Basic Lighting: 3 Point Lighting and using reflectors

There are three point lighting used in visual media whether it would be used in films, photography, etc. They are Key Lighting, Fill Lighting and Back Lighting. So to understand what the definitions of these are and how effective they are I have explained and described each Lighting here with a clip showing how the 3-Point Lighting work and their effects.

1) Key Light - This light shines upon the subject and serves as its principal illuminator. More than anything else the colour, strength and angle of the key determines the shot's overall lighting design. This light is the strongest and the more important light.

2) Fill Light - This light also shines on the subject but from a side angle relative to the key and is often placed at a lower position than the key (about at the level of the subject's face). It balances the key by illuminating shaded surfaces, and lessoning or eliminating chiaroscuro effects, such as the shadow cast by a person's nose upon the rest of the face. This light is less stronger than the key light.

3) Back Light -  This light shines on the subject but from behind, often to one side or the other. It gives the subject a rim of light, serving to separate the subject from the background and highlighting colours.

Here is our video demonstrating 3-point-lighting.

Advanced Camera Techniques: Tracking Shot/How to use a dolly

Tracking Shot

A tracking shot is a shot used in which a camera follows a subject within the frame such as moving actor or moving vehicle.

Tracking shot can include smooth movements forward, backwards, along side with the subject or on a curve.  

The equipment needed for a tracking shot are a camera dolly, a wheeled platform that is pushed on rails. It is pushed whilst filming. Sometimes a crane may also be used for a tracking shot.

Here is an example of a long tracking shot being used in the opening of the film "Touch Of Evil".

Here is an example of the tracking shot that we produced in our media class
. 

Preliminary Task

For our Preliminary task we were split up into groups of threes and fours, and we had to make up four lines or more of dialogue for a script. We were joined with another group, as we had to have some actors to perform our script with action and by speaking the lines we had written down on the script for them to say. So our main task was to shoot the scene using camera techniques focusing on Match On Action, the 180 Degree Rule, Shot/Reverse Shot. We also had to have a person walking across a room.

Evaluation of the task

Overall I think we did really well, as we used the camera techniques in the correct and appropriate way and were successful in achieving the effects of these camera techniques. The particular thing that stood out in our short 1-minute film i think we did the Match On Action really well. For our Match On Action we had an actor (Cameron) walking through a room to go for his interview. So we had to film him entering the room from one room (the room he was walking out of) and we had to film from the room he was walking in (the interview room). To be able to make the action in the different shots look matchable, we had to make sure that when we shot it from different rooms that we had continuity. So to do this we saw that as he pushes the door, he pushes it with his right hand and had some paper work in his left hand.

We also saw that he pushed the door with quite a strong force. To consider all this in this shot we had to make sure all this action was in a continuous sequence and that it matched up in the next shot straight after. So to do this we filmed him walking into the room again but this time we filmed from the room he walking into. In this shot we had to make sure that the walking was the same pace and same speed, and that he appears to be pushing the door with the same hand (his right hand) and that he had some paperwork in his left hand. We never broke the 180 degree rule. The film was edited really well on the software. The only thing I think that could of gone better was the acting. Apart from that it was a successful task. Here is a video of our preliminary task film.

Script Formatting Research

A script is a written work by screen writers for a film, video game, or tv programme. Involved in scripts are the dialogue, movements, actions, expressions of the characters. These are all formatted and structured out onto a script in a certain and appropriate way.

Whoever is writing a script whether it be you or even any film or tv scriptwriters, they always have to make sure that the size of their font is 12 and that the style of the text is set to courier. So the font will be 12-point courier font.
Here is a video demonstrating how you should format and structure your script with the dialogue, actions, expressions and movements of the characters. The script in this video is being done using a screenplay programme called celts.

Here is an example from The Bourne Supremacy:

Basic Filming Rules: 180 Degree Rule

When making a film, particularly when you're filming it, it's very important that you film in a correct way so when the audience is watching it back, it will make sense as to what they're viewing. One of the very important rules you have to follow when filming is the 180 degree rule.

The 180 degree rule is a basic guideline regarding the onscreen spatial relationship between a character and another character or object within a scene. An imaginary line called the axis connects two characters together. When they are facing each other so they are opposite each other, the axis (imaginary line is drawn straight through them). As filming this scene like when they are talking to each other for example, the camera will only be on one side of the imaginary line. So in one shot character 1 will appear on the left side of the screen and in a different shot, character 2 will appear on the right side of the screen. If the camera passes over the axis, this is called jumping the line or crossing the line. 

The one way to allow for crossing the line is to have several shots with the camera arching from one side of the line to the other during that scene. That shot can be used to orient the audience to the fact that we are looking at the scene from another angle. 

