Analysis of an opening sequence
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Thursday, 31 March 2011
Friday, 25 March 2011
Account of post production
Editing this practical task is a very different experience to editing my preliminary task earlier on in the year which was a far more basic, straight cut based approach. Now I am currently developing my skills in more complex aspects of Final Cut such as sound bridges, titles, transitions and sound levelling. For instance, the shot which pulls in from a close up of the evidence photos on the table to an entire establishing shot of the interrogation room using the genie lift included the sound of the genie lift itself within the shot. Therefore I had to take the sound from one of the shots that was filmed from a different still angle and edit the levels of this so that the sounds of things such as the evidence photos being laid out on the desk was in sync with the video footage from the initial shot.
Many of our chosen shots within the sequence are cut at a slow pace so as to indicate the slow passing of time within the interview room and indirectly bringing forth the sense that there is no way out of this situation for our victimised girl (Kate). This is also evident through the use of the cross dissolve. We are currently in the process of experimenting with faster cuts in order to suggest intensity within the scene. Combined with the slower cuts I believe this could be highly effective.
The very first shot of the sequence is from the diarised ‘youtube’ confession of Alex attempting to explain his reasoning behind his actions. Cutting back and forth from this within the sequence would allow us to progressively reveal Kate’s potential involvement in the situation as Alex mentions her more often as the sequence progresses. However, later on in the process of editing it became apparent that this technique was not beneficial to the flow of the plot within the opening sequence and may be difficult to comprehend when not within the context of the film as a whole. We therefore decided to cut the diarised video confession of Alex from the sequence apart from the very beginning in order to establish his involvement in the events leading up to that of the film itself.
The key idea however is to give Kate the majority of the screen time in order to show that this story is based around her and not Alex who has previously committed the crime which leads us to her situation, later to be followed up throughout the film. This sense of the fact that it is Kate’s story we are following is shown by the fact that the opening sequence ends with her in the on set camera saying ‘let me tell you what really happened’. This sets us up to cut between her diarised version of events within the interview room and the other events that would follow later in the film.
As well as video editing, our knowledge of photoshop proved to be useful in terms of creating the title card for the film. Using regular font seemed to be highly unimpressive in visual terms so we came up with the idea of adjusting a conventional typewriter style font in order to make it unique to our film. This was done by taking certain letters from the word ‘AFTERMATH’ in this font and dropping or raising them slightly in order to convey a sense of disorder within the word itself. The theme of the film being based around a school shooting, we felt it was appropriate to place the letters as if they were on a blackboard. This blackboard is both stained and scratched, including over and around the text. This fits in well with the overall demeanour of the film which is meant to address both tarnished and dark concepts behind the tragic events at the school. We used the ‘bad TV’ effect on final cut, flicking on and off during the time that the title card is on screen so as not to just have a static image on screen which may have been potentially mundane to watch.
Wednesday, 2 February 2011
Some ideas that helped us develop our finial thriller concept further.
Just after we had finalised our idea for 'Aftermath', this news story came up. I read through this and found that it was greatly relevent to the issues that we intended to tackle within our film had it been developed further than the opening sequence. To read the article please CLICK HERE
The article was not only usefull in terms of research but also shows that there is i wider social context regarding the main concept of 'Aftermath'.
The article was not only usefull in terms of research but also shows that there is i wider social context regarding the main concept of 'Aftermath'.
Thriller opening sequence- Pre production planning (script)
Below can be found the original script from which the opening sequence was based upon. The script includes stage directions and proposed camera angles that may work for a particular part of the script. Having already shot the sequence, i now know that the running time for this script ran over the intended two minutes for the sequence. As a result of this i sat down with the rest of my group and the actors in order to cut out parts that seemed irrelevant and to adapt the script to make it as concise and as effective as possible. I feel that this was done effectively, however we could not have ended up with a script of such a standard that we were all happy with without this initial draft which i personally composed entirely.
