No Country For Old Men Exercise

18th October 2012

  In this session, the aim was to set up a scene from No Country for Old Men. Initially, we watched the original extract of the film in order to articulate the mood, tone and style of the piece. This helped us later on when it came to controlling the lighting.

  We split into two separate groups and began to set up the scene. It was hard for us to do this due to limited time and space. We shot the sequence in three different angles before the end of he session. We used 3-point lighting to give the images more mood, and set quite a dim light upon the subjects.  We cast a soft shadow on their faces to also highlight the tone.
  Three shots that we gained using a Sony Z1 included:

• Two-Shot
• Close - Up of Carla Jean
• Close - Up of Chigurh

  In order to have a more professional approach to filming the sequence, we were given a hand out on recording the shot and slating. From this I have learnt:

• A new slate is used whenever the camera is moved
• The Camera Assistant is in charge of the clapperboard (which needs to fully in the frame)
• Only the Director calls 'Action' and 'Cut'
• A new take is a new shot with the camera in the same position
• "Second Sticks" is called by the camera assistant if the clapper needs doing again
• The board needs to be readable (this is checked by the camera operator and needs to be told to the camera assistant if not)
• The basic procedure goes as follows:

AD: "Run Camera"
Camera Operator: Presses Record, "Camera running up". After 5 Seconds. "Speed"
Camera Assistant: States Shot e.g "Shot 2, Take 1"
Camera Operator: Checks Board, tells assistant "Mark it"
Camera Assistant: Claps the board and clears from set
Camera Operator: Re-frames and focuses if need be, when done calls "Set"
Director: Action
Actors: Wait 5 or so seconds before starting
Director: Stays close to camera
Cinematographer: Watches on monitor
Continuity: Stays close to camera
AD: Watches on monitor if can
Art Director:Watches on monitor if can
Director: "Cut"
Actors: Stay in position until cut is called

This is not a definitive set of rules but is the usual process for filmmaking.

St. Paul's Tower Shoot

  Before filming St. Paul's Tower from two different angles, I created a storyboard for each in order to make it easier to create the shot I wanted. I filmed using a Canon 550d DSLR and used a tripod as light conditions were poor. The day of filming was very foggy which also altered the original intended shots. However, I think that this gave a nice effect, especially in the first film. I chose to keep them simple and therefore chose to cut out the sound so I could focus purely on the picture:

1.

Because of the poor quality of the video when uploaded, here is a screen shot:

I shot this piece of footage from a set of steps behind the train station. This provided me with a nice view of sheffield skyline and presented a lovely image of the contrasting buildings in the city. It demonstrates both old and new architecture and I like the way in which the moving traffic in the foreground gives the shot depth despite the camera remaining still. As I have already stated, the lighting conditions were poor, however I have worked with the camera to the best of my ability to portray a nice image. I used a shutter speed of 00'05" and an aperture of f.7.1 when filming this shot.

2.

Because of the poor quality of the video when uploaded, here is a screen shot:

For this shot, I wanted to film the tower from an interesting angle. In one aspect, I think I have succeeded, as the movement of people in the foreground of the left third of the shot create an interesting film. However, on the other hand, I feel that the bushes and railing in front of the building distract from St. Paul's Tower itself. I think an interesting element within this footage is the hooded figure that walks to the left of the shot. This could work in a film showing his journey. The original shot was fairly dark and I think that I could have set the aperture a bit wider to allow more light, however I have altered this a little in post. I used an aperture of f.6.3. Overall, I think that too many elements of this shot distract from the intended subject, and maybe a better shot would have been from directly beneath the building, looking directly up. A downside of this would be that it could appear silhouetted if the sky is too bright behind it.

I did film a panning version of the first shot displayed, however I think it seemed too shaky when viewing it back. I need to practice these kind of shots as I think they can work well in film, especially in an element such as a long take.

Lighting

11th October 2012

  In todays session, I learned about lighting in greater detail, from technical words used to describe it, to creating scene lighting. In groups, we each gave examples of words we thought went with lighting. This is what we came up with:

1.

