Cinematography - Week 1
14/02/2019
Camera / Electrical Department
Camera department
Grips
Lighting
Workflow
AD - SETTLE IN (Or to that effect)
QUIET ON SET, roll sound
SOUND ROLL
Soundie - SOUND SPEED
AC - Slate Call. Camera Slate should be in front of camera by now and wait
with
Slate in front of camera.
CAMERA OPERATOR ROLLS
Camera Op. / DOP - MARK
Camera Op. frames up
SET
AD - ACTION
File Management
Create Blog
20/02/2019
Today, I spent the whole afternoon and early evening analysing the course outline and only managed to get the first few pages sorted. I also wrote it all by hand in that time. I probably I would done it earlier, but I was too sick over the weekend to do so.
I looked on the Internet to find information about what is a digital image technician and absorb information from these sites...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_imaging_technician
https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/what-is-digital-imaging-technician/
https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/production-101-digital-imaging-technician/
https://www.careersinfilm.com/digital-imaging-technician/
Digital Image Technician (DIT)
It was a position created in response to the film industry going into a digital transition and is a role in the camera department that works close to the DOP/cinematographer, but mainly when it comes to workflow, camera systems and settings, and getting the image to its best and highest quality. The role is almost a computer technician for the DOP/cinematographer and should have a good working relationship with each other. DOPs familiar with film stock will need DITs more than ever in a digital filmmaking environment. The role also involves data management and being a connection between on-set production and post-production. It is the DIT's responsibility to organise computer stuff concerning filmmaking like organising video and audio data, making sure there are hard drives with plenty of storage, as well as backups.
The DITs also makes sure that the quality of the video and audio is good enough and that the data will and cannot be corrupted. It's a job in the film industry with a lot of responsibilities. The DIT is consulted on what is the best way to have the workflow of organising audio and video data. The role also requires you to be tech-savvy at digital film cameras and formats, make RAW film footage more manageable, and have to be very familiar with technical IT stuff like proxies and codecs, and compile the footage into dailies for viewing. Being a DIT can also be identified as a hands-on colourist, when on-set.
It is also their job to achieve what is technically needed and wanted for film production an post-production. It can sometimes be a combination of being a creative consultant, technician, and IT nerd. Having IT and video editing skills can be beneficial towards pursing this role, as well as having traits like being patient, pro-active, reliant, and meticulous.
The DIT can be a role in film production where you are one of the last people to leave the film set.
The DIT not only works with the DOP, but can also interact with the Director, Script Supervisor, Assistant Camera, and Assistant Editor. Employment for this position all comes down to connections and income for this position is negotiated as it is freelance.
Once I typed up the information I found out, I tried to type up my handwritten analysis of the course outline. There were many pages from many hours... but I had time to typed up most of it, but not all of it. I write things in pen first because I'm faster at writing by hand than typing. I spent all evening typing.
I also didn't have time to film on my phone, think about a genre as inspiration for my genre project, or mute a movie and analyze. I have trying to start to have balance with the workload of all my papers. It feels like we need to study every waking moment for this course. My time management needs time to suit this course. I also been stuck on what genre to choose for my genre project.
I need to do 85 hours attending lectures and tutorials, plus 65 hours of independent study, which totals in 150 hours. I will get to learn and understand about ideas and concepts, as well as getting hands-on experience with tools and techniques involving cameras and lighting, which are applied in film productions.
Learning Outcomes
Once I have completed this paper, I will be able to look thoroughly into what is needed for a project, find out information about concepts involving lighting, think, consider, and improve my technical knowledge with cameras, to be able to show my capabilities with lighting and camera towards a film project. I will also be able to find information on film productions from the past and present, and write comments on stages of creating a project by analysing them.
Content and Context
Parts of the project involving design are needed in the project, including considering a location, have planned on what the cameras and lighting will be doing as part of additional stuff to the project's concept that I want to do, make plans to make sure of how the camera shots and how the time you spent is done.
Include ideas and concepts that involve lighting, which include placing, how bright the lighting should be and what colour, as well as what is popular in using lighting in past and present film production. I will also have to consider ways of carrying out tasks and how I will do so to improve a story and add to the design of the film.
