Starting on our new unit today, we were grouped and working on the scripts that Ms. Wong thought would be the best to make a short film with accordance to Wong Kar Wai's style.
My group comprised of Adrian, Sarah and Xiang Yi, using Adrian's script. His script was quite simple comprising of little chronological scenes but a lot of flash backs. The story depicts a man who lost love and is in a depressed stupor. Rift with internal conflict, he sits by himself in an empty apartment pealing away the petals of a white rose, which symbolize memories that he had. The theme of the script is "memory" which is illustrated through the symbolism of the rose.
One interesting aspect of this character is that his memory is fading and he doesn't remember everything. To expresses his memory loss, Adrian has chosen to make the flashbacks different from the more conventional flashback of simply making everything black and white and reducing the shutter speed, creating a blurry picture; he has decided to utilize lighting and have the light shine on the only on the things that he remembers. In addition, the location of the shots will also change when he remembers where he was. I think is a very creative was to express memory loss and that "shows" rather than "tells" and ties in very well with the Wong Kar Wai style of film.
Examples of personal engagement was that despite his good script we did a few alterations, simply to make the story more interesting and slightly less cliche. In the script one of the characters had to smoke a cigarette, despite the fact that smoking a prominent characteristic of Wong Kar Wai films, as actors we cannot smoke. Rather than be obstructed by this impediment I suggested that we substitute it with the characters blowing bubbles. This turned out to be very effective and a was is also used by Wong Kar Wai in the film My Blueberry Nights. Bubbles also stir up the sense of the innocences and nostalgia of childhood which is effective in what we are planning to achieve.
Another modification that we made was the rose. Although this was just a suggestion we planned on changing the rose to an onion. Like a rose, the onion has layers which can be pealed away one at a time, this can also symbolize the fleeting memories however, the onion and the rose project two contrasting feels. The rose is more romantic and love related, on the other hand the onion is bitter and represents resentment. Depending on the type of feel we want to create, we are contemplating on whether to use the rose or the onion. Both work well in terms of its symbolic meaning however they portray two different types of emotions.
This was a very good introduction to our unit, I gained insight into the type of film that we will be making and understand my role as actor and lighting director. I also contributed ideas and although it wasn't my script I offered good suggestions as to how we can improve it even further. Today I exercised my ability to be "knowledge" about what I know about Wong Kar Wai and apply it to my our film, being "open minded" and "caring" toward others opinion and lastly to be "reflective" upon my work and my role in the production of this film. I personally quite like the script and believe that it will be interesting and follows Wong Kar Wai's style of film very closely.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
May 18, 2009
Picture Representing My Interpretation of Wong Kar Wai's Style:
Based on my knowledge, I think that this picture captures the essence of Wong Kar Wai's style of film. This picture utilizes both dim colours and bright colours, the contrasts between the darker areas of the sets of windows and the brightness of the tiles in front of the character's chest makes this shot interesting and even suggests subtle underlying messages. Wong Kar Wai has very elaborate set designs. Each shot has a balance of both dark and light colours. (this is most apparent in numerous shots in My Blueberry Nights)
Wong Kar Wai explores abstract themes. Showing the story rather than telling. Although showing and telling seem similar, Wong Kar Wai shows the story and allowing the audience to interpret the it for themselves. Despite that this is commonly done by most films, Wong Kar Wai pays special attention to the "show don't tell" rule. Building on this, I believe this image projects an underlying meaning. Despite the fact that they can fit onto one side of the bench, they choose to sit on back to back on opposite sides. Through this deliberate act of separation, this image projects the paradox of being "so close, yet so far." Despite the two characters are physically close to each other, they are emotionally and internally distant. This concept is supported through the balance of dark and light colours, which illustrate two opposing forces interacting.
Based on my knowledge, I think that this picture captures the essence of Wong Kar Wai's style of film. This picture utilizes both dim colours and bright colours, the contrasts between the darker areas of the sets of windows and the brightness of the tiles in front of the character's chest makes this shot interesting and even suggests subtle underlying messages. Wong Kar Wai has very elaborate set designs. Each shot has a balance of both dark and light colours. (this is most apparent in numerous shots in My Blueberry Nights)
Wong Kar Wai explores abstract themes. Showing the story rather than telling. Although showing and telling seem similar, Wong Kar Wai shows the story and allowing the audience to interpret the it for themselves. Despite that this is commonly done by most films, Wong Kar Wai pays special attention to the "show don't tell" rule. Building on this, I believe this image projects an underlying meaning. Despite the fact that they can fit onto one side of the bench, they choose to sit on back to back on opposite sides. Through this deliberate act of separation, this image projects the paradox of being "so close, yet so far." Despite the two characters are physically close to each other, they are emotionally and internally distant. This concept is supported through the balance of dark and light colours, which illustrate two opposing forces interacting.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
May 06, 2009
Today we watch the last portal film that we missed last class.
Blanche (Hannah, Jing Ting, Julien, Medora)
Story
This group had a very abstract and fresh approach to the theme of portals. Expressing the concept of a character trying to chase destiny was very interesting to watch and tied in very well with the use of portals. This mainly because both destiny and portals deal with the supernatural, I thought this made them very compatible. Despite this, because the story was so intricate I don't think it was expressed clearly enough to make the storyline apparent. It was only afterwards during the discussion that I realized that the person in white was symbolic of "destiny".
Camera Techniques
The camera work in this film was very entertaining to watch. In all the other films, a portal was consisted of two two shots (entrance and exits) where a character goes through one door and exits another in a different location. However, this group utilized close ups and some point of view shots to make the "exits" more interesting to watch. By using close ups and camera rotations/movements the exits seemed more bizarre and took a second to comprehend exactly where the character exited. This was much more interesting than simple stationary long shots where it is immediately obvious where the character has exited. This was the only group that decorated their portals which I thought was very interesting and very entertaining to watch.
Editing
The editing was done quite well. In terms of music, the choice of music was very well chosen and fit the footage. In the few instances where there was a match on action shot, they two shots were edited seamlessly and flowed really well. Overall, this film was very entertaining to watch, especially through their good execution of portals, however the story has to be expressed more clearly.
Having finished watching the last group, this brought our portals unit to an end. Today we started on
our new unit which investigates Wong Kar Wai's unique filming characteristics. Having watched some of his works (In the Mood for Love and My Blueberry Nights), I had a general sense of filming techniques. Before we learning specifically about Wong Kar Wai, we saw a few clips on disjoint continuity.
Especially from watching Hitchcock's works, it was very interesting to see how he draws a relationship between two seemingly contrasting shots and how they in fact justify each other. One such instance was when a man looks into the distance in one shot, then cuts to a shot of a woman and a child. This suggests that the man is a loving and warm hearted man. But change the second shot to a woman on the beach, the audience's impression on the man is completely different. The same man, but two entirely different views. I thought this was very fascinating to learn and through learning about montage editing, I though it was a huge step into interpreting Wong Kar Wai's unique style of films.
The introduction to our unit was exciting but daunting nonetheless. With little knowledge on Wong Kar Wai's special style of film, the things that we learned today were completely new to me and exercised my ability to be "knowledge" about what I know already and draw connects between what I know and what I am learning; to be "inquisitive" and good "thinkers" and displaying personal engagement. Wong Kar Wai seems very interesting simply because its so different from most of the films that I watch. This unit will be a challenge but will be an enriching and rewarding learning experience.
Blanche (Hannah, Jing Ting, Julien, Medora)
Story
This group had a very abstract and fresh approach to the theme of portals. Expressing the concept of a character trying to chase destiny was very interesting to watch and tied in very well with the use of portals. This mainly because both destiny and portals deal with the supernatural, I thought this made them very compatible. Despite this, because the story was so intricate I don't think it was expressed clearly enough to make the storyline apparent. It was only afterwards during the discussion that I realized that the person in white was symbolic of "destiny".
Camera Techniques
The camera work in this film was very entertaining to watch. In all the other films, a portal was consisted of two two shots (entrance and exits) where a character goes through one door and exits another in a different location. However, this group utilized close ups and some point of view shots to make the "exits" more interesting to watch. By using close ups and camera rotations/movements the exits seemed more bizarre and took a second to comprehend exactly where the character exited. This was much more interesting than simple stationary long shots where it is immediately obvious where the character has exited. This was the only group that decorated their portals which I thought was very interesting and very entertaining to watch.
Editing
The editing was done quite well. In terms of music, the choice of music was very well chosen and fit the footage. In the few instances where there was a match on action shot, they two shots were edited seamlessly and flowed really well. Overall, this film was very entertaining to watch, especially through their good execution of portals, however the story has to be expressed more clearly.
Having finished watching the last group, this brought our portals unit to an end. Today we started on
our new unit which investigates Wong Kar Wai's unique filming characteristics. Having watched some of his works (In the Mood for Love and My Blueberry Nights), I had a general sense of filming techniques. Before we learning specifically about Wong Kar Wai, we saw a few clips on disjoint continuity.
Especially from watching Hitchcock's works, it was very interesting to see how he draws a relationship between two seemingly contrasting shots and how they in fact justify each other. One such instance was when a man looks into the distance in one shot, then cuts to a shot of a woman and a child. This suggests that the man is a loving and warm hearted man. But change the second shot to a woman on the beach, the audience's impression on the man is completely different. The same man, but two entirely different views. I thought this was very fascinating to learn and through learning about montage editing, I though it was a huge step into interpreting Wong Kar Wai's unique style of films.
The introduction to our unit was exciting but daunting nonetheless. With little knowledge on Wong Kar Wai's special style of film, the things that we learned today were completely new to me and exercised my ability to be "knowledge" about what I know already and draw connects between what I know and what I am learning; to be "inquisitive" and good "thinkers" and displaying personal engagement. Wong Kar Wai seems very interesting simply because its so different from most of the films that I watch. This unit will be a challenge but will be an enriching and rewarding learning experience.
Monday, May 4, 2009
May 04, 2009
Screening Day.
After many delays, the day to view our films finally arrived. Having finished early, our group had many opportunities to fine adjust our films; making our portals more realistic, making finer cuts and sorting out the subtitles and credits. Overall, I am quite confident in our film.
Say Cheese (Adrian, Ashley, Bernice, Raphael, Sarah)
Story
First off the poster was very good and after watching their film, proved to be an accurate and effective insight into their story and explored themes. In terms of story, I think that the "stalker on crutches" worked quite well, however only to a certain extent. I found it very menacing and unique to have the stalker limping but I don't think it was very realistic to have a cripple chasing a person so closely and eventually catching them too, It was all too unrealistic for me, Despite this, this character managed to achieve its goal of scaring the audience nonetheless. The storyline was simple yet effective, comprised of a chase scene. The portals used were of great diversity, exploring a variety of different locations.
Camera Techniques
The camera technique used were effective but not especially diverse. With a chase scene, I would think that a variety of camera angles could be utilized. However, the angles used were simple and were reused. I think that if more angles were used it would have made the chase scenes more enjoyable and account better for the good storyline. One good camera technique, which I think was applied very effectively were the point of view shots. This was a very good type of shot to facilitate the tension stricken chase scene. I especially enjoyed the blinking when doing the point of view shots.
Editing
The cinematography of "Say Cheese" was very well done. The dim lighting was very appropriate in conveying the creepy sensation. I noticed when shooting in dim locations that they paid attention to the three points of lighting, this played out very well in their film. Also in terms of music, the music was well chosen and through using crescendos was able to build up tension effectively. I also found the balance between non-diagetic sound and diagetic was very good. Overall, this was a very enjoyable film which illustrated some film noir techniques learned from the previous unit.
____________________________________________________________________________
Babushka (Camille, Catherine, Chris, Xiang Yi)
Story
I thought the story was good because it was applicable to the portals situation however, the way the story was illustrated made it difficult to follow and made it messy. I enjoyed the idea of people chasing after something, but I found this too simple and the plot had to be better developed. In terms of portal, the portals used were also quite limited, exploring a small range of locations. With a flexible storyline I think it would be more effective if more diverse portals were used.
Camera Techniques
The techniques used were very simple. Thought this was appropriate, it made the chase scenes not as entertaining as it could have been. There was one shot that stood out which was at the start of the film where the the babushka doll fell off the table and on to a street. This match on action cut was very interesting and worked very well as a portal, however, this was the only one and the film took somewhat of a turn for the worst from that point onwards. There was also one continuous shot where the camera is following Xiang Yi, this would have worked quite well however the footsteps of the camera man could have been heard, which caused some misunderstanding as to whose footsteps those belonged to.
Editing
Continuity was huge issue in this film. Although it is a portal film, the portals were not very well developed which obstructed the plot and caused a lot of confusion. In the "cha chan teng" scene, there was also a lot of back light which silhouetted the characters. In terms of cinematography, the was a lot of red tint in a few shots. This would not be a problem if it were constant however this varied between shots and posed as a huge continuity error.
____________________________________________________________________________
Wabbit Hunt (Henry, Elliot, Joyce, Justin)
Story
The story of our film was quite intricate and we had to pay close attention as how to illustrate the story effectively and clearly. This was done through our subtitles. By having the instructions of the device displayed on the screen, it allowed the audience to clearly understand the ramifications of the device. Overall, I was very content with our storyline as well as the numerous portal that we used. One improvement that we could have done was to explore more locations with our portals. Although numerous, our portals took place in one location, because of this I don't think we manipulated the idea of portal to its fullest potential.
Camera techniques
I don't think a whole range of camera angles were used. Although there was some diversity, I think that with more variety it would have made the scenes more interesting. A few shots that I was quite happy with are the low angle shots with Daniel to emphasize his sense of control and ending shot where Justin is "small" compared with the others, symbolizing his defeat.
