Wednesday, 21 November 2018
Tuesday, 20 November 2018
Jacques Lacan
Lacan's article "The Mirror Stage as Formative of the I" (1936, 1949) lays out the parameters of a doctrine that he never foreswore, and which has subsequently become something of a post-structuralist mantra: namely, that human identity is "decentred." The key observation of Lacan's essay concerns the behaviour of infants between the ages of 6 and 18 months. At this age, Lacan notes, children become capable of recognising their mirror image. This is not a dispassionate experience, either. It is a recognition that brings the child great pleasure. For Lacan, we can only explain this "jubilation" as a testimony to how, in the recognition of its mirror-image, the child is having its first anticipation of itself as a unified and separate individual. Before this time, Lacan contends (drawing on contemporary psychoanalytic observation), the child is little more than a "body in bits and pieces," unable to clearly separate I and Other, and wholly dependant for its survival (for a length of time unique in the animal kingdom) upon its first nurturers.
The implications of this observation on the mirror stage, in Lacan's reckoning, are far-reaching. They turn around the fact that, if it holds, then the genesis of individuals' sense of individuation can in no way be held to issue from the "organic" or "natural" development of any inner wealth supposed to be innate within them. The I is an Other from the ground up, for Lacan (echoing and developing a conception of the ego already mapped out in Freud's Ego and Id). The truth of this dictum, as Lacan comments in "Aggressivity and Psychoanalysis," is evident in infantile transitivity: that phenomenon wherein one infant hit by another yet proclaims: "I hit him!" and visa-versa. It is more simply registered in the fact that it remains a permanent possibility of adult human experience for us to speak and think of ourselves in the second or third person. What is decisive in these phenomena, according to Lacan, is that the ego is at base an object: an artificial projection of subjective unity modelled on the visual images of objects and others that the individual confronts in the world. Identification with the ego, Lacan accordingly maintains, is what underlies the unavoidable component of aggressivity in human behaviour especially evident amongst infants, and which Freud recognised in his Three Essays on Sexuality when he stressed the primordial ambivalence of children towards their love object(s) (in the oral phase, to love is to devour; in the anal phase, it is to master or destroy…).
It is on the basis of this fundamental understanding of identity that Lacan maintained throughout his career that desire is the desire of the Other. What is meant by him in this formulation is not the triviality that humans desire others, when they sexually desire (an observation which is not universally true). Again developing Freud's theorisationof sexuality, Lacan's contention is rather that what psychoanalysis reveals is that human-beings need to learn how and what to desire. Lacanian theory does not deny that infants are always born into the world with basic biological needs that need constant or periodic satisfaction. Lacan's stress, however, is that, from a very early age, the child's attempts to satisfy these needs become caught up in the dialectics of its exchanges with others. Because its sense of self is only ever garnered from identifying with the images of these others (or itself in the mirror, as a kind of other), Lacan argues that it demonstrably belongs to humans to desire---directly---as or through another or others. We get a sense of his meaning when we consider such social phenomena as fashion. As the squabbling of children more readily testifies, it is fully possible for an object to become desirable for individuals because they perceive that others desire it, such that when these others' desire is withdrawn, the object also loses its allure.
I have chosen the film "Whiplash" (2014) to analysis using Lacan's theory of "lack and desire" as it is about a young mans (Andrew) desire to become a world famous jazz musician drummer. This scene is a montage of his practice to impress his teacher (Terence Fletcher) and to get the part as the drummer for the song "Whiplash". This montage first starts off him grabbing his drum sticks and walking past a CD of "Buddy Rich" using a pull focus to bring this CD into light and lingering on said CD for a short while. Buddy Rich is the drummer Andrew desires to be as good as, if not, better than. The scene follow Andrew printing sheet music with a non diegetic sound of Buddy Rich drumming, to show that drumming is always on his mind. It's an obsession at this point rather than a hobby. Even when we can hear the diegetic sound of Andrew drumming, the non diegetic drumming still continuously plays throughout this montage. We see he's calm and collected throughout the first drumming scene of this montage which then cuts back to him in his apartment moving all of his essentials into his drumming room. This demonstrates the level of his obsession (desire) to become the next world famous jazz drummer as his now living in the same room as his drums so he can get the most amount of practise time he possibly can. He also sleeps under a poster of Buddy Rich - the drummer he now literally looks up to as he lays on his mattress for motivation for his desire.
Sources:
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/lacan/
https://www.iep.utm.edu/lacweb/
https://www.iep.utm.edu/2005/page/3/
http://csmt.uchicago.edu/glossary2004/symbolicrealimaginary.htm
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057%2F9780230390140_5
https://www.a-n.co.uk/media/52445075/
http://www.english.hawaii.edu/criticalink/lacan/
Sigmund Freud
Perhaps Freud's single most enduring and important idea was that the human psyche (personality) has more than one aspect. Freud's personality theory (1923) saw the psyche structured into three parts (i.e., tripartite), the id, ego and superego, all developing at different stages in our lives. These are systems, not parts of the brain, or in any way physical. According to Freud's model of the psyche, the id is the primitive and instinctual part of the mind that contains sexual and aggressive drives and hidden memories, the super-ego operates as a moral conscience, and the ego is the realistic part that mediates between the desires of the id and the super-ego.
Although each part of the personality comprises unique features, they interact to form a whole, and each part makes a relative contribution to an individual's behaviour.
The id is the primitive and instinctive component of personality. It consists of all the inherited (i.e., biological) components of personality present at birth, including the sex (life) instinct – Eros (which contains the libido), and the aggressive (death) instinct - Thanatos.
The id is the impulsive (and unconscious) part of our psyche which responds directly and immediately to the instincts. The personality of the newborn child is all id and only later does it develop an ego and super-ego.
The id remains infantile in its function throughout a persons life and does not change with time or experience, as it is not in touch with the external world. The id is not affected by reality, logic or the everyday world, as it operates within the unconscious part of the mind.
The id operates on the pleasure principle (Freud, 1920) which is the idea that every wishful impulse should be satisfied immediately, regardless of the consequences. When the id achieves its demands, we experience pleasure when it is denied we experience ‘unpleasure’ or tension.
The ego develops to mediate between the unrealistic id and the external real world. It is the decision-making component of personality. Ideally, the ego works by reason, whereas the id is chaotic and unreasonable.
The ego operates according to the reality principle, working out realistic ways of satisfying the id’s demands, often compromising or postponing satisfaction to avoid negative consequences of society. The ego considers social realities and norms, etiquette and rules in deciding how to behave.
Like the id, the ego seeks pleasure (i.e., tension reduction) and avoids pain, but unlike the id, the ego is concerned with devising a realistic strategy to obtain pleasure. The ego has no concept of right or wrong; something is good simply if it achieves its end of satisfying without causing harm to itself or the id.
Often the ego is weak relative to the headstrong id, and the best the ego can do is stay on, pointing the id in the right direction and claiming some credit at the end as if the action were its own.
The superego incorporates the values and morals of society which are learned from one's parents and others. It develops around the age of 3 – 5 during the phallic stage of psychosexual development.
The superego's function is to control the id's impulses, especially those which society forbids, such as sex and aggression. It also has the function of persuading the ego to turn to moralistic goals rather than simply realistic ones and to strive for perfection.
The superego consists of two systems: The conscience and the ideal self. The conscience can punish the ego through causing feelings of guilt. For example, if the ego gives in to the id's demands, the superego may make the person feel bad through guilt. The ideal self (or ego-ideal) is an imaginary picture of how you ought to be, and represents career aspirations, how to treat other people, and how to behave as a member of society. Behaviour which falls short of the ideal self may be punished by the superego through guilt. The super-ego can also reward us through the ideal self when we behave ‘properly’ by making us feel proud.
