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Weeks 6 and 7- Unit 12 Final Analysis Report
I have come to the realisation that the discipline I want to research is cinematography. This is because I am incredibly interested in everything a cinematographer does, e.g. focusing on lighting to fit the overall image. I thoroughly enjoyed all the practical lessons involving elements of cinematography, such as looking at different camera angles/shot types, lighting, composition and depth of field. All of the past units we have done as a class have helped me learn more about my chosen discipline and made me realise why I want to focus on cinematography during working on my Final Major Project. I have also researched different cinematographers such as Vilmos Zsigmond and Daniel Landin, who have definitely sparked my interest in cinematography with their work and experiences in that particular field.
Cinematography is believed to have come about back in 1895 when the first film was shot- La Sortie de l’usine Lumière a Lyon (1895) or Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory. The camera used to film this was the Cinématographe.
When motion picture first came about, there were no specific or set job roles for creating film- this meant that the cinematographers were also the directors of their own films. The art of cinematography took a long time to develop as many believed that we had to develop a better understanding of how the human mind processes and comprehends seeing a series of still images before we went on to create motion picture.
The reason motion picture was invented was a result of many other previous inventions. Without photography, cinematography would never have been discovered. Photography had not long been discovered before the invention of film, and the majority of people working on the development of motion picture had previously worked in photography. People were experimenting endlessly, trying to project image on to different materials and generally trying to develop their new found discoveries.
A French man named George Melies was a very significant character in the history of film/cinematography. Melies was a satirist, magician and still photographer who utilised the medium of cinematography by being the first person to create short films with an actual story line- no one else working in film had been adventurous enough to try this yet. He was also the first person to experiment with special effects. He did this using stop motion methods. A Trip to the Moon (1902) was Melies’ most famous piece of work- a silent film about a group of astronomers travelling to the moon.
From the years 1896 and 1914, George Melies had made approximately 500 films, all very different from one another. Some lasted for one minute and some for as long as 40 minutes. Other examples of his films are The Voyage of the Bourrichon Family (1913), The 400 Tricks of the Devil (1906) and The Hallucinated Alchemist (1897).
Another significant person worth mentioning is Edward S. Porter, an American film pioneer who introduced the editing of films. Before Porter made his discovery in the 1890’s, films were always shot with one fixed camera and actors performing in front of it- there were no jump cuts or movement of the camera. Porter came up with the idea of moving the camera to change the audiences perspective and to get more up close and personal with the actors, so the audience could become more invested and engrossed in the story. Once he realised that he had flexibility as a film maker and could alter the shots to fit the general story, he found filming a lot easier and more enjoyable. After this came the discovery that all scenes in a film do not need to be shot in order- they can be re-assembled into the right order in the post production stage. At this point, film was becoming a lot more flexible.
The Great Train Robbery (1903), a silent Western film, was Porters most successful piece of work to date.
In 1950, the first Eastman colour negative film was announced by Kodak. This was one single strip of film reacting to three basic colours- blue, green and red. With this discovery, colour in film was developed and from then on, the majority of films created were in colour- a huge breakthrough in the film industry.
Looking at the social and cultural history of film, I have discovered that historians creating documentaries on events that have taken place in the past increasingly decided to move away from documenting past wars and tragedies etc, to creating motion picture about everyday things, such as the lives of ordinary people. Film has managed to realistically capture and document family life, relationships and many everyday norms that audiences can relate to. Films don’t always have to be about huge events or have incredibly extreme plots to have a large audience or following. A lot of people enjoy simple plots with mundane storylines, as these are often the most relatable. Many motion pictures are distorted or exaggerated for drama or comedy purposes, but being able to strongly relate to a character or story is what many people enjoy the most about watching films.
One interesting strategy used in Hollywood for pleasing a broad audience is creating a film which can be interpreted in different ways by different members of the audience. This would include subtle adult humour, or implying something was happening so an adult would understand, but a child would not. This way, film makers can target their productions at wider audiences.
From 1915 onwards, films were Americas most popular form of narrative entertainment. Many would agree that films reflected social attitude much more accurately than any other medium, as audiences were getting wider and more diverse with the growth of film. Film production and the viewing of films are definitely social practices and an important and major part of general twentieth century modern life.
Whilst finding out all this research, I realise I have learnt a lot about cinematography and film in general- from the history of editing to Hollywood film techniques. Going back to George Melies work, I realise I was very interested in his productions and history as he was the first film maker to focus on the storyline of a film and due to this, a very significant and important filmmaker- narrative is something that intrigues and interests me a lot, and I would like to look more into narrative and telling a story for my Final Major Project.
In addition to all the research done on my chosen discipline, there have been many informative and helpful practical lessons I have taken part in at college that have helped me understand the art of cinematography more in depth. Some of these lessons include practical sessions on lighting, using green screens, looking at different camera settings and effects and just general researching of cinematography.
Looking back on my Week 5 blog post, I realise that this was a significant lesson as I decided I had a major interest in cinematography and lighting. We experimented with lighting and I combined lighting and genre to see what I could come up with. I played around with lighting, camera settings and different coloured filters to represent different genres. Although my experiment wasn’t as successful as I hoped it would be (I didn’t have enough time to get as many photos as I wanted, also a lot of them didn’t turn out quite as I wanted them to) I still learnt that cinematography/genre and lighting was a huge interest of mine and that this was something I wanted to explore in my Final Major Project.