Editing
The editing was very well done. There were a few good match on action cuts which were very smooth. Another feature that I enjoyed was the sped up motion of the characters. Although this was slightly disorientating at times, this contributed to the comedic Charlie Chaplin characteristic we were trying to achieve. The music was the very well chosen. Not only did it contribute to the silent movie atmosphere but also worked very effectively and was compatible with our footage. The sound effects used, especially the *beep* sound that the device makes when pressed, was very useful in showing exactly where portals take place to avoid any confusion. One problem that I found quite apparent was the back lighting which was very strong in a few shots, especially in the first DT scene. To avoid this we could have either used the back light function on the camera, make the lighting dimmer on Final Cut Pro or else simply pull down the blinds. In terms of cinematography, I think that we could have done more to make the lighting more contestant between shots especially the ones with portals; this will make them more realistic and seamless. This can also be done using the three way colour corrector.
____________________________________________________________________________
High Octane (Andy, Louise, Ella, Jeff)
Story
I found the story of a schizophrenic was very applicable to our "portals" theme, this is because in many ways portal reflects the schizophrenic nature. The story was very profound and intricate, however was carried out very well. The portals explored were of a very large variety. The choice of location were great. One improvement would be to simply have more portals.
Camera Techniques
One scene that stood out was the opening sequence of shots. The way the main character was introduced, was done very effectively. Starting out with a long shot (allowing the audience a chance to see the character's surroundings) then zooming in. The ensuing shots of the character taking the pill was executed very well. Rather than filming the character's tedious motion of standing up, walking to the window sill, taking the pill out from its bottle and swallowing. There was a quick succession of shots, showing glimpses of what the character was doing, but enough to know exactly what is going on. I found this very entertaining and very effective in showing something that is boring and long in a very proficient yet interesting manner. The point of view and dolley shots were also done very well and achieved its purpose effectively.
Editing
The cinematography was very well done, the lighting and colouring were constant throughout the film. The music worked well, however did not fit the footage as well as it could have. One piece of editing which really caught my attention was the last shot which was used a split screen from two individual shots, this allowed them to have to of the same actors in the same shot together. I also enjoyed the way that they manipulated their locations and the set. One shot they had the character walk down the art corridor where there are massive windows. Utilizing the bright and excessive light, a very unique warm atmosphere was created.
Overall, I have learned a great deal from this lesson. From watching the film from my peers, not only did I see how differently they interpreted the "portals" theme but the camera techniques and editing methods that were used to make their film. From watching films by my peers who all started out at the same level and exposed to the same amount of knowledge, I learned a lot about our capacity for "risk taking" and "knowledge" as an aspiring film maker. I learned to be "open minded" to the techniques portrayed in their films, be "balanced" in terms of finding the correct relationship between showing and telling the story and lastly to be "reflective" of what I have learned from my experiences and from others.
After many delays, the day to view our films finally arrived. Having finished early, our group had many opportunities to fine adjust our films; making our portals more realistic, making finer cuts and sorting out the subtitles and credits. Overall, I am quite confident in our film.
Say Cheese (Adrian, Ashley, Bernice, Raphael, Sarah)
Story
First off the poster was very good and after watching their film, proved to be an accurate and effective insight into their story and explored themes. In terms of story, I think that the "stalker on crutches" worked quite well, however only to a certain extent. I found it very menacing and unique to have the stalker limping but I don't think it was very realistic to have a cripple chasing a person so closely and eventually catching them too, It was all too unrealistic for me, Despite this, this character managed to achieve its goal of scaring the audience nonetheless. The storyline was simple yet effective, comprised of a chase scene. The portals used were of great diversity, exploring a variety of different locations.
Camera Techniques
The camera technique used were effective but not especially diverse. With a chase scene, I would think that a variety of camera angles could be utilized. However, the angles used were simple and were reused. I think that if more angles were used it would have made the chase scenes more enjoyable and account better for the good storyline. One good camera technique, which I think was applied very effectively were the point of view shots. This was a very good type of shot to facilitate the tension stricken chase scene. I especially enjoyed the blinking when doing the point of view shots.
Editing
The cinematography of "Say Cheese" was very well done. The dim lighting was very appropriate in conveying the creepy sensation. I noticed when shooting in dim locations that they paid attention to the three points of lighting, this played out very well in their film. Also in terms of music, the music was well chosen and through using crescendos was able to build up tension effectively. I also found the balance between non-diagetic sound and diagetic was very good. Overall, this was a very enjoyable film which illustrated some film noir techniques learned from the previous unit.
____________________________________________________________________________
Babushka (Camille, Catherine, Chris, Xiang Yi)
Story
I thought the story was good because it was applicable to the portals situation however, the way the story was illustrated made it difficult to follow and made it messy. I enjoyed the idea of people chasing after something, but I found this too simple and the plot had to be better developed. In terms of portal, the portals used were also quite limited, exploring a small range of locations. With a flexible storyline I think it would be more effective if more diverse portals were used.
Camera Techniques
The techniques used were very simple. Thought this was appropriate, it made the chase scenes not as entertaining as it could have been. There was one shot that stood out which was at the start of the film where the the babushka doll fell off the table and on to a street. This match on action cut was very interesting and worked very well as a portal, however, this was the only one and the film took somewhat of a turn for the worst from that point onwards. There was also one continuous shot where the camera is following Xiang Yi, this would have worked quite well however the footsteps of the camera man could have been heard, which caused some misunderstanding as to whose footsteps those belonged to.
Editing
Continuity was huge issue in this film. Although it is a portal film, the portals were not very well developed which obstructed the plot and caused a lot of confusion. In the "cha chan teng" scene, there was also a lot of back light which silhouetted the characters. In terms of cinematography, the was a lot of red tint in a few shots. This would not be a problem if it were constant however this varied between shots and posed as a huge continuity error.
____________________________________________________________________________
Wabbit Hunt (Henry, Elliot, Joyce, Justin)
Story
The story of our film was quite intricate and we had to pay close attention as how to illustrate the story effectively and clearly. This was done through our subtitles. By having the instructions of the device displayed on the screen, it allowed the audience to clearly understand the ramifications of the device. Overall, I was very content with our storyline as well as the numerous portal that we used. One improvement that we could have done was to explore more locations with our portals. Although numerous, our portals took place in one location, because of this I don't think we manipulated the idea of portal to its fullest potential.
Camera techniques
I don't think a whole range of camera angles were used. Although there was some diversity, I think that with more variety it would have made the scenes more interesting. A few shots that I was quite happy with are the low angle shots with Daniel to emphasize his sense of control and ending shot where Justin is "small" compared with the others, symbolizing his defeat.
Editing
The editing was very well done. There were a few good match on action cuts which were very smooth. Another feature that I enjoyed was the sped up motion of the characters. Although this was slightly disorientating at times, this contributed to the comedic Charlie Chaplin characteristic we were trying to achieve. The music was the very well chosen. Not only did it contribute to the silent movie atmosphere but also worked very effectively and was compatible with our footage. The sound effects used, especially the *beep* sound that the device makes when pressed, was very useful in showing exactly where portals take place to avoid any confusion. One problem that I found quite apparent was the back lighting which was very strong in a few shots, especially in the first DT scene. To avoid this we could have either used the back light function on the camera, make the lighting dimmer on Final Cut Pro or else simply pull down the blinds. In terms of cinematography, I think that we could have done more to make the lighting more contestant between shots especially the ones with portals; this will make them more realistic and seamless. This can also be done using the three way colour corrector.
____________________________________________________________________________
High Octane (Andy, Louise, Ella, Jeff)
Story
I found the story of a schizophrenic was very applicable to our "portals" theme, this is because in many ways portal reflects the schizophrenic nature. The story was very profound and intricate, however was carried out very well. The portals explored were of a very large variety. The choice of location were great. One improvement would be to simply have more portals.
Camera Techniques
One scene that stood out was the opening sequence of shots. The way the main character was introduced, was done very effectively. Starting out with a long shot (allowing the audience a chance to see the character's surroundings) then zooming in. The ensuing shots of the character taking the pill was executed very well. Rather than filming the character's tedious motion of standing up, walking to the window sill, taking the pill out from its bottle and swallowing. There was a quick succession of shots, showing glimpses of what the character was doing, but enough to know exactly what is going on. I found this very entertaining and very effective in showing something that is boring and long in a very proficient yet interesting manner. The point of view and dolley shots were also done very well and achieved its purpose effectively.
Editing
The cinematography was very well done, the lighting and colouring were constant throughout the film. The music worked well, however did not fit the footage as well as it could have. One piece of editing which really caught my attention was the last shot which was used a split screen from two individual shots, this allowed them to have to of the same actors in the same shot together. I also enjoyed the way that they manipulated their locations and the set. One shot they had the character walk down the art corridor where there are massive windows. Utilizing the bright and excessive light, a very unique warm atmosphere was created.
Overall, I have learned a great deal from this lesson. From watching the film from my peers, not only did I see how differently they interpreted the "portals" theme but the camera techniques and editing methods that were used to make their film. From watching films by my peers who all started out at the same level and exposed to the same amount of knowledge, I learned a lot about our capacity for "risk taking" and "knowledge" as an aspiring film maker. I learned to be "open minded" to the techniques portrayed in their films, be "balanced" in terms of finding the correct relationship between showing and telling the story and lastly to be "reflective" of what I have learned from my experiences and from others.
Monday, April 27, 2009
April 27, 2009
During this single period, we spent our time importing our film from Henry's portal hard drive into the computer. 10 minutes long, our video took a long time to import; however we put this time to good use by watching our video a few times through to notice any last minute adjustments/improvements. From watching it through, we discovered a few things that could be rectified.
Joyce, who was our writer commented that the caption for the device's abilities were incorrect. Rather than "pushing the button and opening the door at the same time" it was "pushing the device first, then opening the door". Despite the fact that this caption for the instructions of the device lastly a few seconds, I think that she posed a valid point. Especially with a complicated device, it is important that we clearly establish the ramifications of the device, or else the audience will have a difficult time understanding the abilities of the device. The scenario that I most fear is that Justin would use the device and portal into another location with the audience clueless of what just happened. By clearly stating what the device is capable of doing, it will clear up any misunderstandings Justin's actions and subsequently the story of our film.
Another was to get rid of any "inside jokes". For instance, during the opening scene between Lucas (nerd) and Justin, he gets frustrated with the device and because our film is a silent movie, his annoyance is expressed as "angry gorilla sounds". Although this is humorous, at least to our group, Ms. Wong pointed out that this may not be the case of the audience. She then recommended that we change it to something which achieves the same effect (expressing what Justin is doing) and being humorous, but not necessarily using an inside joke. I think something like "&*(*#" would be slightly better, but a bit vulgar.
Overall, despite the this class being a single period and the fact that we spent most of it importing our movie, we still managed to be productive and utilize the time we had as well as possible. Today I exercised my ability to be a good "thinker" in terms of finding better ways to express our story and finding universal jokes and language to make it more suitable for the audience. Being "open minded" in terms of the techniques used and being a good "risk taker" in our choices. I'm really looking forward to the viewing session next lesson.
Joyce, who was our writer commented that the caption for the device's abilities were incorrect. Rather than "pushing the button and opening the door at the same time" it was "pushing the device first, then opening the door". Despite the fact that this caption for the instructions of the device lastly a few seconds, I think that she posed a valid point. Especially with a complicated device, it is important that we clearly establish the ramifications of the device, or else the audience will have a difficult time understanding the abilities of the device. The scenario that I most fear is that Justin would use the device and portal into another location with the audience clueless of what just happened. By clearly stating what the device is capable of doing, it will clear up any misunderstandings Justin's actions and subsequently the story of our film.
Another was to get rid of any "inside jokes". For instance, during the opening scene between Lucas (nerd) and Justin, he gets frustrated with the device and because our film is a silent movie, his annoyance is expressed as "angry gorilla sounds". Although this is humorous, at least to our group, Ms. Wong pointed out that this may not be the case of the audience. She then recommended that we change it to something which achieves the same effect (expressing what Justin is doing) and being humorous, but not necessarily using an inside joke. I think something like "&*(*#" would be slightly better, but a bit vulgar.
Overall, despite the this class being a single period and the fact that we spent most of it importing our movie, we still managed to be productive and utilize the time we had as well as possible. Today I exercised my ability to be a good "thinker" in terms of finding better ways to express our story and finding universal jokes and language to make it more suitable for the audience. Being "open minded" in terms of the techniques used and being a good "risk taker" in our choices. I'm really looking forward to the viewing session next lesson.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
April 22, 2009
Having finished all our editing we spent today's period working on the poster. We also had unanimously voted for the name "Wabbit Hunt" for our film. Personally, I though this name was a very witty title which makes references to the antics of Looney Tunes and also most of all, it is applicable to our film.
Our poster is of Justin holding is device in a seemingly very mighty pose, however contrastingly, we have edited over him making him look like an idiot. This was done by drawing on a mustache, a suit and tie and many other funny and awkward pieces of apparel. The theme of our poster is "childish antics". This is most clearly expressed through our crude editing which resembles that of a child. By only using the pen tool on Photoshop (even when colouring) it made Justin look like a bit of a joke.
The purpose of our poster is to evoke a sense of naivety and hopefully strike up memories of drawing on peoples faces as a child (which I have done profusely). This crude editing, as if done impromptuly with a colour marker, is very effective in depicting the childish concept or motif that we are trying to achieve with our poster and in our film.