If a person’s ideal self is too high a standard, then whatever the person does will represent failure. The ideal self and conscience are largely determined in childhood from parental values and how you were brought up.
Sources:
https://www.simplypsychology.org/psyche.html
Freud, S. (1920). Beyond the pleasure principle. SE, 18: 1-64.
Freud, S. (1923). The ego and the id. SE, 19: 1-66.
Although each part of the personality comprises unique features, they interact to form a whole, and each part makes a relative contribution to an individual's behaviour.
The id is the primitive and instinctive component of personality. It consists of all the inherited (i.e., biological) components of personality present at birth, including the sex (life) instinct – Eros (which contains the libido), and the aggressive (death) instinct - Thanatos.The id is the impulsive (and unconscious) part of our psyche which responds directly and immediately to the instincts. The personality of the newborn child is all id and only later does it develop an ego and super-ego.
The id remains infantile in its function throughout a persons life and does not change with time or experience, as it is not in touch with the external world. The id is not affected by reality, logic or the everyday world, as it operates within the unconscious part of the mind.
The id operates on the pleasure principle (Freud, 1920) which is the idea that every wishful impulse should be satisfied immediately, regardless of the consequences. When the id achieves its demands, we experience pleasure when it is denied we experience ‘unpleasure’ or tension.
The ego develops to mediate between the unrealistic id and the external real world. It is the decision-making component of personality. Ideally, the ego works by reason, whereas the id is chaotic and unreasonable.
The ego operates according to the reality principle, working out realistic ways of satisfying the id’s demands, often compromising or postponing satisfaction to avoid negative consequences of society. The ego considers social realities and norms, etiquette and rules in deciding how to behave.
Like the id, the ego seeks pleasure (i.e., tension reduction) and avoids pain, but unlike the id, the ego is concerned with devising a realistic strategy to obtain pleasure. The ego has no concept of right or wrong; something is good simply if it achieves its end of satisfying without causing harm to itself or the id.
Often the ego is weak relative to the headstrong id, and the best the ego can do is stay on, pointing the id in the right direction and claiming some credit at the end as if the action were its own.
The superego incorporates the values and morals of society which are learned from one's parents and others. It develops around the age of 3 – 5 during the phallic stage of psychosexual development.
The superego's function is to control the id's impulses, especially those which society forbids, such as sex and aggression. It also has the function of persuading the ego to turn to moralistic goals rather than simply realistic ones and to strive for perfection.
The superego consists of two systems: The conscience and the ideal self. The conscience can punish the ego through causing feelings of guilt. For example, if the ego gives in to the id's demands, the superego may make the person feel bad through guilt. The ideal self (or ego-ideal) is an imaginary picture of how you ought to be, and represents career aspirations, how to treat other people, and how to behave as a member of society. Behaviour which falls short of the ideal self may be punished by the superego through guilt. The super-ego can also reward us through the ideal self when we behave ‘properly’ by making us feel proud.
If a person’s ideal self is too high a standard, then whatever the person does will represent failure. The ideal self and conscience are largely determined in childhood from parental values and how you were brought up.
Sources:
https://www.simplypsychology.org/psyche.html
Freud, S. (1920). Beyond the pleasure principle. SE, 18: 1-64.
Freud, S. (1923). The ego and the id. SE, 19: 1-66.
Laura Mulvey
The Male Gaze theory, in a nutshell, is where women in the media are viewed from the eyes of a heterosexual man, and that these women are represented as passive objects of male desire. Audiences are forced to view women from the point of view of a heterosexual male, even if they are heterosexual women or homosexual men.
From the feminist perspective, this theory can be viewed in three ways: How men look at women, how women look at themselves and finally, how women look at other women. Typical examples of the male gaze include medium close-up shots of women from over a man’s shoulder, shots that pan and fixate on a woman’s body, and scenes that frequently occur which show a man actively observing a passive woman.
The Male Gaze suggests that the female viewer must experience the narrative secondarily, by identification with the male. In 1929 Salvador Dali released a film called Un Chein Andalou, which is an abstract short film that portrays a perfect example of this. One scene in the film, a man is found dissecting the iris of a young woman’s eye, which infers this idea of female sight not being central, and that men are not only the audience, but also in control of the action, the camera, the direction, the writing, et cetera, therefore completely running the show, dominating the entirety of the narrative and how it is depicted.
Not only is the Male Gaze theory relevant to cinema, but it also correlates with every-day life. Some theorists have noted that in advertising, objectification and sexualised portrayals of the female body can be found even in situations where sex or representations of sex have nothing to do with the product being advertised.
Although as of recently, movies like Frozen (2013) and Suffragette (2015) do Mulveyjustice in highlighting women’s independence and empowerment, breaking away from the Male Gaze, decades later we still see the same broken record playing, with films like The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) revealing women in extremely sexual and somewhat unnecessary manners.
One reason for this is simply that the movie companies producing these films are male-dominated, as cinema is predominantly a male-run industry, and just like when Mulveyoriginally wrote this critical analysis of film, producers are still churning out the same work that has proved to be successful in the past with audiences as they invest to make profit. They believe that they are giving the public what they want, when that isn’t necessarily true. They are giving audiences what a proportion of males want, and what the rest of society has been brainwashed to accept.
However, many people argue against Mulvey's theory of the camera being a heterosexual male. This argument can be made in films such as Magic Mike (2012) which is a film the revolves around male strippers and the pleasures that females again from watching. I wouldn't in this instants see the camera as a heterosexual male as watching male strippers wouldn't bring gratification to a heterosexual male, however, it would to a heterosexual female.
Sources:
https://www.filminquiry.com/film-theory-basics-laura-mulvey-male-gaze-theory/
http://www.studentnewspaper.org/laura-mulvey-and-the-male-gaze-in-the-21st-century/
http://www.luxonline.org.uk/articles/visual_pleasure_and_narrative_cinema%28printversion%29.html
http://theconversation.com/explainer-what-does-the-male-gaze-mean-and-what-about-a-female-gaze-52486
From the feminist perspective, this theory can be viewed in three ways: How men look at women, how women look at themselves and finally, how women look at other women. Typical examples of the male gaze include medium close-up shots of women from over a man’s shoulder, shots that pan and fixate on a woman’s body, and scenes that frequently occur which show a man actively observing a passive woman.
The Male Gaze suggests that the female viewer must experience the narrative secondarily, by identification with the male. In 1929 Salvador Dali released a film called Un Chein Andalou, which is an abstract short film that portrays a perfect example of this. One scene in the film, a man is found dissecting the iris of a young woman’s eye, which infers this idea of female sight not being central, and that men are not only the audience, but also in control of the action, the camera, the direction, the writing, et cetera, therefore completely running the show, dominating the entirety of the narrative and how it is depicted.
Not only is the Male Gaze theory relevant to cinema, but it also correlates with every-day life. Some theorists have noted that in advertising, objectification and sexualised portrayals of the female body can be found even in situations where sex or representations of sex have nothing to do with the product being advertised.
Although as of recently, movies like Frozen (2013) and Suffragette (2015) do Mulveyjustice in highlighting women’s independence and empowerment, breaking away from the Male Gaze, decades later we still see the same broken record playing, with films like The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) revealing women in extremely sexual and somewhat unnecessary manners.
One reason for this is simply that the movie companies producing these films are male-dominated, as cinema is predominantly a male-run industry, and just like when Mulveyoriginally wrote this critical analysis of film, producers are still churning out the same work that has proved to be successful in the past with audiences as they invest to make profit. They believe that they are giving the public what they want, when that isn’t necessarily true. They are giving audiences what a proportion of males want, and what the rest of society has been brainwashed to accept.
