tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40650610395020229032024-03-12T16:07:43.593-07:00Filmmaking and Film EditingSandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266245624558025043noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065061039502022903.post-68425786832761557942012-01-10T08:25:00.000-08:002012-01-10T08:25:16.232-08:00Film Budgeting Software<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Like scheduling software, budgeting software can take a lot of the hard work out<br />
of creating a budget for a film. The following are some of the programs available:<br />
<br />
<b>1, Filmmaker Software</b>, mentioned earlier in this chapter, has a budgeting<br />
template included in its production software. A steal at only $15! Go to<br />
www.filmmakersoftware.com<br />
.<br />
<b>2. Microsoft Excel</b> enables you to create your own budget template.<br />
<br />
<b>3.BBP Software</b> makes a film/TV budgeting template that runs on<br />
Microsoft Excel, for the Macintosh and for Windows. It has additional<br />
templates for crew and actor contact lists and sells for $99. You can<br />
download it from the Web at www.boilerplate.net.<br />
<br />
<b>4 Easy Budget</b>, which retails for $189.95 at www.easy-budget.com,<br />
really is easy to use. Refer to Figure 4-3 to see a budget top sheet created<br />
in Easy Budget.<br />
<br />
<b>5.Gorilla</b> has a budgeting template included in its complete production<br />
software package and is available at www.junglesoftware.com for<br />
$199 (Student Edition).<br />
<br />
<b>6. EP Budgeting</b> by Entertainment Partners is the budget software of choice in<br />
Hollywood. At $499 , it can be expensive for a low-budget filmmaker, but it’s<br />
the top of the line if you can afford it. Check it out at www.entertain<br />
mentpartners.com. If you’re a student (and can prove it) you can get the<br />
software for $195 at the Writer’s Store (www.writersstore.com).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266245624558025043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065061039502022903.post-36547054900436445482012-01-08T09:34:00.000-08:002012-01-08T09:34:16.195-08:00Important Weblinks For A Film Maker<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Weblinks<br />
<a href="http://www.rocliffe.com/">http://www.rocliffe.com/</a> Agency bringing together writers with industry.<br />
<a href="http://www.firstfilm.co.uk/">http://www.firstfilm.co.uk</a>/sfeedsvc.asp Script evaluation for low fee.<br />
<a href="http://www.moonstone.org.uk/">http://www.moonstone.org.uk/</a>intro.html Highly regarded European-based agency aimed at helping writers.<br />
<a href="http://www.awesomefilm.com/">http://www.awesomefilm.com/</a> Downloadable film scripts.<br />
<a href="http://www.scriptfactory.co.uk/">http://www.scriptfactory.co.uk/</a> News and advice for scriptwriters.<br />
<a href="http://www.wcauk.com/">http://www.wcauk.com/</a> Protect your work by understanding copyright law.<br />
<a href="http://screenwritersguild.org/">http://screenwritersguild.org/</a>storystructure.asp Screenwriters’ resource on structure.<br />
<a href="http://www.sag.org/">www.sag.org</a> US actors’ guild advice on scheduling and working with actors.<br />
<a href="http://crew-net.com/">http://crew-net.com/</a> Hire crew in US-based site.<br />
<a href="http://www.screenhub.com.au/">http://www.screenhub.com.au/</a> Australian site for jobs and hiring.<br />
<a href="http://www.indiewire.com/">http://www.indiewire.com/</a> Hire and get hired in US-based site.<br />
<a href="http://www.ukscreen.com/dir/crew/">http://www.ukscreen.com/dir/crew/</a>Crew Hire UK-based crew hire site.<br />
<a href="http://www.mandy.com/">http://www.mandy.com/</a> International and comprehensive crew hire site.<br />
<a href="http://www.film-tv.co.uk/">http://www.film-tv.co.uk/</a> Directory of broadcast and film crew and professionals.</div>Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266245624558025043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065061039502022903.post-38280201057825475642012-01-08T09:03:00.000-08:002012-01-08T09:03:06.301-08:00How Films Work<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3cWZiyNFaQj8UOCr7-3xsbZ6Zz4O3fBcZHuvE-bSDIUbWHO2t95pNtmPdwQNxPrpAS_ubQuy1jLlcxvG90QHQjKQyWP8vsmY7ekJF3GvsA8xrbf0TBvUAcGTq1UJquzjkksJSEoGeIw/s1600/How+films+work.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3cWZiyNFaQj8UOCr7-3xsbZ6Zz4O3fBcZHuvE-bSDIUbWHO2t95pNtmPdwQNxPrpAS_ubQuy1jLlcxvG90QHQjKQyWP8vsmY7ekJF3GvsA8xrbf0TBvUAcGTq1UJquzjkksJSEoGeIw/s320/How+films+work.png" width="320" /></a></div>The shortcut to making a film that lasts<br />
in people’s minds lies in understanding<br />
the nuts and bolts of movies – not just<br />
the technical side but the mechanics of<br />
how you make viewers see and feel<br />
what you want. The tools you have<br />
learnt and the conventions and rules<br />
you have picked up now need to<br />
come together to add up to<br />
more than just technology and skills.<br />
In a sense, learning about continuity,<br />
lighting or composition is like<br />
learning about the anatomy of filmmaking. This section takes us into what we could call<br />
the soul of filmmaking – the meanings that lie within. Understanding how this inner life<br />
works means that you stand to make your next movie an experience viewers won’t forget.<br />
<br />
<b>The tools</b><br />
<br />
The basic building blocks in a film are:<br />
1.Image – what we see<br />
2. Sound – what we hear<br />
3. Space – what we think we see (perception)<br />
4. Time – when we think it happened.<br />
<br />
Everything else in the movie is subservient to these basic elements. Story, plot and<br />
character are visible elements in the film, but are simply the result of the way the<br />
above are manipulated. If we look at how each of these elements are represented<br />
in your skills, we could identify them as:<br />
<br />
1. Image – camera framing, lighting, movement, colour<br />
2. Sound – diagetic sound (within the scene), non-diagetic sound (subjective, off camera), music<br />
3. Space – depth, focus, composition and sound<br />
4. Time – editing.<br />
<br />
In different ways, each of the tools above are a way of expressing meaning in your film.<br />
Story and character are much less able to express meaning than they appear.<br />
An interesting way of throwing light on this is by looking at remakes, two films<br />
with identical stories but which have very different meanings through use of the camera,<br />
colour, symbolism and so on. The original Cape Fear (J. Lee Thompson, 1961)<br />
set up a moral narrative of how a decent family are targeted by a released convict,<br />
yet in Scorsese’s 1991 remake, certain changes are made that radically alter the meaning.<br />
The convict is given a semi-religious motivation, while the family are deceitful and<br />
self-destructive. The first movie places the sinner as the convict, while the second<br />
places the family – and crucially, the lawyer at the head of it – as the sinner while<br />
the convict is the sinned against.<br />
<br />
So what exactly carries out the meaning side of the film? The answer is in the fact<br />
that every element carries it – it is not separate from the film but is integral to every<br />
part of it. Confused movies are ones where no thought has been given to what they<br />
actually mean, while resonant movies are the ones where there is very clear meaning.<br />
But this has nothing to do with what kind of meaning you opt for. Successful films<br />
don’t have to shout out an important message nor do they have to make the audience<br />
<br />
think something – they are not propaganda. In fact, many films today prefer to avoid<br />
sermons in favour of raising questions and ideas for us to take home and reflect on.<br />
Films such as Sideways (Alexander Payne, 2005), Donnie Darko (Richard Kelly, 2001),<br />
Far From Heaven (Todd Haynes, 2002) and In The Cut (Jane Campion, 2003) tend to<br />
nudge us towards outcomes rather than hand them to us on a plate.<br />
<br />
We could refer to any emergence of the core themes and ideas of a film as signs.<br />
The devices that deliver these signs exist in layers surrounding the film. Some are<br />
easy to spot, others need a little work to uncover. Like forensic work at a crime scene,<br />
some signs are for rookies (the gun on the floor, the pool of blood) and others are<br />
for those who know how to look (the mismatched fingerprints on the trigger,<br />
the photos smashed on the mantelpiece). Like detectives, we try to uncover<br />
what happened and we look for a motive too – why it happened. Then we<br />
see how this makes us feel, what it tells us about people, life and the world today.<br />
<br />
This hierarchy of signs is placed by the director so that we can experience the<br />
movie on different levels – it can be entertainment or it can be philosophy,<br />
depending on your choice. Sometimes, the philosophy side gets to be bigger<br />
than intended – for instance, in Hitchcock’s films, where we get to know as much<br />
about the psyche of the director as we do the plot. Elsewhere, a film can become<br />
more meaningful through its relation to the zeitgeist – for instance, with Terminator<br />
I and II, where we can track the changes in masculinity in society as Arnie is all<br />
Rambo-style machismo in the first movie but by the end of the decade is able to<br />
look after children and even weep with emotion. It’s easy to see why<br />
Kindergarten Cop was such an obvious next step. So, when watching a film,<br />
we need to look for signs at varying levels and look for others that may be<br />
attached later to the film.</div>Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266245624558025043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065061039502022903.post-13947810378586075582012-01-08T08:47:00.000-08:002012-01-08T08:47:12.202-08:00What Is Narrative Film Definition?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b>Narrative film</b><br />
<br />
A narrative movie uses a story as its main motivation. Since the birth of cinema, narrative has been the<br />
driving force of the film industry, to the extent that other forms are described by how much or how<br />
little they address narrative. It evolved largely from the dominance of literary media in culture and<br />
borrows hugely from literature in the way stories are told, even down to the use of cutaways in editing.<br />
But as a primarily visual medium, film has other possibilities and many filmmakers have tempered the<br />