Initially, we had chosen not to manually edit our poster, but to simply use the effects that are open to us in Photoshop. One such function was very appealing to us, which was called "Colouring". This function made Justin into a complete silhouette and the background a stark red. Also by adjusting the amount of redness, we also achieved a semi silhouette with the red that looked like blood. The contrast between this bloody and 'film noir like' poster and the actual comedy of our film made this poster not very applicable to our film. Although some of us argued that the stark contrast between the poster and the movie was amusing, personally I didn't think that this would be very appropriate. I think that the poster resembled a very similar communism poster of Mao!
Today was a very productive lesson in which we managed to finish our poster. Today exercised my ability to be "open minded" of the suggestions of my group members of how to improve our poster. This was also closely related to being able to "communicate" with each other, bounce ideas off each other and eventually arrive on a synthesis that we all agreed on. Making the poster also made me explore my "knowledge" on how to convey the theme of our film through a still image. This really got me thinking of how important a poster is for a movie and am beginning to notice how much time and effort it takes to complete a good one.
Our poster is of Justin holding is device in a seemingly very mighty pose, however contrastingly, we have edited over him making him look like an idiot. This was done by drawing on a mustache, a suit and tie and many other funny and awkward pieces of apparel. The theme of our poster is "childish antics". This is most clearly expressed through our crude editing which resembles that of a child. By only using the pen tool on Photoshop (even when colouring) it made Justin look like a bit of a joke.
The purpose of our poster is to evoke a sense of naivety and hopefully strike up memories of drawing on peoples faces as a child (which I have done profusely). This crude editing, as if done impromptuly with a colour marker, is very effective in depicting the childish concept or motif that we are trying to achieve with our poster and in our film.
Initially, we had chosen not to manually edit our poster, but to simply use the effects that are open to us in Photoshop. One such function was very appealing to us, which was called "Colouring". This function made Justin into a complete silhouette and the background a stark red. Also by adjusting the amount of redness, we also achieved a semi silhouette with the red that looked like blood. The contrast between this bloody and 'film noir like' poster and the actual comedy of our film made this poster not very applicable to our film. Although some of us argued that the stark contrast between the poster and the movie was amusing, personally I didn't think that this would be very appropriate. I think that the poster resembled a very similar communism poster of Mao!
Today was a very productive lesson in which we managed to finish our poster. Today exercised my ability to be "open minded" of the suggestions of my group members of how to improve our poster. This was also closely related to being able to "communicate" with each other, bounce ideas off each other and eventually arrive on a synthesis that we all agreed on. Making the poster also made me explore my "knowledge" on how to convey the theme of our film through a still image. This really got me thinking of how important a poster is for a movie and am beginning to notice how much time and effort it takes to complete a good one.
Monday, April 20, 2009
April 20, 2009
Most of the editing was completed over the holidays, so today majority of the editing was already completed. From watching a few times, we saw only that only a few adjustments had to be made.
1) Match on action cuts: there were a few which were used throughout our film and I think that some could have been more precisely time, so that the direct continuity between the moving object could be more flowing. Another reason that time is important in a match on action cut is so that the actor does not repeat an action twice in two consecutive shots. This was the case for one of our match on action cuts between 1:30-1:38, where Justin repeats the same action twice. By making the first shot shorter, it will make the scenes connect in a more flowing fashion, thus making the match on action cut more cohesive.
2) Subtitles: Deciding to base our film on the Charlie Chaplin, our film was a silent movie. Where the only sound was of the typical piano silent movie soundtrack. This also meant that there was little talking in our film and had to rely on subtitles to depict what the characters were saying. One improvement for the current subtitles in our film is to have the dialog near the character who is saying it. For instance, at 1:25 both Justin and Lucas are talking and there are two sets of subtitles, although I know exactly what is going on and who is saying what, I think for the benefit of the audience that the subtitles should be positioned close to the person who is saying them. This will show the audience who is saying what more clearly.
3) Cinematography: Lighting to be more specific. Mainly because most of our portals were in one location, when a portal occurs, the last second and the first second of two shots (where the portal occurs) have to identical in order to make the portal convincing. One such instance was during 5:14 in Daniel's house. Most of the portals worked quite well except one portal where there was a distinct change in lighting and where it was very noticeable that a cut was made. Having been editor with our last project, I suggested that we use the 3 way colour corrector or the RGB balance to make the lighting in the two shots similar to cover up the cut and to make the cut less obvious and consequently making the portal look more realistic.
Overall, only a single period we spent today's lesson looking through our film and noting down possible ways to improve it. Mostly the comments were just minor adjustments. Generally, I was very content and impressed by the outcome, Justin and Henry did a great job editing! On showing Ms. Wong, she suggested that we have more portals that lead to different locations rather than portals within one locations. By having portals that are allow the characters travel a greater distance, it will explore a vaster amount of locations and thus make our film more interesting. However, we didn't think that this would work too well, in the context of our film. In our film, only Justin can transport himself (with the device). This would make it difficult for the teacher (Henry) to chase him if he could just portal himself into a completely different location. Although I completely agree that by having more portals that take the characters into a complete different location would make our film very interesting, it would not be effectively applicable to the story of our film.
Today exercised my "knowledge" on filming to notice continiuety problems and areas in our film that could be edited better. I also had to "reflect" on my personal experience in filming and apply certain techniques (e.g. the colour correction) and insights to our film. Today also exercised my ability to be "open minded" to suggestions of others and from the teacher. We are now in the final stages of editing were we are now editing on a micro scale and making the final adjustments.
1) Match on action cuts: there were a few which were used throughout our film and I think that some could have been more precisely time, so that the direct continuity between the moving object could be more flowing. Another reason that time is important in a match on action cut is so that the actor does not repeat an action twice in two consecutive shots. This was the case for one of our match on action cuts between 1:30-1:38, where Justin repeats the same action twice. By making the first shot shorter, it will make the scenes connect in a more flowing fashion, thus making the match on action cut more cohesive.
2) Subtitles: Deciding to base our film on the Charlie Chaplin, our film was a silent movie. Where the only sound was of the typical piano silent movie soundtrack. This also meant that there was little talking in our film and had to rely on subtitles to depict what the characters were saying. One improvement for the current subtitles in our film is to have the dialog near the character who is saying it. For instance, at 1:25 both Justin and Lucas are talking and there are two sets of subtitles, although I know exactly what is going on and who is saying what, I think for the benefit of the audience that the subtitles should be positioned close to the person who is saying them. This will show the audience who is saying what more clearly.
3) Cinematography: Lighting to be more specific. Mainly because most of our portals were in one location, when a portal occurs, the last second and the first second of two shots (where the portal occurs) have to identical in order to make the portal convincing. One such instance was during 5:14 in Daniel's house. Most of the portals worked quite well except one portal where there was a distinct change in lighting and where it was very noticeable that a cut was made. Having been editor with our last project, I suggested that we use the 3 way colour corrector or the RGB balance to make the lighting in the two shots similar to cover up the cut and to make the cut less obvious and consequently making the portal look more realistic.
Overall, only a single period we spent today's lesson looking through our film and noting down possible ways to improve it. Mostly the comments were just minor adjustments. Generally, I was very content and impressed by the outcome, Justin and Henry did a great job editing! On showing Ms. Wong, she suggested that we have more portals that lead to different locations rather than portals within one locations. By having portals that are allow the characters travel a greater distance, it will explore a vaster amount of locations and thus make our film more interesting. However, we didn't think that this would work too well, in the context of our film. In our film, only Justin can transport himself (with the device). This would make it difficult for the teacher (Henry) to chase him if he could just portal himself into a completely different location. Although I completely agree that by having more portals that take the characters into a complete different location would make our film very interesting, it would not be effectively applicable to the story of our film.
Today exercised my "knowledge" on filming to notice continiuety problems and areas in our film that could be edited better. I also had to "reflect" on my personal experience in filming and apply certain techniques (e.g. the colour correction) and insights to our film. Today also exercised my ability to be "open minded" to suggestions of others and from the teacher. We are now in the final stages of editing were we are now editing on a micro scale and making the final adjustments.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
April 08, 2009
We finished all our filming today. Aside from being relieved we all felt an immense sense of accomplishment. We filmed two scenes today which were the cafeteria scene and the auditorium scene. Both were quite time consuming and were challenging, posing new problems with different locations; however we still managed to complete the task well.
The cafeteria scene was quite a short scene with two portals however, we took a while to finish filming. The purpose of this scene is to convey to the audience that Justin is eating (time passes), he then gets up then feels the urge to go to the bathroom. A unique filming method that I though we could use to convey the passing of time and that the is eating, is to simply place the camera in a central location directly in front of Justin. I will then have him eat slowly and every now and then I would place extra plates of food or cups in front of him. I would do this a few times until he gets up, leaving a pile of empty cups and plates. The effect that I tried to achieve is the "fade in and out" effect. This works by cutting out the areas that I am in the shot placing the cups and plates and fading the shots. After doing so, it will appear that Justin has eaten a lot which is accounted for in the fading techniques which depicts the passing of time. This can be seen in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa-5rRFBQJ4 between 3:12 and 3:26. I think that this method was very effective because I was able to successfully convey the passing of time as well as the fact that he has eaten a lot during this period. If I had done this differently by having actual time passing, this would be effective in the sense that the audience will see him eating but will be boring and unnecessary.
The second scene that we did was the auditorium scene. This was a tricky scene to shoot mainly because there were so many portals in a central location. The unique difficulty of doing portal in a single location is that the last second in the first shot has to match the first second in the second shot. Everything has to be the same. If there is something different, the audience will be able to tell that a portal has just occurred and will make the portal
less realistic. Because portals don't really exist, as film makers we have to deceive the audience into thinking that they are. After all, seeing is believing. The way we countered this problem is to take special care in positioning the camera. As the camera person, this was my job. I positioned the camera perfectly making sure that it directly parallel with the stage and that the shot captured the entire stage. I then left the camera rolling while we directed the actors. Especially because this was all shot in one location, we had to have a variety of entrances and exits. With out much planning, this was done on the spot, however, we were very content with the outcome. The actors Justin and Henry performed very well!
Having finished filming we spent the rest of the time importing our footage on to the computer. We had nearly 45 minutes of raw footage. This was a good time to reflect on what we had done. We were all very happy at finally finishing filming. Looking back at what we filmed today, I was very satisfied with how well our auditorium scene turn out. Quite honestly, the auditorium was an ideal spot for filming portals. This is because it was indoor and the lighting was entirely constant throughout the shots. By doing portals in the auditorium, we could fully manipulate our set rather than us adapting for our location.
Today really exercised my ability to apply my "knowledge" of portals and filming to unfamiliar situations. This is most clearly expressed in my capacity to use my "fade in and out" effective, which I knew in theory but haven't attempted before. Today all so tested my ability to be a "risk taker " and to be "open minded" to the suggestions of others. Through team work and taking responsibility for our parts, we have finished filming and are now ready to start the post production process.
The cafeteria scene was quite a short scene with two portals however, we took a while to finish filming. The purpose of this scene is to convey to the audience that Justin is eating (time passes), he then gets up then feels the urge to go to the bathroom. A unique filming method that I though we could use to convey the passing of time and that the is eating, is to simply place the camera in a central location directly in front of Justin. I will then have him eat slowly and every now and then I would place extra plates of food or cups in front of him. I would do this a few times until he gets up, leaving a pile of empty cups and plates. The effect that I tried to achieve is the "fade in and out" effect. This works by cutting out the areas that I am in the shot placing the cups and plates and fading the shots. After doing so, it will appear that Justin has eaten a lot which is accounted for in the fading techniques which depicts the passing of time. This can be seen in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa-5rRFBQJ4 between 3:12 and 3:26. I think that this method was very effective because I was able to successfully convey the passing of time as well as the fact that he has eaten a lot during this period. If I had done this differently by having actual time passing, this would be effective in the sense that the audience will see him eating but will be boring and unnecessary.
The second scene that we did was the auditorium scene. This was a tricky scene to shoot mainly because there were so many portals in a central location. The unique difficulty of doing portal in a single location is that the last second in the first shot has to match the first second in the second shot. Everything has to be the same. If there is something different, the audience will be able to tell that a portal has just occurred and will make the portal
less realistic. Because portals don't really exist, as film makers we have to deceive the audience into thinking that they are. After all, seeing is believing. The way we countered this problem is to take special care in positioning the camera. As the camera person, this was my job. I positioned the camera perfectly making sure that it directly parallel with the stage and that the shot captured the entire stage. I then left the camera rolling while we directed the actors. Especially because this was all shot in one location, we had to have a variety of entrances and exits. With out much planning, this was done on the spot, however, we were very content with the outcome. The actors Justin and Henry performed very well!Having finished filming we spent the rest of the time importing our footage on to the computer. We had nearly 45 minutes of raw footage. This was a good time to reflect on what we had done. We were all very happy at finally finishing filming. Looking back at what we filmed today, I was very satisfied with how well our auditorium scene turn out. Quite honestly, the auditorium was an ideal spot for filming portals. This is because it was indoor and the lighting was entirely constant throughout the shots. By doing portals in the auditorium, we could fully manipulate our set rather than us adapting for our location.
Today really exercised my ability to apply my "knowledge" of portals and filming to unfamiliar situations. This is most clearly expressed in my capacity to use my "fade in and out" effective, which I knew in theory but haven't attempted before. Today all so tested my ability to be a "risk taker " and to be "open minded" to the suggestions of others. Through team work and taking responsibility for our parts, we have finished filming and are now ready to start the post production process.
Monday, April 6, 2009
April 06, 2009
Today we completed most of our filming and are hoping to finish the rest before our next class. This entire period was dedicated to filming, but with a single period we only managed to film two scenes: the student/teacher chase sequence and the DT room dialogue scene. I am please that we finished both in good time and am content with the quality of our work. Despite this, each task came with its set of problems. Through the of our filming process, the most important tool was the storyboard which we constantly kept referring to and proved to be most helpful in maintaining the continiuety between shots.
