Continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule.
Continuity
Continuity is consistency of the characteristics of persons, plot, objects, places and events seen by the reader or viewer. While most continuity errors are subtle, such as changes in the level of drink in a character's glass or the length of a cigarette, others can be more noticeable, such as sudden drastic changes in appearance of a character, or the unexplained appearance of a character believed to be dead.
Production Techniques
The 180° rule
The 180° rule is a basic guideline in film making that states that two characters (or other elements) in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera passes over the imaginary axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line. The new shot, from the opposite side, is known as a reverse angle.
Match on action
Match on action occurs when an action that begins in one shot is continued or completed in the next. In an exterior shot Julia Roberts opens the front door to a house. In the next shot the camera, now indoors, photographs her entering the foyer and closing the door.
http://www.infoplease.com/cig/movies-flicks-film/cutting-for-content.html 09.09.09
http://www.infoplease.com/cig/movies-flicks-film/cutting-for-content.html 09.09.09
Shot Reverse Shot
A series of shots edited together that alternate characters usually during a conversation scene.
Shot Sizes
Framing
Use the rule of 3rds when framing. The rule states that an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections. Proponents of the technique claim that aligning a subject with these points creates more tension, energy and interest in the composition than simply centering the subject would.
Arrows inside the frame signifycharacter movement.
Arrows outside the frame signify camera movement.
Camera Movement
Panning- L.R. fiexed point pivot
Tracking- camera physically moves L.R. forward/ backwards
Jibbing- camera physically up/ down
Tilting- up/ down but with a fixed point
Plot of Prelim script
One night at a house party Lisa is applying make-up in the bathroom when Claire storms in and accuses her of sleeping with her boyfriend. Lisa denies this and the aurgument continues. This leads to the point were Lisa walks out of the bathroom and turns back to reveal she did sleep with Claires boyfriend.
Script
Shot List
Storyboard
Location Recce
Risk Assessment
Mise-en-scene
Lighting- There is a window at the back of the room which lets in sunlight, but because the scene is set at night time we will either have to shoot the scene at night or block the light coming in through the window. We will use the light at the top middle of the ceiling for all around light but if we decided to show tension we may have to bring in another light source.
Costume- The setting of our script is at a house party, and the characters are both female and 16 years of age. So they’re costume will be reasonably basic and from their own wardrobe. To make it more realistic we will just ask the characters to wear an outfit that they would usually wear to and actual party. This will include dresses and high heels.
Props- The scene opens with one character applying her make up. This means we will use makeup as a prop. Our scene is at a party so we could place some beer cans or bottles in the scene to make this more obvious.
Make-up and hair- The characters makeup will differ slightly. Lisa will have usual makeup on as if she was attending a real party. Yet Claire will need to have mascara smudged, and tears down her face because her character is angry, and in the situation she will have been crying before entering the scene.
The character Claire will have her hair straight.
The character of Lisa will have her hair curly.
The character of Lisa will have her hair curly.
Character movement- Claire: Her character is angry and slightly cocky so she will enter the room in a mood, stomping her feet. She will also continuously hold her chest high to show her cocky attitude yet at the end of the scene she could change her mood drastically to show that she is shocked.
Lisa: In the beginning of the scene she will hold herself low as if she is scared and timid. Yet, as the scene goes on she develops a bitch attitude which results in her posture becoming more upright with an attitude on her face.
Lisa: In the beginning of the scene she will hold herself low as if she is scared and timid. Yet, as the scene goes on she develops a bitch attitude which results in her posture becoming more upright with an attitude on her face.
Set design- Our scene is based in a regular bathroom at a party so we will not have to alter the set at all because it is fine the way it is.
Evaluation
Evaluation
During our film process we didn’t come across many problems other than a few minor issues. For instance the bathroom space was not as big as we expected therefore there was not a lot of room for the tripod to stand and the camera to be moved. Also the scene was meant to be at night in a party and as we filmed in the day the room was very light which was opposite to the script and mise-en scene. So if filmed again we would need to cover the windows, however this could cause a problem with the lighting so should be tested. Another problem we faced was that there was a mirror in the centre of our performance meaning that it was more difficult for our camera operator to film the shots as her reflection was shown in our first attempts. This means that in the future we will have to take technical difficulties into account whilst doing our location recce so we can amend them and make it easier in the shooting period.
As we watched our first attempt at filming in the final edit we came across many problems which were hard to avoid. Problems such as jump cuts, continuity problems of character movement, and little shot-reverse shot covering the dialogue. As our filming was far below the standard required we decided to re-film our scene to improve on parts we did incorrectly. This also gave us a chance to fix our mistakes, add more shot variety, improve our performance, and change our costumes as we didn’t think they suited the mise-en-scene.
As we watched our first attempt at filming in the final edit we came across many problems which were hard to avoid. Problems such as jump cuts, continuity problems of character movement, and little shot-reverse shot covering the dialogue. As our filming was far below the standard required we decided to re-film our scene to improve on parts we did incorrectly. This also gave us a chance to fix our mistakes, add more shot variety, improve our performance, and change our costumes as we didn’t think they suited the mise-en-scene.
The second time we went in to edit we immediately realised the new filming was much better than the previous, however there were still faults. The main one being jump cuts. Although there wasn’t as many as before they were still apparent. A jump cut is a drastic transition between two camera shots. They are usually accidents that happen as a result of such factors as an extreme change in subject, size, camera angle, screen direction or position, or a camera shift from moving action to a stationary shot. In some case’s we managed to overcome the jump cuts by overlapping shots so that the sound would come earlier than the visual to make smoother cuts, yet we could not do this all the time as there were to extent. Nonetheless we did the best we could to disguise them and keep our footage at a high standard.
This cut from shot one to shot two makes the subject appear to "jump" in an abrupt way.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jump_cut
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jump_cut
Another problem which we faced was continuity. An example in our performance is in a shot where LISA is putting on make-up with her hand on her face, and in the next second having her arm at her side. This problem occurred because we had shot that scene a number of times- as it was incorrect- but did not think about our last position from the previous scene. This showed us that especially when you are working with mirrors it is very important to take note of the reflection, as even if the focus is not on that person they are still seen. If we were to shoot this scene again we would take this into consideration and make sure that we were more careful with movement and previous actions. We tried to solve the problem by cutting and adding shots from other parts of the scene to make it more fitting. We did the best we could to resolve the problem and make it less noticeable, which we achieved to some extent.
This is a screen grab of continuity in our footage, from one shot to the next.
A major fault in our performance was the breaking of the 180° rule.
A major fault in our performance was the breaking of the 180° rule.
As you can see, in this screen grab it shows us ‘crossing the line’ as it passes from the left to right of CLAIRE which is breaking the rule.
This is something we covered along time ago and were told never to do. However in our defence we did not realise the line and been crossed until we started editing. This is a regretful error which we could not correct in the time given, yet we know in the future to be more careful and aware.
For our mise-en-scene we noticed that although we had followed it to some extent we had made a few mistakes and changes. The main being the appearance of the characters. In the brief CLAIRE has smudged make-up on her face from where she has been crying, and her hair was meant to be down and straight. This was not the case as we did not have a lot of time to film and the kink in my hair was to extreme to straighten. Also we decided not to wear heels as we did not want to damage the bathroom floor. Nevertheless we believe that our outfits fitted the description for a house party. The set design was perfect as Natalie’s bathroom was great for what we needed, however it would have been better if we had put bear cans and bottles around to emphasis the party, yet what we did not think this as being a major issue as the surroundings suited. The lighting as I spoke about earlier was ok but would have been better if shot at night, although additional lighting would be needed. The music was also fine as we added it by CD whilst editing, and making the sound louder when the door opened, and quieter when closed was a good effect and did not affect the speech of the actors. It also helped develop my skills in the editing suit.
