Post 13 Advanced production skills workshop 3

for our final Advanced Production Skills we looked at the different source of color used in films and what effect they have on the image and the audiences reception on it. This was very important to learn because light has a very big impact on how the image is portrayed in the film, it can atmosphere. this is vital for me as the camera man in my group because I need to make sure that what i am fully educated on these aspect so I can enhance my filming to the best it can be.

when we first started to talk about these issues in class were were shown real examples on how different filters portray a completely different view of an image. the image we looked at was taken out of the film Forrest Gump. This provided a great example of how the light can dramatically affect an image.

                                                                       Image one

                                                                              Image two 

it is clear to see that there is a massive contast between the two different images. both images are shot on the exact same bench with roughly the same amount of natural light. As you can see one is far clearer and defined than the other which is bright and blurry. The reason for this is because image two has very intense light being shone from directly in front of the characters. This is causing the image to become bleached and very blared especially anything behind the characterise. detail in the faces of the characters is being lost and the surrounding environment is almost impossible to see. This is not what the producers of Forrest Gump wanted because all detail and atmosphere is being lost. image one on the other hand is clear and in detail. you can see the faces and the surrounding area easily.

As camera man for my group it is important that I look at these photos and see what I need to do to make sure the filming is a total success. these photos give me a very good indication on how lighting needs to be used for me to be able to film a clear, affective and detailed scene.

Three Point Lighting

We then looked at three point lighting in our media classes. I then conducted my own personal research into Three point lighting to see what effect it had when filming and why three point lighting has been used for so many years and still being used today.

The conception of three point lighting was created in Hollywood the Three Point Lighting technique is a fairly basic use of visual media like video, film, photography and computer-generated imagery. It is a pretty simple method but its benefits of being a versatile system which forms the basis of almost all lighting makes it vitally important. Once I fully understand the three point lighting basics I can understand all aspect of lighting

3 point lighting has taught me a lot when it comes to filming our short film. I have a very detailed knowledge on 3 pointlighting which as the camera man is very helpful. I had worries that when we came to film lighting would be a problem and that we would need to rely on the weather. now i am confident due to 3 point lighting we can enhance our own source of light with out the need of natural light.

to understand the concept of 3 point lighting in class we looked at various images and discussed how and what is the lighting source and what affect it has on the image. firstly we looked at this picture :

As you can see there is very limited natural light in this image. This is where lighting comes into the equation. firstly the obvious main source of light are all the lights along the walls of the corridor this instantly lights the room and makes it fairly clear to see the image it makes the man in the corridor clear and see able. But there is in fact 3 other sources of light used in this image. There are lights on the ceiling of the corridor that cant be seen directly but you can see the light when you look at the arches on the ceiling are lit up. This causes the floor to be much brighter than it would otherwise be with just the side lights on the wall lit. Another source of light is at the very end of the corridor. It is clear to see it is much brighter at the end of the corridor, this is most likely natural light poring in from perhaps a window or doorway but i don't feel that this has much affect on the image as a hole (the light to far away at the end of the corridor to affect the man and the image around him). Then the last source of light used is directly in front of the man (behind the camera) shining towards him. this is most likely natural light like at the end of the corridor.

Post 12 Advanced Production Skills Workshop 2

In this post I will be discussing the Quality of lighting and looking at the different types and methods used. we conducted our own experiment and we looked at the different aspects of hard and soft lighting and how it affected the scene and atmoshpere. there are 3 main types of lighting that we looked at

• Soft Lighting -This is a less direct (indirect) method which can be diffused to make a blured efect.

• Hard Lighting -  This is direct light being shone on to the image/charachter which then creates large shadows behind it with textures.

we were put into groups and were given a task to try and show the different affects of lighting (hard and soft). were all had to decide what jobs we all had i.e

Director - Anton Richards
Camera - Ryan Thrussell
Lighting - Tim White (Me)
Recorder - Nicola Carlisle
Actor - Anton Richards

we all had to work together and do our allocated job roles. this was a learning curve for us as this was our first practical experiment with lighting. First of all we had to get to grip with the equipment we were using (lights and camera) before we could shoot the scene.


before we filmed the scene, we as a group put forward ideas and predicaments to how and what we wanted to portray in the scene. before the exersise we had discussed breifly about difusers and what affect they can have on an image.







Once we had conducted our filming we analysed it and reveiwed what we could have done better (weaknesses) and what he did well. personally I feel with very limited time to prepare we conducted a successful shoot and portayed some good footage to prove the different aspects of lighting makes a big difference. Though it was difficult to see the change of difusers that we used on the image if you look closely you can see the difference. We completed the task that was given to . it is clear to seee that the different difusers make a big difference on the image shown it creates atmosphere with big shows this is what we wanted to tray and acheive before we started to film. It was a bit difficult to identify which diffuser was which in the filming becuase there was little change but i feel with more understanding and practice we could of impoved and changed things around to conduct are far more effect scene.