When filming the chase I used a variety of camera angles and types of shots, however, I used them specifically and in what I thought were the right places. I used close ups either when it was necessary to point something out in detail or else to h
ide something that was close to the subject. A good example of this would be when Justin is standing seemingly alone in the corridor with an expression on shock. This may seem odd to the audience however, on zooming out it reveals the teacher standing just in front of him. This technique is very effective in creating suspense and is an alternative to cuts. Like a cut, this method reveals something completely new to the audience, however this method also shows the direct relationship between the previous shot. Another type of shot that was unique to this scene is the hand held technique. I liked this technique very much because it was simply so compatible with the subjects in that particular shot. During a scene in which Justin is being chased by the teacher, I had them run towards the camera which I will be holding and moving backwards keeping my distance from Justin. Originally, in my storyboard I had intended to use a dolley for this shot, however, due to the bumpy tiled ground, Ms. Wong advised against it. She also further explained that in movies, whenever a dolly was used, it would be on a track as well to negate the uneven surface of the ground and thus make the shots smooth. However, as it turned out, hand holding the camera was more effective that if we had used a dolley because the jumpy unsteady characteristics of a hand help camera helped add to the effect of disorientation and urgency. This helped establish the atmosphere more throughly and demonstrated that the more sophisticated methods to approach certain things (using a dolley) may not always be the best way.
The DT scene was very different from the chase scene in the sense that it was mainly just dialogue with little actions. With low action scenes, the camera angle is vital in maintaining the audience's full attention. A variety of shots have to be used as well in order to keep the film interesting and to aid the dialogue. In this particular scene I paid close attention to the 180 degree rule as well as the rule of thirds. Both these rules came in play during this scene and I had to constantly keep moving the camera around (to the annoyance of the actors as we had to redo many shots before I was satisfied). Another problem that we encountered was the unevenness of the tripod. Despite the fact that the legs were either fully extended or retracted, the tripod was never exactly straight. This meant that I had to constantly check the "bubble" to make sure that it was in the center before filming. Occasionally we had to slip pieces of paper underneath the tripod to even the legs out, however these tedious step were necessary to produce a perfectly horizontal shot. One possible improvement that we could have made in this scene is to improve the lighting of some of our shots. Because the angle that we filmed at was indirectly aimed at the window, there was a lot of back light which made our subjects very dim in contrast. Two ways we could have improved the lighting is to either have an artificial light source which is not on location and the other is simply to use bounce cards.
Today was a very productive lesson in which I learned a lot through the different situations that I encountered as camera person. Although I had learned the skills used today in class, the applications skills where through experience and I had to adapt to different situations. Today's lesson exercised my ability to be "knowledgeable" in what I have learned through my experiences and in class and discover how to apply these techniques into our film. I learned to "think" of ways to improve my film and to do things differently (as demonstrated with the hand held camera technique) and lastly being a "risk taker" and "reflecting" on the ways I faced and solved my problems. Through solving problems I think that i have gained a lot person growth as an aspiring film student and IB Learner.
When filming the chase I used a variety of camera angles and types of shots, however, I used them specifically and in what I thought were the right places. I used close ups either when it was necessary to point something out in detail or else to h
ide something that was close to the subject. A good example of this would be when Justin is standing seemingly alone in the corridor with an expression on shock. This may seem odd to the audience however, on zooming out it reveals the teacher standing just in front of him. This technique is very effective in creating suspense and is an alternative to cuts. Like a cut, this method reveals something completely new to the audience, however this method also shows the direct relationship between the previous shot. Another type of shot that was unique to this scene is the hand held technique. I liked this technique very much because it was simply so compatible with the subjects in that particular shot. During a scene in which Justin is being chased by the teacher, I had them run towards the camera which I will be holding and moving backwards keeping my distance from Justin. Originally, in my storyboard I had intended to use a dolley for this shot, however, due to the bumpy tiled ground, Ms. Wong advised against it. She also further explained that in movies, whenever a dolly was used, it would be on a track as well to negate the uneven surface of the ground and thus make the shots smooth. However, as it turned out, hand holding the camera was more effective that if we had used a dolley because the jumpy unsteady characteristics of a hand help camera helped add to the effect of disorientation and urgency. This helped establish the atmosphere more throughly and demonstrated that the more sophisticated methods to approach certain things (using a dolley) may not always be the best way. The DT scene was very different from the chase scene in the sense that it was mainly just dialogue with little actions. With low action scenes, the camera angle is vital in maintaining the audience's full attention. A variety of shots have to be used as well in order to keep the film interesting and to aid the dialogue. In this particular scene I paid close attention to the 180 degree rule as well as the rule of thirds. Both these rules came in play during this scene and I had to constantly keep moving the camera around (to the annoyance of the actors as we had to redo many shots before I was satisfied). Another problem that we encountered was the unevenness of the tripod. Despite the fact that the legs were either fully extended or retracted, the tripod was never exactly straight. This meant that I had to constantly check the "bubble" to make sure that it was in the center before filming. Occasionally we had to slip pieces of paper underneath the tripod to even the legs out, however these tedious step were necessary to produce a perfectly horizontal shot. One possible improvement that we could have made in this scene is to improve the lighting of some of our shots. Because the angle that we filmed at was indirectly aimed at the window, there was a lot of back light which made our subjects very dim in contrast. Two ways we could have improved the lighting is to either have an artificial light source which is not on location and the other is simply to use bounce cards.
Today was a very productive lesson in which I learned a lot through the different situations that I encountered as camera person. Although I had learned the skills used today in class, the applications skills where through experience and I had to adapt to different situations. Today's lesson exercised my ability to be "knowledgeable" in what I have learned through my experiences and in class and discover how to apply these techniques into our film. I learned to "think" of ways to improve my film and to do things differently (as demonstrated with the hand held camera technique) and lastly being a "risk taker" and "reflecting" on the ways I faced and solved my problems. Through solving problems I think that i have gained a lot person growth as an aspiring film student and IB Learner.
Monday, March 23, 2009
March 23, 2009
Today Joyce had finished our script and through reading through it, as camera person, I was able to formulate the possible shots and angles we could use. More importantly, it was very exciting to see our film coming together.
Our story was very intricate, documenting a boy's escape from his teacher with a magical device which allows him to travel through "portals". However, during the chase, he drops it and it start malfunctioning and transports him random places. Obviously, through this event we could induce a lot of humor which is the theme of our film.
In this single period we started planning our filming days and locations; making sure that we chose days that fit everyone schedule and that would allow us a sufficient amount of days to complete filming. However, as camera person, I started working on the storyboard. Again, the main goal as camera person is to use angle and shots that made the portals as convincing as possible. I also have to pay close attention to continuity between portals. I can do this by doing it indoors where we can manipulate the lighting and ultimately keep it constant. I also have to ensure that the last image in a "portal shot" is exactly the same as the starting image of the next "portal shot". This will ensure the cohesion between the two shots are seamless and undetectable, thus making our portals more effective.
In this period, I had finished doing the storyboard for the first few scenes and will finish most it by next period. This period was very productive in terms of the progression of our film, our script is finished and now with the completion of the storyboard and shot list we will be able to commence filming. As camera person, I have a very good insight into the type of shots that we are going to use is just a matter of putting it down on to paper. I was good "inquirer" today by asking my group members about what they thought about this particular shot/angle and was "open-minded" to their suggestions and comments. I also exercised my "knowledge" of filming, sifting through the types of shots that I could use but only using the ones that were appropriate for our cause and allowed the continiuety of our film to flow as smoothly as possible. Because "portals" don't exist, it is important that my shots make the portals look as real as possible. This is done through particular camera angles and manipulation of lighting. As the camera person in my group and in this unit, this is my main goal.
Our story was very intricate, documenting a boy's escape from his teacher with a magical device which allows him to travel through "portals". However, during the chase, he drops it and it start malfunctioning and transports him random places. Obviously, through this event we could induce a lot of humor which is the theme of our film.
In this single period we started planning our filming days and locations; making sure that we chose days that fit everyone schedule and that would allow us a sufficient amount of days to complete filming. However, as camera person, I started working on the storyboard. Again, the main goal as camera person is to use angle and shots that made the portals as convincing as possible. I also have to pay close attention to continuity between portals. I can do this by doing it indoors where we can manipulate the lighting and ultimately keep it constant. I also have to ensure that the last image in a "portal shot" is exactly the same as the starting image of the next "portal shot". This will ensure the cohesion between the two shots are seamless and undetectable, thus making our portals more effective.
In this period, I had finished doing the storyboard for the first few scenes and will finish most it by next period. This period was very productive in terms of the progression of our film, our script is finished and now with the completion of the storyboard and shot list we will be able to commence filming. As camera person, I have a very good insight into the type of shots that we are going to use is just a matter of putting it down on to paper. I was good "inquirer" today by asking my group members about what they thought about this particular shot/angle and was "open-minded" to their suggestions and comments. I also exercised my "knowledge" of filming, sifting through the types of shots that I could use but only using the ones that were appropriate for our cause and allowed the continiuety of our film to flow as smoothly as possible. Because "portals" don't exist, it is important that my shots make the portals look as real as possible. This is done through particular camera angles and manipulation of lighting. As the camera person in my group and in this unit, this is my main goal.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
March 18, 2009
We continued working on our Portal Chase Scene project today. Still in the pre-production stages of our film, this lesson was dedicated to working and finalizing our storyboard, locations and types of portals that we would use and the music for our short film.
Having decided that we use a student-teacher chase scene as our subject, we used today's lesson to build on this idea. Two main things that we added to our story was 1) The incorporation of a device, which allows the main character to travel around. 2) During the course of the story, the device malfunctions and transports the main character to random places where he didn't intend on going; consequently, this will land him in main awkward and embarrassing positions and will cause more people to chase him. The result will be pandemonium in which the main character who initially started off with just the teacher chasing him, will be chased by a whole crowd of people.
To help us with our project we searched "portals chase scenes" on youtube and found numerous sights. One helpful one we found was at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjZhkAwQVXQ.
This was particularly helpful because it was done by IB students in Canada and showed how other students of our age can produce a portal chase scene. One instance in which they demonstrated a very interesting portal technique was during 0:33 - 0:47. There was a set of staircases and a corridor and basically the boy and the pursuer were running into an opening and coming out of another. This was exactly what we had intended on doing in our own film and it was beneficial to see how other people had executed it. This concept was also demonstrated in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OylyabAhTQ&feature=channel_page at 4:28-4:5. One thing I learned about doing portals in one central location was that it is always possible to notice when a cut is made because of lighting or else a change of position of an object. The main problem about doing portals in one location is that it will change. However, through watching these videos, as the cameraman I learned a few tips which will help our portals seem more convincing. Firstly, is to try to have a "corridor portal" (or a portal which is shot at a central location) indoors. This will ensure the that lighting is kept constant. It is also advised that it be shot indoors because in the "Tag" video, there were swaying trees in the background which changed position every time there was cut. This flawed the continuity and made the portals less convincing. Secondly, the camera should be placed in a location in which all the openings (doors, any opening in which the portal will take place) can be seen clearly. This will be useful in enhancing the realistic value of the portals.
Here are some situations in which the main character will land in by accident:
1. A family settling down for a calm and formal dinner. Gets chased by the dad.
2. Two couples in a kissing scene. Gets chased by both the boy and the girl.
3. The girls bathroom. Gets chased by the girl who is applying make up in there.
4. The beach, where he knocks over a child's sand castle. Get chased by a kid.
I'm aware that most of these locations are out of the way and will take a while to film, however, I'm sure that when we enter in further into the planning process, we would be able to make some compromises. With such a vast array of locations and situations that the character "lands into" it would also mean that we would have to incorporate numerous characters and actors. This may also prove to be problematic in the filming process as we would have to have many sets and actors and manage to get all the footage within a designated time.
Today was a very productive lesson in which we got most of the storyboard and the music sorted. Although both are not finished, we have a good insight into what we want to produce. Personally, as camera person through watching those videos, I learned a lot about how portals can be made more realistic through certain locations and camera angles. This lesson exercised my ability to "think" about the ways to make the portals as real as possible and they ways to make the cuts between the scenes less noticeable. Through today's lesson I know that these two main things are 1) location and 2) lighting. I also extended my "knowledge" through my extended research and was able to "reflect" on the techniques that they used to produced their portals and they ways we could imitate and possibly do even better.
Having decided that we use a student-teacher chase scene as our subject, we used today's lesson to build on this idea. Two main things that we added to our story was 1) The incorporation of a device, which allows the main character to travel around. 2) During the course of the story, the device malfunctions and transports the main character to random places where he didn't intend on going; consequently, this will land him in main awkward and embarrassing positions and will cause more people to chase him. The result will be pandemonium in which the main character who initially started off with just the teacher chasing him, will be chased by a whole crowd of people.
To help us with our project we searched "portals chase scenes" on youtube and found numerous sights. One helpful one we found was at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjZhkAwQVXQ.
This was particularly helpful because it was done by IB students in Canada and showed how other students of our age can produce a portal chase scene. One instance in which they demonstrated a very interesting portal technique was during 0:33 - 0:47. There was a set of staircases and a corridor and basically the boy and the pursuer were running into an opening and coming out of another. This was exactly what we had intended on doing in our own film and it was beneficial to see how other people had executed it. This concept was also demonstrated in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OylyabAhTQ&feature=channel_page at 4:28-4:5. One thing I learned about doing portals in one central location was that it is always possible to notice when a cut is made because of lighting or else a change of position of an object. The main problem about doing portals in one location is that it will change. However, through watching these videos, as the cameraman I learned a few tips which will help our portals seem more convincing. Firstly, is to try to have a "corridor portal" (or a portal which is shot at a central location) indoors. This will ensure the that lighting is kept constant. It is also advised that it be shot indoors because in the "Tag" video, there were swaying trees in the background which changed position every time there was cut. This flawed the continuity and made the portals less convincing. Secondly, the camera should be placed in a location in which all the openings (doors, any opening in which the portal will take place) can be seen clearly. This will be useful in enhancing the realistic value of the portals.
