filmmaking exam

what are the four exposure variables?

1. ISO

2. The amount of light

3. Shutter speed

4. the aperture of the lens

ISO

International Organization for Standardization

• film - predetermined by film stock

• digital - 400 or 800

• can make image degrade and appear grainy if number is too high

amount of light

adjusted w/reflectors, time of day, type/wattage of lighting instrument, distance, spot/flood control, dimmers or filters

• impacts the brightness of the image

shutter speed

the amount of time that light hits the film or sensor

• 1/fps x shutter angle/360

• can cause motion strobe if too fast

• can cause motion blur/soft image if too slow

aperture

how much light is let in

• f/stops: 1, 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22

• F(focal length)/D(aperture diameter) = f/number

• t/stops (transmission or true stops): adjusts for ratio of focal length to aperture AND additional light loss

• affects depth of field

EI

kodak term

ASA

ISO/arithmetical - American Standardization Association

DIN 

German logarithmic standard where an increase of 3o equals a doubling

why do B/W stocks have two ASA values 

200 in daylight and 160 in tungsten light

because black and white film is more sensitive to daylight

how do you read a meter for f/stops 

1. Press “M” to turn on

2. Set ISO - labeled on film box

3. move to “T” to set shutter speed (either 1/90th or 1/60th)

4. place the meter in front of the subject with the dome facing the camera

5. Press “M” for a reading

incident reading

measures the amount of light w/dome acting as subject

• more accurate and consistent

reflected reading

measures amount of light bouncing from a surface w/out dome

• can be used to “peg” and expose at a chosen grey scale

medium grey 18%

• our brain interprets as midway between brightest and darkest tones

• expressive shade = middle value for human skin

• reflectance of green grass, tree leaves, bark and brick

how do you read and “peg” a white surface?

reflect light on a white surface and open 21/2 - 3 stops (100% - 144%)

peg for dark skin

one f/stop darker than medium grey at about 9%

peg for white skin

one f/stop brighter than medium grey at about 36%

how do you peg sky at 72%

point a reflected meter toward the sky, then open up two f/stops

pushing/pulling

the film stock is over or under processed

neutral density (ND) filters

placed over lens or built into the camera to reduce light as a form of exposure control

• .3 increase = reduce by 1 stop

EV scale

used to make brightness comparisons and reading ratios

• disregards shutter speed and f/stops

• correlation between the sensitivity and the measured amount of light in a scene

  • ie: compare intensity of the kicker to the intensity of the key light

how do you use the EV scale?

1. set the meter to EV

2. set ISO

3. with key and fill lights on, take a reading of the subject - highlight reading

4. take another reading with a shade on the key light - shadow reading

5. subtract 2nd reading from 1st

6. convert into arithmetical ratio

   1. 1 stop difference = 2:1

   2. 2 stop difference = 4:1

   3. 3 stop difference = 8: 1

   4. 4 stop difference = 16: 1

how to load the Bolex

1. wind camera

2. open doors

3. press record to make sure that everything inside works

4. close loop guides

5. put supply reel on supply shaft and cut the film with the film knife

6. feed the end of the film into the upper sprocket while pressing the camera’s RUN button

7. put the end of the film into the slot of your empty take-up spool

8. wind the spool then place the spool on the take-up shaft

9. open loop guide

10. close doors

11. Run film until footage counter says 0

4 major causes of Bolex light leaks

1. filters

2. exposed viewfinder

3. camera doors aren’t sealed with tape

4. loading/unloading in bright light

4 major causes of camera jams

1. sprockets and the take-up shaft stall

2. film is not room temperature

3. take-up spool is bent

4. film was not cut correctly or isn’t tightly turned

3 major causes of misregistered film

1. loose pressure plate

2. lost loop

3. mis-threading

setting viewfinder

look through camera, point at a bright, blank surface, adjust diopter until the grain is clear

8 bit

a camera that captures images with 8 bits of color information per color channel

256 steps 256b x 256g x 256r = 16.7 million colors

• Eventual clipping point

• Banding 

• Increased noise

10 bit

a camera that captures images with 10 bits of color information per color channel

10 bit = 1024 steps 1024 x 3 = 1.07 billion

• almost no limitations

• with a cine log curve

12 bit

a camera that captures images with 12 bits of color information per color channel

