Media Studies preliminary task AS

This is our preliminary task.

Isolation

This is our video on the theme of isolation.

Different Types of Lighting

Available Light: Also known as ambient light. Any source of light not explicitly supplied by photographer for purpose of taking photos. It is light that is already available naturally or artificial light already being used. It does not include flashes however flash lighting provided by other photographers shooting simultaneously in same space is considered available light.

Artificial Light: Any lighting that is not sunlight. It is lighting that is made by man. Examples of these are; fluorescent, tungsten, mercury vapour, sodium vapour, halogen and compact fluorescent. 

Artificial light can be turned on and off by a switch. There are some special types that are used for special processes e.g. infrared heat lamps, ultraviolet lights for tanning etc.

In photography they have different colour temperatures which can be compensated for with filters or simulated with other lighting. 

A flash simulates the light of the sun for a fraction of a second.

Key Light: Most important light a photographer, cinematographer, lighting cameraman or other scene composer will use in the set up of lighting. It highlights the form and dimension of the subject. Key light isn’t a rigid requirement. It can result in giving an effect similar to a silhouette. A number of key lights can be placed in a scene to illuminate moving subjects at specific moments.

Fill Light: In television, film, stage, or photographic lighting, it may be used to reduce  contrast of a scene to match dynamic range of the recording media and record the same amount of detail typically seen by eye in average lighting and considered normal. From that baseline of normality using more or less fill will make shadows seem lighter or darker than normal which will cause the viewer to react differently, by inferring both environmental and mood clues from the tone of the shadows.

Positioning of fill light affects the overall appearance of lighting pattern. When a centred fill strategy is used the ratio is created by overlapping the key light over the foundation of fill.

Backlighting: In lighting design, backlighting is the process of illuminating the subject from the back. In other words, the lighting instrument and the viewer face each other, with the subject in between. This creates a glowing effect on the edges of the subject, while other areas are darker. The backlight can be a natural or artificial source of light. When artificial, the back light is usually placed directly behind the subject in a 4 point lighting set up. A back light, which lights foreground elements from the rear, is not to be confused with a background light, which lights background elements (such as scenery).

In the context of lighting design, the back light is sometimes called hair or shoulder light, because when lighting an actor backlighting makes the edges the subject's hair glow if the hair is fuzzy. This can create an angelic halo type effect around the head. Filmmakers sometimes use this to show that the actor is good or pure. TV productions often use this effect in soap operas, where it has become something of a cliche of the genre. It is also sometimes called the kicker or rim light.

Practical Lighting: Practical lights are light sources that are visible as models within your scene. Outdoors, practical lights include street lamps, vehicle headlights, illuminated signs, and lights on buildings. Indoor examples of practical lights include lamps, light fixtures, TV sets, or any other model you’ve built that emits light.

There are 2 aspects to simulating the illumination from a practical light, You need to light the source itself (such as the actual lamp/lightbulb), and then you need to light surrounding set as if lamp were casting illumination into the scene.

Awesome Directors Project : Cinematic Lighting Tutorial

Lighting: Light is an integral part of cinematography and largely responsible for look of film. It can set the tone of a scene and make o break how "good" a movie looks.

It can also be used artistically. Light can represent a feeling or presence. Coloured lights can hold meaning or highlight the tone of a scene.

Colour Design

Colour Design: Colour can have political, religious and cultural connotations, represent gender and have emotional and physical effects on the audience. It can improve memory, indicate meaning and, most importantly, tell stories.

Colour can help show what a story is really about. Colour is crucial for a film to look its best. When film began, everything was in black and white. Now, it is in colour.

The One Million Movie Props at The Hand Prop Room

Props: Properties. These are objects used on screen by actors during screen production. They are considered to be anything movable or portable on a set, distinct from actors, scenery, costumes and electrical equipment. 

The art of Hollywood special effects makeup

Costume and Make Up: Every garment worn in a movie is considered a costume. Costumes are a storytelling tool and show small details about a character's personality and history quickly and economically the audience. They help actors leave personalities behind and become a new person on the screen. Makeup is used to ensure that the actors look appropriate in screen and are crucial in the sci-fi and horror genres.

