Post 12; Advanced Production Skills Workshop 2

Quality
In our second workshop of lighting we were asked to produce a piece of practical work, based on the quality of lighting, and how  this effects the overall video created. 
"quality is about the intensity of the illumination. There are generally two ways of describing the quality of light "hard" and "soft" although most situations fall between the two".



this is an example of hard lighting,

where crisp textures and edges are

shown on the outline of her

face.



Definitions:

"Hard" lighting- direct light creating bold shadows, crisp textures and edges.

"Soft" lighting- Indirect or diffused which blurs contours and textures, softer contrast between light and shade.

"Flag"- A piece of flat wood, cardboard or other material used to shield the camera lens from unwanted light sources.

We were put into groups of 5 and were asked to allocate roles, as to which each person wanted to be. The roles were:

• Director- coordinates the group to achieve the experiment.
• Camera- Set up and position of the camera, and record evidence
• Clapper-Writes "boards" to notify the audience what they are watching. Also helps the recorder
• Recorder- Notes down the experiments variables and monitors decisions and revisions made.
• Gaffer-Positioning of light and equipment
• Character in the scene.



here is an example of soft lighting,
which is shown on her neck where
there is a mixture between light
and shade.

After we had allocated roles for each other we were asked to discuss what
ideas we had and how we would make it work. The director thought of an idea which would demonstrate the different shades of lighting from soft to hard lighting. We created small shots using different diffuser's and a flag.

Equipment and set up:

As the recorder it was my job to draw out a birds eye view of the room showing where we positioned our equipment. Below is the drawing i created of the room.

Predictions:
The group predicted that we would be able to show the difference between hard and soft lighting by showing the other group how different they both are and how it effects the quality of the shots.
Other predictions that were made was we thought that the different diffusers we put on would effect the quality of the light.

Factors to change:
As a group we decided that a number of factors would need to be changed which would effect the quality of our production, and the quality of light. These were:
1) The lighting variables will need to change- we felt that we could have been more professional and better planned.
2) The direction of the camera, and distance of the light will need to change, to show different lighting effects and shadows created.
3) The positioning of the camera- Due to the difficulties we had with the camera on our first attempt, we decided to move the camera to a suitable place where the lighting could be established and shown in a good manner.

Factors to measure:
As a group we had to measure the effect that different lighting techniques had on the quality of the images we created.
We also needed to measure how much lighting we wanted to use and plan effectively the effects what we wanted to create. In my case it the the quality of the production.

What will stay the same:

We also used barn doors in our
experiment

Factors that will remain the same throughout our clip will be the positioning of the light. The light will need to be in the same place in every shot, so we will be able to recognise the different types of lighting, and see a huge difference within hard and soft lighting.

Below is the video we created. We wanted to show the difference between hard and soft lighting which is not very clear when you watch the video all the way through, the best case is to stop it at the different shades of lighting.

Strengths and weaknesses of our experiment:
Although it is not clear the see the different lighting shades when you watch the video all the way through, we felt that we completed the task set, at the best of our ability in the amount of time we had. When presenting it to the class, we stopped it at different times when we were using different diffuser's to show the class the contrasts between hard and soft light. By doing this, the class did see a clear difference between the two different lighting shades, and the effects quality has on it.

However, when having a group discussion after our experiment, we came to the conclusion that if we were asked to do it again there would be a number of factors we would change:
1) We filmed with the camera out of focus, instead the camera was focusing on the laminated board instead of the character in the scene. The camera did not have time to focus on Anton after the laminated board was out of the scene, as our shots were incredibly short.
2) Length of film- We felt that we should have filmed for longer, and the shots were too short to distinguish the difference between the quality of light. Again connected to the camera being out of focus.
3) Planning and use of camera- Overall as a group we needed to engage in more discussion and planning throughout the whole process of this experiment.

the blinds effect

4) Blinds- The blind effect did not really work in terms of creating shadows, and it was not very clear to see what we were trying to achieve with the blinds. Instead, we should have created the blinds with cardboard instead of thin paper.

6) Explore the use of flag's further- The positioning and effects, if we had more planning time we could have achieved this.
Our whole production was very intense, we did not have much time, and it was rushed. However, we felt as though we achieved a good job in the amount of space, and time we had.

This workshop had particularly helped me in learning more about the lighting in production in films and its importance to the production. In production time we will need to consider the lighting and what different effects we want it to have on the mood, representation of characters, type of day e.t.c: Rather then just turning the lights on in the room when filming we will now have to give more thought to the process


Direction
The other group's experiment was about Direction. They had to show the direction of light through different positioning of lighting, and the different directions and props. They used foil to create a particular effect of the direction of the lighting.
The group presented to the class their experiment and explained what they did and how they can show the effects of direction.
They used a lenzflair, where light is shown in the shot, and distracted the view of the object. Also they used barn doors to show the manipulation of direction, and some  lighting showed soft edges, where there was an intense point of light.
Carolyn said that where there is the strongest point of light, it creates hard cast shadows.
A tunnel lighting effect and a tunnel barn door effect was mentioned where the 2 sides of the barn doors are closed, and this reduced the amount of direction on the light as the Barn Doors brought all of the light in.

Below is the video that the direction group created.

At 3 minutes 56: The position of the light changed and showed a cast Shadow. The main Shadow is coming from the left, and it created hot spots on the character.

The lighting was positioned at the same height which only changed the direction of the light.

The tin foil effect which was positioned over the light created a soft cast Shadow.






tin foil effect

 The tin foil creates a cast Shadow onto the white board in the background, but darkens the overall shade of lighting.

The cast Shadow is soft, showing that the object (character) blocks the light creating a Shadow behind them.











white sheet effect

 The white sheet was placed under the characters arms, and due to its brightness it illuminates his face and makes it brighter.
Cast and attached shadows are produced due to the white sheet, for example: attached shadows can be shown in the creases in his shirt.
Cast shadows can be shown on the left side of his face just under his eye.

Post 11; Advanced Production Skills Workshop 1




Film Noir known as "Black Film"



Despite my original knowledge of Lighting and its importance within the film industry, there is more to lighting techniques then there actually seem. To begin with, lighting did not seem to be as important as any of the other features, such as camera, direction e.t.c.

Lighting can also be known as a way to style your film, making different themes, and moods. Important characters are usually lightened in scenes, whereas the less important characters and left in the dark, the audience will relate to this which will help get any message across, so that the audience can relate to the film.

Our teacher introduced us to some of the main aspects of lighting and its techniques, when we took part in a workshop, to help us get experience with different lighting, and the effect it has on a film its self.
We were introduced to the "Film Noir"  which was originally known ad "Black film".
This idea was first introduced by Nino Frank 1946, who was a French film critic, he said it reflects a trend of American crime and detective films. A wide range of films reflected the resultant tensions and insecurities of the time period, and counter-balanced the optimism of Hollywood's musicals and comedies. Fear, mistrust, bleakness, loss of innocence, despair and paranoia are readily evident in Noir, reflecting the 'chilly' Cold War period when the threat of nuclear annihilation was ever-present. The criminal, violent, misogynistic, hard-boiled, or greedy perspectives of anti-heroes in film Noir were a metaphoric symptom of society's evils, with a strong undercurrent of moral conflict, purposelessness and sense of injustice. There were rarely happy or optimistic endings in Noirs
They were dark, downbeat and "Black" the looks and themes were not a genre . It can be shown as a style, mood/ point of view (POV) and tone.








Themes (not a genre) displayed the insecurities of the time period and counter balances the optimism of Hollywood musicals and comedies.

Film Noir, lighting examples, it is clear to see why it is
 known as "Black Film" due to the lighting contrasts.

Generally the story of "Film Noir" consists of a "cynical hard hearted disillusioned male character, who encounters a beautiful promiscuous, a moral double dealing and seductive femme fetale. She manipulates him into being the "fall guy", which is often followed by a murder"

Lighting can create "highlights and Shadows" where they manipulate the space of our scene". Giving an idea of how much space is around your character.
Shadows can be categorised in 2 different ways.

• Attached Shadow- This occurs when lighting fails to illuminate part of an object because of its shape and size.
• Cast shadows- The object blocks the light source and "casts a Shadow".



attached Shadow example



As we can see in the picture to the left , the attached Shadow would be the Shadow underneath his left eye which is darkened due to the hat (objects shape and size). This fails to light up part of his face.

Cast Shadow example

In the picture on the left is an example of a cast Shadow, this is because we can see a Shadow of some blinds which are showing up on the mans tie. The blinds are blocking the light source and is casting a Shadow with the small lines that are still in lighting. We notice it is a cast Shadow due to the shadows on the man's jacket and tie.












During the workshop, we were asked to watch a short clip of a lemon, and watch the way lighting can effect the shape and texture of a Lemon. Below is the chip we watched.





We also created our own version on the Lemon and the lighting. We did this with a corn on the cob, and followed a torch all around the object which created similar effects to the Lemon.

Post 10; Job Roles Research.

e were asked to research different job roles in the film industry to get a greater understanding of who does what, and how this will help to divide the work up between the group, we will also need to consider the amount of work and pre production each department will have to do and this will hopefully benefit our production. We were asked to research 5 main areas, these included:

• Direction
• camera
• lighting
• Production sound
• Arts department

Direction

There are 6 main areas in the direction category.

• Direction department- The direction department is a subset of a larger occupational group referred to as "Production". The best known role within this department in the Director, who is ultimately responsible for the creative vision and overall style of a feature film. In this department . The director is assisted by a number of assistant directors. Other roles include the script supervisor (who oversees the continuity and edit ability of each sequence as it is shot) . The most Junior role is the runner, who has many support duties.
• Film Director- The director is the driving creative force in a films production, and acts as the crucial link between the production, technical and creative terms.  Directors are responsible for translating the films written script into actual images and sounds on the screen. The directors main duties are to cast, script editing, shot composition and shot selection and editing.

Camera department

Another role within the film industry are the camera department.

• The camera crew works effectively and closely together with each other. As heads of department the director of Photography must be highly creative and technically outstanding.
• They work closely with the Production Designer to help realise the directors vision for the film. Camera operators make sure that the camera is moved and positioned according to the DOP's wishes, and are responsible for the rest of the camera crew.

