BLOG QUESTION: EARLY FILMS IN 60FPS

What is your opinion regarding this new trend in restoring, colorizing, and raising the frame rate to 60fps? Does it help make people interested in the past? Is it unethical? Is it lying to the viewer? What do you feel when you watch them?

I think it’s interesting to see the restoration of these films, and for regular people it helps them immerse themselves in into the past and gives them a better understanding of what life was like (or what life could've been like if you lived in that era). I do believe it makes it more interesting for people, but I don’t think its unethical or lying to the viewer, as long as they know that it’s a restoration and not the original piece. Personally, I don’t really like the colorized or higher frame rate restored films, just because it doesn’t look natural to me (especially if it’s done by AI). I do like the films that are restored, but when it has its original coloring and frame rate. For example, the “IMAX” 65mm films we watched looked very similar to how films look today (in terms of quality and frame rate), but it didn’t look unnatural.

BLOG QUESTION: WHO REALLY WAS FIRST?

Who was Louis Le Prince? What was his contribution to cinema? After reading about him, what surprises you about reading this article?

Louis Le Prince was a french inventor who was actually the first person to project a motion picture. He created the Le Prince Single-lens Cine Camera, which pre-dated Edison and the Lumiere's invention. However, on a trip to Paris, France, he disappeared along with his invention and wasn't given the recognition he deserved. One thing that surprised me was that he knew Jacques Daguerre during his youth. I also didn't know that he established his own school, which was the Leeds Technical School of Art.

BLOG QUESTION EVE: VERTICAL VIDEO

Why is vertical video a bad idea? Have you taken one? Why?

A vertical video is a bad idea because most devices that allow you to watch videos are horizontal (such as computers, the television, and movie screen). A vertical format limits the amount of information you can put on the screen and it makes it more difficult for you to tell a story. If vertical videos were to become the new norm, the devices that we watch videos on would have to change. I've taken a vertical video for social media because the format for most of the videos on them is vertical, and they're typically viewed on a phone screen which is a vertical device.

BLOG QUESTION: EARLY FILM SCAVENGER HUNT P.1

Take a few minutes online to search out and find one early short silent film you like that was made before 1910. Embed the video in your blog.

Why do you like this early silent film? What is so interesting about it? What are two common things you noticed about the movie you saw while searching for your video on YouTube?

I liked this silent film because it's a blend of stop-motion with real-life film, and it's a holiday movie. It's a creative idea because it takes you inside the mind of a child who's dreaming about a toy he just bought, and I can see how it would be a funny film back in the day. I'm curious about how long it took to film the stop-motion part as there seems to be a lot of moving parts and characters. One common thing I noticed about all the silent films that i skimmed through was that all of them were in black and white, and they followed the same composition, varying in shot sizes but not very much the angles. I also noticed that the transition between scenes were pretty simple and consisted of fade to blacks or superimposition. 

BLOG QUESTION: THE LUMIERE BROTHERS

What was their major contribution to cinema? How was their device different than Edison's?

Their major contribution to cinema was the Cinématographe. It was the first satisfactory technology made for taking and projecting films, and its claw mechanism became the basis for most cine cameras. The claw mechanism was created based on the mechanism for the sewing machine. What made it different from Edison’s was the fact that it was compact and didn’t require electricity. You could take it anywhere and all you needed was a magic lantern lamphouse with a gas or limelight illuminant.

BLOG QUESTION: EARLIEST FILMS REFLECTION

 What qualities do these early films share? Why do you think the filmmakers shot these? How do they differ from modern movies?

A lot of these films have a jittery quality to them and the camera has little to no movement in most of the shots. A lot of them show people performing, going through their daily lives, or interesting events. I believe the filmmakers shot these to document these interesting people (such as the strong man or the Native Americans) for future use, but also to document what life was like back then (for example, the football game or the automobile video). These differ from most modern movies because they don't have many cuts or unique camera angles and movements. there also isn't a clear storyline to them.

BLOG QUESTION: MUYBRIDGE

What were Muybridge's contributions to motion pictures? What breakthroughs did he make? Why are they significant? What part of the story did you find the most interesting? Why?

