A: Lighting affects camera techniques dramatically, both in a positive and creative way and a negative and unintentional way. In some films lighting is used to cover up bad visual effects and unintentional things that happen on set that they cannot change in post. Example of a documentary style: If the shoot is outside I would have a key light source with a soft-box about 5 feet in front of them. The light would be tall and facing down at them. I will have another small back light behind the subject so that it lights up behind him and separates the subject from the background. This will also define the subject more. Find a neutral background so that it’s not as distracting and the viewer is focused on the subject. The audio will be captured by using a mic pinned to the subjects body. If we were outside this would be essential as the weather could be unpredictable. An alternative would be to use a boom mic with a cat so that any wind would be unnoticed when listening. I would use a DSLR camera with an f2.8 so that the subject is in focus. The lens would not be a wide lens as I want it to be close up. The tripod height will be eye level to the subject so that it seems as natural as possible.
Early Editing: Early editing was a lot harder than today as modern technology has improved the process. Before early editing, there weren't any cuts in the video. The first video was of a train passing a station without any narrative or cuts. Once the potential of moving image was seen The Lumiere brothers created the first-ever theatrical projection to an audience on the 22nd of March 1895 in Paris. Looking back with today's standards the motion picture is very primitive.
Once audiences saw the moving images they were horrified as they believed that the train was coming towards them. This was the first time real life was captured in video and the audience didn't know how to react. When directors decided to start the explore the potential of moving image and would cut the film and splice the two films together practically. The film would be taped together to create the cut between shots. The majority of the time editing would be linear, this means the film would be edited linear to the film timeline. The style of editing would have been linear and would have followed a story in chronological order. This means that the film was edited in time to the events happening in the film. Non - linear editing is the opposite where you show the story, not in chronological order. For example, Christopher Nolan is famous for his films being edited in a Non-Linear style. His film Memento is a clear example of this as the entire film is played from back to front.
The Moviola:
The Moviola is an editing machine that would allow you to watch a playback of the film whilst in the editing process. The device was invented by Iwan Serrurier in 1924. This device originally was designed for families to project film and view it with others. The concept worked but the price of manufacturing the device cost around $600 in the 1920s which today would be $7,500. It wasn't affordable for the everyday family so little sold. They were mainly used by directors and editors rather than the general public due to its price. The device took the film industry by storm and all of the main companies at the time were buying this product as it made the editing and viewing process a lot easier. Companies like Universal Studios, Warner Brothers and Charles Chaplin Brothers all had their own and used it in all of their productions from then on.
Offline and online editing:
Offline editing is a way of editing that is made much simpler than traditional editing. The footage used for offline editing is the footage used is what is known as 'proxy footage'. This footage is presented in an at a very low resolution, smaller file size and uses fewer data. This is why offline editing can be helpful, its quicker, more efficient and doesn't waste unnecessary data. To create this footage you create a copy of the footage you want to edit then compress it into a lower resolution to create the offline editing footage. Once the editing is complete you replace the compressed footage with the normal footage and add any effects on the new footage. Online footage was
Unit 30 - Camera and Lighting Techniques: A: Lighting affects camera techniques dramatically, both positively and creatively and a negative and unintentional way. In some films, lighting is used to cover up bad visual effects and unintentional things that happen on set that they cannot change in post. B: If the shoot is outside I would have a key light source with a soft-box about 5 feet in front of them. The light would be tall and facing down at them. I will have another small backlight behind the subject so that it lights up behind him and separates the subject from the background. This will also define the subject more. Find a neutral background so that it’s not as distracting and the viewer is focused on the subject. The audio will be captured by using a mic pinned to the subject's body. If we were outside this would be essential as the weather could be unpredictable. An alternative would be to use a boom mic with a cat so that any wind would be unnoticed when listening. I would use a DSLR camera with an f2.8 so that the subject is in focus. The lens would not be wide as I want it to be close up. The tripod height will be eye level to the subject so that it seems as natural as possible.