Here are some situations in which the main character will land in by accident:
1. A family settling down for a calm and formal dinner. Gets chased by the dad.
2. Two couples in a kissing scene. Gets chased by both the boy and the girl.
3. The girls bathroom. Gets chased by the girl who is applying make up in there.
4. The beach, where he knocks over a child's sand castle. Get chased by a kid.
I'm aware that most of these locations are out of the way and will take a while to film, however, I'm sure that when we enter in further into the planning process, we would be able to make some compromises. With such a vast array of locations and situations that the character "lands into" it would also mean that we would have to incorporate numerous characters and actors. This may also prove to be problematic in the filming process as we would have to have many sets and actors and manage to get all the footage within a designated time.
Today was a very productive lesson in which we got most of the storyboard and the music sorted. Although both are not finished, we have a good insight into what we want to produce. Personally, as camera person through watching those videos, I learned a lot about how portals can be made more realistic through certain locations and camera angles. This lesson exercised my ability to "think" about the ways to make the portals as real as possible and they ways to make the cuts between the scenes less noticeable. Through today's lesson I know that these two main things are 1) location and 2) lighting. I also extended my "knowledge" through my extended research and was able to "reflect" on the techniques that they used to produced their portals and they ways we could imitate and possibly do even better.
Monday, March 16, 2009
March 16, 2009
Having finished our film noir unit, we proceeded to our second unit: Portal Chase Scenes.
I had a general idea of what this unit would explore; I had watched last year's portal chase scene as well as "Jumper" (2008) which explored this concept of filming. A portal by definition means: A person or an object which enters through an opening (usually a doorway) in one location and exits in an another. However, although I know the theory and characteristics of "portals" I still have yet to know the camera and editing techniques to make the portals flow smoothly and seem realistic. Because portals don't exist, the effectiveness of a portal relies heavily on the execution of filming/camera techniques and the editing process.
Ms. Wong split us into groups, and we started work. I was very disappointed to have to work with new group members as we had experience working with our old group members. Now we would have to start from scratch. I hope that we would be able to choose our groups in our next project. In addition to new group members, we also assumed different roles. In the film noir project, I was the editor, now I am the camera person. My other group members are Henry, Joyce and Justin. With only a single period to work, we first devised a storyline for our film as well as some possible locations and type of portals we could use. Through discussions we decided on a student-teacher chase scene. This satisfies the requirements of a chase scene as well as add a sense of humor. Personally, i think that this is a very effective theme for our story because the audience will be able to relate to it easily. Having adapted to a more humorous approach to our project, Henry, who is our sound director, decided to
compose his own music which replicates that of Charlie Chaplin. This will greatly enhance the humorous aspects of our film. Adapting the theme of the "olden day silent comedies" we also plan on using "teletext" in which all verbal audio is negated and substituted with text.
In terms of locations and portals we had a list of the possible ones that we could do:
1. Through a classroom door and out of a bathroom cubicle. This will be quite easy to do as there will probably be little people in each locations. However the sudden change in lighting may pose a continuity problem.
2. Through a closet and out of a rubbish bin. This can also be easily done however will be difficult because we intend on using a rubbish bin which is in a public location and might startle the pedestrians.
3. Corridors: Probably most well known from Scooby Doo and the Matrix, portals could be done within one location. This is executed by having a long corridor with doors on each side. A person would enter in through one door and exit out a another. This would be very effective and humorous for our cause especially if we had multiple people running around at the same time. However, this would prove to be very challenging because all these portals would be taking place in ONE location. Because of this, the lighting for each shot must be the same or a continuity problem will arise. Through my experience with editing in my previous project, I learned that keeping the lighting constant in one central location can be quite simple. This is done through editing the first scene and copying the attributes to the others, thus producing a constant lighting.
I think that cohesion and relationship between the modern and contemporary setting and dialog of our film and the olden day technique of using silent movie soundtrack and "teletext" is a very unique way to approach our portal chase scene project and will no doubt produce a very interesting outcome.
As a camera person, this project will challenge my ability to adapt to different environments and situations. Especially with this project, being the using the appropriate camera techniques and angles is crucial in making the portals look convincing. This will exercise my "knowledge" as a film maker and a student in portals. To be able to "inquire" and "think" of ways to use my environment to my advantage in making the portals realistic. Working in a new group, it will also test my "communications" skills to be able to work effectively with my new group and to convey my ideas and actively contribute and discuss with my peers. Lastly to be a "risk taker", especially in learning something new, I think that as a IB learner it is important to take risks as it will not only have a chance of producing something really good but also will have a rich beneficial value. I am very excited about this new project and am sure that this will be a rewarding experience.
I had a general idea of what this unit would explore; I had watched last year's portal chase scene as well as "Jumper" (2008) which explored this concept of filming. A portal by definition means: A person or an object which enters through an opening (usually a doorway) in one location and exits in an another. However, although I know the theory and characteristics of "portals" I still have yet to know the camera and editing techniques to make the portals flow smoothly and seem realistic. Because portals don't exist, the effectiveness of a portal relies heavily on the execution of filming/camera techniques and the editing process.
Ms. Wong split us into groups, and we started work. I was very disappointed to have to work with new group members as we had experience working with our old group members. Now we would have to start from scratch. I hope that we would be able to choose our groups in our next project. In addition to new group members, we also assumed different roles. In the film noir project, I was the editor, now I am the camera person. My other group members are Henry, Joyce and Justin. With only a single period to work, we first devised a storyline for our film as well as some possible locations and type of portals we could use. Through discussions we decided on a student-teacher chase scene. This satisfies the requirements of a chase scene as well as add a sense of humor. Personally, i think that this is a very effective theme for our story because the audience will be able to relate to it easily. Having adapted to a more humorous approach to our project, Henry, who is our sound director, decided to
compose his own music which replicates that of Charlie Chaplin. This will greatly enhance the humorous aspects of our film. Adapting the theme of the "olden day silent comedies" we also plan on using "teletext" in which all verbal audio is negated and substituted with text.
In terms of locations and portals we had a list of the possible ones that we could do:
1. Through a classroom door and out of a bathroom cubicle. This will be quite easy to do as there will probably be little people in each locations. However the sudden change in lighting may pose a continuity problem.
2. Through a closet and out of a rubbish bin. This can also be easily done however will be difficult because we intend on using a rubbish bin which is in a public location and might startle the pedestrians.
3. Corridors: Probably most well known from Scooby Doo and the Matrix, portals could be done within one location. This is executed by having a long corridor with doors on each side. A person would enter in through one door and exit out a another. This would be very effective and humorous for our cause especially if we had multiple people running around at the same time. However, this would prove to be very challenging because all these portals would be taking place in ONE location. Because of this, the lighting for each shot must be the same or a continuity problem will arise. Through my experience with editing in my previous project, I learned that keeping the lighting constant in one central location can be quite simple. This is done through editing the first scene and copying the attributes to the others, thus producing a constant lighting.
I think that cohesion and relationship between the modern and contemporary setting and dialog of our film and the olden day technique of using silent movie soundtrack and "teletext" is a very unique way to approach our portal chase scene project and will no doubt produce a very interesting outcome.
As a camera person, this project will challenge my ability to adapt to different environments and situations. Especially with this project, being the using the appropriate camera techniques and angles is crucial in making the portals look convincing. This will exercise my "knowledge" as a film maker and a student in portals. To be able to "inquire" and "think" of ways to use my environment to my advantage in making the portals realistic. Working in a new group, it will also test my "communications" skills to be able to work effectively with my new group and to convey my ideas and actively contribute and discuss with my peers. Lastly to be a "risk taker", especially in learning something new, I think that as a IB learner it is important to take risks as it will not only have a chance of producing something really good but also will have a rich beneficial value. I am very excited about this new project and am sure that this will be a rewarding experience.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
March 11, 2009
Viewing Day!
Despite that we were screening the films today, we still had the audio to edit. The main problems with the audio was that either 1) it had too much background noise 2) was too soft or 3) complete absent. The only solution to these problems were to simple re-record them and integrate them into our footage. The challenge with doing this was the syncing; because the sound was recorded separately, we would have to make it so that the audio completely fit the footage.
Some sound effects that we had to do were footsteps, gentle indistinct talking, clothes rustling and clinking of glasses. These we done by our sound director who had recreated these sounds. Aside from effects, we also had to re-record some verbal audio which were unsatisfactory in our footage. In addition we also added a voice over, documenting and portraying the thoughts that were going through Jackson's head. Other than helping the story of our film progress, the voice over is also a classic film noir technique. Lastly, we also added some non-digetic sounds such as swallowing and heartbeats to create a sense of tension and nervousness.
Re-creating and re-recording the audio was not particularly challenging however, on my part as editor, it was very challenging to edit the sounds into the footage. During this process I kept two things in mind: 1) to integrate it cleanly (e.g. make sure there is minimal background noise) 2)sync it so that it looks as if the sound was authentic. This was not too difficult with the sound effects, however was much harder with the verbal audio. This is because, like an animation or cartoon, the voice actors have to do the voice of the character to accordance to the movement of the cartoon character's mouth; to give it the realistic effect. This was difficult for me to sync properly because the way we re-said our lines were different from when we initially did it on the shooting day. However, through very minor and micro scale editing and adjusting the speed of the audio, I managed to make the audio match the visuals. During this process, something I found useful was the co-operation and participation of my fellow group members. This demonstrates the importance of being "open minded" to their criticisms and suggestions and to be a "risk taker".
Apart from that, our sound editor also found some music to use in our film. Music plays a very important role in any film. The most vital thing to keep in mind when choosing a piece of music is that it is appropriate. Although this probably goes without saying but, we were very specific and choosy with our music. The attributes that we were looking for in our music were: eeriness, possibly even a bit scary with sharp notes. In terms of instruments, I was planning on something with a synthesizer. When the sound director showed us what he found, we vetoed two of his choices and settled on the last one which satisfied all these requirements.
Finally, after added a title "Natalia" and a credits page we were finally done and ready for screening!
Comments on other groups:
A Broken Beautiful (Andy, Henry, Bernice and Medora)
- Interesting use of the lagged delayed effect
- Good use of hand held camera technique, was able to produce and express the sensation of disorder and drunkenness very effectively
- Voice overs were well used and conveyed the thoughts of the characters in contrast with their actions. The dialog also fit the story.
- Dim, low key lighting was done very well and expressed the depressing film noir atmosphere
- Flashbacks were a bit obscure, this could have been improved through making the contrast between the present time and the flashbacks more noticeable. This would negate any confusion between the present and the past.
- All in all good cinematography
Pulse (Adrian, Catherine, Ella and Sarah)
- Black and white, interesting and effective monochrome technique
- Good narration, however, more emotion could have been conveyed.
- The "match on action cuts" were very effective and clean.
- Effective use of lighting and contrast between light and shadows.
Stratedegem (Camille, Jing Ting, Joyce and Justin)
- Awkward audio, a bit muffled and intentions were obscure.
- The audio and lip synchronization was slightly delayed.
- Good music choice
- Although moral ambiguity was expressed well with the betrayal of Camille's character, I wasn't sure whether it harbored the characteristics of a noir film.
Plunge (Julien, Jeffery, Hannah, Raphael and Chris)
- Starting off with a quote was very effective in setting the atmosphere as well as the still images that were shown. These abstract images were good in projecting the depressing and isolated sensation of a noir film.
- Dialog and storyline was very intricate and fit that of those of film noir.
- Lighting was simple yet effective.
- Music choice was well chosen
- Good continuity and was able to account for the complicated storyline
The most challenging thing in this lesson was the syncing of the sound clips, especially the verbal audio. However, I managed to overcome this through minor scale editing and gained a lot from this experience. Through the process of editing my film, i experience the many field of editing: the visual, the lighting, the audio, transitions and title + credits editing. This was a very rewarding journey for me and I was able to benefit greatly from it. In terms of the IB Learner Profile, I exercised my capacity to be "open minded" to others because, especially with editing, it is important to get a second opinion. I also learned to be "knowledgeable" in my skills and in my learning. To apply what everything I learned about film noir to my own project. Lastly, I also learned to be a "risk taker", to try new things and new approaches to problems. As a beginner editor, it is inevitable that I encounter problems, "I might as well make the best of them and try new things that I'm not familiar with." Through editing with this in mind, I was able to excel and produce everything to the best of my ability, I also discovered that the best way to learn is from my mistakes. From "reflecting" on all the problems I encountered and how I overcame them, I am able to experience personal growth as a film maker!
Despite that we were screening the films today, we still had the audio to edit. The main problems with the audio was that either 1) it had too much background noise 2) was too soft or 3) complete absent. The only solution to these problems were to simple re-record them and integrate them into our footage. The challenge with doing this was the syncing; because the sound was recorded separately, we would have to make it so that the audio completely fit the footage.
Some sound effects that we had to do were footsteps, gentle indistinct talking, clothes rustling and clinking of glasses. These we done by our sound director who had recreated these sounds. Aside from effects, we also had to re-record some verbal audio which were unsatisfactory in our footage. In addition we also added a voice over, documenting and portraying the thoughts that were going through Jackson's head. Other than helping the story of our film progress, the voice over is also a classic film noir technique. Lastly, we also added some non-digetic sounds such as swallowing and heartbeats to create a sense of tension and nervousness.