With this stemmed another interest of mine- colour and lighting in cinematography. I have always appreciated the way certain films will use a particular colour to convey a mood- sometimes subtly, sometimes not.
A good example of this is the significance of the colour red in We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011). As the film includes themes such as danger, death, determination and passion- all represented by the colour red. I found a mood board on Pinterest which represents this perfectly.
These set of images perfectly show the dramatic use of the colour red throughout the film. Whether it be blood or just something subtle (e.g. a chair) the colour makes a frequent appearance and portrays the strong use of the themes listed above. Colour in film has a subconscious effect on the way we view the story and the characters. We may not always notice it but if (e.g.) a film has a dramatic use of the colour red, we may find ourselves as viewers anticipating danger or passion. If a film has a lot of blue included, we may find ourselves feeling calm or sad, or happy and at peace if the colour yellow makes a frequent appearance. This is why colour schemes in films (or media in general) is so important to understand as a filmmaker.
I found this cheat sheet on imgur.com which perfectly represents how colour is used in film- how it represents moods and themes. I found this incredibly interesting and definitely want to work colour and mood into my Final Major Project.
“Color theory norms should be understood by #filmmakers but never seen as a limitation.” – quote from unknown, on studiobinder.com.
Another practical lesson I found highly interesting and informative was one where we had a more in-depth practical lighting lesson. We had to replicate certain lighting effects, such as someone sitting in front of both a fire and a television.
We created this fire effect by using a red coloured lighting gel in front of our main light and moving it back and forth, creating the flickering effect showed on the subjects face in the clip. This one was incredibly simple to do, yet had a very effective outcome. We tried a lot of other methods before this one, (different coloured gels, more/less lights etc.) and none of them worked quite as well. This practical definitely furthered my interest in lighting and made me realise how important using the correct lighting is in cinematography.
After this lesson I found this video on YouTube about lighting techniques- the video talks about how to use the correct lighting for particular scenes, and how to create some very cinematic looks and styles with little lighting. It also discusses framing and photography, but breaks it down so its simple and easy to understand.
Overall, I have learnt a lot over the past seven weeks and even just from researching these topics. I have a better understanding of cinematography, lighting and colour and also what direction I want to take my Final Major Project in. I have developed my skills during practical lessons and gained a lot of new information from theory work. I have also learnt a lot about past practitioners who have worked in fields that I am interested in (cinematographers) and the way they worked, methods they used and why they were so successful. I have taken away information from their work and experiences and also taken advice from them in terms of the way they worked. This has definitely made a difference to the way I’m going to be filming my Final Major Project.
References
Basic Lighting Techniques. (2017). Film Riot.
Historymatters.gmu.edu. (2017). Films as Social and Cultural History. [online] Available at: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/film/socialhist.html [Accessed 1 Apr. 2017].
Imgur. (2017). The Psychology of Color in Film. [online] Available at: https://imgur.com/gallery/WJbh7UT [Accessed 1 Apr. 2017].
La sortie de l’usine Lumière à Lyon. (1895). Paris: Lumière Brothers.
Méliès, G. (2017). Unknown. [online] IMDb. Available at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0617588/?ref_=tt_ov_dr [Accessed 1 Apr. 2017].
Orfano, F. (2017). Fun & Interesting Facts on the Origins of Cinematography. [online] Bright Hub. Available at: http://www.brighthub.com/multimedia/video/articles/58846.aspx [Accessed 7 Mar. 2017].
Pinterest, (n.d.). We Need To Talk About Kevin. [image] Available at: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/488710997033756391/ [Accessed 1 Apr. 2017].
Unknown (1905) EarlyCinema.Com. Available at: http://www.earlycinema.com/timeline/ (Accessed: 6 March 2017).
Unknown (no date) The history of the discovery of cinematography – introduction. Available at: http://precinemahistory.net/introduction.htm (Accessed: 6 March 2017).
Yeluchuri, (2017). Cinematography history. [online] Slideshare.net. Available at: https://www.slideshare.net/EnoshYeluchuri/cinematography-history [Accessed 1 Apr. 2017].
Practitioners Report
In this report, I will be talking about two different cinematographers- Vilmos Zsigmond (who died in 2016) and Daniel Landin. Zsigmond worked on various films such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1997) and The Black Dahlia (2006). I mainly chose Zsigmond as he was known as one of the top ten most influential cinematographers of all time. Landin was the cinematographer for films such as Full Metal Jacket (1987) and Under the Skin (2013). Under the Skin was the main reason I chose Daniel Landin as one of my cinematographers to research, as the film had some particularly attractive looking cinematography in my opinion.
Firstly, I will be researching Vilmos Zsigmond, who is mostly famous for working on films such as The Deer Hunter (1978) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1997). Zsigmond was a Hungarian-American cinematographer who began his life in film by studying cinema at the Academy of Film and Drama in Budapest and went on to receive an MA in Cinematography. After this, he spent five years as the Director of Photography in a feature film studio in Budapest. During the Hungarian revolution as he was fleeing the country, Zsigmond managed to capture some of the events of the revolution on 30,000 feet of film. Some of this footage was used in the opening segment of the 2009 documentary No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo and Vilmos– a documentary on Laszlo Kovacs (another cinematographer) and Zsigmond himself. The documentary focuses on their impact on American film and cinema.