ISO:
ISO is about how much light is let into the camera lens. Over exposing an image means that you have let in too much light into the camera and the final image becomes really white. For something to be underexposed means that there isn’t enough light so the final image is very dark. When in low light situations a traditional iPhone camera will artificially make the image visible and turn up the ISO to the max. In low light situations, this will ruin the image as the final image will be very grainy, this can be used for experimental purposes to fit an atheistic but most of the time it should be avoided.
I have seen this effect used to fit an aesthetic for an album, the album's themes are very dark and drab. The grain of the video fits the themes of the song and the rest of the album.
The way to avoid a low light image being grainy is to add more lighting on set so that you don’t have to artificially turn up the brightness in post. The more light you have the lower your ISO needs to be. Avoid turning up the ISO, keep it as low as possible so it keeps the image from going grainy.
Examples of different level of ISO:
ISO: 100, Shutter Speed: 1/50, F14
ISO: 1600, Shutter Speed: 1/30, F22
For the ISO 100 shot, there is enough light coming into the lens so that I don't have to artificially raise the brightness with the ISO this makes the image look more realistic. Maybe for this shot, I could have had the camera in better focus, but the ISO in this shot is just the right amount. For the other settings, they could have been changed a little as the image looks a little overexposed and this could have been changed by lowering the shutter speed or changing the aperture to adjust the brightness.
For the ISO 1600 shot, I had to increase the aperture as it needed to match the lighting in the room. The previous 22 wasn't bright enough for the light in the room. Also with the ISO being so high, the darks in the room were very grainy. The noise in the image is because of the ISO being at 1600. In my research, I found the song I BEEN BORN AGAIN and this has similar noise. The reason that in that video it looks good is that it fits with the athletic. The shot in the canteen is normal which should mean that it should be clean and have no noise.
Shutter speed:
Shutter speed is how long the camera lens opens before taking the photo. Very fast shutter speed is typically used for capturing a fast object without any blur. Photographers will use fast shutter speed to capture driving cars, athletes running and any other fast objects passing the camera fast.
On the other hand, slow shutter speed can be used to create weird effects with moving objects. Whenever you are shooting with a very slow shutter speed you will need a tripod to keep your camera grounded and motionless. If you move the camera as it’s into the process of shooting the entire image will be blurry. Slow shutter speed is typically used for an experimental effect. Typically when people use a slow shutter speed they are capturing something that is moving to create a blur effect. Examples of this can be traffic, people walking and other objects moving fast in front of the lens.
Traditionally in photography, that’s what shutter speed is used for but in the film, the cinematographer or director will use this to show distortion and or a dream sequence. My Shutter Speed examples:
Shutter Speed 1/30. F4.5, ISO 400
Shutter Speed: 1/50, F5.6, ISO 800
Shutter Speed: 1/125, F5.6, ISO 3200
As you can see the motion of the water is different for the different Shutter Speeds. Aperture:
Aperture means how but the lens opens up while taking the image it is measured by f stops. People typically use a low f stop when doing close-ups or extreme close-ups. When doing this with a low f stop it means that everything around and behind the subject will be out of focus and blurry. This focuses the watcher/viewers attention to one specific object or person.
On the other hand, when a high f stop is used this means that more of what is in the frame will be in the shot and in focus. If you are using a standard lens then you won’t be able to go to the extremes of each of these but if you are using different lenses it will allow you to go to the extreme of each low and high f stop. A wider lens will give you a wider vision. This will increase your vocal range so that more things in the shot will be in focus.
