Class Notes

13

Class Notes

					25 August

					Origins of the medium

					Al Hazan - ~900 AD - Invented the Camera Obscura

					photography and negatives invented in 19th century

					Ed Muybridge - had money, and horses

					Eastman

					Edison

					Lumiere - the Arrival Films

					Al Jolsen's first talkie

					Early cameras were in large sound-baffling phone booths so the camera sounds wouldn't overpower the actors

					Philo Farnsworth - fought RCA over patent for TV, screwed by history

					Re-runs born when Desi Arnez asked for the rights to keep the old television footage

					Technology

					Techni-color - three black and white films recorded at once, through a prism

					Early color films had big promises to deliver on, so roomfulls of men assured a solid red for the colors

					Frames per second - film is standard at 24 fps

					for example, if you under-crank (12fps), and you play it at normal speed (24fps), you get fast motion

					Video runs at 30 fps - NTSC (29.97)

					60 cycles second is common for electricity in the United States

					if set poorly, you have to adjust vertical hold

					60 fields per second - scanning odd number lines, then even number lines

					new video standard: 24p

					24 complete frames per minutes

					3 CCD cameras are like technicolor - one chip for each color

					The Academy doesn't only give awards, they set standards

					Academy standard aspect ratio: 4 by 3 - four sprockets for every frame

					Wide standard: Anamorphic - 2.4 : 1

					takes a much wider image and squeezes it narrow on to film

					then projector unsqueezes it

					Most movies are filmed in 1.85 : 1

					during projection, mask out the content above, and below

					Tele-cine

					redirecting the movie through pan and scan

					James Cameron's favorite cut of Terminator 2 is the pan and scan, because he was able to redirect the film

					New TVs in Europe and outside of America are 16:9

					you lose a little bit of the 1.85:1 movies

					Special effects are measured by K - 1K, 2K, 4K

					determines the depth of digitization of a film

					higher K allows more granular effects, costs more to digitize

					The technology of the film industry is changing so rapidly

					you're better off knowing someone who follows the tech, rather than getting bogged down

					Producers should establish the output criteria at the outset of the film

					will it be all digital? for TV?

					then integrate that into budgets

					reserve 60% of contingency budget for post-production

					new technologies make post production more exciting, more expensive

					Shot types

					wide shot

					long shot

					close up

					medium shot

					extreme close up

					"cowboy shot" - knees up to head - shows the six shooters

					over the shoulder shot (for conversation perhaps)

					low-angle shot, looking up at someone

					high-angle shot, looking down on someone

					tilted frame called a "Dutch angle"

					POV

					Camera Movements

					pan - side to side

					tilt - up and down

					dolly shot - rolling along on wheels

					booming, the camera itself moves up and down

					Zoom - changing focal length (telephoto to wide)

					he would rather move the camera than adjust zoom

					zoom packs the background in behind the focus point

					dolly rolling forward crops

					wide angle

					holds shaking, movement down to a minimum

					elongates faces when you're close up

					makes peripheral objects pass faster

					Amelie - everything is filmed wide

					Telephoto

					Graduate - running scene at the end, filmed with 1000mm telephoto to make the running look slow

					Depth of Field

					Focal Length

					wide angle - more depth of field, more objects in focus

					telephoto - low depth of field - used for selective focus

					Distance

					as a character gets closer to the camera, their depth of field gets shallower and shallower

					Aperature/F-Stop

					imaging chips in video cameras are 1/3" wide

					camera phones have such short lenses, there's infinite depth of field

					like the iris of your eye, it shrinks in bright light

					F-stop is an equation: focal length divided by diameter

					the higher the number, the smaller the opening

					technique - zoom in to the thing you want to film properly and then lock the iris

