Objective And Subjective Shooting

Objective Shooting

In objective shooting the camera is literally observing the scene, and can do so from as many viewpoints as required to tell the story of what is happening.

The audience views the scene from the point of view of a magical invisible person, who can see and hear, but can never touch or interfere with whatever is happening.

Subjective Shooting

A subjective shot attempts to simulate views or feelings. It is not independent of the action, but attempts to be the action. In subjective shooting, the camera does not look at the scene, it is the scene.

Because the camera is usually from a persons point of view there cannot be a true two shot in subjective shooting.

Mixed Shooting

Often subjective and objective shots can be mixed. This is mostly in dramatic sequences but often occurs in a more simplified format when the audience needs to see what the subject sees.

Genre

GENRE - Provides the audience with a means of recognition and understanding.  

We took a look at two films, The Italian Job and Rififi, both are heist movies but both have very different styles. One is a comedy adventure and the other is a film noir. Its important to remember when writing a genre piece that with that genre you can have sub genres which can add great value to the story and engage your audience.

Roundhay Recce Shoot 2

As DOP on this module's film shoot I had to find a suitable location along with my directors for our little scene to take place. Here is what we found, the photos try to show possible camera angles that we are looking to use.  

Color Temperature

Lighting is measured in Kelvin (color temperature)
Day light is approx - 6500 Degrees Kelvin
Indoor Lighting is approx - 3200 Degrees Kelvin

Here is a brief description I found on Wiki -

The kelvin is often used in the measure of the colour temperature of light sources. Colour temperature is based upon the principle that a black body radiator emits light whose colour depends on the temperature of the radiator. Black bodies with temperatures below about 4000 K appear reddish whereas those above about 7500 K appear bluish. Colour temperature is important in the fields of image projection and photography where a colour temperature of approximately 5600 K is required to match "daylight" film emulsions.

Camera Equipment

Here are some camera tools to help get the shot you want when filming.

Sliders 

Steadicam
 
Polecam 

FigRig

 Jib

Crane

Track & Dolly

Made In Dagenam Film Shoot Round Up

As the art director on this short shoot is was my job to draw up plans of the location and provide photos for the director to help him develop his own plans. However like other shoots before this my jobs did not take up much of my time and while on set my art department was frozen out because there was nothing really for anyone to do. We could have provided props but after a discussion with the director and DOP we all felt that the locations could not be transformed in any way that would lead you to believe these characters are anywhere other than beautiful park. What I did do was observe the shoot and tried to learn from the other students directing decisions. Its a real shame because the art department makes up a large portion of a film crew but on a shoot this small with so many people we did find ourselves standing around for long periods of time contributing nothing to the production.      

Bibliography

Mike Figgis, 2007, Digital Film-Making, Faber and Faber.
Brian Sibley, 2006, Peter Jackson a Film-Maker's Journey, HarperCollins Entertainment.
Judith Weston, 1996, Directing Actors Creating Memorable Performances for Film and Television, Micheal Wiese Productions.
Jennifer Van Sijll, 2005, Cinematic Storytelling, Micheal Wiese Productions.
Josh Golding, 2012, Maverick Screenwriting, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
Neil Landau / Matthew Frederick, 2010, 101 Things I Learned in Film School, Grand Central Publishing.
Florence de Meredieu, 2005, Digital and Video Art, English Edition, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd.    

Made In Dagenam Film Shoot Gallery

Recce Draw Ups

I need to hand these over to the director so that he can then see where the cameras can be placed around the scene.

Sleeping Dog's Soundtrack

Art Direction Recce

We went to Roundhay park to scout a suitable location to film a scene from 'Made In Dagenam'. In the script the scene is set in an estate but it seems we had the challenge to relocate to a park. We searched around taking photos and discussing possible options for an hour or so. These are some of the location we found.

Our Art Direction Process

In class we were given clear instructions and details of what we as an art director can do during these production work shops.