Pull focus:
The pull focus is commonly used in films to shift the attention of the viewer to something in one continuous shot. For example, it can be used in conversation between characters. Frequently used when two characters one in front and one behind are having a conversation Frame Rate: Frame rate is how many frames are shown in a second. Since 1927 the standard for video frame rate is 24fps and for TV the standard is 30fps. The higher the frame rate the more fluent the video seems. The reason that 24 frames per second were used as a standard was that that was the maximum frame rate that could be used on the lowest amount of film possible. If they increased the frame rate any more, more film would need to be used. This would have doubled the costing for the film which would have been very expensive. Now that film is digital they don't need to worry about buying extra film but in replacement or buying more film, you will need higher quality equipment plus more space to process the extra frames. In the future of moving image directors and cinematographers are trying to achieve 48 frames a second throughout at film. 2012 Peter Jackson's The Hobbit was filmed entirely in 48 frames per second and argued that it is a cleaner film as the frame per second is higher. Because of the frame rate being double it captures more stills and gets rid of a lot of motion blur and creates a cleaner looking film. Your eyes see in around 40 frames per second so when you watch The Hobbit at 48fps the film is almost providing too much 'reality'. Viewers described the film to have 'The Uncanny Valley' effect. T Robert, A Beginners Guide to Frame Rates: Aframe
Different lighting:
Rembrandt lighting:
Rembrandt lighting is when there is a triangle shape under the subjects eye, this effect is used so that there is a variety of shadows on the subjects face. It is a fairly simple technique that is achieved by only using two light sources.
Butterfly lighting:
Butterfly lighting is set up with the backlight above the subject facing down on their head to create a butterfly shape under their nose. This effect is commonly used to achieve a glamorous effect to the subject, this set up also smoothens out the subjects face to eliminate wrinkles.
Split lighting:
Split lighting is typically used in the film to portray someone with a split personality. It is an easy representation that is easy to recreate. It is used heavily in films to portray a split personality and or something that is wrong with the character. This technique is easy to achieve and is very effective if executed right.
Lighting Techniques with film examples:
Health and Saftey on set:
When shooting outside the weather should always be something that should be taken seriously. Water on an unprotected camera will break it. That's why when shooting you should check the weather forecast as it could affect your shoot if you don't come with the correct equipment. Keeping yourself is as important as keeping the equipment safe. You need to make sure that you're wearing the correct clothing for the weather. For example, when we were shooting our new wave film we decided to bring someone so that they could hold a coat over the camera in case it rained.
Making sure that you aren't missing deadlines is important but making sure that you aren't rushing the work to complete it. Making sure that you are focused on managing your time well is key. You need to make the conscious decision on whether or not to take another day to film the rest of the work instead of rushing to complete it all at once and cutting corners. For example, when I was filming my new wave video I needed more footage for the train ride section so I decided to wait until the following day when I was on the train again to get more footage.
Filming with illusion, if you know that you can create something without the risk of doing it then you should. Whenever you have an idea for a shot that can be done in post then depending on the thing you should do it. More on illusions in filming.
"Remember filmmaking is about illusion. You can act, shoot and edit in a way that suggests all sorts of scary things without having to put people at risk.
Someone at height can be faked by lying on the ground with the camera looking up at someone with only sky behind them, acting as if they are on the edge of a great height.
Young people often want to depict violence, with or without weapons. This can get out of hand and lead to real injury. The safest way to deal with violent scenes is to suggest the violence, or show the aftermath but leave the detail to the viewer's imagination.
Example: a scene about bullying. The victim stands alone, the bullies advance. We see a shot of the victim's face, scared. We see the victim's point of view as the bullies crowd round. We see a shot from a distance as the victim is finally surrounded, the camera tilts up to the sky, a lovely sunny day, birds sing, we hear the SOUND of the bullies thumping our victim. Cut or Fade to the aftermath, victim sitting crying in a heap on ground, or in hospital bed, headmaster's office - wherever you wish to take your story next..."
