Overall I believe my montage went according to plan and turned out okay but i could have improved it and done better if I was able to go back and shoot more for it. I would have included shots of other people there as well, I believe it would have added something different to it, similar to the one in Band of Outsiders. I would have also just taken some establishing shots and I noticed later on that I made all of them into panning shots that can get repetitive while watching this. While editing this I added some music from 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' as when I think of halloween and spooky season, this is my all time favourite so I wanted to include that in some way. While editing as well, I added a fade out of the audio and video to finish the video off, I am happy with this decision because it ends with a shot of a candle so it represents the candle going out and the montage coming to an end. A few better tracking shots could have also been added if I was able to go back again as well.
For all of the pandemic happening at this time, I think my montage video is okay for a first time. I didn't want to overly edit this montage as then I feel like it would move away from a montage video and more into a music video which is what I did not want to happen. Im glad I decided to not take my dslr camera with me to shoot for this montage video because it is a lot more difficult to balance, which would result in even more shaky, uneven footage that would be horrible to watch. So choosing to film on my iPhone was a better choice overall because it can easily be wiped out at any moment and I don't really have to mess around with settings when using my iPhone. Skills I need to develop on for future video filming would be to be more creative when physically shooting, take risks to get different types of angles or style of shooting. I need to be more adventurous with my filming next time.
This is my first attempt at creating a video to a audio that was given to me, we were told to use clips from YouTube so I chose to stick with a ocean/wave theme to go with the audio. In the video I try to edit it so every time their is a click or a boom in the audio, it changes to another clip. If I was to create this again or have another go at something similar to this, I would make sure that the clips were all similar sizes and the clips constantly change throughout the video because they were all take from different videos, as well as trying different editing techniques to further my research and experience with editing.
Considering health and safety when working in the photography room is very important. It is a requirement that everyone is aware of the responsibilities while using the equipment in the room and around them. Everyone in the room should be cautious of cables and electrical objects in the studio as it can be a hazard that can result into a worse situation. Staying caution can help prevent any accidents or hazards from occurring. Always make sure that the fire door or emergency exit aren't blocked by anything as well as you knowing where they are in the room., this allows you to have a clear exit if you need to leave the room quickly, ensuring your safety.
Certain Criteria To Stick To In The Studio:
Making sure that there are no cables or objects on the floor which could possible be a tripping hazard.
Checking the equipment is hooked up properly with no lose wires or bulbs overheating. If anything did happen to the equipment it is important to alert a technician staff to help resolve the problem.
The studio is a small room so due to COVID-19, only a certain amount of people are allowed in the room at once. It is required that masks are worn if you're not being the actual subject. Anyone else should wait outside of the room to ensure nobody else enters and makes the studio too crowded.
No food or drink should be allowed in the studio, this prevents any damage done to the equipment that could have occurred from food or drink being spilt resulting in damaged objects.
Make sure the studio is kept tidy as it is only a small space so keeping it as tidy as possible ensure more space for the equipment.
Keeping an eye on the heating in the room, as well as the temperature of the lighting if they are on for a certain amount of time. This has to be checked because the studio isn't a very big room so it can heat up fast especially if a group of people are in their together. The actual lights can overheat or blow if they are on for too long, this can also be a hazard that could be avoid.
I am going to create a new wave style video, based on a montage scene. In this montage video I want to include filming style/techniques which i have researched from french new wave films I had looked at and analysed. Techniques such as panning, establishing shots, tracking shots and long shots. When I was thinking of places to film, I was restricted to certain area, this is because of the pandemic that is currently occurs so it can be dangerous depending on where you go. So I had to be cautious about that, however I decided that I would film our journey to the pumpkin patch because it was a safer option than most being that you were required to wear a face mask as well as it being an outdoor event. I knew that it would be a large field as I had researched and googled what the pumpkin patch looked like so I knew I could get some panning shots of the fields. I had looked at the weather that day as well to check that it wouldn't be raining otherwise it would have made everything gloomy and harder to film, which I did not want. I also wanted to get a few tracking shots of my sister in the fields because i knew she was coming too. Hopefully this should all go to plan and I am able to get the shots I need to create my montage video.
