Category: Old Production Projects

SUMMARY

Role: Cinematographer

Main Inspiration: The Invisible Man (2020)

Intention (SMART Goal)

Specific: I want to create tension, like a horror/thriller movie, with my camera work, utilizing eerie POV shots and empty space.

Measurable: This is measurable in what the film made those who watched feel, so it is measured by feedback from the audience.

Achievable: The motivation for this goal is my interest in making films of the horror/thriller genre, and my interest in The Invisible Man (2020), and how the cinematography contributes to the suspense.

Relevant: I am setting this goal now because it is what I am interested in, and I have never worked on a film in the horror/thriller genre, so it will be expanding my skills and perspective.

Time-Bound: We will be setting a deadline for the film, about 1-2 months from when we start, and it is realistic because it is more time than we had last year for the production cycle. This extra time should account for the challenges of completely online learning, and it is also flexible.

PRE-PRODUCTION – INQUIRY

Leader(s) in the Field / Exemplary Work(s)

I chose Leigh Wannell’s The Invisible Man

• (0:27) We see Cecilia (played by Elisabeth Moss) framed on the far right, leaving lots of empty space to her left, unsettling the audience and making us think something is there in that empty space.
• (0:40) Cecilia sets the knife down on the counter and walks to the right, but we see the knife “fall” off the counter. The knife is small in the frame, and watching it the first time, the movement catches your eye and it looks like the knife fell, but you never hear it hit the ground, which is very unsettling and makes us as the audience think it may be the invisible man.
• (0:46) The burner is turned up, which, just like the knife, is a small almost imperceptible motion, and the first time I saw it, I wasn’t even sure if it had been turned up at all. These small things leave us feeling unsettled and anxious, as it is somewhat clear to us that the invisible man is now here.
  • This is further corroborated by the fact that Cecilia is now out of the frame. We are anxious to see where she is, and we feel that the man is here because the frame is just the empty kitchen, with odd things happening.
  • We continue as the camera stays still, with the same framing, and we slowly see the pan (with eggs and bacon in it) burn and start smoking, and then catch fire. This is the slow, unsettling suspense that this movie has.

• The covers are pulled off Cecilia as she sleeps. When she gets up to get them, and she grabs them, she senses or hears something odd, so she turns around and looks at a seemingly empty chair.
• (1:24) We see this empty chair, framed in the middle of a shot like a subject would be. Cecilia’s fear, along with our knowledge from the previous breakfast scene that the invisible man was in her house and still could be, makes us wholeheartedly believe he is sitting in the chair.
• (1:57) Cecilia is pulling the blankets back to the bed and someone steps on the end. She tries in vain to continue pulling them but then sees the outline of footsteps on the end, and the footsteps slowly walk towards her. The lack of most sound in this scene besides muffled footsteps and her breathing makes for an even scarier scene.

• (3:04) An open, seemingly empty doorway is framed. Though the video clip above does not continue the scene, Cecelia talks to the man she thinks is in the doorway, invisible. We know he is real, and because of the framing and her, we highly suspect he is right there. But, because he is invisible, and this is present throughout the whole movie, we never know if he is actually there unless he is actively doing something. We get lots of slow shots of empty rooms, doorways, etc, and we suspect that is where he is, but we will never really know.

The New York Times: ‘The Invisible Man’ Review: Gaslight Nation, Domestic Edition

“Whannell does a lot that’s smart here, including the way he uses bodies in rooms. He likes to isolate Cecilia in the shot, surrounding her with negative space that at first seems to be just visually expressing her feelings of isolation. This dovetails with how he deploys differing points of view, as he shifts from what Cecilia sees to seemingly unmotivated camera moves, like a pan to an empty corner.”

This article is a positive review, talking about Elisabeth Moss’s “full bore-performance” and the director’s smart decisions.