Zsigmond moved to LA in 1962 and his first film that he worked on was The Sadist (1963) and after that it was Summer Children (1965). He gained popularity during the 70’s when he was chosen to be the cinematographer for McCabe and Mrs Miller (1971) by director Robert Altman.
Zsigmond concentrated very much on lighting and believed that in modern Hollywood, not enough time is allocated to creating a mood visually and focusing on lighting and too much time is focused on the stars and making them look good. Zsigmond talked at film seminars for young budding filmmakers and made sure to teach them mainly about visual moods and effect, as he believed they were some of the most important elements in film making.
Some awards that Zsigmond won consist of:
- An Oscar for Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1997
- BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography in 1978 for The Deer Hunter
- Emmy Award for Stalin (1992) in 1993
- National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cinematography in 1973 for The Long Goodbye (1973)
Vilmos Zsigmond died on the 1st January 2016 at the age of 85.
I will now be doing some research into some certain elements of Zsigmond’s work, such as formal elements, narrative, materials, processes and techniques.
I found this video from the YouTube channel ‘wolfcrow’ explaining the cinematography of Zsigmond himself. It states that Zsigmond owned a 16mm Arriflex camera and lenses which were modified by Techniscope.
During the time working on the film that got him his first big break McCabe and Mrs Miller (1971) Zigmond used a number of techniques. The most used and most successful technique he used was pre-flashing – he did this because he required extra light in a lot of the scenes. He also added double fog filters on his lenses to make the image look softer. This film also introduced Zsigmond to the zoom lens- something he went on to use a lot of in future films.
Vilmos Zsigmond described his style of cinematography as “poetic realism”. A lot of his inspirations for his poetic-looking cinematography came from Dutch painters. Zsigmond would always suit the lighting to match the narrative and worked very hard to do so. During working on Deliverance (1972) he used film processing techniques to mute colours in order to match the narrative.
As previously stated, Zsigmond used a lot of various techniques and tools in his films, such as Arriflex cameras and lenses, double fog filters etc. Another camera he used frequently was a Sony F65 on Kickstart Theft (2012) and also a Red One camera on The Maiden Danced To Death (2011). He wasn’t a huge fan of the sharpness of digital camera, but he did adopt the use of colour grading in the last films he shot.
Zigmond often tried to “soften” his actresses and he did this by using Tiffen Soft FX diffusion filters- he would only use one, two or half a filter for this. He did use this technique on some of his actors, but only so the scenes with the actors and actresses would match. His one aim was to create a mood in his scenes, and he did this by taking a close look at his actors/actresses and filming locations so he could get a good idea on what lighting would suit them.
Vilmos Zsigmond has been very influential to me in terms of planning my Final Major Project. I like his passion for lighting and how important he believes lighting is in all his scenes, whether its natural lighting or harsh. Zsigmond can always find the best lighting needed for the scene being shot and I want to focus just as much on lighting for my Final Major Project as he did in all of his films.
I will now be researching cinematographer Daniel Landin, best known for his work on Under the Skin (2013) and Full Metal Jacket (1987).
As I did whilst researching my previous practitioner, I will be looking into the formal elements, narrative, materials, processes and techniques that Landin used in his films.
One of Landin’s most visually stunning films is Under the Skin (2o13). I will be looking into the cinematography used in this particular film. A lot of the lighting was natural and Landin didn’t have to enhance what was there already- but in some scenes he made small adaptations. In scenes shot in somewhere like a house, Landin focused on the character living in that setting and adapted the lighting to how he thought the character would like it. When shooting in a nightclub, Landin and his team re-lit the club using their own lighting and when shooting in a council estate, they had to recreate the lighting of a street lamp- although this was only because the actual streetlamps had been vandalised so much they didn’t work anymore.
Another classic that Landin did the cinematography for is Full Metal Jacket (1987). The cinematography in this was described as “chaotic”as there were a number of zoom ins, close ups, center shots all in a short space of time. Landin did this purposely, as the events in the film are chaotic themselves.
I aim to be able to create a project as stunning as Under The Skin (2013) with the use of dark colours and lighting and also simplicity. I also like the way Landin focused so heavily on lighting, just as Zsigmond did.
Evaluation
This report was incredibly interesting to write, as well as helpful. I learnt a lot about two incredibly talented and inspiring cinematographers whose work have given me ideas and inspiration for my Final Major Project. I want to combine elements that both cinematographers have used in their films, such as Vilmos Zsigmonds strong use of narrative and Daniel Landin’s heavy use of lighting.
References
Dusca-Meisan, M. (2014) Full metal jacket – cinematography. Available at: http://allaboutfilm123.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/full-metal-jacket-cinematography.html (Accessed: 5 March 2017).
Productions, M. (2008) No subtitles necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos. Available at: http://www.laszloandvilmos.com/ (Accessed: 28 February 2017).
Unknown (no date) Close encounters of the Third kind Screencaps gallery – full movie (1977). Available at: http://screenmusings.org/movie/blu-ray/Close-Encounters-of-the-Third-Kind/index.htm (Accessed: 28 February 2017).
Unknown (no date) Under The Skin: Cinematography. Available at: http://www.film4.com/special-features/interviews/under-the-skin-cinematography (Accessed: 5 March 2017).
Unknown (1930) ‘Vilmos Zsigmond’, in Available at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005936/ (Accessed: 28 February 2017).