Here is a video demonstrating how cameras are used to film a scene using the 180 degree rule

 

Basic Filming Rules: Continuity Mistakes

Continuity mistakes is when some thing in a film may go wrong that the audience may not see. They are a type of movie mistakes. It could be to do with following:

1) Weather may suddenly change

2) Clothes may suddenly change so for example colour of clothes

3) Props in scene may suddenly change, so for example may be in another position all of a sudden

4) Facts at start of film may change later on in films. So for example codes, passwords etc.

When the audience watch films they don't notice any continuity mistakes that may have been made in the film. The meaning of continuity is that the films continues with no confusion or mistakes and so that it makes sense and makes it more realistic to the audience.

Above I have described some examples of things that can go wrong in the film which the audience don't even notice because they're so focused as to what is happening in the film, they don't notice the continuity mistakes.

Here is a video showing some examples of continuity mistakes from the Star Trek franchise that the audience have not even noticed.

   

And here are some other continuity errors from other famous feature films:

Basic Filming Rules: Rule Of Thirds

The Rule Of Thirds is a guideline which applies to the process of composing visual images such as designs, films, paintings and photographs. To follow this rule you have to imagine an image that is divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections.

By using this technique it creates more energy, tension, and interest in the composition than simply centering the subject would.

Here is a video demonstrating how the Rule Of Thirds is used.

Basic Editing: Straight Cuts and L-Cuts

A film transition is a technique used in the post-production process of film editing and video editing by which scenes or shots are combined. Most commonly this is through a normal cut to the next scene. Most films will include more different types of cuts, usually to suggest the passage of time, to convey a tone of mood, or to separate parts of the story. Other transitions may include other cut types such as dissolves, L-cuts, fades (usually to black), wipes, and match cuts.

Here are some information about Straight Cuts and L-cuts:

1) Straight Cuts-these are the most common cuts used in a film. It is a basic cut from one shot to another so Shot A abruptly ends and then Shot B abruptly begins. It is also in time with audio as well. Here is an example of straight cut:

 2) L-cut-An L Cut is an editing technique that results in a cut occurring at a different time for audio than for video. For example, you may hear a character's voice before seconds before they appear in  the next shot of the film. Above is an example of how an L-Cut is used.

Basic Editing: Match On Action

Match on action is where an editor cuts from one shot to another view that matches the first shot's action. Even though the different shots may have been shot hours apart from each other the match on action gives the impression of continuous time when watching the edited film.

For example if there was a shot of a person going into a room and they push the door with their left hand, them in another shot viewed from inside the room that they are entering, it would appear that the person is pushing the door still to get into the room but with the same hand and same amount of force. So if from one shot the door was to be pushed fast, then straight away in the next shot, you would still see the door being pushed fast. 

Here is a video demonstrating Match On Action 

Basic Camerawork: Shot Types

In filmmaking or video production, a shot is a series of frames that runs for an uninterrupted period of time. Shots are an important part in films especially when it comes to transitions, cuts and angles. These of which are used to further express emotion, ideas and movement.

There are different types of shots used in films, and to know why these shots are being used depends on the mood, emotion, atmosphere, and action in a part of the film. It also depends on the stories. Certain shots are used for key moments of a film.

Here are some of the different types of shots used in films, tv, photography etc.

1) Long Shot-this is often used for establishing shots, and typically shows the entire object or human figure and is usually intended to place it in some relation to its surroundings.

2) Medium Shot-this shot is used to show a human subject from above the waist up.

3) Close Up Shot-this shot is used to tightly frame a person or an object. It is an important shot to use in any film or tv programme or photography, as it shows more detail of the human face. The expressions, and emotions will also be clear to see. There are many different types of close ups, including extreme close ups, medium close ups etc.

4) Establishing Shot-this shot is similar to a long shot, but however this shot is used in tv programmes and films to show the setting of a particular scene of where some action, or where the story takes place. So for example you may have an establishing shot of a shop, then in the next shot, there may be a person shopping with a trolley in the shop.

Here is a video showing different shot types:

Basic Camerawork: Camera Movements

A director may choose to move action by telling the story as a series of cuts going from one shot to another or they may choose to move the camera with the action. Moving the camera often takes a great deal of time, and makes the action seem slower. These are all the different types of camera movements:

1) Pans

2) Tilts

3) Dolly shots

4) Hand held shots

5) Crane Shots

6) Sled and Vest

Here is a video demonstrating some of these camera movements

Expected Production Of Workflow

Here is our expected production of work flow. So for this we were given some cards which had different points on of what has to be done during filming production.

This would help us as we would be able to stick to an order of preparations we would have to take during the production process in order to create our film.

Welcome

Hello everyone and welcome to my new AS Media Blog. Throughout this course I will be focusing on loads of techniques involved in media. This blog is going to follow me throughout the course, and will regularly be updated with new techniques we will be taught throughout the course. Here are some of the techniques we will be focusing on and what I will be posting on my blog.

• Camera Movements/Angles
• Cut Types
• Match-On-Action
• 180 Degree Rule 
• Rule Of Thirds
• Continuity
• Script Writing