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Single Camera Narrative Production

Camera Parts and Functions

Single Camera Narrative Production?

Narrative =

DEFINE AND / OR LABEL THESE PARTS OF THE CAMERA :

Lens

Viewfinder

Zoom handle

focus ring

lens hood

iris

aperture

shutter

MEDIA=

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OTHER TERMS / FUNCTIONS:

White Balance

Depth of field

Zooming

Exposure

Gain

Shutter speed

Iris / f-stops

Higher shutter speeds are common in sports coverage. Watch any fast-action sport to see the "flickering" shutter effect. Notice how the slow-motion replays look, especially when they freeze the last frame.

Note: As a result of the reduced exposure time with high shutter speeds, the image may appear darker unless the iris is opened to compensate.

Shutter Off 1/120 second 1/500 second

The plates in the iris fold in on

each other to shrink the

aperture and expand out to

make it wider.

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Single Camera Production: SHOT COMPOSITION

What is framing / composition?

What is aspect ratio? What are 2 typical aspect ratios? Label them on the boxes below

Explain (and sketch) “The Rule of Thirds”:

COMPOSITION TIPS:

1. Look space (nose room)

2. Lead space

3. Head room

4. 180 rule

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TYPES OF SHOTS AND THEIR USES

CU

MS

WS

Establishing shot

XCU / ECU

2S

POV

OTS

Low angle

High angle

Dutch angle

SHOTS ASSOCIATED WITH SCENES

Master / establishing shot

cutaway / insert:

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Shots with Movement / Motion Shots:

Pan

Tilt

Zoom

Dolly

Truck

Pedestal

Crane / jib

Arch dolly

Flydown / flyover / aerial shot

Handheld shooting tips

1.

2.

3.

4.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER WHEN PLANNING MOTION SHOTS: What is the overall

purpose and effect of motion shots? How do they add to the visual and narrative story? In

what situations are motion shots most effective? What specific examples do you remember

from your favorite movies?

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Pre-Production / Design STORYBOARDING

With preproduction, your assignment is to take the movie scenes provided and transform the written material into visual material. Visualize the scene in your head -- imagine the characters moving, imagine the camera moving, imagine a variety of angles and depths, and an overall assortment of shots that helps the script come alive. Always consider the emotional / dramatic content of the dialogue and interpret it in interesting ways. For instance, when two characters have lots of emotional distance, set them far apart from each other and use a very wide shot. . Try to make the storyboards dynamic… do not simply cut from MS of one character to MS of the other character over and over. Make the storyboards complex and interesting without compromising the original intention of the script.

HOW TO START. Start by making some notations on the script that you are given. Also, do not forget to write the corresponding dialogue on the lines marked “Audio” underneath the storyboard frame that you are drawing. Drawings do not have to be beautiful works of art; just make sure the composition is drawn correctly for the shots you are trying to achieve. A smart person once noted that you should be able to tell exactly what is going on in a movie by turning the sound off and watching.

Framing This has to do with how large the subject of the shot is in the frame. Remember all of the

shots that we learned (WS, MS, CU, XCU, etc.). Be sure to vary the kinds of shots you use to make the visual character of the film interesting. Use inserts, cutaways, and moving shots. Be aware of the 30% rule (make sure any adjacent shots of the same subject are either 30% larger or smaller than the previous one).

.

CLOSE UP WIDE SHOT MEDIUM SHOT

Eye Line. Consult your notes about

the differences between low angle / high angle shots. When a camera looks at the subject straight on, as one looks at an equal, that is called normal eye line. A lower angle is sometimes used by the filmmaker to show the superiority or power of the subject. A high eye line looks down on the subject to show his or her inferiority or relative powerlessness. The camera often looks at characters right in the eye when the viewer is meant to identify with them as equals. Showing low and high angles in storyboards is difficult, but these are some good examples

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Movement. This can mean movement of people, creatures, vehicles onscreen, or of the

camera itself. You can devise your own way of signifying movement of elements in a shot as long as it is clear. The best way is typically to use arrows, with one storyboard panel devoted the beginning of the shot and the next panel showing where the shot ends up (a continued panel shot). Always note your pans, tilts, dollies, trucks, etc. on the storyboard panels (it is OK to use more than one panel for a single shot). Some people use thick arrows to denote camera movement and thin arrows to denote character movement in the shot.

Matching Action and the 180 rule. This concept is best understood by imagining that if

two characters are interacting, there is a laser beam shooting from one character's eyes to the other character's eyes. The filmmaker has to be conscious of this imaginary line because abruptly crossing it is disorienting to the viewer, who, accustomed to viewing a conversation from one side only, could be confused by the sudden jump to the opposite side, and have to regain his or her bearings when the actors positions are reversed. Storyboards also help to make sure matching action and continuity are correct. See the back of this packet for an explanation of matching action.

