Collage loans make me nervous guys.
1. What I learned this week:
We mostly did screenings this week, as well as did the documentary critiques.
2. What I want to learn:
Better shot planning
3. Something that frustrated me this week:
I've been trying to get my study hall room changed, and I got a slip back from my councilor for an appointment, with the day before's date, so that's great.
Also I hate economics and STUPID ONLINE TEXTBOOKS YOU CAN'T GET INTO TO DO HOMEWORK WITH.
4. Something that made me happy:
Despite the above, I think I've been more relaxed this week then weeks prier, so that's good.
5. Video of the week!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUzVGuk35LE&t=0s
So the Lego Batman movie came out this weekend, and I kinda want to see it, because people have been saying good things about it. This is one of the reviews I watched about it, enjoy!
Sunday, February 12, 2017
How 'Sherlock' Solves Mysteries Using Cinematography and Editing
When it comes to cinematography, sometimes it's better to show the audience a conclusion or idea, instead of dropping exposition. Sometimes this also is a matter of immersing in the world you're in, and getting you to experience what a character experiences, so you understand sometimes as the character does. In this example in 'Sherlock', we see both of these ideas put together, conveyed with clever framing, filming, and editing.
To tell a story from the point of view of a character, the most commonly used method is a monologue to explain the character's thought process, however the filmmakers on 'Sherlock' decide to take a different route to show the audience how Sherlock reaches a conclusion. With the character of Sherlock actually high on cocaine in these scenes, the transitions we experience are unusual, but creatively executed and make sense for the characters thought process. During a conversation scene, the shots used are actually structured Present/Shot and Past/Reverse Shot with different perspectives, which adds to the understanding of the scenes. Then, when Sherlock comes back to reality, we as an audience start seeing the pieces come together. We see a shot of Sherlock in the middle of a busy street. We then cut to a shot of a man yelling a Sherlock from his car. Then we get a reverse shot of Sherlock. Then we cut back to the man, but the man is now Sherlock's drug dealer. Then we do another reverse shot to Sherlock, but when we cut back to the drug dealer, he's in Sherlock's house. We get a reverse shot of Sherlock, then a reverse shot of the drug dealer telling Sherlock they're both at Sherlock's house. This clicks as Sherlock realizes they are in his house, and to match with the drug and scene hitting their highest point, the set turns on it's axis. This entire sequence takes 3 minutes and 42 seconds.
So, the filmmakers working on 'Sherlock' took advantage of a very complex character, and used it to give the audience something different when it comes to exposition through characters. The fact that Sherlock is high on cocaine gives new possibilities for showing the process of the character getting to a conclusion, and as a result, creates a sequence that shows use what we need to know with minimal vocal interruptions. This is why the cinematography works so well in these scenes, it suits the thinking of the character we are watching, and keeps the audience interested.
This was really interesting as someone who has never watched this show before. I could understand why the transitions were the way they were after the tiny explanation about the drugs, and it really is brilliant to match the style of editing to match the character's thought process, and not just take the easy way out with dialogue. It's really interesting, and I applaud the creativity here.
To tell a story from the point of view of a character, the most commonly used method is a monologue to explain the character's thought process, however the filmmakers on 'Sherlock' decide to take a different route to show the audience how Sherlock reaches a conclusion. With the character of Sherlock actually high on cocaine in these scenes, the transitions we experience are unusual, but creatively executed and make sense for the characters thought process. During a conversation scene, the shots used are actually structured Present/Shot and Past/Reverse Shot with different perspectives, which adds to the understanding of the scenes. Then, when Sherlock comes back to reality, we as an audience start seeing the pieces come together. We see a shot of Sherlock in the middle of a busy street. We then cut to a shot of a man yelling a Sherlock from his car. Then we get a reverse shot of Sherlock. Then we cut back to the man, but the man is now Sherlock's drug dealer. Then we do another reverse shot to Sherlock, but when we cut back to the drug dealer, he's in Sherlock's house. We get a reverse shot of Sherlock, then a reverse shot of the drug dealer telling Sherlock they're both at Sherlock's house. This clicks as Sherlock realizes they are in his house, and to match with the drug and scene hitting their highest point, the set turns on it's axis. This entire sequence takes 3 minutes and 42 seconds.
So, the filmmakers working on 'Sherlock' took advantage of a very complex character, and used it to give the audience something different when it comes to exposition through characters. The fact that Sherlock is high on cocaine gives new possibilities for showing the process of the character getting to a conclusion, and as a result, creates a sequence that shows use what we need to know with minimal vocal interruptions. This is why the cinematography works so well in these scenes, it suits the thinking of the character we are watching, and keeps the audience interested.
This was really interesting as someone who has never watched this show before. I could understand why the transitions were the way they were after the tiny explanation about the drugs, and it really is brilliant to match the style of editing to match the character's thought process, and not just take the easy way out with dialogue. It's really interesting, and I applaud the creativity here.
Sunday, February 5, 2017
DID YOU GET THE BROOM CLOSET ENDING?!?!? (Weekly Comments #12)
Guys, I got back into Stanley Parable, whoops~
1. What I learned this week:
We were working on class competitions this week.
2. What I want to learn:
How to properly paint stuff.