Training Source(s)

• (0:39) Start of example
• Observations:
  • Blue/green dark lighting
  • Tracking shots
  • Lots of shadows
  • POV shot from outside the house looking in
• (1:47) Breaking the example down
  • Slow camera movements to create suspense
  • (2:18) First shot long slow one-take shot
    • Makes the viewer anticipate what could be next, where Sarah went, and what’s around the corner
    • Leaves the subject (Sarah) for a few seconds, the empty kitchen we see creating suspense
    • (3:16) Using negative space
      • Framed Sarah on the far right of the frame, leaving lots of negative space to the left, makes it feel like something belonged in that left side of the frame, we see the shadow of a mysterious figure run by
      • (4:35) Utilizing really long shadows
        • Adds mystery as we don’t know what is causing the shadow
        • Use hard lighting and low key lighting for strong shadows
  • (3:59) The second shot is from outside, we see Sarah looking out her window, we are in the POV of what could be hiding in the bushes
    • Shooting from behind something gives the viewer the perspective of someone or something that could be there
    • Adds to the fear factor of being watched
  • (5:04) Summary:
    1. Slow camera movements
    2. Part ways with your subject
    3. Negative space
    4. Shooting from behind something
    5. Shadows
  • (6:09) Lighting
    • Moonlit scene
    • Many horror movies take advantage of low key lighting
      • “Low key lighting is a lighting technique for film that focuses on accentuating shadows by using hard source lighting in a scene”
    • Relied on just the moonlight lighting, no additional lights inside the house
    • Moonlight for first shot
      • Aputure Mini 20 aimed at the front door where Sarah is walking in
        • Cooler temperature, around 700 degrees Kelvin
        • No diffusion because shears/light see-through curtains on the doors/windows acted as diffusion
        • On full blast because not very strong light
      • Aputure Mini 20 aimed at camera right, window right by the door
        • Keeps consistency in the moonlight
        • Casts lots of shadows
        • Silhouettes Sarah
        • The same curtain on the window acting as a diffuser
      • Aputure 120DII pointed through the back window at the couch
        • No diffusion to keep shadows but reflection cone that came with it
        • Windows don’t have any curtains
        • CTB color temperature blue gel over it to match moonlight
        • 75% power
    • Mirrors good tool to use, to add depth, add a character in the mirror, etc. Just be careful and make sure you can’t see the camera, or cinematographer, etc.
    • Second shot lighting
      • 
      • Light straight above the bush shooting down to give an edge to the leaves
      • The light inside the house bouncing off a light reflector card to side light her face, so we can see enough of her face to see her expression
      • Low power light shining on the side of the house to keep up the moonlit look

Project Timeline

1. Obtain the skills needed for the session by researching cinematography, and more specifically, the cinematography in horror.
2. Create/share trello board and google drive team folder with the group
3. Set film intention/goal with the group and record in Trello
4. Set the tone for the film with the group after discussing genre, style, theme, and inspiration for the film and record all in Trello
   Prepare equipment
   Practice set up and recording
5. Work with the director on:
   1. Add equipment to shotlist
   2. Compose mise-en-scéne in the storyboard
   3. Map lights / reflectors / green screen for blocking
   4. Map camera(s) and movement for blocking
6. Compose equipment checklist
7. Record on storyboard/shotlist:
   1. Light meter settings
   2. Camera manual settings
   3. Camera ISO, shutter speed
   4. Lens focal length
   5. Lens aperture
   6. Composition Rule(s)
8. Film scenes with group
9. Help with shot log

Complete film production forms with linked resources

Summary

Role: Director

Intention (SMART Goal)

By 3/18 as a part of team 5, I will have completed this blog post, examining the process of directing to be able to make one rough cut.

PRE-PRODUCTION – INQUIRY

Leader in the Field / Exemplary Work(s)

Steven Spielberg

• The use of silence in this clip is very well done, you can feel the tension rising as the boy is poking around Peter’s face
• The slow smile and recognition in the children’s eyes and on their faces is well shot

Interview

• He still admires other directors
• He listens to his instincts for movies
• After being criticized for too many kid’s movies, he added more notes of maturity in his career.

