DOLLY

A camera dolly is a wheeled cart or similar device used in filmmaking and television production to create smooth horizontal camera movements. The camera is mounted to the dolly and the camera operator and focus puller or camera assistant usually ride on the dolly to push the dolly back and forth. The camera dolly is generally used to produce images which involve moving the camera toward or away from a subject while the camera is moving, a technique known as a "dolly shot." Before when cameras were heavier and more clumsy, they couldn't run with the camera so they attached to a special wheelchair.

The orbit dolly has many different uses and setups. It has three wheel legs that are expandable, six removable locks on top, and three locks on wheels. We remove locks first, then lock them onto the center plates. The more weight we have on a dolly, the smoother it will be, which is why we have to use slightly heavier tripods. The most basic dolly set up is the wide base. If we remove the outer legs then we can have a tabletop dolly. The dolly can also move in circular movements. For example, setting it to the 15 angle lets it move in a wide arc.

For different types of floors, we have different types of wheels. For example, for relatively smooth indoor flooring (not carpeting), we have smooth rubber wheels, then wide rubber wheels for rougher outdoor surfaces.

We also have a track. The type of track we have is flexible, so it can be twisted in any types of shapes, but requires a lot of skill and practice to operate smoothly.

Last but not least, when the dolly starts to move, we need to yell "Dolly on the move!"

ASSESSMENTS 

Our first assessment is an individually written script for the Twilight Zone. Each student will individually write a 5-7 page script for a portal chase short inspired by the themes and characteristics of the Twilight Zone. The script may or may not include dialogue. The script will be evaluated based on creative thinking as evident in:

1. The script's structure (for example, use or subversion of the three-act structure);
2. The correct layout and formatting of a script;
3. The use of Twilight Zone themes and characteristics;
4. The inclusion of at least 3 'portal' transitions;
5. Feasible, coherent and imaginative artistic intentions for the film.

In order to properly complete this task, I will try to show excellent understanding of how to structure a script, show excellent understanding of the correct layout and format of a scrip, show excellent creative use of the themes and characteristics of the Twilight Zone, develop an excellent artistic intention, which is often feasible, clear, imaginative and coherent, and show an excellent use subject specific terminology.

Our second assessment is the Twilight Zone Production Portfolio. Each student will individually create a research portfolio in preparation for making a 5-7 minute Twilight Zone chase film. My dossier must be divided into 2 sections: 1) An annotated script (see Criterion A); and 2) Storyboards – This includes the following elements for the entire film: - a shot list; - a set of storyboards; and - overhead diagrams. 

In order to properly complete this task, I will try to show excellent creativity in the creation of a shot list, show excellent creativity in the creation of a storyboard, show excellent creativity in the creation of an overhead diagram, shows excellent creativity in the use of the themes and characteristics of the twilight zone, create a portfolio that reveals excellent understanding, and perform a well-prepared and convincingly presented pitch, and show good use subject specific terminology,

THE HITCH-HIKER

Opening Narration

“

Her name is Nan Adams. She's twenty-seven years old. Her occupation: buyer at a New York department store. At present on vacation, driving cross-country to Los Angeles, California from Manhattan.

”

The story begins with Nan Adams, whose vehicle gets a flat tire and has an accident on a cross-country road trip from New York City to Los Angeles. A mechanic puts a spare tire on her car, comments that he's surprised she survived the accident, saying "you shouldn't've called for a mechanic, somebody shoulda called for a hearse" and directs her to the nearest town to fix it properly. Just before she leaves, Nan notices a strange-looking man hitchhiking. Unnerved, she drives away quickly. As she continues her trip, Nan sees the same hitchhiker thumbing for a ride at several other points on her journey. She becomes increasingly frightened of him, and when she is stuck on a railroad crossing and nearly hit by a train, she becomes convinced that the hitchhiker is trying to kill her by beckoning her into danger. She continues to drive, becoming more and more afraid, stopping only when necessary; but every time she does, the same hitchhiker is there. When she ends up stranded in New Mexico, she meets a sailor on his way back to San Diego from leave. Eager for protection from the hitchhiker she's been seeing, she offers to drive the sailor to San Diego herself. However, she is still paranoid about the hitchhiker, and when she sees him on the road she tries to run him over. The sailor, who can't see him, begins to fear for her sanity and leaves her. In Arizona, Nan stops to call her mother. The woman who answers the phone says that Mrs. Adams is in the hospital; she had a nervous breakdown after finding out that her daughter, Nan, was killed in a car accident in Pennsylvania six days ago when the car she was driving blew a tire and overturned. At this point, Nan realises the truth: she did not survive the accident at the beginning of the episode, and the hitchhiker is not a man who wants her to die, but is rather the personification of death, patiently and persistently waiting for her to realise that she has been dead all along. Nan returns to the car and sees the hitchhiker sitting in the back seat through the reflection of the vanity mirror on the visor. "I believe you're going...my way?", he inquires.

Closing Narration

“

Nan Adams, age twenty-seven. She was driving to California—to Los Angeles. She didn't make it. There was a detour…through The Twilight Zone.

”

This episode was adapted from the original radio play by Lucille Fletcher, first presented on the November 17, 1941. This was a new concept to me, as I discovered radio dramas were an important part of American storytelling culture: dramatised, purely acoustic performances broadcasted on radio, entirely told through the medium of sound and music.

This episode was ground-breaking at the time for implementing a famous plot twist, the "main character was dead all along!" rigamarole. Additionally, I noticed this was subtly hinted at several times in the episode. For example, the mechanic fixing her tire after a near-death car accident (that was later revealed as her actual death) during the beginning of the episode, he says, in a great dual meaning, she “must be on the side of the angels.” As she drives away, she spots for the first time a mysterious hitchhiker who she’ll see all across the country, begging a ride just from her.

