ISO Task

Iso is one of the three main components to how cameras capture images in the right exposure, the other two being shutter speed and aperture. Iso is a camera setting which brightens or darkens a photo depending on getting the right exposure or getting the desired way you want your images to look like. 

Typically ISO is used in darker environments as it allows you to brighten the image without the use of additional lights. However by increasing the ISO, it can add grain or 'noise' to your images so they don't appear as sharp as normal images. So the higher amount of ISO you use in an image, the grainer it will be so the quality deteriorates. 

The faster shutter speed with a high ISO can decrease or remove motion blur, giving the shot a cleaner sharper finish to it rather being blurred as people move around.

The ISO Values:

• ISO 100 (lowest)
• ISO 200
• ISO 400
• ISO 800
• ISO 1600
• ISO 3200
• ISO 6400 (highest)

This video is an example of shots with different ISO setting that we completed in Billy's lesson. You can see the comparisons of how the quality decreases as the ISO increases. For these shots the shutter speed stayed at 1/50. If I was to go back and redo these shots, I would use a tripod as the shots are shaky because I was holding the camera the whole time.

Grainy Effect:

The grainy look is sometimes wanted in clips on purpose, examples such as horror films like Paranormal Activity in the CCTV footage clips. The grain makes the effect of the clip look more realistic so the audience believe it more.

Referencing: 

• Mansurov, N (2019, August 14). Photography Life. Retrieved from Photography Life Website : https://photographylife.com/what-is-iso-in-photography#:~:text=In%20very%20basic%20terms%2C%20ISO,aperture%20and%20shutter%20speed%20settings.

Shutter Speed Task

"As a rule of thumb, you want the denominator of your shutter speed to be approximately double the number of frames per second that you are recording" So if you're recording at around 24/25 frames per second, it is recommended that your shutter speed be set at 1/50th of a second to get the best outcome.

In this clip, we recorded the same fan but with three different shutter speed setting to show the comparison of how shutter speed can effect the way moving objects can appear when being recorded on different speeds. The first one was the slowest shutter speed we tried of 1/30th of a second, then the second being normal shutter speed for moving images which is 1/50th of a second. Finally showing an example of the a fast shutter speed at 1/250th of a second. In these clips i did decrease the speed of these images by 50% so you can really see the changes happening in each clip.

Aperture Task

Aperture affects the Depth of Field and this is turn effects the amount of light entering the lens. So for an example if you're filming a low light setting, it is recommended to use the largest aperture as possible so the f number would be the smallest number it can be. This would be f2.8.

Aperture is known for its 4 key factors that affect it, these being:

• Physical Depth - Having physical depth behind your subject so you can see the effects of Depth of Field properly.
• Focal length - Depending on what lens you're using can effect focal length so the longer the lens, the more shallower of depth is.
• F stop - F2.8 or F22.
• Focal Distance - The distance between you and your subject.

In this clip, we show three examples using all different camera lens such as:

• The first one being F2.8 and we used a 50mm lens.
• The second one being F8 and we used a standard lens.
• The last one being F22 and we used a wide angle lens.

We filmed the same clips so it would show the comparison of the same place, with different aperture settings and we used the college's fencing as a makeshift tripod, so the shots were less shaky than the hand held shots.

Creative Filmmaking Notes - Focal Length

 Different Lenses:

• Telephoto
• Wide Angle
• Zoom

This is out experiment with different focal lengths and lenses. Labelled each image with the type of focal length.

Creative Filmmaking Notes - Split Screen

Micheal Gondry - He made music videos for Bjork, White Stripes, Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk, Radiohead. His music videos are known for surreal manipulation of mise-en-scene.

An example of Split Screen in movies would be 'The Parent Trap' or the phone call scene in 'Mean Girls'.

Split Screen is the division of the screen into simultaneous images. Usually split vertically but sometimes diagonally or multiple splits. In Split Screen, it can be used to duplicate actors or show two different locations or viewpoints.  This technique is a stylish way of editing a video however it removes a style of realism from the action.