Unknown (2017) ‘Vilmos Zsigmond’, in Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilmos_Zsigmond (Accessed: 28 February 2017).
Vidani, P. (2013) Steven Spielberg: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977). Available at: http://directorsseries.tumblr.com/post/57014280749/steven-spielberg-close-encounters-of-the-third (Accessed: 28 February 2017).
wolfcrow (2016) Understanding the cinematography of Vilmos Zsigmond. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgKGwHB1Pq4 (Accessed: 5 March 2017)
Skateboards – Week 3
Mind map
Linked above is my PowerPoint on what I already know about skateboards. As is obvious, it isn’t a lot- my knowledge on skateboards/skateboarding in general isn’t very vast.
Research
What is the product?
The skateboard is a type of four wheeled sports equipment used mainly for travelling, leisure activities and doing tricks.
Who made it? Who is it for? Who uses it?
Although no one is sure who specifically built the very first board, the product was originally made by a surf shop in LA and was created for surfers to use and practice on in their spare time. Bill Richard (who owned said surf shop) ended up making a deal with the Chicago Roller Skate Company to produce sets of skate wheels, which they attached to square wooden boards to create the first skateboards. Today, it is mostly young, able bodied people who use skateboards.
When was it made? What was the social, historical, political or economic context? How, if at all, may this have influenced its development?
The first skateboards were made in the 1940’s, when surfers couldn’t be out riding the waves (because the waves were flat or other unknown reasons) they would ride skateboards instead. They were able to copy and imitate the moves and positions they normally would on surfboards on skateboards instead, which is how the skateboard first began to get recognition and develop.
What was the cultural context? How, if at all, may this have influenced its creation?
The first skateboard was made in LA, and around this time and in this area (Dogtown in the 1940’s), a lot of young people were bored, had a lot of spare time and needed something to do in their downscale neighbourhood when they weren’t surfing. The Zephyr Skate Team/Z-Boys (who worked at Bill Richards shop) went on to revolutionise skateboarding, taking part in big competitions, making names for themselves and generally giving skateboarding a good repuation.
How was it made? What skills, processes, techniques and technology did the producers use?
When skateboarding first began, people used to make their own out of materials and old objects they found lying around. Some used wooden boxes, boards and slats of wood with roller skate wheels attached to the bottom. Bill Richards managed to get hold of wheels to build boards with from the Chicago Roller Skate company, which is where it all started.
Why was it made? What was the purpose? What was the goal? What were the influences behind its creation?
Originally, people didn’t think skateboarding would become as big as it is today. It was something that surfers used to pass the time when they couldn’t surf, but gradually, skateboarding overtook surfing in terms of popularity. Skateboarding was used to make friends, bring people together and just have fun. A report from 2009 stated that the skateboarding market is worth an estimated $4.8 billion in annual revenue with approximately 11.1o million active skateboarders in the world today.
Below- screen shots from my skateboard research.
Group mind map
Compared to my first mind map I did myself, it is clear to see that we as a group managed to collectively gather a lot more information together about skateboards. In this mind map, we mention different types of skateboards (Pennyboards, Long boards etc.) and also the culture that surrounds skateboarding (music- rock, metal, hip-hop).
Skills research report
I’ve gathered a lot of information today on skateboards, the history of skateboards and skateboarding in general. I have displayed knowledge on different methods of research and displaying research- for example, group mind maps, researching online (with screen shots) and watching a documentary on my topic of research. All of these methods grouped together have given me a lot of new, extensive knowledge on a topic that I knew barely anything about originally. For example, I learnt about the origin of skateboarding in more depth and I learnt why skateboards were first invented.
In order to access all the sites and researching that I did, I used some Boolean and Truncation search techniques. Here is an example of a Boolean search from when I wanted to look at both skateboarding and surfing and what links the two had.
As Boolean search techniques are good for narrowing your searches, I thought I would use this when looking at skateboarding and surfing (I did not use any Truncation methods, although I do now have a good understanding of what a truncation search method is and how they can broaden your search). As is shown in the screen shots above, the first search (skateboarding) showed approximately 81,800,000 results. The second screen shot (surfing) showed approximately 200,000,000 results. Finally, when I used the word “and” in my last search, the results were narrowed down slightly to 792,000 results.
Here is another example of the Boolean search method that helped me with my research.
Again in these screen shots, it shows that I got more specific and narrowed results when I used the word “in”.
This is exactly what I wanted- I wanted my results to be more specific. This had a positive effect on my overall research as I managed to find the content I wanted much quicker and easier with this method of research.
I also think the group mind map was incredibly useful and also a reliable way of noting down information as you have a lot of people together who are able to talk and exchange information. Researching online is another reliable (and probably the most used) method, but it does depend on what website/source you’re looking at for information- some are more reliable than others.
Feedback and reflection
Reflecting on this task, I realise it was incredibly informative and helpful. Although skateboarding has never been a strong interest of mine, I have learnt a lot about it and I have a better understanding of different research methods. I have thoroughly enjoyed spending time on my research and I know thinking back to this task will help me with future research tasks.
References
Cave, S. (2016) Who invented skateboards? Available at: http://skateboard.about.com/od/gear/f/Who_Invented_Sk.htm (Accessed: 13 February 2017).
Skateboarding (2017) in Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skateboarding (Accessed: 13 February 2017).