Nan, the independent working woman driving across country for nothing more than fun, is given no backstory, no man she’s chasing down or fleeing from, no tortured or angelic past. She shares her name with one of series creator Rod Serling’s daughters, and maybe this has something to do with the refreshing absence of the typical moralistic or misogynistic structure of a story of a woman alone on the road. Nan’s internal monologue, in the voiceover of actress Inger Stevens, carries the episode along, as it would in a radio play. However, this is accompanied by abundant shots from within the car of America flying by — unusual at a time when so many driving scenes were done in studios with stock footage playing in the background — and Nan’s face registering her anxiety about the hitch-hiker’s reappearances.

The cinematographer of this episode, Alvin Ganzer, uses a great deal of natural light, also unusual for the period; this, too, adds to the vague or hard-to-define tone of the episode. There are a number of terrific closeups of Steven’s face that exhibit the kind of subtlety that was never the trademark of TZ overall, ranging from perplexity to an occasional, unexpected, eerie calm and peace.

This screenshot is a tight shot from the episode. It demonstrates how the episode is almost perfectly divided between sunlight (natural light) and darkness.

Additionally, later on in the episode after Nan desperately picks up a sailor returning to the docks after coming home for a break, while the sailor makes some mild comments about her looks and, after she veers wildly in an attempt to hit the hitchhiker, she tries to get him to stay with intimations that she wanted him to “take her out,” the encounter is of a piece with the gentle, humane tone of the entire episode: there’s always a threat of sexual violence that comes with the fictional presentation of any encounter between a woman and a stranger at night, but in the end, it’s the sailor that ironically flees, scared off by Nan’s intensity and confusion.

The major plot twist of the episode arrives when Nan phones home and is told her mother is mourning from her daughter's sudden death on an accident a few days prior on the motorway. Nan resignedly succumbs to her fate and looks into her rearview mirror to finally acknowledge the hitchhiker. Here, the counterpoint of Nan’s look of exhausted acceptance and the hitchhiker’s wry smile is exquisite. the ending makes clear that Nan’s death is not a punishment; it’s just the way of us all, a fact that must be accepted eventually. 

This episode, especially the deathly plot twist, was commenting on the historical and cultural social factors of the fatalistic and paranoid view of American society of the time. It really epitomised the McCarthyism of the time. Nan, the figurative symbol for petrified American society, self-creates a fantastical horrific tale of the hitchhiker by her own doing, while the hitchhiker, the symbol of communist allegiances or sympathies, quietly unsettles her, never overtly attempting to assault her, but inhumanely following and almost haunting her until the point when she finally accept her demised fate. The message of the episode really encapsulated the attitude of America at the time– death was inevitable and although we might try to prolong the chase, ultimately, death isn't a punishment, but merely the end of a very long day.

The final scene, in which the plain-faced hitch-hiker sinisterly says with a smile: "I believe you're going... my way?"

THE TWILIGHT ZONE

“You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension: a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You’re moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You’ve just crossed over into… the Twilight Zone.”

This quote is from the hit TV show The Twilight Zone. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained fantasy, science fiction, suspense or horror. It often concludes a macabre or unexpected twist. It also introduced many Americans to the genre of science fiction.

During the 1950's, the genre of film noir started to decline because of the invention of the television. People started to stay home and watch TV for free rather than go out to the movies. At the forefront The Twilight Zone.

The term "twilight zone" predates the television program, and originally meant simply a "gray area". Rod Serling himself chose the title of the series; and said that only after the series aired did he discover that the twilight zone was also a term applied by the US Air Force to the terminator, the border between night and day on a planetary body. It applies to a collision of two things, the gap in between things, not one or the other.

Alfred Hitchcock criticized the medium's limitations. His most vocal complaints concerned the censorship frequently practiced by sponsors and networks. "I was not permitted to have my Senators discuss any current or pressing problem," he said of his 1957 production The Arena, intended to be an involving look at world politics.

Thus, The Twilight Zone frequently used science fiction as a vehicle for social comment. Networks and sponsors infamously censored all potentially "inflammatory" material, but remained ignorant of the methods developed by writers such as Ray Bradbury for dealing with important issues through seemingly innocuous fantasy.

The characteristics of science fiction are advanced technological gadgets, special effects, extra-terrestrials, futuristic technology, and non-human beings, such as monsters.

The themes of science fiction are the dangerous and sinister side of knowledge, vital issues about humankind, loss of personal individuality, good versus evil, prophetic nature, and anxiety about technological progress. This was very true for America that had just gone through World War 2, witnessing the invention and dropping of the atomic bomb, so these science fiction movies really tapped into every American's feeling of existentialism.

Frequent themes of The Twilight Zone include nuclear war, mass hysteria, and McCarthyism. McCarthyism is a vociferous campaign against alleged communists in the US government and other institutions carried out under Senator Joseph McCarthy in the period 1950–54. Many of the accused were blacklisted or lost their jobs, although most did not belong to the Communist Party.

During The Twilight Zone's run, episodes such as "The Shelter" or "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" offered specific commentary on current events. Other stories, such as "The Masks" or "The Howling Man" operated around a central allegory, parable, or fable that reflected the characters moral or philosophical choices.

CONTINUITY EDITING

Continuity editing is a way of breaking down a scene into a series of shots. The way shots are edited must permit the viewer to piece them together like a puzzle, and the techniques of continuity editing enable the viewer to create a continuous picture from the shots presented on screen. The key techniques of continuity Editing are: observing the 180-degree rule, the eyeline match, point-of-view cutting, the match on action cut, directional continuity, the establishing shot, parallel/cross-cutting, transitions and rhythm.

