Sunday, 16 November 2014

Task 13 - Manipulating Time and Space

Manipulating Time and Space
In this task i will writing about the main two effects our group used to build an effect of manipulation of diegetic to show the characters emotions. 




During this short video, our group used fade and dissolve to build an effect of manipulation of diegetic time and space. The reason our group chose these two effects was to give a clear view of Temi (the main character) emotions of the good times and how she felt having to leave all her friends behind to a new beginning in her life when she moves to a different town and school.

Saturday, 15 November 2014

Task 12 - Transition Of Effect

Transitions and Effects
Transition is the movement from on shot to the next. They're different transitions that suggest different ideas to the audience. It is really important to choose the right one.
 
Straight Cut
A straight cut is the most common "invisible" form of transition.
One shot moves instantaneously to the next without attracting the audiences attention.
Its helps to retain reality.

Dissolves
A dissolves fades one shot off the screen while another shot is fading in. The  audience will be able to see both shots at the mid-point of the dissolves.
It suggest that the shots are connected in some way it might be two characters places or objects.
It might suggest that sometimes has passed between the two shots.

Fades
A fade is a bit like a dissolves but instead of dissolving one shot into another. A fade is a gradual darkening or lightning of an image until the screen becomes black or white. It indicates that start or end of a particular section of time within the narrative.

Wipes
A wipe is  quite  an usual transaction. It very noticeable. It is when one image is pushed off screen by another.
Images can be pushed in any direction but it is more common for the image to be pushed of the left-hand side. This movement is consistent with the sense of time moving forward.
The wipe signals shows different locations that are experiencing the same time.

Graphic Match
A graphic match is a very specialised type of transition. It is not something an editor adds between two shots but more a decision about which two shots to put together/next to each other. It ids created when two shot that are similar in shape are placed next to each other.
It tells the audience that there is an important link between what they are seeing in two shots.

Effects
Effects are usually used to manipulate and space - to show locations has change and time period has changed. To also show the time moving quicker or slower than
 normal. An effect can be something really simple such as using a colour filter or it could be altering the saturation of an image to either enhance the enhance the  colour or remove it.
Using black and white is sometimes used for flashbacks. There are different effect that can be added in the post production stage (editing).
Example:
  • The Time Machine - The time travelling enters the time machine and the environment changes as the travel through time.

  • Harry  Porter Timer Turner - A more modern version of this effects is seen in the third of the Harry Potter films. The sequence using layering and altering the speed of the image.

Friday, 14 November 2014

Task 11 - Creating Pace with Cross Cutting

Creating Pace with Cross Cutting
In this task, our group made a short video which included the main characters: Abigail, Temi, Awana, Talha and Myself.

The whole point of our video was to show two characters from two different locations which both characters end meeting eye-to-eye. I believe our video was a success because we created both pace and tension during the end of the video when the murder chases after the second victim (Awana). At first we see the murder walking at a slow pace leaving the audience clueless and scared of he was planning on doing to the second victim. However, we also see the second victim running at the fast pace towards the opposite direction where she meets the victim face-to face which caused the music to create more tension to the viewers and pace gets quicker as the victim excepts from the murder.



Wednesday, 12 November 2014

Task 10 - Understanding Pace

Speed of Editing
In a film each scene may last a matter of seconds or it could continue for minutes but the length of each sequence establishes the pace of the film moving the action along. The speed of editing will help to determine the mood of what is taking place on screen.

Speed of Editing - Creating Pace
  • If the audience is to feel anxiety and suspense the editing will be quick - the scenes/shots changing frequently. For example The Bourne Ultimatum.
  • If a relaxed mood is desired, the scenes last longer an change less frequently for example a romantic comedy. For example The Notebook.
  • Nevertheless a film need not have any editing. For example the film Russian Ark which as filmed in one take using a steadicam and a digital camera. This required split - second timing and organisation.
Cross Cutting
To cross-cut is to edit together two sequences that the audience need to know are connected in some way. It sometimes happens at the same time in different locations.

Developing Drama
Cross cutting can be used to very effectively develop a sense of drama. An example would be the death of Casey in the opening of scene of Scream is made more dramatic by the cross cutting to her parent approaching and almost making it home in time to save her.

Monday, 10 November 2014

Task 9 - Non-Continuity Editing

French New Wave
Non-Continuity Editing is a style of film making that was made popular throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Filmmakers such as Jean Luc Godard  and Francois Truffaut pushed the limits of editing techniques and created a new style called ''French New Wave''. French New Wave films used a carefree editing style and id not conform to the traditional editing etiquette of Hollywood films. French New Wave editing often drew attention to itself by its lack of continuity, its self-reflexive nature (reminding the audience that they were watching a film). They often used material not often relate to any narrative which kept the audience surprised and intrigued.
 
