People have their own life track. Those tracks might have something in common and have some differences in the same time. Helen and Hannah live in two different countries. Helen working in a company, and Hannah is a free-painter. Every morning they both get up at 7am, Helen open her chest finding her formal career suits and wear it, on the contrary, Hannah choose to wear her favorite cloth- T shirt. At 7:30am, Helen is doing her make-up, and Hannah prefers to use some daily skin care products. At 8am, they both going outside, one wear beautiful high heel shoes, one wear comfortable sport shoes. Helen has to take the crowded subway to her company, Hannah bring her painting paraphemalia and riding her bicycle to park. Helen efficiently and industriously works with other staff with a confidant smile. In the same time, Hannah sits down one the grass, enjoy the sunshine, and drawing the beautiful view with a happy and satisfied smile. Every one has they own personal choice about their own life. IT may different, but the important thing is we need sincerely chooses it as soon as possible, and enjoy what we choose, also love it.
I will use split screen to show this documentary, so that, we can compare their daily life in a same time. Viewers have ability to feel the theme of this documentary directly.
In this week, we shoot and edited individual exercise in a group of three. We played different roles in others work, such as a cinema photographer, actor, director and so on. This is a really good chance to enhance our cooperation, also let us know what we need to do in our role. I acted twice time in the project of Mona and Xiaochen. Being an actor, the most important thing is understood. Understanding the requirement of director, understanding the role you act, and the actor also need keep focusing the orders given by director during the shooting process. In addition, being a director, we need have a clearly plan about shooting.
I used the split screen in this exercise. I think spit screen is pretty cool and interesting. And generally analysis some usages of split screen:
1, strong comparison between different things. When people use their own eyes in daily life, it is hard to capture the lots of things in the same time, so they have less opportunity to directly compare the similarity from the different things whilst they seeing. Nevertheless, the usage of split-screen creates the opportunity to audience. Such as the man with a movie camera.
2. Showing more information in different perspectives to viewers in the same time, especially used in horror film or detective film. The audiences have an omniscient point of view when they see the film, they will easy feel excited.
3, The artistic visual effect in film.
4, showing the salute for traditional comics form, such as the Hulk.
In this time, I firstly try the first usage. It is a good way to compare the different life style in one day of two people. I shoot several single shoots of their action to reflect their daily life: sunglass/ glasses, Pick up garbage/ ignore garbage, Auto door/hand control door, walk to stair/ elevator, paly computer/ writing on notebook, ear phone/ headphone, drinking water/juice
In editing, I put those shots in a logistic sequence. In this case, it reflects a real school life of people. Even, my group members act those actions，but in fact they are so natural and realistic.
Actually, I met a little problem in the shooting process. As we know, the consistency of different shoots in split screen is significant. So, when we individually shooting their action, we must notice the compositions and focal length，the exposure whether reasonable or not. However, I have not draw the storyboard of it, I just remember it in my mind. During the shooting I feel a little bit confused about the composition of two compared shots, which I will put to one frame. Some problems also emerged in editing. For example, there are two shoots I respectively shoot inside and outside. When I put them together, I found the white balance of these two shots is different. It is might be a little bit strange. Furthermore, the focal length or focal distances of each subject are used different. So, when I put them together, I found the size of subjects is distinct. I have to zoom in the small one through the PR, finding a balance between them. Though the edit, I fix the part of problems as soon as possible. Due to the particularity of those shots, I did not record sound of it. So I add lively music to it, I think it is so proper.
In general, it is not bad work I think. And I learned lots of thing from this exercise.
This was a funny exercise for our group, we did this one in a relax atmosphere. Actually, this is a single 50 seconds take, showing a “description” about the student coming in elevator. However, there are lots of people occasionally walk into the camera, and we wait the elevator in a long time, so I cut this single take to three shots, and put them together. In this way, this video might have a great sense of rhyme. Through the cutting, the time of waiting elevator is shorter than before.
Exercise 2B
In this task, we shoot someone perform an action in which they have some expertise and/or manual proficiency. Then, film someone else who without the skill. As I already mentioned, this exercise have some problem, such as the white balance and exposure. In the shot of Mona, we cannot see her face very clearly, it is a little bit blurred. In addition, I hope there are obvious comparison of the action between the experienced people and the raw people through the editing. However, we haven’t shot their action in different suitable perspectives, so I feel hard when I doing the editing.
One more Outside exercise
Actually, this work is same with the exercise we did in week1. I used one single 50seconds take to document one real event in our daily life. I choose this place, because, in the time of sunset, there are many people will stand or walk in here, it is very beautiful. But, as robin said to me, the “time” is so important. When I shooting, there are not any people, just have two dogs! Anyway, those two dogs are so cute, they are palying with each other under the beautiful sky. The sun almost fallen, and I used backlight to shoot, so the dogs seems a little bit dark I think. I change the speed of this video, because the dog run so quickly. I added lively music in here to emphasize the relaxed emotion.
