Note taking from Screening : 17/3

True grit :: Opening Scene :: Victoria, Constance, Ambrose, Emma, Alvin

-constance - two characters in same scene?

-missing gunshot sounds

-weather

-lots of different scenes
-cutting the camera before the shot ended (causing camera shaking)
-opening shot credits had good background

-good scene setup in the 2nd scene (desk/office scene)
-costumes matching mise en scene

True Grit Video

Fistful of dollars :: 3 coffins scene :: Alex, Tiffany, Erica, Daniel, Oswin

-some shots were out of focus, camera shaking

-Audio voiceover unrealistic (in the beginning)

-matching lipsync

-original scene was deserted, but there was people walking around in this scene
-visual effects (color, etc)
-managing sets well
-suspense created through shooting
-stepping into the frame worked well (good camera tracking)
-costumes matching mise en scene
-music volume too high (sometimes)
-not enough ambient noise (?)

The good the bad and the ugly :: Last scene - mexican standoff :: Ian, Gabriel, Daniel, Enrique

-music : dramatic, able to draw out suspense

-costumes (daniel: black jacket, hat, boots) (ian: white shirt, scarf?)

sound lost of sync?

lots of editing

off-horizon shot (not using rule of thirds, bushes blocking the shot)
-title credits used western fonts
-good transitions

3/10 to Yuma :: 4/11 scene - Captured in Bisbee :: Hugo, Dominic, Isabelle, Sirena (with Tiffany and Alvin)

-background noise (bus, wind)

-outdoors, original scene was indoors (saloon)

-cloudy and sunny days

-shaky camera

-weird ending cut

-unable to add mise en scene - no where to hang guns etc

-could not find a good location
-costumes matching mise en scene
-footage not synced well
-the box to step up on was unnoticeable by the audience (leveling the actors because of height difference)
-bad transition (loud to soft voices and soft to loud voices)

Reflection Three

How can we define 'shot'? How do you know you have changed 'shots' when viewing a scene? How would you define 'shot' when shooting the actual production?

A shot is a series of video frames that runs until when the angle changes, a transition or cuts happen in the film. A shot starts when a camera starts recording in one place, and ends when the camera switches to another angle or cuts to another scene. It is basically continuous footage between two edits or cuts in a scene. When viewing a scene, you will notice the camera angle change or a cut in the scene, that is when a shot has been changed.

A shot when shooting the actual production would be the moment that the camera starts recording until it stops and cuts to another shot or another scene.
There are usually lots of different shots in each scene with different types of shots, such as close-ups and long shots. A long shot usually shows the surrounding environment, including all characters, while a close-up usually focuses on a person or an object, for example you could use a close-up when a person is talking.

Reflection Two

How does the mise en scene help to communicate character and story? Give examples from our screening

Mise en scene reveals the story by showing different scenes and shots that tell the setting and reveal to the audience what might happen next, such as background of the scene.
Mise en scene reveals characters by showing what props they are using, such as guns, what type of costumes they are wearing, such as the colors of their clothing, white symbolizes innocence, and red symbolizes they are special and different from the others.
For example in the beginning Magnificent Seven, the farmers in the village are all wearing white robes, while the bandits raiding the village have red and blue colored clothing, symbolizing they are the bad guys.

How does the mise en scene reveal the theme of the film?

Mise en scene reveals the theme of the film by showing the audience the general storyline and plot of the film, and how the characters interact with each other. This can be seen by characters' dialogue, their attitude towards each other. For example the protagonist always shows his soft side to the audience through his dialogue.

Reflection One

How does the mise en scene help to establish the genre? Give examples from our screening

Mise en scene indicates what genre we are in by showing us the unique characteristics of that genre, for example in Western genre, the setting is usually in a desert, the characters usually involve with cowboys and indians, people usually carry guns around, there is always a 'hero' involved that is a loner, and the plot is about vengeance and justice. In our screening of The Magnificent Seven, mise en scene was used in the color of the costumes and the props. The farmers lived in a village in the middle of a desert, wearing white robes and cowboy hats, and the bandits rode on horses, carried guns and wore cowboy hats. From the mise en scene, we can easily tell the genre.

Using Final Cut Pro (25/2 Lesson notes)

Final Cut Pro Tutorial:

1. Close everything on computer
2. Open Final Cut Pro

(Preference Manager - trash -> final cut pro)

3. Select:
Format: AppleProRes422
Primary Scratch Disk: Final Cut Pro --> documents --> Final Cut Pro Documents

4. Put documents on to timeline/sequence

5. Capturing/Digitizing:
(-log and capture : tape based for firewire)
-use log and transfer instead

-Name Preset: Clip Date/Time

6. Drag Clips onto sequence

7. File --> New --> Bin
for organizing

8. If sequence doesn't match clip settings (for example fps), drop a clip to the sequence to match the settings

Work Flow for editing:

• Log and capture 
• Assembly edit 
• Rough cut 
• Fine cut 
• Lock picture
• Sound edit
• SFX / title / music 
• Final cut + export

Reverse Storyboarding Notes

Pre-production:

• scripts
• storyboard
• shot list
• casting
• location scouting
• budgeting
• costume/makeup
• props

How does pre-production affect production?

Storyboard:

Visual references are used by the director and cameraman

Depending on type of shoot, previs tools can be used to layout title sequences

Stick figures or stylized characters

Rule of thirds

-more beautiful/important if on the side

Website:
Videomaker.com - How to make a storyboard, storyboard lingo and techniques