• Intensity = The Strength of the light, e.g. Hard/Soft
• Direction
• Colour Temperature e.g: (Picture 1.)
• Spread e.g. Spotlight/Floodlight
• Duration e.g. Intermittent... 
• Style e.g. Flattering/Harsh
• Where it faces e.g. Contouring/Frontal/Skimming/Direct
• Shadowed/High Key
• Modulated/Plain
• Focused
• Diffused
• Chiaroscuro/Flat

Different equipment we learnt about included:

• C-Stand - Used to hold a particular piece of artificial lighting. It is made primarily of metal with extending legs much like a tripod. (Picture 2)
• Arri Lamp - Consisting of a number of elements, this one had a 300W bulb. Other pieces that can be added, including lighting gels - used for colour correction (CTB = Balances Daylight...) and barn doors - used to control how much light passes through as well as adding a (limited) sense of direction.
• Lens - There are different kinds, including a Stepped Lens that is used for Lamps; and a Fresnel Lens (Picture 3) which feathers the edge of shadows. I learnt that when there is a lens, the broader you make the light, the harder the shadow is.
• Dedo Light - Uses low voltage
• Kino-Flo Diva-Lite - This is a fluorescent fixture and presents a soft light. To soften the light more, you can add a cover for the lamp. However, the Kino-Flow does take time to get to it's brightest. (Picture 4)

 Next, we were taught about thinking past just '3-Point Lighting', and were given a demonstration on setting up scene lighting.

      I learnt that the Key Light is that which is used to cast a shadow from the subject. It is the principal light used on set to give the subject shape, depth, form and an element of sharpness if needed. The Key can cover the whole scene, or be used in multiples if there is movement by the subject, however it is not necessarily the brightest light used. Cross Key lighting is often used, yet side/side or frontal lighting may also be utilised.

  'Fill' is light coming from any source, be that a lamp or piece of reflector board. It's main purpose is to balance the light and gives the option to alter the depth of shadows on a subject.

  Backlight is any light that comes from behind the subject and often helps form a more flattering light on them.

  Overall, I now understand the importance of lighting on a film set as it often produces the majority of mood and atmosphere of the piece. It also directs the audiences attention a lot of the time through it's focus on certain areas. It can be used to flatter a subject in what is known as 'beauty shots' or, if need be, provide a more even appearance and diminish many shadows placed upon subjects. Shadows can be altered to how the cinematographer feels fit, by producing feathered edges or more hard boarders, depending on the kind of style that needs to be represented. 

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Photo References:

1. http://www.google.com/imgres?q=lighting+colour+temperature+chart&hl=en&client=safari&sa=X&rls=en&biw=1280&bih=680&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=BCyipgE-Usz0eM:&imgrefurl=http://www.handmadeinpa.net/2012/02/intro-to-color-temperature/&docid=gArSW8Yr6Kh90M&imgurl=http://www.handmadeinpa.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/temp_chart03.jpg&w=400&h=403&ei=dAqEUOSFBaW10QWIxID4BA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=189&vpy=344&dur=109&hovh=225&hovw=224&tx=111&ty=66&sig=117828630293561111691&page=2&tbnh=149&tbnw=153&start=23&ndsp=26&ved=1t:429,r:24,s:20,i:207

2. http://www.google.com/imgres?q=c+stand&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&sa=N&rls=en&authuser=0&biw=1280&bih=680&tbm=isch&tbnid=cA43u2KxVnxyeM:&imgrefurl=http://www.diyphotogear.com/cstand1-4.html&docid=jINflQJ2PaLtwM&imgurl=http://www.diyphotogear.com/images/cstand18.jpg&w=500&h=500&ei=UauKUL-PIJO3hAfiwoCACQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=477&vpy=170&dur=4514&hovh=225&hovw=225&tx=42&ty=171&sig=117828630293561111691&page=1&tbnh=135&tbnw=135&start=0&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0,i:104

3.  http://www.google.com/imgres?q=fresnel+lens&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&sa=N&rls=en&biw=1280&bih=680&authuser=0&tbm=isch&tbnid=JAHODFfqj6ozTM:&imgrefurl=http://www.usglassmanufacturer.com/products/fresnel-lenses/fresnel620.aspx&docid=Q5XTAYSfRFNRWM&imgurl=http://www.usglassmanufacturer.com/images/products/fresnel/620-RD-Lens-364.jpg&w=364&h=364&ei=l62KUJyEM8-WhQffi4GQCQ&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=326&sig=117828630293561111691&page=2&tbnh=137&tbnw=143&start=19&ndsp=31&ved=1t:429,r:23,s:20,i:257&tx=98&ty=62

4. http://www.google.com/imgres?q=kino+flo+diva+lite&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&authuser=0&biw=1280&bih=680&tbm=isch&tbnid=Wiyl4GjLdOri7M:&imgrefurl=http://kayelites.com/osc/advanced_search_result.php%3Fkeywords%3Ddiva%26x%3D0%26y%3D0&docid=by9ZCniePclycM&imgurl=http://kayelites.com/osc/images/divalite200.jpg&w=504&h=378&ei=oKuKUMnOFNOJhQePy4Eo&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=568&sig=117828630293561111691&page=1&tbnh=139&tbnw=175&start=0&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:15,s:0,i:115&tx=127&ty=62