Meeting 26th of January- Comparing tow ideas

 Today we tried to diced on one idea. ‘The local priest’ (Pablo’s idea,) is a narrative driven thriller sequence while ‘fun family function’ (my idea) is presenting a moment in time which could be the start to a dramedy. As both ideas are doable it is up to what we like the best. After a long discussion we decided to sleep on it and to vote on which idea we are going to do tomorrow.  

Meeting 25th of January- Talking about ideas

 At today’s meeting we discussed another idea, additionally to the family function idea that we had settled on previously. The additional idea we discussed, ‘The local priest’ was mentioned before on this blog, in the blog post ‘Action lists’. We then got feedback on both of our ideas from a previous Hurtwood student who is now a professional camera Operator and camera assistant. He listened to both of our ideas and thought that both of them would be doable. We now have to decide on which idea we want to peruse.

Meeting 24th of January- Working on our idea

 At todays meeting we started doing our first storyboards. While drawing we discovered that all of us had different visions on how the sequence should look and we attempted to discuss these ideas and find common ground. Amongst other things we talked about maybe adding more actors to the scene, the shape of the table but also if we should start with a longer opening that starts in a corridor showing different pictures of the family thereby offering more expossion.

Second workshop in the studio

Today we got interduce among other things to the 180 Degree rule. When filming a scene, you first must draw a line between the two parts of interest. For example, in a conversation, between the two people involved.  Once you set up your camera you can’t cross this line anymore. If you were to do this the person originally on the left-hand side would be on the right-hand side and the other way around, which would disorientate the audience. 

 

When framing a shot, it is helpful to keep the rule of three in mind. The rule of three divides the frame in thirds vertically and horizontally. This way four control points are being created. As we read from the left to the ride and from the top to the bottom the viewer is likely to first look at the point on the top left-hand side (and so on). Therefore, placing the characters face at the first point can elevate the framing by a lot.

 

It is extremely helpful to always get Master Coverage first. The master coverage is usually a wide shot of the scene. If the set were to shout down, you can still tell the story. Another tip we got was to not watch back what we shot. As it consumes time and when working with actual Film you are not able to watch back the footage at all on the day, it’s best to not get into the habit.

 

There is a simple dialogue that is nearly universal on sets that ensures that the shoot will go smother. When the director wants to start they will say ‘stand by’ signalling to everyone that they are going to roll. After every department confirmed they stand by the director will say ‘roll camera(s)’ which will if everything goes well be met with a ‘were roiling’ by the camera operator. The director will then shout ‘Action’ now the shot is going to be taken and when the director wants to end the take, they will say ‘cut’. 

Meeting 20th of January - Deciding on one idea

At today’s meeting we discussed all the action lists. Our teacher then helped us consider which ones were doable and what problems we might encounter while producing the sequences. In the end we decided on one idea which we wanted to pursue as we believed that it featured elements that we could get excited about. We ended up with my ‘Fun Family function’ idea.

First studio workshop

 Today we got an intro to working with a professional tripod and camera.
 

The first thing we learned was the ‘mine’ and ‘yours’ rule. Equipment is often heavy, fragile or both. In order to secure the equipment we were thought when handing equipment to someone else or when we are  being handed equipment to say ‘mine’ when holding the object securely and say ‘yours’ when we let go. 

The equipment:

Black magic URSA mini

 

 

 

 

Viten vison tripod 

 

 

When mounting the camera, you must securely slide the quick release plate on the top of the tripod. A little meatal plate prevents the quick release plate halfway through to slide until the end.  After pressing a button on the left side of the tripod the quick release plate can slide through. In order to secure the camera on the tripod you must screw in a lever on the right-hand side of the gimbal. 

In order to raise the tripod to a higher level you must unlock the leg locks and advisably put your food on the plate connecting the tripod, so the tripod stands on the ground. Then you pull the legs up to the point you need them. You will now have to lock the leg lock again. 

When you have raised the tripod, it is likely that not all legs are on the same level. This could create an uneven image. Luckily the tripod head can be moved around. There is a spirt level showing you if you are in fact even. While moving around the tripod head you should try to get the air bubble in the middle of the circle. 

(video of matching spirit level)

 

In professional environments equipment is always set on manual and not auto as cameras for example don’t have context on the scene. 

