1. What I learned this week:
Well, we had shadowing Wednesday, and that went decently well. We also got our 3rd editing tutorial that includes use of effects.
2. What I want to learn:
More complex effects
3. Something that frustrated me this week:
Not so much frustrated me as made me really exhausted mentally, but my dog had a seizure on Monday that scared me half to death, and so I had an anxiety spike this week. Thankfully she's okay now, it may have only been a one time thing, seeing as she was back to normal right after and is a very health dog in general.
4. Something that made me happy:
Outside of that little incident, I was really happy this week, because I ended up being oddly productive this week. Seeing as I had been hit with what seemed like a curse of uninspired moods, it seems to have temporarily lifted, so lets hope it lasts.
5. Video of the week!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hVuv7mDNqM&index=152&list=LLfWAZ8mWDTXRgHkDhJKUl_A
This is an awesome animated tribute to Earthbound, enjoy!
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Beats in story structure
In a story it's very common for the audience to tell when a character shifts emotions when beats are present in the story's structure. Beats are when the viewers can see the moment a characters mood shifts from one emotion to another, mostly to an emotion opposite the one just before the beat, and make the characters more readable as a result. Beats also push the story forward, which leads to the construction of a film, beats lead to scenes, scenes lead to sequences, sequences lead to movies.
In the video, the beats present in the final confrontation between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader are shown, and we see the importance of beats. At first, knowing Vader is his father and not wanting to fight him, Luke tries to bring out the human in Vader. However, wanting to instigate Luke, Vader digs into Luke's mind and starts to threaten to turn Leia to the dark side. This causes another beat, where Luke goes from calm and controlled to anger, and starts to fight Vader. This escalates until Luke cuts off Vader's hand, and we get another beat as Luke debates killing Vader, before refusing to give the emperor his wish to turn by killing Vader. This causes the emperor to attempt to kill Luke, and as this happens, Vader is now in the position to debate his next move. In the end, during a brief beat, Vader saves his son and kills the emperor.
These beats in this example show just how important beats in general are to move a story forward. Beats are not always used in film, and some films don't need beats to tell the story they're telling, however beats don't hurt a film's flow. Some beats can help use understand a character and build their personality, or beats can stay strictly to forwarding the story, that depends on the story being told.
Beats are part of the bigger picture, the scene, as sometimes without them a scene can drag or become awkward pacing wise. Once the scene is constructed, it gets put into the sequences that create the final product. So in theory, beats are one of the most important parts of a story's sequence, as beats are the building block of the film.
I honestly haven't even thought about the importance of beats, and now that I know more, I realized it's in a ton of films. Beats sometimes seem more powerful without dialogue, letting the characters expression show the beat, at least in my personal opinion. Beats are great elements, and some stories feel as if they would be better with them.
The video also does a great job at explaining beats. I could understand better with the example he used, and his explanation was very detailed in conveying his message. His humor also got a chuckle out of me to, and that's always and A+ in my book, better then it being boring.
In the video, the beats present in the final confrontation between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader are shown, and we see the importance of beats. At first, knowing Vader is his father and not wanting to fight him, Luke tries to bring out the human in Vader. However, wanting to instigate Luke, Vader digs into Luke's mind and starts to threaten to turn Leia to the dark side. This causes another beat, where Luke goes from calm and controlled to anger, and starts to fight Vader. This escalates until Luke cuts off Vader's hand, and we get another beat as Luke debates killing Vader, before refusing to give the emperor his wish to turn by killing Vader. This causes the emperor to attempt to kill Luke, and as this happens, Vader is now in the position to debate his next move. In the end, during a brief beat, Vader saves his son and kills the emperor.
These beats in this example show just how important beats in general are to move a story forward. Beats are not always used in film, and some films don't need beats to tell the story they're telling, however beats don't hurt a film's flow. Some beats can help use understand a character and build their personality, or beats can stay strictly to forwarding the story, that depends on the story being told.
Beats are part of the bigger picture, the scene, as sometimes without them a scene can drag or become awkward pacing wise. Once the scene is constructed, it gets put into the sequences that create the final product. So in theory, beats are one of the most important parts of a story's sequence, as beats are the building block of the film.
I honestly haven't even thought about the importance of beats, and now that I know more, I realized it's in a ton of films. Beats sometimes seem more powerful without dialogue, letting the characters expression show the beat, at least in my personal opinion. Beats are great elements, and some stories feel as if they would be better with them.
