BLOG QUESTION ADV: HERO'S JOURNEY FILM STATUS

What is the current status of your Hero's Journey Film? What are the delays? What is your plan to complete it by the due date?

Our Hero's Journey is in it's late stages of the rough cut. Currently, I'm working on keying all the green screen backgrounds. We had a few delays in the post-production process as we were waiting on getting many of the backgrounds and different assets scanned, and we were also working on the filming/editing other assignments which took away from our editing time. Our plan to complete it by the due date is to divide up the edit, which Lukas and I have been doing these past two weeks.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: CINEMATIC CAMERA MOVEMENT

Why does the beginning shot example look bad from a technical as well as a storytelling viewpoint? What are three differences between the static shot examples that the narrator shows and shots with a dolly or a handheld rig?

-  The weight of the camera has an effect on how shaky a shot is. The smaller and more lightweight a camera is, the more noticeable the jolts are to the camera's sensor. Some key differences between a handheld rig and a dolly rig is that a dolly rig is often smoother, adds more emotion, and can be immersive. It allows for more dynamic movement. A handheld rig can also be used to add emotion, making scenes feel more tense and erratic. 

BLOG QUESTION ADV: COMPOSITION IN STORYTELLING P. 2

1. What does this video essay say about the purpose of composition? What does the narrator have to say about the use of lines in the frame?

2. What does this video have to say about the use of artificial vs. primal control? How is this used in composition? Why?

When it comes to composition, lines of perspective is used most commonly. Your eyes follow lines naturally. Lines can be used to draw the audience's attention to a subject or a different path. The positioning of objects is a way to visually indicate who has control over a subject. Artificial control is how you control the aesthetics to draw your audience's attention, and primal control is the power dynamics of the subjects/environments in relation to the narrative. The size of an object in the frame usually matches its importance in the story. Both artificial and primal control affect how the audience interprets the story.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: COMPOSITION IN STORYTELLING P. 1

1. What are three things that you've learned in this video essay? How do these relate to what you've learned so far until this point in this class?

2. What does the narrator have to say about the frame? What is it used for?

I learned about numerous compositional influencers such as geometry, framing, focus, guiding lines, and more. Thinking about these factors can help you create unique shots. One of the most common is a "frame within a frame", which is a geometrically pleasing framing style. It can also be used as a physical barrier to show a separation or contrast. When a character passes through a frame, it usually symbolizes them entering a new phase of their journey. The frame helps you decide the placement of subjects. it is both technical and expressive. When framing, you need to think of what do you want to show or not show? You should consider lighting, how objects are staged, and what subjects they block.

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.