Four Hour Film Challenge - Unusual Pespectives

As a class we watched the sequence twice, to which (thankfully) everyone found funny. As a general, we primarily got praise on the variety of shots and pacing used which enabled us to create a character out of an inanimate object without the use of mass props; Though we were asked if there was opportunity to use more props or different backdrops. However, in my opinion, I think using little to no official props makes the video as a whole funnier because it looks more like a parody that making a backdrop which could have distracted attention from the eggs.
In terms of editing, the only critic we got given was that more titles could have been used to make it more punny and look more like a movie trailer than just a sequence of shots. Similarly, the sequence was very short so it left me personally more to be desired; I wish we had filmed more to be able to create a longer trailer and possibly even more references to the movie our inspiration came from. Although one of our critics was that we could have been more original and created a narrative from scratch rather base it on a preexisting trailer dialogue; but because it was intended to be a parody I don't fully think this comment was relevant.

Four Hour Film Challenge - Birmingham

For this assignment, I chose the theme of 'unusual perspectives', but I also included 'citylife' to add some almost understanding/background to my protagonist; whilst my video doesn't have a narrative per say, I think there is some defining characteristics presented.

I wanted the main idea from this to be the feeling of curiosity or even challenging the human 'agenda', so my protagonist goes to numerous locations (as shown with her walking and looking around) but only finds satisfaction in animals. This is the main reason why the only shot of her smiling is at the aquarium, and more so that the shots at the aquarium are much slower than those of the ones outdoors/places with heavy artistic influence. Even the contrast in colours with the strong blue against the reds and greys on the buildings I think are even more intriguing.

My main issues when filming were the inability to use a tripod and the weather. Locations like the sea life centre or museums do not permit the use of tripods for safety reasons, so I found it difficult to shoot steady shots which increased the amount of time I spent in Birmingham shooting; this creates another series of problems as the natural lighting becomes slightly darker due to the day passing. The stabilization issue also had more effect when adding a warp stabilizer to my clips which (as seen) makes the shots very 'choppy', even when I altered the amount and type of stabilization.

However, besides that I did not have any issues when it came to editing. I increased and decreased the speed on some clips to represent the world passing the subject by in shots like the shark (0:51) becoming slightly slower to show how infatuated she is, but not so much that it becomes unnatural to watch.

Contextual Studies: Easy Rider (1969)

This extract from the film Easy Rider is a peak example of both drug use in the 70s and an example of 'french new wave'; this film is considered to be one of the many that 'helped spark the New Hollywood Era of filmmaking during the early 1970s' (Wikipedia, 2018).

The clip starts with two gentlemen (Billy & Wyatt, played by Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda) encouraging two prostitutes to take LSD in a graveyard. The four shot is a wide shot, but all the characters sit comfortably close together. The lighting is ambient, but slightly dark due to being sat in the shade; the scene just looks like a normal/average scenario that would have been seen in the 70s. This is even more exemplified with the rusted/damaged building behind them. Same goes for the machinery that could be heard in the background, its diegetic and adds a sense of verisimilitude.

A montage sequence begins signifying the effects of the LSD, with quick cuts to a woman reading scripture juxtaposing one of the prostitutes stripping. This cross cutting technique could be not only significant of their location but also even the metaphorical representation of what Hollywood seems like vs what it actually is; the heavenly views and perfect lifestyle vs the drug ridden, "broken dream" reality.

I think having juxtaposing images and sounds here could also be the conflict within the two protagonist's minds. Having the woman reading scripture and then also having one of the males saying "shut up" and (what sounds like) crying could show his struggle of identity; it could suggest how he would rather cast Blasphemy rather than consider the drugs to be a problem. Similarly with the nude shots of the women on tombstones or hiding between pillars, it could even suggest a struggle with his sexuality; almost playing on the idea of Adam and Eve in God's Garden of Eden. Whilst visually we would assume he is heterosexual, the fact it is in a church with cross cuts and jump cuts to the sun and the trees, it could mean God is watching him so he leans into women but distracts himself with drugs.

If we listen closer to the scripture, we hear lines like "Virgin Mary" or "he descended into hell" with the crosscuts of the prostitutes removing their clothes being more prominent. Again it's blasphemous what they're all doing but it almost feels like his actions are more directed at God; as though he is rebelling. Even in the finally shots, one of the main protagonists is sat on a society tomb which holds numerous family tombs and vaults. It could show his struggle to fit in or alternatively acceptance of God as he lays in the arms of the statue (which i'm assuming is a religious figure).

Media Basics: The History of Editing

Editing is one of, if not the most important aspects when it comes to filmmaking. It can either let you transform your clips into another genre or simply let you make something coherent (or in some case incoherent). Pre 1900s, film makers would have to film scenes in order of appearance (in one take) as they had to use the raw footage as their final product.

When it comes to significant impact on editing style and techniques, 3 lead figures arise: Lev Kuleshov, David Griffiths and Sergei Eisenstein.

Lev Kuleshov:

"The Kuleshov effect is a film editing (montage) effect demonstrated by Soviet film-maker Lev Kuleshov in the 1910s and 1920s. It is a mental phenomenon by which viewers derive more meaning from the interaction of two sequential shots than from a single shot in isolation"

Kuleshov believes that the construction of film is pinnacle in order for a film to be deemed successful, with a major focus on editing; he believed the relationship between two shots visually was more important than the actual dialogue or context (as exampled above). By interchanging what the character was looking at through editing, he was able to change the persona of the character shot and therefore the meaning of the extract.

