Camera: Oxford

           

           

These are two pieces of footage which we shot in Oxford. The first is an establishing shot where we used the panning technique. we chose this location because it is on Oxfords High street and the amount of different coloured buildings look really good for a shot with a high contrast of colour. for this shot we were filming in aperture f/22.5, the shutter speed was set at 1/500, ISO was 1600 and white balance was at 8000k. I think this shot works really well as an establishing shot as it captures a lot of different colours from the painted buildings.

The second piece of footage is an over the shoulder shot. It was my idea to get this shot whilst walking past the graffiti as i thought it would give a lot of colour to the shot which it did. I also think this shot works really well because its hand held camera work as well which gives a feeling of being followed which works really well. for this shot we were using aperture f22, shutter speed was 1/500, ISO was 3200 and white balance was 8000k.

Production techniques

Yesterday we went to Oxford to do some filming. Our main focus was to get some establishing shots, shots with high colour contrast, cutaways and getting some interviews using the boom mic. The day was successful and we got some of everything done. I think the shots that worked best were the establishing shots we did on the high street because its one nice fluid panning shot which can be used to set the scene nicely.

Oxford Filming

Yesterday we went to Oxford to do some filming. We got some really good footage and it was a very productive day. we did a lot of planning before the day which ensured everything went smoothly.

Kuleshov

Lev Kuleshov is a Russian filmmaker who edited together a short film where a shot of an expressionless face was matched with various other shots such as a plate of soup, a girl in a coffin and a woman on a divan. The audiences believed that each time the face expression would change and they praised the subtle acting. The effect was that effective the audience said they were deeply moved by how sorrowful the actor looked after the image of the dead child. The audience was not aware that the same shot of the actor's face was re-used, and the effect is created entirely by its superimposition with other images to express how the character is feeling.

Kuleshov used the experiment to indicate the usefulness and effectiveness of film editing. The implication is that viewers brought their own emotional reactions to this sequence of images, and then moreover attributed those reactions to the actor, investing his impassive face with their own feelings. Kuleshov believed this, along with montage, had to be the basis of cinema as an independent art form.

The effect has also been studied and used by famous director Alfred Hitchcock. An example of when he used this is explained in the famous "Definition of Happiness" interview, where he explains in detail many types of editing. The final one which he calls "pure editing", is explained visually using the Kuleshov effect. In the first version, Hitchcock is squinting, and the audience sees footage of a woman with a baby. The screen then returns to Hitchcock's face, now smiling. In effect, he is a kind old man. In the second example, the woman and baby are replaced with a woman in a bikini, to which Hitchcock exclaims, "Now look, he has become the dirty old man."

Lighting

Here are some more photos from the low key lighting shoot. Low key lighting is used to make an object or person look either mysterious or dangerous. For low key lighting you only use one light source. Our light source was an iPhone light. in these photos we were trying out lighting up different props such as a skeleton and a creepy looking doll. The low key lighting worked really well on both of these especially the doll.

Eisenstein & Soviet Montage

Eisenstein was the pioneer in the use of montage in film. Cameras would have been expensive early in the century so finding ways to show different angles and action required developing a method of cutting that would propel the narrative or storyline. He argued that montage was the most important aspect to film because rather than just expanding a shot or sequence, cutting in a montage can manipulate the emotions of an audience and also create metaphors in the film and that visual metaphors elicit meaning. He believed that an idea should be derived from the juxtaposition of two independent shots, bringing an element of collage into film. He created what he called "methods of montage". He also used montage to manipulate an audiences perception of time. he also changed time and rhythm in a film to create a visceral response.


This video shows the "5 Methods of Montage" that Eisenstein pioneered. It goes through each one showing how it has influenced directors and how they have used it to change rhythm in film and how it is used to create meaning in the sequences.

This technique will be useful for forthcoming Units in Promotional Video and Music Video Productions as these types of film/video rely upon creating meaning through the meanings an audience creates whilst viewing connected images. With access to only single camera shooting productions this method would also be a good technique to remember as it allows the filmmaker to manipulate time and space.                                                                                                                                                                     

Camera: Oxford prep

Soon we will be going to Oxford with the college. We saw this as an opportunity to do some filming. I have been researching into some locations where to film and this one i think will be a great place to film. It is the Hertford Bridge that joins two parts of a college. it is very picturesque so I thought it would be a good place to get some footage.

