When researching different music videos I came across 'Ellie Goulding ft. Calvin Harris - I Need Your Love'. The video starts with Ellie Goulding in bed, singing the song. She is then joined by Calvin Harris who is in a depicted relationship with her. The video shifts to amateur-like footage of Goulding and Harris acting in a affectionate manner towards eachother in different locations, such as the beach and a car. One scene is even Ellie Goulding getting her tattoo at a tattoo parlor with Harris. While the supposed "cam corder" is filming a scene at the beach, the camera gets picked up by another individual who films himself skateboarding and later playing pool. Shots of Goulding and Harris flash throughout the video, whilst the camera is given to different individuals who film different scenes. I really like this video and particularly enjoy the use of hand held filming because I feel it gives the audience an intimate connection with the characters. The shots from this video have inspired me a lot for my music video.
When researching hand held shots I came across the film "The Blair Witch Project", an American horror film which uses handheld filming, presented as "found footage", throughout the movie. Here is a scene from the film:
I like the use of handheld filming in horror films because I feel it makes it more realistic and believeable, it also makes the audience have a stronger connection with the actors and makes them feel as if they actually there.
Another film which uses handheld filming is "Cloverfield", shown in the clip above. Although Cloverfield is shot using handheld filming, they have used a far more professional camera. Although it is still filmed from the 3rd persons point of view, you dont actually get to see the person behind the camera, like you do in The Blair Witch Project, for example.
Handheld filming is used for films on a small scale such as the Blair Witch Project, to films on a much larger scale, such as 9/11 documentaries, however there are lots of techniques you can use to create different effects.
I decided to have a go with handheld filming, which you can see in the clip below:
