Cinematography - Week 7
28/03/2019
1st of May - Submission date for video blog.Ash thought next week was the submission date, but the course outline proved him wrong.
We watched some colour correcting / grading by others in the class of the footage from last week. Luqman's version look like an action movie, Felix's version looked authentic, and Ash's version had a raw recorder playing the Mission Possible theme song, which was off putting at first (no offense Ash, if you're reading this), but blended in better into the scene after a while.
I discussed my difficulties from yesterday with Oisin and he was quite helpful. We felt that at this stage, I should just find three movies in the drama genre with lighting that I like.
We are encouraged to watch video essays to give us an idea what ours should look like and in the self-directed research that we do, we should try to connect to our video blog / showreel.
In addition, we should work together as a film crew on all our individual showreels.
One way I could determine how shutter angle, camera speed, and lens choice is to look at examples of those aspects online and see if it matches up with how it is used in movies. This is effectively what I'm thinking about how I will note such aspects for my video blog.
We are to film during the mid-semester break, in which we would have to get the footage for the showreel done before submitting the video blog. This was news to me and made feel stressed and tense about the video blog like I was feeling before talking to Oisin.
I guess I will have to try and organise it before the end of this term.
We found out that with the exam, we are expected to study and revise on everything to do with cinematography and lighting during the upcoming holiday break.
Looking back on last week's blog, I should added the video of the saturated colour grading that I did, mentioned that the reason why I'm choosing the drama genre (which is described as a 'non-genre genre') is because I'm doing a slice of life drama for my screenwriting project, which dovetails into my digital filmmaking project next semester.
Lighting techniques for the drama genre would make good practice towards that.
I also forgot to mention that my difficulties editing footage on Resolve could partially be because I'm used to editing on Adobe software like Premiere and After Effects.
For filming my showreel, if I was to change to any lens I would work at 35mm because it helps with the three-dimensional shape of the subject and support a flat image profile, but sometimes would keep at 15mm because that's lens that's on the X200 and I seem to work best with that camera and the lens can't change on the X200.
We were demonstrated stuff to do with changing lenses on camera, in particular we were shown on placing a lens adapter, which has a white line where the lens could connect to the camera through a divet. There is also long screw that we have to make sure in not screwed into the lens adapter when placing it into a camera and it acts as a delicate way to adjust the aperture. We placed on a 11mm lens, which is in fact a type of lens that gives a fish-eye look and wide perspective on the camera.
Ash mentioned chromatic aberration, which was a photography term I was familiar with. When doing the photography elective for my motion design degree, we learned about chromatic aberration, which is magenta on the edge of things on a digital photo and we were encouraged to try and avoid that, even if in post-processing.
Focal point? Something that Ash mentioned to me
It's what distance a lens will go and it describes the lenses in millimeters.
https://www.howtogeek.com/353144/what-is-focal-length/
https://www.nikonusa.com/en/learn-and-explore/a/tips-and-techniques/understanding-focal-length.html
Certification - Cameras (morning), Lighting (afternoon)
We kinda preparing a camera one by one for our certification. Everyone else was fine with the F3. For me however, I was fine with any camera, so Ash will get me to prepare the Black Magic, in which I will put on zoom lenses, but must not have it zoom in.
It went okay. I had a couple of minor hiccups with changing the lenses and adjusting the tripod, but I am now certified to hire out the Blackmagic camera from the polytech.
I essentially managed to pass the camera part of the certification.
What I learnt is that when you can't a red dot on the lenses to align to the red dot on the camera, I would just try and find a white square where the red dot would be on the lens or the white mark further down the lens. When you click a Canon lens in, you turn it to the right. Some lens with other brands click in the opposite direction.
Studying video essays
Edgar Wright: How to Make a Protagonist | Video Essay
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6nFIogiMRg
Shows a long clip from a movie to set the subject. Used bold fonts to visually remind the viewers what aspects is being introduced and didn't use any still images. Every image in the video essay is moving image. This video essay has credits at the end like a short film does
Taika Waititi: Mastering Happy Sad Cinema
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0h3WPcPtNo
Creative use of quotes through motion graphics. Like the previous the video blog I viewed, it has a long clip from a movie to set the subject. Includes references at the end like what is required for our video blog
Se7en — Why Less Is More
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qx9xwn2ybE
Composition In Storytelling | CRISWELL | Cinema Cartography
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvLQJReDhic
Things learnt from the lighting part of the certification
- The handles on a c-stand need to be on one side and the other. It allows you to be quicker when adjusting after moving c-stand somewhere else and it's user-friendly
- When closing the flaps again on a Red lighting, you close the small ones first, then the big ones
- When carrying out a lighting beam from a Kinoflo, it's best to hold it by the plastic ends because it has less heat.
