3 point fill lighting
The 'Three Point Lighting Technique' is a standard method used in visual media such as video, film, still photography and computer-generated imagery. It is a simple but versatile system which forms the basis of most lighting.
If you only have one light, it becomes the key.If you have 2 lights, one is the key and the other is either the fill or the backlight. When you have three you can use 3 point fill lighting to its best effect.
The key light is the main light. It is usually the strongest and has the most influence on the look of the scene. It is placed to one side of the camera/subject so that this side is well lit and the other side has some shadow.
The fill light is the secondary light and is placed on the opposite side of the key light. It is used to fill the shadows created by the key. The fill will usually be softer and less bright than the key. To achieve this, you could move the light further away or use some spun.
The back light is placed behind the subject and lights it from the rear. Rather than providing direct lighting, like the key and fill, its purpose is to provide definition and subtle highlights around the subject's outlines. This helps separate the subject from the background and provide a three-dimensional look.
Chiaroscuro lighting
It is characterised by harsh lighting that creates an extreme contrast, often via dark and light colours, between different areas of the shot, such as the characters face, It can be used to good effect in both coloured and black and white lighting and is most often found in horror films E.G Nosferatu (1922)
High key lighting
Harsh, bright lights to reduce contrast (can be seen as the opposite of chiaroscuro lighting) in a scene, giving the scene a white washed, clean look that does not have any shadow inframe.
( The following elaboration is courtesy of internet research) High-key lighting is a style of lighting for film, television, or photography that aims to reduce the lighting ratio present in the scene. This was originally done partly for technological reasons, since early film and television did not deal well with high contrast ratios, but now is used to suggest an upbeat mood.
Backlighting
Backlighting is the process of illumination from the rear with the subject between said light and the camera, creating a glowing effect on the subject and, therefore, occurs when a scene is lit from behind and is often used for silhouettes such as the outline of a hooded figure. Can be used in any genre but is most commonly used in romances, take that for what you will.
Natural light/ing
This lighting most likely comes from a natural source such as the sun or moon, stars etc. and is most often white or yellow. This form of lighting is the most crude form, despite this, the time of day must be taken into account as the sun and moon tend to have noticeably moved around after an hour or two and must therefore be worked around lest continuity be thrown out of the metaphorical window.
Artificial lighting
This form of light is, quite obviously, the opposite of non-natural light. Oftentimes the light often has a blue-grey hue or a harsh yellow-orange hue. This form of lighting is more complex but with reduced risk of continuity failure in comparison to natural lighting and allows for longer use as its light source does not float around constantly and consistently in the sky as is the case with the aforementioned natural lighting.
Tuesday, 15 December 2015
One Page Pitch
Written In Blood
I wanted to make a psychological thriller for the 12-15+ age range because I've always felt that films for these age ranges have always been too black and white, and I wanted to bring a certain degree of moral grey, the understanding of said moral grey and the understanding of the world we live in that comes with it. My target audience, 12-15, is such because 12 is the lowest grade psychological thrillers can achieve and 15 as this is the more common grade given to psychological thrillers and is the fall back plan should the content not be suitable for a 12.
A psychological thriller that follows a (insert gender) on their journey of discovering the weight that societal and sociological judgement has on them and society itself via imagined notes written in blood and imagined, inaudible whispers of those closest to them judging their every move.
A new take on the psychological thriller genre that follows a student on how they deal with the constant peer pressure constantly nagging at the back of their mind and how they react towards said constant nagging.
My main character will be the average student who has plenty of friends but none of them who is really close and can be likened to a sheep and is in denial of the effects of the voices of said friends weighing upon their psyche. The rest of the characters around them will be easily interchangeable and forgettable in order to keep the focus on the main character.
My source of actors will likely come from within the school, possibly some drama students, preferably A level but I will settle for GCSE drama students if no other choice presents itself. The school itself will likely be the location of the project, especially the areas of the school with dark corners where blood written post-its can be placed as well as some inaudible whispers introduced via the editing process.
