DIRECTING AND GETTING THE RIGHT SHOT

what is a shot? A shot can be defined as everything that describes the way a filmmaker has set up their camera for recording. These are the following things you need to do before you start recording:

1. you need to make your framing exactly how you want it to be: what exactly do you want it to be about. do you want it to be a close up shot or long shots.
2. Make sure the action in front of the camera is how you want it to be: action is everything we need to see in front of the camera. it is important for you not to rush. Let the actors know exactly what they are doing.Putting the camera on the tripod makes the camera move in different ways.
3. Your crew and your actors are exactly how you want them to be:when everyone is aware of what they are doing then it makes the job easier and fun.

DIRECTING CONTINUITY

Continuity and uncontrolled action

this means a systematic approach to filming.

Continuity and planned action

this means the planning of an action or an action happening in a systematic way.

DIRECTING PERFORMERS

Actors use different ways of getting into a character. They use their experiences to try and figure out what the character will be experiencing.

Actors work in an individual way.

Directors need to understand an individuals way of working.

All actors need word of encouragement, time, feedback and honesty.

The things that helps an actor:

The purpose of a person in a scene.

The history of a person in a scene.

The change in a person in a scene.

GUIDELINES FOR PRE-PRODUCTION PROJECT PRESENTAIONS

You will present your ideas, research and planning for your project, including the technical and aesthetic aspects, with and references to appropriate film makers or sound practitioners. You will produce a PowerPoint presentation with voice over on the presentation slides to pitch your project and explain the information presented. Presentation slides could contain a mixture of:

• Text (bullet points and short sentences/quotations – no paragraphs)
• Images and sound – test shots/recordings, storyboards and drawings
• Other filmmakers/sound artists work – embedded video/sound, or hyperlinks to relevant online sources, etc.

PROJECT PITCH

CREATIVE PROJECT PICTCH: THE STORY OF AN OBJECT

SPIDER DIAGRAM

1. How do we use objects in everyday life? What objects really matter to you and why?

Think of the different categories of objects and list as many as you can. Here as some to start you off, but please come up with more categories and types if you can: 

• tools/practical objects –
• disposible/throwaway objects –
• sentimental objects/gifts –

2. Now think about the contexts and wider stories and issues that these objects connect to. There are some examples below to get you started, but come up with more of your own:

• tools and practical objects that change the way we live our life – for better or for worse!
• disposible single use objects – connected to issues of consumerist waste and  environmental pollution
• sentimental objects that we keep because they remind us of a person or a happy time – they may have an interesting story behind them

PROJECT PITCH PRESENTATIONS

WORKSHOP

Present key research, working title, and 50 word film summary/synopsis.Link with Film/filmmakers – Radio podcast/ podcasters (see Pages 149-152 for list of key documentaries to research, and whole chapter for key filmmakers). You should have watched the documentary film as research / listened to the podcast.You will present your ideas in groups to the rest of the class – PowerPoint, Prezi, etc.Each presentation should last approximately 15 minutes and cover all aspects of your PreProduction from technical to aesthetic to narrative elements.All the materials above are to be posted to your Process Book Blog as part of your weekly learning.

MEDIA PRACTICE SKILLS

The interviewing skills-

The listening skills- interviews and discussions

Recording interviews-The use of microphones, locations, and recorders.

The seminar was about looking at different interview techniques.

Listening to different podacasts and finding out how different interviews are carried out and what type of questions to ask.

WORKSHOP

We went out of our class and building to conduct interviews with people. The following questions were asked. We were asked to interview one international student and one Uk(home) student.

I asked the following question:

What is your name and what are you studying at the University of Sussex.

How has studying in the University of Sussex been for you.

Do you think Studying abroad has more advantages than disadvantages. if Yes , why? and if No, why?

What are the fun things to do in school and in Brighton as a whole?

Are you in any Society in school.

SOUNDSCAPE

In the core reading of sound scape we saw how modern humanity is beginning to take over the world with an acoustic environment. A sound that can be heard by the observer is what we call acoustic. These sounds differ in quality and intensity.

Noise pollution results when we don’t listen to this sounds carefully. Listening to this sounds carefully makes more sense than listening to it with an absent mind. Noises are sounds we ignore subconsciously according to Schafer (1977). We must find a way of making environmental acoustic a positive study program. A soundscape consists on objects seen but not heard. Sounds have specific characteristics.

WORKSHOP

We learnt how to set up the voice recording and use the microphone. How to also use the microphone protector when we are doing an outdoor recording.

We had a class activity to use the sound recorder to gather sounds around or outside the friston building by contrasting soundscapes. We are to focus on recording specific sounds.

PODCAST

We were asked to think about our project and what it is going to be about. We also talked about how we planned on executing the idea. We talked about the who, where, when, how and why. I decided to interview someone on his or her journey to success. I feel someones success story could inspire someone.

I was also able to develop the following questions.

podcast : conducting a phone interview on a jouney to success as someone who grew up in a low background to someone financially stable( the story behind his or her success.

Question 1: Hello, what is your name and what do you do for a living?

Question 2: Where are you originally from and how did you finally decide to settle in this country( thats if the person is not settled in the country he is originally from.)

Question 3: how has growing up been like for you and how has it changed you?

Question 4: What lessons did you learn while growing up?

Question 5: How do you think your story will be able to help others.

Questions will keep coming up as the person gives points in his story. This is just a draft.

OBSERVATIONAL DOCUMENTARY

Observational documentary is more analysed than the other modes of documentary. This is also know as Cinema verite or direct cinema. This form of documentary, strives for cinematic realism.

A documentary maker follows an individual or a person around to observe event that happen in ones life. The equipment used in this form of documentary should be formal such as using hand held cameras. No interviews are involved in this type of documentary and also no voice over. Simply study someones life with no intervention.

PARTICIPATORY DOCUMENTARY

Participatory documentary is a form of documentary that invites the subjects to get involved with the film maker by being interviewed. Participatory documentary is also an interaction between the film maker and subject.

THE USE OF CAMERA

We also had a mini class work where we were asked to draw some pictures or diagram showing different camera angle. We were also asked to work in pairs to achieve this task.

We took a ten minute video of establishing shot, a pan shot, a tilt shot, a change of focus shot, extreme close up, high camera angle, low camera angle, a medium shot,