A Shooting Project for the first day with video cameras
The distances of shots
(ELS, LS, MS, CU, ECU)
The angles of shots
(TBD)
Moving shots
Pan, tilt, track, POV, handheld
Angles
High angle – shooting down at the subject
Low angle – shooting up at the subject
Silhouette – shooting with light behind the subject
Dutching the frame (canted frame)
Subject 360 – eg 3/4s
Composition Thoughts to consider (level 4 stuff)
- textures
- the rule of thirds
- dynamic line is good
- depth of field – foreground/background
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
March 21, 2011
How to Dump the Footage from a Camera to an iMac
1. Camera is OFF
2. iMac is ON
3. Open iMovie
4. Plug camera into iMac. That might be a specific plug for each camera.
5. Turn camera ON AFTER PLUGGING IT IN.
iMovie should recognize it and give the option to CAPTURE. You can capture everything and it will break your capture into separate shots.
Key problem – is the camera set to EDIT or VIDEO mode or is it still in camera mode?
Footage dumps in real time, which means that 1 minute = 1 minute. This can be a problem – best to dump footage at lunch or after school.
Rehash –
Shoot a variety of shots in the styles we discussed
ELS, LS, MS, CU, ECU
Pan, Tilt, Zoom, Tracking Shot (on a wheeled object of some sort), POV (moving shot from someone’s running perspective), handheld - risky
Once you have done this, you should then go back “into the field” and you should try making a CHASE SCENE
What elements make a chase scene good?
Using your screen direction carefully – (left to right or right to left – these must be consistent)
Shot variation – lots of different kinds of shots
Fast pace is important – this means shot shots, cut together in a pattern
Lots of close ups to show character reaction (or important objects)
Long shots are crucial for context – where is this taking place?
A good location or several locations that have visual interest – KEY (use of FOREGROUNDING can be important)
- lots of stuff to get in the way
- something we don’t normally see
- think of colours
- think of problems for the subjects
- eg Ronin – tight roads
- eg Bourne – he’s injured
Complications are crucial – don’t make anything easy (unless it’s a joke)
Variations in the kind of chase – this can help a lot (multiple action layers)
Soundtrack makes a big difference -
Pre-Production – our new skill!
1. Brainstorming
2. Outlining
3. Scripting
4. Storyboarding/Script Breakdown
Brainstorming – coming up with ideas and little “moments” that you like
- finding characters, concepts, locations, whatever
- no pattern needed, no set plans, etc – just get down whatever might work, what is good, what is funny, scary, whatever
- collect this info and save it for submission
- like a master list of great stuff
- keep it all, you never know
2. Outlining – coming up with a timeline for the final project – how many scenes, what order, who’s there, where it’s taking place, what is needed
- with as much specifics as possible to know what to get, where to go, who to choose, etc
- outlining is done in point form
- you can download a free program called CeltX for these times
Script – this is the most complex part, in many ways, this is also something that can be marked like crazy
- there is a whole structure to this
- Celtx has the structure built-in
- If you use MS Word at home, you will have format it yourself with Tabs
A script has a few different elements
- Scene heading
EXT. BOB’S HOUSE – DAY
Or
INT. LOBB’S CLASS – NIGHT
INT. TECH HALL – DAY
Action lines
- everything that the camera would see is described briefly in these lines
A young man (PHIL) with a farmer’s hat on backwards runs down the hall in this clean, white walled school. He weeps as he runs and looks back constantly.
Behind him, an older man (MR. MATTHEWS) with glasses runs, pointing at the hat and shouting.
ONLY write down what the camera could see – NO THOUGHTS, NO EMOTIONS, NO IDEAS
Also write down what the audience hears on the soundtrack – most don’t include music
1. Camera is OFF
2. iMac is ON
3. Open iMovie
4. Plug camera into iMac. That might be a specific plug for each camera.
5. Turn camera ON AFTER PLUGGING IT IN.
iMovie should recognize it and give the option to CAPTURE. You can capture everything and it will break your capture into separate shots.