I wanted to make a psychological thriller for the 12-15+ age range because I've always felt that films for these age ranges have always been too black and white, and I wanted to bring a certain degree of moral grey, the understanding of said moral grey and the understanding of the world we live in that comes with it. My target audience, 12-15, is such because 12 is the lowest grade psychological thrillers can achieve and 15 as this is the more common grade given to psychological thrillers and is the fall back plan should the content not be suitable for a 12.
A psychological thriller that follows a (insert gender) on their journey of discovering the weight that societal and sociological judgement has on them and society itself via imagined notes written in blood and imagined, inaudible whispers of those closest to them judging their every move.
A new take on the psychological thriller genre that follows a student on how they deal with the constant peer pressure constantly nagging at the back of their mind and how they react towards said constant nagging.
My main character will be the average student who has plenty of friends but none of them who is really close and can be likened to a sheep and is in denial of the effects of the voices of said friends weighing upon their psyche. The rest of the characters around them will be easily interchangeable and forgettable in order to keep the focus on the main character.
My source of actors will likely come from within the school, possibly some drama students, preferably A level but I will settle for GCSE drama students if no other choice presents itself. The school itself will likely be the location of the project, especially the areas of the school with dark corners where blood written post-its can be placed as well as some inaudible whispers introduced via the editing process.
Thursday, 10 December 2015
Thriller Opening- initial ideas
The initial ideas for my (psychological) thriller opening are within the link below.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B19mbcK2n_Thd2MxSWRfdW1CdDg/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B19mbcK2n_Thd2MxSWRfdW1CdDg/view?usp=sharing
Friday, 20 November 2015
se7en textual analysis
Art Of The Title
7even (1995)
The production company, New Line Cinema appeared for 5 seconds, this may be in order to promote previous and future productions they did and attract fans to their other works and vice versa.
David Filcher is a relatively well known electronic media director and producer (film director, film producer, television director, television producer, and music video director) and, therefore, generally helps fund and direct in the films he works on (Think Steven Speilberg but not famous in the slightest outside of America).
7even (1995)
The production company, New Line Cinema appeared for 5 seconds, this may be in order to promote previous and future productions they did and attract fans to their other works and vice versa.
The producer, Arnold Kopelson, appears for 2 seconds, this may be because he has produced many other films, such as outbreak and the fugitive, and will lend credibility to other films he has produced. In short, he makes his films popular and his films make him popular.
David Filcher is a relatively well known electronic media director and producer (film director, film producer, television director, television producer, and music video director) and, therefore, generally helps fund and direct in the films he works on (Think Steven Speilberg but not famous in the slightest outside of America).
Brad Pitt is a very well known actor and is seen in a significant number of major films such as fight club, troy and inglourious basterds to name a few and therefore has many fans who would watch se7en simply because he is in it and may also encourage people who watch se7en to see his other films.
Morgan Freeman is, like Brad Pitt, a very famous actor and has also been in a fair few major films such as 'the shawshank redemption' and 'the dark knight' and is also likely in it as much for the prestige and attention he will bring the film than his actual acting skills.
The title itself appears for 5 seconds so you know what to search up for future merchandise i.e the DVD, and is made to look like this in order to fit into the macabre, sinister theme of the film.
In conclusion, I think that this is an effective opening because it shows the major talents for an effective amount of time in a font that grabs the audiences attention establishing both the major talent and the general themes and concepts of the movie, in this case a sinister murder/mystery
Thursday, 19 November 2015
Conventions of the Thriller Film Genre
The thriller is a broad genre of literature, film, gaming and television that often includes overlapping sub-genres. Thrillers are often fast paced with frequent action and resourceful heroes and OP villains.
Various literary devices such as suspense, red herrings, cliff-hangers, cheap surprises and false endings. are used extensively.
(Red Herring: when the audience is convinced that the suspect is the perpetrator and it is later revealed that someone else is the killer/criminal etc. E.G saw, the killer was playing dead in a pool of his own blood and is acting through an intermediary who we think is the actual killer.
Cheap Surprises: An easily generated shock via a sudden movement or sound.
False Endings: the audience think it's over when it isn't.)
Thriller Types
Spy thrillers: a government agent vs. another government's agent or terrorist group/ every James Bond film ever made.
Political thrillers: Thrillers in which the hero must ensure the stability of their government. E.G Argo. They are often based on actual events.