However, many people argue against Mulvey's theory of the camera being a heterosexual male. This argument can be made in films such as Magic Mike (2012) which is a film the revolves around male strippers and the pleasures that females again from watching. I wouldn't in this instants see the camera as a heterosexual male as watching male strippers wouldn't bring gratification to a heterosexual male, however, it would to a heterosexual female.
Sources:
https://www.filminquiry.com/film-theory-basics-laura-mulvey-male-gaze-theory/
http://www.studentnewspaper.org/laura-mulvey-and-the-male-gaze-in-the-21st-century/
http://www.luxonline.org.uk/articles/visual_pleasure_and_narrative_cinema%28printversion%29.html
http://theconversation.com/explainer-what-does-the-male-gaze-mean-and-what-about-a-female-gaze-52486
Thursday, 15 November 2018
American New Wave Video Essay Evaluation
Once I gathered all of my contextual research on the American new wave, I decided to create a video essay about three of the most famous new wave films "Bonnie and Clyde", "Taxi Driver" and "Easy Rider" and how the new wave changed over time being less afraid to show taboo subjects on screen such as, death, mental illness, drugs, alcohol, and sex.
Originally I wanted to do a voice over myself talking about all my contextual research, how the new wave started and why these films were so important. However, I couldn't build up enough courage to do so as I knew I would stutter or ramble on. So instead I used a text to speech bot and recorded the audio from that and used it for my voice over. As is it was to use, some of the pronunciation of words were incorrect, some pauses were too long or not long enough between words and the overall voice was a bit too robotic/monotone.
During editing, someone of the sound was too quiet in certain areas and too loud in others, I feel as I could have spent more time carefully using automation or compression to get the levels just right. However, the overall on-screen editing I feel went well. It wasn't jolty and what was on screen helps the viewer to understand what the text to speech bot is saying, as well as giving visual evidence to back up my contextual studies.
I feel like the structure of my video essay pieced together smoothly as it talked about what a new wave is, why it started and then went on to speak about my three chosen texts. To improve my overall video essay I feel as I could have added a conclusion as the end to help summerise the entirety of my video essay to help keep any watching it up to date and on track.
Originally I wanted to do a voice over myself talking about all my contextual research, how the new wave started and why these films were so important. However, I couldn't build up enough courage to do so as I knew I would stutter or ramble on. So instead I used a text to speech bot and recorded the audio from that and used it for my voice over. As is it was to use, some of the pronunciation of words were incorrect, some pauses were too long or not long enough between words and the overall voice was a bit too robotic/monotone.
During editing, someone of the sound was too quiet in certain areas and too loud in others, I feel as I could have spent more time carefully using automation or compression to get the levels just right. However, the overall on-screen editing I feel went well. It wasn't jolty and what was on screen helps the viewer to understand what the text to speech bot is saying, as well as giving visual evidence to back up my contextual studies.
I feel like the structure of my video essay pieced together smoothly as it talked about what a new wave is, why it started and then went on to speak about my three chosen texts. To improve my overall video essay I feel as I could have added a conclusion as the end to help summerise the entirety of my video essay to help keep any watching it up to date and on track.
Monday, 12 November 2018
New Wave Film, Brief And Evaluation
Brief:
From the research of my contextual studies of American New Wave, I've noticed that the main focus of their techniques is to break the rules of what then was traditional Hollywood cinema. The way they break the rules includes, handheld cameras; lack of/improvised narrative (or one that makes little sense); lots of jumpcuts; long cuts that continue even after the main focus has gone off screen; unusual camera angles; natural lighting; and non-actors.
For my own new wave film, I want to take the unusual camera angles and bring it into the spotlight with the entire film being recorded from a POV (point of view) shot. By doing this I could create a behind the scenes film where it shows a day in the life of a new wave filmmaker as he gets up, does his morning routine, meets his friends and they make a new wave film. I also want to add in shots of the person looking into a mirror holding the camera to remind you that you're watching a film (breaking the 4th wall). During editing, I want to create the morning routine into a montage with lots of continuous jump cuts almost enough to disorientate the viewer. For the audio and lighting, I want it to be all diegetic and natural to give a sense of realism.
Evaluation:
Due to the weather and confusion of meeting points, I managed to get my morning routine shoot sorted but the recording of the fake new wave film, unfortunately, didn't happen but recorded most of the day all from a POV shot and ended up with 40 minutes worth of footage that needed to be taken down to about 2 minutes. I took this into consideration and made my entire film into a montage of the day with a lot of fast-paced editing unless there was dialogue in there I wanted the viewer to hear. Even though my contextual studies were based on the American new wave, my film had more influence from the French new wave, with the black and white and French writing. I added those French title cards in as partially a little in-joke but as well to openly reference the fact the film isn't perfect and has mistakes. The title cards translate to "missing images" and "SD card full" this was due to the fact some clips I felt were unusable or took up too much time so they were "missing images" and my SD became full at the end of the day which is why I stopped recording otherwise I would have gotten a home routine recorded too. After I edited my video I got some feedback and everyone felt like I could add something else to make it more disorientating. So I rendered my footage and revered it, lowered the opacity, panned the revered audio left and the original audio right. this created a more disorientating effect especially when the audio starts to sink up in the middle of the film making it more chaotic and with headphones on, gives the viewer a tingling sensation throughout.
Thursday, 8 November 2018
American New Wave Video Essay And Script
The American New Wave or also known as New Hollywood was a movement in American film history from the late 1960s to the early 1980s when a new generation of young filmmakers came to prominence in the United States bringing influence from The French New Wave. It all started in 1919 when four leading figures of American Silent Cinema M. Pickford, C. Chaplin, D. Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith formed the first indie studio "United Artists". Their aim was to better control their own work as well as their futures.
Then shortly after the second world war, major studio companies lost the majority of their power due to The Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers which was formed by many of those who were members of United Artists combined with portable cameras lowering in price allowed indie filmmakers to compete with major studios and create more films.
The movement started with 'The Graduate" and "Bonnie and Clyde" both released in 1967. They both influenced the future of movie-making as these films saw less influence from their production studios and more influence from their directors. This lead onto more films created in the same style with a brand new set of conventions which mostly included breaking the rules of traditional Hollywood movies. these conventions included: Non-linear narratives or ones that just don't make much sense. Handheld cameras. Hiring random people off the street to act and work on the film with you. Unusual editing techniques such as the jump cut which traditional now was never used in American Filmmaking before, and overdubbing. As well as natural lighting and a natural setting. Most of this was due to a low budget but it was also a new way for young filmmakers to express themselves like no filmmakers have before. New Hollywood resulted in commercially viable pictures that explored previously taboo subjects in innovative new ways. However, New Hollywood isn't so much a style of filmmaking as it is a movement and a period of time. Within this video essay, I'll be talking about "Bonnie and Clyde" "Taxi Driver" and "Easy Rider".
Taxi Driver:
This is one of the most famous scenes from "Taxi Driver" where Travis practices confronting someone in front of his mirror. He points his gun at his reflection and utters the words, “You talkin’ to me?”
Taxi Driver was definitely a massive departure from the traditional style of Hollywood and exemplified what The American New Wave wanted to achieve in a number of ways from its non-traditional narrative combined with the unique aesthetics
Its style of editing was one of the key conventions in American New Wave. In opposition to the traditional continuity editing of Hollywood, disjunctive editing further distanced American New Wave films from their predecessors and served a number of purposes – from forcing the audience to actively be engaged in the film to disorienting them for artistic, ideological, or psychological purposes
The editing used in this scene, as well as the non-diegetic sound of Travis’s voice-over, was done to make the audience disturbed and disoriented, as well as portraying the paranoia and delusions occurring in his head. While it brings the viewer closer into Travis’s state of mind, it also makes his thoughts seem more violent and disturbing.
