Modes of Film and Video Production midterm

Three ways to change depth of field

Apeture, focal length, and distance

Optimal recording levels

Voice: -12 dB to -6 dB

Ambient noise: -20 dB to -12 dB

Pick-up patterns

Different microphones are sensitive to sound in different areas. On-axis = in range, off-axis = out of range

Sound waves

Produced by vibrations of vocal cords or something else, travel in all directions and hit our ear drums or microphones, which send the signals to our brains

Wave frequency

Density of waves, felt as pitch (higher frequency = higher pitch), measured in Hz

Wave amplitude

Height of waves, felt as volume (larger amplitude = louder sound), measured in dB (3 dB = double sound)

Dynamic microphones (aka “moving coil”)

Simpler form, less sensitive in pick-up, more resistant to handling noise, no batteries required

Condenser microphone

More sensitive pick-up, need batteries, generally lighter

Production sound categories

Dialogue, ambience, sound effects

Post-production sound categories

More sound effects, foley, ADR, soundtrack

Diegetic sound

Sound originating from the world of the film, includes dialogue, sound effects, music, ambient sound

Non-diegetic sound

Sound not originating in the world of the film, includes V.O., sound effects, music

Variables to look out for in sound production

Tech, old windows, footsteps, music, AC, fridge, traffic noise, dogs, airplanes, sirens

Signal to noise ratio

Signal = what you want to record and noise = everything else. Prioritize the signal because microphones can’t always filter out the extra noise

“Film sound recording is an additive process”

When producing the sound, you record individual sounds and then combine them instead of recording everything at once

Room tone

Even silent rooms have background noise. Recording it in the setting you want helps with consistency

Getting believable sound

Space (indoor/outdoor, room size), proximity to subject (on/off axes), equipment, controllable variable

Synchresis

Forging between sounds and visuals to construct a new, cinematic reality (realism isn’t important)

Importance of sound

It influences the story a lot, “mixing sound without purpose and vision is like building a house without schematics”

Sound filters

Low/high pass filters can get rid of unwanted high/low pitches and isolate the frequencies you want

De-noise tool

Minimizes unwanted noise, use sparringly for minor things

Camera obscuras

Super early camera technology that allowed painters to trace their subject, led to pinhole cameras and then modern cameras.

Zoopraxiscope

First technology that projected a bunch of images in rapid succession (ye olde gif)

Persistence of vision

Effect of motion created in our brains by a series of still images. When there are 10-12 images per second, we perceive motion and our brains fill in the gaps

Aperture

Camera iris opening, measured in f/stop

F/stop

Higher f/stop = less light, more coverage. Lower f/stop = more light, less coverage. Each f/stop down the scale lets in half as much light

ISO (International Standardization Organization)

Quantifies how sensitive the film or digital camera is to light, aka “gain”. The sensitivity is fixed but changing it affects how the video is processed, making the image brighter makes it grainier

Shutter speed

Exposure depends on how long the shutter is open, measured in fractions of seconds. Longer = more light and motion blur, shorter = less light but no motion blur. 2x the frame rate is the best one to use for recording

Frame rate (FPS)

24 is the standard for movies, 30 is normal for TV shows

Color temperature

How we talk about the color of a light source (more orange or more blue), measured in degrees Kelvin. Human eyes adjust to the environment to tell what looks white, but we have to adjust the cameras

Tungsten vs. daylight

3200 K, orange and warm vs. 5600 K, blue and cool

White balance

If the camera is adjusted to the same color temperature as the light source, the image is balanced and looks normal. If you set it at 3200 K and the source is 5600 K, the image looks blue, and the reverse makes it look orange. 

Using white balance creatively

Light color can convey emotions, temperatures, times, locations (the Martian), emotions about a space (Severance)

Focal length

Based on the optical measurements of convergence of light rays. Tells us the angle of the view, how much of the scene will be captured, and magnification. As it increases, the optical lens is moved further from the sensor, which makes the field of view smaller

Telephoto lens

Longer focal length, smaller field of view, higher magnification. Less depth of field

Wide angle lens

Shorter focal length, larger field of view, lower magnification. Greater depth of field

Depth of field

Distance between the nearest and furthest objects in the scene that appear to be in sharp focus in the image. Shallower when more light enters the camera or when the subject is close to the camera. Usually a stylistic choice

Aspect ratio

Ratio between the height and width of the frame, different formats provide different options. Bars on the side are called letterboxing. Shows like WandaVision use it creatively all the time to convey time or place

Common aspect ratios

4:3 = Academy standard, not used much anymore

16:9 = most digital TV

2.35:1 = anamorphic scope, really long

Resolution

Amount of info recorded in the image, measured in pixels for digital images (higher = more digital info and larger file sizes)

Codec

Method for encoding and decoding data, selected based on target file size, output quality, and delivery method (4.264 is the common one but others are AVCHD and ProRes)

Container

File format that holds grouping of compressed video defined by codec (ex. mp4)

Framing

Selecting the part of the world you choose to include, creates meaning and shows POV

Tripod vs monopod

Three points of support vs one

Rule of thirds

Breaks down image into nine rectangles with horizontal and vertical lines

Head room

Creates space for characters to look and move, not including this can make them look stuck or create stress in the image

Balancing mass and color in a shot

Bright colors attract our attention, and when more stuff is on one side of the frame, we look there