Training Source(s)

Eye Tracing:

• 0:11 – Use cinematic techniques to draw eyes to a portion of the frame and then place important information there
• 1:07 – Three main techniques to draw the eye’s of the viewer to where you want them; motion, position, and color
• 1:13 – Motion can be movement of the camera, performers, or even small graphic in the scene
• 1:36 – Color can be used to evoke certain emotions from the viewer
• 2:31 – Motion: analyze Steven Spielberg shot: Our eyes follow the waiter because he uses a medium shot size, a shallow depth of field, and a tracking movement
• 2:43 – Positioning: (in the same shot) Our eyes follow the waiter until they land on our subject where he is positioned
• 3:04 – Add multiple shots under one camera placement
• 3:31 – Storyboard allows you to see vectors of each scene and where the viewer’s eyes will be
• 3:49 – Color: Using one colored element in a black and white film to draw attention to that throughout the scene. Example: girl in the red coat, our eyes follow her as the chaos around her unfolds
• 4:43 – Motion: using camera props and actors. Positioning: where you place subjects in the established view. Color: where you use color to draw the viewer’s eyes.

Project Timeline

• • Get into production teams and figure out basic concepts and roles
  • Meet with role teams to research directing and finish blog pre-production blog post
  • Divide and conquer different sections (using the half sheet)
  • Take individual notes on exemplary works and leaders in the field
  • Publish/update the blog once pre-production section is complete
  • Rejoin your production team and create a team folder
  •  Flesh out a basic storyboard
  • Show where blocking is incorporated in the storyboard
  • Finish screenplay, identify beats in the script
  • work on advanced storyboard as a team, and identify where the movement will be
  • Create a loose schedule (what shots on what days, how long will it take)
  • Get a rough cut, guiding actors to convey strong and weak movements
  • Incorporate guiding eye movement in the film: How to Use Walter Murch’s Eye Trace to “Direct the Eye” with Cinematic Editing
  • Put evidence of 6 tasks into evidence slideshow, visuals only, one thing per slide
  • Practice with the team to create a flow while presenting
  • Pitch film to teammates, then advisors

PRODUCTION – ACTION

The (FILM, SOUND, or GAME Creation)

POST-PRODUCTION – REFLECTION

21st Century Skills

Ways of Thinking (Creativity, Innovation, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving)

Ways of Working (Communication & Collaboration)

Tools for Working (Info & Media Literacy)

Ways of Living in the World (Life & Career)

Reactions to the Final Version

Self-Evaluation of Final Version

Grammar and Spelling

Grammarly

Editor

Moira Kelley

Summary

Role: Director

Intention (SMART Goal)

Specific: I will practice and learn how to use SCRUM techniques more effectively.
Measurable: This is measurable through how well we use systems like Trello and our burndown chart. If we use tools like these effectively, we will have gotten better at SCRUM.
Achievable: I have the skills required for this goal because I am used to working in teams, and specifically with most of the members of my team, and have used Trello and the burndown charts before. The motivation for this goal is that the burndown charts before haven’t been successful, and our Trello boards could definitely improve.
Relevant: I am setting this goal now so that I can practice SCRUM techniques and get better and better at them, so I can use them in team projects throughout my whole life.
Time-Bound: The deadline is the end of the session, which is in about 2 weeks, and it is realistic because it is the same length sprint that we have been doing all year, so I am used to the timeline.

PRE-PRODUCTION – INQUIRY

Leader in the Field / Exemplary Works

I chose Jordan Peele, who directed the two horror films Get Out and Us.

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/review-jordan-peeles-us-is-a-colossal-cinematic-achievement
This article talks about why Jordan Peele’s Us is a great film, and “colossal cinematic achievement.” A few of the key points are that he uses point of view shots to really put the audience in the position of the characters, and how in his shots every little detail matters, and how he controls tone throughout the film.

https://youtu.be/Uy7Cfb5157w

At 1:30 you can see Jordan Peele’s attention to detail and symbolism in one of the opening shots, as you see the number 11 representing twin 1s and the movies on the shelf like The Man With Two Brains.
At 1:45 we see the twin towers in the Hand Across America ad, which is both a symbol of tragedy and another instance of twins.
At the breaks in between commercials, and specifically at 2:13, we see the little girl’s reflection on the black TV screen, yet another instance of twins.
These are all instances of Jordan Peele’s amazing attention to detail, just within the first 3 minutes of the movie.

