BLOG QUESTION ADV: HOW TO USE COLORS IN FILMMAKING

Explain what each of the primary colors means on screen when you use them. How do they affect the mood and tone of your projects?

Red is a dramatic and intense color, usually evoking feelings of anger. It usually represents blood, and it has an effect on our psychology since we instinctively recognize it as such. Green is commonly used to represent nature or freshness, but it's also associated with a variety of emotions or themes, such as money, jealousy, and youth. It is usually a neutral or positive color that radiates calmness or peacefulness. Lastly, blue usually represents the sky or water. It symbolizes trust, wisdom, and calmness. Blue is often associated with intellect, health, and even sadness. You can use these primary colors in film depending on what emotions, mood, or symbols you want to portray in your projects. 

BLOG QUESTION ADV: USING COLOR TO TELL A STORY IN FILM

How are color palettes used in film? Why is each important?

   Color palettes can be created using three tools: Production design and costume, lighting, and color grading. The production design and costuming is usually decided between the director and the production designer during pre-production. This is an important factor to consider during pre-production because it'll help you decide what subjects/objects you want to pop out or blend into the set of the frame. Lighting can be used by adjusting the color temperature or by adding a specific tint during production. You can either flood the entire image with monochromatic light or light different areas with different color temperatures or hues. This is important because it can create contrast within an image, which is what makes a shot aesthetically pleasing and makes your subjects pop out more. In post-production, you can have a colorist, along with a cinematographer or director, use color grading software to digitally adjust and manipulate the levels of RGB in an image. These adjustments will allow them to determine the saturation or intensity of the color in the image.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: COLOR IN STORYTELLING P. 2

What does this video essay say about the purpose of color? What does the narrator have to say about associative and transitional in storytelling? What is one way you could use color going forward in your filmmaking, considering what you've learned this week?

The video essay talks about how color affects us on a subconscious level, due to how our psychology associates colors with certain emotions and feelings. The narrator says that color is used for two main purposes: associative and transitional. Using colors associatively helps you establish an association between a color and subject/idea, which helps reinforce those ideas to the audience by having them consistently show up through a film. Using colors transitionally is when you utilize the change of color to represent a transition or shift in a story. For example, colors changing throughout the film to match a character's new or changing characteristics. One way I can use colors going forward in my filmmaking is by putting more thought into the color pallete of my film. Based on the emotions I want in a scene, I can start by thinking about what colors I want the wardrobe and set pieces to be, and how they would affect the audience.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: COLOR IN STORYTELLING P. 1

What are three things that you've learned in this video essay? How do these relate to what you've learned so far this week about color in filmmaking?

Color affects us subconsciously and evokes certain emotions. The first thing I learned about are the 3 elements to color: Hue, saturation, and value. Hue is the actual color itself.  (e.g. red, orange, green, blue.). Saturation is the intensity of the color. (e.g. how vivid or pale a color is). The value is how dark a color is (lower= dark, higher=brighter). The second thing I learned is that color schemes are chosen in film for two main purposes: balance and discordance. When a color scheme (e.g. complementary or monochromatic colors) are used correctly, it creates a more balanced look. Color can also be used to highlight subjects that don't fit into a scene (aka discordance). The third thing I learned was that color is used for two main purposes: associative and transitional. By using consistent colors, you establish an association between a color and subject/idea, which helps reinforce ideas to the audience. The change of color can also represent a transition or shift in a story (e.g. colors changing throughout the film to match a character's new/changing characteristics). This relates to what we've been learning about color because it explains the different ways color can be utilized to influence the audience's interpretation of a story/the characters within a film.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: COLOR THEORY FOR VIDEO