ZBOYS.NET (no date) Available at: http://www.zboys.net/ (Accessed: 13 February 2017).
Scholastic news: Skateboarding (no date) Available at: http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/Skateboarding/articles/index.asp?article=history&topic=0 (Accessed: 13 February 2017).
Week 5
This week, we experimented with lighting. Firstly I decided to experiment with different colour gel lights (blue and yellow) to see what results I would get. I preferred the result of the blue filter, as it made much more of a difference to the lighting. The yellow filter didn’t make a lot of difference, it looked like just a normal (although slightly blurry) photo with no filters used.
For this I used:
- LED light
- Blue filter
- Yellow filter
I didn’t have inspiration for these images- they were simply my experiments with filters.
More experimenting
Today I will be experimenting with lighting and genre. I will be taking a series of pictures in which the lighting matches the genre. For example, if I want a horror themed picture, the lighting will be dark and shadowed. If I want a romance themed picture, the lighting will be bright and soft. I will be using different lights, coloured filters and different camera settings to create this effect. This will tie in nicely with my cinematography research.
In today’s session, I looked for certain photos online that I would want to try to recreate (or get inspiration from). These were the results I came out with. I used filters (blue, yellow and red) and two LED lights for these images.
Referenced at the bottom of blog post
I found the first image because I wanted to look into shadow lighting, as I thought this was usually something found in horror films. The first image (although not a scene from a horror film) was exactly the kind of image I wanted to recreate. I learnt that the closer the light is to the subject, the bigger the shadow is. Using this knowledge and also playing around with the aperture on the camera, I was able to create a similar photo of my own.
I was very pleased with how this came out. I wanted more of a ‘crime’ setting for this image, and as I liked the colours in the first photo I found so much, I decided to try and recreate the exact lighting by using red and blue filters. As red and red based colours usually indicate danger, I thought this would work well for a crime genre.
In the first photo, I used blue and yellow filters. I quite liked this image, I thought I could associate it with a crime or horror genre as the lighting is fairly dark and shadowy, resulting in a ‘mysterious’ looking photo. I originally wanted this photo to be a bit darker than it turned out. If I were to go back and take it again, I would change the exposure compensation on the camera to achieve the exact results I wanted.
In the second photo, I used blue and red filters. I thought it looked like a 90’s crime film/programme, as the colours reminded me of police sirens.
I am quite pleased with the way the photos I took turned out. I didn’t get to take many photos altogether, but I am happy with the outcome of the ones I got. I will be using these techniques and the equipment I used when I do my Final Major Project, as this task has definitely furthered my interest in cinematography.
References
image, B. (1999) Shadow behind contemplation businessman with hand on chin. Available at: http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/photo/business-man-with-shadow-behind-him-royalty-free-image/463014683 (Accessed: 23 February 2017).
Hunt, I. (2017) DRAMA Aaran Aaronson film short. Available at: http://www.clickformedia.co.uk/?cat=315 (Accessed: 23 February 2017).
mohamoudosman (2015) MohamoudOsman media Blog. Available at: https://mohamoudosman05.wordpress.com/page/2/ (Accessed: 23 February 2017).
Scott, M. (2016) LIGHTING. Available at: http://mattscottvisuals.com/lighting/ (Accessed: 23 February 2017).
Terry (2014) How to light a horror scene. Available at: https://www.videomaker.com/article/c13/17039-how-to-light-a-horror-scene (Accessed: 23 February 2017).
Personality Test- Myers Briggs
Today we were given the task to take the Myers Briggs Personality quiz to find out our personality types. After answering a lot of personal questions about myself (e.g. do I get anxious easily? Am I a dreamer? Am I an organised person?) the results came through and I found out that my personality type is “Mediator” or “INFP” meaning that I’m introverted but I also want the best for everyone and always try to find the good in all situations. Generally, I agreed with a lot of the points it made. One point that was mentioned that I could relate particularly well with was that I often get overwhelmed and drained if I’m around groups of people for too long.
Something that I didn’t exactly agree with was the part that said all INFP’s are good at learning new languages- I disagreed because this isn’t something I’ve ever been skilled at myself. Something else I felt I didn’t relate with with was that “INFPs can be easily tripped up in areas where idealism and altruism are more of a liability than an asset” and that they have difficulty in keeping friendships and relationships going.
I found this test incredibly interesting. I don’t feel like I learnt a lot about myself, but it was interesting to read points about myself that I agreed with (and also disagreed with). The result was full of both positive and negative points about the INFP personality. I think this test is something everyone should do at least once, as I believe people can learn a lot about themselves, and also figure out aspects of themselves they need to work on.
Transform project
My Transform project is a short re-edit of the 2004 film Shaun of the Dead. As the original genre of the film is comedy/horror, I decided to create my own trailer using clips from the film and turn it into a romance film, with a relationship forming between the two main characters- something that is implied in the film, but never proven.
As my Transform project is a re-edit (transforming Shaun of the Dead into a romantic film trailer), I didn’t need to partake in any filming. Because of this, during the week everyone else was filming, I sorted out and noted down all the clips I was planning on using. I thought that the task wouldn’t be as difficult as it was. Firstly, I had difficulty downloading the clips I needed from YouTube, as the all the YouTube converter websites didn’t work from college. This made me panic as I thought I’d have no way to edit my project at all. I spoke to a tutor about this, and I was told I could edit at home if that made it easier (I then found out that all the converter sites worked from home). I managed to complete my edit in approximately one hour with an outcome that was exactly the way I’d planned it.