Behind the Scenes of Snow White and the Huntsman - Set Design

Set Design: (also known as scenography, stage design, set design or production design) is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or TV. Scenic designers come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but in recent years, are mostly trained professionals, holding a B.F.A. or M.F.A. degrees in theatre arts. Scenic designers design sets and scenery that aim to fully immerse the viewer in the production.

Inside Chicago's Cinespace Film Studios

Film Studio: Major entertainment company that has its own privately owned studio facility used to shoot films. This is handled by production company. Most firms in the industry have never owned their own studios, but have rented space from other companies.

Some are independently owned. They have not produced a film of their own as they are not entertainment companies. They sell only studio space.

Location/Setting: Places where some or all of a film or TV show is produced, in addition to or instead of using sets constructed on a movie studio backdrop or soundstage. In filmmaking, a location is any place where a film crew will be filming actors and recording their dialogue. A location where dialogue is not recorded may be considered as a second unit photography site. Filmmakers often choose to shoot on location because they believe that greater realism can be achieved in a "real" place, however location shooting is also often motivated by the film's budget. 

It is often mistakenly believed that filming "on location" takes place in the actual location in which its story is set, but this is not necessarily the case.

The Importance of Production Design | Short of the Week Show | PBS Digital

Production Design: This creates the mood, atmosphere and context of a film through the expressive use of space, objects, forms and colour. The Production Designer interprets the written word for the screen, bringing all the visual elements together to create a story world. Ideas, imagination and ambition are needed for the job. They have one of the key creative roles in creation of TV shows and films. The term “production designer” was coined by William Cameron Menzies. Previously, and still occasionally, they were/are known as “art directors”.

Modes Of Address Project

Modes of address can be defined as the ways in which relations between addresser and addressee are constructed in a text. In order to communicate, a producer of any text must make some assumptions about an intended audience; reflections of such assumptions may be discerned in the text (advertisements offer particularly clear examples of this).

10 - Hours Ocean Waves crashing onto the shore Ambient Sounds for medita...

Ambient Sound: Consists of sounds of a given location or space. It is the opposite of silence. The term is quite often mistaken for presence.

Each location has distinct and subtle sounds created by environments. Sound sources vary and examples may be; wildlife, wind, music, rain, running water, thunder, rustling leaves, distant traffic, aircraft and machinery noise, human movement, human speech, air condition and plumbing noises, fan and motor noises and harmonics of main power.

Spongebob Theme Song (WithLyrics)

Themes and Stings: Themes are soundtracks. The main bit of music associated with a TV how or a film. A sting is a short musical phrase. It may be used to introduce a regular section of a show or at the end of a scene or as dramatic climax is imminent. It can be played on a variety of instruments. It is often used to build tension. Themes and stings can be used in drama, comedy, horror or any genre, and in radio and TV broadcasting.

Mr Benn TV Series Incidental Music

Incidental Music: Music in a TV show or film that s not primarily musical. It is less frequently applied to film music, as it is normally referred to as film score or soundtrack. 

It is background music and intended to add atmosphere to the action. It may take form of something as simple as a low, ominous tone suggesting an impending startling event or to enhance the depiction of a story-advancing sequence. It could include pieces that are played during scene changes.

How I Do it: Scoring music for film part 1 (of 3) - please read descrip...

Film Score: Original music written specifically to accompany a film. Score forms part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects, and comprises some orchestral, instrumental or choral pieces called cues that are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to enhance the dramatic narrative and emotional impact of the scene.

Best Movie Soundtracks

Soundtrack: Recorded accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, book, TV programme or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the synchronised recorded sound.

EXAMPLE OF SOUND PERSPECTIVE

Sound Perspective: A sound’s position in space as perceived by the viewer given by volume, timbre, and pitch.

Unsound Movie - Sound Mixing Our Film On A Universal Studios Sound Stage

Sound Mixing: In film and television, it is a process during the post-production stage of a moving image program by which a multitude of recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics and panoramic position are commonly manipulated and effects such as reverberation might be added.

How To Miss (Short Film) | Benton Sorensen

This short film has voiceover at the beginning and at the end.

Voiceover: Production technique. A voice that is not part of the narrative is used in TV production or filmmaking. It may be spoken by someone who appears in the scene or elsewhere, or may be spoken by a specialist voice actor. T is pre-recorded and placed over the top of the scene/video. It is commonly used in documentaries and news reports to explain information.

