Prompt 6 – Reflection on the course

During this whole semester, I’ve got a big improvement, from I didn’t know anything about this course to I can use basic skills to edit a video by using Adobe Premiere.

At the beginning of this semester, I’ve never involved in the fields of film making, like editing or shooting a video, even I’ve never touched the camcorder before. So I felt frustrated after the first class that Jeremy asked us to do some exercises by using Adobe Premiere, particularly after I saw other classmates were able to use the similar film editor software. I didn’t know anything about these techniques, at one time, I got a idea that I want to change this program.

But now, I love this program, I find more interesting things during the process of learning. Also, I can use some basic skills to edit a video by using Adobe Premiere, like I know that how to insert the music into a sequence, how to add some special effects in the clips or how to adjust the color grade of a scene. In addition, I know the fundamental structure of a camcorder and the basic steps to use it, like how to  zoom in or out, how to adjust the exposure by using the Zebra stripes or how to focus on a subject.

Accordingly, I’ve already achieved to my smaller goals and desires that I mentioned at the beginning of the semester. This exactly is a meaningful thing for me. I believed that I would be successful after accomplishing the smaller goals one by one. So I’m really looking forward to the adventure at next semester.

Prompt 5 – Color Grade

Before

After

After

I tried to use the Secondary Color Correction to adjust the color of the sky, changing from a gloomy sky to a blue sky. The Secondary Color Correction is able to work on a portion of the image. Like this clip, I just want change the sky color, so I need to make a selection of this sky. At first, I clicked the triangle of Secondary Color Correction before I chose the picker where it says center choose, this way can select the area you want to change by using the eye dropper or eye dropper plus. Then a white, grey and black image came up when I clicked the Show Mask. The white part just shows your selection. And I “push-pull” the sliders of Saturation, Luma, Hue many times to get the result I want. Finally, I adjusted the Shadows, Midtones and Highlights by using the Three-Way Color Corrector after turning off the Mask.

After

I also used same method that I mentioned before to change the building color, but I think I didn’t control this color correction very well, particularly in the adjustment of this building shadows, midtones and highlights.

 

Before

After

I still used Secondary Color Correction to adjust my face color, but it looks not very well, my face is so brighter than before. I just want to remove my eye dark circle, now it may work in this image, but other parts of my face become brighter.

After

I also tried to brighten the background color. It’s more colorful than before, especially showing in the green tree and grass.

Before

After

After

After

In this clip, I tried to make the image in different tones, from cooler color to warm color, by using the Three-way Color Corrector. Also, I clicked the Show Split View to see the contrast between before and after the color grade in the same image. Like this,

Split view

I think that if you want to get a satisfied result, you will adjust the color grade of a clip thousands times.

 

Prompt 4 – The Edit and Reflection on your ‘Documentary in a Day’

Here is the documentary:

In pre-production, we chose a indoor location and set the scene together for shooting this mini documentary at first. For our group, interview is this documentary’s primary convention. So we chose a white wall as the background and used the green plants as an ornament in this scene. Then we began to prepare the shooting equipment, such as setting only one camera right in front of the interviewee because we just shoot one person in our documentary, setting the warm light for the interviewee, and helping the interviewee to set up the lapel mics in the right place.  In professional situations everyone in a crew has their own responsibilities, like the director, first AD, interviewer, camera operator, audio and lighting technicians. In our group, we just have six person, so we decided to take turns playing different roles in this process.

In production, I’ve already been a first AD in ‘Lenny Intensive’, this time I tried to do different jobs. But I think that the camera man is more difficult one of these jobs. As we know, interview has normal rules of framing. In most cases the interviewee should face slightly left or right of the camera. This shows that the he/she is talking to someone else, but I need to avoid the severe profiles in this process. Interviewee should always be able to see their both eyes in the frame, because people prefer to see someone’s whole face when they talk. So I think that to control the frame of interview shots is hard for me. Also, in common interview shots, interviews tend to use medium close-up (MCU) that may appropriate for when the guest is talking about something personal or emotional. But I think that the light location set up a little unreasonable, the shadow of the plants being reflected on the wall made the me stressful and uncomfortable when I saw this scene in the camera. Of course, this is just my own opinion, I will try to set up the light more reasonable at next time.

In post-production, I began to edit this mini documentary by using Adobe Premiere. In this process, I think that the most important thing is that how to organize all footage logically for a completed documentary. There are three interviews in my documentary, so I wanted to edit this documentary based on the kinds of questions which interviewees answered. I need to consider a basic structure and make sure the timing of edit at first, such as there are three interviews in my documentary, using the B-roll I shoot before, which may show the location at the beginning of the documentary, and begin concentrating on the interviewees with an MCU. Also, I putted the subtitle of their names beside their face during the period of they inducing themselves. In additional, using the gaps between the questions that every interviewees finished to respond let the audience have more time to ponder.