The locations of my story have to be two different places. One is a room in one house, another one is the street out of the house. In the beginning of my story, I describe a raining situation. So the room in the house must have a window to show the scene of outside. This light of this room might be cool color, emphasizing the raining situation, and create a depressed emotion. The second place is the street out of the house. The raining already stop, and the weather turn to be cloudy. The light of the street scene can be a little bit lighter than the room one.
Executive Creative Director: Pawel Podwojewski Art Director / Lead Digital Artist: Dmitriy Belozertsev
I researched some pictures from the Internet. These photos from the website MOTYW. The locations and visual style of these photos are close to the scenes, which I imagined in my mind. Especially, the dog sitting in front of the door is really same with the description in my story. However, I need some shots in the room. For example, the MCU shot for the girl when she looking outside from the window.
Actually, my script is hard to shoot, because I wrote lots of dog’s action in my story. However, at least now, I think I cannot achieve it in the real world.
In Thursday class, we systematically learned the sound mixer. This is a good chance for me, because even I had used the sound mixer in last semester, but I am not so professional with it. After this class, I deeply recognize the usage of this gear, I hope I will use it more professional in future exercise.
In addition, we edited the group exercise3A we did in last Friday. We reviewed each shot we took, and find some small problems about it. The composition of this shot is not good, the space in this shot seems a little empty. Actually, we can move the camera position a bit more forward. In this way, the frame could be more balance.
In the editing process, we found that the different combination of footages produce several meanings. The theme of our exercise is pedestrian, we want to focus on their action, life in this city. It is a documentary for them, rather than a story. However, when we editing those footages we shoot, we found it might be a story. We designed two shots, one is Mona and Xiaochen sitting on the stairs, another one is that they walking on the street. Those two shots aim to show people’s daily life in a specific way. Although, those two shots have kind of ‘staging’, but actually, it is a way that we represented one specific real situation in the daily life. In addition, because of those two shots, the ‘abstract’ shots have a story through the editing. We put the sitting shot in a second place of the sequence, so the third shot can be a Pov of them. Then, we related the walking shot to the tram station shot, it looks like they walking to station and plan going some place together. Next, we change the speed of those shots, and add one relax, lively music to them. In this way, the style of this video change to a comic one. So, the choses of editor are very important. Whatever the shooting types we did, like the abstract montage or fiction story, in the editing process, we still have to use our own logistic to consider it.
In the first initiative post I talked about one documentary of Vertov. He use camera to capture the life moments of people. In order to show the diversity of life activities, he used montage skills to create the actual feeling on the abstract footages, such as the low motion, stop motion, time-lapse and fast-motion, split screen. Actually, Vertov used the montage to provoke the truth. However, when the technical tolls emerged, some things have been changed. The professional-quality 16-mm cameras, and the lightweight, new sound recording equipment, which offered high quality and new mobility on-location sound help directors are able to conveniently and effectively behind of the camera to record the reality. (Chychota, 2003)
Depending on those tools, the director also can record the synchronous sound during the filming process. As a result, the new filming style appeared. We may call this style- Direct cinema. In direct cinema, director must remain true what is actually occurred during the shoot, meanwhile, the director has not used the dazzled edit skills, While, the hand-held shots and long takes are used more often. As the remarkable film Don’t Look Back directed by D.A Pennebaker presents, the whole film do not have narration, instead, only have a synchronous sound of the filming subject. Also, this is film shooting depend on the real people and thing, which is a record of the United Kingdom tour Bob Dylan had in 1965. This record in combined with the concert and backstage conversation between the manager and band members of Bob Dylan.
The director want to shows the different genuine aspects of Bob Dylan, his glory, frailty, talent and insecurity as natural as possible, so the camera records his daily life as complete as possible. For example, in some conversations in this film, the camera usually immediately zooms in, zooms out and moves to other sides. Those usages remain viewer that the director totally records the real moment which occurring in the shooting progress. The director seem like an observer who has never get involved into the film. This is a big difference with The Man With a Movie Camera. Even they both aim to show the truth to viewers, but the montage supports the latter one.
Whereas, Don’t Look Back not objective in one hundred percent. Admittedly, Pennebaker add his subjective mind in this film. He edited the materials, as he believed it is should appear. (Pennebaker, 1968) Setting an example in the editing parts of this film. When the journalists ask some basic questions to Bob Dylan, the scene suddenly cuts to Bob Dylan’s youth performing. It seems like Pennebaker acknowledges that this film affirm one opinion of Bob, which is that everything all in the music.
Reference
Chychota, J. Cinema Verite: Defining the Moment, CM Board, Manitoba Library Association, Winnipeg, 2003
Pennebaker, D. A 1968. Dont Look Back. New York: Ballantine Books. Print.