I need a carry out ways of doing stuff with cameras, including advanced cameras, in order to improve a story and add to the design of the film.
If you combine the two of them from the Content and Context section of the paper's course outline, ways of doing things with both cameras and lighting will need to be done for this project.
Learning and Teaching Approaches
A mix of informative talks by the tutor, meetings that will teach me things that are necessary in the real world in relation to the paper's subject, and undergoing a search for related information and carrying out tasks continuously, in order to improve myself in my own time and on my own.
Method of Assessment
Video essay proposal will consist 15% of the paper, which go towards achieving my learning outcomes in looking thoroughly into what is needed for a project, find out information about concepts involving lighting, think, consider, and improve my technical knowledge with cameras, to be able to show my capabilities with lighting and camera towards a film project, and writing comments on stages of creating a project by analysing them.
Project/s will consist 60% of the paper, in which examples of the project/s that I will be doing are in the class or involve ways of doing things. This assessment will help achieve my learning outcomes in looking thoroughly into what is needed for a project, find out information about concepts involving lighting, think, consider, and improve my technical knowledge with cameras, to be able to show my capabilities with lighting and camera towards a film project.
Documentation for this paper will consist of 25% towards my final mark, in which examples of the documentation needed are blogs, journals, reports, and evaluations. This assessment will help achieve my learning outcomes in looking thoroughly into what is needed for a project, find out information about concepts involving lighting, think, consider, and improve my technical knowledge with cameras, be able to find information on film productions from the past and present, and write comments on stages of creating a project by analysing them.
Assessments
In order to pass this paper, I must complete all of the assessments. The first assessment Show Reel Concept Proposal will consist of 15% of the final mark and the paper itself. I am required to complete a video essay by 5pm on Wednesday, 3rd of May.
The second assessment, a multi-choice exam that consists 20% of the final mark and the paper itself will be taking place at 10am on Thursday, 2nd of May.
The third assessment, Show Reel Execution consists of 40% of the final mark and the paper itself, and is due to be submitted as a digital film at 5pm on Thursday, 13th of June.
The fourth and final assessment, which is the blog, will be due for its final entry at 8pm on Thursday, the 20th of June. It also consists 25% of the final mark and the paper itself.
My assessments, learning outcomes, and such will be marked on a scale of 0 to 5.
Paper Requirements
All those behind the camera will be need to be allowed to use equipment for filming through the Screen Arts programme. Otherwise, my final mark will be badly affected.
I must seek permission to get students outside of Screen Arts involved in the film production. In order to get permission, I must write a proposal about student(s) involvement to the Programme Manager and tutors relevant to the aspects of the project or paper. I must do so or our final mark will be badly affected.
My final mark can also be badly affected if I use SIT equipment in rain, snow, water, or anything that might break them.
I must use bright orange hi-vis jackets from SIT for filming and must be worn at all times if I am in production in the view of the public.
To help avoid a bad mark, I must receive relevant consent like from the City Council.
If I was to be allowed to film on roads, I will be required to submit a detailed document that includes safety and full plans, storyboards, and any material to support our decision to film on roads. All of which will be done and sent to the tutor or it will be yet another way to badly affect my final mark.
I must be allowed by my tutor to use real or fake guns/weapons. Otherwise, it will badly affect my final mark.
I am required for my submitted work to apply the industry standards of technical broadcast and the rules of the Screen Arts programme.
My tutor must agree to let me include in my film production; violent acts in a household or actions on a person that cause major distress. I will be in a lot of trouble if we do so without approval from the tutor.
Handing in my work late will be marked as if I didn't submit a thing.
I must make an effort to find balance between classes and my workload to complete in my own time, including filming for my project and the same goes for those involved. If I can't see a way around it, I must talk about a compromise with my tutors, but even so, It doesn't allow me to skip other classes. In addition, I must be empathetic towards others and not bully them into being involved in my project and sacrifice their progress.
Assessment Requirements
Many of the assessments for this paper will require me to send them to Digital Dropbox. If Digital Dropbox has crashed and not working or if it is full, the deadline still stands. Worst case scenario, it might be possible to submit my work on a pen drive and hand it into the physical dropbox.
