DIY video production
with Marc Bragdon [email protected] Five minute miracles https://login.proxy.hil.unb.ca/login?url=https://www.nfb.ca/film/two_and_t wo/ https://www.instagram.com/p/BhzbLWvAYGG/ https://youtu.be/_3pOSUkqEnk https://youtu.be/zh2iEunP0kk https://youtu.be/SizN0_PaJlQ Agenda
• Elements of film and filming • Planning today’s cellphilm shoot • The shoot (in teams) • The show Elements of film making
Message + Purpose
Technology + Technique
Planning (Segway into today’s shoot) Elements of film making Message + purpose
• Form follows function • Who are your audiences? What message(s) are you trying to convey to them? What are their communication preferences and behaviours? • Audience + message come together according to: • Scalable education • Scalable sociality Adapted from: Miller, Daniel. How the world changed social media. 2017 Ucldigitalpress.co.uk Scalable education
Infotainment (25 – 60 seconds)
Screencast / video (2-5 minutes)
In depth lesson (15-50 minutes) Elements of film making Technology and technique
• Moving image photography (camera + lighting) • Sound recording • Language of film • Compositional techniques (shots) • Editing (relating shots and pacing the narrative) • Editing and rendering (output to format) Elements of film making -> Technology and technique Moving image photography (camera + lighting)
• Camera settings • Picture stabilization • Lighting Elements of film making -> Technology and technique Camera settings • Aspect ratio, resolution, and size should match destination platform recommendations • 16 x 9 aspect ratio, 4:3 (television) or 1:1 (square) • The higher the fps (frames per second) the smoother the video at maximum display. • Instagram maximum is 30fps • Remember, you can degrade but you cannot bump up resolution after the fact. Elements of film making -> Technology and technique Picture stabilization Elements of film making -> technology and technique Lighting is everything Elements of film making -> Technology and technique Cellphone lighting tips
• Use natural light whenever possible • Position subjects sideways to light sources • Bad lighting situation? • AE/AF locking onto the subject to control focus and exposure • Focus in on the subject • 30fps better in low light, 60 fps creates better contrast in bright scenes • Consider an app like FiLMiC Pro for more control of exposure, focus, white balance, (+stabilization, more ratio and fps options), etc. Elements of film making -> Technology and technique Sound recording
• Cellphone audio recording technology lags considerably behind photo/video technology in terms of quality.
• For live sound, use a separate, specialized audio recording device or a second cellphone to record audio (but not for today) and get it up close (but not in the shot).
• Use a clapperboard (or just clap!) to assist in later synchronizing audio with video. Elements of film making -> Technology and technique Soundtracks
• Creative commons licensing (e.g., non-commercial attribution) • Free Music Archive Large archive of artists-supplied music under Creative Commons license http://freemusicarchive.org/ • freesound Downloadable sound effects under Creative Commons license https://www.freesound.org Exercise 1: recording in action 10 minutes In groups of 2, in which you will trade off: Shoot a 30 second single video clip introduction of your activity partner for Instagram, mindful of: • Shooting in 1080p 30 fps (check your camera settings) • Lock focusing and exposure on your subject • How will you stabilize your shot? • Try shooting indoors where the main light source is hitting the subject at an angle (vs straight on) Switch roles and shoot a similar video mindful of first three bullet points above • Try shooting where the main light source is coming from behind the subject • Subject should use the sound recorder from their own iPhone. Elements of film making Language of film: compositional techniques
• Blocking: Determining the position and movements of subject and objects in relation to one another. • Shots: Video clips with (hopefully) deliberately chosen perspectives to craft a narrative. • B roll: Shots that are (hopefully) related to the main (attr)action of a given scene and can be woven in during editing to enhance the narrative (or cover mistakes). Elements of film making -> Language of film Crafting a narrative with shot choices