Script- Dialogue
INT: On Camera (youtube) Confession greenlit / computer screen /webcam look. Actor looks into camera and talks to his ‘audience’:
ALEX:
I don’t expect you to understand now, you’ll see though. I can’t show you until it’s done. Every single day, I watch humanity go about their business, so pointless, so apathetic, shit. That’s what we are. And now it’s time to show every single one of you what you could never see, you’re not so indestructible, you won’t feel so hard tomorrow when your teachers and friends are lain out, lifeless, in front of you, if you’re lucky.
By the time you see this, I’ll be gone and it’ll be done. And you’ll wonder, how could anyone do this, why, what was going through the head of that fucking psycho?!
My answer to you, there is no kindness in mankind, we’re selfish, every single one of us, I’m gonna show you how one insignificant psycho can change everything, not so fucking useless now am I?! By now, I’m dead, literally got away with murder.
Kate, you know you are my world, any time I’ve ever been happy’s been with you. I’m so sorry, but you need to understand that I had to do this. I love you, forever. I love you now, and I’ll love you still when you see this and I’m gone. Don’t go in to school, you don’t need to see this, you’re the only person in this entire fucking world I’m willing to spare.
In years to come, you’ll all be forgotten. Just another kid, tragically killed in that school. But everyone remembers the killer, the psycho that flipped out, killed himself afterwards and claimed it was all justified and in the name of something meaningful. Well let me tell you right now that this is all for the sake of beauty, Kate. The only understanding of real beauty that I ever had. Babe, I won’t let you grow up in a world that doesn’t understand the individual, just like me and you. I won’t let you live in that kind of place, nobody else is gonna change it for you, and you can’t change yourself for the world, so I’ll change the world for you.
INT: CUT TO Interview Room
INTERVIEWER initial insensitive approach, perhaps an element of personal anger over what has happened- shot focused on hand/evidence pictures, Kate out of focus:
So another senior school boy shoots up his school, posting a confession video beforehand, pretty much claiming it’s all for you and you’re trying to tell me that you had no idea about this? Come on, don’t mess me around here. You know it’s all gonna come out regardless of weather you try and lie to me or not.
KATE focus pulls back to Kate as she replies. She is quiet and emotional, signs of grief and shame strongly apparent:
(silent tears) are you fucking kidding me? He killed my friends….
Interviewer Same shot pulls back to OTS of interviewer, left shoulder and head in view, focus on Kate:
Just take your time, tell me everything that you know.
Kate Focus changes to Kate’s image in the evidence camera, she is blurred in the background.- Non- diegetic voice over of youtube confession plays over her tears
(Bursts into uncontrollable tears)
Interviewer Shot cuts to through one way glass, medium wide of the entire interview room, and focus on interviewer here:
(sighs)
Kate ‘I remember’ said in previous through glass shot, cut to close evidence camera picture.
I remember…. He said don’t go into school (dubbed with au voiceover from video- non- diegetic) – but I didn’t see the video in time, I went to school…..
Interviewer :
What did you see at school?
Girl:
I was in maths, at the very end of the main building……… I heard shots… and screaming…. The shots stopped, I went out…………. (crying)
Interviewer:
Go on….
Girl:
My best friend…. Was on the floor, I didn’t believe it, I tried to help…….. she was so pale (uncontrollable crying)
Interviewer:
I know it’s hard, is there anything else?
Girl:
There were so many more….. blood everywhere (crying) ………….then I saw him lying there, he was covered in blood….. (breaks down properly) with a gun in his hand (uncontrollable tears)
Interviewer:
Okay, I think we need to take a break.
Thriller- Mood Board
Below can be found a power point format mood board containing the basic and original ideas on which an opening sequence for my horror/ thriller genre film could be based. The concepts in the mood board all relate to a sense of fear, threat and danger. One idea which i particularly like is the concept of a person posing a threat to oneself (or the results of such a threat, either to that person in particular or to others around them)and i would perhaps like to incorporate this into my opening sequence.
Tuesday, 1 February 2011
Account of Shoot Day- Thriller
The shoot day did not turn out as was initially planed. Our group, which had initially consisted of four members, ended up becoming just James Troughton and I due to the fact that the other two members were absent from the school at that time for various reasons. As a result of this, both James and I had to multitask and adapt our previous planning strategies for the day in order to gain the most out of the short time that we were allotted. We spent longer than expected finalising the finer details of our set design because of the lack of extra hands to help on the actual morning of the shoot.