4096 steps x 3 = 68.7 Billion

• almost no limitations

• with a cine log curve

Log

a logarithmic color profile that preserves a wide dynamic range, allowing for more flexibility and control during post-production color grading

RAW

captures uncompressed data from your camera sensor

Bayer Pattern

an array of color filters is placed over the camera sensor and this limits the requirement for data bits per pixel to a single 8-bit byte - repeated over the image in a fixed configuration to standardize this process

focusing a prime lens for film

use widest aperture

focusing a zoom lens

use telephoto

focusing by distance

measure to f symbol

how do you set and hold focus on two distances?

increase depth of field by using a smaller aperture (larger f-number)

what is macro (and how do you check for macro when it is not wanted)?

brings very close objects into focus

define focal length

magnifying power of the lens

the typical wide angle, normal and tele lenses on a Bolex

10mm, 25mm, 75mm

the 4 primary ways to control depth-of-field

1. f/stop

2. focal length

3. distance setting

4. CoC

hyperfocal distance

the distance setting for focal length and f/stop that will bring infinity into focus at the far end of the depth of field

achromatic

neutral colors “without colors”

apochromatic

almost free from spherical and chromatic aberration

how does a cine lens differ from a still lens

manual control, smoother adjustments, and a more rugged construction

hard stops for focus and aperture, ensuring consistent and accurate settings

define the properties (including ISO values) of Tri-X

• reversal

• Different ISO value than Tungsten)

  • ISO 200D

  • ISO 160T

light as an icon

a visible on-screen source

Exposure (intensity, ISO, shutter speed, t/stop)

the same lighting can look different depending on whether you normalize exposure by reading for the highlights, the shadows, half-way between, or for one part of the composition versus another; measure exposure using incident or reflected meters, zebra bars, hysterogram, waveform monitor, or false color

intensity

the brightness of a light is controlled by its wattage, its distance, its spot/flood setting if it has one, and by filtering or reflecting

angle (height)

the height of the light in relation to the subject, 45o to 60o from above would be typical since most light comes from above

direction (axis)

the position of the light in relation to the camera’s view of the subject : 3⁄4 front, side, 3⁄4 rear, etc.

back coherence (hard/soft quality)

Soft light is often more subtle, believable, and easier to work with (except for the problem of controlling spill). Hard light is more dramatic, and its angle and axis have to be logical and precise

specular/diffuse

light reflected off of a surface to make the light softer

highlight/shadow ratio

determines whether shadows are transparent, medium, deeply dramatic, or completely opaque

foreground/background ratio

possibilities include subject/background equally bright, or normal subject/dark background, normal subject/light background, dark subject/normal background (silhouette), etc.

throw

the distance of the light to the subject. The throw can affect the relative size of shadows and changes in exposure as subjects move closer or further

spread

the coverage area of a light; on some instruments this is variable “spot/flood” control, otherwise adjusting the throw affects the spread

color

the Color Temperature on the Kelvin scale, CRI (Color Rendering Index), filters, white balance, and the colors of the surfaces within the composition

source and number of lights

practicals, available light, ambient light, and professional lighting instruments –– including their characteristics like hard/soft, focus, throw, spread, color, their controls, the kind of accessories they can accommodate, their ability to blend or sharply accent, their power requirements, efficiency, mounting requirements, and their abilities to do one-point, two-point and three-point modelling of the subject and/or space

what light hits

how light is articulated by dry, wet, opaque, translucent, transparent, matte, shiny, textured, untextured, surfaces

shape & pattern

light, shadow, color, emphasis/de-emphasis in the composition

scrim

reduces intensity

filter (like ND on lens)

each .3ND = one stop

dimmer

used to control certain fluorescent and most LED instruments - built into intrustments

bounce light

direct the light towards the ceiling, wall, or use a reflector

hard (specular) light

advantages: create defined shadows, bring out texture and sharp detail; useful as a backlight/kicker

disadvantages: often artificial or overly theatrical looking;
it limits camera angles; lighting position camera position & pose must be very precise; can create noticeable unwanted shadows

diffused (soft) light

advantages: flattering & believable interior key light; useful as fill light & as side key light; camera subject & light positions do not have to be as precise; does not call attention to itself

disadvantages: spill and blandness

define “key” and how do you determine placement

primary light that illuminates a subject, creates main light and shadows

in front of the subject slightly to one side at a 45 degree angle

how do you light and read a silhouette?

