04/20/23 1

RTV 420Importance and basics of video production and visual storytelling

Interactive Media

04/20/23 2

Film vs. Video

Film a thin flexible strip of plastic or

other material coated with light-sensitive emulsion for exposure in a camera, used to produce photographs or motion pictures

Responds to light Video

magnetic tape for recording and reproducing visual images and sound.

Responds to electrical current

04/20/23 3

Film vs.Video

Film stock is the imaging device for motion picture film -- chemical reaction to light

CCD or CMOS is the imaging device for video -- a transducer

Future for film?

04/20/23 4

Film

8 mm, 16mm, 35mm, 70mm Super 16 and 35 mm Film stock--costs and processing

Film stock types: b/w or color, negative or reversal, fast or slow, tungsten or daylight

24 fps Sprocket holes, audio recording

04/20/23 5

Magnetic Videotape

Now only Digital -- Not ‘filming’ Interlaced or Progressive DVCam, DVCPro, MiniDV

Variety of digital tape formats Standard or High Def 4:3 or 16:9 Digital Compression Codecs

H.264 dominant now Dominant companies (Microsoft .wmv) Open source / licensed (COFDM)

04/20/23 6

New storage options

HDD DVD / Blu Ray / Optical discs Flash memory (built in vs.

removable, like SD card) Solid state

Still ‘video recording’—magnetic, electrical process

04/20/23 7

Digital Video 480 vs. 720 vs. 1080 Contrast ratio Megapixels I vs. P Lossy or Lossless codecs Color sampling: relationship of

chroma to luma Bit depth: the number of individual 0s

and 1s sampled Move to 4K / UltraHD

04/20/23 8

Illusion of Movement

Persistence of vision 24 vs. 30 fps (transfers) ‘shutter speed’

04/20/23 9

Time Code

Vital to videotape Important for timing / syncing SMPTE VITC vs. longitudinal BUT, for digital, still critical to

timing and sync

04/20/23 10

Lenses

Camera body vs. lens Zoom or fixed (prime) -- critical focus Optical vs. Digital zoom Diaphragm / aperture -- f-stops / t-stops /

number means what? Manual vs. autofocus

Sharp focus, Selective focus, follow focus, rack focus, soft focus, swimming focus

Depth of field is affected by focal length, aperture, and the distance of objects from the camera.

04/20/23 11

Camera mounts

Tripod and pedestal Friction head / Fluid Head

Crane vs. jib Dolly / track SteadiCam vs. Handheld

Image stabilization Robotics, follow me, Segue,

‘copter, cable mount, etc. IS vs. actually stable

04/20/23 12

Shot Composition

Rule of Thirds Point of View Angle

High angle, low angle, high level, low level, bird’s eye view, canted / Dutch angle

Cut off lines, look space, lead room, head room, eye line

Terms: WS, OTS, 2/S, etc.

04/20/23 13

Transitions

What is a shot? Fade / cut / Diss / Wipe / DVE Changing shots in a continuous shot Multi cam shoots vs. film style Real time to Filmic time Invisible / seamless edits Sequences Master Shot / cover shot Jump cuts / pop cuts

04/20/23 14

Camera movements

Pan, tilt, truck, dolly, arc, zoom, boom/pedestal

DVE Crane, tracking, feather, 360 shot,

follow, swish pan, snap zoom

04/20/23 15

Technical vs. aesthetics What kind of camera? What kind

of lighting? What kind of lens? Consumer vs. Prosumer vs.

professional cameras (reading next week)

How the story is told? ‘Language’ of visual storytelling -- Hollywood style, home movies style, new media style, NPPA / news style

04/20/23 16

Concept of visual storytelling:

Stages of production, roles of crew positions, differences in producers and directors by types of production, sequences, rule of thirds, continuity, jump cuts, pacing, motivated pans and zooms, creativity – and connection of meaning to the audience.

04/20/23 17

How do we create visual content? B-roll with nat sound interviews Voice overs dramatic scenes How do we 'create' b-roll when then is no

event to shoot? ("The Ken Burns Effect")

04/20/23 18

How do we create visual content? CREATIVITY – the technique plus the

unique quality of this one production What are the standard techniques for

shooting b-roll, interviews, and dramatic scenes? But then how do we do it so it’s not cliché?

Visual storytelling--does what you have: drive the story? Build characters? keep the audience connected? accomplish the communication goal?

So the key to video…

The language of visual storytelling shooting video in sequences Capturing and controlling light Correct manipulation of the tool

you are using Cinematographer Gaffer Production designer

04/20/23 19

04/20/23 20

Good interviewing

Interviews: remember camera point of view (objective, subjective, presentational)

Formats -- scripted, semi-scripted, ad-lib. Information, personality, opinion Types of questions -- primary & follow-

up; open-ended and closed-ended. Principles of Interviewing -- Q&A in

production vs. interviewing for sound bites

04/20/23 21

Talking Heads

Why is this a dominant content item in many visual production?

How do we keep it from becoming negative, static, boring?

What production issues are there vs. quality of content issues? How do we shoot interviews?

Dramatic scenes

All these issues in production Difference in talent vs. the

announcer style of VO

###

04/20/23 22