All References: T Robert, A Beginners Guide to Frame Rates: Aframe J Guyer, 10 Photography Lighting Tutorials From Beginners to Pros Health and Saftey I Moving Image Education Notes from class
The French New wave is seen as the beginning of the new wave, an artistic movement whose influence on film has been as profound and enduring as that of surrealism or cubism on painting. The birth of the ‘auteur’ and the rise of the ‘camera stylo’ The french used the camera as a pen and the film as a pad of paper. The french new wave began a trend of the new wave and lots of things in the french new wave-influenced this across the world. Lots of the first New Wave directors were very young and would have been their first film. They visualised a cultural revolution. Labelled in the late 50’s early 60’s as films kept the same as everything else in culture was changing. The New Wave changed film into an art form and made it an art form. Cameras were becoming lighter and cheaper and the youth took this upon themselves and created the French New Wave on their own.
The British New Wave: New Wave films are unique and distinctive. They were very different from mainstream films at the time. They were not looking for mainstream success. They would have had a massive cultural impact on different youths and societies. It was more about a message rather than appealing to the mainstream audience. The best films are a personal artistic expression and should bear a stamp of personal authorship. The British New Wave lasted around 5 years and was heavily influenced by the French New Wave. All of the films in the British New Wave had small casts and small crews. This was due to the filmmakers having not a lot of budget and or crew to help make their films. This didn't stop them as the New Wave was considered to be very low budget and more grounded in reality, the narrative also faced very taboo subjects as they wanted to break from the mainstream and be different. It was an exploration of the contemporary that would reflect what is happening at the time. This would some times be counter-cultural as the filmmakers would want to break out of the mainstream. The actors used in these films would have been non-professional actors and paid a very little amount. This gave some of the filming more authentic as the subjects weren't 'Hollywoodised' and glossy as the actors sometimes would be been candid. Due to the style of filming being very new there weren't any laws in place for permits so filmmakers would film wherever they please, this allowed for more creative freedom.
Techniques of sound: Sound is handled differently in a new wave for many reasons, one of the main ones was the budget. Directors didn't have the money to purchase good sound equipment, lots of the sound would have been caught through cheap equipment. Another reason would have been for artistic reasons. The audio would have been muffled and distorted due to the low budget. The sound that they would have used is direct, this means when the sound is taken directly from the set and not changed in post. Some directors would have got their hands on what's called a Nagra which is an audio recorder that would sync automatically with the visuals. This would have been a rare occurrence as they were very expensive to purchase. The soundtrack for films in the British new wave would have all been modern and relevant at the time. This would be to keep the content grounded in the culture at the time while offering a different perspective on British life.
Techniques of editing:
Editing in the 1960s would have been very minimal due to the technology limitations, along with this the directors didn't let this limit their creativity. Sticking with the theme of standing out of the mainstream they wanted to break the rules of traditional editing. The final cut of a new wave film may look like a draft due to the jarring jump cuts that may not have had any motivation, this was done just to stand out rather than have a purpose. Along with this lots of flash pans would have been used. In the traditional film, your editing should be invisible and not noticeable to the viewer. New wave does the opposite and makes you realise the editing and appreciate it. They completely disregarded the 'normal editing' style. During some of the films, there will be montages to show the passing of time, this is something that A Taste of Honey did when Joe and her mum went to Liverpool. There were elements of montage with the modern soundtrack playing, quick editing and very minimal dialogue. The camera in some shots will sometimes do rapid zooming or look away from the action, this was done to show the audience that they are watching a film. Zooming in and out without a purpose was common in new wave especially French.
The techniques of filming in the new wave have specific traits that new wave directors will follow. The majority of filming is experimental as they wanted to stand out from the mainstream. The new wave saturated the market of filming, through these techniques the press recognised the filmmaking skills at the time and didn't go unnoticed. These techniques vary from alternative framing and self-reference. One of the main things that stand out the most in new wave cinema is mistakes being made but keeping them in the final cut. This added a layer of realism and made viewers realise that it’s just a fantasy. Alongside this natural lighting was always used, no additional lighting would be used as the budget would have been very limited. When filming use of the tripod would have been only used when needed. Handheld footage would have been hard at the time due to the weight of the camera and technology limitations. Shooting people in the street without their consent was something that filmmakers would have expected in their films as there weren’t any laws at the time against the freedom of filming.