Lighting and sound
The lighting and sound department is another key role for the production of our short film.

• The director of Photography or cinematographer's job is to give the film a unique visual identity or look, they work together with all roles withing the lighting department including the Gaffer, who is in charge of all the electrical work on a production, leading the team of technicians who install the lighting equipment and arrange the power supply in order to create the designed lighting effects.
• The Production sound department's role is to record all sound on set or on location, this includes production sound mixers, boom operators, and sound assistants.
• Production sound crews work closely together throughout the shoot, and the sound mixers are usually positioned off set and record the sound captured by microphones onto a digital Audio Tape. Boom operators are responsible to positioning various microphones so that the best possible quality sound is captured, and for ensuring that the boom microphone is not shot.

Arts Department

The arts department consists of the Production designer, which is the main role within this department.

• The production designer is a main head of department on film crews, and are responsible for the entire Art department. They play a crucial role in helping the directors to achieve the films visual requirements.
• The production designers may be asked to look at scripts before a director is approached, to provide estimates of the projected Art Department spend on films. When production designers first read a screenplay, they assess the visual qualities that will help to create the atmosphere and bring the story to life.

Taking all of these roles into consideration, we need to devise a plan to enable each person in our group has a suitable role which they will be happy to take part in.

When we discussed all of these roles in class, one member from our group was missing to we didn't decide definite roles in the group.

Anton, who created the script will be the Director of the film as he knows what he wants to get out of the film, and the message he is trying to convey.

In class we went over the different roles, and the links they have with other departments. As we can see from the diagram the director of photography is at the top of the lighting department, and takes control. The lighting gaffers assisting the director of photography and he is also in charge of all electrical responsibilities to install the best possible lighting equipment. Then after the gaffer, comes the best boy, who assists him then comes the sparks.

On the opposite side, the camera operator assists the director of photography, the the focus puller who ensures the camera is on the right focus to get the best possible picture available, camera assistants and the trainee are all at the bottom, which is where you will start, if you ever want a career in this department.

We also produced a table in class, so we would have a clearer understanding of the tasks we will be doing and what we will need to consider when we decide which department and role we want to take on. Here are the ideas we came up with, and the different responsibilities each department has.

Post 9; Individual Script Feedback

The first draft of my script is shown below, adaptions and editing will be made after decisions are put  into place. The script its self was not in the correct format, and it was said that in the film industry it would just be thrown away due to the lack of structure.

Feedback from class mates.

When we discussed ideas in class, everyone was asked to discuss feedback and read each others script. Carolyn said that she liked my main idea, but thought that i was trying to convey an hour long feature film. Other then that she liked the idea, and the main narrative and storyline.

Another student said that he liked the idea of the story, and liked the fact it was a twist on "Bend It Like Beckham" but not copy writed. They also laughed and found some of it humerus when one of my characters dialogue consisted of "Alright G". Even though this feedback was not relevant to help me make a better script, it was a comment that i liked.

Another class mate said that again they liked my original idea, but it would be hard to film someone breaking their leg, and that it was a bit un realistic, and dream like.

Other feedback i got from my class mates was, that i didn't have very much a point to my story, there was no narrative at the beginning an i needed to research more about women footballers, and how they cope with injuries.

Feedback from Mrs Shipp

Mrs Shipp also said that I was trying to make a feature film, and my idea was too big for a short film to be made.

Generally she said she liked the storyline despite its cliches, and she was not sure that a school girl would get engaged that quickly, and it seems a lot of emotion to deal with, when the girl breaks her leg, and then goes to cheer on her team mates,

She suggested that the ending was not realistic because in her opinion she would not want to go to her teams football match, after breaking her leg, that would be the last thing she would do.

She also said that my script would be better if the main character got a minor injury, rather then breaking her leg, and that it could bring her closer to her family. I guess my storyline was extreme and non realistic.

Feedback from Becky Knapp (film producer)

When film producer Becky Knapp came into our lesson for a script work shop, she went through all o our scripts individually and gave us constructive feedback on what we could do to improve our scripts for a second draft.

Becky said that i need to review the layout as not many of us had create our script in proper format, and i needed a title that would be effective for my script.

Again, Becky said that i was trying to get a feature film out of the script, and it was a big storyline to construct in 7 minutes.
Becky liked the fact that my script had lots of Drama in it, and she said that it is always good to have lots of drama, and things going on.

She also said that it would be hard to film, and my storyline was big, i needed to cut it down and make it more realistic. Becky gave me the idea that i could change the storyline by having conflict between the two girls, Kim and Amanda about the football trials, and they end up falling out.

I took that comment into consideration and when editing my script and doing my second draft, i added in that idea and made it so that there was tension between the two characters, in the football trials.

Second Draft ideas

Given the feedback i had gained, i decided to take out most of the unrealistic ideas i had in my script. I took out where she had broken her leg, and decided to take Becky's idea, about the girl having more conflict between Kim and Amanda. The idea was that they both wanted to play in the FA cup, and in the end Amanda gets picked, and Kim is left unhappy and feels as though she is stabbed in the back.