However, the set was finalised regardless of the extra time that this took and did not set us back too badly due to the fact that we had prepared the majority of both the physical set and aspects of the design to be added last minute prior to the actual day on which the shoot took place. Good organisation prevailed and the day moved relatively fluidly once we actually began filming as we had a rigid storyboard planned out, clearly showing us what shots we needed to do and exactly how we could best conduct doing them.
On entering the studio, we noticed the genie lift which we were eager to make use of, in spite of our small group; we established that as a result of our planning, we could afford to take the extra time out of the initial storyboard and experiment with a number of other shots which may add to the desired effect of our opening sequence. Firstly, we focussed in on the table of the interview room and, using the genie lift, conducted a crane shot, ending in an overhead view of the interview room and both occupants, intended to be the opening shot of the sequence as it establishes the setting from the finer details to the overall establishing shot of the setting as a whole. We also tried this shot in reverse as it seems more conventional to start off with an establishing shot and then later focussing in on finer details such as the evidence photos which are laid out on the desk early on in the scene.
In order not to complicate things for ourselves during post production, with foresight we ensured that we maintained a detailed shot list, consisting of all the relevant information from the shot, for example whether or not the shot may be useful for the final cut and which take was most effective.
We decided to shoot the thriller, for the most part in the studio. This enabled us to control for elements of the shoot such as lighting and the overall structure of the interview room. On the film, the room appears to be reasonably dull and dimly lit, however the set was actually rather brightly lit so that the shots were clear, however in order to achieve a sense of horror, entrapment and darkness, we used a light filter on the camera so that the set did not look so bright.
In terms of shot choices, we made sure to take as many as possible in order to give ourselves the best choice possible when the time came to edit the sequence in post production. Particular focus was placed on close ups, extreme close ups and tight over the shoulder shots, again in order to achieve the effect of entrapment and negative intensity. Tracking shots were also taken so as to give a smooth transition between points of view within the scene as well as to build suspense with the pan within the track, leading us around the room, to the diarised version of our victimised girl within the onset camera in the foreground and her actual image in the background. The idea on which this was based is the fact that had we made the rest of the film, it would keep referring back to her (‘Kate’) diarised version of events in order to signify that this story is about Kate and not Alex (the killer). This can be seen as our unique selling point (USP) for this thriller.
On the day, we ‘cheated’ the spatial relationships between characters and objects in order to make certain shots work. In order to do this we had to collapse part of our set and relocate a wall in order to fit particularly our tracking shot into the scene effectively. As a result of carefully planned camera work; ensuring that all of the elements within the shots held their original place within the frame, we were able to make it look as if none of the set had been moved at all.
The part of the shoot in which controlled lighting played perhaps the greatest role was when we had ‘Alex’ (the killer) talking to what appears to be a webcam. We created this illusion by placing a light string underneath the camera to recreate the look of the glare from a computer screen. We were aware however that this is massively bright in comparison to that of any regular computer; however we felt that in order to create the desired effect, the overdramatic lighting created the feeling of intensity that is mirrored through the dialogue and tight setting of the interview room. These choices were made specifically with regards to the genre of the film.
In one instance, (our tracking shot), we deliberately broke the 180 degree line of action, however this was done in one continuous motion so as not to confuse the audience as to the whereabouts of characters in relation to each other within the room. Other than this, we took great care towards ensuring that this line of action was not broken as a general rule towards continuity in a shot. This proved specifically important with OTS shots and reverse shots.
Throughout the day, I took on the role of operating the camera and directing the actors. Prior to the shoot I had spent time with the actors, ensuring that they were all aware of what was expected of them on set with regards to performance and therefore on the actual shoot day guidance was easy because everyone knew exactly what they were doing. Besides actually shooting the sequence, being the camera-man meant that I had to ensure that certain things were done before we could begin filming, such as light balance, bubbling the tripod and filters etcetera. I also wrote and redrafted the entire script for the sequence and ensured that all of the actors were satisfied with their lines and that they worked well together.
