FILM TV 1 Analysis/Reflection 5

Question 1:

The lecture covered the key and basic principles of lighting (three point lighting/how to light a scene, fill light, soft light/hard light, diffusing light). A range of equipment was also covered and the uses for different types of lights. The lecture was incredibly useful to our shoots as not only can we transfer this theoretical knowledge to our own shoots, but in terms of practicality there was a lot covered so we are able to tackle mostly any scene that needs lighting (whether it be using the natural light, such as in an outdoor scene, or if we need a specific desired effect). I know that many of the members of my group have never done any sort of lighting before, so it was definitely beneficial to them (particularly the ones on the practical side of the team) as know they possess the skills and knowledge to implement a good lighting set up. Lighting is up there with good sound in terms of how important it is on a shoot so the content covered in the lecture is definitely important and relevant to our projects.

Question 2:

The reading from week 6 about ‘developing’ your crew is only partially applicable to our project. The main factor which makes it sort of irrelevant is the presumption that we are able to hand pick and build our own crews based on a vigorous testing and selection process. Obviously, we have been put into groups so we are unable to do that for this project. However, many other aspects of the reading do still relate – the reading suggests that there should be many test shoots and ground rules should be discussed and decided upon well before the actual shoot so you have a sense of the group dynamic well before it comes time to do the project. This is, no doubt, to minimise conflict on the day of the shoot so it can run as smoothly as possible. From my own experience, I know this to be a great way of ironing out any potential conflict and getting a sense of how your group works together. An interesting point brought up by the reading is to look for people’s personal and communicational skills when you are putting together your crew, not merely at their technical ability. It’s almost as if you look at applicants as if they were in a job interview, weighing a range of factors from everything down to their experience and knowledge to their temperament. The reading is a great reference point for us in terms of actual responsibilities within specific roles – it outlines exactly what is expected of each role and what each role entails. It also makes a list of traits which make a good producer/director/ad etc etc and will help with allowing us to develop our personal traits to match the criteria.

Question 3:
There are many things that would be considered by the director prior to shooting “Blow Up”. Firstly, there would be vigorous rehearsal and blocking done for the movement of the actors since there is so much movement in the scene. It is important to have a clear idea of exactly where the actors will be at what time so the camera operator ensures that the characters are in frame when they need to be. The camera and the framing of shots themselves move tightly and organically with the actors, the camera rarely moves without intention or purpose, generally it is to capture key action/dialogue/responses from the actors. The decision as to where the frame should be and what the ‘key’ action/dialogue/responses are would have been weighed up by the director prior to filming and would be to illicit a particular response. When the camera pans it is to create more physical distance between the two characters in the scene as they walk away from or towards each other. The way in which lines are delivered (space between dialogue, pauses, intonation) and the physicality/facial expressions of the actors would also be something that the director would have put a lot of thought into and this would have been rehearsed. The way in which lines are delivered or even the way in which actors present themselves in a space has a lot of bearing on the subtext of a scene, therefore it would have been crucial for the director to have established this subtext with the actors before making the choices which he did.