The 180-degree rule attempts to imitate, on screen, the space of Renaissance painting and proscenium space of the theater of the 19th-century. A film needs to remain consistent with the same axis of 180 degrees to retain continuity.

The eyeline match is another film editing technique associated with the continuity editing system. It is based on the premise that an audience will want to see what the character on-screen is seeing.

The POV cutting is a variant of the eyeline match. The first shot shows a person looking at an object, usually offscreen. The second shot shows the object of the person's gaze, from their point of view.

The match on action refers to film editing and video editing techniques where the editor cuts from one shot to another view that matches the first shot's action. The continuity of the same action across the shot creates coherence.

Directional continuity refers to the technique where if a person exits through the right of a screen, he should enter through the left.

The establishing shot is used to make transitions smooth, used at the beginning of stories of beginning of a new scene within the narrative. A re-establishing shot may be used after many scenes shot in the same location to help the audience keep up. It helps set the tone and pacing of a scene as well.

Parallel cutting or cross-cutting is the technique of alternating two or more scenes that often happen simultaneously but in different locations. If the scenes are simultaneous, they occasionally culminate in a single place, where the relevant parties confront each other. Alternatively, the cut could be used in the same location but occurring at different times (in history).

Jump cuts is a cut in film editing in which two sequential shots of the same subject are taken from camera positions that vary only slightly if at all. This type of edit gives the effect of jumping forwards in time or gives a disorienting feel to the scene.

Transitions are traditionally used to be as seamless and possible, but they can be more creative. For example, the dissolve can be used as a straightforward editing device to link any two scenes, or in more creative ways, as a use for a hallucinatory effect.

We edit because it gives directors complete control over events and actors. It also gives the viewer optimal access to the unfolding events and helps to prolong the suspense. It allows viewers to be more involved in action rather than focus on character psychology or the actor's performance; and eliminates unnecessary time and space.

In terms of how we treat time, the length of a shot is usually determined by the complexity of the images onscreen. Long shots that are saturated with information than close-ups may need more time. Scenes should only last as long as the audience is required to watch in order to gather sufficient information.

When we edit, here are some questions we ask: How much cutting is there and why? Are the shots highly fragmented or relatively lengthy? What is the point of the cutting in each scene? To clarify? To lyricize? To create suspense? Is the editing manipulative? What is the rhythm of the editing? Does the personality of the filmmakers come through? Or is the editing purely functional? Is the editing a major language system in the film or does it play a minor role?

ARTISTIC RESPONSES

Overall (+ Sound) - 传家之宝

Here are my observations, commentary and artistic response to the Chinese film 传家之宝 by Chih-Ning, Juliette, Ocean and Trystin. I noticed there were lots of handheld shots. During the introduction, there was a nice vignette and shadows to indicate the main character's dejected mood from being fired. The shots in the auditorium were really ominous and used shadows really cleverly, especially featuring the woman's silhouette in shadow. During the opening, the music was a bit distorted and tinny, but it seemed almost intentionally imitating a German film, and the authentic sound was good and the voiceovers were smooth. I really enjoyed the use of the clock ticking during the sofa scene. During the same scene, there was also a nice use of framing with the candles in the foreground and sofa in the background. Then the tinny music transitioned to a traditional noir jazz when Linda Lee came on screen. In the office scene, the highlighter on the page stood out really nicely, even with black and white. However, the foley when the main male protagonist stepped in the foyer was a bit out of sync. There were really smooth and interesting transitions, especially with one across the screen that showed the room number and their heads moving across. The plot twist was really awesome, and the Chinese aspect of it was really admirable; I really applaud their English subtitles and having a Chinese teacher cast. The variety of shots and mise en scene was really varied and intriguing, and you can tell the amount of effort that went into the film.

Overall (+ Sound) - Twenty Sixteen

Here are my observations, commentary and artistic response to the political film Twenty Sixteen by Jamie, Karuna, David and Gio. During the opening scene, there was patriotic music, which set the ambiance for the ensuing political scene. However, he mise en scene during the introduction slightly confused me as the patriotic music didn't really match with the natural foliage shot, and the foliage shot didn't really link to the plot, but the shot was undoubtedly nicely framed. The sound levels were relatively stable all throughout. The high contrast table shot had good cinematography and depicted him in shadow while the good woman was illuminated in light. The low-key noir lighting was nice during a tight shot of this face talking for the first ten or so seconds, but the longer it went the more I thought they could have spiced up the shot, maybe with the sound or by changing the shot. I thought the inspirational music fitted the mood during his press conference. Additionally, the office shot with mirrored lights in the background was very visually interesting, but I wasn't sure how it enhanced the mood or imagery of the film. Sometimes I could tell the mic was too far away so the sound changed from scene to scene, but overall it was relatively consistent. I liked how the dark shadows and gloomy lighting in the home alluded to the mundane relationship between the politician and his wife. Cinematography going up the stairs was really nice, however, the exposure was a bit unpredictable during bits in sunlight. The sound with the wife slapping was slightly louder than necessary, there was a bit of lack of music and the static levels varied from the voiceover to sound on site. The mise en scene in the crowd scene was really good, choosing a small room with a crowd of people to make it seem more packed rather than a half-hearted auditorium scene. The editing seemed to find its way as the film progressed, especially during the montage of the protagonist and femme fatale.