In this lesson of creative filmmaking we focused on opening scene and the 'This is America' music video by Childish Gambino, directed by Hero Murai.
The music video has a bold visual representation of America's social issues including Black oppression, incarceration, gun control, school shootings and many more. The whole video is shot continuously almost as if the camera doesn't cut away or is not edited, this is because they used invisible cuts which can be created to seem seamless to the audience however they do indeed cut.
The three camera techniques used in this music video were:
The Steadicam
The 'Continuous' Take
The Whip Pan
The Steadicam:
The steadicam is a camera stabiliser mount that provides smooth and fluid motion without the need of a dolly track. The steadicam was invented by Garrett Brown in 1975 and is used frequently in todays films and videos. Even a mobile stabiliser has been created making video making more accessible to more people, it is also a good alternative if you're on a budget.
The Continuous Shot:
A continuous shots/ long takes are shots that last a lot longer than conventional shots. Editing helps a lot with these types of shot to make multiple shots appear as one by using different types of camera movements or objects that allow you to change from one scene to another seamlessly. A few examples of continuous shots would be the 'Russian Ark' directed by Alexander Sokurov in 2002. The film is 96 minutes long and is one continuous shot of the Russian State Hermitage Museum and recreating history as the
camera travels from one room to the next.
The Whip Pan:
The Whip Pan is generally when the camera pivots to combine two shots into one without the need to cut. The technique occurs when the camera moves so quickly that the image blurs, these couple seconds of blurriness are the key area to hide a cut if it is needed, giving the effect go the action still happening so the audience is still hooked.
This clip is how my homemade reflector, it works just as well as a normal reflector and is super easy to recreate. Just using cardboard and wrapping it in tin foil, this allows the light to reflect off of it and bounce back to wherever you angle the reflector.
A reflector is handy for indoor and outdoor use because it is accessible to use everywhere, before reflectors it would be more difficult shooting outdoors as you would have to stick with the direction of sunlight, however reflectors made it possible to avoid having to do this.
In this clip I purposefully moved around the reflector to make it visible in the clip as to what and where the reflector was reflecting and doing its job. Normally you wouldn't moved the reflector around.
Use Of Colour:
This isn't the best example of colour use in film/photography but it was my first attempt. To create the red colour I used a flashlight and covered the light with red tissue paper. In the future I would hire out a light with specific coloured gels as it would look better but this method works as well.
Low Key Lighting:
In this clip I used a flash light to only enhance one area of my sister face for dramatic affect, which is what low key lighting is typically used for. Lighting one area of the face creates mystery to the audience/viewers like where is she? why is it so dark?. This is a way of engaging the audience.
High Key Lighting:
This example of high key lighting is basic as I could have added more light to enhance it more however I think this normal lighting worked out just as well. Her face is being lit from all areas and no shadows appear behind her. This type of lighting is typically used when innocent characters are filmed as it makes them appear pure with nothing to hide.
Edge/Split lighting is a specific lighting technique that has the intention to create a more dramatic shadow in portraits. The light source would be positioned at an angle or from one side of the subject. It defines and separates one side of the face from the other using shadows. This lighting technique can change an ordianary photo into a dramatic meaningful photo. When trying to create split screen, you could also accidentally create a lighting technique called 'catchlight'. This lighting technique is when the light contained in the shadow side of your subject, usually the eyes of the subject.
Spilt/Edge lighting would typically be used for:
Making a broad/wider face look slimmer.
Commercial Photography.
Different types of themed portraiture photos.
Fashion photography.
Or whenever trying to achieve a dramatic look/effect when shooting in general.