Training Sources

Screenwriting Beats:

• 1:34 – Avoid a list of “and then’s” that you can put in any order
• 1:44 – “Therefore” or “but” between every beat
• 2:40 – Always have two stories in parallel, use “meanwhile back at the ranch” as a rule
• 3:40 – “It’s not about what you get, it’s about how you cut it”

 

Blocking Operation and Control:

• 0:33 – Blocking in cinema is where you put the actors in the frame
• 0:42 – The 3 visual elements of blocking are space, shapes, and lines
• 1:23 – Space: the boy is framed in the very back of the shot, through the window, as being very small, since he is not participating in the conversation and as a child has very little power. His mother is closer to the camera, looming larger and looking more imposing, while his father is farther away and less imposing, with less power.
• 1:37 – Shapes: everything around us can be turned into 3 basic shapes; a triangle, square, or circle
• 1:48 – Shapes: Circles feel inclusive, squares create limited space boxing someone in, triangles feel sharp, aggressive, and have an apex
• 2:49 – Lines: Character standing up = vertical line = more in control/more power. Character sitting back/laying down = horizontal line = less power/control

Project Timeline

1. Obtain the skills needed for the session by researching directing, using all the links on the session page (http://osd-chs.ss16.sharpschool.com/cms/One.aspx?portalId=64038&pageId=25662886)
2. Prepare for production by getting all worksheets (acting and blocking, advanced storyboard, etc.)
3. Organize the team folder and Trello as needed
4. Propose film ideas for the team
5. Understand clear vision for the film
6. Apply skills learned in pre-production in production
7. Illustrate film by making storyboards
8. Justify decisions made in the presentation
9. Incorporate verbal-verbal visual with notecards
10. Impress the committee with our presentation

PRODUCTION – ACTION

The (FILM, SOUND, or GAME Creation)

https://youtu.be/80vLkOdzOpE

POST-PRODUCTION – REFLECTION

21st Century Skills

Ways of Thinking (Creativity, Innovation, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving)

We solved problems within our team such as absences and non-participation and were creative together with things like how we could film without a script.

Ways of Working (Communication & Collaboration)

Our team overall communicated pretty well, but we had one member who was absent a lot and did not keep in contact while he was absent. We did our best without him though and still got a finished product.

Tools for Working (Info & Media Literacy)

We used google drive to organize our sound files, planning documents like the script, and audio files. We also used a Trello board and the scrum system to keep ourselves organized and keep track of our progress.

Ways of Living in the World (Life & Career)

If I do end up going into the film industry, everything that I am learning will be useful for whatever role I end up in. Skills like presenting and organization are things that I can use in all areas of my life, like school and whatever job I get.

Reactions to the Final Version

“Good choices with actor body language. Needs establishing moment so we can zone in on film.”
-Eric, advisory film committee member

“I really like how your actors moved, it really sold the story.”
-Ethan, peer

This shows that I accomplished one of my goals in this session, which was to understand and effectively use strong and weak actor movements to emphasize the characters and their dynamics.
It also shows that I have the area to improve, and our time constraint showed in the fact that we had no establishing shot.

Self-Evaluation of Final Version

Simple – Our idea was simple so that it would not be confusing for viewers and was easy to understand.

Unexpected – The climax of our film was unexpected, with Rebecca confronting Britney.

Concrete – Our film was memorable because of the teenage drama theme, and the emotional tension.

Emotional – Our film was a drama, and it was clear that both of the actors had very strong feelings about the conversation that they were having. We built tension throughout our film and tried to keep the audience engaged.

What I Learned and Problems I Solved

Some problems we solved were having no screenplay or storyboard for filming, our screenwriter being gone most of the time, and the fact that we had only two weeks for the entire project. I learned more about blocking and actor movements, and team collaboration.

Grammar and Spelling

Grammarly

Editor

Moira Kelley

Summary

My goal as an individual was to create a cinematic film look, and our goal as a group was to have better planning this time around. We definitely came out with a better product, but again there were a lot of absences and small problems to be solved. This time though, we worked through the problems and came out with a film that we were proud of.

21st Century Skills

Ways of Thinking – We solved multiple problems with our soundtrack and absences, and our idea was very creative.

Ways of Working – Our team collaborated very well, and communicated with each other even when we weren’t at school.

Tools for Working – We had a shared folder in Google Drive, where we put all of our camera shots, audio files, and shared documents like the script. We also used Studiobinder to create our shot list and advanced storyboard templates.