My final mark may also have some sort of negative effect if I hand in your assessment on a USB drive and don't necessarily need to. The tutor will know if the USB submission is handed in late or on time because of the digital files having data stamped with the time and date it was created or modified. Dropping off the assessment after the deadline will result in a instant fail and make sure to label the files correctly, as well as include my name.
If I don't do these things as mentioned above as part of assessment requirements, it might be bad for my final mark.
NOTE: It doesn't clarify if your name is to be physically on the USB drive, or digitally, or even how to do so digitally.
I will have to make sure all my writing for the assessments are typed up digitally and handed in as a PDF file. I will not be able to hand in physical copies of my writing.
NOTE: I'm finding this task interesting because I'm starting to notice things in the course outline I haven't before e.g. no physical copies of my writing can be handed in.
However, I will be able to hand in drawing as long as it's digitally scanned. I will also need to keep in mind about how my typed up writing is shown if I am to avoid a bad effect towards my final mark, presented to a high standard, make use of a readable font like Arial, not a font like Comic Sans.
Remember to have a font size between 10pt and 12pt, single or double spaced, proper alignment like left-aligned, and that its grammar is correct and is spell checked.
I am required to manage and name the files I am submitting in the way it was shown and discussed in class. Not doing good file management will have a special type of bad effect on my final mark concerning how I submitted my assessment.
- A lot of the theory to be done in our own time.
- I will need to drive around for getting to one place to another with a lot of film gear.
- Cinematographers are much more arty than those below in that position, who are more technical e.g. clapper loader.
- Analyze course outline.
- Tough marking in this module - C average.
- 4th week - Field trip to Queenspark.
- Research broadcast technical specifications.
- Level 6 is the hardest part of the degree.
- Our lesson today will be file management.
- It costs $3,500 to close off a road for filming.
- Research lighting in TV ads.
- Industry knows more than us.
- Research material - YouTube, American Cinematography magazine at SIT library.
- Learn how to use DaVinci Resolve. I will do so one weekend.
Camera / Electrical Department
- Camera operator
- Grip
- Puller
- AC's - Assistant Camera
- Gaffer
- Best Boy
- DIT - Digital Image Technician
- Electricians
- Lighting assistant
- Clapper / Slate - Loader / 3rd AC
- Careful what you say about powerful producer - you can get your career ruined and blacklisted.
- People can destroy careers, in order to advance their own.
- Trainee, Cinematographer / DOP.
- Because there are different systems of film production in the United Kingdom and New Zealand, and the United States States, grip and gaffers have different purposes in comparison.
- Don't call a DOP, a DP.
- 1st Assistant Camera looks after the camera and lenses and makes sure the camera has the subject is in focus.
Camera department
- DOP - Director of Photography
- Camera Operator
- 1st Assistant Camera - Focus Puller
- 2nd Assistant Camera
- 2nd 2nd Assistant Camera
- 3rd Assistant Camera
- Digital Image Technician
- In low-budget filmmaking, camera roles below DOP are a luxury and usually not needed.
- 2nd Assistant Camera is in charge of the film equipment.
- Finesse and muscle memory is critical to using heavy equipment.
- Flat image? Most modern filmmakers don't know what it is.
- We will learn more about the Assistant Camera roles today, but more into unloading footage.
- Research BTS Camera
- Key grip is the top position in grip.
- Chicken grip ad - I'll try and find it on YouTube later.
- We are going to experience a bit of the grip roles concerning Dolly and Gimbal.
Grips
- Key grip
- Best Boy
- Dolly Grip
- Crane Grip
- Grip Assistants
- Gimbal Grip
- Drone Grip
- Car Rigs
Lighting
- Gaffer
- Best Boy
- Generator Operator
- Electrician
- Lighting Assistant
- Trainee
- DMX Technicians
- Best Boy is sometimes a electrician, but not always.
- Research lighting roles.
- DMX is studio-based roles.
- The number of lighting assistants is based on your budget.
- ash.bartlett@sit.ac.nz
- Grips and Lighting work in conjunction with the DOP.
- Boot Camp in two weeks time with SIT Productions.
- Narrow down your genre in time for the boot camp because Duncan Sarkies is believed to be present there.
