SCREEN DIRECTION

What does the video narrator have to say about how characters should enter and exit the frame? What happens if these rules are not followed? How does this apply to diagonal movement in the frame?

  If the character is shown entering the frame on the left and exiting on the right then the corresponding edit should show him entering left and exiting right. If you have someone entering left and exiting right and the corresponding edit is entering right and exiting left then you have done this edit incorrectly. This can cause confusion in the audience or might make them think that the subject has changed direction. This is something you want to avoid

LENSES, COMPOSITION & CAMERA ANGLES

What are the key differences between full, medium and close up shots? How does this apply to over the shoulder shots? Two shots? How do different lenses effect these shots?

   A full sot is basically a shot of the entire subjects body. You shouldn't cut between the feet and knees because that'll just give you a weird shot. A medium shot is a shot where you zoom in above the waist. A close up is a shot from the breast area and up. All of these sots apply to over the shoulder or two shot because there isn't really a correct way to do them. You can shoot an over the shoulder shot with a full, medium, or a close up. The same goes for two shot. These shots can be given different meanings by changing the lenses. By using the 16mm lens your subjects features look disoriented. 

FILMMAKERS AND DIFFERENT SHOTS

What are 3 reasons that you think filmmakers might have for framing their shots differently? Justify each reason.

   Framing shots is something everyone does differently. One reason for this is because filmmakers have different styles of how they shoot things. One filmmaker communicates an idea by shooting one way, but another filmmaker communicates it a different way. A second reason for this is because they choose different shots because they want different themes in their shots. A third reason might be because they were educated differently and/or they don't know all the shots.

WRITINGS ON THE WALL MUSIC VIDEO & MOVEMENT

What kind of movement did you notice in the video? Use the vocabulary terms and techniques that you've learned. What do you think the filmmakers vision was for the video? Why was it important to the style of the video? What did movement bring to this video that was unique? How did it add to what the filmmakers were trying to achieve?

   I noticed a lot of dolly shots, zooms, and trucking shots. It's clear that the vision the filmmakers had was to bring the viewers in and make them realize that everything wasn't what it seemed to be. I feel like the filmmakers accomplished their vision for this video. This song is about how love doesn't last forever and it'll eventually come to an end. How it's unpredictable and inevitable. Like the message this video is unpredictable and it's keeping you guessing what's real and what's fake. The fact that the entire video is one long shot is great and unbelievable. So making it all handheld was a great idea to make it more believable.

THE MEANING BEHIND THE MOVEMENT

Movement in film can be used in a variety of ways. What are some that you noticed are mentioned in this film? What ways are they used? What are some films that you like that you could go home this weekend and study for their movement? What aspects of their camera movement interest you? Please explain.

   You can communicate many different ideas into your shot by the movement of the camera. It all depends on how, where, and at what speed you move it. I noticed that in an action scene its always a good idea to keep the camera moving. Also, if two characters are walking you can communicate a sense of "being watched" by shooting from a tripod, zoomed in and panning with the actors. A good film to study is Mad Max Fury Road because it has plenty of action and it doesn't feel fake. By that I mean that they don't try to fake action by shaking the camera and cutting every second. This lets us explore what's actually in the frame, which will give us a clear view of the movement of the camera. Another great film to study is Birdman. In this film we get the feeling that he camera is never cutting, even though it is. It feels like one long continues shot. This technique came out as successful because it still follows the rules and has great camera movement. If you haven't seen any of these two films then I strongly recommend you go out and watch them.

ZOOMING VS. DOLLYING

What is the difference between zooming and dollying? What does dollying and trucking add to the shot?

   A zoom gives a two-dimensional feel to the video. It's magnification of the image. As to a dolly shot moves these objects around the screen and gives it a three-dimensional feel. In a trucking shot there is no depth creation.

CAMERA PERSPECTIVES II

Summarize what an objective, subjective and POV shot are. What are the key differences between an objective, subjective and POV shot? Why are they different?

   An objective POV shot allows your viewers to look at the scene with a viewpoint of being within the scene like if they were in the film but still a good distance from the actors. Think of it like being invisible, you can see them but they can't see you. Something you want to remember while doing this is that you should't make the actors speak to the camera. In the subjective POV your viewer looks at the scene through the eyes of the subject. This gives the illusion as if they were the character in the scene and not looking at it from a screen. One of these devices allows your audience to sit back and watch a film from a distance, while the other grabs your audience and puts them in the front of the action.

HEADROOM & LOOK ROOM

What is headroom? What is lookroom? What lead room? Why are each of these important for your composition?