Dialogue

Dialogue occurs in this scene when the characters are talking to each other.

Dialogue: A theatrical form consisting of a spoken conversational exchange between 2 or more people i.e. a conversation.

An Example of a Sound Bridge

Sound Bridge: A sound bridge is a sound which carries on from one scene to the next before the sound(s) from the new scene take over.

Atonement Sound Motif

Sound Motif: Symbolic significance that contributes towards the development of theme. Sound motifs and theme are linked in TV/film production but there is a difference between them.

Top 10 Greatest Movie Explosions!

Explosions are a type of sound effect.

Sound effects: Artificially created/Enhanced sound(s)/processes used to emphasise artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media. In film and TV production, it is a sound recorded and presented to make a specific storytelling or creative point without the use of dialogue or music.

Asynchronous sound in "39 Steps"

Asynchronous sound: sound that is not synchronised.

All Hanna & Caleb Scenes 5x05 Pretty Little Liars

Synchronous Sound: Sound that appears to be matched to certain movements occurring in the scene, as when footsteps correspond to feet walking.

How To Miss (Short Film) | Benton Sorensen

Degetic Sound: Not visible on screen or implied to be present in action. This can include narrator’s commentary, sound effects or mood music.

Pretty Little Liars - Red Coat / A Piano Scene (4x09)

Sound in films will be called diegetic if it is part of the narrative sphere of the film. An example of this is if a character in the film is playing a piano, or turns on a CD player, the resulting sound is diegetic.

Basic Camera Shots for Filmmaking

Ellipsis: The narrative device of omitting a portion of the sequence of events, allowing the reader to fill in the narrative gaps. Aside its literary use, the ellipsis has a counterpart in film production. It is there to suggest an action by simply showing what happens before and after what is observed. The vast majority of films use ellipses to clear actions that add nothing to the narrative. Beyond these "convenience" ellipses, ellipses are also used to advance the story.

The Dark Knight Superimposition

This is an example of superimposition.

Superimposition: The placement of an image or video on top of an already existing image or video, usually something to add to the overall image effect, but also sometimes to conceal something.

Top 10 Action Packed Slow Motion Scenes

This video shows examples of slow motion in movies.

Slow Motion: Better known as slow mo. Time appears slowed down. Film frame captured at faster rate than played back. When replayed at normal speed, time appears to be moving more slowly.

Examples of Editing Techniques

At 0:47 the video shows an example of wipe transition.

Wipe: One shot replaces another by travelling from one side of the frame to another or by a special shape. If wipe proceeds to 2 opposite edges of the screen towards centre or vice versa,

Example 2 Fade Out Fade In

This video shows an example of Fade Out Fade In.

Fade Out Fade In: Transition to and from a blank image.

VFX with scale models

This video gives advice for VFX.

Visual Effects (VFX): Processes by which imagery is created and manipulated outside context of live action shot. Involve integration of live-action footage and generated imagery to create environments that seem realistic but are dangerous, expensive, impractical or impossible to capture on film.

Indie Film Making Guide #3 Post Production

This video gives post-production help when making indie films.

Pos-production: Part of filmmaking process. Occurs in making of motion pictures, TV shows, radio programmes, advertising, auto recordings, photography and digital art. Includes all stages of production occurring after shooting and/or recording completed work.

Shot/reverse shot in Spider-Man

This video shows a clip from Spider-Man that is an example of a shot reverse shot or countershot.

Countershot: One character shown looking at another and then they are shown looking back. Shown facing opposite directions and therefore the audience presumes that they are looking at each other.

Videomaker - Cutting on the Action

This video explains cutting on action.

Cutting on Action: Film editing techniques that match first shot's action. Shot hours apart but seems as if time has continued usually. Begin action in one shot and continue it to it is finished  in the next scene. Creates visual bridge that distracts viewer from noticing slight continuity error between the 2 shots.

Videomaker - Cutting on the Action

This video explains cutting on action.

Cutting on Action: Film editing techniques that match first shot's action. Shot hours apart but seems as if time has continued usually. Begin action in one shot and continue it to it is finished  in the next scene. Creates visual bridge that distracts viewer from noticing slight continuity error between the 2 shots.

"Graphic Matching" Used in Films

This video gives example s of graphic matching.