- Week 7 - we will be getting our technical certification, so that we can hire out the film gear owned by the screen arts programme. In the same week, we'll learn about working with directors and the process of storyboarding.
- More people are available for night shoots than day shoots.
- We will be filming over semester break.
- May 16 - 30: Filming period for this module.
- Genre shoot will be hardest to plan and shoot.
- Film as much as you can in your spare time. It shows your understanding on framing / cinematography.
- Cinematography is a mix of physics, maths, art, and psychology.
- Research 4K video and Adobe software.
- Target audience for Level 6 - the tutor and course outline.
- Target audience for Level 7 - the research, the tutors, and Level 6 students.
Workflow
- Research
- Conception
- Testing
- Pre-production e.g. storyboarding, call sheets, casting, location scouting
- Filming
- Post-production
- Sony is used for a lot for television, but some don't like how their film technology achieve skin tones, whereas ARRI achieve realistic colours.
- Sony vs ARRI is like in photography - Canon vs Nikon.
- I can potentially employ a producer for my genre project.
- Research pre-production roles.
- S-Log? Holds the brights better and sacrifices information from the dark tones to give more to the light tones. It also overexposes the image by 2.
- Screen Production Guild decide on the colour profiles for broadcasting in New Zealand since 1974.
- The darker it gets, your eyes takes out colour information, to contrast brights or lights.
- Squinting your eyes show natural contrast. Gaffers on film sets do this method.
- Research lighting skin tones.
- Clipping whites - Post-processing won't change underexposed darks or blacks.
- db lighting is for videographers. There is no technical difference between db and ISO
- ND - Neutral Density. It's good for filming in daylight.
- Brightness Display
- Timecode is only good for when filming with multiple cameras.
- Recording light is called a Tally. Keep the rear Tally on, not the front Tally.
- Make sure to keep the film camera's battery on a good amount of charge because if you let it run out, the stored footage on the film camera will either be lost or corrupted.
- Use a blank piece of paper when setting white balance.
- Research recording shot information
- Use white gaffer tape and a permanent marker if you are using a clapper board for more than one day. Velcro could be used for different shot and scene numbers.
- Part-take?
- Always film the whole scene, not a piece of dialogue because it brings out the emotion and drama.
- You can tell the quality of lenses by the blades. The more the blades, the more rounder the shape in the lenses.
- MOS - film production term
- Tail Slate
- Upside down slate?
AD - SETTLE IN (Or to that effect)
QUIET ON SET, roll sound
SOUND ROLL
Soundie - SOUND SPEED
AC - Slate Call. Camera Slate should be in front of camera by now and wait
with
Slate in front of camera.
CAMERA OPERATOR ROLLS
Camera Op. / DOP - MARK
Camera Op. frames up
SET
AD - ACTION
- The format settings from role playing the above - DNxHD / HFS+
- When importing footage, you should copy both the video and metadata files. Otherwise, you will only get some of the information.
File Management
- AE
- Audio
- DAVINCI
- GFX (images)
- PREM
- Raw Footage > Day 1 > Card or roll number (A01)
- When the word 'ingesting' is brought up in class, it means 'copying'
- It was recommended to have three backups of our work; copies on two hard drives and on a computer network
- If you want to import 4K video files on Premiere successfully, it is suggested to import all relevant 4K files all at once (selected)
Create Blog
- Analyze course outline
- Research about DIT
- Film on phone
- Think about genre as inspiration for your genre project
- Mute a movie and analyze
20/02/2019
Today, I spent the whole afternoon and early evening analysing the course outline and only managed to get the first few pages sorted. I also wrote it all by hand in that time. I probably I would done it earlier, but I was too sick over the weekend to do so.
I looked on the Internet to find information about what is a digital image technician and absorb information from these sites...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_imaging_technician
https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/what-is-digital-imaging-technician/
https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/production-101-digital-imaging-technician/
https://www.careersinfilm.com/digital-imaging-technician/
Digital Image Technician (DIT)
It was a position created in response to the film industry going into a digital transition and is a role in the camera department that works close to the DOP/cinematographer, but mainly when it comes to workflow, camera systems and settings, and getting the image to its best and highest quality. The role is almost a computer technician for the DOP/cinematographer and should have a good working relationship with each other. DOPs familiar with film stock will need DITs more than ever in a digital filmmaking environment. The role also involves data management and being a connection between on-set production and post-production. It is the DIT's responsibility to organise computer stuff concerning filmmaking like organising video and audio data, making sure there are hard drives with plenty of storage, as well as backups.