The entire group worked well together in ensuring that all elements of the shoot fitted together well, even if two of the members were not present for the majority of the shoot day. The props list worked well in relation to our set and this was bettered by the fact that we were all highly pleased with the performance of all our actors. I was personally pleased with the costume design that James had finalised for the characters that I had written into the script and I feel that these were exactly what I was aiming for. Overall, I think that everybody within the group is pleased with the way in which our final shoot went and that we are all excited to see how this will come out in post- production editing.
Photos from shoot day:
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Preliminary task- Post Production
This week we began the procces of post production for our preliminary task. This was done by using Final Cut Pro, a video editing program. - below is a screenshot of the final cut editing timeline.
The first part of this program that we were familiarised with is how to access the raw footage from the final cut server. With this procces we had to 'check out' the edit proxy from the server due to the fact that this means we still have the raw footage in the server to fall back on if the editing does not initially go to plan. As well as this, storing the information in a server prevents us having to store it on the computer which we are using for editing saving both time and memory. Also we do not have to locate the footage on which we are working on from all of the raw footage due to the fact that we only check out what we need for post production specifically.
The most challenging aspect of this procces was the organisation of shots. This is due to the fact that many aspects of the task had to be taken into account, for example the continuity of the editing aswell as paying appropriate attention to the initial storyboard. The establishing external shot was chosen primarily in order to show that this scene is based around the presence of the entering character and the victimised characters reaction to this. We specifically chose wider framed shots over close ups in order to emphasise that fact that our victimised character is sat down and therefore looked down upon by the accusing figure.
Shots were mainly foccused on the victimised figure to establish the fact that the scene is about him more so than the other character, he is given the majority of the screen time.
Wednesday, 13 October 2010
Preliminary task Evaluation
Last week we shot the camera work for our preliminary task. I took on the role of camera man, meaning that it was my position to set up the camera and tripod as well as to operate the camera during the shoot, taking into consideration, the primary features of the camera such as zoom level, white balance, focus, light filters, exposure etc.
Our group of four based our shoot in the film studio which proved useful as we were able to adjust certain variables such as lighting and shadows, set design and due to the fact that the majority of the set was painted in the same shade of white, the process of white balancing was quick and easy. We did however take some footage in an exterior location in order to get a long shot of a character walking towards a door from the outside and opening it, we also did this as a point of view shot (POV).
The Primary issues that we faced when filming in the exterior location were due to light and shadows. Because we were not in a controlled environment, we found ourselves having to adapt to the natural conditions that we were presented with; in this case the fact that it was a very bright day at the time of filming. We overcame the excessive light through use of both light filters and the exposure setting on camera. The second issue we did not entirely manage to overcome was inconvenient shadows. This was an issue when attempting to film the POV shot because we could not avoid the shadow of the cameraman (myself) when opening the door from the outside. As a result of this, we will most likely find ourselves not using that particular shot in the final cut of the preliminary task when we come to editing.
While in the studio, lighting was an easy feature of the shoot as this could be easily adjusted. Personally I feel as if it was the correct decision to have strong lighting on the characters and set all the way through in order to give the idea that we are conveying a very high-stress situation and creating a tense and overpowering demeanor to the situation which would not have been possible with soft lighting as this would have given the scene a completely different tone, perhaps scary which is not what we, as a group were aiming for.
Throughout the task, i took great care in ensuring that the camera was set up correctly and that all relevant checks were made before the actual filming commenced. We did however, find that we had to re-take one studio shot for the soul reason that once we had cut, i realized that i had not balanced the tripod level, we then had to repeat the scene. After this incident, i made sure to check the tripod level before each individual shot was taken.