dominance of plot and increased the use of visual signs and symbols to develop the themes and meanings<br />
of a film, such as Stanley Kubrick and Andrei Tarkovsky.<br />
<br />
Within narrative film there have arisen many conventions about how you tell a story. Largely due to the<br />
need to agree a common code with the viewing public which can be applied to each and every film, there<br />
are certain ways of shooting and editing that will disguise the actual process of filmmaking and draw<br />
attention only to the plot and the characters within it. Thus, film becomes a true escapist experience.<br />
If you work with stories today, however, you need to possess some detailed knowledge of these<br />
conventions as if they are a set of signs that an increasingly knowing audience is going to decipher.<br />
This means that you can subvert conventions and can mix signs from different formsbut all the<br />
time you have to be aware of where you stand within the wider framework of narrative film. Audiences develop their awareness of these signs in narrative film simply by seeing lots of films, so as a<br />
filmmaker you are equally able to read the signs and then perhaps make up your own.<br />
<br />
Narrative film may be the established dominant mode, but entering this area doesn’t mean you have to<br />
follow film trends, making cliché-ridden films that only emulate other directors. Certainly this may be<br />
true within the profit-driven industry of Hollywood, but there are numerous directors who follow their<br />
own path by turning narrative into something that is their own.<br />
<br />
<b>The short movie</b><br />
<br />
In the last chapter we heard about how short movies (average 10 minutes in length or less) have had<br />
something of a comeback as the new filmmaker’s school. Almost all filmmakers have made several<br />
before going on to make successful features, the shorts serving as a place to try out ideas, road-test<br />
stories, and develop style and exercise conventions. The quick pace of short movie production also<br />
helps build confidence, as you can make one with very few resources or little time.<br />
<br />
<b>The micro-short</b><br />
<br />
This development of the narrative movie is relatively new, resulting from the need for shorter-than-short<br />
movies that download fast over the Internet or to phones. The particular constraints of movies lasting less<br />
than a minute are invigorating, helping you to develop faster as a filmmaker. Straight narrative sits as easily<br />
as abstract movies in this form, although many narrative versions tend to be more successful because<br />
of the startling way they compress conventional storytelling into small spaces – temporally and spatially.<br />
<br />
<b>My kind of people?</b><br />
<br />
The narrative filmmaker obsesses about films to the degree that relationships end (and start) over top<br />
ten lists of movies. For their own work, they ride a wave of adrenaline, enjoy stress (‘I actually feel<br />
stressed now if I am not stressed, without anything to do.’ James Sharpe, filmmaker) and stop at nothing<br />
to get a film made. Theirs is a guerrilla world where night-time raids are made to scale the walls of<br />
mainstream cinema, funded by credit card. Organized and skilled, they survive on little sleep but are<br />
sustained through their strong – and deserved – sense of their own talent<br />
Weblink<br />
<a href="http://www.nokiashorts.co.uk/">http://www.nokiashorts.co.uk/</a> Annual competition for micro-shorts. <br />
<br />
</div>Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266245624558025043noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065061039502022903.post-32241379170279259872012-01-04T19:29:00.000-08:002012-01-04T19:29:08.354-08:00What Is Digital Technology In Media<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uFgw9kKo-rc/TwUW3e9s-DI/AAAAAAAAACs/lsPb4CNSukw/s1600/what+is+digital+technology+in+media.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uFgw9kKo-rc/TwUW3e9s-DI/AAAAAAAAACs/lsPb4CNSukw/s320/what+is+digital+technology+in+media.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To some people the so-called DV </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">revolution spells the end of a certain </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">kind of movie: the end of celluloid </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">and all the associations that we have </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">with it – projectors, rolls of film and</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> the romance of Hollywood. To others, </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">though, it is more than a revolution or </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">a change in the industry – it’s year zero.<br />
To filmmakers who could only dream </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">of committing their ideas to moving images,</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">the DV age is the start of a career, not just a change in one, as the affordability of cameras and editing equipment makes it possible to get involved.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
DV is here to stay, is reaching far wider into the mainstream of filmmaking than people thought</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> possible and, in a few years, has affected every part of the video and film industries from </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hollywood down to indie features, and finally – and most dramatically – the low-budget </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">emerging filmmaker. In most revolutions of the technological sort (and maybe the political)</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> it is those at the top that seem to benefit most financially, but the DV revolution is one that </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">bucks the trend; big money producers agree DV makes a difference to the costs of a film,</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> but to the filmmaker at the bottom it is the deciding factor in being able to make one at all. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But before we run off with our winnings, it is worth looking more closely<br />
at this gift horse and trying to understand why it works so well and how it </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">offers us what it does.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
<b>Digital video</b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
Digital is called digital because it records information by the use of numbers: ones and zeros, </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">which correspond to ‘on’ or ‘off’ commands. It has no variables as does the wave of analog; </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">a signal is either one or the other, black or white, yes or no. This means that when the tape </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">signal degrades after copying or playing – which happens however hard you try to avoid it – it </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">alters only the strength of the yes or no, the on or off, the one or zero. It still gets read as </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">one or the other, regardless of the strength of the signal. This is why digital is a better </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">method of storing and reproducing information. It is the reproduction of it that is crucial, </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">since the ability to edit and distribute without loss of quality<br />
is to remain true to a director’s original intentions.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
Filmmakers used to rely on 16 mm film for their first forays into movies, and VHS </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">tape never really caught on as an acceptable replacement. Filmmakers care about </div>the way a picture looks and digital <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">offers what many are looking for at the price they </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">can afford, while VHS was neither quality nor did it</span> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">have a specific ‘look’ as did </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">16 mm film. Why was VHS analog so bad? If you take a picture and photocopy</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">it you produce a version of the original. But if you want to re-copy it you lose some</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> information</span> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">and the resulting copy is less clear than the original. Repeat this</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> process several times and you end up</span> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">with a muddy, unclear image. With digital, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">you are approaching the picture wholly differently: imagine</span> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">breaking the tonal </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">values and colours of that photo down into numerical values, in turn represented</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">by ones and zeros. You have then got a set of instructions for the make-up of </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">that picture and can send</span> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">these instructions anywhere. All that it requires is that </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">the receiver has the same information as the</span> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">sender in order to be able to </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">reassemble the image from the numbers it is given. With the right decoding</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">knowledge it will reconstruct the image. Furthermore, because it exists in terms</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> of numbers, it can</span> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">be manipulated more easily, so that a picture can be turned </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">black and white by exchanging one set of</span> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">numbers for another, while keeping </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">the rest unchanged.</span></div>Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266245624558025043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065061039502022903.post-24441546871074057942012-01-02T09:46:00.000-08:002012-01-02T09:46:40.794-08:00Who Is Film Director?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vih1elgmJxU/TwHs6Lt2C2I/AAAAAAAAACg/QHtaQcPFLi0/s1600/Who+Is+Film+Director.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vih1elgmJxU/TwHs6Lt2C2I/AAAAAAAAACg/QHtaQcPFLi0/s320/Who+Is+Film+Director.jpg" width="274" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Everyone wants to direct, don’t they? Even my dog has a T-shirt that says, “What I really want to do is direct.” A director has to be a multitalented multitasker. The director is captain of the ship,</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> the leader of the pack, and is responsible for </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">making all the creative elements come together</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> (see Chapters 13 and 14 for more on what a </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">director does). Many first-time filmmakers can </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">take on the job of directing, and if you do your </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">homework (like reading this book) and are passionate about making your film, you’ll find it a rewarding experience. If you’d rather hire someone else to direct, start collecting demo<br />