Military thrillers: Uniformed + military + above stated literary devices along with explosions and gun fire etc. E.G Saving Private Ryan.
Conspiracy thrillers: corporation cover-ups such as inhumane criminal acts. E.G The insider involves a corrupt, large tobacco company.
Medical thriller: The hero fights against the use of unethical medical procedures eg a doctor stopping a corrupt medical practice. E.G coma
Forensic thriller: When the hero is, more often than not, a forensic scientist or a detective who solves an often horrific and long running crime spree. E.G Bones of the lost.
Psychological thriller: Mental and emotional thriller that often ends badly (as in, lucky if 1 in 5 survives the film.) for the protagonist/s. E.G Se7en and black swan.
Horror thriller: These thrillers often couple the emotional and mental terror with physical pain and gore. E.G saw and silence of the lambs.
Many thrillers often overlap with mystery stories, but are distinguished by the structure of their plots as thrillers often occur on a far grander scale such as jewel heists or killing terrorists.
Various literary devices such as suspense, red herrings, cliff-hangers, cheap surprises and false endings. are used extensively.
(Red Herring: when the audience is convinced that the suspect is the perpetrator and it is later revealed that someone else is the killer/criminal etc. E.G saw, the killer was playing dead in a pool of his own blood and is acting through an intermediary who we think is the actual killer.
Cheap Surprises: An easily generated shock via a sudden movement or sound.
False Endings: the audience think it's over when it isn't.)
Thriller Types
Spy thrillers: a government agent vs. another government's agent or terrorist group/ every James Bond film ever made.
Political thrillers: Thrillers in which the hero must ensure the stability of their government. E.G Argo. They are often based on actual events.
Military thrillers: Uniformed + military + above stated literary devices along with explosions and gun fire etc. E.G Saving Private Ryan.
Conspiracy thrillers: corporation cover-ups such as inhumane criminal acts. E.G The insider involves a corrupt, large tobacco company.
Medical thriller: The hero fights against the use of unethical medical procedures eg a doctor stopping a corrupt medical practice. E.G coma
Forensic thriller: When the hero is, more often than not, a forensic scientist or a detective who solves an often horrific and long running crime spree. E.G Bones of the lost.
Psychological thriller: Mental and emotional thriller that often ends badly (as in, lucky if 1 in 5 survives the film.) for the protagonist/s. E.G Se7en and black swan.
Horror thriller: These thrillers often couple the emotional and mental terror with physical pain and gore. E.G saw and silence of the lambs.
Many thrillers often overlap with mystery stories, but are distinguished by the structure of their plots as thrillers often occur on a far grander scale such as jewel heists or killing terrorists.
Friday, 6 November 2015
Art Of The Title Textual Analysis
Art Of The Title
Back to the Future (1985)
The director, Steven Spielberg's name appeared for 5 seconds, this may be because he is an extremely prestigious director and will attract fans of the director as well as fans of the films genre and will reassure the audience that the film will be of a good quality.
Back to the Future (1985)
The director, Steven Spielberg's name appeared for 5 seconds, this may be because he is an extremely prestigious director and will attract fans of the director as well as fans of the films genre and will reassure the audience that the film will be of a good quality.
The producer, Robert Zemeckis' name appeared for 4 seconds, this may be because he is a famous filmmaker and screenwriter who provided some of the funding for back to the future. The fact it says "A ROBERT ZEMECKIS Film" implies that his name appears for this long either because he is a famous filmmaker and screenwriter or because he provided a substantial amount of funding (the former in this particular case).
The title itself appears for 4 seconds, this is for the obvious reason of showing you what you are watching, however, it is presented in a way which emphasises the colours; drawing your eye towards it, the font makes the audience think of it as original and new.
Between this point and the next, we begin to hear dozens of clocks ticking in unison, reinforcing the theme of time travel present throughout the movie itself.
The lead actor's name, Michael J. Fox, appears for 5 seconds, this may be because he is a famous actor and producer and, like the director, may entice his fans, as well as fans of the genre, to watch the film. It is also at this point that the letters change in font to ensure that that the audience knows who are the actors and who are in charge.