Prompt 3 – Forbidden Lies

At the beginning, there is a woman singing a beautiful love song with different audio effects, such as ‘ hear these words and set her free’ with a sound of blowing away the scarf and so on, to establish a specific ambience that is jarringly crushed when a female voice suddenly interrupts the music as she assertively comments ‘this is not the truth’. In the clip, a woman standing in the dessert disappeared as the click of building disintegrates. The sudden cutting of the music functions to jolt the audience out of a complacent situation while encouraging them to realize that the dramatic reconstruction just seen are completely untrue.

Then to follow the Israeli journalist, she describes her life and the investigation of Jordanian women’s deaths via voice-over. This would have been recorded in a master interview in a contrived setting, with, most likely, a lapel microphone. The background music is a very faint Arabic song to provide a slight ambience during her introduction. Norma then appears as she reads her book in sections which then jump to Dr. Sabbagh proving that Norma’s words are all incorrect and filled with lies. Suddenly, the sound effect of a camera shutter punctuates moments when Norma’s deceit has been revealed, suggesting that she has been ‘caught in the act’.

The sound of next sequence is really interesting. I can hear the author’s voice layered above the journalist, both reading the same section. Although they’re voices are inter-cut, we can still hear a clear distinction between the recordings of these voices. This way may highlight the contrast between Norma’s words and the journalists. Also, upbeat music sounds as the journalist and Dr.Sabbagh begins to rapidly expose the flaws from the book. Voice-over of these three person is used during the reconstruction shots, cutting between the authors voice reading the questionable passages from the book, and the arguments from the two investigators. As each flaw is revealed, different sound effects are layered above the music; the camera shutter, the rattle, the cash register to make the vanishing ashtray and the cartoon sounds as the building disintegrates.

Accordingly, audio effects is a really crucial part in a film. Different audio effects express different emotion and build different environment for audience, like the sound of a cash register suggests journalist motivation, and bells and other silvery sounds indicate her imaginative flights of fancy.

 

Prompt 2 – No Direction Home

This small part of the documentary film uses different conventions to display, even though it is just a two-minute clip, such as using the actual footage to show Dylan’s performance, the archive footage to describe his experience of earlier years, and the interviews of Dylan to tell us about his real life. It clearly means that a number of common techniques or conventions are used in documentaries to achieve different aims and brings different feelings to audience.

The beginning of this clip shows a man playing the guitar and singing a classic song-‘Like a Rolling Stone’, from a tracking shot with his back to a zoom shot with his front. I think that this way brings the sense of mysterious to audience. Then through the changes of the camera techniques I can clearly see his face, a famous American singer Bob Dylan. The title of this documentary ‘No Direction Home’ is taken from lyric of the song ‘Like a Rolling Stone’. Obviously, this documentary traces the life of Bod Dylan, and ‘No direction home’ be a title, it implies that Scorsese may focus on the conflict between Dylan’s family and his musical road.

Bob Dylan briefly introduced the reasons why he began to touch music, a little experience of his early years in this two minute video. At the end of the clip, he introduced his father and brother. So I guess the rest of film will show more information of his family, his early experience, and how hard he walks on the road of music.

Prompt 1 – Introduction to Documentary

The Participatory Mode

Bill Nichols (2010) describes that the participatory mode welcomes direct engagement between filmmaker and subject – the filmmaker becomes part of the events being recorded. This mode became popular around 1960 when new technology allowed for sync sound recording.In addition, the spectator can join in this mode as participant as well.

This mode welcomes the director and camera participating in the lens. And the creator (director) would never hide behind the screen, but he would rather showing in the documentary with the role of mentor, critic, interrogator, or provocateur. This behavior does not affect the reality of the historical event or the event which the editor is willing to present to the audience. Under this circumstance, director and camera are exposed initiatively to the lens and they are admitted to exist in the documentary by the creator. It is certified that admitting the camera and director in the lens is the most distinctive feature of participatory mode. There is no script preparation before participatory documentary shooting, but the director would collect the date and proofs and then arrange them appropriately in order to present what the reality. So that the documentary would appeal to the audience to think deeply and start to concern about what the director is willing to let them do. Through material arrangement, director is more likely to present the full-featured event. I like this mode because it is kind of designed by the director. What audience see on the screen is what the director desire to let them see. It would be poetic and artistic rather than realistic solidly. Only with the admission of the camera existence, then all the reality may literally present in front of the audience. The participatory mode would create a picture-in-the-picture effect which would increase the impact of the documentary.

Personally I like this mode, because I,the director, would be involved in the documentary that makes me have a sense of achievement. I join in the material arrangement and put all the things together, then present the shot.

