Post 13: Advanced Production Skills Workshop 3

Advanced Production Skills Workshop 3

In our third lighting production workshop we started off with a class discussion on what can be done to enhance lighting effects on a video production, which we would then apply to our own media production.

To start the workshop we looked at lighting and how it creates different colour and feeling to the production.

We looked at pictures from movies, and I especially took a fancy to the new harry potter film, “The Deathly Hallows Part 1”. This is because Part of our media production requires us to have knowledge on lighting, and I wondered how the crew managed to film in the middle of Piccadilly Circus whilst incorporating a main source of light from the artificial lights already there (street lights). I have been there a few times and I do know that the area is very well lit, especially with all the cars coming through but when analysing a few of the shots, the characters always seem to be lit up, in close ups and in long shot.

Surprise, surprise, the next part of the lesson I learned that wherever the harry potter movies are filmed, they use addition artificial lighting, which I should have guessed as no street light could ever light up a shot quit like movie set light does.

Well to the left is a perfect image to show how they exaggerate the street light effect on the characters by adding addition lighting, in this case 3 large spotlights directly above the characters with the addition of a reflector to add light to the faces and take away shadow.

For the next part of the session, we focused on two film stills from the award winning film, “Forest Gump”. The first picture shows how the camera crew have managed to incorporate the natural light of the surroundings to give the shot a worm and natural feel or 'soft lighting'.

This kind of outside shot takes very well to natural light (as it is two character

s meeting each-other). The soft light has also created small attached shadows in the clothing.

If they had used a vast amount of artificial light, then the shot would look lighter, and brighter and the colours would not be so noticeable.

Coloured bulbs can be added but these can also add a different kind of effect and you have to be careful of shadow.

The second of the two images was very different as they had used a large amount of artificial light to create the shot. This meant that everything looked faded and washed out and the lighting was actually very hard. In doing this they had also eradicated any shadows which made the shot look unreal.

We then looked at another two images, this time of corridors. We talked about the lighting and how each of the two images differed. We also talked about the amount of control the producers would have if they chose to use them. It is very easy to spot the lights in the first image and they are what the producer would have. It would be good direct light from above, but no windows or anything to let real day light in so everything would look artificial.

The second image has a much more complex lighting arrangement in place which at a glance is very easy to miss. It is clear that there are additional lights in each central brace/beam in the ceiling which cannot be seen by the camera. There is also light directly on the face of the character which can be seen reflecting off the wall. The whole mood/scène is very different in this picture as the first one is, boring, normal, very office like but this second is full of action, and this is greatly down to the indirect light and the colour of the corridor, it looks exciting.

We where then spilt into groups and asked to research into effect of lighting and how creates an atmosphere. In groups

we were sent to different corridors and we were asked to shoot two different kinds of scenes. The first kind of scene was using the light that was already there. We were lucky with my groups as we were given a hall with movable spotlights, so we could use it and take full advantage of this feature. Below is the video we produced:

Our first shot was with all the normal everyday lights on which gave the whole scene a very normal, bland feeling to it. For the second shot we attempted to use the spotlight system in the ceiling and this worked exactly how I was expecting it to. The shot, just like that photos of the corridors above, the first one being bland and the second being exciting. The spotlights are directly on her face but there limited ceiling illumination which makes the scene look very different and as if it was shot in a different location.

Our teacher did point out that there is still natural light coming in from the window which we could have blocked. This natural light did affect the shot and if we were to do it again, it’s a factor to consider.

Light temperature is measured in Kelvin. The higher the Kelvin, the more blue/white light is seen.

I took some photos of a set of HID xenon gas headlights I have in fitted to my car. These are rated at 10,000 K and emit a very bright blue light which actually gives me around 300% more vision in the dark compared to standard halogen light which is yellow. These bulbs are not actually blue in colour but they contain a gas that emits this colour when it is ignited. Below is the lights on my car. On the left in the 10,000k xenon and on the right is the standard halogen but in feel boom brightness.

This relates to my video as choosing the correct light is crucial to making the scene look and feel real. it also shows how 1 xenon gas bulb can give greater illumination then 3 halogen bulbs.

The last part of the lesson we looked at a few camera lenses and how they can change the shot. In particular, we looked at the 85 lens which is orange in colour and is meant to worm up a shot. Take a look at how it affects the shot in the picture and how the main photo looks all worm, like a summers day but the actual shot is dull and lifeless. This could also be applied to our production as we could use this to create certain appearances.

Post 12: Advanced Production Skills Workshop 2

Advanced Production Skills Workshop 2 - Quality

In our second workshop on lighting we were set the task to produce a short video clip showing light quality and how it affects the overall outcome of the film.

Their were two mains types of lighting we focused on which, Hard and Soft.