In her book, Hollywood Renaissance, Diane Jacobs discusses the innovative editing and camerawork present in Taxi Driver, saying: “While the camera’s pacing accelerates as the film progresses, it is as restless as its character’s mind from the very start” ( page 146).
Bonnie And Clyde:
With Bonnie And Clyde being one of the first American New Wave productions, it took a lot of its influence from The French New Wave. The film was based on the real-life events of Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Chestnut Barrow who were American criminals who traveled the central United States with their gang, during the Great Depression, robbing people and killing when cornered or confronted
It originally took a while for "Bonnie and Clyde" to catch on. The film barely made it out with Warner Bros rebooting its opening. However "Bonnie and Clyde" dunked the cinema in style, blood, and glamour. It was the start of the creation of new American films which was proven by the fact that the two homicidal lovers on the run were to be recreated many times in films such as "Thieves like us" "Natural Born Killers" and "Badlands" But none of those films matched the brutal ending scene of "Bonnie and Clyde" where they were ambushed by the police, their bodies riddled with bullets in powerful slow motion. That exact sequence is what changed movies as we know it, opening the floodgates to more fearless movie makers to explore more taboo subjects and to not be afraid to show anything.
Easy Rider:
This scene from "Easy Rider" is one of the most iconic for American New Wave. It starts with a long cut of a mid 4 shot of the group actually drinking and smoking in a real cemetery. There wasn't a script written for this film so all dialogue was improvised from what the director told them to talk about or they were genuine reactions from what was happening like in this acid trip scene.
The dialogue in this long shot is heavily accompanied by what sounds like machinery making the dialogue almost inaudible. From what I can hear we have one of them asking "What's that?" and the others telling her to take what we can only assume is acid. When the acid is beginning to settle in, the scene starts to cut to and from a slowly tilting camera shot of an old run down building, with a huge lens flare and a female preacher talking in the background. This has been done to slowly show the effects on the acid in which they have taken. It's also done to remind you that you're watching a film instead of immersing you into it. American New wave was well known for doing this with techniques such the lens flare, breaking the 4th wall and bizarre jump cuts.
This is when the crew breaks one of the most important filming rules in Hollywood by pointing the camera directly into the sun. By doing this, the lens can act as a magnifying glass and focus the sun rays onto a very small area on the shutter and could burn a hole into the shutter or aperture mechanism of the lens itself
The rest of the scene is a montage/sequence of events that show a handful of American New Wave conventions. We see one of the actors having a real mental break down about the death of his mother as he sobs over a statue that reminds him of her. When he says "shut up" he's actually telling the crew to shut up and stop filming him. We also see more jump cuts and the use of hand-held cameras. Everything that happens here is unscripted and the crew secretly filming them. The director himself said that they used random people off of the street to hold the cameras for them and act as it was cheaper than getting professionals to do it for them.
Sunday, 28 October 2018
Health And Safety
Studio Health And Safety
When using the studio it is extremely important to follow correct health and safety procedures to prevent any damage to yourself and equipment.
When using the studio you need to ensure that all doorways and emergency exits are marked clearly and are not obstructed.
Make sure no food or drink is in the studio at any time. This is to prevent any from being split as it can damage equipment, cause electric shocks or cause a potential slip hazard which could lead to injury to yourself and damage to the equipment if you were to fall onto it.
Make sure all wires are secured neatly away (no lose/hanging wires) as this could lead to tripping over wires, unplugging them, electrocution or even having wires tangle around your neck.
Keep hands away from the bulbs as they get very hot and could cause burns.
Be careful when lifting heavy equipment, always have someone to help you.
Only people that are needed in the studio should be in there, this is due to the studio being a confined area and other not knowing the correct procedures of the studio could cause injury to others or damage to the equipment
Wednesday, 17 October 2018
4 Hour Film Challenge - Edit To The Beat Of A Song
For this 4 hour film challenge we had to find/record footage and edit it all together to the beat of a song, so the could be a cut or something happening within the shot on the beat.
The song I chose was Mr. Blue Sky due to it's 4 to the floor beat and how it would juxtapose my footage of people getting hurt.
In total this took 50+ clips to edit into this and they're all unique which made the editing process that bit longer. Personally I feel as this challenge went better than expected as it was just something funny and goofy however I feel as some of the clips could have been a bit tighter with the beat and some critic I got was that there could have been some rhythmic variation throughout my edits.
I used speed ramping from the techniques I learnt to help keep clips in time with the song as well as unlinking audio to the video to have the impact noise at the same time as the impact happened. I had to do this due to the fact light travels faster than sound but having them both at the same time added more impact to the beat.
Monday, 8 October 2018
4 Hour Film Challenge - Unusual Perspective
The brief for this 4 hour film challenge was that we had to use an usual perspective. We came up with two ideas to chose from, an usual perspective on men where would interview woman about the "typical male" and then over exaggerate what they say through acting. Our second idea was to record from the perspective of a pesky wasp that kept following us through out the day/our trip into town.
This idea left us with the freedom of camera angles to be whatever we wanted as wasps are able to fly which let us use a handheld camera and let it be shaky and in obscure angles. During editing I tried to have a fly eye effect on all of the shots but I couldn't find a tutorial but I still wanted the shots to be distorted in a way so I used the warping tools to create a weird effect across the screen that humans wouldn't see naturally. The issue with recording outside were that some shots changed from being over to under exposed to due to moving in and out of the shade on a bright day. I also added a "voice over" to the wasp which was me saying "buzz" in many different tones and lengths which is what many people said had "made the video". During group crit it was said that this could have been improved by adding subtitles to what the wasp was saying and also having a scene where the wasp was bouncing off of a window trying to get outside. But Billy said and I quote "I don't know if this is shit or genius"
Friday, 5 October 2018
4 Hour Film Challenge - Doors And Match On Action
The brief we were given for this 4 hour film challenge was that we had to use a door and match on action shots. This could be as simple as someone walking through a door, recording it from two different angles and then matching up the angles in editing to have the person seamlessly walk through the door.
Our initial ideas ranged from someone changing moods every time they walked through a door, to every time they walked through a door they ended up in a different locations. We scrapped these ideas as they would be too time consuming. We finally all agreed on to have someone who has no idea how doors worked as this would be easy to film as well as comedic. When location scouting, we wanted somewhere with a glass door so we could see all angles on the action no matter what side of the door we were on. We also wanted a long corridor for the actors to have a long run up for the door as well as to be able to have a wide range of camera shots and angles to choose from. The idea for it to become a silent film was a happy accident due to the lack of dialogue we could think of for this short film. Although this worked out in editing, during group critic we were told the pass of the editing could have picked up as the film went on just like it would in the short films, they would walk unusually fast because the tapes were sped up which would have helped with our comedic approach.
I was proud of a lot of the camera angles, the rule of thirds and double framing. The only issues discussed within the group critic were that a couple of the match on action shots could have been tightened up a tiny bit more and the intro shots were slightly out of focus. One the I picked up on myself was the framing of when I have the door hit me in the face whilst opening it. The camera should have been aimed down a little lower or zoomed out a bit more as my head was coming of the bottom of the shot.
Wednesday, 3 October 2018
American New Wave Contextual Research (Easy Rider, Taxi Driver, Bonnie & Clyde)
American New Wave is a term used to refer at least three generations of American filmmakers.
First emerged in the 50s in New York.
Concerned with realism and a truthful depiction of American society at the time.
The second generation is the Hollywood Generation (60s).