   Lookroom is the emptiness you leave in front of your subjects face. This space gives the subject room to breathe, it also gives the indication that the person is talking to or looking at someone who is not on the screen. Headroom is the space you should leave between the top of your subjects head and the top end of the frame. By leaving too much space, they will look smaller and smaller. However, by leaving too much room, the subject will look as if they have no forehead or that they are capable of hurting it. These are important  rules to know so you can shoot more professional shots.

THE RULE OF THIRDS

What is the "Rule of Thirds?" How is it used in video production? How should you compose your subjects in the future in the frame? Why?

   The rule is to split your screen into nine equal parts, just like you wold with photography or paintings. You must line up your subject where these lines intersect. If you wish to shoot a horizon then one of these lines should line up parallel with it. This rule is used so the viewer won't feel awkward watching someone right in the center of their screen. Knowing this rule I now know that it's always a good idea to line up my subject on the intersecting points. 

ZOOMING

What does zooming do? Is it overused? Why?

   Zooming is when you move your point of view further away or closer to the subject. This is very much so overused because it's simple and easy. 

THE BASICS OF FOCUS & EXPOSURE

What does focus and exposure do? How do you check to see if your subject is in focus when shooting? How do you check to make sure your subject is exposed correctly?

   Manually focusing your camera on the subject you're shooting is very important. You want make sure the camera is set to manual focus. Then you zoom in to the subject, to your desired amount, and adjust the focus ring until the image is sharp. Now you have focused on your subject. For exposure, set your to the auto-iris. See how bright the shot is, then set the iris to manual. Always put your iris so your subject is well exposed.

WHITE BALANCE

In your own words, please explain what color temperature is. What is white balance? What color is outside lighting vs. inside lighting? Why is it important to white balance your camera?

Your camera doesn't know what color you want to shoot in. Color temperature is the settings for the color your footage is. It's something you need to get right before you start shooting or it will be a long process in post production. When you're shooting inside you want to make sure you set it to tungsten. You must do this so your footage doesn't look like it was meant to be shot outside. However, while you're shooting outside you want to set it to daylight. This way your footage will have a good orange like color.

CAMERA UNIT GOALS

Take some time and type up three goals that you have to complete during this unit. How do you plan on accomplishing these?

   I am one who is not familiar with these cameras/camcorders or any overall. However, this won't stop me from becoming a natural with them. I plan on being able to use these without asking any questions. I also plan on being able to teach someone how to use them. And lastly, I plan on knowing what they're each called and what their differences are. I hope to accomplish all of these goals by paying close attention to Mr. Furtado's lecture and taking notes.

RUN LOLA RUN REFLECTION

What did you think of Run Lola Run? Was the film what you expected? How did it surprise you? What were three things that you noticed in the film from the unit that you learned about?

   I really enjoyed Run Lola Run. I think it was a unique and quirky film. I really enjoy foreign films. In fact one of my favorite films, Amour is a foreign film  It presented a very interesting way of editing films. Every foreign film has different styles of creating a story. I noticed a lot of Lei Motif, it was used to get us pumped up for what was to come. Also, a lot of interesting transitions, like split screen, were used.  They also had flash backs which I feel were used in a good and smart way. Finally, what I enjoyed most about this film was the cinematography and the non-linear storytelling. It was shot from creative angles that kept our eyes on the screen and off our phones and told in away that kept us guessing what would happen next.

SUMMING UP THE EDITING UNIT 3-2-1

What are three things overall that you've learned in this unit? What are two things that you would like to know more about in the editing unit? What is one question you still have about what we've covered?

   I have learned the different types of transitions such as dissolve, white out, and split screen. Also, mise en scene and the 180 degree rule have been interesting things to learn. I would like to know a little more about "L" and "J" cuts. Is there new and more modern styles of editing?   

WALTER MURCH ON EDITING

Summarize each of the six rules of when to make a cut. Why do you think cutting on emotion and story are so much more important than the next four?

   The most important three, which are all hard to separate from each other, are emotion, story, and rhythm. In emotion, the cut must be true to the emotion we want to communicate to the viewers. It must not distract the audience. It must advance the audience forward to the emotional line we're presenting. In story, we want to make sure it advances the story forward. Rhythm does it happen at the correct moment. 

   The next three rules are less important. Eye-trace is knowing where we want our audience to look. Having a focus of attention in the frame and carried throughout the story. Two-dimensional plane of Screen means dealing with three-dimensional objects in a two-dimensional world. And finally, three-dimensional space of action is having the three-dimensional objects move incoherently.

EDITING TOOLS AND SPLIT EDITS

What is a J or L cut? What do they do? How can they improve your edit?

   J and L cuts are when you roll a video track left or right without changing the audio. They basically help correct errors or give it a better feel. These technique are seen in many films, once told what is. Now that I know of these short cuts/ tools I will definitely start cutting like this. It'll give me more options as I'm cutting.