Build a teamwork under culturally diverse backgrounds

Here is our project IMDP page link and two versions of videos below.

In the whole semester, knowing how to cooperate with other people who comes from diverse background during creating the project is a meaningful thing that I learned from this course. Because we’ve done every project through a teamwork that consists of partners with different backgrounds. However, it is a difficult thing which not only requires the teamwork, but also needs to be done by working with the people grown up in different cultures.

At first, the language was a big challenge for us.  Since we can only communicate with each other by only one language – English, it means that even though we might use the same words, we understand those in different ways. So sometimes we can not express our ideas and communicate with each other efficiently when we were in group discussion particularly.

Additionally, we often hold diverse views in creating a new project, and I think that it is the hardest to make a balance between our different ideas, because everyone would like sticking to their own points rather than compromising and accepting the others’. Also, sometimes the sense of inferiority will be showed when the team member disagree or dismiss the concepts you mentioned before, which may lead to an unwillingness to express ideas.

However, cultural diversity in a teamwork becomes more and more important. It is beneficial for an organization or a corporation. According to a research, Myrna(2010) suggests that the multifaceted points of view, ideas and experiences of team members from various backgrounds enhance creativity, innovation, flexibility and productivity. Because the group can help people prevent groupthink by creating diverse teams with people of different backgrounds and cultures. It means that diversity provides a greater variety of perspectives and ideas, which can lead to more creative solutions during the process of creating a new project.

Accordingly, a team is a group of individuals working together to achieve a common goal. Although they are united in cooperative effort, they may have diverse beliefs, values, perspectives, personalities, communication styles, educational levels, talents, behaviors, abilities, and cultural and experiential background (Buchner, 2010). I think that building strong teamwork begins with trust and clear communication, even for the people coming from different countries. So I will try to overcome the communication problems by asking questions rather than assuming when I listen to other people’s idea, and I am willing and open to change my own idea if it benefits the group in the future.

Resources:

Bucher, R. D. (2010). Diversity consciousness: Opening our minds to people, cultures, and opportunities. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Myrna D. Washington. (2010). Diversity and Teamwork. Reviewed from http://www.academia.edu/8494613/Diversity_and_Teamwork

Prompt 6 – A Scene

Analyse a scene from Johnny English Reborn
This scene describes a man standing behind a glass to supervise and control Johnny to kill someone. The lighting is a little dark and shadowy in this room and the color closes to a cold color blue and green, which can build up a nervous and suspense atmosphere for a murder planning.

People having a meeting displays through an over-the-shoulder shot, also we can see  a man reflected from the glass and Johnny sit opposite of him.

Then a medium shot tells us the man behind the glass is asking Johnny to ‘stand up and go to the water table’.

This shot may be used by a crane or a jib, I’m not sure about it. I just see the overall view in this shot and the camera may be set in a higher position. From this shot with a high angle, we can clearly understand what’s happen in here – someone is behind the glass, three people have a meeting in here and Johnny is walking to a table.

A panning shots from here, we can see Johnny’s action and facial expression, then he stand the opposite of the man and his body reflected from the window. (How does the camera set that it can’t be reflected from the glass and the characters can come out at the same time on the glass?)

A close-up focuses on the weapon-a lipstick, then Johnny hold it and pain his lip following the man’s demand with a medium close-up. His facial express shows clearly in this shot.

Then the shot cut to a whole view with the wide shot, we can see the situation of this meeting – many people sit behind the glass and to supervise this meeting, and there is a woman comes out with a close-up at the moment, she says “something wrong”.

And then the background music achieves at a climax from the man asking Johnny to kill Shang. The music always build up different atmosphere for audience, like this shot, the music is really exciting that can make people feel nervous. There is a tracking shot to show the action of characters.

A track-in shot shows the woman facial expression changes and different angles with tracking shots to display the situation of characters from the woman’s view.

There is a jump cut between the action of the woman, the man and the Johnny. Also, Johnny hold the weapon to point to the Shang with a medium shot, then cut to a dirty shot and a medium shot to display other characters’ expression under a blur arm holding a weapon.

A dissolved transition combines a monk with characters and then the shot jumps to Johnny’s medium shot, it is clearly shows that a memory of Johnny helps him to stop the action.After that, the montage with different camera angles and tracking shots to film Johnny struggling with himself as the background music is increasingly exciting.

 

Is this shot that Johnny tries to take the lipstick with a dutch angle and a low angle?

A higher camera angle to look down upon the IT staff that he is working with the computer, then it cuts to a extreme close-up shot to focus on his figures to tell the audience what’s he doing behind the glass. The situation of the whole scene outside, other characters expression and actions displays by panning shots. Also, the camera moves quickly to show the nervous and urgent situation for audience.