Referencing:
West, 4. (2017, February 15). Adorama. Retrieved from Adorama Website: https://www.adorama.com/alc/faq-what-is-split-lighting
Rembrandt Lighting:
Rembrandt Lighting is a lighting technique which illuminates a triangle underneath the subjects eye, the one with less light on that side of the face. It is named after the Dutch painter Rembrandt, who occasionally used this lighting technique. Rembrandt lighting is used because it allows you to experiment and play around with lights. Rembrandt himself used tis technique in his painting because he could use a sharp contracts between light and dark.
The use of the light triangle under the eyes give the image a sense of mystery. Rembrandt lighting can be used on both female and male models, suiting them both. These images also look very effective if they're edited in black and white.
Referencing:
Minoia, Expert Photography, Retrieved from Expert Photography: https://expertphotography.com/rembrandt-lighting-photography/
Butterfly Lighting:
The butterfly lighting technique that uses key light at a higher angle from the subject to cast down a butterfly type shadow on the subject. This lighting technique was used more frequently in the 1950s for film stars as it was seen as a more glamour look because the shadows framed the face better, giving a more defined look. This technique is ideal for portraits as it highlights the subjects main features, like the nose and cheekbones. it then creates shadows on the face under the nose and chin. Making the subjects face appear slimmer/more chiselled.
Referencing:
Robert, N. Expert Photography. Retrieved from Expert Photography: https://expertphotography.com/butterfly-lighting-portraits/
The French New Wave was a group of directors who appeared onto the film scene in the late 1950-60s and is one of the most influential in cinema history. French New Wave used to be known as "Nouvelle Vague", it created a new kind of cinema that was highly self-aware and revolutionary to mainstream filmmaking. The French New Wave cinema rejected traditional linear tropes of storytelling and they were able to create a new language of film. They were heavily inspired by both depictions of common, lower class workers of Italian Neorealism and Hollywood's beloved 'Golden Age'. Becoming a vibrant influence on international cinema which we still get influence today. A few French film directors who were part of the movement such as Francois Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Cluade Chabrol, Eric Rohmer and many more. (French, 2010)
From the book, 'A History of the French New Wave Cinema'
These quotes from the book show that the start of the french new wave was heavily influenced by American and British culture when they tried to essentially rebrand after the second world war.
The American entertainment was rapidly increasing and producing dozens of films as the increase of popularity for entertainment in films grew more. So Europe wanted to branch into the same thing, leading them to increase the number of high quality films too. As a result of the high demand filmmaking, European film attendance had the biggest increase in 1956 as well as France peaking with its highest number of people in the box office in 1957.
However this peak was short lived as numbers began to drop from 412 million before to 328 million in France, the reason for this was because of the automobile being the new thing at the time, everyone wanting them as they were seen as 'marker of changes in lifestyles and spending habits'. As well as people being interested in automobiles at the time, television had also become a brand new hit so it became an even more direct competitor for french film, with the television being the new craze it lead many lading movie studios to close their doors as nobody was attending them anymore. So French filmmakers, professionals and critics were concerned as to how post World War II changes that had an economic powerhouse like Hollywood would effect their own, weaker national cinema.
The French government helped out France by adding high tax on the sales of televisions as well as only broadcasting one channel for only 20 hours a week. Then not until 17 years later, coloured televisions were available in France. Compared to the American film industry it was said the the French film industry was able to survive because the government were able to slow the spread of television sales. The sales comparisons around this time were that American has 1 million sales whereas France had only sold a couple thousand so overall the governments decisions help the film industry stay alive. However 9 years later, sales for televisions had sky-rocked everywhere so in France 2.5 million sets were sold, which is a huge difference compared to the 55 million sets sold in America. (Neupert, 2007)
Unfortunately by the 1960's, a large amount of people were more likely to go out and buy a television compared to going to the movies. With televisions now becoming available for lower and middle class as well, it lead to family's not going out to do activities so overall it changed audiences behaviour patterns. Cinema had to change dramatically to cater to a new society and generation who were already involved in the world of television.
A collective of french film critics formed the groundbreaking journal of film criticism 'Cahiers du Cinema'. This film group rejected the 'tradition of quality' of mainstream film, so it allowed more experimental films such as ones with editing, visual styles. This gave the more experimental films more of a chance to be recognised and explored by other french filmmakers as well.