Oxford:Pre-production

Another location which i researched into is the Turf Tavern. This pub is famous for being hidden away down a long alleyway and has also had many famous people drink there in the past. I think a really old pub will be a great place to film.

Lighting: Editing Workshop

           

           

These two videos are footage from the low key lighting we did in the studio. We were practising Low key to get good shots for the Kuleshov effect which is where you use different things like food or other objects to represent how some one is feeling. To get this effect we made the room pitch black and the key light source was just a light on a phone. The equipment we used was a cannon 5d, tripod and the phone which was the key light. we were shooting on aperture f/22. The low key lighting is by far my favourite lighting technique that we have done. Its is really simple to do and has a great effect. I also think that the use of the table and bowl of sup looks really good swell as the colours of the table cloths and the bowl when slightly lit gives off quite a strange feel to it.

Health & Safety

Because we were filming in the dark there was some risks we had to consider such as people not walking around whilst filming as the lights were turned off and there was wires on the floor. There were also other equipment in there for photography such as lamps etc so we had to make sure they were stored away into the corner so they weren't hazards.

New Wave

These shots are new wave because we used an innovative light source, in this case a light from a mobile phone. We used innovative light sources as we didn't have a big budget, like new wave director Dennis Hopper, who used innovative light sources and reflectors throughout the film Easy Rider. This low cost approach to film making is what distinguishes new wave productions and sets them apart from more mainstream productions. Ever since Godard and the French new wave broke the rules of cinema in the early 60's with films such as Breathless, filmmakers have been given the freedom to make use of the resources that are available to them which has led to a distinctive set of stylistic practices. These shots turned out to be highly stylistic and give our production a really great 'look', they are some of my favourite shots that we have produced so far. They also follow the production design features that we set out in our brief for the shoot.

Lighting/Camera

These are photos taken from the latest shoot we did in the studio. In this shoot we were practising low key lighting and seeing what we could do with that. For these shots we were only using a light on a phone as the key light sauce. This created a really dark and creepy effect, especially with the doll.

         

Health & Safety

For this footage we used the studio and filming in low key light there was a couple of risks we had to consider. We had to make sure everyone was awarer of wires on the floor and that when filming no one was to move around because the lights were turned off.

New Wave

The techniques we used in this footage was influenced by new wave as they couldn't afford expensive equipment so they had to think of new creative ways for lighting and filming. For this shot we used a single light from a mobile phone as our key innovative light source and it worked really well.

Lighting/Camera/Editing

          

In this bit of footage we were practising the lighting technique Butterfly. We filmed in the photography studio for this. the risks were heat from the lights, tripods being tightened and the wires being taped to the floor so no one trips over them. We were using manual focus which turned out good as sammy is clearly in focus. We also used the reflector in this shot which looked really nice. We were shooting on aperture F/22 which worked really well. If i was to do this shot again I would try to get darker shadows under her eyes and to do this i think the key light would need to go up higher and tilted down bait more.

Health & Safety

When we were in the studio there was a number of different things we had to be cautious of. First of all there were a lot of wires on the floor from the lights. We also had to make sure no one fell over the legs of the stand the lights were on as they are quite big. The stands for the lights also had to be made secure to make sure they didn't fall over onto anyone. Finally we had to ensure the lamps didn't get to hot or it would burn the paper on the front which could cause a fire.

Lighting Technique

this is the lighting set up for the Rembrandt technique we tried to follow this as perfect as possible but our fill light was a reflector. At first we had problems with the white balance on the cameras but once fixed the shots looked really good.

            

Health & Safety

When we were in the studio there was a number of different things we had to be cautious of. First of all there were a lot of wires on the floor from the lights. We also had to make sure no one fell over the legs of the stand the lights were on as they are quite big. The stands for the lights also had to be made secure to make sure they didn't fall over onto anyone. Finally we had to ensure the lamps didn't get to hot or it would burn the paper on the front which could cause a fire.