A Taste Of Honey notes:
Focuses on taboo subjects and about a woman that dates with lots of men
Focuses on a child growing up with a mum that is a bad influence from the beginning
Traditional dissolves in between shots
The score reflects the mood of the main character very well
Music is a key component
Joe's mother's behaviour is reflected in Joe's actions
When Joe goes on the boat with the stranger she doesn't realise that he could hurt him
Joe's mother is a bad influence on her as she is kissing an older man
Joe uses her innocence against the man that she kissed to get out of sleeping with him
The taboo subject of a 17-year-old girl seeing older men is the main subject of the film
The age of consent at the time of the film was 21 and it was only lowered in 1994 to 18. During the film, she is 17 years old.
Both characters seem to be content with their relationship not realising how wrong it is
The man buys her a ring after only seeing her for a couple of days
Joe acts older than her age, this is from her mother's poor upbringing, she speaks to men a lot older than she is and she is rude to people
She dresses a lot older for how old she is (leaving to go to Liverpool)
The Liverpool sequence is almost like a slowed down montage with the loud music and things with no dialogue
Montage wasn't something that was done often in cinema at the time and this was very experimental for the time
Mothers in the 1960s were respected by the family and weren’t talked back to from their children, this film shows a different side to children in the 1960s which at the time would have been a taboo subject.
Although Joe acts like she is older she doesn't realise how much responsibility she has to have if she were an adult
She opens up to her boyfriend and says that she isn't experienced yet she acts like she does
The morning after they kissed and slept together Joe looks to be more attached to her boyfriend more than ever
Although it's not been directly told to the viewer that they have had sex it is eluded to through her facial expressions and lingering shots on her and her boyfriend
The very long shots of her watching her boyfriend leave imply that she loves him, at the time it would have left the viewer uncomfortable as this was unheard of in the film
Although she may have had sex she doesn't fully understand the consequences of sex
Joe's mum explains how her dad was the first person she had sex with and that the first time is always the best
In the 1920's sex before marriage was something that was followed even if you weren’t a Christian, it was more of an unwritten rule
In Joe's new job she is speaking of moving out after her mother is going to marry her boyfriend. Joe has been left by herself at 17 to live alone, this will influence her to become closer to her boyfriend as her mother isn't there to stop her
This enforces some of the topics that wouldn't have been covered in mainstream films, the new wave wanted to showcase some realities that some people had to endure
The mainstream films presented a hyper-reality rather than a grounded one that the new wave films offer
Joe is unaware of safety as she invites someone that she met by selling him shoes into her new house
This shows her innocence and lack of upbringing from her mother
Joe is becoming her mother at a young age by letting boys staying around her house
Although having a boyfriend that is away for a few months Joe lets boys stay around her house for the night and overly friendly towards boys she has only known for a day
Jeffery staying round Joe's house strengthens their relationship and gets them closer
Another montage sequence is used to pass time between Jeff and Joe living together
Joe reveals to the viewer that she is pregnant and she doesn’t want to have the baby as she thinks abortions are wrong, young mothers, especially at the age of 17 when it was illegal to have a baby, is a very taboo subject
Although she is only 17 she is acting like she is her mother even though she isn't living with Joe
There's a sibling bond between Joe and Jeff but Jeff feels like he wants something more than a friendship
Joe realises that having a baby is the wrong decision, she realises that she has taken it too far and doesn't want the baby
Joe's mother is oblivious to the fact that her daughter is having a baby and living in a house that wasn't hers
Joe's attitude towards her mother is exactly how she is to her, Joe is exactly like her mother was when she was younger
"would you like a cigarette," her mother says this to her daughter when she knows that she is pregnant, Joe is hesitant to take it but does in the end and saves it for later
The realisation of her potentially having a black baby makes her mother worry for her as racism was still a prominent problem it was only in 2010 the equality act became legalised
The film ends with the same song that it began with to bring it to an end.