					Sony PD150 DVCAM

					Film uses a slower shutter speed - like 50 - video is 60

					you can make video look more like film by slowing the shutter slightly

					White balance is about temperature

					Sunlight - 5500 degrees kelvin - very blue

					Lightbulbs - 3200 degrees kelvin - more orange

					flourescent - more green

					shoot in DVCAM - 42 minutes - better audio syncing

					Movies

					Russ Meyer, O Brother Where Art Thou, Cremaster (Cody), Graduate, Citizen Kane

					1 September

					between scenes where a character shifts needs, have a hinge, a signifying action to signal to the audience

					Hitchcock moment - the audience knows the bomb is under the table, before the character knows.

					show what people want by looking into their eyes

					you can demonstrate feelings between two characters by having one character look at the other character when the other doesn't know

					movie: it happened one night

					handheld, zoomed in, lots of movement - conveys anxiety

					clear needs make strong characters

					common plot - late for class!

					clock can be an important actor

					read Good Will Hunting, decide on thrust, story action verb, director/storytelling action verb

					thrust, SAV, DAV for the whole script, the selected scene, and two scenes before and two scenes after

					on index cards, one index card per scene

					seemingly random series of images coalesce three-quarters of the way through - satisfying for the viewer

					push into an object to give it energy - even if it's just a toaster, you can give it energy

					first year film school theme: late for class! but not really.

					avoid visual narration - physical subtitles: don't shake the head to signal 'no, I'm not liking X'

					Victoria's film

					I would not call that a film

					I'm so happy that someone completely disobeyed us

					so we can see what words alone do to us, when we sit in the frame of mind of watching a film

					disappointment because the first shot was so good

					long long shot, panning to the barrier of the door

					it's one thing to have a little of that, to establish something about someone

					but this is like a telegraph conversation

					only one thing less cool than doing instant messenger is watching it

					a telling statement on alienation

					absence of bodies conveys the message

					"in this whole big world full of people there's no one I feel connected to at all."

					innovative use of IM - typing and erasing a message, unsent

					a film about interactive media?

					there was no people involved!

					what other things can you do to take the experience?

					that was the whole point! there were no people involved!

					since we never saw any fingers on the keyboard...

					but we did see a finger turn on the monitor

					maybe pan through the text, move with it - different axes

					compare a shot of an empty beach to this shot - conveys emptiness

					looking at a computer screen

					the advantage of working in the medium of film is not experiencing waiting time

					you should take advantage that you don't have to do that

					the conversation she chose is something we've heard before - there wasn't as much anticipation for what was going to be said

					it was also hard to read

					My film

					didn't understand the human interaction

					missed opportunity from chronology

					what's the deal with the coke?

					thesis of the movie: putting something out there about herself, but no one's taking it

					the two guys, the thank you

					wanted to see the wall's perspective

					talent, strength was her ability to hold the line, to draw the line with spraypaint

					wanted to see her face, is she happy to be doing this?

					story between the girl and her talent

					knowing it was a birthday colors the viewing - consider that in a title

					final shot: neither here nor there - on the faces or on the mural

					8 September

					use "as if" to direct non-actors

					run to the door as if your mom is coming - for a kid

					Light

					four qualities you have control over

					hard versus soft

					determined by the size of the source

					using a silk to broaden the incoming spot light

					direction

					front light - like a flash from a camera

					if you diffuse a front light, it softens the wrinkles, scars

					side light

					shows more relief, more dramatic wrinkles

					bounced light

					from behind, off a white board

					Intensity - brightness

					inverse square law

					for 2 x distance, half light

					lock the iris/Fstop on what you want to shoot

					and you can pan from darkness without the camera tweaking out on color

					Spot and Flood

					Fresnel lights

					ridged lenses focus the beam

					Color

					light bulbs in film business are Tungsten

					outside light is more blue

					use blue filters for lights to complement daylight

					blue orange contrast

					use two lights, one balanced blue, camera set to read outside light

					a little bit of normal light in the background can make a colored foreground stand out