His work laid the foundation for the development of cinematography by proving that motion could be captured and studied. One of his more major breakthroughs was his Horse Gallop experiment. He wanted to prove whether or not all four hooves of a horse left the ground while galloping. It was significant because he did manage to photograph a horse in motion and he proved that all four hooves do leave the ground. The part I found most interesting about the story was the publics reaction to his discoveries, as they did not believe him. I think that the debate was intense and its interesting to see what kind of scientific controversies were happening during that era.

BLOG QUESTION: CHRONOPHOTOGRAPHY

After reading this article and viewing the images that Marey captured, write a reflection on what you think Marey's motion studies contributed to the development of the motion picture. What makes his work so interesting?

by using the chronophotography technique, Marey played a huge role in the development of motion pictures. He would capture successive images on a single print, which showed how motion could be broken down and analyzed. His photographic gun, which was able to take 12 frames per second, inspired the motion studies of Harold Edgerton, and influenced the motion picture camera. He would mostly use animals such as birds, horses, and also people in motion. He would try to take all angles of the subjects. Based on the images he would get; he would make bronzes that showed the three dimensions of their movement.

BLOG QUESTION: THE DIORAMA THEATRE

What was a Diorama Theatre? Why do you think it was a precursor to cinema?

The Diorama Theatre is a multimedia spectacle. it was an immersive experience in a specially made building. It was projected in a darkened room, with transparent and opaque images. It would slowly transform itself from night to day, from winter to summer, often with music and other sound effects. It was a precursor to cinema because it replicated modern day movie theaters where people would come to watch a film in a room built for screenings.

BLOG QUESTION: INVENTION OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Why do you think we wouldn't have filmmaking without the invention of photography? Pick three of these innovations on this list and explain their historical importance and why you think it led to the invention of motion pictures.

The technology used to create photography was the basis for the technology that creates film. If you think about it objectively, film is basically a series of images taken repeatedly to create the illusion of motion. I believe Dry Plates was an important innovation for photography and later contributed to the invention of film because it allowed for much quicker exposures, and you didn't need the knowledge of basic chemistry to know how to use it. I also believe the Calotype was an important innovation because it allowed for multiple copies of a single negative to be made.

BLOG QUESTION: THE PHANTASMAGORIA

What was the Phantasmagoria? After reading this article, write a reflection on what elements of the Phantasmagoria became adopted into the development of movies.

The Phantasmagoria created illusions of the dead through a device called the Fantoscope (which was basically a magic lantern on wheels), which allowed him to project images and create the illusion that they were moving closer to the audience. He also used practical effects such as smoke to further scare his audiences. Phantasmagoria reminds me of 3D or even 4D movie experiences. Through illusions, he's able to immerse the audiences into the experience, similarly how 3D movies use different images layered onto the screen and glasses to create the illusion of the screen being 3D. 4D movies also use practical effects in theater such as smoke, water, air, etc. to immerse the audience, which reminds me of the Phantasmagoria experience.

BLOG QUESTION: EARLY HUMANS

What role does lighting play in the caves? How might these paintings have been used by primitive man? What are the two techniques that the early artists used to paint on the walls of the cave? Why do you think they painted with these images?

Lighting was used to see inside the caves, but it was also used to illuminate the drawings on the cave walls.  These drawings were most likely used by primitive man to tell stories visually. One technique they used was through the flicker of the light. The flickering would create the illusion of the motion in the drawings, and in low light, the human vision degrades, amplifying that effect. They used a variety of drawing techniques aside from the regular sequence of drawings to show motion. They used a technique called superimposition, which is when you layer drawings to show a sense of motion. They painted these images to express their reactions to their environments and to tell stories.

BLOG QUESTION: CINEMA HISTORY PRE-REFLECTION

How do you think the history of cinema has influenced the way we tell stories today? Are there any examples of films or techniques that might have been inspired by the past? What are three things you'd like to learn during this unit?

