BLOG QUESTION: STORYBOARDING

Why are storyboards so important for planning your film? How does the script relate to the storyboards?

Storyboards help you visualize what you want to film before you actually shoot it. It gives you a visual reference and allows you to keep track of specific shots you want to include in your project (such as insert shots). Storyboarding can act as a visual reference for parts of your script that require action. You can also add notes for lighting, camera angles, shots, etc. below your storyboards. You can even add "notes" in your drawing, such as drawing arrows or framing boxes to show a change in framing or direction.

BLOG QUESTION: 3-ACT STRUCTURE

In your own words, summarize each act of the three-act structure and explain what its role in the story is.

The first act should introduce all the main characters of the story and set up the location and circumstances that the characters are in (where does the story mainly take place? Why are they there? What happens to them that sets the story up?). It should also contain some exposition to show how the characters are related to each other, or to show their personalities. A question (enigma) should be introduced in order to capture the audiences attention. The second act should allow the characters to achieve some of their goals, but not their main one. Everything should fall apart so by the midpoint of the story they're at their lowest point, and they need to overcome obstacles that get harder and more difficult before the third act. In the third act, they should reach the climax (point where the story reaches its highest tension point). Their relationships or solutions should have developed, or some sort of resolution, in order for the audience to feel some sense of closure. Some stories have open endings, so it's important to keep in mind what you want the characters to learn/audience to learn by the end of your story. 

BLOG QUESTION: HOW TO WRITE A TREATMENT

What is a treatment? What are three key points of advice this article gives on how to create an effective one?

A treatment is a multi-page document that describes the story you're trying to create. It includes some action, sparse dialogue, and works as a guide for the reader, producer, and writer. One advice the author gives us is to not include too much dialogue in our treatments, only when it's vital to the scene or adds emotion to it, since your dialogue is likely to change. The second piece of advice they give is a template for a treatment, which includes writing the log-line, describing the characters, and including act 1, 2, 3 and a final scene. Lastly, he explains that there are different styles of treatments; Ones that describe an exciting scene in a movie, and one that explains the logistics of the world and characters. Either one is fine, and it all depends on what you want the readers to know about your film.

BLOG QUESTION: SYNOPSIS OR TREATMENT

In your own words, explain the differences between an outline, synopsis and a treatment.

An outline is when the key points of a story is listed, and it helps you keep track of the story you're trying to write. It doesn't necessarily have to have every event listed, but it has the main story arc and character arc. In television, it can also be referred to as a "beat sheet", which breaks down scenes into its "major beats", or significant moments. A synopsis is an extension to your log-line, and is usually 3-4 sentences (one paragraph). It is supposed to capture the core idea of your script. Lastly, a treatment is a short story version of your script. While an outline is mostly bullet points and brief explanations, a treatment is written out in story format.

BLOG QUESTION: RAISING ARIZONA REFLECTION

How does Raising Arizona mix comedy with deeper themes like love and family, and how can you use this in your own films?

Raising Arizona mixes comedy with deeper themes by exaggerating the personalities of the characters, having comedic dialogue, and having chaotic and entertaining sequences (Such as the chase sequence) all while maintaining its deeper themes. While there are funny parts of the film, the overall story and message is still present. I can use all of these elements to enhance my film. I think choosing eccentric personalities for characters can keep the audience entertained, and it can also make my film more memorable. I think having really chaotic or wacky sequences also creates iconic scenes.

BLOG QUESTION: PITCHING

What are three major tips from this article that you took away on how to create a great pitch?

Never tell the whole story. You’ve got 60-90 seconds to pitch your story. you want to Focus on revealing the essential elements of your story (protagonists, everyday life, goals, conflicts, opportunities, etc). Begin by revealing how you came up with the idea. Whether you took inspiration from another movie or a specific genre, give the buyer an idea of what kind of movie you’re trying to pitch to them. Answer the buyers questions briefly and clearly. Listen to exactly what your buyer wants to know about your script, and then answer just that question in no more than 10 seconds. Try not to re-explain what you’ve already shared, or give too many details.

BLOG QUESTION: PRE-PRODUCTION INTRO

What is pre-production? What are the steps that a filmmaker must take to transfer an idea in their head into a form that is ready to be filmed on camera?

Pre-production is the finalization and organization of everything before production begins, such as the script, locations, actors, crew, budget, and equipment. It is vital to the production process as it organizes everything and allows for a smoother filming process. Once a filmmaker develops a concept and gets it approved, they must finalize the script, figure out the budget, and breakdown what days they want to begin filming each part. They also need to create a crew for their production and have different department heads that manage each department. They need to coordinate with their crew and plan to location scout, storyboard, create a shotlist, and etc. Lastly, they can search for actors that are willing to fit into the schedule they built, or if their schedule can be adjusted. Overall, They must account for locations, times, actors, weather, props, wardrobe, and anything else that will be needed to make their story come to life. 

BLOG QUESTION: CAMERA UNIT REFLECTION

Review your camera unit goals blog entry at the beginning of the unit. What did you do to achieve those goals? What did you learn in the Intro to Camera unit? What are more questions you have about using a camcorder?

Three goals that I had for this unit were to learn all the functions of a camera and how to operate one, how to set up camera tracks, and to learn about the different camera angles/perspectives used in film. I achieved these goals by taking notes, completing my assignments, and making sure I had enough practice with all the equipment. I learned a lot about camera composition and how to properly operate an FS5. I want to learn how to use the other camera in class (the camera used for broadcasting).

BLOG QUESTION: STEADIER HANDHELD MOVING SHOTS

What are the tips that John gives to give steady shots in this video? How can you use this in your next video?