Ways to break the 180 degree rule:

1.

2.

3.

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Preproduction: WRITING TREATMENTS & SCRIPTS

A treatment is a blueprint for a script or “screenplay”, which is a fancy name for a movie

script. A treatment typically consists of a condensed version of a film or TV production, sometimes

written like a short story. It covers the basic ideas and issues of the production as well as the main

characters, locations, and story angles. A film or television treatment is basically a written pitch, a

sales tool. Because writers can’t make movies and television shows all by themselves, they need

to communicate to several people what their great idea is and attract some of those people to

help them (usually with $$$). It’s also a useful way for a writer to test an idea before writing a

screenplay, to focus the idea, and to communicate to an agent, producer or potential buyer

what the idea is all about.

WHAT TO INCLUDE: The story can be told stage-by-stage as it unfolds, somewhat like an outline,

but with more interesting language. Treatments reveal main parts of the story and its structure

and show characters’ personalities, relationships, and how they develop. Treatments cover most

of the story sequence with vivid descriptions of the shooting and editing styles, the genre, the

mood of scenes, the use of mise en scene elements such as props, acting, and lighting, and

what sets this project apart from others. They sometimes contain key scenes or dialogue that

help to entice the reader and sell your idea.

TIPS: Since its purpose is to sell the idea to financial backers and major stars – people who are

often times very busy—treatments should be attention-getting, interesting to read and in the

present tense, like short stories, and using active language. Treatments for your short films may be

only 1 to 2 pages (3 paragraphs)

HOW DO I WRITE A TREATMENT? RECOMMENDED FONTS: A “normal” font like Times New Roman 12-point.

TITLE: Centered and bold

TENSE: Always present tense. Try to avoid the use of “I”.

DIALOGUE OF VOICEOVER: Use small portions of dialogue or voiceovers if you wish to give

key phrases to characters to bring them to life or highlight their major traits.

STYLE: Concise, vivid, interesting, active verbs, keep the text simple and visual. It should

leave the reader wanting more.

LENGTH: Treatments vary enormously in length, usually from one or two to several pages.

For the video and film industry shorter is preferred due to time constraints. Yours should

generally be at least 3 paragraphs.

REWRITE-REWRITE-REWRITE: As with your script, you need to do a number of drafts of your

treatment. With each draft concentrate on cutting away all unnecessary detail and

making the story as vivid and engaging as possible. For this class, I may require multiple

drafts, depending on how much work you put into it.

WHAT IS A TREATMENT? Tips on wr Tips on writing treatments / proposals for film ideas

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AGAIN, WHY DO I NEED A TREATMENT?

Initially, as a device for the writer to organize his or her thoughts and develop the texture

of a script.

To sell your story to a producer, agent, or movie star—this is a treatment’s major

function.

To describe the kind of locations, situations, stories, images, look and feel, tone

and color, pacing of the video, and what makes it profitable.

FOR YOUR TREATMENTS IN THIS CLASS assume that I am a producer who could potentially give you

lots of money to fund your movie. You’ll need to really sell the idea to me by making it sound

interesting and unique. I want to make sure that I’m investing money into a worthwhile project.

The Bigfoot Chronicles

By Mr. McKosky

Many films and books have featured the mythical North American beast, Bigfoot. While the

majority of these stories are told from the perspective of the valiant human hunters who seek out

and kill Bigfoot, this film seeks to tell this popular tale solely from the perspective of the beast

himself. Much of the film will elicit feelings of sorrow for a creature that is cast away from

society as the one and only of its species. The Bigfoot Chronicles follows the Bigfoot on his

journey across the Appalachian Mountains in search of clues about his birth and family members

he believes to still be alive.

To accomplish this difficult task, innovative cinematography will be employed. Much of the

movie will be shot handheld to reflect the instability of Bigfoot’s life, while frequent use of close-

ups will give us an effective glimpse of the inner turmoil Bigfoot faces every day. These shots

will be contrasted with large, sweeping pans of the mountainous forest to remind the audience of

just how alone he is. As for editing, most of the movie will follow a continuity editing format,

with many of the scenes getting shorter as the story builds to a breathtaking and surprising climax

in the deep caverns of McConnell’s Mill Park in Portersville, Pennsylvania. Additionally,

flashback sequences will be strategically placed in the film in grainy black and white video to fill

the audience in on two incredible events that influenced the adolescent Bigfoot.

Much of the action will focus on veteran actor Jed Richards, playing the title role of Bigfoot,

while his nemesis, millionaire hunter will be played by Melissa Reed. Innovative hair and

makeup styling will make Bigfoot’s inner torment visible on his wrinkly, withered face and hairy

body. The climax, involving Bigfoot and his family squaring off against Melissa, will be

enhanced by fake blood and explosions. With such a talented crew, we are sure to give “Bigfoot

Chronicles” a new, fresh take on the Bigfoot story.