Re-creating and re-recording the audio was not particularly challenging however, on my part as editor, it was very challenging to edit the sounds into the footage. During this process I kept two things in mind: 1) to integrate it cleanly (e.g. make sure there is minimal background noise) 2)sync it so that it looks as if the sound was authentic. This was not too difficult with the sound effects, however was much harder with the verbal audio. This is because, like an animation or cartoon, the voice actors have to do the voice of the character to accordance to the movement of the cartoon character's mouth; to give it the realistic effect. This was difficult for me to sync properly because the way we re-said our lines were different from when we initially did it on the shooting day. However, through very minor and micro scale editing and adjusting the speed of the audio, I managed to make the audio match the visuals. During this process, something I found useful was the co-operation and participation of my fellow group members. This demonstrates the importance of being "open minded" to their criticisms and suggestions and to be a "risk taker".
Apart from that, our sound editor also found some music to use in our film. Music plays a very important role in any film. The most vital thing to keep in mind when choosing a piece of music is that it is appropriate. Although this probably goes without saying but, we were very specific and choosy with our music. The attributes that we were looking for in our music were: eeriness, possibly even a bit scary with sharp notes. In terms of instruments, I was planning on something with a synthesizer. When the sound director showed us what he found, we vetoed two of his choices and settled on the last one which satisfied all these requirements.
Finally, after added a title "Natalia" and a credits page we were finally done and ready for screening!
Comments on other groups:
A Broken Beautiful (Andy, Henry, Bernice and Medora)
- Interesting use of the lagged delayed effect
- Good use of hand held camera technique, was able to produce and express the sensation of disorder and drunkenness very effectively
- Voice overs were well used and conveyed the thoughts of the characters in contrast with their actions. The dialog also fit the story.
- Dim, low key lighting was done very well and expressed the depressing film noir atmosphere
- Flashbacks were a bit obscure, this could have been improved through making the contrast between the present time and the flashbacks more noticeable. This would negate any confusion between the present and the past.
- All in all good cinematography
Pulse (Adrian, Catherine, Ella and Sarah)
- Black and white, interesting and effective monochrome technique
- Good narration, however, more emotion could have been conveyed.
- The "match on action cuts" were very effective and clean.
- Effective use of lighting and contrast between light and shadows.
Stratedegem (Camille, Jing Ting, Joyce and Justin)
- Awkward audio, a bit muffled and intentions were obscure.
- The audio and lip synchronization was slightly delayed.
- Good music choice
- Although moral ambiguity was expressed well with the betrayal of Camille's character, I wasn't sure whether it harbored the characteristics of a noir film.
Plunge (Julien, Jeffery, Hannah, Raphael and Chris)
- Starting off with a quote was very effective in setting the atmosphere as well as the still images that were shown. These abstract images were good in projecting the depressing and isolated sensation of a noir film.
- Dialog and storyline was very intricate and fit that of those of film noir.
- Lighting was simple yet effective.
- Music choice was well chosen
- Good continuity and was able to account for the complicated storyline
The most challenging thing in this lesson was the syncing of the sound clips, especially the verbal audio. However, I managed to overcome this through minor scale editing and gained a lot from this experience. Through the process of editing my film, i experience the many field of editing: the visual, the lighting, the audio, transitions and title + credits editing. This was a very rewarding journey for me and I was able to benefit greatly from it. In terms of the IB Learner Profile, I exercised my capacity to be "open minded" to others because, especially with editing, it is important to get a second opinion. I also learned to be "knowledgeable" in my skills and in my learning. To apply what everything I learned about film noir to my own project. Lastly, I also learned to be a "risk taker", to try new things and new approaches to problems. As a beginner editor, it is inevitable that I encounter problems, "I might as well make the best of them and try new things that I'm not familiar with." Through editing with this in mind, I was able to excel and produce everything to the best of my ability, I also discovered that the best way to learn is from my mistakes. From "reflecting" on all the problems I encountered and how I overcame them, I am able to experience personal growth as a film maker!
Monday, March 9, 2009
March 09, 2009
Having finished cutting and continuity editing, today's single lesson was dedicated to lighting. It is unavoidable that the lighting between shots will vary unless we use bounce cards or other lighting equipment. However, because we filmed in only two locations there was minimum variation in lighting, which was good news for me because natural lighting is much better than edited brightness.
The main tool I used to help me in editing the lighting was the "colour correction" function, the "RGB balance" and the "White, Mids and blacks balance". Although I had a general idea of what each function did, I had never used them before and it was a really challenge getting the hang of it. However despite this, to my surprise I managed to utilize it quite well and make the lighting constant throughout our film. One thing that i kept in mind before I edited the lighting, I looked through the clips that we had and decided on the shot with the best lighting as the basis and my goal, to make all the other shots with the same lighting as that one.
The first few times that I tried adjusting the lighting were unsuccessful. Then being "open-minded" and being a "risk taker" we tried changing the film into black and white in an attempt to make each shot's lighting constant. However, that didn't turn out very good because the parts of the shot that were originally quite dark turned even darker which is the opposite of what we were trying to achieve. So I continued to play around with the "White, Mids and blacks balance", then through adjusting the saturation as well, I manged to produce a good outcome.
One problem that I encountered with adjusting some shots with really poor dark lighting, was that because we used the basic elementary camera rather than the HD one, the quality of each shot wasn't particularly good. Even when I adjusted the lighting, the shots were very heavily pixilated and grainy. To increase the quality in the editing process (especially if the lighting is very dim), is very difficult and a tip to remember next time would be to film with a better quality camera or to use some sort of lighting equipment.
Overall, our light editing process was a very time consuming one. However, i think it was worth it. Compared to the initial lighting of some shots, the edited lighting made a big difference. Despite the pixalated appearance, I think that task really tested my ability as editor to face different problems and have learned lots from this experience. Today exercised my "open-mindedness" and my "knowledge" parts of the IB Leaner profile. And from reflecting on how I coped with each problem, I was able to "reflect" how the outcome of what I did and learn from my mistakes and the things that I excelled in.
The main tool I used to help me in editing the lighting was the "colour correction" function, the "RGB balance" and the "White, Mids and blacks balance". Although I had a general idea of what each function did, I had never used them before and it was a really challenge getting the hang of it. However despite this, to my surprise I managed to utilize it quite well and make the lighting constant throughout our film. One thing that i kept in mind before I edited the lighting, I looked through the clips that we had and decided on the shot with the best lighting as the basis and my goal, to make all the other shots with the same lighting as that one.
The first few times that I tried adjusting the lighting were unsuccessful. Then being "open-minded" and being a "risk taker" we tried changing the film into black and white in an attempt to make each shot's lighting constant. However, that didn't turn out very good because the parts of the shot that were originally quite dark turned even darker which is the opposite of what we were trying to achieve. So I continued to play around with the "White, Mids and blacks balance", then through adjusting the saturation as well, I manged to produce a good outcome.
One problem that I encountered with adjusting some shots with really poor dark lighting, was that because we used the basic elementary camera rather than the HD one, the quality of each shot wasn't particularly good. Even when I adjusted the lighting, the shots were very heavily pixilated and grainy. To increase the quality in the editing process (especially if the lighting is very dim), is very difficult and a tip to remember next time would be to film with a better quality camera or to use some sort of lighting equipment.
Overall, our light editing process was a very time consuming one. However, i think it was worth it. Compared to the initial lighting of some shots, the edited lighting made a big difference. Despite the pixalated appearance, I think that task really tested my ability as editor to face different problems and have learned lots from this experience. Today exercised my "open-mindedness" and my "knowledge" parts of the IB Leaner profile. And from reflecting on how I coped with each problem, I was able to "reflect" how the outcome of what I did and learn from my mistakes and the things that I excelled in.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
March 04, 2009
Today we further edited our film and as editor this was a very extensive process. Following up on last period, I continued to cut out irrelevant scenes, not so much concentrating on the fine adjustments. This technique I learned from Ms. Wong who told me to firstly do all the major edits first, such as choosing the important scenes and noting down any sounds that may need to be used in particular scenes, then proceed to minor edits and fine adjustments such as transitions and continuity aspects. This method of working, compared to my original way which was to edit both on a macro and micro scale as I went along, was much more efficient and glad I chose this method of editing.
As I continued to edit, I encountered many different situations which exercised both my "knowledge" and "risk taker" attributes of my IB Learner Profile. One particular example was when I was editing a scene where Natalia pulls Jackson's tie then whispers in his ear. Although I could have used a simple cut to join these two shots, however, by using a "match on action cut" it made the two shots much more compatible with each other and allowed the scene to flow more fluidly. The result of the match on action cut was Natalia's movement was synced between the two shots, making it seem like one flowing action which really helped in their continuity. The idea of choosing a match on action cut was from the Charlie Chaplin film that we saw when learning about different cuts, by using a match on action cut it allowed us to achieve "directional continuity" where the action between two shots are going in the same direction.
Another tricky situation that we encountered in editing was the audio. During our filming/shooting process, the boom mic kept coming loose without us knowing which resulted in numerous shots having no audio. Another problem was that the boom operator held the boom mic at varying spots, sometimes above the actors and sometimes below. These to errors contributed to audio complications in the editing process. In some shots there were no audio however, I had come up with two easy solutions to counter this problem. Firstly is to re-do the audio. During one instance, the audio failed during Natalia's speech and I decided to have her re-record her audio and sync it with the footage that we had. This was quite difficult however, through very minor adjustments and occasional speed manipulation I managed to achieve good synchronization. With other more minor problems, I simply extracted the audio from different pieces of footage and implanted them into others. This unorthodox and seemingly crude method of editing proved to be very effective and was very easy to do. This idea was of our own and shows how "taking risks" can be very beneficial if we just try it.
Referring back to flaws in audio, the fact that the quality of the sounds varied between the shots is due to hasty preparation. I think our group learned (during the filming process), to keep the boom mic in a constant spot in every scene to minimize the variations in loudness between shots. Secondly is to have someone listening to the audio while the camera is rolling, this will prevent any problems due to faulty connections and also will help the boom operator to determine the most suitable spot to hold the boom mic.
Overall, this period was very product through using my new method of working by doing all the major cuts first, it helped me be more efficient. This will also eventually allow me to concentrate fully on minor fine editing when all the cuts are done. In terms of the IB Learner Profile, I was a "risk taker" in using unorthodox methods to edit which proved to be very successful, "knowledgeable" remember and using the techniques I learner in class and applying to my own project, "open minded" to the suggests of my group members who have been very insightful and gave critical feedback on the editing in each scene and lastly a "reflective" learner who learns from the problems that are encountered in the process of editing and what I did well and the ways I could improve.
As I continued to edit, I encountered many different situations which exercised both my "knowledge" and "risk taker" attributes of my IB Learner Profile. One particular example was when I was editing a scene where Natalia pulls Jackson's tie then whispers in his ear. Although I could have used a simple cut to join these two shots, however, by using a "match on action cut" it made the two shots much more compatible with each other and allowed the scene to flow more fluidly. The result of the match on action cut was Natalia's movement was synced between the two shots, making it seem like one flowing action which really helped in their continuity. The idea of choosing a match on action cut was from the Charlie Chaplin film that we saw when learning about different cuts, by using a match on action cut it allowed us to achieve "directional continuity" where the action between two shots are going in the same direction.
Another tricky situation that we encountered in editing was the audio. During our filming/shooting process, the boom mic kept coming loose without us knowing which resulted in numerous shots having no audio. Another problem was that the boom operator held the boom mic at varying spots, sometimes above the actors and sometimes below. These to errors contributed to audio complications in the editing process. In some shots there were no audio however, I had come up with two easy solutions to counter this problem. Firstly is to re-do the audio. During one instance, the audio failed during Natalia's speech and I decided to have her re-record her audio and sync it with the footage that we had. This was quite difficult however, through very minor adjustments and occasional speed manipulation I managed to achieve good synchronization. With other more minor problems, I simply extracted the audio from different pieces of footage and implanted them into others. This unorthodox and seemingly crude method of editing proved to be very effective and was very easy to do. This idea was of our own and shows how "taking risks" can be very beneficial if we just try it.
Referring back to flaws in audio, the fact that the quality of the sounds varied between the shots is due to hasty preparation. I think our group learned (during the filming process), to keep the boom mic in a constant spot in every scene to minimize the variations in loudness between shots. Secondly is to have someone listening to the audio while the camera is rolling, this will prevent any problems due to faulty connections and also will help the boom operator to determine the most suitable spot to hold the boom mic.
Overall, this period was very product through using my new method of working by doing all the major cuts first, it helped me be more efficient. This will also eventually allow me to concentrate fully on minor fine editing when all the cuts are done. In terms of the IB Learner Profile, I was a "risk taker" in using unorthodox methods to edit which proved to be very successful, "knowledgeable" remember and using the techniques I learner in class and applying to my own project, "open minded" to the suggests of my group members who have been very insightful and gave critical feedback on the editing in each scene and lastly a "reflective" learner who learns from the problems that are encountered in the process of editing and what I did well and the ways I could improve.
Monday, March 2, 2009
March 02, 2009
Having finished filming, we spent this lesson importing and editing our footage. Although this was a very time consuming and tedious process, it was very rewarding to see our work come together.