Why a director would choose to use Non-Continuity editing instead of the more widely accepted continuity editing?
A director would choose a Non-Continuity because is a style of film making that was made  Truffaut pushed the limits of editing techniques and crated a new style called "French New Wave". 
popular throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Alongside, filmmakers such as Jean Luc Goddard and Francois
 

A Bout de Souffle - Jean-Luc
Goddard - Jump Cut
The effect that has been created using Non-Continuity Editing are the gap in action, when seberg picked up the mirror. It emphasised by the use of Jump Cut.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Shining - Stanley Kubrick -
 Breaking the 180 Degree Rule
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



The Hunger Games - Gary Ross -
Breaking the 180 Degree Rule
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thursday, 6 November 2014

Task 7 - Understanding Continuity Editing

Continuity Editing
What became known as the popular 'Classical Hollywood' style of editing was developed by early European and American directors, in particular . D.W. Griffith in his films such as The Birth of a Nation and Intolerance. Continuity Editing are usually used in many films, televisions and genre. Editors use this because it gives more high advanced features when their editing the producing and editing the film itself. It helps retain a sense of realistic chronology and generates the feeling that time is moving forward. This means you cant use a flashback for flash forward as long as the narrative will still be seen to be progressing forward in an expected  or realistic.

Match on Action
We see a character start an action in one shot, the camera then cuts to a different angle and we see the character finish the action in the second shot.



Eye-line Match
When a character looking at something off screen and then we cut to a shot of what they are looking at. Its important that the film maker uses this because it give the audience on what the actors are looking at. If the film maker doesn't use it, this will confuse the audience on the film there are watching.





Shot, Reverse Shot

The first shot reveals on character and then the second shot reveals the second character. A film maker would use them to show the audience two characters having a conversation giving them more details on what both of the characters are discussing about and what each of them are saying.





108 Degree Rule

The 180 rule is a basic guideline that states that two characters or other elements - in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other.

Wednesday, 5 November 2014

Task 6 - Creating a Montage

Soviet Montage

The style of montage that's been used
As a group, our intention with coming up with this soviet montage idea was to give out a message how school could make you feel like your trapped inside a cell/person which is why we use teenage prison to describe how students may feel about coming to school early in the morning, tired, grumpy and not wanting to go school. I believe it was successful example because it describe the mind of how teenagers look at school compared to Teachers. Although some may enjoy going to school but at times is make you feel like a prison you go to every 5 times in a weeks.

Tuesday, 4 November 2014

Task 5 - Understanding Montage Theory

Montage
The term Montage a technique in film editing in which a series of short shots are edited into a sequence to condense space, time and information.
3 key meaning:

  • French Cinema - Simply meaning to edit.
  • Soviet Cinema - Placing two deliberately image next to each other. E.g. A shots of a butcher slaughtering cattle used to suggest the Russian troops were mistreating the striking workers.
  • Hollywood Cinema - Used to condense a long narrative sequence into short compact sequence e.g. weeks of training condense into two minutes.
2 key films makers:

Les Kuleshov


He was a young Soviet film maker who did an experiment in around 1920. He took an old film clip of a head shot of a noted Russian actor and inter-cut the shot with different images.




Serge Eisenstein









Type of Montage they are:

Rocky -

Modern Times -

Strike -

Monday, 3 November 2014

Task 4 - From Analogue to Digital Editing

Analogue Film
Is the cutting together of piece of celluloid film are made up images printed on the acetate negatives. These are then ''spliced'' together to form a reel of film. These are then feed through a project at a constant speed of 24 frames a second which makes the pictures appear to be moving which is know as Analogue.

Video Editing
Before digital technology became available to use, magnetic tapes were used to store information which are know as video tapes. Video editing is the process of editing segments of these tapes using a device that mechanically puts pieces of video  tape together.

Digital Editing
Digital Media is a form of electronic media where data are stored in digital (as opposed to analogue) form. Digital editing is the use of computers to order and manipulate this digital data. There are many different editing programs such as Adobe Premier, Avid, Final Cut Pro.


Non - Liner Editing
Editing in any order is called non-liners editing. You can edit a sequence from the end of the film before you have started editing the first scene. The process uses electronic files so it makes it as easy as cutting and pasting text in a word document.