reels — whether they’re short films, features, or commercials — from prospective<br />
directors.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
When searching for a director, ask these questions:</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1. Does he or she tell a story well? Is the film logical in its sequence of<br />
events? Did the director tell an intriguing story?</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
2. Are the actors’ performances believable? Do they come across as sincere?<br />
Do you care about the characters in the film?</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
3 Are camera shots and movement effective? Does the director use effective<br />
angles? Are the shots interesting but not distracting to the story?<br />
Does the camera movement enhance the shots?</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
4. If the film’s a comedy, is it funny? Does the director have a good sense<br />
of comedic timing? Is the comedy funny or too silly?</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
5. Is the direction consistent? Do the shots have a certain style? Do all the<br />
elements, shots, dialogue, setting, and so on have consistency, or does<br />
the work seem all over the place?</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Assistant director</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
Many people have a misconception of what an assistant director does. He or<br />
she does not assist in directing the film. An assistant director (also known as<br />
the A.D.) is more of an assistant to the director. The assistant director keeps<br />
the set moving and the film on schedule. The assistant director’s duties<br />
include</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
1. Breaking down the script with the director (to schedule the shoot days).</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
2. Relaying the director’s technical instructions to the cast and crew.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
3. Getting the shots ready by making sure that all production personnel<br />
and actors are in place and ready when the director needs them.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
4. Working with the extras on a small budget, and relaying instructions for<br />
the extras to the second assistant director on a bigger production.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5.Making up the call sheets (lists of which cast members work the next day<br />
and any special equipment or elements needed for the shooting). On<br />
bigger productions this is usually handed off by the first assistant director<br />
to the unit production manager.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
6. Calling the actors who need to work the next day (on larger productions,<br />
this task is performed by the unit production manager).</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
7. Getting the set settled to start filming (asking if sound and camera are<br />
ready and then calling to the mixer to roll sound and the camera operator<br />
to roll camera—things that must be done before the director cues<br />
the actors or action begins).</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
The director — never the assistant director — calls “action” and “cut.” The<br />
assistant director’s authority ends when the director calls for Action</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Second assistant director</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
The second assistant director (the second A.D.) is an assistant to the assistant<br />
director and is also responsible for a fair amount of paperwork — especially<br />
if it’s a union shoot, because there are strict rules and regulations, and everything<br />
has to be documented properly. I liken a second A.D. to an executive<br />
assistant — this person does paperwork, works on the computer, and helps<br />
to make the boss’s job easier.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
Some of the second A.D.’s paperwork includes handling call sheets, collecting<br />
from the camera department the camera reports (shots and footage for<br />
the day’s shoot), collecting talent releases for background players, and so<br />
on. The second assistant checks everyone in at the beginning of each day’s<br />
shoot, calls the actors for camera when they’re needed on the set, and then<br />
checks everyone out at the end of the shoot.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
My sister Nancy was the second A.D for my film Undercover Angel, and<br />
her job was crowd control. For the final dramatic scene in the film, Nancy<br />
rounded up almost 1,000 extras, which was no small task.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">tag:Who Is Film Director </div></div>Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266245624558025043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065061039502022903.post-74224633617292663082012-01-02T09:29:00.000-08:002012-01-02T09:29:35.391-08:00Who Is Film Producer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8X-0yvZkeEM/TwHpHsAr38I/AAAAAAAAACU/FtcQ5vKy1AE/s1600/Who+Is+Film+Producer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8X-0yvZkeEM/TwHpHsAr38I/AAAAAAAAACU/FtcQ5vKy1AE/s320/Who+Is+Film+Producer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A producer is responsible for putting the project together and sometimes<br />
finding the financing. Without the right producer, the film may never come to<br />
fruition. A producer, who is often the filmmaker (the person responsible for the project being produced in the first place), is the first one on the project and the last one to leave. The producer is responsible for hiring the crew and<br />
working with the director to hire the actors. The producer helps “produce” all the elements required to put the production together.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
Some projects have an executive producer. This person earns the title by<br />
either handling the business of the production, being the actual financier of<br />
the project, or being someone without whom the film would never have come<br />
to fruition. In television and studio features, the executive producer is often a<br />
representative of the studio or network who carries a lot of authority.</div><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">An associate producer is usually a glorified title reserved for someone who</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">contributes an important element to the production — such as finding the</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">financing or the name stars. Agents and managers often get an associate producer</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">credit for bringing a star or major element to a project.</span><br />
<br />
Tag:Who Is Film Producer</div>Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266245624558025043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065061039502022903.post-40640699367374325192012-01-02T08:58:00.000-08:002012-01-02T08:58:10.206-08:00Starting A Production Company Film<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6zbgdF7cjuw/TwHh6sTeJBI/AAAAAAAAACI/mDhHScVHMmY/s1600/Starting+A+Production+Company+Film.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6zbgdF7cjuw/TwHh6sTeJBI/AAAAAAAAACI/mDhHScVHMmY/s320/Starting+A+Production+Company+Film.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>When you find an investor who believes in you and your film project, you need to set up a production company through which to run the financing.<br />
You often need your investors to help finance the startup of the company as well, so it’s best to wait to form the company until you find an investor.<br />
<br />
If you don’t set up some form of a production company, you’re what’s called a sole proprietorship, and don’t have the protection that a production company<br />
may provide. Setting up a corporation or limited liability company gives you<br />
have a little more protection from lawsuits and other headaches. The company<br />
can act as a shield so that, in the event you’re sued, only the assets of<br />
the company — and not your personal assets — are vulnerable. Each situation<br />
is different, so always consult a lawyer about your options and risks.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Being in the right company</span></b><br />
<br />
You have lots of choices when it comes to the type of company you want to<br />
form, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages:<br />
1. General partnership<br />
2. Limited partnership<br />
3. Corporation<br />
4. Limited liability company (LLC)<br />
5. Joint venture<br />
<br />
As you choose the company that best suits your situation, consider these<br />
three main factors:<br />
<br />
1. Liability: Who will be responsible in case of a lawsuit or bad debts? You<br />
and the company partners, or just the company?<br />
<br />
2. Taxes: What kind of tax structure does the company have? Does the<br />
