#creativecamera

Year 1 Navigation:

*search these hashtags above to see all posts or click on the links below to see specific posts*

Y1 Trimester 2:

Film Narrative 2 = #filmnarrative2

> Group Introduction

> Film Ideas

> Screenwriting Lecture 1

> Screenwriting Lecture 2

> Script to Shoot Workshop

> Character Development

> Group Update I

> The Dark Art of Sound Design

> Script Breakdown

> Group Update II

> Meeting Before the Shoot

> Filming Day 1

> Filming Day 2

> Editing

> Sound Class

> Critical Reflection

Representing the Real = #repthereal

> Documentary Shorts - Intro

> Elements of Documentary

> Idea and Progress

> Sound and Directing Tutorial

> Interview Assignment

> Pitch

> Proposal

> Planning

> Filming

> Crit Feedback

> Critical Assessment

Y1 Trimester 1:

Workflow and Creative Camera Techniques = #creativecamera

> Cinematography Reading (30 - 40)

>Exercise 1

> Cinematography Reading (260 - 270)

> Short Film - Lighting

> Short Film - Camera

> Exercise 2

> Exercise 3

My involvement:

My role for this film is to be the producer and co-production designer. During our first meeting I brought notes on the brief to ensure the whole group knew exactly what we needed to do. I also brought with me ideas for scenes, and up until we chose our final scene I continued to look for new ideas we could possibly use. As producer I took on the role of making the call-sheet, props, costume, kit and crew list and our production schedule. However, I did consult my group throughout the whole process, while on online calls and through messaging. Some smaller jobs I completed being the producer included, booking our group tutorial and submitting our final files to the Moodle submission. We faced some difficulties with the first scene we chose and after our group tutorial and the feedback from Kieran, we thought it was best to go with our second choice. We just felt there was too much that we couldn’t do and one of the main deciding factors was that it was extremely difficult for us to find a location for our first scene. Everything we had to plan for the second scene was much easier.

Group meetings:

8th November (In person): Our first meeting, we discussed roles, and preliminary ideas for scenes. We left with the aim of finding more scenes that would suit the brief.

10th November (Online call): Continued our discussion of possible scenes looking more at where we could film and the props needed for each one.

11th November (In person): We met in Edinburgh to look around for locations and inspiration for scenes. We visited an American style diner to see if it would be suitable to film in, however, it didn’t work with our plan. However, we also used this time to continue to discuss scenes.

14th November (Online): Finalised choice of scene, made a list of what we needed to do before the deadline.

17th November (Online): Analysed our scene for lighting, composition, camera movement and focus changes and made a list of props in the scene.

18th November (Group tutorial online): Discussed the scene with Kieran. We spoke about possible filming locations, ways of finding actors and how to generally produce the scene.

18th November (Online): Discussed more what we spoke about with Kieran. We decided to change our scene. We found our location and messaged Napier acting society’s to find actors.

19th November (Online): Finalised our call-sheet, props, costume, kit and crew list and our production schedule.

Kit, props, costume and crew list:

Call sheet:

Visual breakdown:

Production schedule:

Shot list:

- my role -

I was the camera assistant for this shoot. This was a slightly more difficult role to perform as there was issues with the camera equipment, meaning we had to use a group members phone and a small tripod. However, I was still helpful on the set doing things like testing the lighting and helping the DOP decide on what lighting would be best. I also was a large part in deciding what clips to use for our final film, helping the director and DOP by explaining the positive and negative aspects of each clip until we made the final decision on the clips. Further, I helped with smaller tasks such as holding the door open after the actor entered the room when filming the handheld clip, so that the door wouldn’t hit the DOP or the camera and setting up the set, so that it looked the way the director envisioned.

- Tripod footage -

https://vimeo.com/640389704

I preferred using the tripod for filming. I prefer the look of the smooth movement, I believe the stillness created by the tripod makes the scene feel more serious. We are also able to concentrate more on the action and dialogue and are not as distracted by the small movements of the camera that we see in the handheld footage. With this technique it was also easier to plan the movements to be more exact and know exactly what framing we would have in the film. The framing of the characters and the closeness to the camera draws the reader in and makes them feel as if they are in the room watching the argument take place. The placement of the character closest to the camera shows the significance of his argument and highlights his emotions more than the secondary character’s, this makes the viewer more intrigued as to why this character is more upset.

