Explain how the text has been constructed to create meaning
In the text editing is used to increase the pace of the shot
and create meaning. For example, before the group first takes the drug, the
scene contains only one shot that does not cut away, however once the drug has
been taken this one continuous shot of the group is interrupted with a quick
cut towards a panning shot of a building. This shot does not last long before
it cuts back to the group, this is repeated while the distance between these
cuts is shortened, this creates an increased pace within the scene. From my own
knowledge I know that the period in which this move was set the hippie movement
was on going, with the group promoting peace through the Vietnam war, this
group would often partake in hallucinogenic drug use. The meaning behind doing
this could link to the characters heart rate as they are reacting towards the
drugs that they have ingested, with the pace of the shot and how it increases
quickly after the drug mimicking their heart rate.
Linking back to my previous point, sound is also used to
dictate pacing in this scene with a loud clear bell being present throughout all
the scene. This non diegetic sound is set at an increased pace which contrasts
the slow movements before the drug is taken but maintains this pace throughout
the shot even after the drug is ingested and the shot is being cut away to the
different imagery I mentioned earlier. In doing this the non-diegetic sound influences
the pacing of the scene through contrasting the slow movement of the beginning of
the scene and in meeting the pace created by the quick cuts. Therefore, because
the non-diegetic sounds contrast the mise-en-scene being shown in the beginning
of the shot it creates tension within the audience with them expecting
something to happen that would match the pace set with the sound.
Back at the beginning of cinema movies did not incorporate any form of editing, there were many reasons behind this decision with some being the lack of technology and others being the lack of understanding of what the audience would enjoy "the very earliest filmmakers were afraid to edit film shots together because they assumed that splicing together different shots of different things from different positions would simply confuse audiences." (Cite, 2020). This lack of understanding of the audience hindered progress within cinema through directors underestimating their audiences and therefore wanting to take fewer risks when it comes to their work, in fear of failure.
In the early days of editing, the footage was recorded on physical film and was cut and stuck together where a cut would take place. Robert W. Paul created the film "Come Along, Do!" which was one of the first films to use editing techniques like this before this films would only be made up of one-shot and because of this very little camera movement was used. During this time most editing was done by women due to the similarities in sewing this meant that women played a big part in the early development of film. The reason women were in charge of editing at this time was due to it being seen as a tedious task that people at the time viewed as unimportant so anyone with any experience was hired to fill its role, with women with experience in sewing prioritized when hiring due to the similarities between these jobs. "The finishing of pictures—the cutting and titling, has been, until quite lately, the most neglected branch of motion picture production. Nobody, with one or two conspicuous exceptions, paid any attention to it. It was a case of let Jakey cut the picture and Lizzie, the Typewriter, title it." (Woods, 1917).
Advancing from this early stage in film editing the Moviola was created to help editors view the film while editing it. It was invented in 1924 by Iwan Serrurier. This advanced the editing process by allowing the user to study the film and know where exactly they want the cut to be, therefore creating smoother transitions to cuts and making the finished product look better. Coming from this the flatbed editor rolls picture and sounds onto separate motorized disks called "Plates" each set of plates moves forward and backward separately while a prism reflects the film image onto a projector screen. Before Non-Linear editing was around, film was edited through the literal cutting and taping of the film, this was a long a tedious process that limited what the editor could do As each clip must be laid down, you would not be able to go back to make a change without re-editing everything after the change, the only real pro for linear editing is its simplicity. Non-linear editing system or non-destructive editing is a form of editing in which the original content is not modified in the course of editing, it is instead modified in specialized software and is a more modern way of editing that contrasts Linear video editing, non-linear editing allows editors to go back on their edits with ease, a prime example of non-linear editing would be premiere pro or final cut.
Digital forms of editing came about in the 21st century and allowed movie editing to be completed on computers. this was undertaken through a series of different software's throughout the years such as CMX-600, Edit Droid, Avid 1, Final Cut and Premiere Pro, with the latter two being the most modern and up to date styles of editing.The CMX-600 was one of the first digital editors and was created by CBS and Memorex. The machine uses two screens for output, one being used to select options and another to show a preview of that edit. The user uses a pen to input their decisions. Although this was a huge development in the editing process it still had plenty of downfalls such as the huge power consumption and the difficulty of storing the film. More modern editing software like Final Cut and Premiere Pro and are non-linear editing software with premiere pro first being introduced in 1991 on the Mac OS not long after this Final Cut was developed as well, these two editing software's are still going to this day and are continuously updated offering filmmakers an effective way of editing.