One of the more known French New Wave filmmakers would be Jean-Luc Godard, his films were widely popular in France as well as abroad. He was originally a part of the 'Cahiers du Cinema' critic group, but shortly after this he began creating multiple french films. Such as 'A Bout de Souffle' (Breathless) which is a pop culture inspired film that is told in a unique style.
Multiple generations of filmmakers are inspired and influenced by the french new wave such as Quentin Tarantino. Quentin Tarantino even named his production company after Godard's film, 'Bande a parte' - (Band of Outsiders).
This video clips highlights key areas as to which Quentin Tarantino was heavily influenced by Jean-Luc Godard's work. This represents that the french new wave era is still highly influential to film today.
Band of Outsiders directed by Jean-Luc Godard, is known as a prime example of the French new wave for its innovative style and romantic themes. A specific cafe dance scene from 'Band of Outsiders' inspired Quentin Tarantino to create his own dance sequence in 'Pulp Fiction' with John Travolta and Uma Thurman. (Tinney, 2020)
Band of Outsiders isn't Godard's typical style to his normal work, it's been described as a mischievous and flirtatious film, where a trio of hopeless crooks are planning a heist. In some of Godard's work, he used a lot of colour specifically red, white and blue. He chose this specific colour combination because it represented the French flag, so he looked at it as marking his work if he used these three colours in his films. He would use these colours very dramatically sometimes in his films that makes it very obvious but sometimes it would be subtle hints in his films too, like background props. (Marshall, 2015)
Band Of Outsiders/Bande à Part Analysis:
When watching Band of Outsiders these are notes I made overall. The movie features lots and lots of jump cuts throughout the entire movie. A specific scene of jump-cuts that I liked were the ones of Odile running to get back to Franz and Arthur with edited in, non diegetic upbeat music added into the background of the scene and then jump-cutting to Franz and Arthur just lounging around reading the newspaper articles together with diegetic sounds of trees being cut or leaf blowers in the background. This shows the comparison of how the main characters are appearing in the movies so far. Franz and Arthur give a more laid back/more chilled vibe whereas Odile seems to be very youthful, energetic and somewhat childish in a way. In clips throughout the movie I see all three main characters together and Odile's energy is easily worn onto others because Arthur and Franz appear more happy/joyful at the beginning of the movie when they are around her, think about her or talk about her.
44 minutes into the movie, Odile, Arthur and Franz decide to have a minute of silence to come up with ideas, however in the editing, all the audio is cut so it includes the audience in the minute of silence, making them feel involved in the movie. Although this can be controversial as some people tend not to like when this editing technique of involving the audience is used because they believe that it snaps them out of the movie, making it less realistic.
Multiple establishing panning shots were used when the narrator says something important to the audience, usually being a translation of what the next couple of scenes were going to be. Three separate tracking shots were used one after the other when Odile, Arthur and Franz were running through the Louvre to break the American world record, even though they were essentially the same shot however they were shot from different positions so it wasn't seamless. More like chaotic in a way, that it goes along with them running through the peaceful halls of Louvre, the diegetic sounds of their shoes stomping across the wooden floor while running through the halls also adds to the chaos and high energy feeling these tracking shots have.
The dance scene is one long shot of all three characters dancing to some music that Franz picked to play on the stereo however while they dance, a narrative cuts into the music to make the audience/viewer focus on what the narrator is saying. Throughout the dance the narrator talks about what all three of the characters are thinking about at that time.
The use of a montage style scene is used when Odile is singing a song called 'J'entends, j'entends'. As she sings, different shots of different types of people are edited into this scene. Odile also breaks a rule of filming by looking into the camera, a few shots of her looking directly into the camera are featured around 54 minutes into the movie. Once again some viewers like this style of film as it's unique and different whereas some people don't because they feel as if it snaps them out of the movie.