normalize the exposure (and do the light reading) of the background

how do you “expose for the highlights”?

cheat the dome of the meter towards the sun so the dome doesn’t have a shadow side

fresnel

these emit focused, parallel rays of light that don’t spread out much or diffuse over distance

omni

light that points in all directions

tota-light

nonfocusing, open faced floodlight - used as fill lights/provide even illumination over a broad area

HMI

Hydrargyrum medium-arc iodide bulbs - an efficient lighting source that produces daylight-balanced illumination (5600°K or 6000°K)

various LED

light-emitting diodes - more efficient, simpler, lighter and take up less energy

Fluorescent instruments

falls into three categories: conventional fluorescent fixtures typically found in office and institutional settings, specially designed fluorescent lighting units for film and video work, and compact fluorescents sometimes found in the home

define 1 point, 2 point, 3 point lighting

1 point = key light

2 point = key + fill light

3 point = key, fill & backlight on subject

The four ways of separating figure & ground

focus, backlight, chiaroscuro, motion

what is a kicker? How bright do you set it?

a light positioned behind or slightly to the side of the subject to create a highlight/rim around the subject

what is an eye light?

a strategically placed light that reflects on a subject's eye

cucoloris

a tool used to create patterns - the tool is put in front of the light source

gobo

a tool used to create patterns - the tool can be put inside the light

flag

a tool used to block or defuse light

light safety - quartz bulbs

1. use gloves

2. never tough with bare fingers even when bulb is cold

3. water can instantly shatter

4. if an open faced quartz is aimed at subject, need more than 5 feet away

proper wire guage

18 = lamp wire (200)

16 = 750

14 = 1800

12 = 2400

how to figure out amps

watts/voltage = amperage

ex: 600watts/120voltage = 5amps

precautions with Tota-lights, Omni lights, Lowel DP lights, Fresnels, HMI lights

1. do not use lights with closed or nearly closed barn doors

2. do not turn on lights with reflectors closed or nearly closed

3. keep away from flammable surfaces

ways to minimize unwanted ambience

close windows, record room/air tone, test for reverberation, shock mount mic, do not move fingers while holding mic, sound dampen, turn off heat, air conditioning, fridge, etc

seven mic pick-up patterns

1. omnidirectional: pick up from any direction

2. cardiod: most sensitive to sound coming from the front, less sensitive to sound coming from the side, and least sensitive to sound coming from behind

3. supercardiod: even less sensitive to sounds coming from the side and behind

4. lobar/hypercardiod: extremely insensitive to any sounds not coming from directly ahead

5. bi-directional: figure-eight pickup pattern with equal sensitivity on either side

6. xy stereo

7. a/b stereo

8. mid/side stereo

9. PZM: pressure zone microphone

how “balanced line” works

a double MONO signal from the microphone - the minus signal is inverted by the recorder and added to the positive to create a double strength signal and cancel electromagnetic noise

identify XLR

• Outer braid shield 

• 3 wires

  • 1st: ground

  • 2nd: positive

  • 3rd: negative

It has a double signal that goes up to the recorder. The recorder processes the single from the negative single. 2 positive singles. 1 of them is now inverted and cancels out

phantom power

12-48 volts and involves professional cables with XLR connectors - frees you from dealing with an extra set of batteries for the mic, but it does add load to the cameras batteries, draining them

why is “boom” a preferred mic position

captures natural-sounding dialogue, is less prone to proximity effect, and allows for consistent sound capture

foley

creating and recording sound effects in post-production

wild-line

dialogue recorded in post-production

ADR

automated/additional dialogue replacement 

• Watch the lip movements and attempt to match sound

ADSR

attack/decay/sustain/release

• Attack: sound’s peak

• Decay: sound’s decrease

• Sustain: sound before release

• Release: clean air silence

record room tone

verbally slate, record at least 30 seconds of air/room tone w/no other sounds, verbally slate end of room/air tone