There is a over-the-shoulder wide shot to show Johnny’s action and it clearly means that the relationship between the characters. Additionally, Johnny begins to dance as a happy music playing, this kind of background music means that the emergency of Johnny closes to finish and brings the comedy elements to audience.

The jump-cuts with the medium close-up to show three characters’ action and expression. The montage of Johnny’s dancing shoots in the wide shots from different views.

The background music plays most exciting again, and a close-up shot clearly shows the man angry expression. Other characters’ reflection displays by the jump-cuts after the action of the man controls Johnny exposed.

Prompt 5 – Lenny – reflection on

Here is the Lenny project.

During the course Sound and Image Intensive, I was happy to experience the almost real film-making process with my classmates, this is my first time to do it. I’m satisfied on our group work, closed to professionals, but there are still many problems and we need to notice and correct in the next time.

In pre-production, we determined the type of crew used during the filmmaking, I’ve been given the role of First AD. Then we created a storyboard together, draw some visual images to help us communicate our ideas effectively. We imagined different shot, angle or the action of characters in different scene. But sometimes, we also have some different ideas in this process, so how do we solve this?  We just communicate and discuss, again and again, the effects and impacts of the performance through assumption of a scene, choose the best one to apply. However, if we can’t achieve the agreement, we will listen to the director and production designer. So I think that in the storyboarding process, most technical details involved in crafting a film or interactive media project can be efficiently planned either in picture, or in additional text.

In production, we began to shot by following the storyboard, although we just had five people in the production group. As a First AD,  I assisted the director (Nghung) with respect to on-set production details,coordinates and supervises crew and cast activities. Before a shot started, I need to inform to inform everyone that a take is about to be recorded, and then “Quiet on set! We’re going for a take, everybody standing by!” Once everyone is ready to shoot, I called “roll camera”, and answered by the camera operator (Miro) once the camera is recording. The Camera Assistant  who is already in front of the camera with the clapperboard called”mark it!” and slaps it shut. And last is the director, told the actors “action!”. A shooting was beginning… I think that one of the most important responsibilities is to “call the roll”- that is, call out a series of specific cues for each take to make sure that all cast and crew on set have awareness of exactly what is going on so that they can play their specific role at the appropriate moment. Also, I believe that every staff in a production just have their own work, we need to try to do ourselves work best, do not meddle in other crew roles’ work.

In post-production, we looked through the footage before we started editing. I think that we can clearly notice many problems of filming on details during this process, like the exposure of a shot, the focus on characters, or the white balance adjustment. However, we try to minimize these problems by editing. For example, the white balance didn’t control very well during the shooting – some clips were closed to cold color blue and others were closed to warm color yellow, but we can fix it in Premiere through RGB curves. ( I learned this from YouTube by searching.) In addition, we also can add some basic effects into our clips, like inserting the music tracks (download the music online are in permission, import the music and drag it into the audio track), dissolves that can make our video transition quite natural (open the Dissolves folder and choose one kind of the dissolves, drag it into the video track you want to transit), or some texts in a shot (create a New Title in your project and there is a window pops up and text something, you can adjust the color or size you want, then drag it into the timeline).

I’ve learned a lot things from this experience, I will try to avoid the problems of film-making made it this time and I’m going to learn more skills about editing, shooting in the future.

Prompt 4 – Readings – Sound Design

Sound is an omnipresent part of our life, like the sound of rain, wind, the birds singing, the cars drove on the road, the machine rumbling and etc., almost everything has their own sound. Sound is a force that can excite feeling, express meaning, even resonating the body. Of course, sound design is also a more important process in film production. Indeed, I can feel the characters’ emotional change in different scene by the sound changing, I can feel that different sound builds up different environment in a scene, whatever in happy, sad or suspense. Through this reading, I learn many new knowledge about sound design.

Sound design represents the overall artistic styling of the sonic fabric in audio production, is the process of specifying, acquiring, manipulating or generating audio elements. For a sound designer, which is similar to cinematographer who is responsible for the overall look of a video or film, is responsible for the overall sound of a video or film (after the producer and director). So I think listening is pretty important to a sound designer, because he must be sensitive to all sound, pleasant or unpleasant, exciting or unexciting, significant or insignificant, well performed or poorly performed. Listening is not just to analyse both the components that make up a sound but also the relationship of a sound to its environment or the reaction of our mood and feeling.

Additionally, there are three elements in creating a sound design:speech, sound effects and music. I’ve generally summarized them through a graph as below:

Also, the Silence is a powerful element in a sound design- element important to sonic communication, sometimes the pauses or silences between words, sounds and musical notes that help to create rhythm, contrast and power effectively.

Sound design is essential to a film-making production. Different sounds can express different meaning and can build up different environment for the audience are able to experience a better effects in watching.