The History of Split Screen:

Triptychs - intended to be read left to right and gives the viewers a simultaneous image of there biblical episodes.  Examples of this would be 'The Garden of Eden' and 'The Last Judgement'

Some examples which we answering questions about during lessons were; '500 Days of Summer', 'Requiem for a Dream' and 'Annie Hall - Psychiatrist'. More examples that were earlier examples of spilt screen were 'Queen of Spades' 1916 and 'Woodstock' 1970.

Continuity Editing Video - My Example Video

Pull Focus Experiments

 

"Invisible Art" - The History of Editing

 An Editor is in control of the coordination of one sot to the next. They also remove unwanted or useless footage that serves no purpose towards the meaning of the movie.

Shot/Reverse Shot:

This is a filming technique where an actor is looking or having a conversation with another actor off-screen and then the shot focuses on the other actor and vice versa throughout the conversation. This type of filming technique is a part of the Hollywood style of 'Continuity Editing'. They refer to this as eye line match, which is transitions between shots between the two or more characters.

180 Degree Rule:

This next filming technique is where two shots edited together that alternate characters, typically in a conversation situation or an argument scene. Usually having one actors face one direction and then the other actor looking in the opposite direction but still facing each other.

30 Degree Rule:

Another filming technique is a guideline which states that the camera should move at least 30 degrees relative to the subject between successive shots of the same subject. if the camera moves less that 30 degrees, it can look like a jump cut which could distract the audience from the meaning or story, the video is trying to portray.

https://youtu.be/Sud_wMH7L18?t=57 

In this clip, between 0:57 and 1:05, it gives 2 clip examples of the difference between using and not using the 30 degree rule and you can see the noticeable difference.

Cut In:

This next filming technique is created in the post production process while editing the film or clip. The use of a cut is sudden in filming and can be used as a transition into another scene. As editing developed overtime, the cuts can be changed into things such as swiping or dissolving into another scene.

Crosscutting/Parallel:

Crosscutting is the technique of alternating two or more scenes. These scenes are typically happening at the same time in the film however in different locations, comparing the differences.

Establishing Shot:

An Establishing Shot is a extreme long shot or just a long shot, that presents a majority of important figures, objects in the scene may be important and the area they are in, as well as setting the scene. Body language and facial expression are key in this type of shot because that is what people tend to notice first and get a first impression from all the important characters.

These images are from 'The Shining' and this establishing shot give a extreme long shot of the hotel which the whole movie is based and shot around.

Match on Action:

This filming technique is when one shot cuts to another shot portraying the action of the subject in the first shot. Doing this creates a sense of continuity as the action carries on so it creates a 'visual bridge' which draws the viewers attention away from the obvious cuts and focuses onto the action occurring in the scenes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_u0LKmga5U 

This youtube clip give multiple examples of match the action and then examples of how the person who made the video actually used the into his wedding video. Showing how match the action can be used in any type of film or video.

Temporal Overlap:

Temporal overlapping is when you disturb the chronological order of a film or clip, this could be done by adding flashbacks or flash forwards to remind the audience of a memory or is just a key part of the story or meaning of the film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVd6CnKLPgY

This youtube clip is an example of a flashback in Ratatouille that gives the audience an understanding of a characters background which could be important to the storyline.

Kuleshov Effect:

This film editing effect is demonstrated by Lev Kuleshov, a Russian Filmmaker. He used this editing technique in 1910's and 1920's. His experiment consisted of cutting back and forth between a man and three different objects or subjects to see what emotion could be created with each cut. The Kuleshov effect was amazing at the time because it was able to show filmmakers that they could manipulate the audiences emotions with editing.

Eisenstein Montage:

A group of soviet filmmakers, lead by Lev Kuleshove began to experiment with film more intellectually. They used a structural device which allowed them to get to point A to point b without without wondering where you are. They used this idea with time and space in mind. So they applied meaning within a series of interlinking shots, essentially they were manipulating time and space which then became known as the 'Soviet Montage'.

Sergi Eisenstien was a part of this filmmaking group and his film made in 1925 called 'Battleship Potempkin' was known for pushing cinematic language even further. He did this by manipulating the audiences perception of time by stretching out the crowds flight down the steps for seven minutes, this would be much longer than it would take normally in real life.