ISO
The ISO is responsible for how much light is allowed to enter the camera. Unlike the aperture and shutter speed it is nearly always desirable to have the lowest ISO possible to reduce the noise within the photo. The standard ISO settings for use within the camera are anything between 100(or the lowest possible) - 800, this allows for a good ratio between lighting and noise. "Similar to shutter speed, it also correlates 1:1 with how much the exposure increases or decreases."(CambridgeInColour, 2019)
To experiment with the different levels of ISO and the noise it creates in my videos I shot short clips throughout day and night with different ISO levels.
Aperture
The Aperture controls how much lighting is allowed into the lens. This is controlled under an F-stop value with more light being allowed into the lens, the F-stop value will decrease respectively. Every time the F-stop value halves, the lighting area quadruples.
A camera's lower F-stop value correlates with a shallower depth of field witch determines what in the shot is in focus whether if its just a face or a full background.
Shutter speed
Shutter speed determines the time each frame is exposed to light with higher the shutter speed, the more light that will be allowed into the photo, where a faster shutter speed means a shorter exposure time to light, therefore creating a darker photo. The shutter speed and lighting correlates at a 1:1 ratio, for example when the exposure time doubles, the lighting in the shot will double.
Shutter speed can be used to freeze or exaggerate the appearance of motion through using a lower shutter speed to create a motion blur or either using a higher speed to freeze the shot and remove all elements of movement. In order to create a sharper image with no motion blur a tripod is recommended to remove all extra movement and therefore creating a smoother shot.
When choosing a shutter speed it should typically be doubled to the frame rate, an example being if you are filming at 24 frames per second, then the recommended shutter speed would be 1/50. Using a lower shutter speed will create a motion blur as i previously mentioned, while the higher the shutter speed the more crisp the video will be. In the examples below i have experimented with using low, normal and high shutter speed for my frame rate (which is 24fps) to show the effect this has an a video and the amount of motion blur that will occur.
Frame rate
Movies are usually displayed at 24fps, since this frame rate is similar to how we see the world, and creates a very cinematic look. Video games or sports events will often have a higher frame rate, as there’s a lot happening at once and a higher frame rate keeps the motion smooth. To get the highest quality video the shutter speed should correlate at around double the FPS.
Pull Focus
at this point I also learned how to use a pull focus effect. I will be able use this technique in short films.
Source List
CambridgeInColour, 2019 [Online]
Available from:
https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/camera-exposure.htm
Lighting Techniques
Lighting can affect the camera techniques used throughout moving image, for example using light sources from the front or back of the shots helps in leaving areas of darkness between illumination by the backlight and can create shadows on actors faces such as in the movie schindlers list.
A small documentary would require an easily portable camera and microphone as well as enough portable lighting and spare memory cards. this will be because of the portability of the project a lot of equipment will not be needed but spares on battery's and memory space is paramount as the film makers will be on the move and wont have time to recharge often.
A talking head style interview would require a professional looking background/backdrop for your filming location, plenty of lighting to keep the person talking well lit and in focus and a tripod to keep the camera steady during long takes.
A night shoot could require the filmmaker to bring an excess amount of lighting and maybe reflectors in order to properly light the entire shot or at least what they want lit in the shot, However in doing this it will give your shots a colour cast. "Colour cast is an unwanted color shift in the whole image, which can be caused by reflected light from a nearby object. For example, many photos taken using flourescent lighting tend to have a greenish color cast." (Adobe Help, 2019). Colour casting can usually be edited out in post production to help reflect the natural lighting of a shot.
Before and after colour casting was removed during the post production phase (Adobe Help, 2019).
Rembrant Lighting
Rembrant lighting is a common lighting effect used in photoshoots due to its lack of equipment and professional looking finish, it is particularly used for portrait photoshoots. Rembrant lighting includes one half of the models face in full lighting while the side furthest away from the camera is typically in a light shadow, rembrant lighting usually includes a triangle of light around the shadows sides eye, the size of this triangle determines how perfect the rembrant lighting is, "To be a true Rembrandt lighting setup, the triangle of illuminated light should be no wider than the eye, and no longer than the nose." (Improve Photography, 2019)
Edge Lighting
For edge lighting you will only need a light with a stand or tripod to keep it still. Edge lighting blacks out the model during the shoot creating only a light rim around their figure, this is created by placing the flash behind the model facing at them. In doing this the flash will trigger during the photo creating the rim effect.