company pay tax or do the taxes flow through to you and your partner’s<br />
personal taxes?<br />
<br />
3. Ownership: Who owns the film and any other assets of the company? </div>Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266245624558025043noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065061039502022903.post-80447113538701834702012-01-02T08:44:00.000-08:002012-01-02T08:44:39.955-08:00How To Get Money To Make A Movie<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t4k3ymGpeZg/TwHebykS2dI/AAAAAAAAAB8/0BwjfJWwtEc/s1600/How+To+Get++Money+To+Make+A+Movie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t4k3ymGpeZg/TwHebykS2dI/AAAAAAAAAB8/0BwjfJWwtEc/s320/How+To+Get++Money+To+Make+A+Movie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Meeting an investor is like going out on a first date — you have to impress on the first date, or you don’t get a second one. Your first meeting with a potential investor will probably be over the phone. You need to sell him on getting involved with you and your film so that you can move to the next step and have a face-to-face meeting. The potential investor may request a copy of your prospectus or business plan before wanting to meet in person. This is why your presentation package is so important: If it intrigues the investor, you’ll get that in-person meeting and have a chance to close the deal.<br />
<br />
<b>Keep in mind the following when approaching investors:</b><br />
<br />
1, Be enthusiastic about your project, but don’t be phony.<br />
<br />
2, Be honest and don’t guarantee that they’ll get rich from investing in<br />
your film. If you prove that you can be trusted, they may invest in you —<br />
and fund your future projects.<br />
<br />
Don’t ever guarantee investors that they’ll recoup their investment and<br />
make a profit. Nothing in life is guaranteed, especially getting rich off<br />
making a movie. You don’t want to mislead them. If you guarantee they’ll<br />
make money and they don’t, they could legally come after you stating<br />
you made false promises to them.<br />
<br />
3.Be prepared. Before calling, be ready to answer any questions the<br />
investor may ask. This can include what your film’s about (be ready to<br />
pitch your story), budget amount, shooting schedule, post-production<br />
to release schedule, and how long it will take for them to see a return (if<br />
any) on their investment. Before your face-to-face meeting, review all the<br />
material in your package so that the investor will know that you know<br />
what you’re talking about.<br />
<br />
4 Be respectful. Assure the investor that you will treat his or her money<br />
as if it were your own.<br />
<br />
5 Follow up with a thank-you note to the investor for taking the time to<br />
meet with you and for considering your proposal.<br />
<br />
You have to look at it as a win-win situation. People get excited about the idea<br />
of getting involved in financing a film. It’s a lot more exciting (and definitely<br />
more glamorous) than buying $5,000 in toilet paper stock. You could be doing<br />
the investor a favor. The investor has the potential of making money with your<br />
film (also the potential to lose his pants — but you probably don’t want to say<br />
that). But again, be honest, and let them know investing in a film is a risk —<br />
there’s no guarantee they’ll get their money back or make a profit — but that<br />
it’s your honest intention to make money for them with your film.<br />
<br />
You can also entice your investors by offering to give them an Executive<br />
Producer credit in your film’s opening credits. If so, be sure to mutually agree<br />
in writing the appropriate credit that your investor will receive on the film. You<br />
can have as many Executive Producer credits as fits the number of investors.<br />
<br />
After you’ve found investors, a company agreement between you and your<br />
investors must be drafted before anyone is going to hand over cash for you<br />
to make your film. When the investor agrees to participate in the financing<br />
of your film, it’s time to move on to forming a company and ironing out the<br />
details of putting your project together.</div>Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266245624558025043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065061039502022903.post-20176183354955447442011-12-29T09:37:00.000-08:002011-12-29T09:39:49.303-08:00How To Write A Script For A Movie<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2c-96XMqc6Q/Tvyi8YXQ2vI/AAAAAAAAABw/vOkQA8TmsPo/s1600/writing+a+script.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2c-96XMqc6Q/Tvyi8YXQ2vI/AAAAAAAAABw/vOkQA8TmsPo/s320/writing+a+script.png" width="320" /></a></div>In writing a script, it can be intimidating to craft a 90- to 120-page story, but the process can be<br />
easily broken down into a series of steps, each designed to make sure that the script is properly<br />
structured.<br />
<br />
<b>Title</b><br />
<br />
Title (1–5 words). Name the fi lm. This doesn’t have to be the fi lm’s fi nal title, but a strong working title can help maintain focus of what the story is about.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Theme</b><br />
<br />
Theme (5–15 words). What is the “moral of the story?” Beneath<br />
the story, plot, characters, and genre, what is the message you want<br />
to convey to the audience after they fi nish watching the movie?<br />
Make sure that every scene, every moment, and every character<br />
supports this theme. If you ever encounter writer’s block, or don’t<br />
know where a scene should go, refer to the theme and write a<br />
scenario that supports it.<br />
<br />
<b>Logline</b><br />
<br />
Logline (15–25 words). Describe the good guy, the bad guy, the<br />
setting, and the confl ict. The logline is the basic premise of what<br />
the movie is about. Think about what a movie reviewer would write<br />
up in the newspaper when trying to describe the premise of the<br />
fi lm in a clear, concise manner. After you describe the who, what,<br />
why, when, and where, be sure to identify the confl ict, or there’s<br />
no story. A line like “. . . and problems arise when . . .” strongly sets<br />
up the confl ict in the story.<br />
<br />
<b>Treatment</b><br />
Treatment (2–3 pages). The treatment is a short-story form of the<br />
movie that describes what happens from the beginning to the end <br />
of the fi lm. It reads like a novel and serves as an easy way for the writer to<br />
understand the characters and events as they appear in the movie. Treatments<br />
are valuable writing tools that allow the writer to work out the story points in<br />
a short form before moving on to write the longer script.<br />
<br />
When you write the treatment, you can begin incorporating script-formatting<br />
elements that will eventually make their way into the fi nished screenplay. For<br />
example, each time a new character is introduced in your treatment, type the<br />
name of the character in capital letters followed by the character’s age and a<br />
brief description.<br />
<br />
<b>Outline</b><br />
<br />
Outline (20–30 pages). Once the treatment is written, it’s time to<br />
begin fl eshing out the details of each scene and every plot point.<br />
Begin outlining by writing 80 to 100 scene numbers on a piece of<br />
paper. Then break the treatment down into scenes, describing the<br />
location where each scene takes place, the characters involved, and<br />
what happens in the story. Add more details to the outline so that it becomes<br />
easier to transcribe the outline into a script. Each scene in the outline will<br />
become one scene in the script. The more detail that is written in the outline,<br />
the easier it will be to write the script.<br />
<br />
Start out by writing the main plot points of the A story. I usually like to write<br />
this step by step in outline form, by writing simple sentences that loosely<br />
describe what happens in the movie. Writing in simple plot points makes it<br />
easy to rework, expand, and remove story points later. As you develop the A<br />
story, outline the basic plot points from the beginning of the story to the end.<br />
This process can be as simple as taking a sheet of paper, numbering each line,<br />
and writing each plot point.<br />
<br />
<b>Script</b><br />
<br />
Script (90–120 pages). Once the outline is fi nished and every plot point is<br />
described, begin fl eshing out each plot point into a scene, adding dialog and<br />
detailed descriptions. Remember that one page of a properly formatted script<br />
roughly equates to one minute of screen time.<br />
<br />
Complete the fi rst draft of the script, regardless of how good or bad it is. Once<br />
you have a complete draft of the script in front of you, you can begin the revision<br />
process. Shorten, edit, alter, tighten, and scrutinize every line of every page<br />
until you are satisfi ed with the script, then register the script with the Writers<br />
Guild of America, apply for a copyright from the U.S. Copyright Offi ce, and<br />
begin either the submission or the production process.<br />
<br />
tag: writing a script,how to write a script for a movie,write movie script<br />
<br />
</div>Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266245624558025043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065061039502022903.post-40641463042496737152011-12-29T09:16:00.000-08:002011-12-29T09:16:45.210-08:00The Story Formatting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zE6oYg9rmjk/Tvyfx0Q6w0I/AAAAAAAAABk/1T5icbQypmg/s1600/Story+Formatting.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zE6oYg9rmjk/Tvyfx0Q6w0I/AAAAAAAAABk/1T5icbQypmg/s320/Story+Formatting.png" width="320" /></a></div>Stories can be told in many different formats, each designed for a different purpose. Be mindful of your budget, the availability of resources, and time<br />
when you choose the format for your story.<br />
<br />
<b>The main formats include:</b><br />
<br />
■ Animation. Produced either by hand or using computer technologies, 2D<br />
or 3D movies still rely on traditional story structures, although the means of production lie strictly with the animator and rarely include live-action<br />
elements. Animated fi lms are very time consuming and technically elaborate.<br />
<br />
■ Commercials. Designed to advertise a product or service, television<br />
commercials incorporate a wide range of styles, techniques, animation,<br />
narrative, and hard-sell techniques into 10-, 15-, 30-, or 60-second time<br />