Evaluation
Five strengths in my project:
- The editing
- The use of music
- The storyline
- Simple yet effective
Five weaknesses in my project:
- The low quality of some of the clips
- Slightly rushed
- The quiet audio
- The “transform” story in my video was “already implied in the film”
Areas of development
The main area of development in my project was definitely my general idea of what my Transform project would be. I had a fair few ideas on what I wanted my project to be before I came up with a final idea. My first idea was a short video I was planning on filming, changing one genre into another (romance to thriller). I spoke to one of my lecturers about this idea, and was told it wouldn’t meet the criteria of the Transform project and that I should think of another idea. I decided on doing a re-edit, as I had never done one of these before and wanted to develop my editing skills (which I think I managed to do quite well).
What could you adapt about the work produced to improve and develop it?
If I could go back and change/improve aspects of my project, I would start with either making the audio louder or using better quality clips with loud audio. The clips I used couldn’t be heard too well as the audio generally was very quiet due to low quality and the music I used (no matter how much I lowered the volume) was a lot louder than the dialogue, which was definitely an issue- I would definitely improve the sound in my video if I could go back and re-do it.
Is the final work appropriate for the needs of your target audience?
My target audience was 16-30 year old people of both genders. This is because the original film was aimed more at males, but as my re-edit was a romance, it was targeted at females as well (statistics show that more females watch romantic films than males do). I believe that through the use of genre, theme and already beloved characters, I created a piece of visual media that was appropriate for my target audience.
Did it go better or worse than you expected?
Overall, I thought it went better than expected, even though there were a few aspects of my project that I would have changed if I could go back and re-do it (e.g. changing sound levels, using better quality clips, etc.)
What was the feedback from the client/lecturer?
I received both positive and negative feedback from my clients and lecturers. From this feedback, I was able to think about what I would change, do differently and also possibly do again in future projects. I had feedback saying that the audio was too quiet and that it was difficult to hear the dialogue over the music. Some positive feedback was that my choice of music was effective as it fit the genre and overall theme of the video and added to the “romantic” atmosphere.
What do you think you could improve next time?
There main things I would improve if I choose to do a re-edit again in the future would be looking into getting better clips that were higher quality (both visually and audibly) as this makes the viewing experience more enjoyable for the audience. I would also spend a lot longer on my edit next time, as I feel that my video was a bit rushed as I wanted to get it done as quickly as possible.
Cinematography research
What is cinematography/what does a cinematographer do?
Cinematography is the process of capturing imagery for films (motion picture photography). The overall outcome for the images captured is for them to be both visually beautiful and powerfully moving in terms of narrative. The cinematographer works closely with the director to achieve the best possible results. They are also generally the person ranked second highest after the director in film crews.
Why is a cinematographer an important part of a film crew?
As cinematographers are ranked very highly in film crews, it is obvious they play a very important role in a film crew. Cinematographers are mainly responsible for the way a film looks as they focus on lighting and camera lenses, whilst the director decides on camera angles etc. Cinematographers have the capability to effect the audiences emotions, even by making the smallest changes and adjustments to a scene (e.g. manipulating lighting or colours).
The cinematographer is sometimes known as the Director of Photography (or DP). Some examples of famous and talented DP’s are as follows:
- Emmanuel Lubezki – cinematographer for Gravity (2013)
- Roger Deakins – cinematographer for The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
- László Kovács – cinematographer for Ghostbusters (1984)
- Harris Savides – cinematographer for American Gangster (2007)
Being a cinematographer is a challenging career, as they have a lot of responsibility when it comes to creating a visually pleasing piece of work. If successful enough, cinematographers can go on to win Academy Awards for “Best Cinematography”.
Below- Emmanuel Lubezki winning the award for “Best Cinematography” for the 2013 film Gravity.
References
Moura, G., Rajan, Barrasse, L., Amboy, K., Kumar, S., Zadok, C., Bee, V. and ranoliya, sunny (2014) Editing. Available at: http://www.elementsofcinema.com/cinematography/cinematography-basics/ (Accessed: 10 February 2017).
Academy award for best cinematography (2017) in Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Cinematography (Accessed: 10 February 2017).
Oscars (2014) ‘Gravity’ winning best cinematography. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwCRj8BDhrM (Accessed: 13 February 2017).
Cinematography (2017) in Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinematography (Accessed: 11 February 2017).
Researching themes- Fear & Good vs. Evil
Today, I will be doing some research into the theme of fear. As my chosen discipline is cinematography, I will be researching the use of fear within cinematography.
Firstly, I did some research into what a cinematographer looks for when working on a horror film or a scene that includes elements of fear.
The cinematographer will look at elements such as
- Lighting
- Camera angles
- Camera techniques/shots
- Depth of field
- Aperture settings
I watched a YouTube video called ‘How Horror Cinematography Taps Into our Primal Fears’. This video discusses the way cinematography in certain films portrays the element of fear within the scene. Firstly it talks about the wide shot slow reveal of the murderer in the famous shower scene in Psycho (1960) and the quick jump cuts that really add to the outcome of the scene. The Shining (1980) is next to be mentioned because of the scene of the child on the bike. The tracking shot builds a slow drag, adding to the tension.