SELF-EVALUATION

Criterion A - Film Noir Essay

In the Criterion A Film Noir Essay, I chose to write an in-depth study of a Film Noir luminary’s work using examples from at least 2 films. I analysed the films The Maltese Falcon and The Asphalt Jungle in my in-depth analysis of director John Huston's noir world. I feel proud of this essay, as I managed my time and put a lot of effort to develop it into a clearly-structured and insightful essay. I think I incorporated film language and terminology to analyse each film and each technique's effects on the viewer, and each one's historical context. I researched thoroughly, using different sources, cited everything in my bibliography, and used authentic screenshots from the films discussed to prove my coherent thesis. I tried to write to convey not only knowledge but also about my understanding of film noir, about its characteristics and effects and analysis of its effects. If I were to do it again, perhaps during my second paragraph I would improve on maybe strengthen the relation between my visual analysis of The Maltese Falcon to film noir. However, on a whole, I think I tried my best to produce a well-written essay and I'm very satisfied with the results.

Criterion C - Film Noir Production Plan

My film noir production plan was written from the perspective of my role, which is the Sound Designer. It was also made to fit the mold of our four-person team, so some of the details had to be changed or adjusted in lieu of the original plan. For example, we changed almost all our locations and shooting dates to accommodate for our new cast and limitations. I put a lot of effort into my production plan, and tried to make it as aesthetically pleasing and easy to understand, but chock full of information. I'm glad with how it turned out.

Criterion B - Film Noir Production

Our film was called "No Evil" (which when flipped backwards spells "Live On"). My role in the film was Sound Designer, however because we all chipped in to fill the role of director, I was responsible for the screenplay, so I basically wrote the script from scratch, as the original script was extremely overcomplicated, featured full minutes of exposition, and was fourteen pages long. Sound is undoubtedly an integral part of the production process, so there was a lot of responsibility on my shoulders. Pre-production, after I finished my production plan (so I had a list of foley to record, music needed, examples of sound and music and inspiration to draw upon), my role was primarily adapting the script from the fifteen page long original script. I cut it down to seven pages while still trying to maintain the same plot, condensing the seven pages with as much of our original concept, taking new spins on noir archetypes. I take pride in our film's visual, its experimentalism and visuals. Additionally, although some of the foley was out of sync, I think it added to the jilted, disoriented feeling of the film. Although we encountered some setbacks along the way (detailed in my other blog posts), I'm proud of our film.

VOICEOVERS

Today during lunch we booked a soundproof music room to record voiceovers. We took the feedback from Ms. Wong last lesson, and decided to incorporate more of Lenny's character (which we decided against before due to the actor being away during midterm break), as he's intriguing and has more opportunity for development. So, we organised to record some lines to edit in during the film to give him more presence and influence over the main character. Then, we also recorded voiceovers for two actors. We recorded lines that originally we included in the first version of the script, and for some new additions, and for some scenes in which the sound wasn't good or the sound levels were too low or too high, we recorded some dialogue again. We had to record around the background noise of people playing instruments in the adjacent classrooms and screaming kids, and but we did our best to work around it. I think it went relatively well, the raw sound that I heard through the headphones sounded good. All that's left now to do is to edit in the voiceovers; and Ryan has four days to edit (including the weekend), so I'm optimistic!

SHOOT #3 REFLECTION

Today we shot at the Aberdeen Marina Club. The shoot was around three hours. We filmed in the library of the Marina Grill, which was a very nice well-furnished room that fit our mise en scène very well. The shoot went relatively smoothly, as there was a consistent amount of background noise and charging ports for the camera and light batteries, but our primary concern was positioning the mic in order to stay out of the frame while still maintaining an equal level of sound for every actor, as there were several dialogue scenes and wide shots.

Additionally, a major prop was a short glass of ice and coke, and we had to refill and maintain the same amount in the glass in all takes, even though the ice would melt and it had to be sipped repeatedly; also, the actor accidentally spilled the glass over the floor, our crew and a little bit of the equipment. However, we cleaned it up and the shoot continued smoothly.

Another obstacle we faced (and not very much in the other shoots) was the actors' delivery and breaking character. This may have been because of the comfortable environment and the absent pressure of time, but we had to redo takes because of varying volume or people giggling. However, we overcome it and everyone performed well.

SHOOT #2 REFLECTION

Today we had a 6 hour shoot from 7pm of October 25th to 1am October 26th (which was my 15th birthday). We encountered several difficulties along the way but it was overall a very productive shoot.

It started at 7pm on a rooftop in Causeway Bay. We had set up all the lights and equipment, when the boom pole stopped working and fell apart. Then, just as we were about to recording, the owner of the building came and said we were trespassing so we had to leave immediately. 

Then, we improvised and packed five people into the backseat of Kevin's car and drove to Happy Valley to use an alley Kevin and Ryan had scouted the day before. Although the alley was rather smelly, we filmed most of our scenes there and the actors were very co-operative, especially considering our long hours, small space and hot weather. We also incorporated the original fluorescent "cold" light on site and the warm and cold settings on our LED lights. Moreover, because of the narrow alley and some scenes with people talking, facing different directions, it was quite difficult and required some creative poses (especially because the boom pole broke) to record equal sound all throughout.

Then, some time after 11pm we then drove to Tamar Park (Central Waterfront). We filmed several scenes, and relied mostly on our film lights to light the scene. Surprisingly enough, there were many people running at that time of night, so we had to stop rolling intermittently for them. Additionally, we had several wider shots so it was more difficult to get a good volume for sound, so I had to pose precariously to get the best sound from every actor while still staying out of shot.

Finally, we wrapped at around 1am, and I was then 15. I am very satisfied with our shoot, from our problem-solving skills, to commitment filming until dawn, our lighting, mise en scene, cinematography, and sound. 