Eye level

Camera angle that indicates confrontation, empathy, or equality 

High angle

Camera angle that conveys a lack of power

Low angle

Camera angle that conveys a lot of power

Mise-en-scene

“To put in the scene”, refers to everything you see in front of the camera, creates the overall look/vibe of the movie

Elements of mise-en-scene

Actors and blocking, camera placement and movement, composition, lighting, depth and space, location, set design, props, costumes, hair, and make-up

Purpose of lighting in a movie

Shows us what to see and how to see it. Can tell us the time of day/year, whether we’re inside or outside, spatial qualities (ex. depth), textures, emotions

Qualities of light

Hard (direct) or soft (diffused), directionality, intensity (measured in lumens), contrast, color temperature, shape

Hard light

Aka direct or specular. Clean and hard shadows, crisp, shows texture and shape more, produced by direct sources (spotlights or unfiltered)

Soft light

Aka diffused. Rays move in different directions, dull and indistinct shadows, gentle, smooth texture, more gradual shading, produced by an indirect source (bounced or diffused)

Frontal light

Lighting direction: flat, less shadow, harsh, less dimensionality. Indicates importance or trustworthiness

Side light

Lighting direction: more indication of texture, more details and depth. Reveals only parts of things so it’s less trustworthy and creates more intrigue

Back light (aka rim, edge, halo, kicker)

Lighting direction: outlines the subject and differentiates them from the background, indicates importance or alienation. Hair lights illuminate hair

Top lights

Lighting direction: standard (emulates the Sun), usually at a 40 degree angle down at the subject. Creates shadows over the eyes, making subject look mysterious or menacing. Also flattens things out

Underlighting

Lighting direction: creates harsh shadows upward and distorts the face, used in horror films to indicate a threat or danger

Fall-off

Decrease of the intensity of illumination the farther the subject is from the light source, inversely proportional to the square of the distance. Less light reaches further subjects, sharper drop-off close to the source

Contrast

Relationship between brightly lit and shadowed areas, or the ratio between the key and fill light

Low-key lighting

High contrast, more prominent shadow areas, emphasizes contrasting shadows and highlights, used in horror or mysteries

High-key lighting

Low contrast, evenly lit, shadows are more subtle, less difference between light and dark, used in comedies and musicals

Ways to change color other than white balance

Colored gels or LEDs can change the mood of the scene

Lighting shape

Can determine location, mood, conditions (weather), or time of day/year. Use barn doors, flags, and cookies to change it

Barn doors

Come with light kits and go on spotlights. Open before turning on the light, especially with tungsten lights

Flags

Opaque pieces of material used to cut off light and shape it

Cookies

Shapes cut into a filter, can reproduce the look of light through blinds, trees, etc.

How to diffuse light

Bounce it off a wall, use translucent fabric, wax paper (only on LEDs cause of fire), silks, soft boxes, lanterns, photography umbrellas

Three-point lighting

Standard set up to get even and natural light, uses key, fill, and back lights

Key light

Brightest light, primary source, casts shadows, directionality

Fill light

Fills in the shadows, softer than the key, usually soft or bounced light or sometimes just a reflector

Back light

Separates the subject from the background and adds highlights

Set light

Illuminates a broad area in the background

Specials

Solves a specific problem, like an eye light that adds a sparkle to the eyes

Practicals

Lights that are part of a set (ex. string lights, desk lamp, candles). You still need other lights to illuminate the frame unless you’re Barry Lyndon

Vsevolod Pudovkin, Lev Kuleshov, Sergei Eisenstein

Important guys in the history of film editing

Kuleshov effect

Editing can be more than telling a sequential story, the combination of images can create a new meaning

Montage of Attractions - Sergei Eisenstein

Juxtapose images to create a new meaning, the emotional effect of images in a sequence is greater than one image

Structural editing

Editing to convey a sequence of events

Relational editing

Editing to create emotion

Pudovkin’s five editing techniques

Contrast, parallelism, symbolism, simultaneity, and leitmotif

Contrast in editing

Editing technique that puts images together to create juxtaposition

Parallelism in editing

Editing technique that matches elements between shots to convey meaning

Symbolism in editing

Editing technique in which a cut is meant to symbolize an emotional or thematic element of the film

Simultaneity in editing

Editing technique that uses cross-cutting to show that two events are happening at the same time

Leitmotif in editing

Editing technique where a visual theme is repeated (term comes from musical themes that repeat)

Coverage

When you shoot the same scene from as many different angles as necessary to make the story make sense

Five-shot coverage

Wide angle shot of both characters, two close-ups, and two over-the-shoulder shots

J + L cuts

You can have the audio from one shot continue into the next so that the switching angles doesn’t feel bouncy

Script analysis

Work with actors to dig into the story and the characters in a meaningful way to help them portray the character in a deep and nuanced way, do research on the type of story and character motivations, also helps with realism

Rehearsals

Do a table read and on-set rehearsals with the actors, as well as a camera rehearsal (like a tech rehearsal in theater). Don’t over-rehearse because the scene will feel stale

Direction tips

Don’t shout from behind the camera, go talk to the actor

Use action verbs instead of feelings because we can’t control our feelings but we can do things that elicit the emotions

Don’t make judgments about the character

Use sense memories and as-if statements to elicit feelings

Give the actors concrete tasks to accomplish 

Ask them questions about the scene

Communicate about needs and process