Pulling the focus is crucial for a good shot. A missed focus can ruin the best take, as the viewer will not be able to see what’s going on. In order to pull the focus, you zoom in as close as possible on the object you want in focus and then try and get the sharpest image you can get. When trying to set and Actor/Actress in focus zoom into their eyes. The eyes are not only the part that most people focus on, but they have infinite detail unlike skin thereby being optimal to determine the sharpest image. After setting the focus you can zoom out again to frame your shot. Zoom and Focus can be changed by pulling on the designated wheel on the lens (‘pulling the focus’).

 

 

Exposure is the brightness of the shot and must be changed depending on the lighting on set. The exposure can be changed through a small blue leaver on the lens.  

 

Lights have different colours. Man-made lamps inside are often more orange. Sunlight as it goes through the blue sky is bluer. The colours of objects recorded on video change depending on the light. To make this more coherence you can change the white balance which is supposed to show the true colours. The white balance can be changed on the digital touchscreen. There are pre-settings for indoors outdoors and other light situations, but you can also create costume ones.

Action lists

  At todays meeting we decided on four ideas we wanted to keep in the run and then each of us wrote an action list for the sequence or sequences we pitched.

The Concert/ The Egg Fronts (Cornelius):

-Black Screen with name of studio, start of Non diegetic soundtrack 

-medium shot of Jamie 

-Establishing wide shot of the empty stage

-Synchronous cut to stage shortly before a performance (the band is on stage except for the lead singer)

- Synchronous Cut to Jamie, she turns to the right.

-Eyeline match with empty corner of the stage 

-Synchronous cut to the same corner during the performance where a drum set is stationed 

-a medium shot introduces David who plays the drums

-cut to close up of drum

-cut to close up of David’s face as he focuses on the music 

- Synchronous Cut to Jamie, she turns to the left.

-wipe with hidden cut to the left

-wide shot of a empty corner of the stage

-Guitar starts playing as part of the soundtrack

- Synchronous Cut to the corner of the stage during performance revealing Madelyn playing the E-guitar 

-Close up of Madelyn smiling

-Close up of the guitar 

- Synchronous cut to medium shot of Jamie before the performance looking straight forward

-Close up of Jamie’s face smiling 

-wipe to empty stage (In centre frame are the curtain’s)

-Synchronous cut to the stage during the performance (In centre frame are the curtain’s)

-Jamie comes out of the curtains in an Egg costume

-Switch to hand healed camera

-The camera moves with Jamie while she walks synchronous to the beat across the stage and meets up with the band members 

-The camera comes closer to her face as she stands at the centre of the stage again while the now diegetic soundtrack climaxes, she starts singing the first note 

-Cut to a medium shot of Jamie the camera moves out in one continuous shot revealing the entire stage 

-Cut to title card and black screen, abrupt ending of music 

-cut to closeup of Jamie with her eyes closed 

-Jamie opens her eyes 

-Medium shot of Jamie seemingly disappointed that she is not performing (not in egg costume)

-Wide shot of the empty stage as Jamie walks away, highlighting that the performance was imaginary 

Fun Family Function (Cornelius)

-A gimbal-shot starts out at Francesco’s face; he screams, the camera moves to a mid-shot reviling him sitting at a dining table.

-eyeline match and cut to a mid-shot of Sofia (his sister)

-She says, ‘Is that all you got you little f...’ before she finishes her sentence a non-diegetic orchestral soundtrack starts playing and the dialogue audio is muted. 

-cut to extreme wide shot revealing rest of family (who are all upset)

-cut to wide-shot of Francesco and Sofia leaning across the table, arguing 

-cut to medium shot of Luigi (The father) who is not amused 

-Cut to Medium shot of Regina (The mother) Regina stands up

-pan to wine closet Regina walks across frame with a wine glass 

-Cut to a medium shot of Kyle (Another sibling)

-Kyle shrugs benife the table 

-Cut to medium shot of Luigi

-Multiple fast pasted cuts between Luigi (who progressively gets angrier) and a medium shot of Francesco and Sofia arguing while the music gets more intense 

-Cut to medium shot of Luigi

-Tilt upwards as Luigi jumps up 

-Cut to Close up of Luigi´s profile

-blasted off from Luigi’s mouth Multiple drops of spit fly

-Cut to Extreme close up of single drop of spit flying through the air 

-Cut to close up of Sofia’s face as the spit lands on her face 

-Cut to close up of Francesco face as spit lands on his face

-Cut to medium shot of Kyle sitting underneath the table listening with headphones to music. The non-diegetic soundtrack stops. Muffled diegetic audio of the argument is audible in the background. A diegetic crunchy beat plays through Kyles headphones.