Influenced by French New Wave.
The late 80s and 90s last generation work outside the studio system and openly in debt to Nouvelle Vague and New Hollywood.
All three generations wanted to work independently of a studio control and have a belief in cinema as an art rather than mere entertainment.
In 1919 four leading figures in American Silent Cinema (Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith) formed United Artists - the first indie studio. Their aim was to better control their own work as well as their futures.
After WWII major studio companies had limited power due to The Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers combined with portable cameras lowering in price allowed indie filmmakers to compete with the major companies.
Hitchman, S. (2013 http://www.newwavefilm.com/international/american-new-wave-1.shtml)
A History of American New Wave Cinema [1]
New Hollywood was a movement in filmmaking from the late 1960s through the 1970s
The movement started with 'The Graduate" and "Bonnie and Clyde" both released in 1967
They both influenced the future of movie-making
These films saw less influence from their production studios and more influence from their directors.
New Hollywood resulted in commercially viable pictures that explored previously taboo subjects in innovative new ways.
New Hollywood isn't so much a style of filmmaking as it is a movement and a period of time.
Saporito, J. (2016 http://screenprism.com/insights/article/the-filmmakers-handbook-what-is-the-new-hollywood-movement) What was the New Hollywood movement? [2]
The American New Wave featured films that shocked the sensibilities of studios and audiences alike.
The movement ended abruptly and draws skepticism among views today.
By 1969, when Easy Rider proved an unlikely hit, the American New Wave could be said to be the dominant force in American filmmaking. the moniker "New Hollywood" suggests how mainstream these eclectic, challenging, and youth-centric films became for the next decade.
Incidentally, Roger Ebert's review at the time for the seminal Easy Rider captures much of the movement. Ebert points to three items which characterized films of the American New Wave. Sudden generational disjunction captured in the difference between Henry Fonda's career and Peter Fonda's new film. The reworking of popular genres such as westerns and motorcycle films. Rejection of straightforward storytelling.
American New Wave films tend to fixate on character action and scenes with intense thematic resonance. Dialogue frequently feels unnecessary and gives way to scenes of violence and high-speed pursuits as in the case of Easy Rider.
Ironically, many of the American New Wave directors became the system they had successfully bucked.
Jordan, S. (2018 http://facets.org/blog/exclusive/lists/essentials/the-new-perspectives-in-the-american-new-wave/) The New Perspectives In The American New Wave [3]
The 1970s was a cultural revolution in many parts of society. Music, literature, politics, sex, and race were all heavily impacted by during the decade. One area which missed out on the party was film. This was mostly attributed to the structure of the studio system at the time. It is slow to recognize change and even slower in implementing it.
Esterkamp, J. (2014 https://medium.com/@jtesterkamp/new-hollywood-why-the-70s-were-the-greatest-decade-in-america-cinema-c42676e2170f) Why The 70's Were The Greatest Decade In American Cinema [4]
Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda did not write a full script for the movie and made most of it up as they went along. They didn't hire a crew, but instead picked up hippies at communes across the country, and used friends and passers-by to hold the cameras, and were drunk and stone most of the time.
Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Jack Nicholson were actually smoking marijuana on camera. LSD, however, was not actually used during the acid scene, as Fonda has stated.
It was one of the first films to make extensive use of previously released musical tracks, rather than a specially written film score. This is common with films now but was quite unusual at the time.
Peter Fonda got the idea for Easy Rider after seeing a picture of himself and Bruce Dern on their motorcycles. He got Dennis Hopper (who was planning on quitting the acting business and becoming a teacher at the time) involved when he promised he could direct the film.
The cocaine scene was only fake due to the fact they couldn't afford real cocaine.
Some of the weird lighting effects in the LSD scene came about because a can of the film was accidentally exposed when it was opened before being developed.
Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson were huge fans of Italian Director Michelangelo Antonioni, invited their idol to the first screening of their film. Antonioni was sufficiently impressed to cast Nicholson in his next feature film, "The Passenger" (1975)
IMDB (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064276/trivia?ref_=tt_ql_2) Easy Rider (1969) Trivia [5]
"the biggest reason to be careful when pointing a camera toward the sun is that the lens of the camera can actually act as a magnifying glass and focus the rays of the sun into a very small area on the shutter of the camera. If left in place long enough, this can burn a hole in the shutter or aperture mechanism of the lens itself"
Highton, S. (https://www.vrphotography.com/data/pages/askexperts/basics/pointatsun.html) Ask The VR Photography Experts [6]
Taxi Driver was a huge departure from typical Hollywood and exemplified what New Hollywood wanted to achieve in a number of ways. The non-traditional narrative combined with the unique aesthetics of the film truly set it apart from its conventional Hollywood predecessors
Disjunctive editing was one of the cinematic practices favored by New Hollywood. In opposition to the traditional continuity editing of Hollywood, disjunctive editing further distanced New Hollywood films from their predecessors and served a number of purposes – from forcing the audience to actively be engaged in the film to disorienting them for artistic, ideological, or psychological purposes
The editing used in this scene, as well as the non-diegetic sound of Travis’s voice-over, all disturb and disorient the audience, in addition to mirroring the paranoia and delusions occurring in Travis’s head.
Zoons, A. (https://amylaurenzoons.wordpress.com/2013/03/09/how-taxi-driver-defied-traditional-hollywood-and-exemplified-the-new-hollywood/) How Taxi Driver Defied Traditional Hollywood and Exemplified the New Hollywood [7]
In her book, Hollywood Renaissance, Diane Jacobs discusses the innovative editing and camerawork present in Taxi Driver, saying: “While the camera’s pacing accelerates as the film progresses, it is as restless as its character’s mind from the very start” (146). [8]
First emerged in the 50s in New York.
Concerned with realism and a truthful depiction of American society at the time.
The second generation is the Hollywood Generation (60s).
Influenced by French New Wave.
The late 80s and 90s last generation work outside the studio system and openly in debt to Nouvelle Vague and New Hollywood.
All three generations wanted to work independently of a studio control and have a belief in cinema as an art rather than mere entertainment.
In 1919 four leading figures in American Silent Cinema (Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith) formed United Artists - the first indie studio. Their aim was to better control their own work as well as their futures.
After WWII major studio companies had limited power due to The Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers combined with portable cameras lowering in price allowed indie filmmakers to compete with the major companies.
Hitchman, S. (2013 http://www.newwavefilm.com/international/american-new-wave-1.shtml)
A History of American New Wave Cinema [1]
New Hollywood was a movement in filmmaking from the late 1960s through the 1970s
The movement started with 'The Graduate" and "Bonnie and Clyde" both released in 1967
They both influenced the future of movie-making
These films saw less influence from their production studios and more influence from their directors.
New Hollywood resulted in commercially viable pictures that explored previously taboo subjects in innovative new ways.
New Hollywood isn't so much a style of filmmaking as it is a movement and a period of time.
Saporito, J. (2016 http://screenprism.com/insights/article/the-filmmakers-handbook-what-is-the-new-hollywood-movement) What was the New Hollywood movement? [2]
The American New Wave featured films that shocked the sensibilities of studios and audiences alike.
The movement ended abruptly and draws skepticism among views today.
By 1969, when Easy Rider proved an unlikely hit, the American New Wave could be said to be the dominant force in American filmmaking. the moniker "New Hollywood" suggests how mainstream these eclectic, challenging, and youth-centric films became for the next decade.
Incidentally, Roger Ebert's review at the time for the seminal Easy Rider captures much of the movement. Ebert points to three items which characterized films of the American New Wave. Sudden generational disjunction captured in the difference between Henry Fonda's career and Peter Fonda's new film. The reworking of popular genres such as westerns and motorcycle films. Rejection of straightforward storytelling.