Ways of Living in the World – I learned more skills with editing, working with the camera, and organization to help me build my resume and career.

The (FILM, SOUND, or GAME Creation)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vRoapkATrzPGN49A2YntTa14xEYjVOum/view?usp=sharing

Reactions to the Final Version

“B+W way contrasted. The intention was clear+deliberate. Very effective+well used.”
Mr. LeDuc, teacher

This shows that my effort to create a cinematic look, and that I succeeded in my goal.

“I loved the contrast between the dark and the light, the intentional color difference.”
-Adeline, peer

This shows it was evident that our team intentionally dressed one character in all white and all dark to create contrast.

Evaluation of the Final Version

Simple – Our film was a very simple idea of Diane being composed and organized, and Jessy being messy, with both her coloring and her looks. Diane ends up liking Jessy’s work even though it’s a mess, and it sends the message that everyone can create their own art, and we shouldn’t worry too much about what others think.

Unexpected – It was unexpected in our film when Diane at the very end ended up liking Jessy’s coloring.

Concrete – The language in our script was very sensory, and painted a vivid picture of what we wanted the film to look like.

Emotional – Our film had music that increased and decreased tension, and the romantic drama genre was emotional.

Stories – Our film told the story of two different people, one perceived as above the other, but they both color and make their own works of art.

What I Learned and Problems I Solved

I learned that editing takes more time than we thought, for both of our previous sessions. We were rushed to finish our film, and in the end, the music cut a few times to a different beat, as there was no time to fully edit it in. One of the problems we had was our sound designer being on vacation and bringing the wrong computer, so she could not finish our soundtrack, and no one could edit it. We took the very first rough draft of the soundtrack and ended up cutting and using certain parts of it for our final film.

Summary

Our goals were to communicate successfully, stay organized, and create a film with really good blocking. We had a lot of problems like people being absent and our filming location falling through, but all in all, we got a finished product that was not horrible, and we learned a lot.

21st Century Skills

Ways of Thinking – Our team showed creativity in the bold decisions we made with our shots, like the very low shot of one of our main characters, showing that she’s the one controlling things.

Ways of Working – We communicated well on organization and planning, and made sure we were always clear on what needed to happen. All of our documents were shared, and accessible to anyone in our team anything.

Tools for Working – We had a shared folder in Google Drive, where we put all of our camera shots, audio files, and shared documents like the script.

Ways of Living in the World – Our team demonstrated good communication skills, and we met the deadline for our film. Although we were behind, we eventually got it put together at the last minute and did have a finished product.

The (FILM, SOUND, or GAME Creation)

https://youtu.be/hMxxW5QwkfM

Reactions to the Final Version

“The first half of the film was really good. There were beats, rhythm, and it was well put together.”
Eric Belgan, Professional Screenwriter

We were rushed in the second half of our film, and Eric acknowledges that in his critique of the second half of our film, but he did like the first part, where the most planning and detail went into.

“The editing was pretty fluent, but there were some awkward spaces/pauses.”
Adeline, Peer

Evaluation of the Final Version

Simple – Our script was one page, and we adapted it to be a bit simpler. We wanted to focus more on blocking then the plot.

Unexpected – We did not have a lot of surprises in our story, but I feel the tension caused in it was enough to keep the audience engaged.

Concrete – Our film was solid, and I think we told our story well in an interesting way with the lighting we chose and the bold shot angle camera decisions.

Emotional – Our film built-up tension, and with the whole do-you-love-me story added an emotional relationship aspect to it.

Stories – Our screenplay was given to us, but we adapted it in an understandable way that we thought would add more tension and make it a bit simpler.

What I Learned and Problems I Solved

I learned that sometimes you can plan too much. We were behind when we started filming, and it all together took a lot longer than we anticipated. Our cinematographer was absent for a few days, and our sound designer was absent throughout the whole production process. Our original shooting location fell through, and I only had two days to edit the final film. All in all, we just took a really long time in pre-production and did not manage our time very well.

Summary

Our goals were to communicate successfully, stay organized, and create a film we were proud of. We accomplished these goals. It was very clear throughout our team who was to do what, and what needed to get done when. We stayed organized and got everything done by the deadline.