I faced difficulty in framing the shot correctly when a character was instructed to walk into the frame and continue the script. This is because, at risk of leaving too much head space in the shot, i wanted to keep the frame tight over the actors head, this meant that a few shots had to be taken as a result of the fact that the top of his head was continually being cut out of the frame as we could not accurately anticipate what level he would come to when he stopped to present his lines. We overcame this difficulty by giving the actor a marker on which to stand, then before the shot was filmed i tested the frame to ensure the perfect amount of head space was given when he stood on the marker. When we filmed the scene, the actor would walk to the exact same point, therefore perfectly framed in the shot and eliminating the issue.
We specifically made sure that we conformed to the 180 degree angle so as not to give the illusion that the characters had swapped sides of the set. This was successfully done and no mistakes were made in this area.
While filming, correct terminology was used to ensure effective communication amoungst everyone present on set. Before filming a shot, the director would shout "Stand by", everyone on set must then reply "standing by", followed by the director insturcting the camera man to "roll it", replied with "rolling" at which point the camera man will press the record button, the director will wait a moment for the sake of post-production editing and then shout "action" at which point the diegetic action will comence.
Each shot consisted of the entire scene, for example we would film all of the dialouge in wide and repeat the procces in close up and then mid shot and so on. Different parts of the scene will be cut up and interwieved in the editing procces so that we may choose the most appropriate shot for any one part of the scene at any given time. This methodical procces would not be possible if it were not for the fact that we had a storyboard to conform to, which gave us an clear idea of what shots we needed to take for the overall scene as well as the storyline. A copy of the storyboard can be seen below.
Our group of four based our shoot in the film studio which proved useful as we were able to adjust certain variables such as lighting and shadows, set design and due to the fact that the majority of the set was painted in the same shade of white, the process of white balancing was quick and easy. We did however take some footage in an exterior location in order to get a long shot of a character walking towards a door from the outside and opening it, we also did this as a point of view shot (POV).
The Primary issues that we faced when filming in the exterior location were due to light and shadows. Because we were not in a controlled environment, we found ourselves having to adapt to the natural conditions that we were presented with; in this case the fact that it was a very bright day at the time of filming. We overcame the excessive light through use of both light filters and the exposure setting on camera. The second issue we did not entirely manage to overcome was inconvenient shadows. This was an issue when attempting to film the POV shot because we could not avoid the shadow of the cameraman (myself) when opening the door from the outside. As a result of this, we will most likely find ourselves not using that particular shot in the final cut of the preliminary task when we come to editing.
While in the studio, lighting was an easy feature of the shoot as this could be easily adjusted. Personally I feel as if it was the correct decision to have strong lighting on the characters and set all the way through in order to give the idea that we are conveying a very high-stress situation and creating a tense and overpowering demeanor to the situation which would not have been possible with soft lighting as this would have given the scene a completely different tone, perhaps scary which is not what we, as a group were aiming for.
Throughout the task, i took great care in ensuring that the camera was set up correctly and that all relevant checks were made before the actual filming commenced. We did however, find that we had to re-take one studio shot for the soul reason that once we had cut, i realized that i had not balanced the tripod level, we then had to repeat the scene. After this incident, i made sure to check the tripod level before each individual shot was taken.
I faced difficulty in framing the shot correctly when a character was instructed to walk into the frame and continue the script. This is because, at risk of leaving too much head space in the shot, i wanted to keep the frame tight over the actors head, this meant that a few shots had to be taken as a result of the fact that the top of his head was continually being cut out of the frame as we could not accurately anticipate what level he would come to when he stopped to present his lines. We overcame this difficulty by giving the actor a marker on which to stand, then before the shot was filmed i tested the frame to ensure the perfect amount of head space was given when he stood on the marker. When we filmed the scene, the actor would walk to the exact same point, therefore perfectly framed in the shot and eliminating the issue.
We specifically made sure that we conformed to the 180 degree angle so as not to give the illusion that the characters had swapped sides of the set. This was successfully done and no mistakes were made in this area.
While filming, correct terminology was used to ensure effective communication amoungst everyone present on set. Before filming a shot, the director would shout "Stand by", everyone on set must then reply "standing by", followed by the director insturcting the camera man to "roll it", replied with "rolling" at which point the camera man will press the record button, the director will wait a moment for the sake of post-production editing and then shout "action" at which point the diegetic action will comence.