- When placing a lighting beam into a Kinoflo, be sure the click the top and bottom part of the plastic end of the beams that are where the switches are
Who Why Where How - questions to think about when defining the genre. It can't just be drama. It has to be narrowed right down
What is this genre
Who makes films in this genre
Why do they use this genre
Where is this genre found
How is this genre used
What is this movie
Where in the movie is this found
Why do they use this type of lighting
Who did the lighting in this movie
How is it done
Kinoflo and Mini-flo are lights I would like to experiment with, perhaps in next week's class because Ash said we might be able to do so
30/03/2019
I did some experimenting with lighting with Oisin and Luqman. We started with an idea of Oisin's because I was still stumped on what I wanted to experiment with and as Oisin explained, we are experimenting with cinematography over the weekend to see and be prepared on what will work towards filming our showreel. He was using Kinoflo with a blue gel, in which I had to roll it up to fit neatly back into its cylinder. I had issues with dyspraxia in doing the task like I do with knots or controlling a dolly rig.
However, me and Oisin had turns being the subject in the chair.
Eventually I came around to an idea of mine. I wanted the Sony F3 camera we had to come closer and place on a 35mm lens. I improvised a performance like I was like in a drama workshop. It was of a scared man running from someone and quickly hides and catches his breathe behind a wall.
Oisin was impressed and suggested to move a light, I think it was a softbox kit where it was used to get the lighting look like a street lamp. We used the Aladdin for the backlight later at one point to get the shadow of a subject following me in the footage. We also experimented with bounce to light up a heavily shadowed side of my face and I think we used a reflector to get an impression of water being nearby and would be shown in the lighting.
03/04/2019
It has been a real stressful headache figuring out how to organise the filming for this showreel. While I do not have any people you can drive around the film equipment for certain, but I do have a couple of idea on who to turn to. I could turn to people I know who have a car and live at the SIT apartments (depending if they are to be available during the upcoming holiday break) or turn to Caleb.
Since the last cinematography class, there have ideas forming together in the back of my mind concerning the showreel.
- Film in the gym on Tay Street
- Biographical drama?
- Chase sequence at Pork Pie Lane
- Otakaro Park?
- Perhaps having an indoor location for filming the chase sequence in case of bad weather (weather too bad for filming outside)
- Do a confrontation scene for my genre sequence. Potentially at the SIT gym on Tay Street?
Like with filming in public places and the streets, I would need to get permission from the Invercargill City Council to permit me to film. Filming on Pork Pie Lane may not give me opportunities to expand for the required duration, even with editing it together with multiple camera angles
Biographical drama is a genre that has interested me and would be good looking into the lighting in examples from movies in that subgenre of drama.
Filming at Otakaro Park will definitely will need me to get permission from ICC Parks like when we did experimental filming at Queenspark, which will require me to fill out a form and consider risks involved with filming on that location. The public could be a big risk factor because the children's playground onsite.
I went for a morning walk around the CBD, thinking in my head on what locations (mainly interior locations) that would be a good setting for filming a chase sequence and found myself on Tay Street where the main SIT campus is located.
I will need to consider...
- I will need to consider if the camera angles I have in my mind i n the moment will be physically and realistically achieved with the technical camera stuff we are required to do for the chase sequence.
- I will need to consider when would be the best time of day to film at the locations without inference from the public or when there is less foot traffic.
- I will need to research about biographical drama and get examples of biopic movies to see what type lighting I would like to try out for the genre sequence, in which I would form together a story through screenwriting and storyboarding. In doing so, it will give me more practical and necessary ideas on what lighting to test out during the weekend with people in my class.
- Who or where to get permission to film at the locations I have in mind at SIT's Tay Street campus.