When capturing our footage we discovered that we had over twenty minutes of footage. However, this was to be expected because we had been careful to have multiple shots of the same scene so as to allow the selection of the best one. The first shot we edited was the establishing shot, although they all seemed similar, we had to take in account the special characteristics of film noir and edit our film from that perspective. These traits include low-key lighting, sounds and imagery. This exercised our “knowledge” of film noir and applying it not only to the acting and filming process but also to editing. Through analyzing and reflecting how well each shot contributes to the film noir atmosphere, we were able to pick the best shots.
One instance where much editing had to be done was in a scene where Jackson (the protagonist) stands up and leaves but stops as the bartender places a glass on the table in front of him. Although this was a simple scene we wanted to separate it into two shots, one long shot depicting the bartender and the Jackson and one close up shot of the glass. We wanted to emphasize the glass not only to play on the imagery of alcohol but also to vary the shots that we had, because up until this point, there were not many close ups. The problem that we encountered in combining these two shots was that one shooting the close up, we discovered that there was no audio. This posed as a big problem because the clank of the glass was the climax of the scene and even if we fused the two shots together, without sound the clip would be ineffective. However, because we had filmed the two shots separately the long shot also had a shot of the bartender placing the glass on the table and luckily there was a distinctive clank of the glass. To absolve this problem, we extracted the clanking sound from the audio clip in the long shot and supplemented it into the close up. The result was the visual of one shot and the audio clip of another. Despite the unauthenticity of this clip, the outcome was very good and clean.
In the same scene, we also exercised our ability to apply our “knowledge” on linear continuity editing. As seen from the diagram, when placing close up shot of the bartender pl
acing the glass on the table in the middle of another shot of me getting up and leaving, we had to ensure that the flowing movement of the bartender. When the bartender retracted her hand from glass in the close up, we had to edit the long shot to follow the bartender’s movements in the close up.
In addition to editing, we also noted down areas in which the emphasis of certain sounds can be done. For example, the sound of footsteps, glass clinking, background music as well as speech. This is job of the sound editor in which they have to replicate these sounds which can then be integrated into the footage and fuse with the visuals. From looking the first few clips, we noticed that many sounds could be have redone. This is to be expected because despite the sensitivity of the boom mic, some sounds have to be even further emphasized and have to be recorded separately.
As editor, it is vital to pay attention to every detail of each shot to ensure that it flows smoothly without any glitches; as well as pay close attention to the continuity between neighboring shots. Lastly, I would have to edit the film in the context of film noir, keeping in mind the lighting, the speed and the colour saturation of each shot. The role of editor numerous areas of the IB Learner Profile which will include; “knowledge” of both film noir and of Final Cut Pro to be able to execute the necessary editing techniques to ensure the continuity as well as the flow of movements and lighting. “Thinkers” and “Risk Takers”, to be able to apply what we learn to unfamiliar situations and try new techniques to make the best out of it. To be “Open Minded” to the suggestions of my group members because film making is never an individual task but a group effort; it is also always better to have four people thinking than just one. Lastly, is to be “Reflective” on the work completed and to remember what I have learned today, the problems that I encountered and the ways that I solved them and how I could improve on my work. Through paying attention to these aspects, I will ensure that I will be able to produce the best work possible as well as make this an enjoyable and enriching learning experience.
Monday, February 23, 2009
February 23, 2009
During this single period, having developed our storyline. We also started planning some camera angles and sounds that we could use.
At the start of the scene, we plan on having a medium range side profile shot of the man (Jackson) sitting at the bar. This shot will also be a rising shot starting from the bottom of the table to Jackson's face. The reason for this is, that the bottom of the table is dark and brightens as the camera moves up utilizing the gradually increasing amounts of light, this acts like a fade in transition. I think that this shot is effective because not only does it show Jackson's profile and surroundings but does so in an interesting manner.
Another unique type of shot that we plan to use are "Point of View Shots", usually from Jackson. This allows the audience to watch the scene through his eyes and will also be compatible with the voice over commentary of Jackson's thoughts. I think that this is one of the more effective shots because it integrates so well into our film noir atmosphere.
Lastly, we will be using the manual focus function on the camera so as to focus specifically either on close objects or far objects. This will allow interesting transitions between two separate parts of the stories to be depicted in a single shot. What we plan to do is have Natalia (the femme fatal character) close up to the camera but to the side with Jackson in the back ground. By shifting in out of focus, in one shot, the camera can focus on the goings on of both Natalia and Jackson.
As for sounds, we plan to utilize a vast range of both digetic and non-digetic sounds. During the bar scenes we will include soft music, laughing, girls squealing, footsteps the clink of cups and ice in drinks. All these will be non-digetic sounds and will help facilitate in creating the bar atmosphere. After filming we had planed to voice over all the dialog, however, we vetoed that idea because not only will it be difficult to mouth sync but also would be very time consuming.
Overall, today was yet a another productive lesson in which we worked efficiently and got a lot done. One of the skills I exercised today was "open mindedness" and "caring" of the IB Learner profile, in which I paid attention and gave feedback to the suggestions of other. We also "reflected" critically after every step, considering how a particular piece of dialog, cut or type of shot contributed to our storyline. Our group co-operated very well together and all contributed ideas to improve our film and have thus made good progress.
At the start of the scene, we plan on having a medium range side profile shot of the man (Jackson) sitting at the bar. This shot will also be a rising shot starting from the bottom of the table to Jackson's face. The reason for this is, that the bottom of the table is dark and brightens as the camera moves up utilizing the gradually increasing amounts of light, this acts like a fade in transition. I think that this shot is effective because not only does it show Jackson's profile and surroundings but does so in an interesting manner.
Another unique type of shot that we plan to use are "Point of View Shots", usually from Jackson. This allows the audience to watch the scene through his eyes and will also be compatible with the voice over commentary of Jackson's thoughts. I think that this is one of the more effective shots because it integrates so well into our film noir atmosphere.
Lastly, we will be using the manual focus function on the camera so as to focus specifically either on close objects or far objects. This will allow interesting transitions between two separate parts of the stories to be depicted in a single shot. What we plan to do is have Natalia (the femme fatal character) close up to the camera but to the side with Jackson in the back ground. By shifting in out of focus, in one shot, the camera can focus on the goings on of both Natalia and Jackson.
As for sounds, we plan to utilize a vast range of both digetic and non-digetic sounds. During the bar scenes we will include soft music, laughing, girls squealing, footsteps the clink of cups and ice in drinks. All these will be non-digetic sounds and will help facilitate in creating the bar atmosphere. After filming we had planed to voice over all the dialog, however, we vetoed that idea because not only will it be difficult to mouth sync but also would be very time consuming.
Overall, today was yet a another productive lesson in which we worked efficiently and got a lot done. One of the skills I exercised today was "open mindedness" and "caring" of the IB Learner profile, in which I paid attention and gave feedback to the suggestions of other. We also "reflected" critically after every step, considering how a particular piece of dialog, cut or type of shot contributed to our storyline. Our group co-operated very well together and all contributed ideas to improve our film and have thus made good progress.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
February 18, 2009
This entire period was devoted to creating the story for our film noir movie. Ashley had come up with very interesting storyline and we spent most of our time developing it, coming up with movements to accompany the dialog and the location and the time which the scene takes place.
The story starts off with a man (who's name is undecided), walking down a deserted street. We intend on shooting this at night which will emphasize his isolation and loneliness as well as reflect his character as being a depressed person. Our main objective of this location and time is to effectively generate the atmosphere of dankness and sensation of being alone, so often expressed in film noir.
The man then walks into a bar and drinks excessively which portrays his depression. "Drowning his sorrows." As he decides to leave, a waitress places another drink on the table. Confused, he tells her that he didn't order it but she says its on the house. On drinking it, he notices a note at the bottom of his drink which tells him to meet the waitress outside. He ignores it and turns to walk out of the door, but the waitress, Natalia,(who has now changed into "attractive" clothing) is blocking him with one of her legs across the doorway. This is the first instance of the "seductive", femme fatal character. The man is aroused slightly, but still uninterested.
Using phrases like:
Man: Who are you?"
Nat: "Whoever you want me to be."
and
Nat: "Aren't you the impatient one."
It illustrates the seductive and playful character of Natalie. However, despite this the man is not interested. Getting desperate, Natalia cuts to the chase and claims that she knows about his father's death. The man is now engaged. He starts questioning her and she tells him that the murderer that killed his father did the same hers. The scene ends with them agreeing to avenge their fathers.
Throughout our scene, the themes expressed are "depression" (demonstrated through the mans indulgence in alcohol and the darkness of night), "seduction" (personified as Natalia) and "evil" (as Natalia leads the man off his path onto the path of darkness.) We also utilize the imagery commonly used in film noir such as dark streets, possibly smoke, neon lights and alcohol.
For our location, we plan on using a Cafe in Discovery Bay. The advantage of this location is that there is a lot of "red" there, the seats and table cloth and umbrella are all different shades of red. What we hope to achieve is by having so much red is to express both the seductive mood as well as the "heat" of the atmosphere. In the story, as the character starts getting intrigued with what Natalia is saying we hope to use the redness of their surrounds to express the intensity and heat of what their talking about and what they plan on doing.
Throughout our story, there will be minimum movement with the occasional short distanced walks and touching when Natalia is playing with the man. Because of this, we will be using mostly close angle shots; mainly POV and behind the shoulder shots. With the subject being so close to each other, the things that we have to pay close attention to is the 180 degree rule as well as the rule of thirds.
One special thing suggested by Louise was that we could have a running commentary of the man as he goes through the various events of the scene. The commentary will indicate his progressive thoughts which may not be reflected in what the man says. In other words, through the commentary, the audience will know exactly what the man is thinking, what he is feeling and how he disguises and suppresses them when he speaks to Natalia. This demonstrates his internal conflict which pays homage to the film noir atmosphere.
Overall I think that this was a very productive lesson. We all weighed in to help develop the story as well as the characters. Ashley had come up with a very compelling and intriguing storyline. Personally, I think that I could contribute even more and share my ideas, being more of a "risk taker" and being "open minded to the suggestions of other's. Using all the "knowledge" we learned in class, we applied it best we could to our project and from what we have so far, I think that we have made amazing progress and are ready to create our camera/shot log for next period.
The story starts off with a man (who's name is undecided), walking down a deserted street. We intend on shooting this at night which will emphasize his isolation and loneliness as well as reflect his character as being a depressed person. Our main objective of this location and time is to effectively generate the atmosphere of dankness and sensation of being alone, so often expressed in film noir.
The man then walks into a bar and drinks excessively which portrays his depression. "Drowning his sorrows." As he decides to leave, a waitress places another drink on the table. Confused, he tells her that he didn't order it but she says its on the house. On drinking it, he notices a note at the bottom of his drink which tells him to meet the waitress outside. He ignores it and turns to walk out of the door, but the waitress, Natalia,(who has now changed into "attractive" clothing) is blocking him with one of her legs across the doorway. This is the first instance of the "seductive", femme fatal character. The man is aroused slightly, but still uninterested.
Using phrases like:
Man: Who are you?"
Nat: "Whoever you want me to be."
and
Nat: "Aren't you the impatient one."
It illustrates the seductive and playful character of Natalie. However, despite this the man is not interested. Getting desperate, Natalia cuts to the chase and claims that she knows about his father's death. The man is now engaged. He starts questioning her and she tells him that the murderer that killed his father did the same hers. The scene ends with them agreeing to avenge their fathers.
Throughout our scene, the themes expressed are "depression" (demonstrated through the mans indulgence in alcohol and the darkness of night), "seduction" (personified as Natalia) and "evil" (as Natalia leads the man off his path onto the path of darkness.) We also utilize the imagery commonly used in film noir such as dark streets, possibly smoke, neon lights and alcohol.
For our location, we plan on using a Cafe in Discovery Bay. The advantage of this location is that there is a lot of "red" there, the seats and table cloth and umbrella are all different shades of red. What we hope to achieve is by having so much red is to express both the seductive mood as well as the "heat" of the atmosphere. In the story, as the character starts getting intrigued with what Natalia is saying we hope to use the redness of their surrounds to express the intensity and heat of what their talking about and what they plan on doing.
Throughout our story, there will be minimum movement with the occasional short distanced walks and touching when Natalia is playing with the man. Because of this, we will be using mostly close angle shots; mainly POV and behind the shoulder shots. With the subject being so close to each other, the things that we have to pay close attention to is the 180 degree rule as well as the rule of thirds.
One special thing suggested by Louise was that we could have a running commentary of the man as he goes through the various events of the scene. The commentary will indicate his progressive thoughts which may not be reflected in what the man says. In other words, through the commentary, the audience will know exactly what the man is thinking, what he is feeling and how he disguises and suppresses them when he speaks to Natalia. This demonstrates his internal conflict which pays homage to the film noir atmosphere.
Overall I think that this was a very productive lesson. We all weighed in to help develop the story as well as the characters. Ashley had come up with a very compelling and intriguing storyline. Personally, I think that I could contribute even more and share my ideas, being more of a "risk taker" and being "open minded to the suggestions of other's. Using all the "knowledge" we learned in class, we applied it best we could to our project and from what we have so far, I think that we have made amazing progress and are ready to create our camera/shot log for next period.
Monday, February 16, 2009
February 16, 2009
In today's lesson we were introduced to our first assessment; Film Noir. I had heard about it before and acted in my friend's film noir project last semester, but as I found out today, it is so much more than simply just a depressing movie with a mood of pessimism.
From learning a brief history of Film Noir from when it started in the 1920's, I some typical features of film noir movies. This would definitely be useful when creating my own. Film noir, which means a "black film" in French, is usually of a dark and depressing content; thus it's title. Starting off being based on detective stories, it also adapted some crime and spy influences. Film noir explores the theme of "moral ambiguity", usually dealing with obscure good and bad characters. This genre of film is also one of the few ones that do not always have a happy ending.