David Griffiths:

"One of Griffith’s first inventions was the “cut-in” first used in “The Greaser’s Gauntlet” in 1908 - just four months after his first film for Biograph...With multiple camera setups being used, the 180 degree rule evolved out of practice"

D.W.Griffiths is known for his impact within Narrative based editing, and is known to have 'created' parallel editing. This is used in many modern films and is where there is an alteration of two or more scenes that are happening simultaneously but in different locations; It more often than not ends up with the two parties meeting each other in a singular location.

He the adapted parallel editing by introducing 180 degree rule: a cinematography guideline where the characters are standing opposite to each other to help bring structure and familiarity to the scene, for the viewer. 

Sergei Eisenstein:

"Eisenstein was a pioneer in the use of montage, a specific use of film editing. He and his contemporary Lev Kuleshov, two of the earliest film theorists, argued that montage was the essence of the cinema"

Eisenstein believed that montages were a way to create meaning for a scene and also show a progress of time. He was also a student of Kuleshov, however they went separate ways due to conflicting opinions; Eisenstein suggested that montage is "the nerve of cinema", and that "to determine the nature of montage is to solve the specific problem of cinema"

Sources:

https://www.slideshare.net/stefan-constantinou/history-and-development-of-editing-14850912

https://nofilmschool.com/Kuleshov-effect-definition

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuleshov_effect

https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/kuleshov-effect-examples/
https://seanmaguireblog.wordpress.com/2012/05/14/early-history-of-editing-techniques/
https://filmmakeriq.com/lessons/d-w-griffith-continuity-editing/https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/4-iconic-editing-techniques/
http://www.elementsofcinema.com/editing/parallel-editing/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._W._Griffith
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Eisenstein
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_montage_theory

Media Basics: Shutter Speed

"Shutter Speed is the length of time your camera shutter is open, exposing light onto the camera sensor. Essentially, it's how long your camera spends taking a photo" (Photography Life, 2018). So in theory, you would need to use a higher shutter speed when shooting in a high lit area, and a lower one in a more low light area. This also means you would have to change your ISO to suit your shutter speed to correctly expose the image.

As exampled below, the different shutter speeds specifically refers to the amount of time an individual frame is exposed for; this is not the same as frame rate which is the number of individual frames that create each second of video you record (aka FPS). As a general however, when choosing settings to film in, the denominator of the shutter speed should be roughly double the amount of frames per second.

As we can see, there is a noticeable difference in the overall definition of the water. With the first video (slower shutter speed) the water is more smooth and harsh with the way it comes out; whereas with the second video we can see the the droplets come out as well as the general flow of the water clearer.

Reference list:

Photography Life (2018) [online] Available from: https://photographylife.com (Accessed 17/09/2018)

Media Basics: ISO

"ISO is simply a camera setting that will brighten or darken a photo" (Photography Life, 2018); Basically the level of sensitivity of your camera to available light. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive to light. So in theory, at night you would use a higher ISO than daytime; however, the main visual fault from using a high ISO at night is the inclusion of grain.

In this video I tried to exemplify this with correctly exposing my images with using an ISO of 100 - 200. I think to be able to get coloured details like the trees or brick it is important to be correctly exposed, or the colours won't be as prominent; similarly im glad I kept my white balance on auto because the green could have looked almost abnormal had I tampered with it.
In the last couple of clips I purposefully over and under exposed; in moderation, this technique can manipulate natural light without physically tampering the environment. I wanted a more heavenly appearance so i made the light around my subject over exposed by setting my ISO to slightly higher than the shot previously. I also focused my camera on the surrounding behind her to make sure it was that area that would be over exposed.

During my filming, probably due to other factors (like my Aperture), my ISO wasn't that varied. A minimal difference is noticeable with the amount of grain and even the mild 'hum lines' that can be seen on a larger screen. You can also see less colour in/on the subject's hair or the brick wall besides them because it is so dark with a lower ISO.

Having less light coming in when filming can also relate problems in correlation to focus because as suggested it's harder to see; it also removes detail from surrounding areas as seen with the brick wall because of the mass amount of grain. A standard way to fix this would be using external light, but alternatively I could have also perhaps used a wider Aperture.

Reference list:

Photography Life (2018) [online] Available from: https://photographylife.com (Accessed 17/09/2018)

Media Basics: Reference Listing

Books

Quote:

In his own words, Jørgen Leth (Goldsmith, 2002, pg.06) said “The Perfect Human was inspired by the world of advertising”

Reference:

David A Goldsmith (2002) The Documentary Makers. Hove: RotoVision

Journals/Website/Articles

 Quote:

One of the “most notable figures” in French Film  is Jean-Luc Godard (Culture Trip, 2016)

New Wave is “the style of a number of highly individualistic French film directors of the late 1950s” (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2018)

Reference List:

Culture Trip (2016). [online] Available from: https://theculturetrip.com (Accessed 14 September 2018)

Encyclopaedia Britannica (2018). [online] Available from: https://www.britannica.com (Accessed 14 September 2018)