Post 12: Advanced Production Skills Workshop Two

 Direction of Light

With light, there is always a point in which is it's brightest and a point in which it starts to wonder off. In order that while filming our short film we get the best possible lighting that is most applicable for the scene that we are in, we have studied some of the lighting effects and how to get these effects, using different tools.

To get some examples in our heads before we started our experiments, here are some that show different directions from Madonna's music video 'Vouge'.

Here, you can see how the light has illuminated on Madonna's face, and this was probably done with reflectors, as she wouldn't have wanted the light in her face.

With this frame, the model has been spot lighted with a high light onto him. This is so you can clearly see him, but this also has created an eery cast shadow on the wall to the left of him.

Direction Experiment

To be able to understand how the direction of light applies in person, we conducted an experiment to show this. As a group, we used different tools to deflect the light, and use different angles to show different effects this can have on the model. We were given different tools to experiment with including

* Foil


* A white sheet
* Black wrap
Alongside these, we used equipment such as a Mini DV camera, a tripod, batteries, base plate, tape, laminated white board and marker pens, one lower pro 250w lamp, one stand, chimera and diffusion attatchments, speed ring, scissors, saftey gloves and an extention lead .
 
We also were to try different angles of light including side lighting, high lighting, bottom lighting and face on lighting.
                                                             

Before starting this experiment, we discussed what we predicted all the different tools would do. As a group, we predicted that the white sheet would make less shadows and lighten the face of the model, the black wrap wouldn't make that much difference, the foil would reflect on the person's face more and that the black wrap wouldn't make much difference.

We also thought that with just the light on the subject, depending on where it was positioned, it would produce cast shadows behind the subject, as well as on the face.

However these are mere predictions and we would find out after the experiment which ones we got right and what ones we got wrong.

                                                        
The factors that we would have to measure include the effect of the tool on the model. This is the main aspect that we have to measure, as when we find out what the effect of each of the different tools have, this will help us to decide whether we need to use these tools when we film our short film.

                                                
Some of the factors we will have to change include the tools that we will be using to change the effect and direction of light as this will help us to see the range of effects they produce.  However, we would need to keep the subject the same, as well as the camera position. This is so we can see the exact change in the light, and if this was changed half way through, the lighting would have changed and so would the shadows; this would be misleading and would not give us the correct information.

Our Experiment:

Conclusion

Here are some screen grabs from our experiment.

From this screen grab, you can see that there is a point in which the light starts to wonder off, and this is creeping around the subject. There is also a cast shadow behind him, and this is blocked from him. This teaches us that we need to be careful if we were to use extra light in our film as there is a point that the light becomes a shadow, and that this can cause shadows unnecessarily.

MORE EXAMPLES!!!!!!

I feel that our experiment was very successful, as we have covered the material well and have managed to show these in detail; this did mean that our video clip was largely longer, but I think that this is better as we can see the changes clearly. I also think we kept the subject still too, as this could have been confusing if he kept moving around, and wouldn't have shown as clear the changes.

Above all, I think we all worked together well as a group and this shows in the quality of our experiment. We managed to stay calm and work as a team. This was down to the fact that we all had small roles, and this way we did not over step each other or get in the way of one another. This also meant that we were able to concentrate on our own section and were able to do these well.

On the other hand, we could have timed out experiment better so that it wasn't as long as it was, as it was quite long to watch, even though it shows well the experiment. We could have also worked quicker, as we did take some time setting up and getting organised. This is vital as we will not have long to film our project and need to practice these skills now.

 

In reflection of this experiment, we will be able to take learn what is needed in order to film make the shadows less or more on the face, or even behind the subject; this would be done with a brighter light directed onto either straight onto the subject or behind them. We have also found out how to make less shadows around the face, and to make them more flattering, this would be done by using a white sheet reflected onto the face.

Quality of Light

REPEAT the above for the other experiment to ensure you cover both "quality" and "direction".

Post 11: Advanced Production Skills Workshop One

Narrative Theory Reading.

From this piece of reading, I found many things to note down. For example; 

*Concerning narrative, it needs to have a beginning, a middle and an end, and these have to make sense to the audience and through out own experiences, we can understand these meanings.

*The conventions of a narrative include the genre, the character, the form and the time. 

Bartne's Code

This is like unravelling a piece of wool in that as we identify with the narrative codes, we are able to understand the meaning.

Structures

*Tvzetsh Tadorov talked about equilibrium, disequilibrium and a new equilibrium. This is where the character starts off normally, equilibrium, then is faced with a problem, disequilibrium, and they work it out and have a new ending, new equilibrium. 

*Vladimir Propp talked about characters and actions

*Claude Levi-strauss talked about the conflict and oppositions with the character. 

I think these are definitely relivent for today, as they are the structures that make a film, and it is how everyone has grown up knowing how to recognise these; people do not like change in such a big way that they will not enjoy it. 

As an audience of course we have a say in the way we read the narrative, as we all read things differently, and as mentioned earlier, through our own experiences, we would interpret aspects differently than others. 

Post 10: Job Roles Research.

In preparation for our short film project, we need to have the knowledge and understanding of key job roles, so as a group we can decide what jobs will be designated to who. This too will help us to work together as a group, to get the best possible outcome we can achieve. We found these main job roles and departments from the Skill set website. I will briefly discuss what they involve.

http://www.skillset.org/film/jobs/direction/  This is the website we each got the information from.