Graphic Match: A cut between 2 objects, 2 spaces or 2 compositions in which objects in both shots graphically match, often helping to establish a strong continuity of action and linking 2 shots metaphorically.

Jump cut examples

This video shows examples of jump cuts.

Jump Cut: Two sequential shots of the same subject are taken from camera positions that very only slightly.

Effect of jumping forwards in time. Manipulation of tempera; space and moves the audience ahead.

A very short film in one shot | Long Take | NSFW

This is a short film that has been taken in one shot.

Long Take/Oner: A shot that goes uninterrupted and lasts a lot longer than conventional editing pace either of the film itself or films in general. It will last several minutes.

Types of Film Cuts

This video shows examples of different types of film cuts.

Cut: The most basic type of shot transition. The continuation of two different shots within same time and space. No special processes. The shots are simply played one after another.

What is Eyeline Matching? [ReelRebel #23]

This video explains eyeline matching.

Eyeline Match: Audience will want to see what the character sees. Begins with character looking at something off-screen, followed by cut to the object or person at which he is looking. 

The Insert Shot - Film Class Video

Insert: Part of scene as filmed from different angle and/or focal length from master shot. Covers action that has already been covered but emphasises a different aspect.

Crosscutting - Inception

Cross-cutting is a technique used to establish action occurring at the same time in 2 places. Camera will cut away from one action to another suggesting simultaneity between 2 actions. However, this is not always the case.

Basic Shot Types

This video explains basic shot types.

A shot is a part of a film between two cuts.

rathmoremedia1415: EDITING AND REPRESENTATION

WHY IS EDITING SO IMPORTANT?

Editing is crucial to make the viewer want to see if the content is worth watching. Editing enhances film. Things that enhance the film are the story, the performance, the lighting, the choice and quality of film, the sound quality, the choice of music, colour corrections and cuts.

Cutting is very important in filmmaking. It makes one scene flow to the next. It avoids long pauses where the scene was being ended during filming. 

Editing smoothly includes the vital elements to filmmaking; cutting, colour, sound, music and post production.

What is Pulling Focus & Rack Focusing? Filmmaking Tutorial (shot on C100)

This video explains focus pulling.

Pulling Focus: Act of changing lens’s focus distance setting in correspondence to moving character/object’s physical distance from focal plane. If actor moves away, the focus puller will change distance setting on the lens during take in precise correspondence to change of position. Focus puller could shift focus from one subject to another within frame.

Depth of Field - Five Minute Film School

This video explains the concept of depth of field.



Depth of Field: The distance between the nearest and farthest objects in a scene that appear sharp in an image. The lens can focus at one distance at a time, decrease in sharpness is gradual on each side of focused distance. Within DOF, unsharpness is imperceptible under viewing conditions.

Rule of Thirds - Five Minute Film School

This video explains the rule of thirds.



Rule of Thirds: Concept in which frame is divided into 9 sections. It creates reference points that guide when framing the image. In shots of people the main line ill be the one going through the eyes. The eyes are normally placed about 1/3 of the way down the frame.

Pretty Little Liars - Season 4: Episode 21 | Clip: Spencer and Ali Flash...

When the camera focuses on Ali, this is framing.

The light shines on her to focus the viewer's attention to her.

Framing: Presentation of visual elements. It can make the image better to look at. It keeps the viewer’s focus. It is used also to direct attention back to a scene and add depth to images.

Filmmaking Tutorial: 180 Degree Rule and Other Shot Sequence Tips

This explains the 180 degree rule.

The 180-degree rule of shooting and editing keeps the camera on one side of the action. As a matter of convention, the camera stays on one side of the axis of action throughout a scene; this keeps characters grounded compositionally on a particular side of the screen or frame, and keeps them looking at one another when only one character is seen onscreen at a time. The technique allows for an expansion of the frame into the unseen space offscreen. It is referred to as a rule because the camera, when shooting two actors, must not cross over the axis of action; if it does, it risks giving the impression that the actors' positions in the scene have been reversed.

Reverse Zoom Practice

Here is a video of practising reverse zoom.

Reverse Zoom: Zooming away from an individual or an object. It is filmed from a close up shot to a distance shot.

Pretty Little Liars - Season 4: Episode 21 | Clip: Aria and Ezra Flashback

There is an example of a zoom shot at the start of this scene.