1. What are complementary colors? What are tertiary colors? What is the difference between primary and tertiary colors?

2. How can colors be assigned meaning in a film?

Complementary colors are colors that are on opposite sides of the color wheel, and when combined, create the color gray. When used together, complementary colors can be visually appealing as they contrast each other. Tertiary colors are colors that are a combination of primary and secondary colors which create a different hue. The difference between primary and tertiary colors are that primary colors are the standard colors that a system starts with, while tertiary colors are a combination of primary and secondary colors (colors made by mixing primary colors). Colors can be assigned meaning in film depending on what feeling you want to evoke for your audience. For example, blue lighting is associated with nighttime. Main characters are often seen wearing color schemes to make them stand out from the rest of the characters and their settings.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: COLOR IN DIGITAL FILMMAKING

1. What are three ways that the video mentions color can enhance filmmaking?

2. What is color sub-sampling? What are the drawbacks or benefits of 8-bit color? What are the drawbacks or benefits of 10-bit color?

Color can be used as a tool to contribute more depth to a story. For example, in the movie, "The Matrix", the actual matrix takes on a more green hue to mimic the "green" associated with early computers in the 90s, whereas the real world uses more natural coloring in order to differentiate the two worlds. Color can also be used to emphasize themes, which is shown in American Beauty with their red, white, and blue color scheme. Color sub-sampling is the process of reducing the color resolution while keeping the luminance resolution the same. 8-bit is fine for playback, but some drawbacks of 8-bit color are that it "breaks" when there's not that much color data available. 10-bit is able to hold about 4x as many levels of color compared to 8-bit.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: THE HISTORY AND SCIENCE OF COLOR FILM P. 2

1. What led to Technicolor taking over color filmmaking? What films really drove the adoption of the process?

2. How did Eastman's color affect the development of color filmmaking? What were some of its pros? What were some of its cons?

Technicolor was known for its rich and vibrant look. The original version utilized arc lights and two-color strips to get its bright look, later adding a third to create red, green, and blue. Musicals in the 1930s were a big genre during the time of Technicolor, which perfectly suited the coloring. However, in 1932, the production of 2-strip Technicolor films had ended due to a lack of audience interest and because of untrained cameramen. Then came Eastman's panchromatic film stock, which had taken over instead, which was a black and white film that produced beautiful images under normal incandescent light. It was also significantly cheaper than having the arc lights that were needed to produce the Technicolor 3-strip. Following that, Eastmancolor came out, which broke the Monopoly of 3-strip Technicolor. It was cheap, didn't require special lights or lab processes, and worked on conventional film cameras. It didn't have as rich a color as Technicolor, but it still dominated.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: THE FORGOTTEN HISTORY OF SILENT FILMS IN COLOR

1. Why do you think modern-day people perceive early film as ONLY black and white? What do you think has led to this perception? How do you think color was perceived by audiences back in the dawn of cinema?

I believe modern-day people only perceive early film as black and white because many of the popular films during that time are currently shown in black and white, due to them not being properly preserved. Because of this, many people believe that older films were only shown in black and white. I also believe there's a lack of history being taught about filmmaking in the older days, and many people aren't aware of processes like tinting/toning, or they don't know the technical names for them. I believe color wasn't perceived realistically by the people watching films, but it probably did add a nice touch and emphasized certain scenes. Paired with live music and sfx, color can be used to influence the audiences' emotions.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: THE HISTORY AND SCIENCE OF COLOR FILM P. 1

1. What is color? What principle did James Clerk Maxwell discover?
2. How was color used in early filmmaking? What were the two major types of colorizing film?

Color is our psychological reaction to a very narrow band of electromagnetic radiation aka light. To create any color of light, you only need 3 primary colors: Red, yellow, and Blue. James Clerk Maxwell discovered the principle that you could create colored photography by shooting something in these primary colors and layering them to create a colored photograph. One of the first uses of color in film was hand-tinting, where color was painted onto the film itself. The two major types of colorizing in film was tinting and toning. Tinting was when an entire frame of film was put into dye which would in turn make the entire frame that color. Toning only colored the dark parts of the frame by chemically converting the silver in the film to colored silver salts.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: THE HISTORY OF FRAME RATES P. 2

1. What were two reasons why 60Hz interlaced frames chosen for over the air broadcasting? How did the introduction of color factor in?