SHOOT #1 REFLECTION

Today we shot after school on Wednesday the 19th. On Monday (two days ago) we had film class, and we had booked equipment and took out equipment as we initially planned to film in our director's house. However, because of previously unforeseen circumstances and miscommunications, we had to cancel that shoot. So, we rescheduled for Wednesday instead.

During film class on Wednesday, we scouted several locations for the shoot in the afternoon. After the drama studio, and music rooms were ruled out, we finally found a perfect location: a small (relatively soundproof) meeting room in the University Counselling office with a small amount of windows. We asked for permission and it was approved. However, during class when we went to collect equipment, it turned out there was a miscommunication with Mr. Chiang and we had to talk it out, but at the end we got the necessary equipment for our afternoon shoot.

After school we went to the meeting room and starting shooting. Kevin had previously communicated with the actors, so they came with their costumes. We also got black fabric from the Art department and hung it over the windows to block out the light. However, then the construction right outside the office started, so we had to shoot whenever they stopped drilling. We set up very noirish low-key lighting, with only halves of their faces lit and harsh lighting, with a shutter-like overcast made by closing the lights' barn doors in a particular way. Then, the black rain arrived, so we had to work with the sound and then our delayed leave from school, but we rolled with the punches (and the water).

EDITING

In Final Cut Pro, things are arranged from large to small is Project, Event, Library. Under the Import tab of our preferences, we need to check our Transcoding section. We should tick optimized media, as we need a compressed file and a decompressed file. We should also tick Create proxy media. There is no need to select analyze for balance color. Click the changing numbers on the center of the Final Cut window to view the Background Tasks window, to make sure we finish importing all files.
The first step to editing is Logging. This involves favoriting or rejecting clips with the green star and red cross button. Step two is our Assembly Edit. This involves dragging all clips into the timeline in the correct sequence. Next to the cursor drop-down tool, we click the clip transfer tools, specifically the "Append" button, or the shortcut letter E to move clips into the timeline. An extremely helpful tool is found in View > Show Used Media Ranges in order to see which parts of which clips have been used. Step three is our Rough Cut/Edit. We use A and B (arrow and blade) to select and cut out unnecessary clips. Step four is our Fine Edit/Second Edit. During this step, we go in even more detail. We go through our edit points, we play our film and see how it moves from clip to clip. Is it too staccato? Does it have rhythm? Any movement that goes straight from scene to scene is called a cut. A jump cut is when the scene remains the same, but it features jumps in time. A cross-dissolve or a fade is our default transition. These transitions are usually used to separate scenes with gaps in time in between them. They could also be used to transition between locations. Every film must begin and end in black. While color correcting, we can click the color wand, and automatically match the color of two scenes. In the info section of each clip, we can select the roles of each clip. In Advanced Settings, we can also set the scene number, take number and camera angle. Then, we can 'Apply The Custom Name', and then sort them by scene. By clicking the Key Icon, we can also add keywords to each clip so we can sort all clips by the things they feature.

LIGHTING

Light in film is extremely important. Contrast, light and dark, creates the illusion of depth and texture.

HMI lights are quite dangerous lights, as they heat up extremely quickly and hotly, and is able to melt the skin. Additionally, actors in front of an HMI light will eventually have light-burn, which is a visible sunburn.

Yellowish light can be associated as warm light. The closer the light is to an object, the softer and diffused its shadow will appear. Conversely, the farther it is the harsher and more defined the shadow will appear.

Another type of lights is fluorescent lights. These lights usually have barn doors with mirrors to reflect light differently. If you want a larger field of light, then you would widen the barn doors. The shadows produced by fluorescent lights are usually very faint, blurry or even nonexistent. Fluorescent lights can also be associated as cold light.

The final and most popular type of light are LEDs. The models we have are bicolor LEDs, which means they have multiple tones/hues of light. The brightness/intensity of these lights can be adjusted. LEDs can be battery powered or plug powered. They are attached to a stand with a ball head, which allows the light to move in any direction we want. In order to attach it, we can see that there are two latches on the stand. The bottom latch locks the light in place, and the middle latch rotates the light. The LED light has four barn doors, each with a removable textured or matte reflective surface. Additionally, there are clips on the bottom of each one to enable a filter to be clipped on. On the back of the light, there is an LCD screen to control the light. The left dimmer controls control temperature, and the right dimmer controls color intensity. The temperature of light is measured in kelvin.

A downside of a LED is that it's prone to casting a weird choppy shadow. However, we can solve this problem by attaching a diffusion strip popped on with magnets. There are all different types of diffusion strips, from tracing paper-like material to thin cottony sheets. Diffusion controls the contrast and softens shadows. It can also smooth out the skin and make people look prettier.

The most used tool on a film set is the C47 clothespin. It's handy and can be used for virtually anything!

We also have color gels. The number of a color gel signifies how much light it stops going through, for example, 1/8th means it stops 1/8th of the light coming through. It also says CTx, which means Color Temperature (Name of the color). Blue gel makes the light cooler and orange makes it warmer.

Don't film in black and white, we should film in color then saturate the image and create our own black and white.

We also have a reflector/bounce. They can reflect light, take away light, diffuse light, or provide a barrier from harsh weather.

There are two styles of lighting. High key, and low key lighting. High-key has low contrast and is evenly and brightly lit. This kind of lighting is traditionally seen on TV soap/Korean dramas. Film noir traditionally uses low-key lighting. This entails high contrast, dark areas, and shadows.

A LED light stand has four legs in its compact form, which then unfolds into three. We have to remember to tighten the ball head, otherwise the whole light might collapse.