No Film School (2016) Video essay: How horror cinematography taps into our primal fears. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p798hTc_Sko (Accessed: 22 February 2017).
As I have decided my chosen discipline is cinematography, I will be looking into how certain cinematographers have used the theme of fear in their work. The first cinematographer I am looking at is Bill Butler. Butler was the DP (Director of Photography/cinematographer) for several horror films such as Jaws (1975) and Childs Play (1998).
Looking at Jaws, the cinematography used in this film is very effective in terms of provoking fear in the audience.
Nicol, J. (2016) 15 visionary Cinematographers in horror. Available at: http://www.comingsoon.net/horror/news/748964-15-visionary-cinematographers-horror (Accessed: 22 February 2017).
96, achaz (2013) JAWS: Mise en scene and cinematography. Available at: https://achaz96.wordpress.com/2013/11/04/jaws-mise-en-scene-and-cinematography/ (Accessed: 22 February 2017).
In the scene captured above, the people in the sea were running as there had been a shark sighting close to the shore. This image captures people running, scared expressions on faces, people crying etc. These are all elements of fear. This scene also included a lot of close ups of peoples faces, truly capturing their fearful states. In another scene in this film, a certain camera technique is used which really adds to the fear element. The Vertigo Effect (or Dolly Zoom) has been used in many different films and is almost always effective in making the audience feel uneasy. This shot is created by zooming out but moving the camera forwards at the same time, resulting in a dramatic and terrifying outcome.
Next, I will be looking at William A. Fraker. Fraker worked as a cinematographer for many films, such as Bullitt (1968) and War Games (1983). The film I am going to be researching today is Rosemary’s Baby (1968). Directed by Roman Polanski, this horror film had some very gripping cinematography in it.
Anna and Grimoire, F. (2014) IMDb top 250 challenge Blogathon: Rosemary’s baby (1968). Available at: https://filmgrimoire.com/2014/02/28/imdb-top-250-challenge-blogathon-rosemarys-baby-1968/ (Accessed: 22 February 2017).
Unknown (1968) Rosemary’s baby. Available at: https://uk.pinterest.com/mzheathermarie/rosemarys-baby/ (Accessed: 22 February 2017).
Although the general aesthetic of this film is quite dark, Fraker had a certain idea in mind when working on this film. I found a website that talks about his work on the film which quotes ‘What kind of atmosphere can we create?’ We were trying to have a different atmosphere in every room in the apartment, so when you went from room to room, there would be a different light.” One of the main aims for Rosemary’s Baby was not to create “flat field” but to create depth. Polanski, who directed the film, speaks about his process working with Fraker and they talk about focused on using composition, camera angles and wider lenses to create the horror effect they wanted.
After researching cinematography, I went on to do some experimenting of my own. I looked at the way lighting can create a mood and determine a genre- in this case, horror.
I will now be researching the theme of Good vs. Evil in film. Good vs. Evil is one of the most common plots in film today. These films consist of two people or two sides, one displaying “good” traits (who the audience typically will side with) and one displaying “evil” traits, who are fighting for victory. Some classic good traits will be things such as courage, loyalty, honour etc., whilst evil characters will display traits such as betrayal, selfishness etc.
Superhero films are a good example of good vs. evil (e.g. Avengers, Captain America: Civil War, Iron Man). The majority of good vs. evil films end up with the good side winning and triumphing evil, although this isn’t always the case (e.g. Star Wars: Episode V- The Empire Strikes Back). An interesting example to talk about is Suicide Squad, as the group of people chosen to fight evil are all dangerous villains themselves, which in reality gives the film a “bad vs. evil” plot. Will Smith, who plays the character of “Deadshot” in the film, stated that “What makes it different from other comic book movies is that there are, in fact, no good guys.”
I found an interesting article on ThinkProgress called “Superhero Movies and the Meaningless of Good v. Evil”. At one point, Alyssa Rosenberg, the author of this piece, talks about what annoys her about these kind of films.
“Cheering for someone who we are told is a hero, even if we have no idea what they stand for and what they stand against, feels good, but it’s ultimately a distraction, an experience that produces the feeling that we stand together with the people cheering alongside us in the theater even if we understand ourselves to be championing totally different things”.
“Good v. evil is a convenient distraction from having to talk about actual issues, like civilian control of superpowers as a stand-in for the military, or the impact of corporate influence on the scientific process, on which people in the audience might actually disagree.”
I am going to be researching how cinematographers portray the theme of ‘good vs evil’ in film scenes. Firstly, Seamus McGarvey who was the director of photography for The Avengers (2012).
I wanted to look at this image in particular as I like the high angle shot. These two characters (who are on the “good” side) are looking up at the “evil” which shows that at this moment, they are feeling scared, nervous or maybe even defeated. The high angle shot is always used in film (good vs evil plots especially) to make one person seem smaller and weaker than the person they are looking up at- a clever camera technique.
Next, I am looking at Eduardo Serra’s work as the cinematographer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
In this scene, a lot of close ups are used towards the middle/end of the battle between good and evil, showing the struggle and desperation to win on both sides faces.
I then took my own images experimenting with both high angle and low angle shots. I like this technique and would like to use it again in the future, possibly for my Final Major Project.
References
B, B. (2017) The ASC — American cinematographer: King of cool: Available at: http://www.theasc.com/ac_magazine/November2010/WilliamAFraker/page6.php (Accessed: 22 February 2017).