SAMPLE TREATMENT

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INT. MARION'S TENT

BELLOQ has been talking to the still-bound MARION. He has

removed her gag. He is impatient, angry, uncomfortable.

Caught between two forces.

BELLOQ

Believe me, you made a mistake. If

you would just give me something to

placate them. Some bit of information.

MARION

I swear to you, I know nothing more.

I have no loyalty to Jones. He's

brought me only trouble.

He wants to believe her.

BELLOQ

I cannot control them.

Marion's frightened look shifts suddenly to the entrance of

the tent. There are new arrivals there - Shliemann, Gobler

and Belzig. Belzig carries a black leather case. He steps

forward and smiles at Marion.

[Exit BELLOQ]

SCREENWRITING / SCRIPTWRITING FORMAT:

SCENE HEADING—should always be in ALL

CAPS, not indented, and should be preceded by

either INT. or EXT. (interior or exterior). New

scene heading every time you change locations

DIALOGUE is always block

indented (two tabs over for

every line). There are NO

quotations marks in a

screenplay.

CHARACTER NAMES

are in ALL CAPS and

are centered above

dialogue

CHARACTER entrances and exits should be noted.

SCENE DESCRIPTIONS

explain what is happening

in the scene. They are not

indented.

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PRE- PRODUCTION: VISUAL STYLE

Mise-en-scene is an expression used in the theatre and film worlds to describe the design aspects of a production. Stemming from the theater, the French term mise en scène literally means "putting into the scene" or "setting in scene." When applied to the cinema, mise en scène refers to everything that appears before the camera and its arrangement – sets, props, actors, costumes, and lighting.

Blocking –Mise en scène also includes the positioning and movement of actors on the set, which is called blocking. Elaborate blocking can require actors to be at very specific points in a scene during specific lines of dialogue. Long, highly choreographed shots are often called “tracking shots.”

3-Point Lighting Comprised of key, fill and back lights.

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Key light: main source of illumination (bottom left) . Fill light: fills in shadows created by

the key light (below right)

Back light: separates figure from background.

Combining these three results in 3-point lighting (and awesome hair)

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LIGHTING & CONTRAST STYLES: High Key – there are minimum shadows, the key light is bright and dominant

Low Key – there are lots of shadows, the overall light is grayer and the key light is less

bright.

High Contrast – a strong contrast between bright light and shadow, with a small amount

of in-between gray. High contrast lighting is often referred to as “film noir”, which was

made famous with 60s French movies and detective stories.

FILM NOIR—What is it?

NATURALISM VS. PICTORIALISM: naturalism favors a key light that comes from a

source in the scene or from a natural outside source (such as lights in the scene or the sun,

etc.). Pictorialism places the key light in positions that create the most striking visual image.

Front lighting: flattens out the face, diminishes contour and detail, and softens or

blurs features; can diminish the appearance of aging and make a person more

attractive, but can make the face characterless.

Top lighting - bathes the characters in light, accentuating facial features

Bottom lighting - shadows and distorts the face

Side lighting – can bring out facial detail, highlight only half of the face.

HIGH KEY LIGHTING

A Night at the Opera (1935) Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1985) Breakfast Club (1986)

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LOW KEY LIGHTING / FILM NOIR

The Lady From Shanghai (1947)

The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)

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EDITING: Adobe Premiere Layout

IMPORTANT EDITING TERMS

Import

Clip

Bin

Preview (source) monitor

Program monitor

Timeline

Crossfading (audio / video)

Waveforms

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Advanced Editing Terminology TYPES of EDITING:

CONTINUITY EDITING –

MONTAGE EDITING –

CROSSCUTTING –

JUMPCUTTING --

EDITING TECHNIQUES (used in storytelling):

THE FLASHBACK –

THE FLASHFORWARD –

THE EYE-LINE MATCH –

THE L CUT (OR SPLIT EDIT) –

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TRANSITIONS—

“FADE” –

DISSOLVE –

WIPE –

SWISH PAN (WHIP PAN) –

EDITING TERMS ASSOCIATED WITH TIME:

PACING –

SHORT TAKE –

LONG TAKE –

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MATCHING

ACTION (match on action / cutting on action)

Technique of editing together shots in the

middle of an action to make it appear to be seamless (the action “ties” the shots together)

Cutting in the middle of an action makes the

action seem more believable and consistent, just like L-Cutting keeps conversations seamless / consistent.

Shots in a matching action sequence may be

in different locations or different times of day.

Many times effective matching action shows an edit when an object leaves one frame (or shot) and enters another one.