We usually have a three point lighting set up. The first light is usually at 35-50° angle left from the camera and is called the key light. It's usually the brightest (at full power) of the lot. The second is the fill light. It's usually the same height of the fill light and has 75% of its power on. The fill light is to remove ugly shadows and round out the face. The third is the back light. It's usually below our subject. It creates a ring of light to separate the subject from the background. Another important rule of thirds is that 1/3rd is the distance between subject and camera, and 2/3rds is the distance between subject and background.
In low-key lighting, we remove any two of the lights in a three point set up and it creates a more creepy vibe, especially when the light is below the subject and facing upwards. Shutters/blinds are a good way of creating contrast noirishly.

REFLECTION

My goals this lesson as the head of sound is to:

• Go through the script and comment on ambience, music, sound effects
• List any foley and consider how I will record these sounds.

Ambience: 

• Creepy ambience that builds for introductory shot of Johnny at desk (Scene 1).
• Menacing ambience for reveal of Delilah and Noel (Scene 2).
• Unsettling ambience for Lenny's entrance (Scene 3).
  (Options: "The Way" by Zack Hempsey, "The Gentle Hum of Anxiety", etc.)
• Ambience of waves crashing on shore.

Music: 

• Smooth office jazz as background for Scene 2.
• Soft seductive jazz as entrance music for Delilah Ho in Scene 2.
• Dreamy music for Johnny's dialogue Scene 3.
• Sneaky detective music for execution of Lenny's plan in Scene 4 and the start of Scene 5.
• Melancholy jazz OR melancholy piano instrumental as flashback music for Delilah's backstory in Scene 6.
• Existential crisis music for Johnny's mental breakdown in Scene 6.
• Calm music for Johnny's realization in Scene 6.
• Threatening music for Delilah's revenge monologue in Scene 6.
• Creepy psychopath music for Delilah's insane rant in Scene 6.
• Revelation thinking music for Johnny turning the tables on Delilah in Scene 6.

Sound Effects/Foley:

SCENE 2

• 3 types of sounds for clacking high heels against hardwood floor.
• Flowing dress.
• Soft impact of sitting down.
• Faint rustle of tossing hair.
• Short clack of high heels (standing up sound.
• Patting head.

SCENE 3

• Rustle of shuffling paper around
• Rustle of picking up paper
• Foley drag of Lenny's chair, and drag of Johnny shifting to the side.
• Foley thump of feet jumping in surprise.
• Sound effect of ears ringing.
• Sound effect of accelerating heart beat.

SCENE 5

• Sound effect of surprised doubletake.

SCENE 6

• Foley of sauntering footsteps
• Sound effect of Bang then disorientation, as if sending Johnny reeling.
• Foley of regular heartbeat, then heartbeat accelerating really fast.
• Sound effect Ears ringing sound.
• Sound effect of revelation e.g. 'ding' or light bulb popping.
• Sound effect of gunshot.

SCENE 7

• Foley of footsteps crushing on gravel going farther away.

REFLECTION

My goals this lesson as the head of sound is to:

• Finalize the script with our team
• Work with Yuri to understand her vision
• (If there's time,) go through the script and comment on ambience, music, sound effects
• (If there's more time,) list any foley and consider how I will record these sounds.

At the end of the lesson, I finished up to the second item in the list. This lesson I took a more proactive role and wrote a full scene and finalized the script.

SOUND

Camera function button is a shortcut to main four settings. Record setup is for turning on gridlines and zebra lines. Two formats can't be on the same SD card. Make sure the camera is on manual mode to change more settings. XLR for professional audio connections. Secure audio cable in velcro on the camera strap. Audio Options are in record setup. Mic Setup has Surround sound mode, zoom mic, focus is pretty much the same as zoom, and stereo mic. Zoom and focus mic are supposed to react to the zoom on the camera, so if you zoom in the mic will hone in on the area that you're filming and get the sound from that specific area. Stereo sound uses the left and right channels, while surround comes from both sides. The higher the mic level/signal is, the louder the sound in the mic will be. We want the sound to be around -6 dB and lower than 0, to avoid digital distortion. The louder the environment is the lower it should be, for example, a noisy room could be -17, while a soft monologue in a quiet environment could be +3. The bass settings are for lower sounds. The higher you set the bass, the lower the sound would sound (e.g. movie trailer narrations). Strengthening the bass can pick up on frequencies unheard to the human ear, and therefore make it seem slightly unrealistic, so turning on Lowcut omits certain frequencies below a certain amount.

The shotgun mic requires an AA battery (lefty loosey righty tighty). The onscreen meter shows the loudness of the mic. Past the 5th the signal turns red, which means the signal is too loud and we should adjust our settings. Make sure the volume on the headphones are set to the same as the audio to control both. The ratio should remain -6 while the mic is 15 dB. The wind sock cuts down on the "whoosh" sound as I move the mic back and forth. The mic also has a pickup area, shaped like a 3D sphere around the mic. People behind the mic can still be heard because of the pickup area. However, if we angle the mic and tilt in downwards, we can put the sound behind us into an area of rejection.

The boom pole is called the boom pole because the action of moving the mic up and down is called booming. The shock mount is for connecting the mic to the boom pole. It stops the vibration and any excess movement being recorded. With the shock mount and wind sock, we can cut down on excess environmental sound. For recording outside on a really windy day, we can use a dead cat. We want the fur to stand up, as the flatter they are the more sound they pick up, which is why we have a comb to ruffle it. Don't get the dead cat wet though, as it would pick up on all the windy noises. Even if the film is a visual masterpiece, if the sound is terrible it will come off as amateurish. Conversely, if the film is horrible and pixelated, but the sound is exquisite, the film would come off as an art piece. 