American New Wave films tend to fixate on character action and scenes with intense thematic resonance. Dialogue frequently feels unnecessary and gives way to scenes of violence and high-speed pursuits as in the case of Easy Rider.
Ironically, many of the American New Wave directors became the system they had successfully bucked.
Jordan, S. (2018 http://facets.org/blog/exclusive/lists/essentials/the-new-perspectives-in-the-american-new-wave/) The New Perspectives In The American New Wave [3]
The 1970s was a cultural revolution in many parts of society. Music, literature, politics, sex, and race were all heavily impacted by during the decade. One area which missed out on the party was film. This was mostly attributed to the structure of the studio system at the time. It is slow to recognize change and even slower in implementing it.
Esterkamp, J. (2014 https://medium.com/@jtesterkamp/new-hollywood-why-the-70s-were-the-greatest-decade-in-america-cinema-c42676e2170f) Why The 70's Were The Greatest Decade In American Cinema [4]
Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda did not write a full script for the movie and made most of it up as they went along. They didn't hire a crew, but instead picked up hippies at communes across the country, and used friends and passers-by to hold the cameras, and were drunk and stone most of the time.
Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Jack Nicholson were actually smoking marijuana on camera. LSD, however, was not actually used during the acid scene, as Fonda has stated.
It was one of the first films to make extensive use of previously released musical tracks, rather than a specially written film score. This is common with films now but was quite unusual at the time.
Peter Fonda got the idea for Easy Rider after seeing a picture of himself and Bruce Dern on their motorcycles. He got Dennis Hopper (who was planning on quitting the acting business and becoming a teacher at the time) involved when he promised he could direct the film.
The cocaine scene was only fake due to the fact they couldn't afford real cocaine.
Some of the weird lighting effects in the LSD scene came about because a can of the film was accidentally exposed when it was opened before being developed.
Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson were huge fans of Italian Director Michelangelo Antonioni, invited their idol to the first screening of their film. Antonioni was sufficiently impressed to cast Nicholson in his next feature film, "The Passenger" (1975)
IMDB (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064276/trivia?ref_=tt_ql_2) Easy Rider (1969) Trivia [5]
"the biggest reason to be careful when pointing a camera toward the sun is that the lens of the camera can actually act as a magnifying glass and focus the rays of the sun into a very small area on the shutter of the camera. If left in place long enough, this can burn a hole in the shutter or aperture mechanism of the lens itself"
Highton, S. (https://www.vrphotography.com/data/pages/askexperts/basics/pointatsun.html) Ask The VR Photography Experts [6]
Taxi Driver was a huge departure from typical Hollywood and exemplified what New Hollywood wanted to achieve in a number of ways. The non-traditional narrative combined with the unique aesthetics of the film truly set it apart from its conventional Hollywood predecessors
Disjunctive editing was one of the cinematic practices favored by New Hollywood. In opposition to the traditional continuity editing of Hollywood, disjunctive editing further distanced New Hollywood films from their predecessors and served a number of purposes – from forcing the audience to actively be engaged in the film to disorienting them for artistic, ideological, or psychological purposes
The editing used in this scene, as well as the non-diegetic sound of Travis’s voice-over, all disturb and disorient the audience, in addition to mirroring the paranoia and delusions occurring in Travis’s head.
Zoons, A. (https://amylaurenzoons.wordpress.com/2013/03/09/how-taxi-driver-defied-traditional-hollywood-and-exemplified-the-new-hollywood/) How Taxi Driver Defied Traditional Hollywood and Exemplified the New Hollywood [7]
In her book, Hollywood Renaissance, Diane Jacobs discusses the innovative editing and camerawork present in Taxi Driver, saying: “While the camera’s pacing accelerates as the film progresses, it is as restless as its character’s mind from the very start” (146). [8]
Tuesday, 2 October 2018
The Development Of Editing
Editing is a key part of moving image, it can set the tone of the genre and set the narrative of the text being able to film scenes out of order and then edit them together to "make sense". Before editing in the 1900s film makers used to have to shoot each scene in the order it would appear in the moving image.
Lev Kuleshov, David Griffiths and Sergei Eisenstein are the main the film makers that experimented with editing techniques that are still used in the editing world today.
L. Kuleshov believes that the construction of a film is vital for it to be successful which is usually done through editing where the way two shots interact with each other matter more than the way two actors interact with each other. The "Kuleshov Effect" is his very own method of film making. This is where through the use of editing an audience can tell how a character is feeling with a close up and a cut to what the character is looking at.
D. Griffiths is known to have created parallel editing. This technique is where there is an alteration of two or more scenes that are happening simultaneously but in different locations. The conclusion of this occasionally ends up with the two parties meeting each other in a single place.
S. Eisenstein believed that montages were a way to create meaning to a scene and also show a progress of time. He was a student of Kuleshov, but they went separate ways due to conflicting opinions.
To edit before, film makers used to have to physically cut the film with a razor blade. This method was massively time consuming but was the only way to do it until 1924. This was when the Moviola invented by Iwan Serrurier was brought into action. This allowed editing within film to become much easier and more precise.
In the 1930s when the Flatbed was invented by Steenbeck and K-E-M (Keller-Elektro-Mechanik) the Moviola became less popular however the Flatbed didn't become mainstream until the 1960s as they were much smaller and easier to use.
Until the 1990s linear editing was the only way to edit moving image using two video tape machines and a video monitor. Non-linear editing computers were introduced in the 90s the first being the CMX-600. Non-linear editing is more widely preferred today over linear editing. Non-linear editing is computer based, you upload footage from a camera into your editing software and you choose how you want to edit from there, the possibilities are endless from cuts, transitions and effects which are all built into the editing software.
Lev Kuleshov, David Griffiths and Sergei Eisenstein are the main the film makers that experimented with editing techniques that are still used in the editing world today.
D. Griffiths is known to have created parallel editing. This technique is where there is an alteration of two or more scenes that are happening simultaneously but in different locations. The conclusion of this occasionally ends up with the two parties meeting each other in a single place.
S. Eisenstein believed that montages were a way to create meaning to a scene and also show a progress of time. He was a student of Kuleshov, but they went separate ways due to conflicting opinions.
To edit before, film makers used to have to physically cut the film with a razor blade. This method was massively time consuming but was the only way to do it until 1924. This was when the Moviola invented by Iwan Serrurier was brought into action. This allowed editing within film to become much easier and more precise.
In the 1930s when the Flatbed was invented by Steenbeck and K-E-M (Keller-Elektro-Mechanik) the Moviola became less popular however the Flatbed didn't become mainstream until the 1960s as they were much smaller and easier to use.
Until the 1990s linear editing was the only way to edit moving image using two video tape machines and a video monitor. Non-linear editing computers were introduced in the 90s the first being the CMX-600. Non-linear editing is more widely preferred today over linear editing. Non-linear editing is computer based, you upload footage from a camera into your editing software and you choose how you want to edit from there, the possibilities are endless from cuts, transitions and effects which are all built into the editing software.
Wednesday, 26 September 2018
Why Lighting Effects Camera Techniques For Moving Image
Lighting is what can make or break a film. Without the correct use of lighting the shots could be under/cover exposed or not portray the correct meaning the shot was originally meant to give. There are handful of different lighting techniques such as "hard/soft lighting", "warm/cool lighting" and low/high-key lighting"
Hard lighting is created from a single narrow light source. This creates a hard edge on the shadow giving the shadow a clear shape. Hard lighting is great for creating silhouettes for noir films which have a heavy use of shadows to create meaning in their shots. e.g. the use of hard light through venetian blinds to cast the shadows onto walls and actors.