When the robbery of the money begins and Arthur and Franz are in the house, it's another one long tracking shot of the two of them scouting out the house, going room by room. Non-diegetic music is adding by editing to this long shot to make the scene more dramatic. Following on from this, another long shot is used not long after this of the three main characters setting up the ladder outside to get into the house, this long shot tracks them as they move around and set up the ladder, reminding me of old school fast pace comedy ladder scenes.
Towards the end of the movie more long shots, panning shots, establishing and tracking shots are used throughout, jumping from scene to scene as the movie begins to end, showing what is set out to happen after Arthur is killed by his uncle. Also what Odile and Franz plan to do with the future. As the narrator talks again for the final time, a long shot of a boat is shot and we as the viewer/audience find out that the narrator is actually Jean-Luc Godard, as he ends the film.
Overall Band of Outsiders features lots of different filming techniques and editing techniques that were all newly introduced to it's audiences. The film was inspired by western/ Old American Hollywood styles and the films is able to speak about darker topics but then be completely opposite and become more playful with romance, so the movie covers a lot of topics but does not stray away from the objective of the movie at all.
Lola Analysis:
The French New Wave Film called 'Lola', created in 1961 by director Jacques Demy is a french film about a young man with no future he believe has he has no job and no aspirations in life, however he manages to run into one of his past girlfriends, being Lola. He soon finds out that she is working as a cabaret dancer under the name of Lola, she does this job to provide for her son because she is a single mother at the time. Unfortunately for the young man Lola is still madly in love with her son's father so when the young man confesses his feeling to Lola, she does not return the mutual feelings.
His false hope of a future and purpose with Lola is crushed. Many people have said that this film gives off an American musical feeling with a joyous romantic vibe throughout the movie. The whole films was widescreen black and white clips.
At the very beginning of the film, there is a long shot and tracking shot style, put together when a car is shot driving through some streets of France. Some non-diegetic music is added to this scene, this could represent that the audience is travelling in the car as well and I agree with this point even more because shortly after a point of view shot is seen from inside the car, situated in the back seat is edited in. This is done so that the audience feels as if they are apart of the start of the journey.
Lola also features lots of tracking shots of different characters particularly the people dancing in the room in general. The movie also features lots of panning shots, an example would be when the sailor boys are so caught up in watching the woman dancing, almost hypnotised by them. The camera pans across all of their faces as they are eye-boggling the woman dance.
Some establishing shots were used when the characters leave or enter a different building, signs and text on buildings is visible for the audience to recognise where the characters are at that time in the movie.
Throughout the movie it is obvious to the audience that money to characters is a struggle, which links to the events that had happened in France not long ago at that time, because of the war. This shows that the movie is relevant to the time that it was created and produced, which makes it more relatable to the audience that it was targeted to back then.
There are quite a lot of long shots without any cuts in them, especially when characters are having conversations, i noticed that the camera usually stays still while they talk or tracks one or the other character if they wander off or walk while talking.
There are a couple zoom out filming techniques featured in the film, which then follows onto tracking someone with the camera. This techniques is used frequently throughout the entire movie. I believe that they used this filming technique because it allows the audience to see the environment that the characters are around, allowing the audience to decipher where the characters are in that scene. So once again the film is involving the audience.
In one part of the film, the apartment scene featuring the mother and daughter. That it had used match on action by having the characters flow very smoothly through different doors and hallways in the apartment, overall the shot was seamless, matching perfectly.
Jules And Jim Analysis:
Jules and Jim was directed by François Truffaut in 1962. The film is based on a novel which describes that two close best friends fall in love with the same woman, who is Catherine, an impulsive and very unstable. This love triangle lasts over several decades. This story is based on Henri-Pierre Roche's relationship with Franz Hessel and his wife, Helen Grund.
Truffaut had very unique camera work for his time in film, in this film he uses a lot of wide camera angles and jump-cuts within scenes. An example of this would be when Jules and Jim first meet Catherine, the way he shot them both give the impression to the audience that they are both mesmerised by her, in awe. Truffaut also incorporates dolly shots, wipes, panning shots and freeze frames. François Truffaut frequently worked closely with Jean-Luc Godard and together they were able to come up with cinematic history and creative new ways to film forever.
