LIGHTING

This week we looked at the art of lighting in productions and what effect they can have on the reader. It can impact the reader by accenting certain things, Hiding certain things and overall by using lighting the director can create a plenitude of emotions. After the lesson we were also given the opportunity to practice the different ways we can use lighting to impact shots. here's what we created:

There are several lighting techniques for example;

• Natural lighting - can refer to the use of artificial lighting that has a yellow or white hue and gives the illusion of a naturally formed piece of light coming from the sun.
• 3-point fill lighting - 3 light points are used in unison as to create a "normal looking scene with soft shadows and average colours" this is the antithesis of Chiaroscuro lighting.
• Chiaroscuro lighting - Harsh lighting that creates an intense and extreme contrast between shots.
• High key lighting - It uses harsh bright lights to reduce contrast in a scene, giving the scene a white-washed look that removes any shadows in frame.
• Artificial lighting - This covers any light source that is man-made and not natural, For example light bulbs, ultraviolet lamps, etc
• Back Lighting - Back lighting is when the scenes source of lighting is from behind, this type of lighting is most common in romantic films as it creates silhouettes. 

TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF CANDYMAN

By Spencer Graham

Click the link below to be taken to the slideshow with the analysis on.

 

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByAs7LwdG2ZQZi1DUTlzS3VmU00

 



New Media Terms

In today's lesson i have learned 3 new terms:

•  Semic codes - a semic code is an object or non-animate item that connotes something. 
• Action codes - an action code is any action/movement that could connote to something.
• Binary oppositions - The idea of binary oppositions is that in most films and tv series there has to be at least to polar opposite things implemented, for example; Good vs Evil, Individual vs and organisation, city dweller vs country villager and the weak vs the powerful.(This idea was created by Levi Strauss). As an example below we have an image of Harry Potter and Voldemort. Harry is seen as the good force and the protagonist in all of the films where as Voldemort is seen as a sinister and manipulative evil force.
  

Preliminary Task Evaluation

This is the evaluation for my preliminary task. please click below as to open a slide with my preliminary task evaluation on it.

>>>>> CLICK HERE <<<<<

Finished Preliminary Task

Here is my finished Preliminary task.

Story boarding ideas for the filming.

 

This is the front side of the storyboard, this sets out the basic areas for what the different scenes will look like for example on this side we have the following scenes;

• Getting out the car
• Running down the path
• running to the entrance of the school
• Elevator scene
• Running out of the elevator
• Checking the watch (teacher)    



     The description on these scenes is brief but describes the camera shots.

 

This is the second side of the story board, this side shows the scenes;

• Teacher getting coffee
• Interview
• Walking out of the interview room

 

Location Shots for the Preliminary task

For the preliminary task we have been given we have been asked to do location shots to show where we will be filming. These are the shots as well as their locations and their relevance.

This location shot is for where the film is going to start. The film shall start in the car park and leads to me running down the length of the car park towards a path.

This location shot is for the next scene where I am running down the path towards the school.

This location shot is for where I am going to be entering the school (reception)

This shot is where I will be running across the screen using a tracking pan and then I will be heading into the elevation and coming out upstairs.

As I leave the elevator I shall then run down this corridor.

This location is that of outside the classroom where the interview will be taking place.

This location is where the interview will take place (in the classroom)



Preliminary Task.

The Preliminary Task

The preliminary task is to film and edit a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. My group and I have been exchanging ideas such as a talkshow interview, but in the end we have decided on a interview for a job where the Interviewee is late and is running to get to the interview.

Definitions of new media terms: 

180 degree rule - a basic guideline that states two characters in the same scene should have the same relationship. You must not cross the 180 degree line from both characters as it can look un-natural and disorienting.

Match on action - is a film editing technique where the editor cuts from one shot to another view that matches the first shot's action.

Continuity Editing - smoothing over the illogical discontinuity of the editing process and to establish a natural and logical similarity between shots.

Shot/Reverse Shot - a shot type where one character is shown looking at another character and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character, often used when two characters are talking to each other.

Action sequence - Knife fight

We were asked to get into groups of three again and use the camera shots we have recently learned to produce a short video in which two characters stare off and one throws a knife at the other who then subsequently dies.

This is the video produced i hope you enjoy.

https://youtu.be/a9RIFyzz7cQ

In this video we used:

Extreme close up - on the knife weilding hand

Mid-shot - on the fight

Long shot - as the two characters are in the stand off and running

High angle - on the body at the end of the video

During one of our lessons we got to work in groups of 3. we were told to go round the school taking the new shot types that we had learned and practicing our skills. My group and I set to work quickly as we understood what the camera shots were and what they were used for. Here are our camera shots.

 This shot is a low angle shot. This is mainly used to show a character as being powerful and intimidating. we used this shot type because we wanted to show the person in the yellow T-shirt as being powerful and hurting the other person in the shot.

This shot is an attempt at the Rule of thirds shot type. This is where the the screen is split into 9 boxes (3 up, 3 across) mainly used with a grid and you specifically focus on what is in each box. the effect this can have is isolation and loneliness.

  This shot type is a two shot. A two shot is where there are two people in the shot. we used this shot to show the person on the right telling me something and pointing at the thing that he is talking about.

    The first of our many shots was a Long shot. This shot is used to show the actor and his/her's surroundings. In this shot I am walking down the corridors and the shot has been used to show me walking the corridors possibly searching for something or someone

This is the over the shoulder shot that we took. This shot is used to show the actor usually talking or trying to intimidate someone else. My group was using the over the shoulder shot to show how i'm trying to intimidate the other person but they weren't being intimidated and was instead smiling and almost laughing in my face.

This shot is a canted angle shot (tilt shot). These are used to show speed and quick movement in one shot. the reason we have used this is to show how I am quickly moving towards the person in the yellow top.

This shot is a mid-shot. This is used to show a persons top half and show the emotion, for instance in this shot you can see my clenched fist as I am ready to punch the person in the yellow top, you can also see the emotion on the person in the yellow's face and see his ridged stance.

This shot is a extreme close up. This is used to focus on one specific part of the body or one specific item e.g hand, foot, eye and mouth. we used this shot to close in on his eye to show the fear.

next lesson we will be looking at filming an action sequence (knife fight)

Hello viewer

I'll admit that I haven't had much in the way of experience with all things media studies, but as I am writing this post a little late i can now confirm that I feel like I am going to be captive to the work and enthralled in the productions to come. The first few times that I started to build an insight into editing and video making was on my mum's course at college for graphic designing where i helped her make a new poster and cd case for the horror Psycho. I've always loved cameras and "playing about with them". later in the year we will be making a 2 minute opening to a thriller which i am almost bursting with ideas for.

Anyway i should probably wrap this up and leave it short and sweet, so i guess its bye from me, and i hope you visit again.

-Spencer Graham