Improvments

Firstly I feel with more time and preperation we could have perfomed better and maybe thought about important factors such as lighting positioning and camera positioning. we went in feet first and didnt really think about the best place the equipment.

Another point is that we didnt focus the camera when filming. This lead to a problem becuase when the clapper was pulled away from the infront of the camera to start filmng the camera didnt have enpugh time refocus on the charachter leading it to be blured and less effective.   

we could have filmed for longer and perhaps gained more knowledge and understanding. we would of beeb able to see the effect of lighting and perhaps experiment more if given more time to film.

planning is key and i felt that we needed to have planned out what we were doing befroe we strated to film

all in all i feel this task was very beneficial and was a bif learing curve for us all. when it comes to us filming i think we will have a larger understanding of what we need to do.

post 11

before we started to talk about lighting in class i had a very poor undestanding on the importance of lighting. I felt that other aspect of filming like the camera and actors would be more important this simply is not the case. First of all we stated to look at what lighting can do to effect an image of a filming scene i found this vey interseting and educational.

we looked then looked into Film Noir which was very interesting in what it was trying portray. This type of filming was used in Hollywood over a period of 10 years between 1940 and 1950. It was mainly used for crime dramas and had even had links  in German film.

The main attributes to it was how dark and dangerous the atmosphere was using this technique. This was totally separated it from any other genre in Hollywood at the time with comedy and big lively musicals in production. the affect that film Noir had was by far very different.  Film Noir was often refereed to as 'Black film' because of its desperately dark and depressing feel to it.

Film Noir was first developed in the 1940s during the Second World War where there was a lot of anxiety and fear among people. it was a black and white film era used until the 1960's where then it finally had finished its golden age and faded away with the arrival of color.











some people misinterpret Film Noir as a genre like comedy, action, thriller ect but this is not the case. Film Noir is a style which which sets a mood and atmosphere within a genre it is not a genre itself. it is a unique style which sets a dark scene and mood to a a film. Film Noir is very important part of history in film and lighting. it developed during the second world war and has become very historic.     

post 10 - Job Roles Research

This post will be looking into the different roles involved when making a film. for our own film these jobs will be indiviually given within the group so having a good knowledge on what each job role consists of is vital if we are to make a successful short film.

Director

The director has the job of managing the film, being in control and making sure everything is done to the correct standard and to what the film needs to be made like. There are often assistant directors aswel. In our case for our media studies course work Anton is the director because it was his script chosen to be developed into a short film for our course work. So he will be the one who decides where it is filmed who the actors are and other important factors linked with the short film. He will manage the camera crew and actors on how he wants to portray the film as he is the director. they control a films artistics and dramatic aspects of the filming.

Camera

The camera operator's job is a vital one. He or she has the responsibilty of operating the film camera and physically controlling it keeping it fluid by composure and maintaning its stabilty whilst filming. other aspects such as zooming in and out and camera lenses also come into consideration. The camera positioning is also very important with the camera operater having to know some vital rules such as the 180 degree rule, shot reverse shot and others.

Lighting

lighting is very important in any film production. with out light controll the atmoshpere and mood of a scene can be taken away. light portrays what mood the scene is in. though many films use natural in dark rooms or at night when there is no natural light available atrifical light is vital. there are different methods when trying use artifial lighting that can be used such as filters and framing. the main atributes the cinematographer (as know in the film industry) are the following

• filtration



• composition



• exposure



• lens choises



• film selection

Sound production

This is all noise that is made during filming and is monitered and under the controll of the sounds crew. this is all dialogue whilst filming and any music that needs to be put into the film for mood and atmosphere reasons.

Post 9

The Man Who Never Returned

By

Tim White  

1^st draft

It’s a cold January morning Jamie stands alone in his Army uniform. Jamie has just returned from tour of the Middle East. He has returned to his home town where he was born and raised. He looks around and stares down the deserted high street where as a boy he would walk and play.

Jamie

‘Don’t remember it being so deserted the happiest days of my life were spent in the town in these streets’

It’s about 7 in the morning its cold and frosty. Jamie is in deep thought about his childhood and how things have changed since he last stood in these streets. He starts to walk down the empty street observing every detail.

Jamie

‘I wonder if everyone will even recognise me now. Feels like it’s been years and years since ive seen anyone from this town.’