Key problem – is the camera set to EDIT or VIDEO mode or is it still in camera mode?
Footage dumps in real time, which means that 1 minute = 1 minute. This can be a problem – best to dump footage at lunch or after school.
Rehash –
Shoot a variety of shots in the styles we discussed
ELS, LS, MS, CU, ECU
Pan, Tilt, Zoom, Tracking Shot (on a wheeled object of some sort), POV (moving shot from someone’s running perspective), handheld - risky
Once you have done this, you should then go back “into the field” and you should try making a CHASE SCENE
What elements make a chase scene good?
Using your screen direction carefully – (left to right or right to left – these must be consistent)
Shot variation – lots of different kinds of shots
Fast pace is important – this means shot shots, cut together in a pattern
Lots of close ups to show character reaction (or important objects)
Long shots are crucial for context – where is this taking place?
A good location or several locations that have visual interest – KEY (use of FOREGROUNDING can be important)
- lots of stuff to get in the way
- something we don’t normally see
- think of colours
- think of problems for the subjects
- eg Ronin – tight roads
- eg Bourne – he’s injured
Complications are crucial – don’t make anything easy (unless it’s a joke)
Variations in the kind of chase – this can help a lot (multiple action layers)
Soundtrack makes a big difference -
Pre-Production – our new skill!
1. Brainstorming
2. Outlining
3. Scripting
4. Storyboarding/Script Breakdown
Brainstorming – coming up with ideas and little “moments” that you like
- finding characters, concepts, locations, whatever
- no pattern needed, no set plans, etc – just get down whatever might work, what is good, what is funny, scary, whatever
- collect this info and save it for submission
- like a master list of great stuff
- keep it all, you never know
2. Outlining – coming up with a timeline for the final project – how many scenes, what order, who’s there, where it’s taking place, what is needed
- with as much specifics as possible to know what to get, where to go, who to choose, etc
- outlining is done in point form
- you can download a free program called CeltX for these times
Script – this is the most complex part, in many ways, this is also something that can be marked like crazy
- there is a whole structure to this
- Celtx has the structure built-in
- If you use MS Word at home, you will have format it yourself with Tabs
A script has a few different elements
- Scene heading
EXT. BOB’S HOUSE – DAY
Or
INT. LOBB’S CLASS – NIGHT
INT. TECH HALL – DAY
Action lines
- everything that the camera would see is described briefly in these lines
A young man (PHIL) with a farmer’s hat on backwards runs down the hall in this clean, white walled school. He weeps as he runs and looks back constantly.
Behind him, an older man (MR. MATTHEWS) with glasses runs, pointing at the hat and shouting.
ONLY write down what the camera could see – NO THOUGHTS, NO EMOTIONS, NO IDEAS
Also write down what the audience hears on the soundtrack – most don’t include music
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Video – I am a camera
First, let’s watch a clip from Dziga Vertov’s Man with a Movie Camera…
Kodak Zi8
Optical zoom – which means DON’T USE IT
USB is built it on the side – flips out from bottom
You might want to get an SD card – they can be erased or damaged - $30 or more
Immediately get a tripod. The hole at the bottom is for the baseplate of the tripod.
Kinds of Shots
Extreme Long Shot – you see the subject as a small object in the frame surrounded by the environment
Often from a height, or a helicopter, but we can use them too
We can use these from a distance to show some large scale action or something
Stretches time. (think how long it takes to run from A to B in a long shot)
Long Shot – same, only less focus on the environment, more on the action – common in chase scenes and action movies – shows context – good for stunts
Your use? Shooting outside and showing the place to some advantage
Level 4 thoughts? Oh yes, they went there, they planned this out, they got the right place.