The way that the camera physically shows raw emotion and is able to represent that to the audience is phenomenal for its time.
Evaluation:
I started this essay by researching the history of French New Wave and why it had such an effect on cinema. The film critic group 'Cahiers Du Cinema' were a huge influence to how cinema changed forever and it is evident that their groundbreaking ways of film are still used in very popular film industry's today. After researching and delving deep into the cinema of French New Wave it is clear to see how captivating these films are, and how they are able to represent some much emotion in their films. Overall, the three films I analysed used very similar filming techniques however back then this was very risky and bold for these directors as it had never been explored or even done before so the risk of it being successful was on the line.
Next time I do an essay similar to this I would want to improve it by delving more deeply into the research as I feel like I could have added a lot more research into this essay. The research I did only showed a glimpse of what French New Wave is and how it was created. Some challenges I overcame while making this essay would be the difficultly of trying to obtain footage from these films because they are older, it's more difficult to find copies of it and to have an english translation of it too. If you have no idea what is happening in a movie, it can be confusing to grasp why certain scene were shot the way they were. I learned a lot from this essay, I learned about the history of cinema as I was once clueless. I learned that Quentin Tarantino was inspired a lot by Jean-Luc Godard, before I thought it was all just from Quentin himself. So it gave me a new perspective on cinema in a whole itself, however I believe I could have learned more if I researched more into different directors at the time too. In the future I believe I need to use more different style of resources, even though I used some books for my research I think I should have done more. Also I should have included interviews of how directors reflect on the french new wave and the directors at that time, as this would have given me different perspectives on the topic and how influential they are too different directors.
Referencing:
Neupert, R (2007). A History of the French New Wave, Univ Of Wisconsin Press
K. (2020, May 22). DailyCal. Retrieved from The Daily Californian : https://www.dailycal.org/2020/05/22/band-of-outsiders-is-cinematic-emblem-of-french-new-wave-icon-jean-luc-godard/
Marshall, C (2015, September 28). Open Culture. Retrieved from Open Culture Website : http://www.openculture.com/2015/09/bleu-blanc-rouge-a-striking-supercut-of-the-vivid-colors-in-jean-luc-godards-1960s-films.html#:~:text=Jean%2DLuc%20Godard%2C%20never%20one,white%20and%20blue%20as%20well.
Cartography, T. C. (2015, May 28). Youtube - Breaking The Rule - French New Wave . Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R7R0JHvvgo
French, P. (2010, March 14). The Guardian. Retrieved from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/mar/14/cahiers-du-cinema-emilie-bickerton
For this video example, i was set the task to create an old school montage type of video. So I filmed my mum and sister baking some halloween cookies however with the use of editing and premier pro, i was able to edit it in a way that gave the video a old type of feel to it. I did this by adding a black and white filter to each clip as well as overlaying a flickering effect to give the illusion that it was filmed on a older camera almost as if it was actually filmed on film. If I was to go back and make improvements to this video, I would have tried to add more light to a few of the clips as in areas of the video the clips are a little darker than other. Typically I would have used a tripod however for this style of video it was meant to represent a home video so the hand held style suited the style of the video more.
Editing is getting rid of unwanted footage so it is easier to tell the story to the audience, from A - B. Different factors that may effect when we edit are:
Information - tell the audience the story and encourages the audience to take part. For example, detective Tv shows or movies such as Sherlock Holmes and Law and Order.
Motivation - Reasons why things are happening in the scene.
Shot Composition
Camera Angles
Continuity - Advertising or Music Videos.
Sound - L cut like the scream in horror films or a J cut, this is used to set tone for films.
Rule of Six:
This is from Walter Murch's book 'In the blink of an eye' and these are the six elements to building the story within the edit.
He describes this as "If you have to give up something, don't ever give up emotion before story. Don't give up story before rhythm, don't give up rhythm before eye-trace, don't give up eye-trace before planarity and don't give up planarity before spatial continuity".