- Handheld footage -

https://vimeo.com/640389784

Although I preferred the tripod for filming I still liked the personal feeling and closeness the viewer feels through the handheld footage. You are also able to get closer and into different positions to better frame the characters and create different points of significance as the scene progresses, for example, roughly half way through we see the camera moving to frame the characters in the rule of thirds, showing the characters on opposing sides with space between them, representing the fact that they are no longer as close or friendly as they once were. I found it was difficult to keep the camera as smooth as when using the tripod, however, I believe this creates a different feeling to the scene. The ‘shakiness’ of the camera makes the tension more prevalent and makes the viewer more anxious as the camera isn’t as still or calm as when on the tripod. The planning for this shot was a bit more difficult and we had to reshoot a few times to ensure the framing was correct and there wasn’t anything in frame that shouldn’t have been.

- Script -

- Floor plan -

I will be looking at a short film from shortoftheweek.com to help further my knowledge on camera work and how the camera work contributes to the storytelling in the film.

I have chosen the film ‘Mixtape’ by Luke Snellin.

Throughout almost all of this film there is a shallow depth of field. Since the main subject of most of the frames is a person, they are always in focus with the background blurred. This highlights the importance of the characters and creates a more personal feel for the audience.

https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2010/03/14/mixtape/

I will be looking at a short film from shortoftheweek.com to help further my knowledge on lighting and how lighting contributes to the storytelling in the film.

I have chosen the film ‘Mixtape’ by Luke Snellin.

Throughout this whole film the lighting is very bright. This bright lighting highlights the upbeat tone of the film. Because of this high-key light the viewer understands that this is a happy film, as everything in frame can be seen with ease. Further, colours in the scene are all highlighted adding to the playful and cheerful feel and creates a more visually pleasing scene. The white colour of the light, with the softness of it represents the innocent tone of the scene well, it also give the scene a ‘dream-like’ feel since it is so light, all enhancing the plot of a childhood crush and the idea that the little boy is so happy that his friend likes his music that is seems like a dream come true.

Practical lighting, natural lighting and artificial lighting have all been used in this scene. An example of artificial lighting in this frame is the warm key light coming from the top left hand side of the frame, this helps to balance out the bright light coming in through the window, stopping any harsh shadows on the boys face and adding light to the scene. There is a practical lamp used in the background, this could be to add a bit of backlight to the boy, however, I think it’s main purpose is to motivate some of the light in the room and give the frame more depth.

https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2010/03/14/mixtape/

Fundamentals of lighting:

Attributes of light:

Hard vs. Soft light

Altitude (height)

Direction (from front, side or back)

Colour

Focus (confined or wide)

Texture (break up patterns)

Movement

Intensity/ contrast

Hard light means ‘specular’ light - parallel beams which cast a clear distinct shadow.

Soft light is the opposite, it is diffuse light that hits the subject from many different angles and thus casts an indistinct, fuzzy shadow, if any.

Goals of good lighting:

Full range of tones and graduations of tone

Colour control and balance

Shape and dimension in the individual subjects

Separation: subjects stand out against the background

Depth and dimension in the frame

Add emphasis and focus

Texture

Mood and tone: emotional content

Exposure

Balance

Visual metaphor

Invisible technique

Lighting can also help form the composition and most importantly it can help you tell the story, establish a mood and tone, and add up to a coherent visual presentation. Lighting is usually the most important aspect of the visual effect.

Tonal range:

We want an image to have a full range of tones, from black to white. An image that has a broad range of tones, with subtle graduations all along the way, is going to be more pleasing to the eye, more realistic, and have more impact.

The range of tones in a scene is dependent on what is actually in the scene, the colours and the textures, but it is also a product of the lighting. Lighting with lots of shadows and highlights will increase the contrast of a scene and result in a broader range of tones.

Shape:

Flat front lighting does not reveal the shape and form of the subject, it tends to flatten everything out, to make the scene two-dimensional. Lighting from the side or back reveals the shape of an object - its texture and subtleties of form. This is important not only for the overall depth of the shot, but it can also reveal character, emotional values, and other clues that may have story importance. It also makes the image more real, more palpable, more recognisable.

Separation:

To make the main subjects ‘stand out’ from the background back lighting is most frequently used. Another way to do this is to make the area behind the main subjects significantly darker or brighter than the subject.

Texture:

Light that comes from near the camera creates no shadows. The more that light comes from the side, the more it creates shadows, which is what reveals texture. Texture can also be present in the lighting itself.

Mood and tone:

The term cinematic is used to describe all the tools, techniques, and methods we use to add layers of meaning, emotion, tone and mood to the content. Many tools affect the mood and tone of a scene: colour, framing, use of lens, frame rate, handheld or mounted camera.