Jamie continues to walk down the road into the distance. (end of scene)

It’s still quite a few cars swift by on the road. Jamie stops and looks to his right and turns to face what used to be his home. He loos at it with intensity and memories flood his mind. He cant help but stare for a moment before walking to the door and facing the memories of inside.

Jamie

‘Its amazing how somewhere of such happiness can turn into a dark and lonesome place. This doesn’t feel like the house I left’

he opens the door and steps inside. He drops his bags and closes the door. He scans the house in detail, eventually he walks into the kitchen. (end of scene 2)

The alarm is bleeping Jamie sits at the side of his bed in deep thought after a nightmare. He turnsthe alarm off and stares forward.

Jamie

‘Maybe I could have done something. Maybe I shouldn’t be here and my men should be what if I didn’t do enough’

Jamie is stood in his kitchen the phone rings and startles him. The phone is from a job that he applied for. He answers.

Phone

Hi am I talking to Jamie smith?

Jamie

Yes thats me

Phone

i received your job application and am willing to offer you and interview

Jamie

Yeah that sounds great, when would be a good time?

Phone

5 o’clock tomorrow?

Jamie

Yeah that should be fine

Phone

Great ill see you then Jamie goodbye

Jamie

Good bye

Jamie puts the phone down and gets a class of water he looks nervous and agitated.

Jamie

Not quite like the army but a change is what a need If I ever want to be normal and to forget, Well will I ever forget? (end of scene)

3a Target Progress

In June at the end of my AS media I set my self targets for my self to achieve in my A2 work. I set targets that would benefit my quality of work and help me to keep up to date with all my blog posts.

1. My first target was to learn more key words that are important and relevant to my media course work and examinations in June. I feel since I have started my A2 course this year I have learnt many new key words mainly through our lessons and class discussions. I think that I am far more knowledgeable compared to a few months ago and I have contributed more in lessons because of this.

2. my second target was to become more comfortable in the edit suit because last year in my AS course work I found it difficult at times because of my lack of experience and understanding of
the equipment. though by the end of my editing of our opening sequence i had become far better I think I could improve. We have not started out filming yet so I have not had a chance to use the edit suit and progress with my understanding of it. But I'm hoping that when we start to film I will be heavily involved in the editing and I will get to grips with it then and will be firmly comfortable with it by the end.

3. Another target was for me to try and keep up with all my blog posts so that I don't
leave so much until the last minute like I did last year. though I have been far better this year I feel that I can still improve a lot with how quick I update my blog every week. I am still a little behind on my blog posts so I need to work hard in the coming weeks to catch up with all the blog posts that I have not completed yet.

4. Task four was similar to task three in such as I said that I need to make sure that I complete all tasks handed to me as soon as I can. As soon as I have homework or an assignment to do I must press on with it as soon as it is given so I don't put it off until the last minute. This will improve my quality of work because I will ultimately spend more time on the task which will enhance the quality of the work.

5. And my final target was to improve my quality in writting. I think my english skills have improved and my blog posts are far more clear and presentable compared to last years blog. I have put work into my presentation of work and I feel it is slowly paying off in my written work.

Post 8

When I made my own script I had to take many different factors into consideration. firstly I had to sit down and think about what story I could use in my script. This was in fact harder than I first thought it would be. I needed to take factors into consideration as I would not be able to have too many actors (all of which would need to be friends) and have a next to zero budget and would need to think of viable locations that the short film could be filmed at.

I had to go through a trial and error system to begin with. I thought of some good story lines but then when I thought about them more and in detail I realised they would be very difficult to actually film. I decided to to a bit of my own research into short films on the Internet trying to think of a good story line. I looked at many short films such as Cubs, Wasp, About a girl and Signs. These films really helped be grasp and understand short films. For instance About a girl is a narrative she speaks to the audience directly as if it was a diary I found this very interesting and in fact decided to use this method in my own script.

I played around with different ideas but after looking at and evaluating other short films I came to the conclusion that I wanted my short film to be a narrative about a man who returns from war in Afghanistan and how he copes with day to day life back at his home after his horrible experiences of war and destruction. I had to look at war journals and even watched a couple of documentaries on men returns from war in Vietnam and Iraq. This was very helpful and I had a very clear understanding in my head on what I wanted and needed to do. I came up with the final idea of my short film being called 'The Man Who Never Returned'. This name was supposed to represent the fact that physically the Man came back from war in Afghanistan but he was not the same Man that left to go to war mentally. His mind was still out in Afghanistan.

Unfortunately I realised a bit too late that my story was far to broad for the time I had to film. It was a very big story to portray and a very good actor would be needed to portray this Man. I learnt a lot in the process of making this script non the less.