Soft lighting created from several lightings being directed at the subject/set. This creates softer shadows that have more of a fuzz as they blend into the light with a gradient effect. Soft lighting is often used as a fill lighting as it creates little shadows and would be commonly found it sit coms that have a brighter feel to the set.
Using lights of different colour temperatures in film means using lights of different colour in the same shot. As seen in this image below, this has been excellently used by Dr. James Cameron in "Terminator 2" where he mixed the blue and orange as in this scene the terminator is being hit by lights from moonlight (blue) and molten steal (orange). the only issue with mixing colours like this as it's not really possible to change the definition of one light without also effecting the other.
Hard lighting is created from a single narrow light source. This creates a hard edge on the shadow giving the shadow a clear shape. Hard lighting is great for creating silhouettes for noir films which have a heavy use of shadows to create meaning in their shots. e.g. the use of hard light through venetian blinds to cast the shadows onto walls and actors. Soft lighting created from several lightings being directed at the subject/set. This creates softer shadows that have more of a fuzz as they blend into the light with a gradient effect. Soft lighting is often used as a fill lighting as it creates little shadows and would be commonly found it sit coms that have a brighter feel to the set.
Using lights of different colour temperatures in film means using lights of different colour in the same shot. As seen in this image below, this has been excellently used by Dr. James Cameron in "Terminator 2" where he mixed the blue and orange as in this scene the terminator is being hit by lights from moonlight (blue) and molten steal (orange). the only issue with mixing colours like this as it's not really possible to change the definition of one light without also effecting the other.
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Tuesday, 18 September 2018
Lighting
Edge Lighting is commonly found in the studio as well as lots of films, famously in Noir. This technique is used to create a subtle or an obvious "edge" of light on the subject, usually split down the middle of the subject but for magazines and photo shoots it's used have light edge along the jawline.
This is a really simple and easy lighting to do. 90 degrees from the subject to create a shadow on one side of the face and light on the other creating a "split" or "edge" of light on the subject.
Rembrandt Lighting is highly used in studios. This lighting can be achieved in two ways. You can use a single light and a reflector or by using two lights but at different settings and angles (which is what I have done). This technique is popular in the studios because it produces images which appear both natural and fascinating with little equipment
This lighting is hard to achieve, I didn't get the full triangle under the eye. To solve this, I could have spent more time carefully moving the light and subject to achieve the correct lighting.
Butterfly Lighting is one of the oldest techniques for lighting the face of a subject. This technique got its name from the butterfly-shaped shadow it creates under the subject's nose as well giving more definition to the subjects cheekbones.
This lighting was one of the easiest to achieve however the lights weren't able to go up high enough to fully achieve the right lighting and harsh shadows under the nose. To fix this, I would have a light I can move higher up or lower my subject more.
This experimental lighting with the light directly under the subject created harsh shadows over his face with the lights hitting the lower parts of his face and just above his eyes.
Thuis lighting created a more extreme split effect with more of his face cover with the shadow.
This was my favourite lighting as it created a very ominous silhouette of the subject and creating a "heavenly" glow from behind him shinning through his hair.
The issue with this low key lighting is the ISO being high creating a grainy video.
This high key lighting is very easy to create due to the fact it's just natural light. The only issue is with natural light is depending on the weather and time of day, the lighting may not stay consistent and shots may look different in shoots. To solve this I'd take out a light source of my own, a diffuser and reflector to keep the lighting outside consistent.
Friday, 14 September 2018
Suggested Lighting Equipment And Set Ups
A small documentary where portability is paramount - Sun light, ring light attached to the camera, small box lights
All of this equipment is small and light making it easy to carry around as you move from location to location for said documentary. The ring light attached to the camera will help keep areas in front of the camera well lit and the small box lights will help light up more shaded areas the the sun can't reach. The only issue with the sun on a bright day is as you move from shade into sun light it can make keeping the light exposure levels consistent and can cause people on screen to squint. to help resolve this, you could either keep to shaded areas, have the people on camera face side on from the sun so they don't squint or plan ahead and shoot on a cloudy day or when the sun is at a high point in the sky which would keep the lighting consistent and away from eyes.
Talking head style interview - Full studio soft box lighting kit -
This lighting is what is used in the majority of head style interviews as the subject usually stays in the same spot. This will mean you wouldn't have to move heavy equipment around and the lighting and exposure levels would stay consistent throughout the shoot.
A night time shoot - Natural lighting (cities) and ring lights.
I would choose this equipment for a night time shoot as the ring lights will help keep what's in front of the camera stay well light in dark areas whilst also keeping the "night time feel". I would also use natural lighting from the cities as unless you're walking around into unlit areas at night the exposure levels and lighting would stay fairly consistent throughout the shoot.
All of this equipment is small and light making it easy to carry around as you move from location to location for said documentary. The ring light attached to the camera will help keep areas in front of the camera well lit and the small box lights will help light up more shaded areas the the sun can't reach. The only issue with the sun on a bright day is as you move from shade into sun light it can make keeping the light exposure levels consistent and can cause people on screen to squint. to help resolve this, you could either keep to shaded areas, have the people on camera face side on from the sun so they don't squint or plan ahead and shoot on a cloudy day or when the sun is at a high point in the sky which would keep the lighting consistent and away from eyes.
Talking head style interview - Full studio soft box lighting kit -
This lighting is what is used in the majority of head style interviews as the subject usually stays in the same spot. This will mean you wouldn't have to move heavy equipment around and the lighting and exposure levels would stay consistent throughout the shoot.
A night time shoot - Natural lighting (cities) and ring lights.
I would choose this equipment for a night time shoot as the ring lights will help keep what's in front of the camera stay well light in dark areas whilst also keeping the "night time feel". I would also use natural lighting from the cities as unless you're walking around into unlit areas at night the exposure levels and lighting would stay fairly consistent throughout the shoot.
Bibliography Unit 1
1. Hitchman, S. (2013 http://www.newwavefilm.com/international/american-new-wave-1.shtml)
A History of American New Wave Cinema
2. Saporito, J. (2016 http://screenprism.com/insights/article/the-filmmakers-handbook-what-is-the-new-hollywood-movement) What was the New Hollywood movement?
3. Jordan, S. (2018 http://facets.org/blog/exclusive/lists/essentials/the-new-perspectives-in-the-american-new-wave/) The New Perspectives In The American New Wave
4. Esterkamp, J. (2014 https://medium.com/@jtesterkamp/new-hollywood-why-the-70s-were-the-greatest-decade-in-america-cinema-c42676e2170f) Why The 70's Were The Greatest Decade In American Cinema
5. IMDB (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064276/trivia?ref_=tt_ql_2) Easy Rider (1969) Trivia
6. Highton, S. (https://www.vrphotography.com/data/pages/askexperts/basics/pointatsun.html) Ask The VR Photography Experts
7. Zoons, A. (https://amylaurenzoons.wordpress.com/2013/03/09/how-taxi-driver-defied-traditional-hollywood-and-exemplified-the-new-hollywood/) How Taxi Driver Defied Traditional Hollywood and Exemplified the New Hollywood
8. Jacobs, D. (1977 Hollywood Renaissance) Page 146
A History of American New Wave Cinema
2. Saporito, J. (2016 http://screenprism.com/insights/article/the-filmmakers-handbook-what-is-the-new-hollywood-movement) What was the New Hollywood movement?