In a classic film noir movie, there is usually has three main characters, the protagonist, the antagonist and the "good influence." The protagonist is often of a depressing background, not exactly the James Bond type of character. He or she is also usually a loner or an outcast who goes about his own business. A unique feature of film noir movies is that it accounts for the protagonist's internal journey more than his physical story. The protagonist is sometimes also mentally unstable, which allows film noir movies to document the character's internal and person conflicts. The antagonist, usually a woman, is the "evil" figure who is leading the protagonist astray. The advantage of using a woman is that if the protagonist is a male, she would manipulate them through seduction. Lastly, the "good influence" character, acts like the protagonist's conscious who points him in the right direction. This character is somewhat like the opposite of the antagonist. These characters, with their sinister and dark motives all contribute to the film noir atmosphere.
Some symbolism to keep in mind would be of dark alleys, 24 hour cafés, dripping water, alcohol, flickering neon signs, smoke and cigarettes. This imagery helps conjure up the sense of darkness and depression which is expressed in film noir and consequently allows the story to flow more easily. These sorts of imagery will be very useful making our film noir movie and if applied appropriately can be very effective in setting the desired atmosphere. We saw how this imagery was executed in two movies "Heat" and "Infernal Affairs". Especially in "Heat" I saw how the dark and smoky atmosphere plays in creating a dark and depressing atmosphere. I also saw the importance of dialog in film noir films which is something to keep in mind when writing the script. Each line has to be witty to demonstrate the character's usually clever demeanor.
At the end of the lesson we joined with Ashley, Louise and Xiang Yi to do our film noir project. We had assigned the roles writer to Ashely and Xiang Yi, Camera person to Louise, sound editor to Xiang Yi and the editor to myself. I am quite apprehensive about my role as a editor because although I am quite comfortable with Final Cut Pro, I still have much to learn . Despite this, I am still quite confident with my skills and will do a substantial job. I am very excited about this project because it is investigating a type of genre that I am not too familiar with and I am sure that this will be a very enriching experience. Something that I will need to keep in mind is the IB learner profile:
- "Risk Takers": to experiment with new techniques which will be important when exploring a new genre of film. Especially testing out the imagery and angles discussed in this period.
- "Open Mindedness"- to be open to everyone's ideas and not to be self centered and selfish
- "Knowledgeable" - remembering and applying the knowledge learned in class into our film
- "Reflection"- carefully reflecting on my process, the things that I did well and the things that I could have done better.
By paying close attention to these specific aspects of the IB learner profile, I believe that not only will my group be able to produce a good outcome but also gain a lot from it as well.
From learning a brief history of Film Noir from when it started in the 1920's, I some typical features of film noir movies. This would definitely be useful when creating my own. Film noir, which means a "black film" in French, is usually of a dark and depressing content; thus it's title. Starting off being based on detective stories, it also adapted some crime and spy influences. Film noir explores the theme of "moral ambiguity", usually dealing with obscure good and bad characters. This genre of film is also one of the few ones that do not always have a happy ending.
In a classic film noir movie, there is usually has three main characters, the protagonist, the antagonist and the "good influence." The protagonist is often of a depressing background, not exactly the James Bond type of character. He or she is also usually a loner or an outcast who goes about his own business. A unique feature of film noir movies is that it accounts for the protagonist's internal journey more than his physical story. The protagonist is sometimes also mentally unstable, which allows film noir movies to document the character's internal and person conflicts. The antagonist, usually a woman, is the "evil" figure who is leading the protagonist astray. The advantage of using a woman is that if the protagonist is a male, she would manipulate them through seduction. Lastly, the "good influence" character, acts like the protagonist's conscious who points him in the right direction. This character is somewhat like the opposite of the antagonist. These characters, with their sinister and dark motives all contribute to the film noir atmosphere.
Some symbolism to keep in mind would be of dark alleys, 24 hour cafés, dripping water, alcohol, flickering neon signs, smoke and cigarettes. This imagery helps conjure up the sense of darkness and depression which is expressed in film noir and consequently allows the story to flow more easily. These sorts of imagery will be very useful making our film noir movie and if applied appropriately can be very effective in setting the desired atmosphere. We saw how this imagery was executed in two movies "Heat" and "Infernal Affairs". Especially in "Heat" I saw how the dark and smoky atmosphere plays in creating a dark and depressing atmosphere. I also saw the importance of dialog in film noir films which is something to keep in mind when writing the script. Each line has to be witty to demonstrate the character's usually clever demeanor.
At the end of the lesson we joined with Ashley, Louise and Xiang Yi to do our film noir project. We had assigned the roles writer to Ashely and Xiang Yi, Camera person to Louise, sound editor to Xiang Yi and the editor to myself. I am quite apprehensive about my role as a editor because although I am quite comfortable with Final Cut Pro, I still have much to learn . Despite this, I am still quite confident with my skills and will do a substantial job. I am very excited about this project because it is investigating a type of genre that I am not too familiar with and I am sure that this will be a very enriching experience. Something that I will need to keep in mind is the IB learner profile:
- "Risk Takers": to experiment with new techniques which will be important when exploring a new genre of film. Especially testing out the imagery and angles discussed in this period.
- "Open Mindedness"- to be open to everyone's ideas and not to be self centered and selfish
- "Knowledgeable" - remembering and applying the knowledge learned in class into our film
- "Reflection"- carefully reflecting on my process, the things that I did well and the things that I could have done better.
By paying close attention to these specific aspects of the IB learner profile, I believe that not only will my group be able to produce a good outcome but also gain a lot from it as well.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
February 11, 2009
This lesson was dedicated to learning linear continuity. Ms. Wong explained that it basically meant the ability to make consecutive shots flow in smooth and coherent manner. This particular aspect of editing is important because the film it helps the film to flow, while still keeping the shots entertaining by taking them from different angles. In class, we saw a few clips on how some movies did their cuts; and although some where not as neat as others, they all expressed a different sensation which contributed to the atmosphere of that particular scene. (see appendix)
This incorporated, quick and choppy cuts, to express a sensation of hurriedness. Shifting between a third person view and a point of view shot to emphasize on what the character in the film is looking at. Contrasting long and shot cuts when filming two people, to hi-light their personalities and the set of circumstances that their in. Abstract editing, in which the scene cuts to between shots that are complete different. This particular editing technique was very interesting to me because what we were learning about was continuity, however, this form of editing was somewhat the opposite of that. Cutting between two contrasting shots, didn't sound like successful editing at all. However, after watching it more closely, I realized that this was a very fascinating way to convey different views on the scene in which the abstract editing took place. In the scene that we watched, it cut between a girl looking a painting and a person drowning in the water. What was not initially apparent to me, was that the cuts demonstrated what was going through the girls mind or else suggesting that she had something to do with drowning. I think that abstract editing is a very daring editing technique, because the intention may not be understood at the time, however, if it is done well, it would be very effective.
To practice our continuity editing, we filmed a scene with the 2 person dialog:
"what are you looking at?"
"you"
"who was that?"
"my mother."
Because the dialog chosen was so broad we devised our own storyline. Working with Xiang Yi, Joyce, Jing Ting and Justin, we came up with the scenario of Justin meeting his girlfriend Jing Ting (who he has a bad relationship with), the hostility between them is demonstrated in the first two lines of our dialog. Then Justin's phone rings and as he hangs up, we hi-light the fact that he says "I love you", on asking who he talked to, Justin hastily says his mother which suggests that he was talking to his other girlfriends. The scene ends with Justin rushing off and Jing Ting feeling angry, stomping out of the scene.
For such a short scene, we managed to utilize many shots. We used four shots to document Justin's process from the door to the stairs where Jing TIng was sitting. Although this may seem like an unnecessary amount of shots for such a simple action, our shot were so diverse that I think that this particular sequence of shots were very effective. First we had Justin walk towards the camera while it was shooting him from a low angle (to demonstrate that he was the more dominant figure of the two), then had him step over the camera. The third shot was of him walking towards Jing Ting which illustrated his reaction on seeing her. Then lastly took an "over the shoulder" shot to show Jing Ting's reaction on seeing him. All this time, Justin is constantly moving. Exercising what we learning in class about continuity editing, we had to make sure that the cuts and the duration of the scenes flowed in an appropriate manner. Firstly we had to shorten the shots because they were too long to convey a simple task of walking such a short distance. Then we placed the shots in a systematic sequence. After this, the shots seemed to flow quite well however, on a minor scale we also edited so that the right and left foot were synchronized between shots. That if he exited a shot with his left foot, that the next shot will be of him starting off with his left foot, because he would have already walked a step between the shots. This demonstrated the depth of our understanding and exercised our "knowledge" aspect in the IB Leaner Profile.
I also realized through editing that details matter. After watching the walking sequence a few times I still didn't think that it flowed as well as it could have and wanted to cut and extend a few choice shots. Although I ended up cut and extending a few mili-seconds worth of film, it made all the difference. I think I am also very comfortable with Final Cut Pro and can use it effectively and can also incorporate a few frequently used techniques such as lighting, speed and RGB balance. Although we didn't manage to complete our task in class, we know exactly what to do and will continue after school ready for submission on the 16th. This was a very beneficial lesson on continuity editing in which I learned lots; both from in class and also from applying my knowledge in making our short film.
Types of cuts:
- Eye-line match - switching between 3rd person view and a POV shot
- Point of view cutting - switching between two POV shots
- The match on action cut - a cut following a persons movement, usually to emphasize the character's speed or distance traveled
- Directional continuity - cuts that maintain the characters movement between shots
- Establishing shots - an extreme long and wide angle (usually) to indicate the surrounds of the scene
- Parallel/ cross cutting or abstract cutting - when the shots alternate between two seemingly unconnected shots
- Transitions - cuts, e.g.: fade, dissolve or saturate
- Rhythm - the pace of the film or cuts
This incorporated, quick and choppy cuts, to express a sensation of hurriedness. Shifting between a third person view and a point of view shot to emphasize on what the character in the film is looking at. Contrasting long and shot cuts when filming two people, to hi-light their personalities and the set of circumstances that their in. Abstract editing, in which the scene cuts to between shots that are complete different. This particular editing technique was very interesting to me because what we were learning about was continuity, however, this form of editing was somewhat the opposite of that. Cutting between two contrasting shots, didn't sound like successful editing at all. However, after watching it more closely, I realized that this was a very fascinating way to convey different views on the scene in which the abstract editing took place. In the scene that we watched, it cut between a girl looking a painting and a person drowning in the water. What was not initially apparent to me, was that the cuts demonstrated what was going through the girls mind or else suggesting that she had something to do with drowning. I think that abstract editing is a very daring editing technique, because the intention may not be understood at the time, however, if it is done well, it would be very effective.
To practice our continuity editing, we filmed a scene with the 2 person dialog:
"what are you looking at?"
"you"
"who was that?"
"my mother."
Because the dialog chosen was so broad we devised our own storyline. Working with Xiang Yi, Joyce, Jing Ting and Justin, we came up with the scenario of Justin meeting his girlfriend Jing Ting (who he has a bad relationship with), the hostility between them is demonstrated in the first two lines of our dialog. Then Justin's phone rings and as he hangs up, we hi-light the fact that he says "I love you", on asking who he talked to, Justin hastily says his mother which suggests that he was talking to his other girlfriends. The scene ends with Justin rushing off and Jing Ting feeling angry, stomping out of the scene.
For such a short scene, we managed to utilize many shots. We used four shots to document Justin's process from the door to the stairs where Jing TIng was sitting. Although this may seem like an unnecessary amount of shots for such a simple action, our shot were so diverse that I think that this particular sequence of shots were very effective. First we had Justin walk towards the camera while it was shooting him from a low angle (to demonstrate that he was the more dominant figure of the two), then had him step over the camera. The third shot was of him walking towards Jing Ting which illustrated his reaction on seeing her. Then lastly took an "over the shoulder" shot to show Jing Ting's reaction on seeing him. All this time, Justin is constantly moving. Exercising what we learning in class about continuity editing, we had to make sure that the cuts and the duration of the scenes flowed in an appropriate manner. Firstly we had to shorten the shots because they were too long to convey a simple task of walking such a short distance. Then we placed the shots in a systematic sequence. After this, the shots seemed to flow quite well however, on a minor scale we also edited so that the right and left foot were synchronized between shots. That if he exited a shot with his left foot, that the next shot will be of him starting off with his left foot, because he would have already walked a step between the shots. This demonstrated the depth of our understanding and exercised our "knowledge" aspect in the IB Leaner Profile.
I also realized through editing that details matter. After watching the walking sequence a few times I still didn't think that it flowed as well as it could have and wanted to cut and extend a few choice shots. Although I ended up cut and extending a few mili-seconds worth of film, it made all the difference. I think I am also very comfortable with Final Cut Pro and can use it effectively and can also incorporate a few frequently used techniques such as lighting, speed and RGB balance. Although we didn't manage to complete our task in class, we know exactly what to do and will continue after school ready for submission on the 16th. This was a very beneficial lesson on continuity editing in which I learned lots; both from in class and also from applying my knowledge in making our short film.
Types of cuts:
- Eye-line match - switching between 3rd person view and a POV shot
- Point of view cutting - switching between two POV shots
- The match on action cut - a cut following a persons movement, usually to emphasize the character's speed or distance traveled
- Directional continuity - cuts that maintain the characters movement between shots
- Establishing shots - an extreme long and wide angle (usually) to indicate the surrounds of the scene
- Parallel/ cross cutting or abstract cutting - when the shots alternate between two seemingly unconnected shots
- Transitions - cuts, e.g.: fade, dissolve or saturate
- Rhythm - the pace of the film or cuts
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