Facets of a story Shot options Where (environment) Establishing (or wide) shot Who (the subject) Close up What (drama/actions performed by or on subject) Long or wide shot When (time period, at a point in a given story) -Continuous shot or long take (encompassing space + time), -Close up of symbolic objects -see Editing decisions (cuts) Why (internal decisions making of the subject) Extreme close up, sequence of other shots explaining back story
https://youtu.be/W8YgoZs92Ko Elements of film making -> Language of film Elements of film making -> Language of film Exercise 2: Shots in Action
• 15 minutes • In groups of two, where you will switch off, choose a location, subject, and action (e.g., the coffee shop, your activity partner, buying a coffee) • Shoot four separate video clips, choosing shot options that function to: • Establish the scene • Introduce the subject • Highlight the action • Document the action’s effect on the subject Elements of film making -> Language of film Pacing and the relation of shot to shot
Single take (continuous shot) All the action takes place in one long take, may involve significant camera movement, implying continuous action Hard (standard) cuts Cutting from clip A to clip B within the same scene and often between scenes as well Jump cuts Jumping to a later point in the same scene, usually from the same or slightly different composition, giving the effect of jumping forward in time Cross dissolves Gradual fade from one shot to another, denoting a significant change in time/space
https://youtu.be/Mcn-B7X7HwQ Elements of film making Film editing – 2 platform choices
• Desk/laptop video editing software: Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, iMovie, even Camtasia • Phone apps: weVideo, iMovie (for iPhone), Power Director (for Android), Adobe Premiere Clip Elements of film making -> Editing Common editing tasks
• Placing and ordering clips on a timeline • Trimming, cutting, and adjusting clips • Adding, synchronizing, and adjusting sound • Adding text or other overlays
Note: Editing decisions are equal parts creative and technical. They can even radically alter your narrative. Elements of film making: Editing Rendering
• Saving your project to an actual video format • Most common are .mov, .mp4 (WeVideo outputs to this format) • Consult sharing platforms for their specifications (for compliance and optimization) Exercise 3: You in action (the shoot)!
In groups of two, filmically explore one of the following topics: ● Summer fun @ the library ● Popular reading collection ● Your favourite book or video ● Obeying library rules ● What makes working in a library (and, by association, you) “cool” Planning • (Message + Purpose) + (Technique + Technology) • Keep in mind: • What is your purpose? Who is your audience? • How will the film be shared? • Where will you film and what are the attendant technology considerations? • Live sound or voiceover? • Brainstorming • Storyboarding • Assembling a team + assigning roles Planning Brainstorming (based on intended message +purpose) • Ideas (quantity > quality) – never reject out of hand • Research and note ideas of others who share similar aims + means • Mind mapping • Review ideas for meaningful and creative connections, beginning with central ideas
Budding Student Spring End of term trees testimonials
Maple in front of HIL Good bye Branch Familiar faces involvement in libraries Planning Storyboarding Create a plan for your film shoot. Keep in mind: • Considerations of scalable media + scalable education (destination audience, media) • What stories would you like to tell (message + purpose)? • Will you use narration, subtitles, music? • Which images will you use? • Still? Moving? Fictional representations? Documentary images? • Which words/sounds will fit with the images you choose? Planning Assembling the team and assigning roles
● Writing ● Directing ● Acting ● Shooting (“Director of Photography” or DOP) ● Sound recording (in realtime) ● Editing ● Narrating (as part of editing) ● Soundtrack / Music (as part of editing) Exercise 3 cont.: incorporating what we’ve learned
● 30 -120 seconds, shot with your phone’s camera ● Experiment with composition, choose shots purposefully ● Edit in WeVideo ○ Give the video a title on title clip ○ Select clips for your timeline ○ Order and trim clips ○ Adjust clip volumes or add voiceover or add music from phone (would need to give WeVideo permissions in your Privacy settings) ● Save (>) with watermark icon ● Upload to either DropBox, iCloud, Google Drive, or some other high capacity storage service accessible via phone app The Show!