 2. How do you convert a film to television? What is 3:2 pull down?

60 Hz was chosen for over the air broadcasting because they wanted to eliminate the intermodulation (beating distortion caused by the hum generated by an electrical current). The AC power in the United States runs at 60 Hz which results in 30 FPS. With the introduction of color, the UHF TV system needed to come up with a color system that would be compatible with black and white TVs. The system they discovered broke down the colors into Chrominance and Luminance. The 3:2 pull down is when the first frame from a film strip is captured into the Upper, Lower, and then Upper fields, the second is captured in the lower and upper field, the third is captured in the lower, upper, and lower fields, and the fourth is the upper and lower fields.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: THE HISTORY OF FRAME RATES P. 1

1. What were three reasons why 24 frames per second was chosen as the modern standard frame rate for filmmaking?

24 fps was chosen as the modern standard frame rate for filmmaking because of many factors. One of the biggest is the theory of persistence of vision. We knew that films would have to move between 16-26 fps to have the appearance of motion. However, sound also changed that standard. Since sound ran alongside the film strip, playing back a role required a strict and even frame rate. This also made it easier for editors to know how many frames equated to one second, and so forth. 24 fps was chosen instead of something higher (like 30 fps for example) because it was the cheapest, most easily divisible number that would work for sound.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: OVER AND UNDER CRANKING YOUR CAMERA

1. Think back on what you've learned about filmmaking. What is over-cranking the camera? What does it do? How is it done?

2. What does undercranking the camera do? How is this done? How does this affect the image artistically?

Over-cranking your camera means you're increasing the frame rate. This allows you to create slow-motion videos. The higher the number of frames per second your camera captures, the slower you're able to slow down your video, as the amount of motion blur decreases as well. Undercranking your camera means you're decreasing the frame rate. This allows you to create fast-motion/time-lapse videos. As you decrease your frame rate, more motion blur is applied to your footage. You can utilize slow-motion or time-lapse depending on the emotion/effect you want. A timelapse can signify the passage of time, and slow-motion can emphasize an important action or event by bringing more attention to the movement of a subject.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: SHUTTER SPEED VS. FRAME RATE

After watching it, answer the following questions in an in-depth paragraph.
1. Define what shutter speed is and what frame rate is.
2. What is frame rate relationship with shutter speed? How do each affect the image?
3. How could you use these principles to artistically affect your images going forward?

Shutter speed is the duration of time each individual frame is exposed to light. The higher the shutter speed, the more you're able to freeze moving objects in a frame. the lower it is, the more blur will occur. The image of a moving object becomes clearer with a higher shutter speed as less blur occurs. Frame rate is how many frames are captured per second. The standard frame rate is 24p because during the film times, it was the only frame rate that could also emit understandable sound. To record in slow motion, you want to record at a higher frame rate. You can record at 60 fps and conform it to a 24 fps timeline, which will result in a slow-motion video. This will also lengthen the clip by a few seconds. Usually, you want your shutter speed to be double the amount of whatever your frame rate is. This will make the amount of blur feel just right. If it's off, it could result in either too much or too little blur.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: PAN AND SCAN

What is pan and scan? Why was it created? How does it affect a film when it's transferred from the theatre to home video? In your own words, explain 3 examples from the video on how pan and scan changes what the filmmakers intended.

The pan and scan is when a wide-aspect ratio film is cropped or "letterboxed". This was created so films could fit the format of a TV screen. The pan and scan is inconvenient because it crops out a lot of the action elements and the visual information on screen, which takes away from the viewer's experience. Every shot in a movie is carefully composed, so when a film is pan and scanned, it takes away from the art and emotional impact of the film.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: CHOOSING ASPECT RATIO'S

1.What are the key differences between different aspect ratios?

2. How does aspect ratio impact the audience's film experience?

3. How do filmmakers utilize aspect ratios in their craft?

The key difference between different aspect ratios is the varying sizes they come in. They can be narrower or wider, depending on the kind of feeling you want to provoke from the audience. 