Butterfly lighting
Butterfly lighting is created when the lighting is placed dead centre to the models face. in doing this the full face of the model will be light creating a little butterfly shape shadow under the nose, but leaving the rest of the face fully lit.
High Key Lighting
High key lighting is created using large lights opposite the model just like in butterfly lighting and is used to connote positive feelings "High key lighting is a method often used in beauty and makeup commercials and in comedies. A high key look gives you fewer shadows and makes your talent look flawless and elegant. It produces an even amount of light that spreads across an entire scene. It’s also useful for producing food or product imagery when you need the light to be even across the entire scene."(Tanner Shinnick, 2019)
Low Key Lighting
Low key lighting is used within moving image in a darker way, typically being seen in horror films. To create the low key effect a single light is used that is typically located close to the model. This creates contrasting between the model and the dark background.
Source List
Adobe Help (2019) [Online]
Available from:
https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop-elements/key-concepts/color-cast.html
Improve Photography, (2019) [Online]
Available from:
https://improvephotography.com/19250/rembrandt-lighting-awesome/
Tanner Shinnick ., (2019) What You Need to Know About High Key vs. Low Key Lighting [Online]
Available from:
https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/high-key-vs-low-key-lighting/
American New Wave
American New Wave is movement in american cinema that took place around the late 60's and 70's. "It refers to a post-Hays liberation of creativity ushered in by a generation of young filmmakers who took the primary authorial role away from studios and into their own hands." (Filmmakers Handbook, 2019). This new style of filmmaking completely opposed what the mainstream cinema was doing. Movies were no longer made with the sole purpose of generating profit and instead a new artistic approach to film making was introduced, this allowed for more unique films to be created that allowed directors to express their ideas into a film, with these being based on social issues or even ideas from the directors.
Some of the first movies to be counted under this category of American New Wave were: Arthur Penn’s Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and Mike Nichols’ The Graduate (1967). These films were unique to the time with them both ignoring taboos while focusing on violence and sex, and appealing to a younger audience, with Bonnie and Clyde being a social commentary on violence and hypocrisy in america during the 60's. "These films were centred on complex themes with morally ambiguous messages, reflecting the nonconforming generation disillusioned by Vietnam." (Filmmakers Handbook, 2019).
Context
During the Cinematic New Wave, America was in the midst of the Vietnam war, this was at this time the hippie movement was popular, this promoted peace over violence and members were often easily identified through their bright clothing. The group were often linked with the use of hallucinogenic drugs. This affected how movies were made with a bigger focus on conveying social messages based on exposing american hypocrisy and talking about other social issues.
Movies List
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Taxi Driver (1976)
Research Notes
"Over the course of the 1960s the counter culture, youth activism, and civil rights movements generated widespread rejection of standard Hollywood fare at the time. For decades there had been standards, censorship, and deeply held beliefs about what mainstream American film had to look like. The status quo would fail in the long run of the 1960s and 1970s as films tailored to studio executives’ norms became droll.
By 1969, when Easy Rider proved an unlikely hit, the American New Wave could be said to be the dominant force in American filmmaking. The moniker “New Hollywood” suggests how mainstream these eclectic, challenging, and youth centric films became for the next decade.
Incidentally, Roger Ebert’s review at the time for the seminal Easy Rider, captures much of the movement. Ebert points to three items which characterized films of the American New Wave. First, a sudden generational disjunction captured in the difference between Henry Fonda’s career and Peter Fonda’s new film. Second, a whole cloth reworking of popular genres like westerns and motorcycle films. These were genres with a lot of appeal, but underserved film grammar. Which leads to the third point defining the American New Wave, an apparent rejection of straightforward storytelling.
American New Wave films tend to fixate on character action and scenes with intense thematic resonance. Dialogue frequently feels unnecessary, and gives way to scenes of violence and high speed pursuits as is the case in Easy Rider. Similarly Nashville (1975), like many Robert Altman films, intimates a place and culture while overwhelming viewers with an ensemble cast. Both these paradigm films, Easy Rider and Nashville, seem ephemeral about their subject. The result, as Ebert writes, is that “the heroes are suspended in an invisible story, like falcons on an invisible current of air. You can’t see it, but it holds them up.”"(Jordan 2018).
Source List
Filmmakers Handbook (2019) [Online]
Available from:
http://screenprism.com/insights/article/the-filmmakers-handbook-what-is-the-new-hollywood-movement
Jordan, S., (2018) The New Perspectives in the American new wave [Online]
Available from:
https://facets.org/blog/exclusive/lists/essentials/the-new-perspectives-in-the-american-new-wave/