lengths. Commercials are a great way for fi lmmakers to showcase their<br />
style and story-telling and production capabilities and are among the most<br />
lucrative, well-paying forms of production.<br />
<br />
■ Documentaries. Documentaries are intended to study a subject, occurrence,<br />
theme, or belief in an attempt to either explore the subject or arrive<br />
at a conclusion about the subject. Documentaries can either take on an<br />
investigative approach, in which the fi lmmaker tries to answer a question or research<br />
a subject, or follow a subject and allow the story to unfold during the production.<br />
Documentaries can, in some instances, be inexpensive but time-consuming to produce.<br />
<br />
■ Feature fi lms. The 90-minute narrative is the mainstay of Hollywood entertainment,<br />
and its production is the dream of millions of aspiring fi lmmakers. The riskiest style<br />
of production, feature fi lms are expensive and time consuming and rarely recoup the<br />
monies invested.<br />
<br />
■ Industrial/corporate. These productions are typically marketing or how-to pieces for<br />
businesses. Although not very entertaining to watch or make, industrials<br />
are an outstanding way to make money in the production industry.<br />
<br />
■ Music videos. These highly stylized four-minute promotional videos for<br />
music artists are a great way for a fi lmmaker to explore unbridled creativity<br />
using any medium, any style of narrative or performance, and artistic<br />
editing. Music videos are terrifi c short-format pieces that easily demonstrate<br />
a fi lmmaker’s abilities.<br />
<br />
■ Short fi lms. Short fi lms are movies that are shorter than 80 minutes.<br />
Ideally under 20 minutes, shorts are a terrifi c way of learning the process<br />
of making a movie, showcasing the talents of the fi lmmakers, and<br />
generating interest from investors in future projects. Despite the educational<br />
and career benefi ts, there is virtually no market for short fi lms,<br />
making it nearly impossible to see a return on the investment. Although<br />
there are a few distributors who may release a compilation DVD of short<br />
fi lms, fi lmmakers rarely see their money back or see distribution of a short<br />
fi lm by itself.<br />
<br />
Tag;Story Formatting,story outline format,feature story format,short story format,user story format</div>Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266245624558025043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065061039502022903.post-72047286687453195272011-12-29T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-29T09:00:48.110-08:00The Definition Of Genre<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A genre is a category or type of story. Genres typically have their own style and<br />
story structure, and although there are several primary categories, movies can<br />
be a mixture of two or three different genres.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
Some common genres include:</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
■ Action ■ Comedy<br />
■ Crime ■ Drama<br />
■ Family ■ Fantasy<br />
■ Horror ■ Musical<br />
■ Romance ■ Romantic Comedy<br />
■ Science Fiction ■ Thriller<br />
■ War ■ Western</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
When choosing the genre for an independent fi lm, be aware of the costs and<br />
diffi culties of shooting certain genres like science fi ction or westerns, for which<br />
the cost of sets, costumes, and props may be prohibitive.</div><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Take special notice of the resources available to you in your community and</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">through your contacts. When I wrote Time and Again, I knew that my hometown</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Chardon, Ohio, could easily pass as a town from the 1950s without much set</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">dressing. I also knew that throughout the region, I could approach antique car</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">owners and costume shops and scavenge the dozens of antique shops to recreate</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">the time period easily and inexpensively. Doing this research in advance gave me</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">a really good idea as to what resources were available as I developed my story.</span><br />
<br />
Tag; definition genre,genre definition,define genre,definition of genre</div>Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266245624558025043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065061039502022903.post-64260258906910958672011-12-29T08:43:00.000-08:002011-12-29T08:43:34.789-08:007 Easy Steps to Shooting Great Videos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="article-body" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <div id="article-content"> Many people are so intimidated by their video camera that they rarely use it! With just a few steps, you too can be a great shooter of your family films.<br />
<br />
<b>1. Know Your Camera</b> <br />
<br />
While you don't need to know every last feature of your camera, you should know the basics of how to use it. Some cameras now offer an "Easy Button" where everything is automatic. This can be wonderful for many filming situations. For times when you don't want your camera's focus to constantly change during an interview, for example, <b>do a few test runs</b> before using the manual focus button.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Know Why You're Filming</b> <br />
<br />
Before you turn your camera on, think about what you're about to film. What is it that you want people to take away from your shots? What do you want them to remember? Is it the actions in the shot? Or what someone is thinking or feeling at the time? If it's a long action shot (say a school play), consider investing in a tripod for a steady long shot (and a thankful right arm!) If it's a personal interview, consider investing in a better microphone.<br />
<br />
<b>3. Establish Yourself</b> <br />
<br />
Once you've figured out your main objective of the shoot, you want to take a hint from the pro's and make sure you get an establishing shot, ideally at the start of filming. <b>An establishing shot simply establishes where the filming is taking place or identifies without words what you are filming.</b> This could mean a wide shot including as much or all of the action in the shot as possible. For the school play example, it could be a shot of the entire stage. Or perhaps a quick shot of the front of the school or a sign naming the play. Once you've established for your audience "where" you are, you can then vary your shots with closer-in shots (called medium and close-up shots.)<br />
<br />
<b>4. Let The Action Tell The Story</b> <br />
<br />
Too often, people think they have to do more with their camera to make their home movies interesting. This often means that pesky zoom button is in constant use! Not only does this lower your production value, it leaves your audience feeling a bit seasick. Instead, try to use your zoom button only to change shots (from say establishing to close-up) and then let what's happening in the shot play out. Your audience will definitely thank you!<br />
<br />
<b>5. It's All About the Lighting</b> <br />
<br />
Have you ever noticed how your home movies shot outdoors look beautiful and the ones inside look noisy or grainy? This is because natural light (sunlight) is much stronger than tungsten (indoor light) and <b>most consumer video cameras require a great deal of light to make a beautiful picture.</b> Therefore, when indoors, these cameras will do something called auto gain which creates additional "artificial" light but also adds grain to your picture. So remember--when shooting indoors, use as much available light as possible, and make sure that available sunlight is in the right place--to the front or side of your subject to light up their face--not behind them where they will be in silhouette.<br />
<br />
<b>6. Sound Is A Beautiful Thing</b> <br />
<br />
Hearing someone's voice is equally as important, and sometimes more so, than seeing their face. So know your camera and its microphone capabilities. If you are sitting in the back row of the school play and are just using an internal microphone on your camera, don't expect to hear your daughter's lines clearly. Do some tests ahead of time to evaluate if your filming situation requires a different or additional kind of microphone.<br />
<br />
<b>7. Be Prepared</b> <br />
<br />
The most important thing you can do is <b>make sure you have lots of blank tape (or drive space) and several charged batteries!</b> Without them, all of the above is meaningless. So take the time to be prepared for your shoot.<br />
</div><div id="article-resource"> DMB Pictures is a boutique video production company specializing in producing broadcast-quality personal stories for families, non-profits and small businesses. The company opened its doors in January 2006 led by Debbie Mintz Brodsky, a three-time Emmy Award-winning television producer with more than 20 years of experience.<br />
Visit us at <a href="http://www.dmbpictures.com/" target="_new">http://www.dmbpictures.com</a><br />
</div>Article Source: <a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Debbie_Brodsky">http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Debbie_Brodsky</a> <br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; overflow: hidden;"><br />