Lighting

Edge 

Butterfly

Rembrandt

Yesterday we experimented with different lighting techniques in the photography studio. The three techniques we were attempting were Edge, Butterfly and Rembrandt. The equipment we were using was a Cannon 5d, tripod, white back drop, reflector and our key light source was an umbrella light. We were shooting on aperture 1.7 and the white balance wa. The Edge and Butterfly effects had a really nice outcome but I feel that Rembrandt we should go back over and try to get the triangle under his right eye perfect. I think the reason for the Rembrandt not turning out great was because the lighting weren't perfect. To solve this next time we will take loads of practise shots to ensure the key light is spot on.

Health & Safety

When we were in the studio there was a number of different things we had to be cautious of. First of all there were a lot of wires on the floor from the lights. We also had to make sure no one fell over the legs of the stand the lights were on as they are quite big. The stands for the lights also had to be made secure to make sure they didn't fall over onto anyone. Finally we had to ensure the lamps didn't get to hot or it would burn the paper on the front which could cause a fire.

Camera Techniques

                   


For this shot we used the merry go round again. This shot turned out really good and has a really nice effect to it. I think we could use this shot to reflect some form of mental state in a character much like the "Kuloshev Effect"  The aperture was f/22 the shutter speed was around 1/30 because the back ground is blurred. we used a tripod on the merry go round with the cannon 5d camera. This shot is new wave because it was an innovative camera movement because we used the merry go round.

Health & Safety

There were a couple of things we ad to be very careful with for this shot. The first of which was making sure we didn't spin the merry go round to fast as Will could have lost balance and fallen off and hurt himself. We also had to be very careful of keeping the camera steady as the tripod could have fell off and hit some one.

New Wave

This shot is new wave because we didn't use a classic camera technique, we made our own just like the new wave film maker Truffaut created new ways to film. This was most effective in his film 400 Blows that has a really long tracking shot of the protagonist running at the end. This long take shot changed cinema which is what new wave does and this seperated it from the main stream. We took influence from such directors and tried to come up with different filming techniques as our brief stated to distinguish stylistic features.

Camera Techniques

                   

This is a shot that we took on the Cannon 5d. it was an innovative shot as we used the merry go round in the park. i think this shot looks really good and could be used as an establishing shot. The idea for this bit of footage was influenced by the French New wave as the directors used loads of innovative ways to capture shots and movements due to low budgets, fore example in Truffauts 400 Blows there is a scene when the protagonist is on an amuzment ride which spins around at rapid speed. To do this shot and properly capture the characters actions the camera whould have been securly fastend to a tripod in the middle of the ride. The shot is amazing as he is being lifted up by the Gforce yet from the shot you cant tell the ride is spinning. We filmed in this location as the park is quite gritty which reflects social issues as it is planted in the middle of a circle of blocks of flats which contain mostly un employed people. This was influenced by Ken Loaches Kes as the film was set in a working class area that had a "gritty" feel to it.

Health & Safety

In this location at the park we had to be very careful of broken glass on the floor, making sure people are aware of where they are treading. We also had to make sure no one went off on their own as the area is quite rough.

Lighting/Camera Practice

here the group are experimenting with natural lighting. The location for this was at the private garages where it has a "gritty" feel to it which is why we used it. The equipment being used is the cannon 5 d and a reflector. The aperture was on F/5 because this camera did not have the magic lantern setting on there.

Health & Safety

In this shot we were in quite a "rough" area, therefore we had to be careful of our surroundings and where we were leaving the filming equipment. We also paid careful attention to the floor for broken glass and other things that could injure someone.

New Wave

This shot is influenced by the new wave cinema because the films were all made on a low budget. When they needed more light in a scene they couldn't afford big expensive lights so they used reflectors, for example in Easy Rider when they are at the hippy camp you can see the light moving across the characters from the reflector moving. In this shot we used a reflector and it worked really well. we got just the right amount of natural light on Sammys face and it makes the shot look a lot more professional. This also conforms with the brief as we had to distinguish stylistic features when filming.