In conclusion, I think that this is an effective opening because it shows the major talents for an effective amount of time in a font that grabs the audiences attention establishing both the major talent and the general themes and concepts of the movie (the clocks in the background).
Tuesday, 3 November 2015
Storyboarding (preliminary task)
A storyboard is a number of illustrations or images which gives us a general idea of how a scene should proceed/pre-visualising a motion picture, animation or interactive media sequence.
A film storyboard is essentially a large comic of the film or some section of the film produced beforehand to help the film directors, cinematographers and television commercial advertising clients see the scenes and find any problems before they occur.
Improvements For My Preliminary Task Storyboard
Our original storyboard consisted of different camera angles we would use while 2 people walked down a hall while talking and then walking through different doors. As the storyboard didn't proceed any further, we had to wing it for the rest of the task with both the camera angles used and the storyline, and so, despite the good acting skills and good use of match on action, our storyboard was used as a rough guideline for the first half of the task.
A film storyboard is essentially a large comic of the film or some section of the film produced beforehand to help the film directors, cinematographers and television commercial advertising clients see the scenes and find any problems before they occur.
Improvements For My Preliminary Task Storyboard
Our original storyboard consisted of different camera angles we would use while 2 people walked down a hall while talking and then walking through different doors. As the storyboard didn't proceed any further, we had to wing it for the rest of the task with both the camera angles used and the storyline, and so, despite the good acting skills and good use of match on action, our storyboard was used as a rough guideline for the first half of the task.
Monday, 21 September 2015
Camera shot types, photos and explanations
(A few) Camera Angles
A close up shot
Close ups are normally used to display a characters emotions and reactions to something else and can also be used to distinguish major and minor characters. They are commonly used in soap operas in order to focus on the conversations and emotions of the major characters.
An extreme close up shot (sometimes referred to as full or wide shots)
This type of shot is used when the examination of a particular facial feature or emphasis on a particular object is needed.The shot is so tight that only a detail of the subject, such as someone's eyes or an object they may be holding, can be seen.
A long shot
This type of shot is used to make the person or object sink into the background or blend in with their surroundings. The long shot normally shows the entire object(such as a tree) or human figure and is usually intended to place it in some relation to its surroundings.
A close up shot
Close ups are normally used to display a characters emotions and reactions to something else and can also be used to distinguish major and minor characters. They are commonly used in soap operas in order to focus on the conversations and emotions of the major characters.
An extreme close up shot (sometimes referred to as full or wide shots)
This type of shot is used when the examination of a particular facial feature or emphasis on a particular object is needed.The shot is so tight that only a detail of the subject, such as someone's eyes or an object they may be holding, can be seen.
A long shot
This type of shot is used to make the person or object sink into the background or blend in with their surroundings. The long shot normally shows the entire object(such as a tree) or human figure and is usually intended to place it in some relation to its surroundings.
Friday, 18 September 2015
Preliminary Task
Group Members:
Owen Robson (Camera Operator)Eve Bailey (Camera Operator)
Rebecca Dore (1st actor)
Extras:
Emma Gee (2nd actor)
Everyone (Artistic Director)
Task: continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down opposite a different character with which they exchange a few lines of dialogue.
Techniques:
Match on action is where you cut one shot into another.
Shot/reverse shot shows reactions and emotions between 2 people or a person and an object.
The 180-degree rule is when two characters have the same left right relationship.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrwKZjHhok4
Tuesday, 15 September 2015
Introductory post
I became interested in Media Studies as I have always been interested in film and but did not know how they were made, so I chose Media Studies as an A level in order to study the various aspects of film production encompassed by it.
One of the areas that I am looking forward to is the editing process as this is where CGI and special effects are added into the film and gives the films their final touch.
I along with my, and every other, group in class have been tasked with creating an opening for a thriller that is no longer than 2 minutes and I am optimistic that this will go well and, with any luck, I will be able to achieve my A level.
One of the areas that I am looking forward to is the editing process as this is where CGI and special effects are added into the film and gives the films their final touch.
I along with my, and every other, group in class have been tasked with creating an opening for a thriller that is no longer than 2 minutes and I am optimistic that this will go well and, with any luck, I will be able to achieve my A level.
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