Research the development of editing technology

The earliest know films in cinema were done in one shot without any editing however cutting began to develop very quickly after this. One of the first film to have a cut in it was called 'Life of an American Fireman (1903), directed by Edwin S. Porter. With the use of a camera being inside the building and then having a camera set up outside of the building as well, this demonstrated the use of editing for the first time, cutting two shots together.

Moviola is a device that allows a film editor to view a film while editing it. This machine is the first ever to be capable of showing motion picture while editing and was invented by Iwan Serrurier in 1924. In 1920, the machine cost around £600 so in 2019 that would be about £7,700, as a result of the price, not many moviola's were sold.

The Moviola

Flatbed Edit Suite is a type of editing machine used with motion picture. The process starts from images and sound rolls being loaded onto separate plates, each set of plates move individually or they can be locked together to maintain being in sync while as image and sound. A prism reflects the images onto a screen and then a magnet playback head reads the audio tracks. Many films are shot on double-system so the audio and sounds are separate, the flatbed edit suite allows the editor to synchronise the picture to the audio. The two most common brands of this machine are the Steenback and the K-E-M (Keller-Elektro-Mechanik) these two machine were both invented in Germany in the 1930s. This machine also give the editor a chance to highlight when a cut is needed so he is able to mark on the strips to pin point this.

Linear is a post-production process of selecting, arranging and modifying images and sound in a predetermined sequence, it was the only way to edit video tapes before and this technique was used a lot in television. Then in the 1990s, non-linear editing was created which gave a new technique of editing that allowed an editing software that allowed original copies to be saved incase the editing went wrong in any way. 

Offline editing went along the same lines as non-linear editing as it saved a copy of the original, creating a safe back up. However this editing was much faster as the video was converted to computer hardware so it was able to be edited more more updated editing software like adobe premiere or final cut pro. Online editing allows the editor to edit video tape recording using different computer softwares, softwares like videocassette recorders, letting copies being made of recording that were once a one time thing.

The Digital Era:

CMX 600 is the first non-linear editing system, it was produced in 1971 and was referred more as RAVE (Random Access Video Editor)The 600 had a console with two black and white monitors, as well as a light pen which was used to control the system. The right monitor played the preview video, and was used by the editor to make cuts and to edit decisions by using the light pen to select options, which were over-laid on the image, while the left screen played the edited video. It recorded and played back video in analogue on disk packs the size of washing machines.

Edit Droid is a computerised analogue NLE system which was developed by Lucas film spin-off company, the Droid Works and Convergence Corporation who formed a joint company. It existed through the mid 80’s to the early 90’s. Edit Droid has three screens, one Sun-1 computer display, one small preview video monitor and a large rear-projected monitor containing the cut. It pioneered the use of graphical display for editing introducing the timeline as well as picture icons to identify raw video clips.

Avid 1 was based on an Apple Macintosh II computer with special hardware and software designed by Avid installed.

Modern Editing Software:

Adobe Premiere Pro is a timeline-based video editing software application developed by Adobe Systems and published as part of the Adobe Creative Cloud licensing program. First launched in 2003, Adobe Premiere Pro is a successor of Adobe Premiere (first launched in 1991) and it is geared towards professional video editing. I was used by BBC and CNN for feature films such as Gone Girl, Captain Abu Raed, and Monsters.

Final Cut Pro is a series of non-linear video editing software developed by Macromedia Inc. and later by Apple, the most recent version runs on Mac OS computers. The software allows the editor to transfer video onto a hard drive to be edited, processed and rendered to a variety of formats.

List of lighting equipment and setups that you would use for the following scenarios.

A small documentary where portability is paramount:

A Tripod - used as a platform for supporting the weight and maintaining the stability of some other object. This equipment takes longer to set up.

A Shoulder Mount - This is an easier way to capture shots whilst moving around. However it may not be as balanced as a tripod.

A Audio Recorder - Allows all of the audio in the documentary to be recorded so the use of diegetic sound can be used. However it is extra equipment that would have to be carried around and it can put people off because they realise their audio is being recorded, resulting on awkward body language recorded, which could lead to the whole scene feeling uncomfortable.