Medium Shot – this is the most common kind of shot – used for something called a MASTER SHOT
- a crucial thing to learn in order to shoot scenes correctly
- medium shots show character action, expression and interaction with others
- medium shots are as close as knees up, and as far away as three or four people in a room
- you shoot a whole scene in this style for your master shot –
- Medium shots are good for fight scenes, light action scenes and comedy bits
Close up – close ups and shots that reveal detail on objects and people and are used to show that X is important
- you show things that are going to be used
- you show faces that are experiencing emotion
- you show them in shots that highlight the key part – ie the face or the object being used
- Extreme Close up – distortion – usually for grotesque or horror bits – creepy, eerie, or sometimes used for extreme emotion or particularly skilled acting or beauty
Camera Movements
Pan – side to side from a fixed position (tripod)
Tilt – up and down from a fixed position (tripod)
Zoom – using the optics of the lens to fake a movement in or out of the subject – Kung Fu movie style
First, let’s watch a clip from Dziga Vertov’s Man with a Movie Camera…
Kodak Zi8
Optical zoom – which means DON’T USE IT
USB is built it on the side – flips out from bottom
You might want to get an SD card – they can be erased or damaged - $30 or more
Immediately get a tripod. The hole at the bottom is for the baseplate of the tripod.
Kinds of Shots
Extreme Long Shot – you see the subject as a small object in the frame surrounded by the environment
Often from a height, or a helicopter, but we can use them too
We can use these from a distance to show some large scale action or something
Stretches time. (think how long it takes to run from A to B in a long shot)
Long Shot – same, only less focus on the environment, more on the action – common in chase scenes and action movies – shows context – good for stunts
Your use? Shooting outside and showing the place to some advantage
Level 4 thoughts? Oh yes, they went there, they planned this out, they got the right place.
Medium Shot – this is the most common kind of shot – used for something called a MASTER SHOT
- a crucial thing to learn in order to shoot scenes correctly
- medium shots show character action, expression and interaction with others
- medium shots are as close as knees up, and as far away as three or four people in a room
- you shoot a whole scene in this style for your master shot –
- Medium shots are good for fight scenes, light action scenes and comedy bits
Close up – close ups and shots that reveal detail on objects and people and are used to show that X is important
- you show things that are going to be used
- you show faces that are experiencing emotion
- you show them in shots that highlight the key part – ie the face or the object being used
- Extreme Close up – distortion – usually for grotesque or horror bits – creepy, eerie, or sometimes used for extreme emotion or particularly skilled acting or beauty
Camera Movements
Pan – side to side from a fixed position (tripod)
Tilt – up and down from a fixed position (tripod)
Zoom – using the optics of the lens to fake a movement in or out of the subject – Kung Fu movie style
Friday, March 4, 2011
Mar 4, 2011
Music and Sound with Picture
- how do the images we choose, or the sounds we choose, connect with each other?
- We might connect image and sound through the mood or atmosphere, which mean EMOTION
- Literal or physical connection – ie you see a gun, you hear a shot – you see a robot, you hear sci-fi noises – (CAUSAL EFFECT)
- COUNTER-POINT – maybe the sound/music DOESN’T match the picture or image but CONTRASTS – this might create an interesting feeling – that is the specialty of Quentin Tarantino, among others (director of Pulp Fiction, Inglorious Basterds, Kill Bill, etc)
- HYPERBOLIC SOUND – the sound is an exaggerating of the real sounds you would hear – this is common in action movies – making something bigger and crazier than reality – eg Transformers 2
- We want to try and think about sound in these 4 ways for our needs
- Now make me a slideshow!
- how do the images we choose, or the sounds we choose, connect with each other?
- We might connect image and sound through the mood or atmosphere, which mean EMOTION
- Literal or physical connection – ie you see a gun, you hear a shot – you see a robot, you hear sci-fi noises – (CAUSAL EFFECT)
- COUNTER-POINT – maybe the sound/music DOESN’T match the picture or image but CONTRASTS – this might create an interesting feeling – that is the specialty of Quentin Tarantino, among others (director of Pulp Fiction, Inglorious Basterds, Kill Bill, etc)
- HYPERBOLIC SOUND – the sound is an exaggerating of the real sounds you would hear – this is common in action movies – making something bigger and crazier than reality – eg Transformers 2
- We want to try and think about sound in these 4 ways for our needs
- Now make me a slideshow!
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