There's also a compact shotgun mic. We attach it with the cold shoe on top of the camera. It's called a cold shoe because it doesn't have a connected power to the slot. Then, we lock it in place. The top switch represents turning on and off lowcut sound. The second switch controls the audio levels. Left is -20 dB, middle is 0 dB, and right is +10 dB. The difference between the compact shotgun mic is portability and size of the pickup area. However, the sound quality of this mic is still very good despite its size. Different mics are for different purposes. One type of shotgun mic at the school is good for room environment audio e.g. foley, dialogue, while another type is better at picking up certain frequencies, making it better for a single voice. There's also a USB mic for recording voiceovers in the studio.

Sound for location is very important. Along with considering visually, consider the sound. We should visit the shooting site during the same time of day when we'd be shooting. Take pictures and record 15-20 seconds of ambient sound. At the end of the shoot, the sound person should record one full minute of absolute silence. This is so we can make a "noiseprint" and apply it to the footage to take away any excess buzzes and ambience. When recording, the same person should wear the headphones and mic. Point the mic in the direction of the sound. When recording something like a conversation, if depends on how far apart the two subjects are and how close we can go with the mic staying out of view. In a dialogue, we could pick a spot in the air between the two subjects, and rotate it back and forth depending on who's talking.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

The camera allocated by the school is the Panasonic HDC-HS900. Although it's a fairly basic camera, the tonal quality of images and manual functions are apparently quite good. There's a multi-function ring dial for the focus, white balance, shutter, etc. There's a power button, a button for changing frame rates, mini HDMI socket, a battery, a viewfinder, battery changing socket, mic and headphone jacks, and zoom control (with the letters W for wide and T for telephoto), the button for changing from Auto to Manual, a button for the stabilizer, a mode selector, and a built-in microphone.

In order to display settings and information while filming, one must just touch the screen. In order to initialize, we click 'Set-Up', and we click 'Format Media', then we delete all existing content on the SD card. In Record Setup, there's the ability to change the Scene Mode or Zoom Mode (even time-lapse mode). We then set up the white balance with the white piece of paper. Focus Assist is also a useful function for filming. The shutter speed is the nominal time for which a shutter is open at a given setting and the slower the shutter speed the blurrier it is. Slow Motion film should have lots of light and higher shutter speeds. The aperture/iris control is for shooting in darker places; however, the higher the gain the grainier the film will be. Black is 0%, White is 100%, the percentage is for seeing the concentration of highlights and lowlights in our shot. The histogram is to judge exposure as well. With the Zebra function turned on, we get a grid of 9 rectangles on our screen, and the camera detects and points out overexposed and overblown areas of the shot. We can correct this by changing the aperture/iris.

PRODUCTION ROLES

For the Film Noir unit, I decided to be the sound designer. My director is Yuri, cinematographer is Kevin, and editor is Ryan Chiao. My role is described as follows:

FILM NOIR

Today Ms. Wong talked us through introductory facts and knowledge about film noir. Here are the notes from the lesson.

In French, the term 'film noir' literally means 'black film', named this way because of their characteristic dark tones and themes. Additionally, film noir originates from detective and femme fatale novels in the 30-40's.

The noir world is usually a that of which has lost its moral certainty, and features the prevailing cynicism of characters. Its dark themes were largely in reaction to important events of the time, for example, the atomic bomb, the Cold war, totalitarianism, propaganda, the Hollywood Blacklist (which was the act of exiling communist sympathies in Tinsel Town), corrupting power of government and press, men returning from World War II, and the crisis of the liberal movement.

Contrary to the American Dream, with its glossy color and glamorous roles; the Noir protagonist is rather the antithesis of that ideal. They're not the traditional 'hero', but rather average and conventional. They were often a war veteran (a shoutout to the soldiers returning from war), or a detective (due to the popularity of detective novels at the time). The protagonist was often a loner, introverted, troubled, hard-boiled, and pessimistic.

Meanwhile, the antagonist, and an famous archetype conceived at that time was the Femme Fatale. She is a predatory woman that lures, tempts, and seduces the hero. Additionally, she usually already possess another man e.g. an older, proprietary husband. The genesis of the femme fatale occurred during a time of feminism, as before the society was rather conservative (50's housewives). However, when the men went to war, women took over the jobs and took over positions of responsibility. Unsurprisingly, there was widespread dissent from the women once the "war heroes" returned. So, the Femme Fatale was an outward manifestation of the film studios' rich white directors' frustration with women's growing independence at the time.

On the other hand, another newly conceptualised archetype was The Good Woman. The opposite of the femme fatale, the Good Woman stood for home, nurturing, rehabilitation, and submissiveness.

From these examples, we can see that characters come from historical context. The storyline and themes are always rooted in the some concerns of life at the time, and Film Noir exemplifies this.

There are also some characteristics of film noir. They usually feature the seeker-hero on a quest, one on which they are repeatedly tested, interrogated, attacked, persecuted. In the end, they either emerge safely, uncorrupted or killed. The key aspect in film noir is that things are not what they seem; people change identities, and the plot has unforeseen twists and turns. Moreover, there is usually a first-person voice-over.

In the noir world, the exterior settings are usually in the dark mean streets of the big city, or a too perfect Los Angeles, with its beaches, apartments, palm-lined trees. Meanwhile, the interior settings include seedy nightclubs, cafes, police stations, and general haunts of the underworld. The settings of the noir world are much more sketchy and shady compared to those of the huge constructed studio productions of the past. Additionally, there are also the internal settings- the violence, trauma, nightmares of the hero's mind.