Each shot consisted of the entire scene, for example we would film all of the dialouge in wide and repeat the procces in close up and then mid shot and so on. Different parts of the scene will be cut up and interwieved in the editing procces so that we may choose the most appropriate shot for any one part of the scene at any given time. This methodical procces would not be possible if it were not for the fact that we had a storyboard to conform to, which gave us an clear idea of what shots we needed to take for the overall scene as well as the storyline. A copy of the storyboard can be seen below.
Wednesday, 6 October 2010
Introduction to Video Camera
This week we have been primarily focusing on video camera work. Throughout our lessons we have been studying and understanding the key features of a video camera and the ways in which to use them. Yesterday we ran a practice shoot for our preliminary task in which we must effectively shoot a short, pre-scripted scene. This was our first example of putting what we have learned about camera positioning, angles and use of on camera settings into practice while actually in the process of filming.
We have covered 5 main areas on the topic this week:
1) Camera operation and functions:
It was important when starting to use the cameras that we learnt about each operation and function that we would soon need to use and know about. First of all was the time code- displayed in the top right hand corner of the screen, informing you how long you have been filming for in hours, minutes, seconds and frames ( 24 frames being the heighest).
White balancing was a function that allows you to capture the correct colours that are in the frame. This is done by zooming the camera into a white space or object, pressing down the white balance button and zooming out again. This needs to be done because if not the lighting conditions that your filming in will take an effect on your footage- for example if your filming inside the artificial lighting may cause a yellow tinge on your footage, whereas if your outside a blue tinge may appear on your footage.
Aperature and shutter speed are as important on the filming cameras as they are on stills cameras. The aperature function controls how much light is let into the lense, which as a result controls the exposure of your footage. The shutter speed on the other hand is the function that controls how fast the frames are being captured. A fast shutter speed means that the frames will flow smoothly when being watched, whereas a slow shutter speed will cause a more delayed reaction when filming.
2) Using the camera:
When it came to actually using the camera we had to start with setting up the tri-pod. This piece of equipment is neccessary if you are wanting to keep the camera still whilst filming instead of using it hand-held, which in some cases may be the preffered method for a particular effect, however most of the time the tri-pod is used. It also allows you to tilt the camera up and down whilst filming in a steady pace so that the footage looks more proffessional.
We learnt that, when setting up the tripod you needed to use the bubbling function on the top of the tri-pod. Bubbling acts as a spirit level which basically allows you to make sure your tri-pod is level to the ground when you have set it up. If you don't bubble the tri-pod you could accidently result in filming some wonky footage.
After you have bubbled the tri-pod it is then time to slide the camera ontop of it and lock it into place which then means you are ready to start filming. From then on it was pretty basic to learn how to use the camera. After coming to grips with the different functions and setting up the levels to be right all you had to do was hit record and start to film.
3) Use of industry terminology:
When we started to film we thought that you hit record, film the scene and cut when you feel you have achieved the shot you wanted. However we wewre taught that there was specific terminology that is used in the media industry that we would know have to learn to start using. This terminology is primarily used bu the director and the camera man. In order for all the cast and crew to be aware that filming is about to commence the director will yell 'Stand by". In return the camera man will become aware of this and reply with the phrase 'standing by' to agree that he is ready to start filming. The director will then say 'roll film' which is when the camera man hits the record button which commences filming and says 'rolling' to make the director aware that the filming has begun. The director will then shout 'Action' to start the action of the sequence which is then terminated by the saying 'cut'. The camera man will wait a few seconds after the director has yelled cut as to make sure no footage is cut off the end.
The process of starting to film is called the 'lead in', whereas the process of ending the footage is called the 'lead out'.
4) Evaluation of practice shoot:
After learning about all of this new technology and terminology we were then put to the test by being told to take part in a practice shoot. Each group was sent off with a camera, tri-pod and script. Given a time limit we were told that two of us had to act and the others had to film. Even though the actors weren't filming we all got a chance to test out the camera and help each other out.