Garfield, S. © (2015) Good vs. Evil Showdowns in film. Available at: http://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/gallery/good-vs-evil-showdowns-in-film/ss-BBmg63p (Accessed: 09 February 2017).
della Quercia, J. (2016) Proof that ‘good vs evil’ is all just A matter of setting. Available at: http://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_2156_movie-heroes-who-would-be-bad-guy-in-another-movie/ (Accessed: 13 February 2017).
Nicol, J. (2016) 15 visionary Cinematographers in horror. Available at: http://www.comingsoon.net/horror/news/748964-15-visionary-cinematographers-horror (Accessed: 22 February 2017).
96, achaz (2013) JAWS: Mise en scene and cinematography. Available at: https://achaz96.wordpress.com/2013/11/04/jaws-mise-en-scene-and-cinematography/ (Accessed: 22 February 2017).
No Film School (2016) Video essay: How horror cinematography taps into our primal fears. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p798hTc_Sko (Accessed: 22 February 2017).
Plagiarisminmusic (2012) Fastest vertigo-shot: Jaws by Bill Butler (1975) HD. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbeXzJDYxS0 (Accessed: 22 February 2017).
Anna and Grimoire, F. (2014) IMDb top 250 challenge Blogathon: Rosemary’s baby (1968). Available at: https://filmgrimoire.com/2014/02/28/imdb-top-250-challenge-blogathon-rosemarys-baby-1968/ (Accessed: 22 February 2017).
Unknown (1968) Rosemary’s baby. Available at: https://uk.pinterest.com/mzheathermarie/rosemarys-baby/ (Accessed: 22 February 2017).
808712364, ? and Paul, J. (2016) Frame a high-angle shot like a master cinematographer. Available at: https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/frame-high-angle-shot-professionally/ (Accessed: 22 February 2017).
Unknown (2014) Harry vs Voldemort.Jpg. Available at: http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/File:Harry_vs_Voldemort.jpg (Accessed: 22 February 2017).
FireBeasty (2009) Harry Potter vs. Voldemort in the graveyard HIGH QUALITY. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPBkcMNnwX4 (Accessed: 22 February 2017).
Fletcher, R. (2017) All the Harry Potter movies ranked, from worst to best. Available at: http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/harry-potter/feature/a801329/the-harry-potter-movies-ranked-from-philosophers-stone-to-the-deathly-hallows/ (Accessed: 22 February 2017).
Unknown (no date) Three corpse circus. Available at: http://www.3corpsecircus.com/single-post/2015/03/22/The-fear-in-Cinematography-the-beauty-inside-the-beasts (Accessed: 22 February 2017).
Broadchurch Case Study
Today I will be analysing the first episode of British television series Broadchurch (2013).
Season 1 of Broadchurch first aired in March of 2013 and the second season came out in January of 2015. The programme did incredibly well with its audience, bringing in a lot of viewers whilst it was on air- for this reason, a third season has been confirmed. I am going to be researching the first episode of this series (in particular, the audience watching the programme).
Social/Gender – There are two lead characters in Broadchurch, Detective Inspector Alec Hardy and Detective Inspector Ellie Miller (played by David Tennant and Olivia Colman, both very popular actors) both of whom are opposite sexes. Throughout the whole series (but also becomes apparent in the first episode) the two main characters are both trying to fight for superiority. I feel that this will bring in audience members that are both male and female as they will be able to relate to both of the main characters. After doing more research on the topic of target audiences of crime dramas, I found out that the ratio of males to females watching crime films/programmes is more or less equal (but slightly more dominated by males).
Age of target audience – The age rating on Broadchurch is 12. This means, in the UK, children under 12 years of age should not be watching this. The series would have aired on television at approximately 9 pm for this exact reason. I don’t believe that anyone under the age of 15 will be interested in the show, mainly because it covers and discusses a lot of adult themes and can be very dark at times (themes of murder, also usage of adult language). I believe that the people watching Broadchurch would be around 18 years of age and the audience would range from this up to people in their 60’s.
Community and setting- Broadchurch is set in a British town called Dorset. Dorset is a fairly populated location, with 765700 people residing in it. Whilst the location in which the programme is set is a busy one, the series creates an effective illusion of it being a very small, intimate community. This is because crimes are much more interesting when in a small town or village, as everyone seems to know everyone and therefore people start to guess who the prime suspect could be, therefore creating an element of mystery for the viewers. This is displayed very well in the first episode, as there is a scene where a character walks down a street and stops to speak to everyone he passes- again, giving off a sense of a small, close-knit community of people.
Time – After finding some very interesting statistics on Gov.uk, I’ve discovered that during the time the series was written (which was 2012-2013) there were over 500 murders that took place within the UK, which doesn’t compare to many other countries around the world (the UK had a lot less).
References
Broadchurch (2017) in Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadchurch (Accessed: 09 February 2017).
Redfern, N. (2009) Gender, genre, and the UK box office. Available at: https://nickredfern.wordpress.com/2009/03/26/gender-genre-and-the-uk-box-office/ (Accessed: 13 February 2017).
(No Date) Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorset (Accessed: 13 February 2017a).
Welcome to GOV.UK (no date) Available at: https://www.gov.uk/ (Accessed: February 2017).
hannahfarrellburkefilmandtelevision 