The DITs also makes sure that the quality of the video and audio is good enough and that the data will and cannot be corrupted. It's a job in the film industry with a lot of responsibilities. The DIT is consulted on what is the best way to have the workflow of organising audio and video data. The role also requires you to be tech-savvy at digital film cameras and formats, make RAW film footage more manageable, and have to be very familiar with technical IT stuff like proxies and codecs, and compile the footage into dailies for viewing. Being a DIT can also be identified as a hands-on colourist, when on-set.
It is also their job to achieve what is technically needed and wanted for film production an post-production. It can sometimes be a combination of being a creative consultant, technician, and IT nerd. Having IT and video editing skills can be beneficial towards pursing this role, as well as having traits like being patient, pro-active, reliant, and meticulous.
The DIT can be a role in film production where you are one of the last people to leave the film set.
The DIT not only works with the DOP, but can also interact with the Director, Script Supervisor, Assistant Camera, and Assistant Editor. Employment for this position all comes down to connections and income for this position is negotiated as it is freelance.
Once I typed up the information I found out, I tried to type up my handwritten analysis of the course outline. There were many pages from many hours... but I had time to typed up most of it, but not all of it. I write things in pen first because I'm faster at writing by hand than typing. I spent all evening typing.
I also didn't have time to film on my phone, think about a genre as inspiration for my genre project, or mute a movie and analyze. I have trying to start to have balance with the workload of all my papers. It feels like we need to study every waking moment for this course. My time management needs time to suit this course. I also been stuck on what genre to choose for my genre project.
I need to do 85 hours attending lectures and tutorials, plus 65 hours of independent study, which totals in 150 hours. I will get to learn and understand about ideas and concepts, as well as getting hands-on experience with tools and techniques involving cameras and lighting, which are applied in film productions.
Learning Outcomes
Once I have completed this paper, I will be able to look thoroughly into what is needed for a project, find out information about concepts involving lighting, think, consider, and improve my technical knowledge with cameras, to be able to show my capabilities with lighting and camera towards a film project. I will also be able to find information on film productions from the past and present, and write comments on stages of creating a project by analysing them.
Content and Context
Parts of the project involving design are needed in the project, including considering a location, have planned on what the cameras and lighting will be doing as part of additional stuff to the project's concept that I want to do, make plans to make sure of how the camera shots and how the time you spent is done.
Include ideas and concepts that involve lighting, which include placing, how bright the lighting should be and what colour, as well as what is popular in using lighting in past and present film production. I will also have to consider ways of carrying out tasks and how I will do so to improve a story and add to the design of the film.
I need a carry out ways of doing stuff with cameras, including advanced cameras, in order to improve a story and add to the design of the film.
If you combine the two of them from the Content and Context section of the paper's course outline, ways of doing things with both cameras and lighting will need to be done for this project.
Learning and Teaching Approaches
A mix of informative talks by the tutor, meetings that will teach me things that are necessary in the real world in relation to the paper's subject, and undergoing a search for related information and carrying out tasks continuously, in order to improve myself in my own time and on my own.
Method of Assessment
Video essay proposal will consist 15% of the paper, which go towards achieving my learning outcomes in looking thoroughly into what is needed for a project, find out information about concepts involving lighting, think, consider, and improve my technical knowledge with cameras, to be able to show my capabilities with lighting and camera towards a film project, and writing comments on stages of creating a project by analysing them.
Project/s will consist 60% of the paper, in which examples of the project/s that I will be doing are in the class or involve ways of doing things. This assessment will help achieve my learning outcomes in looking thoroughly into what is needed for a project, find out information about concepts involving lighting, think, consider, and improve my technical knowledge with cameras, to be able to show my capabilities with lighting and camera towards a film project.