The video also does a great job at explaining beats. I could understand better with the example he used, and his explanation was very detailed in conveying his message. His humor also got a chuckle out of me to, and that's always and A+ in my book, better then it being boring.
Sunday, March 5, 2017
Food is good (Weekly Comments #14)
1. What I learned this week:
We were mostly working on the fictional short this week.
2. What I want to learn:
More editing tips.
3. Something that frustrated me this week:
My lack of money is really starting to bother me, because there are things I would really like to have, but I don't have the money to buy them. I'm going to apply to work at the local library, so I hope I can get that, at least.
4. Something that made me happy:
I have a lava cake right now, it smells amazing, I'm going to eat it once I'm done.
5. Video of the week!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcpmIQR94nw
Speaking of vlogs, hears one I watch a lot, it doesn't have b-roll but I still enjoy it.
We were mostly working on the fictional short this week.
2. What I want to learn:
More editing tips.
3. Something that frustrated me this week:
My lack of money is really starting to bother me, because there are things I would really like to have, but I don't have the money to buy them. I'm going to apply to work at the local library, so I hope I can get that, at least.
4. Something that made me happy:
I have a lava cake right now, it smells amazing, I'm going to eat it once I'm done.
5. Video of the week!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcpmIQR94nw
Speaking of vlogs, hears one I watch a lot, it doesn't have b-roll but I still enjoy it.
Importance of Using B-Roll in Your Work
When it comes to filming, it's important to keep your audience interested in what their watching, which means you need to very your visuals. One of the ways you do this is to shot extra footage, b-role, to make a scene more interesting. This is most effectively mixed with shots of a person talking, maybe showing what their talking about or where they are, to make things more interesting.
B-roll is more valuable then it seems at first. B-roll can be used to fill in scenes that are lacking, can cover up transitions, and maybe give more elaboration to something a person is talking about. If you have a scene where the shots you have are people talking to each other and not much else, b-roll can add some extra shots the screen needs to feel complete and visually interesting, and create a better overall work.
If you want to make some interesting transitions, b-roll can be your best friend, and create some interesting scene changes. Lets say you have some smoke for example, if you shot some b-roll of it and edit it properly, it can create a cleverly hidden scene transition. Hiding transitions is mostly what b-roll is used for in this sense.
If you're making a documentary, or maybe a vlog like the video example, b-roll is almost essential to keep the viewers attention. In the case of documentaries, b-roll is mostly for showing what a person is talking about, as to give a visual explanation alongside the vocal explanation. Vlogs have a harder time doing this, and rely more on b-roll to hold the attention of the viewer.
In the end, it's never a bad idea to shot some random b-roll, as you may never know when you may need it. This falls into the category that you can never shot enough footage in general, and to keep this footage in a separate folder, that way you can have it to pull from. Doing this can create an interesting final product.
Really, I've seen examples of b-roll in a lot of things I watch, no matter what type for filmed media. It seems like it would be something to think about, but it's easy to forget about, but having a reminder in notes may really help. I'll personally try and remember that next time I film.
B-roll is more valuable then it seems at first. B-roll can be used to fill in scenes that are lacking, can cover up transitions, and maybe give more elaboration to something a person is talking about. If you have a scene where the shots you have are people talking to each other and not much else, b-roll can add some extra shots the screen needs to feel complete and visually interesting, and create a better overall work.
If you want to make some interesting transitions, b-roll can be your best friend, and create some interesting scene changes. Lets say you have some smoke for example, if you shot some b-roll of it and edit it properly, it can create a cleverly hidden scene transition. Hiding transitions is mostly what b-roll is used for in this sense.
If you're making a documentary, or maybe a vlog like the video example, b-roll is almost essential to keep the viewers attention. In the case of documentaries, b-roll is mostly for showing what a person is talking about, as to give a visual explanation alongside the vocal explanation. Vlogs have a harder time doing this, and rely more on b-roll to hold the attention of the viewer.
In the end, it's never a bad idea to shot some random b-roll, as you may never know when you may need it. This falls into the category that you can never shot enough footage in general, and to keep this footage in a separate folder, that way you can have it to pull from. Doing this can create an interesting final product.
Really, I've seen examples of b-roll in a lot of things I watch, no matter what type for filmed media. It seems like it would be something to think about, but it's easy to forget about, but having a reminder in notes may really help. I'll personally try and remember that next time I film.
Sunday, February 12, 2017
Hmmmm...(Weekly Comments #13)
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!
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!
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.
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