1. They read the script and look at it from an art direction point of view. They have to think about whats actually going to be in the scene. They can write up a props list and design details to be handed out to the departments that require them.
2. They then draw up a blueprint of the location being used, this blueprint will contain everything the director needs to know (visually) about the set. Things like colors, props, roads, trees. All that sort of thing. The director then goes and uses this plan to help him establish where he can and cannot put the cameras ect...  
3. Art directors can also do story boards, these help because they come from the eye of an art director and may contain visual details that may not be apparent in a director's or DOP's storyboard. 
4. Its also not unusual to create a small model of the set so that the director can see at hand where he can place cameras and find angles without having to visit the set. This is good for location filming when the set may not be accessible 24/7. 
5. It's common practice for art directors to discuss how the film is shot, the art directors job is to make the scene work. In big dramas and feature films there eye for detail is very valuable.          
6. In the art department the buyer then has to buy the props required to make the scene work or to help the scene establish the required look and feel desired by the director.  

Production Exercise 2

For this exercise we had to write a letter to an actor or his agent about a successful audition.

To 'Casting Agency'  

Hello, I'm contacting you about the recent audition of " " for our short film 'Threads'. I'm pleased to inform you that " " has become our top choice for the role of Liam. I feel " " will be able to tackle the subject matter with the maturity and the experience we desire for the role. " " currently has a wealth of experience in television and theater and I'd love to be able to work with him in hist first leading role.  

Please contact me for further discussion.

Many Thanks

Scott Bradley

 - The tutor seemed relatively happy with the letter. It was rushed as we only had 10 minutes to write it up but I think this is fine.

Radio Mics

Radio mics are battery operated and come in two forms.

• Handheld (interview mic, bands ect...)
• Body warn (little neck mics)

They have two different frequencies

• VHF & UHF. Both operate in the same way. But the UHF is a newer system.

They come with a transmitter (Tx) and a receiver (Rx). The receiver comes in two forms, standard and diversity. Diversity increases the range and prevents drop out.  

Themes and Subplots

The plot is easy to understand but it's the the themes that are harder to grasp but they are what makes the story interesting.

Sub plots should add depth and complexity to the story. They should only be happening because of the main plot, they also should have an impact on the main story. They should revolve around characters in the film. The character in the sub plot should be the main character in their own story.

More Sound Notes

Analogue recorders like the Nagra used 1/4" tape and the mini Nagra (cassette recorders) used 1/8" tape.

At the school big productions use Fastex Recorders and smaller productions tend to use Zoom.

Audio used to be measured in CPS but its now measured in Hz.

Audio, like film, in digital format can be copied multiple times without a degrading effect appearing in the material. Analogue tape re used caused a large amount of hiss. Dolby along and did their best to erase the hiss from tape.

Digital sampling frequency -
44.1 khz is CD quality
48. khz is a higher quality used for film.

The mp3 is the most common audio compression but there are others like wma. and AAC.

Writing Characters

The character check list -

• Name -
• Age - 
• Gender - 
• Sexuality - 
• Physical Appearance - 
• Present Circumstances - 
• Values - 
• Flaws, Contradictions - 
• Social Class - 
• Education - 

Opposites attract, different characters who have to come together to solve the great problem in the film makes interesting storytelling. 

The characteristics you choose for your characters need to reflect the genre and themes of the film.  

Made In Britain Storyboards

These are the storyboards that I used when shooting in production week one. They had to be cut down quite drastically. 

Casino Storyboard Practice

This was a scene taken from the film 'Casino'. I was penned in to direct this scene in our first production week but I was moved onto the 'Made In Britain' shoot instead.

Art Direction Introduction

Production designer is the HOD, responsible for the style of the film.

Art Director works on behalf of the production designer.

Stand By Art Directors are the go to person on set for the crew. Usually on set all the time, from the start to the finish of production.

Props Guys help the Stand By Art Director on set. Cook food, move things, props ect... (One will be called the Charge Hand, his role is to make sure the scene is set for filming - also called the Props Master)

Costume Designers liaise with most of the other departments and get the style of the costumes required for the scenes. (avoid color clashes and strobing)

Costume Supervisor is the stand by costume person.