Pros and Cons Analogue and Digital Editing
Pros:
Cons:



Task 2/3 - In Camera Editing/Developing Editing

In-Camera Editing
In camera editing is a technique of video production in which the camera operator shoots the shots in the exact order that they will be viewed in. It was a technique used a deal in the early days of the films making before ''splicing'' (the art of cutting/reconnecting film strip) became easier. The film is ''edited' by simply switching on and odd the camera. One of the most famous in-camera editors was George Melies.

Pros and Cons In Camera Editing Analysis 
Pros:
  • Its takes less time when it comes to editing.
  • When planning out the storyboard, you only have one shot to make when it comes to filming as you would not have any chance to change anything around.
Cons:
  • Focusing the camera in the right position when filming.
  • Changes can not be erased from the camera.
  • When filming the timing is important when the camera turns on and off.

Editors moved from in-camera editing techniques was because new camera equipment's came along and, also had the benefit of editing on the computers using software to make the filming less stress full and easier to edit and produce films. - Explain why editors move on from in-camera editing techniques 
 


The shots we manage to used in our video was long shot, close up and wide shot.
During the filming, when the camera operator showed a wide shot of myself, awana and talha walking towards each other. The camera operator was able to show the audience a clear view of three of the characters meeting each other and the environment they were in.
I believe as a group we could have improved our communication skills while the camera was recording has they were few background noises. Another reason was at the beginning of the video, as a group we could have improved our story line by giving a clear beginning as they were few shots that were cut off  before the camera was turned on.

Task 1 - Editing in Early Cinema

Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison ran a laboratory where the Kinetographic Camera and the Kinetoscope were invented. He developed 35mm film strip that came to be the industry standard. he also eventually developed the projector to play it!
The Lumiere Brothers - Sortie d'usine
Edison worked with the Lumiere Brothers and produced short films that were one long, static, locked - down shot. Motion in the shot was necessary to amuse an audience, so the first film simply showed activity such as traffic moving on a city street. This can be seen in the film Sortie d'usine (1895) by the Lumiere brothers.
 
G.A Smith - The Miller and the Sweep
Initially, there was no story and no editing. Each film ran as long as there was film in  the camera.
 
G.A Smith - The Kiss in the Tunnel
In 1899 later G.A Smith made The Kiss in  the Tunnel . This film is said to mark the beginning of narrative editing (creating a story). Smith "felt that some extra spice was called for" in then popular "phantom ride" genre. He took advantage of the brief onset of darkness as they went into tunnel to spice (cut and then stick two pieces of film together) in the shot of the couple.


George Melies - The Vanishing Lady
 George Melies was a magician who had seen the film made by Lumiere brothers. Melies saw at once the possibilities of a novelty more than just motion its self. He acquired a camera,  built a studio, wrote scripts, designed sets and soon he discovered and exploited the basic camera trick we know so well today.
In Camera Editing
It is rumoured that he discovered the art of stop motion purely by accident when camera of his broken down for a brief second. In 1896 he made The Vanishing Lady using a technique know as In-Camera editing.
Sadly it never occurred to him to move the camera for close-ups or long shots and so his work was soon overlooked. The commercial growth of the industry forced him out of business in 1913, and he died in poverty. Elements of his life are depicted in the recent film Hugo.

Edwin S Porter – The Life of an American Fireman
Edwin S. Porter worked as an electrician before joining the film laboratory of Thomas Alva Edison in the late 1890s. He and Edison worked together to make longer more interesting films. Porter made the breakthrough film Life of an America Fireman in 1903. The film was among the first that had a plot, action, and even a close up of a hand pulling a fire alarm. Porter discovered important aspect of motion picture language: that the screen image does not need to show a complete person from head to toe. That splicing together two shots creates in the viewer's min a contextual relationship. These were the key discoveries that made all narrative motion pictures and television possible.

Edwin S Porter – The Great Train Robbery
Porter's (then) ground-breaking film, The Great Train Robbery (1903) is an excellent example of how early films began to resemble the types of films we see today. 
Charles Pathe – The Horse that Bolted
In the film The Horse that Bolted (1907) Charles Path introduces the first example of a technique known as parallel editing - cutting between two storylines:
  • The Horse
  • The delivery man
D.W. Griffith
D.W griffith was a U.S. film director, he was one of the early supporters of the power of editing. he made use of cross-cutting to show parallel action in different locations. Griffith's was one of the first of the early directors to use editing techniques in the production of "feature" length films. one his best controversial film and the one his best remember for was The Birth of a nation (1915)