</div></div>Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266245624558025043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065061039502022903.post-22733512724861826602011-12-27T06:51:00.000-08:002011-12-27T06:51:10.705-08:00Advantages of Shooting in the Studio<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Control is the principal advantage of shooting a film in the studio. What can be</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">accomplished in the production design is limited only by the budget and skills of the</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">art department. A fair-sized studio allows the filmmaker to work continuously. There</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">are no company moves to make as there are in working on location. It is always day</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">or night in the studio. Power is readily available, as is space for the art department</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to set up shop. Over the decades, studio construction and decorating techniques have</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">made great strides. Many studio sets in contemporary films look as authentic as location</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">work. In the 1970s, filmmakers left the studio for the real world on location.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They are still doing just that in the new millennium but with the art and craft of studio</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">production design they can now have it all inside and on the sound stage.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Safety Procedures</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• All exits and lanes must always be kept clear to avoid accidents, maintain easy</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mobility, and as an escape route in the event of fire</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Walkover boards should be put over all cables so the cast and crew won’t trip over</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">them</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Secure and brace all flats and scenery</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Keep all structures and materials away from the lighting instruments to avoid a</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">fire</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Spray all sets and materials with flame retardant</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Build security handrails onto all offstage platforms and steps</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Check all materials carefully and avoid those considered to be hazardous</span><br />
<br />
<br />
</div>Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266245624558025043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065061039502022903.post-86710918141749835492011-12-24T09:10:00.000-08:002011-12-24T09:10:09.247-08:00Texture Definition In Art<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Texture is critical in creating authenticity; evoking age, wear, use, and<br />
passage of time; and reflecting the results of environmental conditions on a surface.<br />
The Europeans call it patina. The surface of an object must reflect that it has been<br />
lived-in or has existed in time. Dust is a common aging agent, easily accessible to<br />
the filmmaker.<br />
<br />
On the West coast, dust has an earthen, clay color due to the geological properties<br />
of the landscape and the quality of reflected light in the region. The nature of<br />
East coast dust is often black and sooty. The properties of the soil, car, industrial pollution,<br />
and chimney soot in a crowded, architecturally cramped metropolis contribute<br />
to the color and texture of the dirt and dust.<br />
<br />
The purpose of texture in building materials, fabrics, and furnishings is to provide<br />
contrast and complement and to add realism and a tactile sense to the design. The<br />
materials chosen for the production design serve many purposes. The textures of<br />
building materials communicate the properties of the structure: wood, metal, glass,<br />
brick, and tile. If the texture is believable, whether real or created by the art department,<br />
it will contribute to veracity of the story.<br />
<br />
One of the missions of the production designer is to create the appearance of real<br />
materials through art direction. A set built of wood can be transformed by covering<br />
the surface with other materials to create the illusion that it is made of stone, any<br />
variety of high quality wood, or sheet rock.<br />
<br />
Materials and texture are storytelling devices. They inform the audience about the<br />
economic status, time and place, and social and political conditions of the story’s<br />
environment. Materials can become metaphors. In Terminator 2: Judgement Day<br />
(1991) the Terminator and T1000 are made of metal. The production design by<br />
Joseph Nemec III is filled with metal surfaces of all varieties, even molten metal. All<br />
the metal structures in the film are related to the power of the cyborgs.<br />
<br />
Part of the art of production design is using materials that are available, easy to<br />
work with, and sensible for a film production. All the metal materials in the design<br />
of Terminator 2: Judgement Day are not exactly what they look like. Surfaces are<br />
treated, painted, and textured. To use real metal in every case would be difficult to<br />
manage in building and working on a film set during construction and production.<br />
The following examples demonstrate how the texture of set construction materials<br />
can convey a specific look, mood, and atmosphere to a scene by aging new material<br />
so that they appear to be old and worn.<br />
<br />
Tag: texture definition in art</div>Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266245624558025043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065061039502022903.post-66462645580781551742011-12-24T09:03:00.000-08:002011-12-24T09:03:55.799-08:00Black-and-White Filmmaking<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Designing black-and-white productions is an art and craft in itself. During the<br />
classical Hollywood studio era, production designers and art departments were well<br />
trained in working in the black-and-white medium. The principal difference in<br />
designing in black-and-white as opposed to color is that the designer’s palette does<br />
not consist of the color spectrum. The black and white designer is working within<br />
the gray scale and must understand how each color translates to a value from black<br />
to white.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
If your film is being photographed in black-and-white, watching other films in the<br />
medium will motivate and inspire, but it will not help you to learn how colors are<br />
interpreted in the gray scale. Practicing and experimenting with black-and-white still<br />
photography will give you an understanding and feeling for how black-and-white film<br />
records a color scene. Since a bright green and a bright blue of the same hue may read<br />
as the same tone on the gray scale, colors in a black-and-white film are not chosen for<br />
their color value but for their tonality on the gray scale. To the untrained eye, the colors<br />
of a well-designed set prepared for black-and-white photography will look unbalanced<br />
and may appear to be garish and to clash in relationship to each other. The production<br />
designer works to achieve balance, contrast, and a sense of space and dimension,<br />
using the range of the gray scale. The architectural silhouette is the same, but<br />
the detail and modeling must be projected through gray scale values.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
After each value is tested, the set is built, then carefully checked and tested with</div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">the black-and-white film stock to be used. Camera tests are made to discover the</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">tonal range. During shooting, a black-and-white video assist system will help the</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">designer to see how the set will look in black-and-white. The art department must be</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">prepared to make corrections and changes to enhance, augment, or correct the design</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">so it can best serve the characters and story.</span><br />
<br />
</div>Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266245624558025043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065061039502022903.post-28747766157362825322011-12-18T05:47:00.000-08:002011-12-18T05:47:42.944-08:00Advanced Camera Rigging and Supports<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">When people talk about camera supports, the first thing that comes to mind is the tripod.<br />
Tripods are very important and a good tripod for recording moving images is a little more<br />
complicated than tripods that are designed for still photography. Top-of-the-line video tripods<br />
have a fluid head and are often designed with the size and weight of the camera in mind. But<br />
tripods are just the beginning, there are many other types of camera supports that can help<br />
you get the shot you want.<br />
<br />
<b>1. Base plate is a metal piece</b> that attaches to the bottom of your camera using a screw<br />
through the tripod mount. A base plate gives you a quick way of attaching your camera<br />
to various camera accessories. Baseplates usually feature a quick release mechanism so<br />
that you can take your camera on and off the tripod or other device without having to<br />
unthread the screw (refer to Figure 10.2).<br />
<br />
<b>2 Rods</b> are used to support large lenses and lens accessories such as follow focus mechanisms.<br />
They are especially useful when putting a big lens on a small camera.<br />
<br />
<b>3. Follow focus mechanisms</b> are a set of gears that let you pull focus smoothly while shooting.<br />
They are much larger than the focus rings found on the lens itself and make it easier<br />
for a second person to do the focus pulling (Figure 10.10).<br />
<br />
<b>4. Matte boxes are used to hold filters on the lens.</b> They can speed up the process of adding<br />
or removing filters because the filters are dropped in rather than screwed on. They also<br />
provide bigger adjustable sunshades, also known as eyebrows that can help you avoid lens<br />
flares (see Figure 10.8).<br />
<br />
<b>5. DSLR camera riggings</b>, such as the Zacuto Striker (Figure 10.11) and the Red Rock<br />
Micro Cinema Field Bundle (Figure 10.1), serve to make DSLR cameras function more<br />
like video cameras. The Cam Caddie (Figure 10.12) features a different design that is very<br />
useful when holding the camera low and when moving. Other DSLR riggings are designed<br />
to help hold various accessories while the camera is mounted on a tripod (Figure 10.3).<br />