Hard lighting is lighting that is directly on the object being filmed creating 
very distinctive and bold shadows and edges.

Picture from - http://www.google.co.uk/images

Soft lighting is lighting that is Indirect or diffused and it has different and manipulated contours and textures which give the overall feeling of ‘softer’ light.

picture from - http://www.google.co.uk/images

The task was to get into groups of 5 which would form the basis for our production group. We then have to allocate each other different roles within the production group. These roles were:

Director- coordinates the group to achieve the experiment.

Camera- Set up and position of the camera, and record evidence

Clapper-Writes "boards" to notify the audience what they are watching. Also helps the recorder

Recorder- Notes down the experiments variables and monitors decisions and revisions made.

Gaffer-Positioning of light and equipment

Character in the scene.

After we had allocated roles for each person within our production group, we were then told that we were going to go of into different rooms and create the different affects of lighting.

After we had been briefed on what we had to achieve, we then set down in our groups and discussed what and how we were going to execute the task.

This is where we hit our first problem as we only briefly discussed what we were going to do and then we went ahead and filmed. This meant that we had not fully discussed the task in a group and this reflected in the clip as it was rushed and not well planned out.

The picture below shows the layout which we used.

Different methods the group would use

Different methods the group would use

As a group we decided that the best way to manipulate the light and create different shadows on the character which was going to be me, was to use different methods of diffusion to show different levels of lighting.

From this clip we deciphered that we had made a fair few crucial mistakes when filming which can be clearly seen in the clip.

1) The lighting in the room was to dark so, which meant that what ever kind of light we had on the character, it would be very harsh and sharp, even when defused.

2) The camera was on automatic focus which meant that when we put the boards which showed what diffusion was present, the camera did not have time to focus on them as they were not held in front of the camera for a long enough time which meant that they were blurry and by the time we moved them out of the way, the camera had focused on the short shot of the boards which made the long shot of the character out of focus. This meant that the whole production was shot out of focus.

3) The light was not in the optimum position for lighting up the character which meant that when we were filing, only half the face was lit up and the other half was out of shot.

If we were to do this task again, we would change each of the above by;

1) Having more artificial light on when filing, which would have been easy as the room had lighting facilities as normal as well as it being a drama room so it had additional lighting rigs which we could have taken advantage of.

2) Taken the camera off automatic focus and perhaps manually focused on the character and when the boards would be held up, they may be out of focus but because they would be so close, it would be readable. Also for the whole team to learn the functions of the camera.

3) Change the position of the light and use addition artificial lighting to create a wormer atmosphere as well as making all shots look clearer which will allow the diffusions be seen.

Post 11: Advanced Production Skills Workshop 1

Advanced Production Skills Workshop 1

In our first workshop of lighting we talked about why lighting is one of the most important aspects of film and how lighting itself can completely set the mood for the scene and the characters within the scene.

In our first lighting workshop the task was to watch a few short films and look at film Noir. The way in which we explored film Noir was through Black Film. Film Noir was the 1940-1950 Hollywood black and white era which combined both white light with cast and attached shadow to create different moods and settings. It is important to remember that film Noir is not a genre, it is a style. Film Noir emphasized feeling and emotion as well as sexual references as we could see from the short film “Double Indemnity (Film Noir)” as the lighting in this film tells the story.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_noir

This link backs up my opinion of film Noir as many people have accumulated different meaning of the word and have given it different definitions.

the picture to the right is a snap shot taken from the film Double Indemnity and shows how the use of shadow around the women and lights directly on and behind the women create a (halo) of light which could be portrayed as innocence or the complete opposite which it was in this case as she tries to seduce another character.

The clip below is the film "Double Indemnity which was the first Black and white film we watched as part of the light skills workshop.

Post 10: Job Roles Research

Job Roles Research

Post ten requires us to familiarize ourselves with job roles and responsibilities within a film production crew.

The first task we were assigned was to research how the; Direction, Camera, Lighting, Production Sound, and Art Department teams work together.

This task is beneficial for us as the knowledge we will gather will aid in our teamwork skills as we have been assigned to produce a short films in teams of four. In order for a successful production, we need to know what department does what and how to make sure each department will work together, in cohesion.

http://www.skillset.org/film/jobs/ - the website for which we base are research on.

Direction

The direction of a film or as the media term would be, the ‘Director’, of a film has the main role as he or she is usually the creator of the story and therefore has the vision and the overview of how the film should look. A director will almost always have assistant directors who work for them and their job is to assist the Director and to ensure that the idea is kept and the narrative is portrayed in the making of the film. There is also another main role within or under the direction role. This is known as ‘Script Supervisor’. This role involves an individual checking the continuity and edit ability of each scene. This is not carried out by the director as he would be focusing on other aspects of the film.