The cinematography is very complex in film noir. Film noir has a hard, undiffused look, with emphasis on shadows, angles, lines, stark contrast (almost like tabloid newspaper with giant headlines and enlarged pictures of celebrities). The frame is usually dark, cluttered, and claustrophobic, giving the impression of the characters almost being restricted and trapped into the camera frames. In film noir there are many night scenes, since to put it simply, sketch things tend to happen at night! The film noir also frequently implements the Dutch angle and deep focus shots. The Dutch angle disorientates the viewer, and also echoes the morally ambiguous Noir world. The deep focus shot focuses on everything, and questions the viewer where they want to look at, adding mystery, and provides as a nonlinear view compared to shallow focus.

Here we can see that in most genres of films, but especially in film noir, the form of film mirrors content.

Moreover, the lighting usually features stark light and dark contrasts, as the harsh colors mirror the harsh world, and the dark shadows resonate with the mystery in the world created. The lighting is always very low key. The opposite of high key lighting, which includes well-seen and brightly lit frames, low key incorporates a lot of change, for example the face is half enveloped in shadow, adding a fair amount of depth and dimension. In film noir there are also bleak, fatalistic overtones of despair and madness in unorthodox, disheveled fashions. Film noir incorporates heightened expressionistic scenes, with distorted, nightmarish, exaggerated, and even grotesque elements- the direct effect of shadows, with their blobby, too-big-too-dark shapes cast over the wrong areas.

Film Noir incorporates a fair amount of iconography as well. These icons can range from telephones, voice recorders, newspaper, dark sidewalks, rain-drenched streets, flashing neon signs, fairground and carnivals, the city as a villain, the border town or casino, and imagery of water and alcohol that represent merging and release. All of these reinforce the environment as one of no place of innocence, but rather one for the world-weary and unsure.

The general principles of the noir world is that it is one where the protagonist is 'out of his depth', adding to the dramatic irony as the viewer watches the situation spiral out of control. Film noir recognises people's inherent capacity for disaster, and channels that into unforeseen calamity. The actions of the protagonist leave the viewer with a sense of moral ambiguity and a sense of having to choose 'the lesser of two evils' (which is ironic due to its dichromatic color scheme). The protagonist is isolated; he fights alone yet must be part of society, which leads to the protagonist earning their own damnation and redemption. Finally, film noir often ends with a sense of futility and meaninglessness.

The plot structure of film noir reaches three stages: set-up, conflict, and resolution. In Set-up, the film sets the scene, on the edge of a world of dubious values where at first the protagonist has maintained integrity, and is in control of his situation, uneasily accepting the status quo. During the Conflict, the protagonist is drawn into a situation for ambiguous motives (e.g. sexuality, money). Subsequently, the protagonist acts according to experience, but without complete knowledge, as opposing forces manipulate protagonist, usually without them knowing. The protagonist's flaws emerge, and they go through a process of moral self-discovery as hidden elements of their situation are revealed. The protagonist provokes other to take action against him, and a clash for power and shift in balance of power occurs, and the events continue to spiral towards catastrophe. Finally, during Resolution, the protagonist recognises defeat; they become aware of error, and long for a simpler time when life was less complicated. At the very end, defeat occurs due to a character flaw of the protagonist.

After the popularity of film noir died down, neo-noir became an intriguing and up-and-coming genre of film, incorporating noir concepts and aspects. This is seen in the science fiction works of Ridley Scott like 'Blade Runner' (1982), as it's set in noir-esque gritty, dystopian world. The predatory women of Adrian Lyne's 'Fatal Attraction' (1987) are extremely reminiscient of the noir femme fatale. The hard boiled cops of Curtis Hanson's 'L.A. Confidential' (1997) embrace almost all film noir aspects; and the gritty contemporary world of Nicolas Refn Winding's Drive (2011) have a noir storyline, one in which a loner tries to help the world but things catch up with him inevitably.


Thanks for reading this long post, and hopefully film noir will continue to be as 'interessante' as it's been so far!

SUNSET BOULEVARD

Today was our second film class. As an introduction to our first unit, Film Noir, we watched the film Sunset Boulevard in class. We watched proactively, Seeing, Thinking, and Wondering all the while.

The film was released during the Golden Age of Hollywood, so the Transatlantic accent was quite heavy, and at times hard to understand. However, it was interesting to witness this behavioural relic of the culture of the time and context, when films and filmmakers were progressive and groundbreaking.

The cinematography was impeccable and dynamic, especially the over the shoulder shots, and the clever use of mirrors to reflect and manipulate the layers of the foreground and background.

Additionally, the lighting was extremely clever, because even though the film was in black and white, the monochromatic colours had depth and were captivating. A particular scene that stood out to me was the one featured below, after Norma whips herself into a frenzy watching her younger glorious self in a silent film- but her spell breaks, and she disenthralls back to reality as her cigarette smoke curls around her and the projector light illuminates her from behind eerily.

Next lesson we'll continue watching the film. I'm looking forward to it!

FIRST CLASS

Today we had our first film class. It was quite thought-provoking. We watched the work of past Year 11 students, and Ms. Wong outlined different aspects of the course. The first unit is Film Noir, the second is Twilight Zone, the third is Montages, and the fourth is Experimental. It surprised me that most of them were all very well-made and well-edited. Ms. Wong reintroduced the method of See, Think, Wonder for us to delve deeper while contemplating films.

Ms. Wong also posed the questions: "Why am I here? What do I want out of this year in film?" to us, and we considered them several times through the lesson as we watched through the various films by past students. Not to mention, I really enjoyed watching their films- especially the clever montage film about Occupy Central, and the psychedelic experimental film REM was also very enjoyable.

I'm looking forward to learning to refine our technique and enhance continuity, from editing to sound, to shot and plot pacing.

Here's to a year in film!