Documentation for this paper will consist of 25% towards my final mark, in which examples of the documentation needed are blogs, journals, reports, and evaluations. This assessment will help achieve my learning outcomes in looking thoroughly into what is needed for a project, find out information about concepts involving lighting, think, consider, and improve my technical knowledge with cameras, be able to find information on film productions from the past and present, and write comments on stages of creating a project by analysing them.
Assessments
In order to pass this paper, I must complete all of the assessments. The first assessment Show Reel Concept Proposal will consist of 15% of the final mark and the paper itself. I am required to complete a video essay by 5pm on Wednesday, 3rd of May.
The second assessment, a multi-choice exam that consists 20% of the final mark and the paper itself will be taking place at 10am on Thursday, 2nd of May.
The third assessment, Show Reel Execution consists of 40% of the final mark and the paper itself, and is due to be submitted as a digital film at 5pm on Thursday, 13th of June.
The fourth and final assessment, which is the blog, will be due for its final entry at 8pm on Thursday, the 20th of June. It also consists 25% of the final mark and the paper itself.
My assessments, learning outcomes, and such will be marked on a scale of 0 to 5.
Paper Requirements
All those behind the camera will be need to be allowed to use equipment for filming through the Screen Arts programme. Otherwise, my final mark will be badly affected.
I must seek permission to get students outside of Screen Arts involved in the film production. In order to get permission, I must write a proposal about student(s) involvement to the Programme Manager and tutors relevant to the aspects of the project or paper. I must do so or our final mark will be badly affected.
My final mark can also be badly affected if I use SIT equipment in rain, snow, water, or anything that might break them.
I must use bright orange hi-vis jackets from SIT for filming and must be worn at all times if I am in production in the view of the public.
To help avoid a bad mark, I must receive relevant consent like from the City Council.
If I was to be allowed to film on roads, I will be required to submit a detailed document that includes safety and full plans, storyboards, and any material to support our decision to film on roads. All of which will be done and sent to the tutor or it will be yet another way to badly affect my final mark.
I must be allowed by my tutor to use real or fake guns/weapons. Otherwise, it will badly affect my final mark.
I am required for my submitted work to apply the industry standards of technical broadcast and the rules of the Screen Arts programme.
My tutor must agree to let me include in my film production; violent acts in a household or actions on a person that cause major distress. I will be in a lot of trouble if we do so without approval from the tutor.
Handing in my work late will be marked as if I didn't submit a thing.
I must make an effort to find balance between classes and my workload to complete in my own time, including filming for my project and the same goes for those involved. If I can't see a way around it, I must talk about a compromise with my tutors, but even so, It doesn't allow me to skip other classes. In addition, I must be empathetic towards others and not bully them into being involved in my project and sacrifice their progress.
Assessment Requirements
Many of the assessments for this paper will require me to send them to Digital Dropbox. If Digital Dropbox has crashed and not working or if it is full, the deadline still stands. Worst case scenario, it might be possible to submit my work on a pen drive and hand it into the physical dropbox.
My final mark may also have some sort of negative effect if I hand in your assessment on a USB drive and don't necessarily need to. The tutor will know if the USB submission is handed in late or on time because of the digital files having data stamped with the time and date it was created or modified. Dropping off the assessment after the deadline will result in a instant fail and make sure to label the files correctly, as well as include my name.
If I don't do these things as mentioned above as part of assessment requirements, it might be bad for my final mark.
NOTE: It doesn't clarify if your name is to be physically on the USB drive, or digitally, or even how to do so digitally.
I will have to make sure all my writing for the assessments are typed up digitally and handed in as a PDF file. I will not be able to hand in physical copies of my writing.
NOTE: I'm finding this task interesting because I'm starting to notice things in the course outline I haven't before e.g. no physical copies of my writing can be handed in.
However, I will be able to hand in drawing as long as it's digitally scanned. I will also need to keep in mind about how my typed up writing is shown if I am to avoid a bad effect towards my final mark, presented to a high standard, make use of a readable font like Arial, not a font like Comic Sans.
Remember to have a font size between 10pt and 12pt, single or double spaced, proper alignment like left-aligned, and that its grammar is correct and is spell checked.
I am required to manage and name the files I am submitting in the way it was shown and discussed in class. Not doing good file management will have a special type of bad effect on my final mark concerning how I submitted my assessment.
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