Monday, 2 May 2016

Development- Film

- This refers to a process that is used for recording editing and cutting. The actual film material itself is called celluloid and it is used for a analog recording.
- 24 frames a second go through the film gate.
- These films are edited physically on a editing table by the editor. Know one really edits on editing tables anymore even thought they still use film.
- Celluloid is transparent and flammable type of plastic, it is made from camphor and nitrocellulose.
- The first film reel was 16mm, this changed because it was grainy and hard to enlarge, so they use bigger film reel because it is a better quality and a lot less harder to enlarge.
- 35mm they arrived and added better quality.

Conventions & Techniques - 180 Degree Rule

The rule is that once you have one person you cant cross the 180 degree axis. if they break it then the shot will not be used. It also makes the shot look very weird. Try making the shots symmetrical the more symmetrical you are then the more realistic the shot will look. The second person should be to the right of the frame and the first person should be to the left of the frame to allow lead room and a better two person dialogue.
                                                                                 


Sunday, 1 May 2016

Purpose- Storytelling

Storytelling is the conveying of events in sounds and images. Stories have been with human beings since the early cave men era. They used storytelling for:
- Education.
- Entertainment.
- Cultural Preservation.
- Instilling Moral Values.

Crucial elements of stories and storytelling include:
- Plot.
- Character.
- Narrative.
- Point of View.
Storytelling is used to refer to word of mouth storytelling and in a looser term to refer to a narrative in the other medias.

Visual Storytelling
Applies to films and other media. Sometimes it carries with a prescriptive edge. In other words you should tell your story in other ways. It also refers to the way the moving images convey the meaning through images without talking. This is achieved through two techniques:
- The choice of shots.
- The way the shot is made.

Visual storytelling is purely visual, but in film it needs noises and music in order to work better. The director usually creates the visual first and then reinforces it with sound and music to add more affect.




In this image is the visual storyboard I created. In the storyboard I drew a skydiver climbing a mountain. The next shot was a close up of some birds flying around. I choose this to signify how he wants to fly like them. The final shot is him sky diving and achieving his dream. The feedback I received was that he thought the man was dying and the birds signify death. This is effective because not all people are going to think of the same thing and they may disagree on certain aspects as well.  

Conventions & Techniques - Editing Rhythm

Editing rhythm is a type of pace that refers to different types of shot created by the editor and his team. This plays a crucial role to guiding the viewers to a response. There are two types of pacing:

Rapid Pacing- this suggests intensity and excitement.
Slower Pacing- This suggests more relaxed and thoughtful.  

When looking at the pace of a scene and establishing the rhythm, the editor has to look at 4 questions when looking at the sequence. These questions are:

- Where would a particular shot have the most impact?
- Should close shots be used in the sequence?
- Which of the selection of shots have better visuals to use to explain the exposition or characteristics?
- What is the best use of timing the juxtapositions of shots?

The editor must also decide what transition effects the scene the most. These can include:
- Jump Cuts
- Straight cuts
- Dissolve

Example: The Exorcist III

This extract is taken from The Exorcist III and this shows editing rhythm by scaring the viewer unexpectedly. For example the first minute of this scene is quite quiet and boring allowing the viewer to shut off and then out of know where a loud bit of rhythm comes in and the shot zooms to a close-up of the creature that is chasing the unexpected victim. This is effective because it scares the audience and they are not expecting it.

Conventions & Techniques- Jump-Cutting

Usually when people record a film you vary shots and angles to give it a seamless effect. But an jump cut is a shot that keeps the same angle but changes the shot this gives the shot an jumping effect, this shots feels awkward and disjointed to look at.

Film makers use jump cuts when:
- Rebellion: Filmmakers want to break the mold from traditional filmmakers.
- Pace: This increases pace in a dramatic way.
- Psychological: It reflects the crazy way the mind works.


This extract is taken from the movie "Snatch". In this extract we see the cast dressed up as Jewish People and rob a jeweler. Jump cuts were used in this film when they got the guns out. For example, Jump cuts were used when they were around the room and the camera was jumping between characters. This is effective because it adds an feeling of disjointedness as this robbery is a cut from the normality of the shots.