The aspect ratio impacts the way the audience interprets the film greatly. For example, narrower aspect ratios can be used to show the visual shift between the present day/the past or reality vs. dream/expectations. You can also use it to evoke certain emotions or feelings, such as claustrophobia (anxiety/stress). Some filmmakers utilize different aspect ratios to transport the audience into the time period when the aspect ratio was popular. Usually, narrower aspect ratios are used to give this sort of effect. Wider aspect ratios are common in higher-budget epics, like action or dramas. This allows the filmmakers to show more on screen and immerse the audience by adding more visual information to the screen. The aspect ratio can change throughout the film, and it can even be ignored to create a 3D and more immersive feel for the audience.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: PATH TO BECOMING A CINEMATOGRAPH

Compare and contrast both paths to becoming a cinematographer. What are the pros and cons of each path? Which path appeals to you? Write a reflection on why.

- You can either go to film school to become a cinematographer or start working immediately. Some pros of going to film school include better access to resources such as film gear, actors, crew, etc. It also pushes you to film more content and expand your portfolio, as you'll be assigned projects. It's a good opportunity to network with students, alumni, and staff, which is something vital to succeed in the film industry. However, being able to get a job after attending film school isn't guaranteed. Another path you can take is immediately getting into the industry after high school and climbing the hierarchical ladder to become a crew member. You would start as a PA and make the necessary connections to get into any department you want. Being on set teaches you through experience, which is something you can't always replicate on a student production. The con of this is that it's not always easy to break into a professional film set, and you might need prior connections beforehand. For me, I believe film school appeals to me because I can make guaranteed connections through it. As someone who wants to work in post-production, I don't necessarily need experience on a set as that's not an environment I would be working in. I also have some on-set experience as a student filmmaker right now, so if my employer is looking for someone who has some idea of how the industry works, my experience so far might be acceptable.

Write an in-depth reflection on the input you got from pitching your hero's journey 2nd film project. What was some of the constructive feedback that you got? What were some issues with your story and pitch? What are your next steps in the process with it?

What are the major challenges that are preventing you from getting greenlit? How can you solve them?

The main issue with our pitch is that we didn't disclose the entire idea at first, which left a lot of confusion at the end when we were getting feedback. We also didn't decide production roles, give clear examples of our concept, or create a well-thought-out hero's journey story. To fix this, we decided on our production roles and made sure that we were all committed to them. We also made sure to clearly communicate that the hero's journey would be half-interview, half-narrative. We also went back and added more details in the story to fulfill the hero journey requirements, such as creating a stronger mentor, herald, and reconfiguring the character archetypes to fit the characters more clearly. To make sure that this project runs smoothly, we need to make sure that everyone fulfills their roles, especially those who are responsible for editing and creating the drawings/characters, as the project relies heavily on post-production work.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: BEGINNING CINEMATOGRAPHERS

What are three key suggestions that this video made that you find useful that you didn't know before? Why are these so interesting?

One key suggestion he gives is to define your subject by utilizing the rule of thirds. You can use the rule of thirds by using the 4 intersecting points of the columns and rows to bring more attention to the main subject. For faces, it's good to have the top two points as the anchor. For a wider shot, you can also use the lower points. This also applies to vertical and horizontal subjects. If your subject is taller, it's better to line it up with the column lines, and if it's horizontal, it's better to line it up with the row lines. The second key suggestion he gives is to learn how to manipulate the aperture or ISO for exposure control. He suggests to use the in camera meter instead of the histogram. The exposure levels are determined by what your trying to shoot. If you're shooting someone with lighter skin, you can have it be overexposed by one stop. For darker skin, having it read at 0 should be okay. If you're shooting wider shots, you can use the metering mode and turn on the multi/matrix metering, which will calculate an exposure that fits the scene best. Lastly, he recommends you to find a position for your subject that will make them pop out of the background, or give them a "spotlight". You can do this by trying to find a contrast between them and the background, whether that be turning them directly to a light source or directly behind a light source, you should utilize your surroundings to find a way to make your subject stand out.