It’s hard for me to know which keyboard shortcuts are the best when using Adobe Premiere, as I’ve had very little experience in editing video with any type of software, let alone Adobe Premiere in particular. Regardless, these are the shortcuts I feel could be useful and time-saving:
Go to Previous Edit Point – Up
Go to Next Edit Point – Down
Render Effects in Work Area – Return
Add Edit – Cmd+K
Snap – S
Mark In – I
Mark Out – O
Save – Cmd+S
The clip from ‘Blood Simple’ (Cohen Brothers, 1984, USA) is a clear example of how, despite edits, off screen space is still evident. As the camera cuts away from one character, the other is still heard, in this example as one character vomits in a bathroom, and then runs a tap. Sometimes, to help show the two characters are still in the same space together, the shot will cut away from the subject mid-sentence from the character who is speaking, not only gauging the other’s reactions, but also clearly depicting it is that person they are speaking to. This is also demonstrated with the ‘dirty over-the-shoulder’ camera framing technique, in which an out of focus portion of the person speaking occupies one side of the screen, while the other character is in full focus.
Sandra’s lecture was fantastic, and I was both blown away and reassured by her advice she gave us, as I was to be directing my first film project in the coming weeks.
One of the points I took away from her were to remain outwardly calm, even if everything is going wrong and you’re freaking out on the inside. By the director staying calm, it both reassures the crew and nullifies any negative vibes you’re demonstrating in view of your actors. I definitely took this advice into account on the day of our film, even though it was a high-pressure environment and it’s amazing how fast time slips away while on set.
Her advice to know your script inside-out, while also quite evident, applied more-so to this project, as I myself did not write our script (as per requirements for directors in this project), and because actors go to the director for help, it would have been both inefficient and unprofessional to constantly refer to the script-writer for consultation.
What did you do well?
I feel that I strived to do well for my Korsakow sketch tasks and assignments, completing them to a high standard and maintaining high levels of creativity, as per my participation contract. I have attended each class and a large majority of lectures each week. The lectures were insightful and I found were always thought-provoking, particularly as they came after the readings had been set, so allowed for a greater level of thoughts and understanding. Keeping tabs on blogs from my peers was also helpful in gaining a different perspective on the topics of discussion.
What have you learned to do better?
I have learned that by setting small goals and assessing progress on a regular basis, I feel like you set a standard to achieve for yourself to maintain a better performance throughout a longer time period.
What could you have learned to do better?
I found some elements of Korsakow difficult to learn and could have potentially tried to understand the program’s structure and interface to a better extent, however did seek help from my peers, and how-to blogs and videos. I feel that I could have greater immersed myself in the course content and explored these new ideas to a greater degree. As is always the case with my work ethic, time management is an issue, and in future should maintain a rigid schedule for writing mandatory blog posts. I would also benefit more by taking more notes throughout the lectures.
One of the things that struck me about this scene was the precise cinematography and framing that would have been meticulously planned out, used when the actors were moving, both separately, through the often confined spaces of the art room. Both actors almost always managed to stay in the frame, even though a clear sight to them was often obstructed by walls, artwork, or the low-hanging rafters. This was one thing I found incredibly hard to manage while on our shoot, even though the movements and mise-en-scene was much more simplistic and straight-forward. It was hard trying to keep both the actors and camera-operator on the same page, and shots with much movement within the frame required many takes, often still not quite as perfect as I would have liked.
One reading I found incredibly helpful included Week 6’s ‘Developing A Crew’, which helped me to understand how a film crew operates and their roles and responsibilities and more importantly, what my exact role as director encompassed. This reading made it incredibly easy to do my job throughout pre-production and while on set, as I could effectively ‘tick off’ each of the bullet points of my roles and traits. Some tips included working with the writer and envisioning the film’s scope, purpose, identity and meaning.
The Week 7 reading, ‘Lighting a Scene’ was also helpful to read before going on our shoot, with multiple directions on how to light both day and night interior scenes, which our short film largely consisted of. It was also helpful in becoming familiar with the equipment used and their names, which made for clear descriptions when calling for gear on our shoot.
The Week 7 Lecture on lighting, as I have previously mentioned in my blog, was incredibly insightful. It was interesting to listen to Robin discuss that the common principle of 3-point lighting does not always need to be applied, in fact, would not be applicable in many situations. This information helped to broaden my understanding of how to light a scene and that experimentation and trial-and-error was completely acceptable, with no exact ‘wrong’ or ‘right’ way to go about it.
Conducting the second Lenny exercise; a 2 minute short film, I thought that our allocated 50 minutes to capture the footage we needed would give us more than enough time. I couldn’t believe how drastically wrong I was; the process reminded me of cooking a meal, where one can spend hours preparing and sweating over a hot stove, and when the meal is finally served, to only deliver a few mere minutes of satisfaction. While we did go into the shoot with little preparation; no storyboards, shot list, or set location, these elements no doubt would make a huge difference, but not necessarily speed up the filming process. Nevertheless, it will be of critical importance to have these elements intricately organised on the day of our own short film shoot. As director, it is crucial that I know what I need from the team I am working with, and know my role and the production schedule inside-out, and ensure both myself and the rest of the crew have a clear vision for how we perceive our outcome to make sure when our time comes to shoot, we are as efficient as possible. You can view our finished second ‘Lenny’ exercise here.
I found the lecture on lighting a film set highly interesting and a massive eye-opener, as it seems to be such a huge element of production that, pre-lecture, I had almost overlooked, and I definitely underestimated just how much preparation and equipment is required in order to achieve effective lighting for just one scene or sometimes only one shot. It was interesting to learn about the different types of lighting, and I was astounded to see just how many creative options one holds when dealing purely with lighting, as demonstrated in the lecture. With our upcoming short film project, lighting is definitely something that will need to be taken into great consideration, with much of our film taking place in rooms lit by various forms of lighting; natural, artificial, candlelight, and even in a darkened room lit by a television. I would like more experience with lighting before conducting our shoot, with decisions to be made about whether or not to use source lighting or artificially replicate these scenarios, weighing up the pros and cons of each.