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDlGQoR9YT-LgEJavM-iyJZvv6bUGUosWKYWtKLbiB45RLY1CrTvPSqnSYqnCtOAssV2Y-aw2CIHRvgYAHrWpzPRfQPS8Kk6L0Bitrhg3ku8Qa_PzgXwLqdFQ8RuPzNo_yyuPjpEjGrc/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDlGQoR9YT-LgEJavM-iyJZvv6bUGUosWKYWtKLbiB45RLY1CrTvPSqnSYqnCtOAssV2Y-aw2CIHRvgYAHrWpzPRfQPS8Kk6L0Bitrhg3ku8Qa_PzgXwLqdFQ8RuPzNo_yyuPjpEjGrc/s400/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj47YZ0j2rP7C0PmOdSanwPldzJPj1roW_FRomwJVwtNiiPCmHEUlL8wUln6Cdpt5bFgzeYXMkFUA_Tx19R_7TAKq1MQvzvJYeI18Xjkr8hMvPStiKmNmQdrlJlHXKKlUMliv4bRQjDZ3U/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj47YZ0j2rP7C0PmOdSanwPldzJPj1roW_FRomwJVwtNiiPCmHEUlL8wUln6Cdpt5bFgzeYXMkFUA_Tx19R_7TAKq1MQvzvJYeI18Xjkr8hMvPStiKmNmQdrlJlHXKKlUMliv4bRQjDZ3U/s400/4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</div>Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266245624558025043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065061039502022903.post-38529572458199734572011-12-18T05:02:00.000-08:002011-12-18T05:02:00.435-08:00Film Shooting Checklist<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Do a camera test: depth of field, focal length, lens filters, white balance, and camera movement<br />
are all cinematic tools that you have at your disposal when composing a shot. Good composition<br />
involves balancing these choices along with the placement of your subject and background<br />
within your scene.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
Here, then, is a simple list that you should get in the habit of following when setting up your<br />
shots:</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
1. Consider depth of field. Think about how deep or shallow you want the depth of field<br />
in your image. If you want a very shallow depth of field, then you’re probably going to<br />
need to use a longer focal length, so you might need to move your camera away from your<br />
subject to get the framing you established in step 1. Remember also to manually control<br />
your camera’s aperture, as described earlier.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. Pay attention to the effect of your focal length. Whether or not you’re trying to control<br />
the depth of field in your scene, you should take a minute to consider how your choice<br />
of focal length is affecting the sense of depth in your image. Are you trying to create a<br />
large sense of space? If you are, then you probably want a shorter focal length to reduce<br />
depth compression. However, if you go too short, you might distort your actors’ faces.<br />
There’s no right or wrong to focal length choice, but it is important to pay attention to<br />
how focal length is affecting your image.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
3. Double-check exposure and shutter speed. Most of the time, your camera will be<br />
calculating at least one of these parameters, often both. If you’re manually adjusting aperture<br />
to control depth of field, then make sure the camera hasn’t switched to a shutter speed<br />
that’s too high. Or perhaps you want to make your images darker, or to expose them in<br />
a particular way. Or perhaps you’re worried about your actor’s movements interfering<br />
with your camera’s automatic exposure mechanism. If so, you’ll want to manually pick an<br />
exposure that works well for the scene and set the camera to that aperture.<br />
4. White balance. Assuming your set is already lit—and assuming you’ve decided to shoot<br />
using manual white balance—it’s now time to white balance. Have someone hold something<br />
white in an appropriate spot and take your white balance. You might not have to<br />
do this every time, but remember that if your camera has shut off or been placed in standby<br />
mode, or if your lighting setup has changed, you need to take a new white balance.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
If you follow the preceding steps when setting up your camera, you’ll stand a better chance<br />
of using all of the creative tools at your disposal.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
Like any other tool, when you’re very familiar with how to use your camera, your hands will<br />
simply do what they need to do without you having to think about it. With all of the other<br />
things you’ll have to think about when on set, worrying about a particular camera setting is<br />
a luxury you won’t be able to afford. As such, a thorough working knowledge of your camera<br />
is essential.</div></div>Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266245624558025043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065061039502022903.post-23524841940817140202011-12-18T04:57:00.000-08:002011-12-18T04:57:04.858-08:00Audio Editing Hardware<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sound editing applications are powerful tools, but even though you can get away with performing<br />
all of your audio edits using software alone, you might want special hardware to augment<br />
the process.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1, Mixing Boards. If you’re more comfortable with sliders and knobs than with a mouse,<br />
then you might want a mixing board for mixing and balancing your tracks. Although you<br />
might have used a simple mic mixer or four-track mixing board during your shoot, you’ll<br />
probably want a beefier mixing board for your postproduction editing. FireWire-based<br />
mixing boards are the easiest to hook up because they don’t require additional hardware.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2, Microphones. Obviously, if you end up needing to re-record dialogue, or to record sound<br />
effects on location, you’ll need microphones. For voice-overs and other dialogue recording,<br />
your best option will be a good handheld mic. Whether you choose to record directly<br />
into your computer or record into a tape deck, be sure you have the necessary cables<br />
and connectors to hook up your mic.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3,Speakers. It almost goes without saying that all sound editing workstations need a good<br />
pair of speakers. See the section on audio hardware in Chapter 11 for more on speakers<br />
and other audio-related hardware.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4, Audio PCI Cards. Many dedicated sound editing apps can be paired with special PCI<br />
cards designed to process audio in your computer. In addition, they add connectivity<br />
to other audio hardware devices. Check your software manufacturer for details</div></div>Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266245624558025043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065061039502022903.post-28808429542353657692011-12-12T16:55:00.000-08:002011-12-12T16:55:34.698-08:00What Is Transcoding<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNKHLDwz0HxM5LXtB4Hzr0zbSRe8AgzbhdT118v8xR-O-UR4KkrchGMtuPdJOc1rcNDGHVXIflyjiC8LcXIPXH6kUYZ1o-uP663M7g6MxK4nRHKmiQO9MGxtzGUtdB-zSxefXt9b4JqQ/s1600/what+is+transcoding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNKHLDwz0HxM5LXtB4Hzr0zbSRe8AgzbhdT118v8xR-O-UR4KkrchGMtuPdJOc1rcNDGHVXIflyjiC8LcXIPXH6kUYZ1o-uP663M7g6MxK4nRHKmiQO9MGxtzGUtdB-zSxefXt9b4JqQ/s320/what+is+transcoding.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The process of converting a piece of media from one codec to another is called transcoding. Most video container file formats can support a wide range of different codecs. So, for example, you can have a .MOV file that uses the H.264 codec, and you can also have a .MOV file that uses the Avid DNxHD codec. If you shoot footage with a camera using H.264, drag it to your desktop, and then convert it to DNxHD to work with Avid Media Composer,<br />
you are transcoding your original media . The file itself will still be a .MOV file, but you will have fundamentally changed your media.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
Transcoding can be a hardware-based or a software-based process and whenever you move<br />
digital video around, you run the chance of transcoding your media. Transcoding isn’t necessarily<br />
bad; in fact, it’s often necessary and beneficial, but you should make sure you are not<br />
unintentionally transcoding your media to a lower quality codec.</div><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So how and when does transcoding happen? The first way has to do with how you move media</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">from your camera to your computer. If you are dragging and dropping files from a disc or</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">hard drive to your computer’s hard drive, you are not transcoding. But if you are using a cable</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">running from your camera or videotape deck to a video input on your computer or video card,</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">then you need to be careful. If you shoot HD, then you need to make sure that the chain of</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">connectors and cables between your camera and your computer is all digital. If your camera</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">has an analog video-out connector, such as S-video, then simply by sending your video out</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">through this connector you are transcoding it into an analog signal. Then when it gets to your</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">video card or connector on the computer, it is being transcoded back into a digital signal. It’s</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">true that you may not see a huge difference in the resulting image, but it’s better to avoid</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">transcoding your media more often than is necessary for your workflow.</span></div>Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266245624558025043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065061039502022903.post-45157330760190682772011-12-12T16:45:00.000-08:002011-12-12T16:45:17.838-08:00The Difference Betwwen Stereo And Mono Sound System,Stereo vs Mono<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidpbRJFFhhmcOTQDu67svml3uJqSOtUUr1SxC92ylfrZMiJAcoen14ZkS5o3Qf5lNABrcflAZ9BV0sFwlRKR_w1vF9uS5FiPrMw-kDhaULgf_lsT0q0uHFMZZSkgWLmIbAAMBFip1j8AY/s1600/difference+stereo+mono.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidpbRJFFhhmcOTQDu67svml3uJqSOtUUr1SxC92ylfrZMiJAcoen14ZkS5o3Qf5lNABrcflAZ9BV0sFwlRKR_w1vF9uS5FiPrMw-kDhaULgf_lsT0q0uHFMZZSkgWLmIbAAMBFip1j8AY/s320/difference+stereo+mono.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>Stereo Sound</b><br />
<br />
Stereo sound consists of two channels of audio mixed together in a special way: one channel<br />
is balanced somewhat to the left, and the other is balanced somewhat to the right. When<br />
played back, a “stereo” field is created that creates a more three-dimensional perception of<br />
where the sounds are coming from.<br />
<br />
