Pre-Production Intro

Pre-production is the steps and processes taken in planning before a shoot, so that production runs smoothly and time isn't wasted on things that aren't prepared. Once a filmmaker gets an idea in their head, one of the first steps is writing it down, preferably in a place with other ideas, so they can go back to it and remember their thoughts. If they choose to pursue the idea, they should pitch it to others to get feedback and reshape their original idea. From there, it's about creating a script and storyboards to show the dialogue between actors, and how each scene will play out. Before they can go to a camera, a filmmaker should create a shot list that can serve as a guideline for how to shoot each scene, so they don't have to be making those decisions during production with all the heavy equipment.

Framing and Angles in Film/TV

Now that I have a general understanding of framing, angles, and composition, I'm able to recognize them in cinema and television and appreciate their purpose. Before this unit, I was aware of some of the general framing like long shots and close ups, but there were so many others that I had no idea existed. However now that I've been taught what to look for, it's hard not to appreciate it when something like a low angle shows up in a movie I'm watching, and the context perfectly fits the reasons I've learned it's used (making characters appear more strong and powerful). Outside of film/tv, I see concepts like composition play out in the real world in interior design, painting, and theater. In those cases, it's also about finding a balanced composition where elements in the foreground hold a larger meaning than what is placed in the background, and different elements come together to promote symmetry and uniformity.    

Camera/Composition Summary

The camera and composition unit has taught me the mechanics of white balancing a camera and why it's done, the different parts to a tripod and how to operate them, and how to create a good composition through general rules like the Rule of Thirds and headroom. I'm still curious about the Golden Rule because I see how it's applied in certain movies, but I don't know how to follow it for my own clips. I think it would be helpful if the LCD monitors had the Fibonacci sequence drawn out as a reference, so I could position the camera according to that.  Also, I still have questions about the proper way to shoot in the sun, because I don't know if it's best for the subject to stand with their back toward the sun, or facing it. I would like to learn more about others ways to export footage from a camera, because I'm curious of how to transfer video files to someone when I don't want to just loan them my SD card.

Power Through Composition

You can give your characters power by framing them in the center, placing them in the foreground, or positioning them somewhere in the upper section of the frame. In general, placing a character dead center gives off a sense of authority where the viewer's eyes are directed right to it. Since the foreground is "first in line" and closest to the audience, placing your subject there allows them to appear powerful. We generally look at the larger images first because they produce more aesthetic energy, so a character in the foreground would have attention directed right to it, making them seem important. Also the upper section of the frame can depict power because characters that are placed there are "on top" of those in the lower frame, which altogether puts them in a position of authority.

The Hitchcock Rule

The Hitchcock Rule is that the size of any object in a frame should be proportional to its importance to the story at that moment. It can be applied both on set and in the editing room to ensure that only the details that are really needed are captured. I put a close up of a clock ticking in one of my films to depict the passage of time and show the patience of one of the characters. I chose to highlight that detail because I didn't want the camera on the subject the whole time, and I wanted some other clips I could mix in. Since time was significant to that portion of the story, I figured it was proper to film a close-up of the clock, so in essence I was following Hitchcock's Rule without even knowing it.

A Fresh Look at Tripods

The main components of a professional tripod are the fluid head, the pan bar, the legs, the leg locks, the spreader, and the boots. The most important is the head, as it serves as an attachment for the camera, and has four essential systems (handle, release, drag, and lock). The pan bar is detachable and is essentially a bent arm that allows you to operate the camera. For the legs, they're usually extendable in two sections so the height can be adjusted, and they can be collapsed for storage. The leg locks are responsible for locking the legs at a certain height, and the boots protect the bottom of the legs so the tripod can be used in external conditions. Finally, the spreader keeps the stability of the legs so they don't collapse on themselves, and can be adjusted to accommodate the legs at certain heights.  

Screen Direction

Characters should enter and exit the frame in correspondence with the previous shot. For example, if they exit one shot at screen right, they should enter the next shot from the left. This same principle applies to diagonal perspectives, so a person that exits in a close-up screen left should reenter the next shot from the right. If these rules aren't followed, the audience can become confused over the direction the subject is moving, as the cuts seem to lack continuity. For digital movement in the frame, there's less restriction, but you should ensure you're avoiding a graphic imbalance, so the subject's size doesn't drastically change from one shot to the next.