Seeing as this was our first shoot I wasn't expecting to produce footage of high quality standard, but more of a satisfactory first attempt, which as a result is what we did. However, now that we are aware of the basics of filming we should be more prepared for our preliminary task.
5) The move between still and video cameras
Before we had started to use the video camera we were told to use still cameras in a task to create our own film poster. Personally I was aware of how to use the still camera, however some others weren't as informed. This meant the transition from the still camera to the video camera may have been more of a challenge to some than others. I think that I much prefer the video camera as appossed to the still camera because you are able to capture footage instead of a single frame.
We have covered 5 main areas on the topic this week:
1) Camera operation and functions:
It was important when starting to use the cameras that we learnt about each operation and function that we would soon need to use and know about. First of all was the time code- displayed in the top right hand corner of the screen, informing you how long you have been filming for in hours, minutes, seconds and frames ( 24 frames being the heighest).
White balancing was a function that allows you to capture the correct colours that are in the frame. This is done by zooming the camera into a white space or object, pressing down the white balance button and zooming out again. This needs to be done because if not the lighting conditions that your filming in will take an effect on your footage- for example if your filming inside the artificial lighting may cause a yellow tinge on your footage, whereas if your outside a blue tinge may appear on your footage.
Aperature and shutter speed are as important on the filming cameras as they are on stills cameras. The aperature function controls how much light is let into the lense, which as a result controls the exposure of your footage. The shutter speed on the other hand is the function that controls how fast the frames are being captured. A fast shutter speed means that the frames will flow smoothly when being watched, whereas a slow shutter speed will cause a more delayed reaction when filming.
2) Using the camera:
When it came to actually using the camera we had to start with setting up the tri-pod. This piece of equipment is neccessary if you are wanting to keep the camera still whilst filming instead of using it hand-held, which in some cases may be the preffered method for a particular effect, however most of the time the tri-pod is used. It also allows you to tilt the camera up and down whilst filming in a steady pace so that the footage looks more proffessional.
We learnt that, when setting up the tripod you needed to use the bubbling function on the top of the tri-pod. Bubbling acts as a spirit level which basically allows you to make sure your tri-pod is level to the ground when you have set it up. If you don't bubble the tri-pod you could accidently result in filming some wonky footage.
After you have bubbled the tri-pod it is then time to slide the camera ontop of it and lock it into place which then means you are ready to start filming. From then on it was pretty basic to learn how to use the camera. After coming to grips with the different functions and setting up the levels to be right all you had to do was hit record and start to film.
3) Use of industry terminology:
When we started to film we thought that you hit record, film the scene and cut when you feel you have achieved the shot you wanted. However we wewre taught that there was specific terminology that is used in the media industry that we would know have to learn to start using. This terminology is primarily used bu the director and the camera man. In order for all the cast and crew to be aware that filming is about to commence the director will yell 'Stand by". In return the camera man will become aware of this and reply with the phrase 'standing by' to agree that he is ready to start filming. The director will then say 'roll film' which is when the camera man hits the record button which commences filming and says 'rolling' to make the director aware that the filming has begun. The director will then shout 'Action' to start the action of the sequence which is then terminated by the saying 'cut'. The camera man will wait a few seconds after the director has yelled cut as to make sure no footage is cut off the end.
The process of starting to film is called the 'lead in', whereas the process of ending the footage is called the 'lead out'.
4) Evaluation of practice shoot:
After learning about all of this new technology and terminology we were then put to the test by being told to take part in a practice shoot. Each group was sent off with a camera, tri-pod and script. Given a time limit we were told that two of us had to act and the others had to film. Even though the actors weren't filming we all got a chance to test out the camera and help each other out.
Seeing as this was our first shoot I wasn't expecting to produce footage of high quality standard, but more of a satisfactory first attempt, which as a result is what we did. However, now that we are aware of the basics of filming we should be more prepared for our preliminary task.
5) The move between still and video cameras
Before we had started to use the video camera we were told to use still cameras in a task to create our own film poster. Personally I was aware of how to use the still camera, however some others weren't as informed. This meant the transition from the still camera to the video camera may have been more of a challenge to some than others. I think that I much prefer the video camera as appossed to the still camera because you are able to capture footage instead of a single frame.