The only type of production sound that is typically recorded in stereo is music. Stereo sound<br />
is usually reserved for the final mix of a soundtrack for a film or TV show. The built-in microphones<br />
on most camcorders are stereo, but these mics are usually not suitable for serious<br />
production work. You can, of course, buy or rent stereo mics to attach to your camera, and<br />
these will record separate left and right channels directly to tape; however, this is not necessary<br />
if you are primarily recording dialogue <br />
<br />
<b>Mono Sound</b><br />
<br />
Mono sound consists of one track (or channel) of audio. Almost all of the sound that you record<br />
during your production is mono. If you record a line from a microphone into a digital audio<br />
recorder, you are probably recording mono sound because most microphones are not stereo<br />
microphones—that is, they don’t record separate left and right channels that create a full stereo<br />
field. Even if you record onto both channels of the digital audio recorder with a mono microphone,<br />
you’re still recording mono: you’re simply recording the same mono signal on the<br />
recorder’s two channels.<br />
<br />
If you patch a lavalier mic into channel one and let the camera’s built-in mic record to channel<br />
two, you are still recording in mono. Granted, you are creating two different mono recordings<br />
of the same thing, but the two different channels will sound very different due to the quality<br />
of the microphones and their positioning. In no way do they add up to a stereo recording.<br />
<br />
There’s nothing wrong with recording mono production sound; in fact, it’s usually considered<br />
ideal. You’ll record many different tracks of mono sound and later you (or a sound editor) will<br />
mix them together in different ways to get a stereo mix and a surround sound mix.<br />
<br />
<br />
tags: difference stereo mono,stereo vs mono<br />
</div>Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266245624558025043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065061039502022903.post-25805553136776147832011-12-12T15:56:00.000-08:002011-12-12T15:56:03.984-08:00Video I Frame<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYQrHFa_v2YJO3xVCyqeMtH2HTod0tEcDNFD_B7tw1qC8Jmj9tOSsErYrNvxKICTKFoprjKwT3ll5xIKfB5uEdAoy24Qi_JByw1vi8NLooqkn5cD3UCKeB9lc98CbIhZgwyE5k9QnxbDE/s1600/video+i+frame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYQrHFa_v2YJO3xVCyqeMtH2HTod0tEcDNFD_B7tw1qC8Jmj9tOSsErYrNvxKICTKFoprjKwT3ll5xIKfB5uEdAoy24Qi_JByw1vi8NLooqkn5cD3UCKeB9lc98CbIhZgwyE5k9QnxbDE/s320/video+i+frame.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Thw video i frame The video track consists of a series of still images, or frames, that,<br />
when played in sequence, appear to be moving. Frames of video are similar to<br />
frames of film, except that you can’t see them by holding them up to the light.<br />
Instead, you need a computer to decode the electronic information that constitutes<br />
each frame and display it on a monitor.<br />
<br />
Each second of video contains a specific number of still images in order to give the illusion<br />
of motion. The number of still images, or frames, per second is called the frame rate. When<br />
motion picture film was invented, it originally ran at a frame rate of 18 frames per second<br />
(fps). With the advent of sound, the frame rate had to be increased to 24fps to get audio that<br />
was in sync with the picture.<br />
<br />
There are many different frame rates associated with HD. The reason is that when HD was<br />
developed, it needed to be compatible with a variety of existing media: film, American analog<br />
broadcast video, and European analog broadcast video. Each of these three potential sources<br />
for HD defines a subset of HD frame rates:<br />
<br />
n 24p and 23.976p. Frame rates based on film.<br />
n 29.97p, 30p, 59.94i, 60i, 59.94p, and 60p. Frame rates based on American television.<br />
n 25p and 50i. Frame rates based on European television.<br />
As you’re trying to decide which frame rate to use when you shoot, you can narrow down<br />
your options by using this list. For example, if you are doing a project in the United States,<br />
there is no reason to shoot 25p or 50i.<br />
<br />
Tag: video i frame, frame the video, frame i video, video i frame </div>Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266245624558025043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065061039502022903.post-24399590251593921522011-12-12T15:47:00.000-08:002011-12-12T15:47:34.821-08:00Components of Digital Video<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1sDGs52sV3tXolFPArxDU2YyIZ0Jm3VGdmmnihObzBzApaJLFRnApeUSSshvWAUIHpir0d2zdUgRF_Bng3dpYkvzHxxEMXDUVw2RLm2dCGnnrSB32SnIydD0WQjGA_eiK2F51UvopJA/s1600/Components+of+Digital+Video.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1sDGs52sV3tXolFPArxDU2YyIZ0Jm3VGdmmnihObzBzApaJLFRnApeUSSshvWAUIHpir0d2zdUgRF_Bng3dpYkvzHxxEMXDUVw2RLm2dCGnnrSB32SnIydD0WQjGA_eiK2F51UvopJA/s320/Components+of+Digital+Video.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Today i am talk about the components of digital video.all digital video is a collection of electronic signals recorded by a camera onto a piece of media: videotape, optical disk, hard drive, or flash memory. No matter how the signals are stored, all digital video consists of tracks, frames, scan lines, pixels, and audio samples.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>The Tracks</b>:-<br />
During a shoot, your video camera captures video and audio information, converts it into<br />
electronic data, and stores it onto its recording medium. All of this data is laid down in separate<br />
tracks (sometimes called channels or streams), typically one video track and two audio tracks.<br />
(Some cameras and audio recorders can record four or more tracks of audio.) In addition,<br />
most digital cameras record some form of data track that includes information such as the<br />
time of day, timecode, camera settings, and so on.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><b style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Scan Lines</b><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Each individual frame of video is composed of a series of horizontal lines that are scanned</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">across the screen starting at the top. With some types of video, these scan lines start at the top</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">and work their way down to the bottom, filling the screen entirely, a process called progressive</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">scanning .With other types of video, the scan lines start at the top but only draw the even-numbered</span> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">lines until they get to the bottom; a process called interlaced scanning . Each pass across the monitor</span> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">is called a field, and each frame of interlaced video consists of two fields. The order in which</span> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">the fields are drawn can change, depending on how the video is recorded.</span> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you are wondering which one is better, there’s no clear answer, but progressive scanning is</span> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">definitely simpler and more intuitive, so given the choice, most filmmakers these days opt for</span> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">progressive scanning. However, if your project is destined for broadcast television, the network</span> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">may require that you use a form of HD with interlaced scanning.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /></div>Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266245624558025043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065061039502022903.post-25733507003465137562011-12-09T18:50:00.000-08:002011-12-09T18:50:27.390-08:00Writing for Corporate Projects<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For the most part, when you write for any type of “industrial” project—be it a training video,<br />
marketing piece, or presentation video—you face the same issues and concerns as when you<br />
write a fictional short or feature. You still have a story to tell, that story needs to have a structure,<br />
and you must tell that story visually. So, just as you need to apply a goal and a structure<br />
to a fictional script, corporate and industrial scripts also need to have the same type of<br />
beginning/middle/end narrative drive to them. Corporate and industrial scripts are usually<br />
heavily based on interviews, or on voice-over narration with additional video footage or<br />
graphics to illustrate concepts. Even though these types of video do not always have<br />
“dramatic” real-world scenes in them, they still benefit from a sturdy three-act structure.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
Before you commit any words to paper, try to get a clear idea of the “problem” that will be<br />
solved. Introducing and explaining the problem will constitute your first act. Next, you’ll<br />
want to explain why this problem is difficult or worthwhile to solve. This will serve as your<br />
second act, the complication. Then you present the solution to the problem.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In a fictional project, the second act is usually the longest. In a corporate production, however,<br />
the third act is usually the longest, because you’ll want to spend a long time dealing with<br />
the details of the solution you’re proposing.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
Corporate productions have a big wrinkle, though. Before you begin writing, you need to give<br />
thought to who you believe the audience is for your particular production. A production<br />
aimed at a management team will probably have a very different message from one aimed at<br />
a board of directors. If your audience already has a deep understanding of the problem you’re<br />
going to present, then you’ll want to make a shorter first act, and devote the time to beefing<br />
up the areas that they’ll be less familiar with. You don’t want to bore your audience with information<br />
they already have, so an understanding of who your intended audience is, what they<br />
already know, and what they need to know, is essential.</div></div>Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266245624558025043noreply@blogger.com0