is ineffective because 1) it's not a very interesting thing that they're doing, 2) it is even more uninteresting because most of what they are doing and the things around them are obscured because of the close position of the camera and even more so when the camera closes in for a more close up shot, 3) all we see is their backs at first an it takes me a second to figure out what they're doing and then figure out what is happening on in the matched sequence shot when they zoom in. Grade: C-

The second matched action occurs immediately after the first. A vast improvement. Actually I think if they would have just edited the first video out it would be fine. Anyways, in this shot occurs at 33 seconds to about 37 seconds. It is a great shot because we see one of the biologists looking into his microscope at the little parasites and the next frame is a view of what the biologist is looking at in the microscope, complete with focusing action. Grade: A+

However, in the case of this matched action shot, does the cameraperson not have to man the microscope himself? And would this disqualify the sequence from being matched action?

The third (questionable) happens at 53 seconds and ends at about 1 minute 16. but it is broken up by a zoom out effect. Does this still count?

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