21st Century Skills

Ways of Thinking – Our team showed creativity in our idea of interviewing someone for stealing and eating cereal like it was a very serious crime. We solved problems by planning

Ways of Working – We communicated well on what the director’s vision was, and what he wanted in the script, the camera shots, and the editing. He helped our editor, Pear, a lot with using Premiere Pro, which she had never used before, and made sure she knew how to do everything necessary for our film.

Tools for Working – We had a shared folder in Google Drive, where we put everything from screenshots of the script to our storyboard and camera shots. I also used Celtx to write the script, and Studiobinder to organize.

Ways of Living in the World – Our team demonstrated good communication skills, and we met the deadline for our film. We did not let disagreements turn into bad arguments, and we were always civil with each other while doing a good job.

The (FILM, SOUND, or GAME Creation)

Reactions to the Final Version

“The script had rhythmic language and short lines. The beginning, middle, and end were demonstrated.”
Eric Belgan, Professional Screenwriter

He saw that I accomplished having rhythm and beats in the script, partly because of the short dialogue lines. I also had a clear beginning, middle, and end, which I labeled in our powerpoint and worked hard to produce.

“The script was fluent and well written.”
Moira Kelley, Peer

Evaluation of the Final Version

Simple – Our idea was short, with still a 1-page screenplay, and we cut down on our original idea to make sure our film was short enough and easy to execute. With our dialogue, the film was easy to understand and there was no confusion as to the plot.

Unexpected – We did not have a lot of surprises in our story, but I feel the tension caused in it was enough to keep the audience engaged.

Concrete – Our film was solid, and I think we told our story well in an interesting way with the lighting we chose, etc.

Emotional – Our film built-up tension, which kept the audience’s attention as well as created some emotion in the film. You could also feel sympathy for Will, and the bad cop’s anger at Will.

Stories – Our screenplay was well written, and the story we had was told in a clear and understandable way.

What I Learned and Problems I Solved

I learned that it is good to keep the guidelines in mind while thinking of ideas. We tried at first to go for a more complicated idea, but the screenplay was longer than one page so we had to cut a lot out of our idea while still making it easy to understand and communicate what we wanted to.

Summary

Our goal as a team was to make a product that we were proud of. My job as a director was to make decisions for my team. All together, our team as a whole worked really well together and we were all proud of the film we made, especially with it being our first film. As a director, I made a lot of decisions like to re-write the script and modify our original idea by a lot, narrowing it down to something more specific then our original idea.

21st Century Skills

Ways of Thinking: We showed problem solving in completely adapting and changing our original film idea, and creating a whole new script for
Ways of Working:
Tools for Working: Templates for storyboards and shot logs on the internet, studio binder for shot lists, etc.
Ways of Living in the World:

The FILM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBGOkq2xPw0&feature=youtu.be

Reactions to Final Version

I got feedback from Elizabeth about my vision being really clear, and well executed. She was a director as well, and recognized how hard it was to have a clear vision and direct based off of that, making a lot of decisions. I also got feedback from one of the critics, (critic name), that our team had really good communication, so that everyone in our team knew the vision and understood what they had to do to help put it together. The only “bad” feedback that we got was from another one of the critics, (critic name), and he mentioned the noticeable cut in the audio, but admired our sound producer for creating his own music.

Evaluation of Final Version

Simple- our story was very basic and simple, and the script was very short. We wanted to focus a lot on the film making process, and less on how good our plot was.
Unexpected- since the film did not have a lot of dialogue, you had to draw conclusions from what you were seeing. There was not a lot of backstory, so as you were watching the film you didn’t really know what was going to happen next.
Concrete-
Credible-N/A
Emotional- The film showed emotion with the music in the background, and made you sympathize with Damian when he got a C- in the film. The more upbeat music as we had the studying montage, and him getting an A, made you feel happy for him, and like you could accomplish things too.
Stories-

What I Learned and Problems I Solved

I learned that having a lot of communication and collaboration is key. One of the problems I solved was that at the beginning, we didn’t have a lot of good ideas and it was sort of a jumbled mess. I picked one idea out of there, and had a clear vision for it. Because of our good communication, the film came together in a good way, and looked like we thought it would.