Exposure and lighting:

Proper exposure and camera settings are critical to color saturation and achieving a full range of greyscale tones. The overall exposure of the scene is controlled by the iris, the shutter speed, gain, and neutral density filters.

Lighting terminology:

Key light: The dominant light on people or objects. The main light on a scene.

Fill light: Light that fills in the shadows not lit by the key light. Lighting is sometimes described in terms of the key/ fill ratio; also called the contrast ratio.

Backlight: light that hits a person or objects from behind and above. A rim or edge light might be added to separate a dark side of a face or object from the background or make up for a lack of fill on that side.

Kicker: A kicker is a light from behind that grazes along an actor's cheek on the fill side (the side opposite the key light). Often a kicker defines the face well enough that a fill is not necessary. It should not be confused with a backlight, which generally covers both sides equally.

Sidelight: A light comes from the side, relative to the actor. Usually dramatic and creates great chiaroscuro (meaning light and shadow) if there is little or no fill, but may be a little bit too harsh for close-ups, where some adjustment or slight fill might be needed.

Topper: Light directly from above. (The word can also refer
to a flag that cuts off the upper part of a light.)

Hard light: Light from the sun or small lighting source such as a Fresnel that creates sharp, well-defined shadows.

Soft light: Light from a large source that creates soft, fuzzy shadows or (if soft enough), no shadows at all. One example: skylight on an overcast day is from many directions and is very soft.

Ambient light: There are two uses of this term. One means the light that just happens to be in a location. The second use refers to soft, overhead light that is just sort of "there. Can also be a base light that opens up the shadows.

Practicals: Actual working prop lights - table lamps, floor lamps, sconces, and so on. It is essential that all practical lamps have a dimmer on them for fine-tuning control; small dimmers for this purpose are called hand squeezers. Anything on a set that works is also called practical, for example, a refrigerator.

Upstage: Part of the scene on the other side of the actors, opposite the side the camera is on. Downstage is the side the camera is on. Comes from theater when stages were raked (tilted) and upstage was the part farthest away from the audience.

High key: Lighting that is bright and fairly shadowless with lots of fill light; often used in fashion/beauty commercials.

Low key: Lighting that is dark and shadowy with little or no fill light. Can also be described as having a high key/fill ratio.

- Rule of thirds -

Wide shot:

In this image the important elements fall on the points of intersection, thus the subjects face and the end of the path are emphasised. This makes for a more intriguing image. The subjects body falls along the vertical line on the right hand side of the frame, signifying her importance in the image, this positioning draws the viewers eye to her. The path curves through the image from the bottom right corner to the point of intersection at the top left, this causes it to stand out and gives the image a story, making the viewer question why it is important and where it leads to as it continues beyond what we can see in the image.

Mid shot:

This image is very similar, with the points of importance highlighted by the points of intersection and on each of the lines. However, the subjects importance is reinforced by her closeness to the camera.

Close up:

The subjects eyes are highlighted in this image as they lie on the top horizontal line. Furthermore, there is a point of intersection on her shoulder, this creates a leading line up to the face of the subject as it leads the viewers eye through the image.

- Centre framing -

Wide shot:

In this image, the subject is in the centre of the frame with more importance put on her body and face as it is in the very centre of the image. Moreover, the path is mostly centred near the bottom of the image and as it recedes into the background, this once again leads the viewers eye through the image, consequently from the bottom to the top of the subject.

Mid shot:

The centre of this image is dominated by the subjects head and shoulders, once again telling the viewer the subject is the most important part of the image.

Close up:

The subjects face is totally centred in this image, making the background seem unimportant. We focus on the expression of the subject and her features.

- The effects of framing -

Framing effects the way we view images and where significance lies in an image. Rule of thirds uses empty or insignificant space in an image to draw your eye to a particular area. By putting important points of focus on the lines and intersections of the rule of thirds grid the viewers eye can be lead through an image, highlighting the most important areas. Centre framing puts the subject in the centre of the image creating a more explicit emphasis on it. The centre of the frame is where you generally look first in an image, with centre framing this means you have immediately arrived at the point of focus. With the subject in the centre of the image we understand this is the most important part of the frame straight away and anything surrounding is secondary.

- The framing method I prefer -

Often when watching films I prefer the look of centre framing, however, when I am behind the camera I prefer using the rule of thirds. I find it’s nicer for creating multiple points of focus and leading your viewers eye through the image. I appreciate the use of both types of framing in films and feel a mixture of both types create a more visually interesting scene.

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- Floor plan -

The floor plan of the room I use for my online classes with the position of the sun at midday.