- Safety around filming chase sequence up and down stairs
- If I was to use a dolly rig, I will someone else to be the grip for it
Locating scouting for chase sequence / genre sequence
International House (G Block)
SIT Campus, Tay Street
I came across this place and the ideas started to flow for the chase sequence. I wonder if we are to have the same lighting as the genre sequence in the chase sequence and product shoot?
It would be interesting for a dolly shot with this hallway, depending how the lighting and the dolly rig themselves would fit in. It would be a dolly shot up until the stairs and in which the camera would pan across. I tested out the idea by doing a test video, it wasn't easy because there were people coming and going and I needed to see where I go was going when walking backwards for testing this shot (so this test video is quite shaky as a result) and I didn't have someone to be a Grip. From doing this test video, I may not even need a dolly for this shot, it could be handheld as long as the DOP had a Grip onset.
It would be good to use this storage room I came across as a starting point or somewhere for a character to hide like the concept I came up with from cinematography practice in the weekend.
I better consult with Ash tomorrow on these thoughts and get his perspective on it, even if he does see it in this blog.
Upstairs I came up with a cinematographic idea on doing a handheld panning for the chase sequence
Also upstairs, I took a look around and more storyboard / camera angles ideas were continuing to weave together in my mind for the chase sequence.
The last photo you see above is of a staircase, I was wondering if this one went up high. It could also be good to film for the chase sequence.
I went outside the entrance of this building and it made me think that it could be a good beginning for the chase sequence. I also found the staircase as mentioned before, but wasn't as great as I thought, but I'm still ruling it out.
Slightly further down Tay Street, I looked up and saw another building that is part of the campus. It's where people study architecture. The stairs looked perfect for a chase sequence and as great as I thought the staircase at International House to be. It was an interesting structure from the outisde and I need to see what it was like in the inside and see if my mind could generate more storyboard / camera angle ideas for the chase sequence, in which I did.
One thing that looked awesome to film in this building was the lift because you could see the whole inside of it. I tried to get record a test video while going down the lift, but by the time I could my phone's camera on the video mode, the lift ride was over.
SIT Main Campus, Tay Street
This space opposite of the building I was looking in at oncampus made me think it would be a good spot to film a confrontation scene for the genre sequence. Two people meeting up after a long time, reconciling.
I looked to the left of this space and found a long outdoor passageway that could work also work as filming location for the chase sequence.
I have thought long and hard for an interior location to film the genre sequence I have in mind and I thought about the gym on Tay Street, but I'm assuming only those with a membership can enter, plus there seems to be a lot of gym equipment to worry about in that place, if I was to film in there. I went over to the Hansen Hall as an alternative, it could work. I just don't know at the moment.
Plus, I tried to get a photo of one of the seminar rooms inside, but someone else was there and I got anxious about it.
Doing some location scouting has helped me developed components in my showreel further like the genre and chase sequences.
I went onto the SIT website to get access of the campus maps to think through about filming there if I end up be allowed to do so.
It's been very flustering and straining today trying to get work done because I have had a mental block, which has given me a lost for words and I have been stuck on what lighting in movies to use as examples for my video essay. I think I have been overthinking and feeling overwhelmed, but it's difficult not to overthink about this. I have been thinking biographical dramas, but I don't know if I have what is needed to compose a sequence for this genre, I don't know what alternative sub genre of drama I could use instead, and I don't know if the lighting in the examples are meant to be same type or consistent with each.
I put some of the footage from the weekend experimenting with lighting into Resolve and played around with colouring there
Here's the footage added with auto colour or white balance to the image, in which it looks too bright as far as I'm concerned and looked like it had an impact on the Waveform
I used the eyedropper white/colour balance tool and selected my skin tone and it created a result I was more satisfied with than the result that was produced automatically by a computer. There is less white and more red in the Waveform in comparing with the previosu result.
I played around a bit with the Curves, but didn't make much effective or noticable difference to the overall image
I also played around to see if it would create more clarify or to see what if it was best to produce more contrast or highlights. I did make the hue a bit more blue and increased the saturation, colour temperature, shadows, and highlights through the part of the program as the eyedropper tool.
I grabbed a still of this colour grade and applied to the rest of the footage for this type of shot and it seem to have worked on Oisin as the subject in the chair.
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