Within the filming industry and under each department there is always a ‘Trainee’, who is usually the least experienced as he/she would be there to learn and to keep people happy. This person would often be referred to as the tea boy, best boy, or trainee. Their role is to provide general support and to ‘Muck’ in where ever possible.

The job role of Producer would best be done by the script writer, as they know the story and they have the clearest picture of how they want each event too unfold. They need to be responsible and patient as I learned when creating my script as the information and the picture I had in my head was very clear but I found it annoying and frustrating when other people in my team did not understand my story as clear as I did. This lead to me adding as much detail as I could to the script and I was delighted to then see my team fully understand my narrative.

Camera

The Camera work in any film is one of the most important parts of a film. It is what the audience can see and the human race determines most things through sight. Visuals are so important and they can really make or break any film. In the film industry pictures can often describe a scene better then words, and choosing the type of camera work needed for each shot can play a significant role to how the audience will see each situation. The director of photography “DoP” chooses shot composition, the lighting of each shot and the movement of camera. So the DoP and the camera crew work hand in hand to creat the optimum conditions for filming. To be able to use the camera, you need to be highly qualified as the equipment is very delicate and expensive and there are many things to consider when filming.

Lighting

The lighting in any production is another key point as without it, films would not have that real feel, as every shot would be in shadow and dark. The correct use of lighting equipment can completely change the affects of a character.

For example this picture below;

Take a look at all four characters. It is very easy to tell who the main characters are just be how lit up they are. It is also easy to see that with the correct lighting and use of shadow as light and shadow go hand in hand, you can’t get one without the other.

This picture also tells its own story through light. It is very easy to see that these are gangsters (with help from props) as although the film was black and white, the use of grays and shadow give a very clear effect on the faces of each character and this is how lighting can effect the scene and the mood and getting this wrong could portray a completely different message.

Artificial lighting is frequently used throughout the media industry and can be added very easily and inexpensively. In some short films, the use of a torch can portray a completely different message.

Production of Sound

Underneath the title of Sound Production, there are many roles which all have to merge together in order for the correct sound effects and dialogue sound of each shot. These roles include; production sound mixer, boom operator, sound assistant and sound trainee. Debatably, sound is the most important part of a film as without it, modern day audiences would struggle to come to grips with and understand the narrative. A perfect example of how important sound is, would be a typical horror film like jaws. The sound is everything in this film, especially as the special effects of the shark are not that good, but the sound makes the film. If you were to watch the film and cover your ears, so you could not hear what was going on, the film would be rendered useless. Sound also shows emotion which can’t be heard from the script.

Positioning and continuity are extremely important factors when producing a film as any slip up or delay in the sound is instantly noticeable.

The sound team will also have to deal with problems such as unwanted noises and microphones interferences, although the microphone “POP SHIELD” or POPSTER has really helped in getting voices clearer without the nat

urally pop in a person’s voice.

Sound Production and lighting tend to go hand in hand. Taking this into consideration, when choosing a role that each one in my group will take, I will give sound and lighting to the same person.

Art Departments

In film, art is especially critical for the development of set design and making the film more aesthetically pleasing. Art, for example is very important for making things more realistic to enable the audience to become satisfied with what they are watching. The art department needs to have a large number of well qualified people in order to achieve the best and most convincing outcome. Sets are a very important area of the film, which immediately set the mood in films, if the art department were to get this wrong the film may not give the desired effect, therefore it is integral for them to assist the film the best they can by producing every minor detail possible.

If the art department does not complete their job to a satisfactory level then the film may not have the same effect as it would do if the job was done properly. Despite art needing to be creative and develop in order to resemble the film, the development of the art/ set/ costume etc has to be of a standard that is acceptable of the producer, to make sure that everything is fully compatible.

The art department is a very important and critical area as it has a link within all the departments, not only does it have to be compatible with the actors/ actresses, the film crew, and the script but most importantly the director. The director is the person who has an image of exactly what they want to achieve as a final outcome therefore if the art department does not coincide with the film then it will become obvious that it is not a correct resemblance to the film.

Post 9: Individual Script Feedback

Individual Script Feedback

Below is the first draft of my script. I have added comments about the script with additional comments from Mrs Shipp, Becky Knapp, and my class mates. the idea of this is to see what I have not done and what I can improve on and how I can add the new ideas/improvements to the second draft of the script.

FIRST DRAFT

This is the first draft of my script. As you can see it lacks in detail as I made the mistake of assuming my team would know the script and therefore it would be adequate. Well I was very wrong as i later discovered as my script was liked by pretty much everyone but they did not fully understand the narrative as it was not clear.

SECOND DRAFT