On the whole the first project we were set did not go to plan in all aspects, however we tried our best to recover our mistakes and make it the best we could. This was the first time I have ever done anything like this and I have enjoyed the experience, plus learnt a lot of new skills in the process which will help me in the future. For the next project I know the things in which I need to improve on and hopefully I will not need to re-shoot the footage. Although the finished product isn’t perfect the work that went into it before hand and after was thought through carefully and done well.
On the whole the first project we were set did not go to plan in all aspects, however we tried our best to recover our mistakes and make it the best we could. This was the first time I have ever done anything like this and I have enjoyed the experience, plus learnt a lot of new skills in the process which will help me in the future. For the next project I know the things in which I need to improve on and hopefully I will not need to re-shoot the footage. Although the finished product isn’t perfect the work that went into it before hand and after was thought through carefully and done well.
Skill Developent
Lighting: As our scene did not require any additional lighting it would be a good idea for me to experiment and research the different types that can be used. For example 3 point lighting -Key Light, Fill Light, and Rim Light, also called Back Light.
The Three Point Lighting Technique is a standard method used in visual media such as video, film, still photography and computer-generated imagery. It is a simple but versatile system which forms the basis of most lighting. Once you understand three point lighting you are well on the way to understanding all lighting.
The technique uses three lights called the key light, fill light and back light. Naturally you will need three lights to utilise the technique fully, but the principles are still important even if you only use one or two lights. As a rule:
If you only have one light, it becomes the key.
If you have 2 lights, one is the key and the other is either the fill or the backlight.
The technique uses three lights called the key light, fill light and back light. Naturally you will need three lights to utilise the technique fully, but the principles are still important even if you only use one or two lights. As a rule:
If you only have one light, it becomes the key.
If you have 2 lights, one is the key and the other is either the fill or the backlight.
Key Light
This is the main light. It is usually the strongest and has the most influence on the look of the scene. It is placed to one side of the camera/subject so that this side is well lit and the other side has some shadow.
This is the main light. It is usually the strongest and has the most influence on the look of the scene. It is placed to one side of the camera/subject so that this side is well lit and the other side has some shadow.
Fill Light
This is the secondary light and is placed on the opposite side of the key light. It is used to fill the shadows created by the key. The fill will usually be softer and less bright than the key. To acheive this, you could move the light further away or use some spun. You might also want to set the fill light to more of a flood than the key.
This is the secondary light and is placed on the opposite side of the key light. It is used to fill the shadows created by the key. The fill will usually be softer and less bright than the key. To acheive this, you could move the light further away or use some spun. You might also want to set the fill light to more of a flood than the key.
Back Light
The back light is placed behind the subject and lights it from the rear. Rather than providing direct lighting (like the key and fill), its purpose is to provide definition and subtle highlights around the subject's outlines. This helps separate the subject from the background and provide a three-dimensional look.
The back light is placed behind the subject and lights it from the rear. Rather than providing direct lighting (like the key and fill), its purpose is to provide definition and subtle highlights around the subject's outlines. This helps separate the subject from the background and provide a three-dimensional look.
This is an image showing the role the threelights
Storyboard: During the pre-production stage I found it very difficult to do the drawing side of the storyboard so left it to the others whilst I did the writing. As a result it would be good for me to look at the different styles of storyboards to feel more comfortable when having to do one on my own.
A storyboard is a panel or series of panels of rough sketches outlining the scene sequence and major changes of action or plot in a production to be shot on film or video.
A storyboard is a panel or series of panels of rough sketches outlining the scene sequence and major changes of action or plot in a production to be shot on film or video.
These are a few images I found of storyboards to show the more simple and complicated ways of doing tI will try and use these techniques in my own storyboards in the future.
The breaking of the 180* rule in our scene
The breaking of the 180* rule in our scene
I have taken pictures of a similar scene and a different situation to show that I understand the mistake we made, and where to position the camera in the future.
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