-Eyeline match cut to wide shot of Regina drinking at the wine closet

-Regina looks at Kyle 

-Cut to Medium shot of Regina

-Regina winks at Kyle 

-Eyeline match to close up of Kyle looking at their mother 

-Cut to Medium shot of Regina

-Regina grabs a wine bottle 

-Cut to wide shot of Regina rolling the bottle towards Kyle 

-Medium shot of Kyle 

-Kyle grabs the bottle and notes to their mother

-Cut to close up of Sofia’s face screaming, the non-diegetic orchestral soundtrack starts playing again and the diegetic audio is muted 

-tilt to close up of Francesco screaming 

-tilt to close up of Luigi screaming 

-Cut to Medium shot of Francesco and Sofia on opposite sides in focus, Luigi in center frame (not in focus)

-Francesco pushes Sofia, Sofia falls to the ground 

-Cut to medium shot of Sofia falling on the ground 

-Eyeline match and cut to medium of Kyle 

-Kyle is shocked 

-Eyeline match and cut to close up of Sofia on the ground 

-Eyeline match and cut to close up of Kyle 

-Kyle stops being shocked and seems to be determined

-Cut to Wide shot of Kyle standing up 

-Cut to Medium shot of multiple gigantic bread sticks 

-Kyle grabs one 

-Cut to medium shot of Kyle holding the bread stick like a light saber 

-Cut to close up of Francesco’s shocked face

-Cut to Medium shot of multiple gigantic bread sticks 

-Francesco reaches over the table to grab a bread stick

-Cut to medium shot of Francesco holding the bread stick like a light saber 

-Cut to Extreme wide shot of Living room 

-Francesco and Kyle run towards each other in slow motion 

-Cut to shocked medium reaction shot of Sofia

-Cut to shocked close up reaction shot of Luigi

-Cut to medium shot of Regina pouring more vine in her cub 

-Cut to medium shot of Kyle and Francesco running towards each other 

-Fade to black as the music climaxes 

-Title card 

Future assassination (Bert):

-Shows a shot from above a man walking up stairs
-Shot from below knee level of him walking up
-Walking down corridor 
-opening door from behind 
-above shot of opening box 
-Close up of taking gun out 
-Close up of putting ammunition into gun 
-Wide shot of going to the window 
-Outside shot of target 
-really close up of finger on trigger 
-Close up of eyes 
-Sound of door opening 
-Wide shot of both figures in shot - Being the same people  

The Local Priest (Pablo):

-Characteristics of the priest : Mid 60's, tall, wears proper priestly clothing
-Characteristics of the people on the confession booth : there is no specific clothing for these characters as the only important part is them saying what they have to say.
-We see an establishing shot of the village he lives in and with people walking around.
-The village is not really shown as it is more of a following shot of him walking around.
-The camera focuses on a poster saying Wanted and a man that has similar appearance to the priest as it is a blurry picture we can tell but not with full clarity but he does not really realise.
In the early morning we see the priest in his work office signing papers, in which we will print out fake documents for the actor to sign with a mid shot to the left side of the character to show what he is doing.
-The focus while he signs goes to one particular document sent from the police but we just see the sign of the paper as there are others on top
-We then with the camera make a 40 degree tilt towards the woman sitting down in front of him quiet (this is done from the left, almost with out him noticing. 
-The woman makes an awkward movement and the priest looks and then decides to get out of his office.
-We then see him walking around for a brief moment trough fast paced cuts trough the church, he looks at the confession booth, heads that way and we see him entering the confession booth while reading the bible. 
-Along these fast scenes there is very calm and Christian music playing with a chorus that is diegetic as the priest can hear it.
-We see him waiting while thinking with close ups and with very limited light through the booth's grid which gives it a cool look to the character and mysterious at the same time.
-We then get different people walking into the booth with out showing faces all beginning with "Father" repeated about 3 to 6 times in different voices from different people in diegetic sound just showing the mouth saying it, put after the shooting is done. 
-After the confession we hear him saying to the people that their sins have been forgiven.

Then we see a strange man come in the dark as it is night, probably 2 am, we see his shadow heading and focus on the shadow and then with an over the shoulder shot see the church of the booth.-this strange man who is a criminal with newly bloody hands opens the door, before this he looks at them, and enters with a deep voice saying, ' Father I have sinned'
-The opening titles appear through out the whole sequence apart from the part in which the criminal appears.

-We then hear the soundtrack which would be with a suspense tone to it as it is the end music when the title of the film would be written in big lettering.