Zoom Shot: Zooming towards an individual or on object. It is filmed from a distance shot to a close up shot.

Handheld Video Camera Shooting Tips

This video gives shooting tips for when using a handheld camera.

Handheld Camera: This is a technique in which the camera is held instead of being mounted on a tripod. Conveniently, it is sized for travel and allows greater freedom of motion during filming.

ELYSIUM "The art of the STEADICAM"

This video explains the correct use of a Steadicam.

Steadicam: This is a brad of camera stabiliser mount for motion picture cameras. It mechanically isolates the camera from the operator's movement. It produces a smooth shot even when there is fast movement over an uneven surface.

Ending Scene 5x12 Pretty Little Liars

From 1:40 too 1:52 of this video there is a crane shot.

Crane Shot: The shot is taken on a crane or a jib. It is used to view actors from above or to move up and away from them. It as used frequently in silent films.

The Making of The Walking Dead - 'Pilot' [Part 2]

Towards the end of this video there is a use of the track shot.

Track Shot: This is when the camera is being moved by means of wheels. The movement is normally quite fluent.

[Tilt Shot] Pearl Centre

This is a video of a downtown area of Singapore using a tilt shot.

Tilt Shot: The camera tilts up and down, rotating around the axis that run from left to right through the camera shot.

How to take panning shots

This video explains how to take a pan shot.

Pan Shot: Rotation in horizontal plane of a still camera. The motion is similar to shaking your head from side to side and is filmed by cameras turning horizontally on a vertical axis. Using other techniques advances it.

Fav Movie Scenes - Joker's interrogation (The Dark Knight)

At 3:16 there is an example of a canted angle shot.

 The canted angle, better known as
Dutch angle, is a camera shot where the camera is set at an angle on its roll
axis so the shot is composed with vertical lines at an angle to the side of the
frame. It is one of many techniques that are used to portray psychological
uneasiness in subject being filmed.

Batman Begins - Official Trailer

There are two examples of low-angle shots in this trailer. The first at 1:00 and the second at 1:48.

A low-angle shot is a shot from a
camera angle below the eye line. It looks up on the actor or object. The trunk
shot is a specialized type of low-angle shot.

American Horror Story Season 1 Trailer

At 0:04 there is an example of a high shot.

Shot is taken above eye line, looking down
on object or character. This makes the figure seem vulnerable. It is used if
someone at a higher level is speaking to the character or to make it more
dramatic.

I Am A Millennial-American Horror Story Coven-Madison's Monologue

An example of a mid/medium shot is shown at 0:08 in this scene.

Mid/Medium Shot - In this shot the subject is in the middle distance and allows some background to be shown. The dividing line between a “long shot” and a “mid shot” is fuzzy.

Best Scene from American Horror Story: Coven

An example of a long shot is shown at the start of this scene.

Long/Wide Shot - Typically, this shows the entire human figure or object and is usually intended to place it in relation to surroundings. When used for setting up location, it is an establishing shot.

The Walking Dead - Season 1, Episode 1: Days Gone Bye.

At 0:43, 1:34, 1:50, 2:04 and 3:51, there are examples of over-the-shoulder shots.

Over The Shoulder Shot - Shot taken from a perspective of over another person’s shoulder. Common when showing a conversation between two characters.

Ending Scene 5x05 Pretty Little Liars

An example of a point of view shot is shown here at the start of the video. It shows the TV and then Ali and her reaction.

Point of View Shot - It shows what a character is looking at. It will also show the character looking at the object/person and then their reaction to what they see.

The Walking Dead Trailer

At 4:16 there is an example of an aerial shot that continues until 4:23.

Aerial Shot - A crane or helicopter with a camera attached to it, is usually used to film. It is used to film a large landscape will seem insignificant.

American Horror Story Season 1 Episode 1 Promo

At 0:14 there is an example of a close up shot.

Close Up Shot - This is a shot that is taken at close range. It will show a detailed and intimate view of the character and/or object.

Pretty Little Liars - 5x12 Sneak Peek #2 "Taking This One to the Grave" ...

 

At 0:30 there is an example of a two shot. 

Two Shot - It is a close up, of two people. It shows a view of two people however, they do not have to be next to each other.