Walter Murch follows these guidelines to follow while editing so that he is able to keep the audience invested in the film.
More in Depth - Rule of Six:
Emotion - Emotion is the most important part when editing, so when cutting clips you have to consider the emotions of the story as well as considering the audience and their feelings. You have to also consider if the cut is distracting the audience from the emotion of the story.
Story - each cut must advance the story so if the scene isn't advancing the story, cut it as it can confuse or bore your audience.
Rhythm - Timing is everything. The editing must have a beat so it can flow smoothly. If there is no rhythm, the editing will look sloppy and bad because it will appear choppy to the audience. Try to achieve tight cutting but still keep it interesting.
Eye Trace - You should be aware of where in the frame you want your audience to look and cut accordingly. Try to match the movement in each scene so it all flows smoothly. See the screen as 4 sections, try keeping action in one section if it appeared their before as the audience will already be looking in that direction. An example of this would be 'Apocalypse Now' as the ceiling fan and the helicopter are editing together to appear as the same thing, helping flow into the next scene.
Two Dimensional Place of Screen - Making sure to follow the 180 degree rule, this keeps the action progressing and maintains the continuity.
Three Dimensional Space - Giving the illusion of three dimensional solidity, example being in 'The Shining' scattered throughout are reverse-angle wide shots between characters.
An example of a movie opening we watched was 'Whiplash', directed by Damien Chazelle in 2014. They used shots appearing higher than the actor so it gives the impression that the actor is smaller and more vulnerable, even scared. This means the main objective is shown to the audience straight away.
Another example of a film opening we watched was called 'Apocalypse Now' directed by Francis Ford Coppola in 1979. This movie opening starts out slow with a pan of palm trees and a song called ' The Doors, The End'. This song begins to increase in the beat when their are explosions happening in the forest while the camera shot pans across. The editing then begins as split screens of a actor fade in and out on the screen representing the reality and nightmares. Showing to the audience that his memory is blurring together showing signs of PTSD.
Their is a voice over further into the opening scene and the low key lighting give the impression that the main character is very mysterious and has tortured ways.
This American Film is about the Vietnam War so includes a lot of action. Ryan's analysis included that the opening scene combines thumping diegetic sounds, chaotic music, visual overlay dissolves of fire, helicopters, fans, alcohol and weapons to create a thick atmosphere of mental anguish. Another sign of PTSD that is represented to the audience is that the helicopter propellers and the hotel fan are synced together to show the link of how messed up his head is and what he has experienced in the past to link the two together.
'The Elephant Man' directed by David Lynch in 1980. This film was the first studio film of surrealist filmmaker David Lynch and it was based on the true story of Joseph Merrick who was a British man with severe facial deformities. The film is all in black and white and the opening has parts where it is in slow mo, to represent the trauma the actor was facing as she was being killed by the elephants.
The sound of the opening includes harsh industrial sounds mixed with childlike circus themes which gives the movie a tone of darkness and innocence. Their are visual overlays of Merrick's mother with elephants portray Merrick's beliefs that he is the result of his mother being attacked by an elephant when he was younger.
Three point lighting is a lighting technique used in video, film, photography and imagery. The technique uses three key light points:
Key light - This is the main light, it is usually the strongest and has the most influence on the look of the scene. It is placed to one side of the camera/subject so that this side is well lit and the other side has some shadow.
Fill Light - This is the secondary light and is placed on the opposite side of the key light. Typically it is used to fill the shadows created by the key. Hopefully the lighting will be softer, you can get this look by moving the lighter further or closer to the subject.
Back Light - This last light makes up the three point lighting and is placed behind the subject, it's purpose is to provide definition and a subtle highlight around the subjects outline. This can also help separate the subject form the backdrop.
These three lights can be used separately as well as together. A fourth light can be added to light the entire background too. The reason why we use three point lighting is to properly illuminate a subject in an effective and pleasing way by simply using three different lights.