A Led Light Stick - This allows you to have better lit shots but bright lights can be distracting during interviewing people for a documentary.

‘Talking Head’ style interviews:

A Soft Box - It allows a soft light for better lighting overall in the shot as a shadow. However it takes time to set up and get the correct lighting just right.

A Reflector - Keeps the light soft and is an alternative to the light box if you want softer, more natural lighting. However they can be difficult to use if you don't know what direction to point the reflector.

A Tripod - This will keep the camera steady for perfect shots, as well as keeping the focus on the subject. However some people can feel awkward or uncomfortable with a camera placed in front of them so it may not be ideal for some people. But this technique allows the filmer to be hands free from the camera so they are able to adjust other things happening at that moment which is useful.

A ‘night time’ shoot:

A Led Light Stick: - Allows the shots to be lit in the dark environment so the shots can actually be captured. However it is an extra piece of equipment that has to be carried around wherever the shoot is being taken.

A Tripod: - A tripod is useful if the shots are being taken at a slow shutter speed, it allows the camera to be perfectly still. However if its super dark it can be difficult to set up as well as carrying it around.

How and why lighting affects camera techniques for moving image.

Lighting is very important whenever filming anything because without the proper amount of lighting for specific scene, the shots can be over exposed or under exposed just because of the lighting levels. Two examples of lighting techniques are hard lighting and soft lighting.

Hard lighting is created from a single point of light that is pointed directly at a subject or object. This is because it creates a hard edge on the shadows to give a clear shape. This is useful if you are trying to create a scene that is moody, edgy, or with a lot of contrast then hard light is probably what you want to use. Or to create silhouettes for films is also useful.

Soft lighting is created from a softer shadow being reflected on the object or subject. This could be by using multiple light sources, all coming from different angles. This technique allows the shadows of the subject or object to be faded to give the overall shot a softer look. In film this technique could be used to represent a 'good character' because the shadows aren't has harsh on their faces. Resulting in a softer, more innocent representation for the shot.

Explain how the text has been constructed to create meaning

 Easy Rider (1969):

In this short clip of the movie, there is a series of shots that get are edited to be increased faster to signify the acid trip taking place on the actors and how quickly the drug can start to effect you mentally. As the shots go on, there are hand held shots of tree branches from below, looking up and spinning. This shot could be seen as a point of view from the actors after the acid has started to take effect or a representation of how the drug can effect your brain into creating illusions. The shot with the sun could represent how drugs can effect you overtime and make you lose your sense of time all together as you are constantly having illusions so time of day flies by as your brain gives you a fake reality. The shot that pans upwards showcasing the building could represent the transition into the afterlife because of the use of drugs or because the scene was filmed in a cemetery this this could also connect.As the camera pans up higher and higher on the building, so are the actors. This camera technique represents the state of the actors during this scene. As well as the shot of the big vibrant red sun, foreshadowing hell as a result of drug abuse. Once the drugs have been taken and start to take effect, the editing pace increasing into shorter snapper shots as well as multiple audios being played at the same time. One audio being diegetic of a woman reading some sort of prayer, which links to what someone might say at a funeral because it was shot in a cemetery. Which could also insinuate to the audience that the drugs lead to the death of one of the actors later on in the film. There is another audio that plays which is non-diegetic and it sounds like an old fashioned radio with a static like background to it, this could link to the actors pasts that they may be reminiscing on. A lot of the shorter clips are hand held and i believe the director did this technique because it gives the scene a more chaotic and realistic point of view as if the viewer had taken the acid too, which makes the audience feel as if they are in the movie and are their with the actors, experiencing what they are experiencing. After researching, I found out that the actors did actually take real acid in this clip because they wanted to show the real genuine experience on camera, so their performance was as realistic as possible. The lighting of the four actors in the cemetery at the beginning is not very bright however once they take the drugs, a lot more natural sun light and sun rays are show on camera. This could be a representation of how drugs can change your way of looking at your life because they can make you see illusions or how people say they feel happier when they are on drugs, an escapism from reality that overall messes your brain mentally and physically.