I believe the history of cinema has positively impacted the way we tell stories. With film, you’re able to visually tell a narrative, giving you creative freedom to show emotions and tell a message through a variety of mediums and techniques such as sound, visual effects, pacing, coloring, etc. There are a variety of films that are inspired by the past, such as films in the historical fiction genre, and we still use the same standard techniques like tracking in, dutch angles, and also storytelling techniques like characters moving out of frame. 3 things I’d like to learn more about is the development of silent films, what genres were prominent during certain time periods, and how did the wars/political systems affect the development of film.

BLOG QUESTION: THE EVOLUTION OF FILM

After watching this video, what are some of the aspects of the history of film that stood out to you? What makes them seem significant?

The transition from black and white to color, animation, development of color-grading, camera angles, and practical effects all stood out to me in the video. The transition of film to color is significant because it was a huge milestone in film-making and changed television forever. I find animation also interesting because modern technology has greatly improved (3D models, etc.) and the techniques they used back then were probably very time consuming.  The color-grading and camera angles also seemed to develop more as color became the standard in television and more technology has been created to facilitate unique angles (such as drones for birds-eye view). Lastly, the development of practical effects has changed significantly with the development of CGI, and it would be interesting to see how practical effects were created safely back then.

BLOG QUESTION: CREATING THE PERFECT PSA

What are three things to keep in mind when getting started with creating a PSA?

One important thing to keep in mind is the topic of the PSA. You want to choose something that you're passionate about, and that you can create an interesting video based on that topic. You also want to make sure that you have the latest statistics and references in your PS, in order to make it convincing. Lastly, you want to make sure that your video is appropriate for your target audience. You want to make sure that your PSA will appeal to them so that they can take action.

BLOG QUESTION: 2-COLUMN SCRIPT FORMAT

What are 3 key things that this article says are important about formatting an AV script?

While a regular script follows strict guidelines, an AV script follows less guidelines and may be adjusted accordingly depending on your clients preference. It should still follow the standard font and margins for script writing. Margins should be one inch on each edge of the page. The font should be Courier New 12 point, a serif, fixed-width font of 10 characters per inch. Rather than just containing the dialogue, action, change of location, and transition of a scene, an AV script has two columns. The column on the left is used for the video, and the right is used for the audio. The video column contains descriptions of the shot (shot size, subject, action/blocking notes, camera movements, visual effects) The audio column should contain the characters, dialogue, music, and sfx. Dialogue should be written with regular grammar and capitalization, but anything else should be written in all caps.

BLOG QUESTION: WRITING AN EFFECTIVE VIDEO SCRIPT

What are the four parts of an effective video script? What do each of these parts do for your final video?

The 4 parts of an effective video script are the hook, the introduction, the body, and the call to action. The hook should capture the audience's attention, and convince them to continue watching the rest of the video (think of why they should want to watch your video). The intro is where you would introduce who you/your characters are, and give any supportive details/info that the audience will need to know before beginning the video (not always required, but great for lead ins/branding). The body of the paragraph is where you would share the bulk of your information. It is one of the most important parts of the video. Lastly, the call to action should tell your viewers what they need to do next, now that they know the new information. During this, this is where you could put information as contact info, websites, encourage them to comment, subscribe, etc.)

BLOG QUESTION: SPRING SEMESTER GOALS

If you remember, we blogged about your goals at the beginning of the fall semester. Revisit those goals when you first enter the spring semester.
Look back at the goals that you set in the fall, did you achieve them? Why or why not? How can you take steps or make corrections to achieve these goals? Where will you need to look to gather help or resources?

My three goals for the fall semester were:

1. I want to try every "job" or "role", whether that be editing, filming, acting, etc. at least once.

2. I want to find my specialty in film production

3. I want to contribute to the idea or script of a video and help my vision come to life

I think I accomplished all of these goals. I have directed, acted, been the DoP, contributed to a script, created a storyboard, edited, and more. I’m pretty confident that I an most passionate about post-production when it comes to filmmaking. I also have had the opportunity to create a short film based off some of my ideas and help create a script for it (chase sequence and skillsusa). I want to develop my skills and explore more roles in filmmaking in order to determine what job would fit me the most (preferably in post production).