Low Key Lighting:
Low key lighting is a lighting technique that focuses on creating shadows by using hard sources of lighting in shots. It aims to increase the contrast through shadows and dark tones. The term 'low key' is used in cinematography and photography to refer to any scene with high lighting ratio.
It tends to heighten the tension in scenes and build suspense with viewers, so this lighting technique is typically used in horror genre films and dark dramas/thrillers. Leading this lighting technique to be used in cinema to create dramatic, moody effects and in many types of films from romance to drama.
High Key Lighting:
High key lighting is a lighting technique typically used for TV, film and certain photography shoots. They all use high key lighting because it aims to reduce the lighting ration present in the scene. By doing this it means there is less contrast between darker tones and the brighter areas.
The results you get from high key lighting would be a brightly lit subject with more fill light and softer shadows.
This is my attempt at creating a split screen video, the video doesn't have any meaning to it, it's just a series of clips of my sister doing everyday stuff on one afternoon. If I recreated or attempted to create a spilt screen video again I would improve it by using a tripod as well as adding a better light source as the lights in my house are very warm tinted so it makes the overall video appear very yellow/orange tinted. I would also spend more time making sure the actual split in the video was balanced throughout the video as I found this quite difficult to do, so I would spend more time on it.
Understanding Panels in Premier Pro, main four are Project Panel, Source Monitor Panel, Program Monitor Panel and Timeline Panel.
Project Panel - Import and organise the media assets you'll use in your project.
Source Monitor Panel - Preview the clips you've imported before editing them.
Program Monitor Panel - Preview your project as you create it.
Timeline Panel - Arrange and edit your clips to create your actual project.
You're able to customise the size of these panels however you want, making a great work space.
Importing Media Tutorial 2:
Searching for your specific media files and importing them into the Project Panel.
Before beginning make sure to review the clips you have selected are the right ones by reviewing them in the Source Monitor Panel.
Preparing your Clips for Editing Tutorial 3:
When the clips are highlighted grey, they are made into a sequence so all the clips will be dragged into the Timeline Panel together.
When a sequence is made, everything you do to that sequence is saved within the sequence file. Such as (duration, order, colour adjustments, transitions, etc). Two audio slot are free for you to be able to stack audio together, lining up the audio with the clips is very important.
Editing your Clips Tutorial 4:
The playhead allows you to drag across to specific areas in your clips that you want to edit. Using spacebar on the keyboard allows you to start and stop the start of a sequence.
You can drag and drop clips into a different order by holding command and dragging the clip with the mouse, wherever you want it. If you don't hold down command, then the clips with just cover each other, making the sequence more difficult to rearrange. You can trim different clips using the red arrow and then dragging until the length is what yo want, you're able to do this with audio clips too.
Exporting your Project Content Tutorial 5:
To open the export settings box, press command and M.
Change the format options to 'H.264' and then change the preset option to 'Match Source - Medium Bitrate'. Name your video and then export.
Creative and Stylistic Edits Tutorials:
Changing the Speed of Clips Tutorial 1:
To change the speed of a clip, highlight the clip in the Timeline Panel and then left clip, select 'Speed/Duration' and change the percentage to the desired speed. Then you can redo this and reverse it back to the original speed.
Adding Titles Tutorial 2:
To add titles to clips, clips 'window' and then 'essential graphics' which then pops up another panel on your screen with all different types of fonts and ways the title appears onto your clips. Your titles will appear with your media clips, which you drag and drop onto the timeline panel, placing it wherever you want it to appear.
Adding Transitions to Clips Tutorial 3:
Adding transitions to your clips can be done by going into the 'Effects Panel' and then dragging and dropping the desired transition either before or after a clip on the Timeline Panel. This same process is done for adding effects/transitions to audio as well.
Working with Audio Tutorial 4:
The white horizontal line that appears on the audio clips on the Timeline Panel, this white line can be moved up and down to change the background audio of the clip.
Adjusting the Colour of Clips Tutorial 5:
The colours on clips can be changed with the colour wheels as well as using the Lumetri colour panel.
You can do this to make the clips seem more put together and have a better flow.