3. Something that frustrated me this week:
Just some tiny stressers this week, nothing big
4. Something that made me happy:
I got back into a few things that I use to like this week, and I forgot how fun some of the stuff really was, these were things I mostly forgot due to newer things. (Which always happens to me)
5. Video of the week!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev_1AUtRP4Y&t=322s
You know, some really fun stuff comes out of bloopers and outtakes, I like when people post them honestly.
1. What I learned this week:
We were working on class competitions this week.
2. What I want to learn:
How to properly paint stuff.
3. Something that frustrated me this week:
Just some tiny stressers this week, nothing big
4. Something that made me happy:
I got back into a few things that I use to like this week, and I forgot how fun some of the stuff really was, these were things I mostly forgot due to newer things. (Which always happens to me)
5. Video of the week!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev_1AUtRP4Y&t=322s
You know, some really fun stuff comes out of bloopers and outtakes, I like when people post them honestly.
How Filmmakers Make Emotions Visual
When it comes to expressing the emotions of characters in a scene, we think of the basic reactions and emotions, but there is a stronger way to convey these messages that isn't just a character crying when they're sad or smiling when they're happy. Sure, showing crying or smiling isn't a bad move to convey emotions, but the ways many film makers show it resinates with the audience more then simple facial expressions, and the impact is all around stronger. Sometimes, subtle details can make an emotion really stand out, and create a real and understandable sense of emotion.
For example, in Shawshank Redemption, he uses a lot of subtle detail's to convey the loneliness for the character Brook. In the shots that show Brook after his release, everyone is turned away from him, and they only turn and address him to scold him. This portrays how loneliness feels to the individual, like they don't truly exist even in a sea full of people, and this comes to a head when we see Brook hang himself to escape this loneliness.
In 12 Years a Slave, this idea of emotion is conveyed using some smart composition, and sets up a contrast that can effect an audience when put together. While Solomon is being tortured in the foreground, we see other slaves entering in the background, and the audience now has two deeply contrasting elements. The torture in the foreground, and everyday life in the background, come together to convey the message of brutality this film strives for. And finally, when another slave comes to help Solomon, she enters from the side instead of the background as to not break the composition.
Finally, in Children of Men, we see these two previous ideas put together to convey a message of hope. When a baby is finally born into the world after two decades, we see that a miracle can bring peace, even if only for a moment. As the rebels find the new parents, they at first enter full of hostility, then we see this hope slowly enter their faces as they see and hear the baby. As the parents and child are escorted through the building, we see a clever use of blocking so we can only see the effect slowly over time as the British solders are shown on screen being effected by this miracle. When they step outside after the ceasefire is declared, we see the camera slowly pan over the solders outside, and the composition principle comes into play as the solders slowly stand up as the camera reaches them to immolate the spreading of joy.
These are some of the clever ways that filmmakers convey emotions without the actors actually having to spell it out through strong facial expression. Though you can certainly find ways to convey harder to grasp emotions, it's always good advice to not write "unwriteable" scenes, so that you don't write yourself into a hole. However, sometimes the fix to a certain scene can be to simple shot it a different way.
This was really an interesting video, and it really gives some good ideas on how you can create stronger scenes, without doing what everyone does. It's is kind of a given that you resort to having the actors emote what you want to convey, but sometimes that isn't enough, and you need other details to strengthen the emotion. I will try to think of ways I can incorporate this in future works.
For example, in Shawshank Redemption, he uses a lot of subtle detail's to convey the loneliness for the character Brook. In the shots that show Brook after his release, everyone is turned away from him, and they only turn and address him to scold him. This portrays how loneliness feels to the individual, like they don't truly exist even in a sea full of people, and this comes to a head when we see Brook hang himself to escape this loneliness.
In 12 Years a Slave, this idea of emotion is conveyed using some smart composition, and sets up a contrast that can effect an audience when put together. While Solomon is being tortured in the foreground, we see other slaves entering in the background, and the audience now has two deeply contrasting elements. The torture in the foreground, and everyday life in the background, come together to convey the message of brutality this film strives for. And finally, when another slave comes to help Solomon, she enters from the side instead of the background as to not break the composition.
Finally, in Children of Men, we see these two previous ideas put together to convey a message of hope. When a baby is finally born into the world after two decades, we see that a miracle can bring peace, even if only for a moment. As the rebels find the new parents, they at first enter full of hostility, then we see this hope slowly enter their faces as they see and hear the baby. As the parents and child are escorted through the building, we see a clever use of blocking so we can only see the effect slowly over time as the British solders are shown on screen being effected by this miracle. When they step outside after the ceasefire is declared, we see the camera slowly pan over the solders outside, and the composition principle comes into play as the solders slowly stand up as the camera reaches them to immolate the spreading of joy.
These are some of the clever ways that filmmakers convey emotions without the actors actually having to spell it out through strong facial expression. Though you can certainly find ways to convey harder to grasp emotions, it's always good advice to not write "unwriteable" scenes, so that you don't write yourself into a hole. However, sometimes the fix to a certain scene can be to simple shot it a different way.
This was really an interesting video, and it really gives some good ideas on how you can create stronger scenes, without doing what everyone does. It's is kind of a given that you resort to having the actors emote what you want to convey, but sometimes that isn't enough, and you need other details to strengthen the emotion. I will try to think of ways I can incorporate this in future works.
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