3. Jordan, S. (2018 http://facets.org/blog/exclusive/lists/essentials/the-new-perspectives-in-the-american-new-wave/) The New Perspectives In The American New Wave
4. Esterkamp, J. (2014 https://medium.com/@jtesterkamp/new-hollywood-why-the-70s-were-the-greatest-decade-in-america-cinema-c42676e2170f) Why The 70's Were The Greatest Decade In American Cinema
5. IMDB (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064276/trivia?ref_=tt_ql_2) Easy Rider (1969) Trivia
6. Highton, S. (https://www.vrphotography.com/data/pages/askexperts/basics/pointatsun.html) Ask The VR Photography Experts
7. Zoons, A. (https://amylaurenzoons.wordpress.com/2013/03/09/how-taxi-driver-defied-traditional-hollywood-and-exemplified-the-new-hollywood/) How Taxi Driver Defied Traditional Hollywood and Exemplified the New Hollywood
8. Jacobs, D. (1977 Hollywood Renaissance) Page 146
Referencing - French New Wave
The style of French new wave film/cinema
Wiegand, C. (2001 p. 7) French New Wave. Pocket Essentials: Harpenden
"The look of the New Wave films also owed much to two other factors: the new equipment used by the directors and the low budgets they were forced to work with. Because mobile cameras were used and much of the film-making equipment was improvised, the pictures have a spontaneous and unpredictable nature." (Wiegand 2001)
Parnell, L (2016 https://theculturetrip.com/europe/france/articles/the-french-new-wave-revolutionising-cinema/) The French New Wave: Revolutionising Cinema
"The French New Wave was a group of trailblazing directors who exploded onto the film scene in the late 1950s; revolutionising cinematic conventions by marrying the rapid cuts of Hollywood with philosophical trends." (Parnell 2016)
Wiegand, C. (2001 p. 7) French New Wave. Pocket Essentials: Harpenden
"The look of the New Wave films also owed much to two other factors: the new equipment used by the directors and the low budgets they were forced to work with. Because mobile cameras were used and much of the film-making equipment was improvised, the pictures have a spontaneous and unpredictable nature." (Wiegand 2001)
Parnell, L (2016 https://theculturetrip.com/europe/france/articles/the-french-new-wave-revolutionising-cinema/) The French New Wave: Revolutionising Cinema
"The French New Wave was a group of trailblazing directors who exploded onto the film scene in the late 1950s; revolutionising cinematic conventions by marrying the rapid cuts of Hollywood with philosophical trends." (Parnell 2016)
Thursday, 13 September 2018
Shutter Speed, ISO And Aperture
Shutter Speed:
Shutter speed is the length of time your camera shutter is open for, exposing light onto the camera sensor.
When you use a long shutter speed, you end up exposing your sensor for a significant period of time. The first big effect of shutter speed is motion blur. If your shutter speed is long, moving subjects in your photo/video will appear blurred along with the direction of motion.
ISO:
In very basic terms, ISO is simply a camera setting that will brighten or darken a photo. As you increase your ISO number, your photos will grow progressively brighter. For that reason, ISO is a good tool to help you capture images in dark environments or be more flexible about your aperture and shutter speed settings.
However, raising your ISO has consequences. A photo taken at too high of an ISO will show a lot of grain, also known as noise, and might not be usable. So, brightening a photo via ISO is always a trade-off. You should only raise your ISO when you are unable to brighten the photo via shutter speed or aperture instead (for example, if using a longer shutter speed would cause your subject to be blurry).
Aperture:
Aperture is a hole within a lens, through which light travels into the camera body. It is an easy concept to understand if you just think about how your eyes work. As you move between bright and dark environments, the iris in your eyes either expands or shrinks, controlling the size of your pupil. In photography, the “pupil” of your lens is called your aperture. You can shrink or enlarge the size of the aperture to allow more or less light to reach your camera sensor.
Aperture has several effects on your photographs. One of the most important is the brightness, or exposure, of your images. As aperture changes in size, it alters the overall amount of light that reaches your camera sensor – and therefore the brightness of your image. A large aperture (a wide opening) will pass a lot of light, resulting in a brighter photograph. A small aperture does just the opposite, making a photo darker.
The other critical effect of aperture is something known as depth of field. The depth of field is the amount of your photograph that appears sharp from front to back. Some images have a “thin” or “shallow” depth of field, where the background is completely out of focus. Other images have a “large” or “deep” depth of field, where both the foreground and background are sharp.
My first outdoors attempt. Doing a pull focus shot starting from the left wall and finishing on the roof to the right. ISO of 400 due to the shade and a smaller aperture to allow less light on from the wall and roof.
These next to videos are another pull focus in the graveyard. I feel as the videos are overexposed and more grainy with the 400 ISO but also went underexposed with a 200 ISO and I found it difficult to focus from the front grave to the back due to the change in light.
These next two videos are of the same angle but the first is overexposed with a 1600 ISO and the second is underexposed with a 400 ISO. I personally prefer the second video as the low ISO gives the video low-key lighting and has more of a horror effect to it.
The results of this experiment were as expected. The camera shutter speed at 1/30 had more motion blur than the one at 1/250. The only thing I would have changed is for the last train to be going at the same speed as the first two for a more fair comparison.
As you can tell this video is massively underexposed due to the low ISO with extremely poor lighting as I was using indoor lights as my video lighting
With the ISO of 1600, the wall is more visible but the with the light being indoors, the inside of the building starts to become washed out with the light.
This is outside with the camera facing away from the building. Anything below 1600 was pure black on the screen. the best result came from the ISO at 6400 but the video became grainy. To help resolve this issue I would have used better lighting with a lower ISO
With the F stop at 16, the subject (the bench) is in focus where the background (the wall and trees) are slightly out of focus so the depth of field is relatively shallow
With the F stop at 22 everything in this shot is in focus as the depth of field is deep. However, the subjects light exposure is a lot less than the backgrounds causing the subject to be much darker and a little grainy. This could be fixed with a light source aimed at the subject to help balance out this light exposure
With the F stop at 4 (the lens wouldn't go down to 2.8), the subject is clearly in focus whereas the background is entirely blurred out with just smudges of the colours blending together.
Shutter speed is the length of time your camera shutter is open for, exposing light onto the camera sensor.
When you use a long shutter speed, you end up exposing your sensor for a significant period of time. The first big effect of shutter speed is motion blur. If your shutter speed is long, moving subjects in your photo/video will appear blurred along with the direction of motion.
ISO:
In very basic terms, ISO is simply a camera setting that will brighten or darken a photo. As you increase your ISO number, your photos will grow progressively brighter. For that reason, ISO is a good tool to help you capture images in dark environments or be more flexible about your aperture and shutter speed settings.
However, raising your ISO has consequences. A photo taken at too high of an ISO will show a lot of grain, also known as noise, and might not be usable. So, brightening a photo via ISO is always a trade-off. You should only raise your ISO when you are unable to brighten the photo via shutter speed or aperture instead (for example, if using a longer shutter speed would cause your subject to be blurry).
Aperture:
Aperture is a hole within a lens, through which light travels into the camera body. It is an easy concept to understand if you just think about how your eyes work. As you move between bright and dark environments, the iris in your eyes either expands or shrinks, controlling the size of your pupil. In photography, the “pupil” of your lens is called your aperture. You can shrink or enlarge the size of the aperture to allow more or less light to reach your camera sensor.
Aperture has several effects on your photographs. One of the most important is the brightness, or exposure, of your images. As aperture changes in size, it alters the overall amount of light that reaches your camera sensor – and therefore the brightness of your image. A large aperture (a wide opening) will pass a lot of light, resulting in a brighter photograph. A small aperture does just the opposite, making a photo darker.
The other critical effect of aperture is something known as depth of field. The depth of field is the amount of your photograph that appears sharp from front to back. Some images have a “thin” or “shallow” depth of field, where the background is completely out of focus. Other images have a “large” or “deep” depth of field, where both the foreground and background are sharp.
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