Direction

Direction, or the Director has the main role and responsibility over the creative vision and style they have for the film; they know how they want the film to look, so they should be the ones overlooking the film, to achieve their ideas. They have a few supporters to help, and these include a number of assistant directors and their role is to ensure that the director's ambition is achieved throughout the filming process. The skills included in this role would include organisation, time management and logical skills in order to keep everything in line throughout this period. Another role under this title would be Script Supervisor. This person's role would be to check the continuity and edit ability of each scene, as thee director will be concentrating on many other aspects of the film. The smallest role under this, is the runner; here the person's job is to carry out a wide range of general support duties, which basically means making sure everyone else is happy, and carrying out small jobs which don't need a massive degree in.

This job role would be best suited to the script writer, as they know the script better than anyone else, and know how they want the film to look like, what messages to put across and the tone of the film. They would have to sit down with each of the other roles in the group, in order to help them understand how they want to film to look like.

Camera

Camera work can be very informative when creating cinematography, as it can show many different things; creating something beautiful, can show the audience more about a character or a location. This can sometimes be more informative than dialogue, therefore the camera is very important. The director of photography (DoP) can choose the shot composition, camera movement and the lighting and shading in such a way that together they can create a unique style signature for a film. This role involves a lot of thought, preparation and hard work, as even moving and operating the camera can be tricky, especially when they have to concentrate too on whats happening on the screen and ways to enhance or detract this. They also have to work with extreme care while on set, as the equipment is very expensive and delicate; therefore only highly trained and skilled persons would operate these on a film set.  

Here, this role has some flexibility when composing the shots in the scenes, as they know what camera angles and shots work and what don't, or they could put their input as to how they think the scene would be portrayed better using different style camera work, which can differ from what the director originally wanted.

Lighting

The lighting too is another key element in the film crew. The use of lighting can create different atmospheres, tones and meanings towards a certain aspect or character; getting this wrong could send out a wrong message or meaning. It can also make the actors look right for the individual role they are playing. There is also the added though as to whether artificial lighting would be needed in order to create these effects, and how they will be placed. They take into account natural lighting too, which can either help or interfere what they are doing.

This job has a constant role, as they have to make sure that the lighting is the way the producer wants throughput the film, and that the emotion desired is achieved. They too need to make sure the tone of the atmosphere the director wanted is created through out the production, checking that there is also no 'hiccups' in this department.

Production Sound

There are many roles included in 'Sound Production', including production sound mixers, boom operators, sound assistants and sound trainees. There is such an emphasis on sound, as much of the story and emotion form the script is told through the sound and from the dialogue. This is a very complex job, as they deal with many situations such as unwanted noises, or the interruptions by the misplacing the microphones. This can be difficult, as the director usually wants the script read on set, and if all this unwanted noise creeps in, this makes it more complex to achieve the best possible outcome.

When in our production groups, Sound Production can be mixed with lighting, as they have similar roles; constantly checking that what the director wants is created, and that this flows with the film but also that there are no continuity errors while these elements are going on. In film, the art department takes care of the look of the sets. In order for the setting to be believable and convincing for the audience, a great deal of work has to be put into it, and that is why it is the department with the largest number of members. The reason being, that they need a largest range of artistic ability in order to be able to create the realistic feel to the set; imagination plays a big part in this, along side a great deal of work, as they do not always have a real life comparison to create their setting. The sets are rarely left by change for the film makers, and by creating the sets, they are able to make the best environment for their film.

Art Department

This role is vital; if this is done wrong, it may not be believable or convincing for the audience. They also need to take their initiative and their imagination in this role, in order to create what the producer wants.

From all of these roles, there are many overlays. For example, the director is linked to all of them. This is inevitable, as the director is the one that knows what he wants to get out of the film and how it will end up looking, so in line with each other role, they can discuss what would be the best suited way in order to carry this out. The director also has to let them know what his in vision of the film will be in order for them to create this. 

As mentioned before, Lighting and Art Department would be put together in our production groups, as there is a limited number of students in our group. They would help with the constant checking during the set of filming.

This is difficult to put them all into different groups and put some together, as there is usually a large amount of people on the set, and we only have to work with what we have, which is about four people. However, working together and sharing the roles, we can get the job done sufficiently. In order to do this, we have decided that the main four job roles that we need to fulfill would be the director, a camera man/woman, lighting with sound and the art department. We can split the roles between us, by all having a share in the work and sharing them evenly with each of us, so no one has more work than another person.

There can be many difficulties here, as we all have to have a share, and with all other work loads, this may be a challenge doing the work on time. Another problem could be if one of us is ill on a day of filming, or during coursework time period, as this can bring the rest of the group down temporarily. There is also the idea that there could be clashes in the job roles, in that two people may want the same role, or they may dislike the roles they have been given.

Post 9: Individual Script Feedback.

From the feedback, I had many comments that I did not think of previously about my script. From Becky Knapp who came and visited our lesson, friends and other teachers, some of the suggestions they gave me included;
*Changing the layout of my script slightly to make it seem more professional, like page numbers and the title page
*Alter the ending, as it seemed too odd to be that far in the future
*possibly have the main character talk back to her father when walking out of the house
*Include more scenes that show the main character more of a bully


Taking these on board, I re-drafted my script and this is my third version. This has helped me as other people have seen flaws in my script that I did not notice, so this has inevitably improved my script.