					Light function

					you can call lights by their power level (1k, 2k), or their brand

					or their function

					key light

					for a flattering portrait - raise the key light 45 degrees above

					the "paramount key"

					up light - monster light

					most light comes from above; bottom light seems wrong to the eye

					from the side, some darkness on the face

					"rembrandt key"

					fill light

					back light

					to separate foreground characters from the background

					key/fill ratio

					high key

					fill in the shadows, brighten it up

					low key

					a lot more shadowy, noir maybe

					Equipment

					use a gray card = 18% gray

					use it to set correct exposure

					clothespin - c-47

					cokulorus

					"kook"

					"cookie"

					c-stand

					century stand, grip stand

					backbone of the film industry

					make sure the weight on the arm tightens the stand

					black wrap

					like black tin foil, useful for masking light

					gloves

					moll richardson - fun place to go shopping

					volts - amps - watts

					20amp plug in your house, you can plug in up to 2000 watts

					check locations to make sure they can meet your electrical needs

					15 September

					Film Staffing

					Producer

					Executive Producer

					money, name - a prestige attachment

					Associate Producer

					a credit they give you instead of money

					Associate and Executive Producers - they don't do much during filming except show up the day the main star appears naked - Danielle

					Line Producer

					In charge of the different lines in the budget

					prepare your first budget

					Unit Production Manager (UPM)

					running physical production

					Transportation Coordinator

					A lot of trucks, for people

					Honey Wagons - porta potties

					Catering

					meals

					Craft Service

					table of snacks and drinks and gum and asprin

					Production Coordinator

					the hands of the UPM

					the most fabulous critical people on the set - danielle

					Location Manager

					finds and manages the locations

					Scout

					Director

					Assistant Director

					Running the show, talking to everyone

					2nd Assistant Director

					working for the Assistant Director, on the other end of the AD's walkie talkie

					2nd 2nd Assistant Director

					Any number of Production Assistants

					Studio Teachers

					teaching any kids on set

					Script Supervisor

					keeps track of what's been shot, and how

					Sound Mixer

					operating the recording machine

					Boom operator

					grips are allowed to operate a second boom

					Cable Puller

					ADR

					automatic dialog recording afterwards

					anywhere from 10% to 90% of most films

					in Italy, they record all dialog afterwards

					Choreographer

					Director of Photography

					Keeping track of the shots

					Operator

					running the cameras

					First Assistant Camera (UK: Focus Puller)

					Ensuring focus

					Second Assistant Camera (UK: Clapper Loader)

					going to the truck, bringing back film, lenses

					Loader

					stays on the truck, loading film stock from Kodak into big metal cans

					starting position in the union

					Still Photographer

					Stills are used to sell the movie

					Gaffer

					head of the lighting department

					Best Boy

					bookkeeper for the electrical department

					Electricians (Juicer)

					Key Grip

					In charge of all the lighting equipment that is not plugged into a wall

					gaffers deal in light, grips deal in shadow

					Grips deal with scaffolds

					Dolly Grip

					keep track of the dolly, and the dolly's track

					Movie cameras are heavy, like 60-70 pounds, so cameras generally stay on the dolly between shots

					Production Designer

					the look of the film

					Art Director

					in charge of actually building the sets

					Art department coordinator

					Construction Coordinator

					Set Decorator

					Buyer

					On-set dresser

					the person on the set who moves the furniture around

					Swing gang

					to clean up, fix up overnight for the shoot the next morning

					Props

					Prop Master

					Assistant Prop Master

					Costume designer

					designing the look of the clothes

					Supervisor

					keeping track of money

					Wardrobe

					executing the costume design

					Hair and Makeup

					Really working for the actors

					Digitization

					Camera Report

					you could log it on a device

					palm pilot

					Clapboard

					already

					In-class filming experiment

					"Where my Pie?" scene

					If you're doing an insert, good to say the lines

					unmatching eyelines -

					simulate height differences in over-the-shoulder shots

					keep your eyes at the same level as the camera