 You should always keep your heel-toe position and your center of gravity in mind. Planting your heels first and rolling your foot forward, as well as lowering your center of gravity (bending your kneed slightly) will allow you to move more smoothly while holding the camera. If you're moving backwards, do the opposite and start on your tip-toes and roll back onto your heel. This allows you to keep your upper body as still as possible in order to have more camera control. Try not to shoot zoomed in as the zoom emphasizes every movement of the camera, making your shots seem shakier. Keep your shutter speed at double your frame rate (180 degree rule), a higher frame rate can result in a shakier image. You can also enable image stabilization or use a gymbal in order to maintain stability. I will definitely be using all these tricks in my next videos, specifically if i'm trying to track a walking character and I want a hand held shot. 

BLOG QUESTION: THE WHEELCHAIR DOLLY

What are three key tips that you found valuable from this video?

Firstly, ask friends and families for ideas on possible locations, aka networking. Always check the location you're going to shoot at before the day of so you don't have to alter your script on the spot. If you have a really good location (especially if its free), you don't want to turn it down because you can always alter your script a little bit and keep the core parts of it. The more local the location it is, the better. Second, Leave the place exactly how you found it (Or even cleaner). You want to make sure that the place would be willing to let you shoot there again in case you need to re-shoot, or if you want to reuse the location for a different project. Lastly, a wheelchair dolly can help make your handheld shots more stable/smoother. It's a cheaper alternative than an actual dolly and it's easy and affordable to set up.

BLOG QUESTION: DOLLY VS ZOOM SHOTS

What is the difference between zooming and dollying? What do dollying and trucking add to the shot?

A dolly is a moving shot that is being operated from a dolly. A dolly move is equivalent to looking at a subject and moving towards it (physically, 3D). The world around the subject moves/changes with this movement. Tracking shots horizontally and even circling around a subject counts as dollying.
A zoom is magnification, rather than movement. The spatial relationship between the subject and surroundings. As you zoom in, the objects stay in the same position but it gives a compressed feeling, choking in on the character. Dollying and trucking add movement to a shot and it enhances the storytelling by revealing the environment or following a subject as they move. It keeps the audience immersed and can add emotion to the shot.

BLOG QUESTION: CAMERA MOVEMENT

Movement in film can be used in a variety of ways. What are some that you noticed are mentioned in this film? In what ways are they used? What are some films that you like that you could go home this weekend and study for their movement? What aspects of their camera movement interest you? Please explain.

The guy in the video talks about how there are different ways to pan if you're following actions, and depending on how you want the audience to feel during the scene, you can choose different ways. For example, if you're trying to show two guys walking and having a conversation, you can follow them on a dolly to simply show the scene, but if you want to imply that there's someone watching or that there's a secret being exchanged, you can set the camera up on a tripod and pan to follow the two characters. You could also track the characters by hand-holding the camera instead of using a dolly to make the conversation seem more tense or leading up to something. In order to know what camera movement you want to use, it's important to consider the context of the shots, the emotions you're trying to convey, and all the options of movement that are available to you. The first movie I thought of that had interesting camera movement is "Now you see me", a movie about magic tricks. I know they utilize a lot of camera movement to show how each magic trick is performed, and I think it'd be interesting to see how they were able to keep track of all those shots.

BLOG QUESTION: SCREEN DIRECTION

What does the video narrator have to say about how characters should enter and exit the frame? What happens if these rules are not followed? How does this apply to diagonal movement in the frame?

Characters should enter and exit the frame on the same side in a corresponding shot. For example, if a character enters the frame on the left and exits on the right, the next shot should show them entering on the left once again  and exiting to the right. This helps the audience understand that the character is moving in the same direction. If this rule isn't followed, you could confuse your audience and make them think that the character is heading back to the direction they came from. It is also important to remember the 180 degree rule when filming shots like this, and to stay on the same side of the character. When shooting at a diagonal angle, the same rules apply. When filming, it's important to have these rules in mind.

BLOG QUESTION: HEIGHT OF CAMERA

What do low vs. high angles mean in relation to each other?

The height of the camera affects how we interpret the scene/character. It can add emotions to the scene without altering the story/acting. Placing the camera at a low angle can cause a character to look intimidating, and it tells the audience that they're the one with power in the scene. Placing the camera at a high angle can highlight how a character is weak. You can increase/decrease the camera height simply to change the perspective of your shot, or you can do this purposely to add a psychological layer to the story.

BLOG QUESTION: GETTING THE SHOT RIGHT

What are three key things that this video teaches you about composition? Why is each of them important to the images that you shoot?

Camera position from the subject is critically important to composition. For example, height. is the camera at eye-level, above, or below the subject? This will impact the way your audience interprets whats going on, and how they view the subject. It's also important to remember the rule of thirds: 3 x 3 grid with 4 intersecting points. You want to have your subject line up with one of those 4 intersecting points, in order to help with continuity. It's important to have the same composition between each shot in order to preserve continuity for the audience. For ex, you want to make sure a subjects eye-line remains at the same level between each shots (The rule of thirds can help with this). So whether you do a long shot, a medium shot, or close-up, their eye-line should remain at the top horizontal line. Lastly, Framing of the subject is important because you don't want to cut off important parts of your subject. Avoid cutting off the subjects chin, instead, show their entire face and cut off the top of their hairline. If you're subject is moving, you also want to anticipate what direction they're heading in order to give enough lead room (space infront of a moving subject and the edge of the frame). Having little to no lead room doesn't show what the subject is looking at in the frame, and can leave the audience feeling confused.