PRODUCTION SKILLS – MOVING IMAGE

Stages of production

Planning Production (shooting) Post-production (editing)

Planning

Idea Mood board, mind-map, brainstorm Set brief from OCR

Script Including all dialogue but also direction,

action and settings. (Example Script) Storyboard

Visualisation of the shots to communicate the script

Production

Camera Action Sound Lighting

Post-Production

Editing Export and Presentation

Scripting

A film script uses the following conventions: Dialogue:

Character names centre justified Dialogue indented under the character name

Action Left justified Key props or features (for the production designer)

and actions or sounds (for the director) in capitals

See example script Return to Planning

Storyboarding

A storyboard is a graphical representation of the camera shots in a film sequence which are connected together to create a “narrative flow”.

The narrative of the sequence is visualised by a series of drawings which depict location, character, props and setting of each shot

Images are accompanied by text detailing action, camera directions, lighting directions and sometimes basic dialogue

What are storyboards for?

Helps the director to visualise the flow of camera shots

Illustrates how the narrative will flow from one shot to the next for the audience

Used as the basis of discussion between director and the director of photography to decide how shots need to be acted, lit and shot In a production meeting, a picture really is worth a

thousand words. You can script a sequence in words as clearly as you like, and there will always be some misunderstanding. But if you use storyboards, it’s so much easier to communicate your visual and dramatic ideas.

Matthew Jones, TV script editor, Red Productions

The Storyboard

Example Storyboard

Example Storyboard

Example of Storyboard and finished product

Gorillaz: Clint Eastwood Finished Video Storyboard animatic

Return to planning

Use of the camera – shot choice LS

(Long Shot)

CU (Close Up)

WS (Wide Shot)

VCU (Very Close

Up)

MS(Medium Shot)

ECU(Extreme Close Up)

The Grammar of shot choice Shots tell the audience different things LS and WS set the scene and give

context. When used at the start of a sequence these are called establishing shots.

MS is used for action including spoken action

CU is used for reaction and emotional content

VCU and ECU are used to show fine detail or to make the audience uncomfortable

The “sentence” of a sequence

In this sequence from The Ring notice how the director uses a long shot as his exterior establishing shot, then a wide two-shot to establish the interior

The beginning of the conversation is shot with medium shots of each girl

As the emotional content of the conversation increases, he moves in for close-ups

When the tension is released, he pulls out to MS again for the action

The 180° Rule

Two characters (or anything) within a scene should always have the same left-right relationship with one another

Imagine a line (the axis) connecting the two subjects

You can place your camera anywhere on one side of the line, but you can never cross the axis

When shooting a conversation, OTS (over-the-shoulder) shots help the audience follow it

The sequence of swapping from one view to the opposite is called shot/reverse shot (from angle 2 to 3 and back)

Notice how the same sequence from The Ring obeys the 180° rule and uses OTS shots.

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Angles

Commonly action is shot from the same level Shooting from below the action is using a low angle

shot. This puts the subject in a position of power over the audience.

Shooting from above the action is using a high angle shot. This puts the audience in a position of power over the subject.

Shooting the action crooked is using a canted angle. This creates disorientation.

Notice how the director in The Ring uses high angles to make Katie seem vulnerable here and here.

Return to Production

Sound

There are two types of sound in a filmed sequence: Diegetic sound: this is sound that is contained in the

scene that you are filming. It can include dialogue, noises made by the characters, or objects in the scene. The characters will be able to hear diegetic sounds. If you can hear it but not see it, the sound is OOS (out of shot)

Non-diegetic sound: this is sound that is added on and separate to the scene. This can include musical soundtrack, voice-over and effects. Characters will not be able to hear non-diegetic sound.

Listen for examples of non-diegetic sound in The Ring sequence.

Return to Production

Lighting

Lighting a scene is critical to making it look good

Lighting which looks natural, bright and sunny with indistinct edges is called high key lighting

Obvious lighting with high contrasts, creating dramatic shadows and clear edges is called low key lighting

Return to Production

Editing

We use Adobe Premier Pro as our editing programme in school

It is available on all computers Please note that video files are very large We advise you to use a folder on the desktop of

your computer. If you use your area on the network you will run out of space, and the network may not run quickly enough. Make a folder with your group’s name on it.

You will need to work on the same computer each time.

Transitions

Transitions between shots also communicate meaning. Don’t get too fancy… Cut: this is sequential in time from one

shot to the next. The second shot follows directly on from the action in the first.

Fade through black: indicates that time has passed between the second shot and the first

Dissolve/Wipe: can indicate a flashback or a change of scene

Matching Action

Cutting from one shot to the next should directly sequential to the audience

However, you will have filmed the two shots at different times

It is vital that you match the action from one shot to the next so that there is no “jump” as the camera cuts

The cut should be invisible to the audience Notice how the director matches the

action across cuts in our sequence from The Ring.

Putting it all together

This is a video made by two ex-students, now at University studying Media

Notice how they use the techniques of film-making we have discussing including: Shot choice Angles Action matching Shot/reverse shot The 180° rule Diegetic and non-diegetic sound

The Stairs

Preliminary Video Task

Film and edit a sequence in which: a character opens a door, crosses a room

and sits down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue.

This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule.

Try and make this interesting!

Export and Presentation

Once the sequence is fully edited in Premier, export it as a .avi file and upload it to YouTube before embedding it into your blog.

Make sure you also post your planning including script and storyboard

Take some still photos of your video shoot and post them to show what you were doing

Take screenshots of the edit in Premier to demonstrate your progress

Production Groups

Billy, Joe, Jack, Cameron: Sherman Productions

Evie, Hannah, Jasmine, Tilly: Firefly Productions

Katie, Carly, Jess: JKC Productions Poppy, Emma, Keith, Louise: Lights,

Camera, Action Productions