A Taste of Honey Q and A:
In conclusion, this film shows the younger generation could have had these living conditions. The film showcases the harsh reality of living in Britain at a young age without the preferred upbringing. The subjects that the film tackles such as racism and living alone at a young age makes the film authentic to the time it was filmed in. The gritty realism of the film and taboo subject matter would have made audiences at the time feel uncomfortable viewing. The themes that the film tackle were harsh realities for some people living in Britain in the 1960s. The story tackles a story that sympathises with the minority and makes their story heard. The film is loosely based off of some harsh realities that some people had to live. Review the institutional context of the creative media and evaluate its influence on production, Analyse the reception of creative media products, Present research on the production and reception of creative media products clearly, Correctly follow relevant conventions for presenting research outcomes, A range of material has been sourced and research is presented in a clear and logical way. Alfie notes:
Breaking the fourth wall
Narrating to the audience looking at the camera
Lots of long shots
Not a lot of cuts
In colour not black and white
Lots of fourth wall breaking and talking to the viewer
With this film, Michael Caine, who plays the title role, moves into the select class of top international stars. His low-key style, his immobile face, his deliberately flat voice, all seem to work against the role of an invincible bird hunter, even birds of a generally rather pitiful sort. It is Caine's success that he uses all these negatives to create a positive, a screen personality of compelling interest and impact.
Shelley Winters is in briefly, but forcefully, as one of the ladies who fall for Caine, although she gets her own back when she later shows him the door. Vivien Merchant is achingly pathetic as the woman who must undergo the illegal operation. Miss Merchant is a prime candidate for a best-supporting actress of the year. Millicent Martin, Julia Foster, Jane Asher and Shirley Anne Field do very well as other of Caine's conquests. Denholm Elliott is vivid in a sequence as the abortionist.
In conclusion, Alfie was a film that was very unique for its time as the constant use of breaking the fourth wall was used all the time. It made the film more interesting to watch as you constantly know what the main character was thinking.
Saturday night Sunday morning:
In a Nottingham factory, Arthur Seaton works in a mindless haze, but his weekends are even more muddled due to his love affairs and his alcohol problem. One of the women Arthur is involved with, Brenda, is married to his coworker, but pregnant with Arthur's child. Meanwhile, Arthur is also pursuing Doreen. Soon enough, he is found out by Brenda, who wants money or an abortion, and Arthur finds himself at a crossroads. Saturday Night Sunday morning: Saturday night Sunday morning is about someone having a one night stand and a night out with someone. The story is very simple but keeps the viewer engaged. There are plenty of themes that could be relatable to some viewers, these concepts make the main character relatable and you start to sympathise with him. Although the simple narrative the viewer can connect with the protagonist through some of his actions even if they can sometimes be bad. After reading some reviews I noticed that people said that although sharing the same name as the stage play it is different and unique in its own way. The differences that are explored in the film are interesting and make sense in the narrative. Described as a revaluation for its time it has become a staple of the time for the British new wave at the time. Here’s a review that I felt expressed my opinions the most: “In 1960, in a small Black Country town, I went to see this movie, with a male friend, at our local fleapit - it was a revelation. I found myself in a cinema that was a real setting for what appeared on the screen, for there Albert Finney was, not represented, was the working class bloke that sat in the picture house near to me. Equally I knew that, on leaving, I would see his aunt (Hilda Baker) in the local chippy, and that Norman Rossington would be cycling to some nearby canal to fish. Indeed when Ben (my friend) and I left we went to our local for a quick pint and, I swear,we both had the uncanny feeling of being part of the film. Time has passed and the working class East and West Midlands have change completely so it may not have such resonance for a new generation but if you want to know what a good slice of England looked and sounded like in the 1950s you should see it: it's better than any documentary. Indeed it is a great film” - Cassandra M Overall the film was a good reflection of the people of the time because it has a very relatable story and is extremely stylised.
Referencing: - BFI Screenonline: British New Wave
- 'Alfie': THR's 1966 Review - Classic read: Saturday night and Sunday morning