Wednesday, 29 September 2010
Introduction to Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is a graphic and picture editing tool. It enables the user to alter, manipulate and create images either from existing photos or found images. Photoshop CS2 is the package we use here.
This week we learned the basics of the program, including how to upload raw images and use the tools available in order to manipulate them for a particular purpose or effect.
Particular tools which we learned how to use include the marquee tool which is used in order to cut a box out of the raw image, usually so that it may be copied and later pasted elsewhere. This brings us to the lasso tool which is highly similar by definition, however this tool is far more accurate as it allows the user to outline specific shapes and areas of the image freehand, allowing for more adventurous opportunities in terms of the overall editing of the image.
One tool which i found that i could make particular use of is the clone stamp tool, which creates a perfect copy of a particular highlighted part of the image, this proves useful when attempting to capture a sense of the background matching the foreground.
I had previously worked on Photoshop before I started my media course. This gave me a brief knowledge on the basic foundations of the programme which allowed me to be more confident in using it in the task we were set in class. The task was to combine two images together to create a film poster, each of us set the challenge to produce the best result we could. I found it difficult at first, not knowing how to use some of the more experienced tools but after we had been briefed on how to use them we were all able to achieve a fairly substancial finished product.
I think that our growing knowledge on Photoshop will help later on in the term when we are set our task to start producing a film sequence that may need some graphic additions which we can produce on this programme.
This week we learned the basics of the program, including how to upload raw images and use the tools available in order to manipulate them for a particular purpose or effect.
Particular tools which we learned how to use include the marquee tool which is used in order to cut a box out of the raw image, usually so that it may be copied and later pasted elsewhere. This brings us to the lasso tool which is highly similar by definition, however this tool is far more accurate as it allows the user to outline specific shapes and areas of the image freehand, allowing for more adventurous opportunities in terms of the overall editing of the image.
One tool which i found that i could make particular use of is the clone stamp tool, which creates a perfect copy of a particular highlighted part of the image, this proves useful when attempting to capture a sense of the background matching the foreground.
I had previously worked on Photoshop before I started my media course. This gave me a brief knowledge on the basic foundations of the programme which allowed me to be more confident in using it in the task we were set in class. The task was to combine two images together to create a film poster, each of us set the challenge to produce the best result we could. I found it difficult at first, not knowing how to use some of the more experienced tools but after we had been briefed on how to use them we were all able to achieve a fairly substancial finished product.
I think that our growing knowledge on Photoshop will help later on in the term when we are set our task to start producing a film sequence that may need some graphic additions which we can produce on this programme.
Wednesday, 22 September 2010
Basic stills camera work & composition
Composition:
Photography brings a visual language that is universal in understanding. We must then understand its vocabulary which consists of shapes, textures, patterns, lines, colours, shade of light to dark and sharp to blurry images. Just as we must learn to arrange words in a coherent order in order to make sense when we write or speak, so too must we put visual elements together in an organized manner if our photographs are to convey their meaning clearly and vividly.
Composition means arrangement: the orderly putting together of parts to make a unified whole; composition through a personal, intuitive act. However, there are basic principles that govern the way visual elements behave and interact when you combine them inside the four borders of a photograph. Once we have sharpened our vision and grasped these basic ideas of principles, then we will have the potential for making our photographs more exciting and effective than ever before.
Rule of thirds: This is a 'rule' in photography in which images are mentally divided into both verticall and horizontal thirds in order to form a kind of theoretical grid over the image. The four points on the 'grid' on which the points intersect one another are known as hot spots. These are the points at which the eye is instinctivley drawn to and therefore become the initial primary focus of any image.
Rule of thirds: This is a 'rule' in photography in which images are mentally divided into both verticall and horizontal thirds in order to form a kind of theoretical grid over the image. The four points on the 'grid' on which the points intersect one another are known as hot spots. These are the points at which the eye is instinctivley drawn to and therefore become the initial primary focus of any image.
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