Transitions Unit - RESEARCH The Handmaids Tale & Mike Barker (Director)

When looking at TV shows to find inspiration, the first one that really stood out for me was 'The Handmaids Tale'. You can watch the trailer below:

Movement

I watched the 4th episode of the 1st season and the first thing that stood out for me was movement. As the characters moved the camera would track them in a gliding elegant way. It would experiment with all directions from different angles to add really interesting depth to what we were watching. There is one particular shot where the characters are walking and the director uses a profile shot that glides along with them which looked really nice. Some of the tracking movements would be followed with a pan so this was a nice smooth movement that looked really nice and I would love to use that as a shot when I'm directing. 

When panning, quite often it would be used really well to reveal something. The camera would be focused on the character and then pan to something that would be quite shocking. This I felt was really effective and I will take this on board for reveal shots. 

Throughout the whole episode the camera was static on conversation but to elevate and to add drama, the smooth tracking shots really made the piece look and feel high end and this is something I would love to attempt. 

Shot Types

The episode uses a range of different shots to to portray different things and to make the piece more varied and interesting. The shots start with Extreme close ups to the characters faces and then change to wides, mid shots and close ups. Being able to cut to different shots allows the production to flow really well and I will take this on board when writing the shot list to ensure I have enough coverage for each scene. When there is a tense moment in the episode, the shots are slowed down and pro longed to heighten atmosphere and when something shocking and dramatic is happening the shots get faster together. I need to ensure that we get the right shots so that when it comes to the edit the pacing can be created in the edit. 

The Style

The style of the episode is very cinematic. Although its the D.O.P.s job to translate the style, I feel its important for me to know what type of style would work well with the project to relay to them. I feel this style is really beautiful with the colour, tone and movement. I would love for the D.O.P to incorporate this look into their ideas.

You can see a clip of the episode I'm talking about below: 

The Original Director Of The Episode

This episode was directed by Mike Barker who is a British director who has previously worked on TV shows like 'Broadchurch' and 'The Tunnel'. Mikes signature statement is the long flowing shots and Ariel views. He often creates drama and really intense moments by adding a haunting score and slow moving shots to build tension. You can see an example in this clip of 'Broadchurch' at 03.00minutes:

There is also a wide range of shots. From Close ups, long shots, wide shots and mid shots, there is a lot of coverage to allow the clip to flow and to stop shots from being really long when unnecessary. The framing is well thought out aswell as in the conversational piece at the start we see both of them singular and centre frame but when it cuts to the other person you can still see the person they are talking to just in frame. When its important to establish where they are like for example the Vicar, he is positioned to the right of frame so that we can see the background of the graveyard ensuring we can further establish this.