Half month, the weather has been raining half month. No one knows how long it will be. No sunshine, no any outdoor entertainments. Ellen’s dog is lying down on the floor with a depressed emotion. Ellen setting down with her dog, and gently strokes his fur. “ Hey, I know your feeling.” Suddenly, she stopped talking. She stands up, and walking to the window. She looks up and down. She suddenly smile, and jump in place. “Oh my god, it is finally stop.” She turns to her dog. Her dog looks like understand what her said, his ear stand on end, and running toward the door. Her dog excitedly walks around with the door. Ellen quickly wears her shoes, and opens the door, then she running to the street, he dog following with her. There are numbers of people in the street, some of them throw away the umbrella, and some of them take off their hats. Many dogs are running around with people. Ellen deeply breathe the fresh air, and looks around. She is thinking that this is not a sunny day, actually it is a cloudy day. Even the sunshine haven’t come, she still feel happy, because, as everyone seeing, everything is getting better from this moment.
In Friday class, we covered lots of things. Firstly, we learned the usage of internal Mic. This usage ensures the high quality of sound. We also watched two abstract films, which are Longhorns and Highway. The first film is quit special and curious. When we watching this film, we feel so confused about the subject of this documentary. I thought it’s similar with the nose of elephant. I think every shot in this film comprehensively revel the fluent, mysterious movement of the subject, emphasizing the nature. Personally, I prefer the second film than first one. I like the theme of this film. The scene of car and road is pretty attractive, showing the movement of city. Actually, those abstract films both focus on the visual effect, using montage to show their theme. For example, the director of Highway used beautiful rapid cut to emphasize his theme. Also, in the abstract film the music is significant. The suitable music will make the film be more emotional, and make this film have a rhyme. In addition, the rhyme in editing is important. I hope in future production, I will focus on those aspects.
Then we completed one group exercise. We need shoot 6 abstract shots, every shots during 30 seconds. Our group decided the theme of our shooting, which is the pedestrian in this city. We tried to use different perspectives and angels to achieve our theme. Using low angel show their feet, their different walking speed. Using wide shot show their action and movement. I think we did some good shots, but I haven’t edited it, so I cannot know what potential problems we might have in the final work. We’ll see it in next few days.
In Thursday class, we firstly discussed the types of character which people interested in. Classmates gave their own opinion, such as nostalgia character, sociopaths’ character, happiness character and so on. For myself, I prefer the character who have special ability. Because of their special ability, these types of characters may get trouble in different situations, so the conflict and the climax in the story are strong and excited.
In addition, I really agree the reading of “ Getting An Idea” which we read in class. As the reading mentioned, the birth of one film is consisted by the numbers of interests and ideas. An idea could start almost anywhere. The important thing is that we have to remember this idea immediately, so that, we can use those ideas in our future production. I hope I will get and remember ideas from the daily observation of this world.
We also discovered premier and organized our group and individual files on the media server. Some parts I already knew before, but I think the systematize classification of different folders in bin is very useful. It helps us do our work be more clearly in premier. I edited the footages we shot the previous exercise. But it is not good, as I already mentioned in last blog, those shots we shoot have some problems, such as the exposure and continuity.
In Thursday class, we continue learn the operation of EX3 camera, such as the usage of zebra, white balance, focus and gain. We recognized how to adjust the white balance depending on the light temperature in different place. Also, we learned the difference about exposure of skin tone between70%, and 100% zebra. Those knowledge are quite significant for us, we have to practice it and feel it in our daily exercises, so that we can be more familiar with it and reasonable use it.
In addition, we reviewed each of our homework we did during this weekend. This homework is same with the last one. We chose any place we like, and shoot two new 50 second takes of some fresh subjects. I choose one of my favorite places, which is Flagstaff Garden. The view of this garden is very beautiful, especially during the sunset time. Also, I think it is a good place to show the relaxed life of citizen, because, there are lost of people walking, dancing, jogging, or walking dog and so on. I pretty like the position I choose in the frame, because it can emphasize the different planes in this dimension. And the exposure is suitable, but I hope the weather can be better in next time. However, unfortunately, in those two 50 second takes, there are less of people. As the Robin said to me, this is the kind of challenge in documentary, time is so important. Filming something in an aright time, right place, right theme is not easy, but if we did, that is the real filming.
On Friday we film 3 shots with someone performing an action in which they have some expertise and/or manual proficiency. Then, film someone else who without the skill. We used different angles and perspectives to film it. However, I am not so happy with it. Because I do not think those perspectives are proper to film. We didn’t notice the continuous in those shots, even though I don’t know whether we need care about it. Robin said we have separately record sound. I think the interior meaning of this requirement is that we can create some “ surprises” when we put the sound with the scene together. We can separately record some special sound, rather than just record the synchronous sound of what the camera filmed. However, because we do not have enough time, so we haven’t done it. I think we have to plan clearly in next exercise.