Production Buyer is responsible for the art departments budget. Crucial for production.

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Dressing Props - Props that are needed to dress the set.
Action Props - Props the actors will interact with.

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Location Recce - Scouting the location, take photos ect...
Tech Recce - This is a tech assessment of the location. Most of the departments will go out and try to make a plan of whats needed and how the scene will be shot.

Composite Set - A larger set (studio) made up of rooms - corridors ect...    
   

Essay Writing

When forming a bibliography use this structure -
(For Books) Author - Year - Name of book - Edition - Book Publisher.
(For Films) Film name - Director - Year.

Like a story an essay has a beginning, middle and end.

Story Notes

A Story.
Stories embrace the fundamental story principles, they involve a character or a number of characters who go through transformation and who change lives and themselves as a result of having gone through life's ordeals and having made certain decisions and choices.

Acts;

• Exposition - set up.
• Conflict.
• Crisis
• Catastrophe 
• Catharsis 

Character; 

Elements that make up a good character. 

• Good/fine with moral purpose.
• Fitness of character. 
• True to life.
• Consistency.
• Necessary or probable. 

Theme;

• You need to know what the idea of the film is.
• Ideas make films interesting.

Diction;

• Genre 
• The expression of the meaning in a way which is appropriate to the plot, characters and the resolution.

Protagonist;

• The protagonist needs obstacles to over come. Sometimes the obstacles come in the form of an antagonist.
• The antagonist should always have a goal - but his goal should not be to stop the protagonist.
• Both goals are needed to make the story work.

Mystery;

Audience Knowledge.

• 1. Audience and character have equal knowledge.
• 2. The audience knows more that the character. 
• 3. Character knows more that the audience.

Each one can be used at specific times to help the story maintain the interest of the audience, using one option for to long may become tedious. 

Reaching the resolution;

• Passage from ignorance to knowledge. Character and audience. When the character fully grasps the importance - the realization of whats really going on.
• All stories need this moment. 

Resolution;

• The resolution must reflect the events of the film. The final act is usually the hero discovering inner strength    

       

Acting Improvisations

Over the next few weeks my friends and I are going to be doing a little experiment with acting improvisations. Here are some helpful notes for reference.

When doing an improv the actor must make an offer to the other actor and vise versa to keep the scene and dialogue alive. To make a block (not make an offer) is likely to kill the scene dead but at times it may be used to create dramatic effect and bring some intensity into the scene.

The characters who the actors are improvising usually need strong motivations so that the actors can keep pushing the scene.

Keith Johnstone - is a drama instructor who has had a major influence on the art of improvisation. Below are some extra notes.

• Don't over think the scene, be boring, be obvious, say the first thing that comes into your head. This helps the scene and its characters appear spontaneous and more real.  
• Always think; action - reaction. 
• Every movement and spoken word has meaning, observe the other actor and react to his actions, tone of voice, position on stage and props. 
• While improvising you may try to out do the other actor by elevating your self above them. i.e; actor A says his favorite book is war and peace to try and show superior intellect, actor B may respond by saying that war and peace is also his favorite book, this punctuates actor A's attempt to be superior while establishing actor B's intellect.         

The Tower, 2012

Very muddy concept, this was supposed to be a scene from a larger production. As it is I think it's a bit of a mess. 

Budget Experiment

The short film 'Threads' (Production Management) had a budget of only 10k and in small groups we had to try and come up with a budget for the film. Here's my take on it -

Actors (age 18 - 20) - £199.20
Speaking Actors - £2,340
Non Speaking Actors - £123.80
Director/Writer - £800
Producer - £800
Crew - £1,485.60
Editor - £200
Power - £30
Travel & Transport - £271.40
Hotel - £1,400
Insurance - £700
Contingency - £500
Food - £200
Props - £550
Equipment - £400

We never got to find out just what the actual budget for the film was but I what I learned very quickly is that there is no money in short film and 10k is not a lot to play with.