Shooting for Editing What Is Shooting for Editing?

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Shooting for Editing What Is Shooting for Editing? SHOOTING FOR EDITING WHAT IS SHOOTING FOR EDITING? A term used in narrative film making wherein the filmmaker/s think about how the rushes will cut together into a coherent piece whilst shooting. ! When you come to edit you should have a variety of shots and angles to choose from in order to cut a coherent or dynamic piece. More choice of shots leads to more creative choices in the edit. ! Shooting for editing comprises of: ! COVERAGE! MATCH ON ACTION! CONTINUITY! ! COVERAGE ! ! Shooting much more footage than you need for the edit. Having a variety of angles/shot sizes for post-production. This can comprise of: - Shooting more than one take for each shot - Shooting different angles for each shot ! - Shooting a ‘master’ shot (i.e. a wide with all the action) to cover any discrepancies within the scene SHOOTING RATIO ! ! this relates to the amount of rushes you have compared to the duration of the final edit. ! i.e. 30 minutes of rushes for a 10 minute film would equate to a 3:1 shooting ratio 300 minutes of rushes for a 10 minute film equates to a 30:1 shooting ratio ! Shooting on FILM usually relates to a lower shooting ratio as film is not usually finite resource. Shooting DIGITALLY usually relates in a higher shooting ratio as digital media is inexpensive/inexhaustible. ! Apparently Kubrick’s ‘The Shining’ had a 102:1 ratio - that’s 14688 minutes or 244 hours of rushes! ‘Russian Ark’ (Dir: Aleksandr Sokurov 2002) is one unbroken tracking shot lasting 1 hr 39 mins - a 1:1 shooting ratio. ! There’s no correct or standard shooting ratio but the more rushes you have… THE MASTER SHOT Typically a wide angle, static shot which covers an entire scene’s action. This shot can be referred back to to help plan the edit’s narrative or used as a ‘fallback’ shot in case you don’t have the coverage to make a coherent edit somewhere in the scene. ! Film makers may set up a location, rehearse with actors etc then use the master shot to ‘block’ the action (and give the actors time to warm up to the material). The film maker may then move on to shooting close ups, mediums, tracking shots etc. ! You don’t have to use a master shot but it can be a useful tool to get your head around what’s happening in the scene (and where) before you move on to other shots. ! ! ! ! SHOT/ANGLE COVERAGE Varying shot types and angles can lead to more choice in the edit. For example, if we are shooting a medium of somebody putting a gun on a table pick up an ECU (extreme close up) of the gun being placed. This gives you more options in the edit. ! Starting to shoot 5-10 seconds before the action in each shot starts and recording for 5-10 seconds after it ends can ‘cover’ you in the edit. CUTAWAYS are shots of the environment or objects that may (or may not) relate directly to what’s happening on screen. i.e. a close up of somebody’s hands while talking or an object in the environment. ! These can be useful if you need to get around a tricky edit that doesn’t quite match up or cut some dialogue out of a line. THE 180° RULE Often misunderstood, the 180° rule relates to the crossing of an imaginary line running between 2 subjects. If this line is crossed when shooting the angles of the 2 subjects fall out of place and look odd, breaking spatial continuity…. EYELINE MATCH This means that when a character is looking at something (or 2 people are having a conversation) the off screen position they are looking towards matches up. ! For example, a scene of 2 people having a conversation across a table. Ideally in the close up of each person their ‘eyeline’ is directed at the right angle and height to what they are looking at. EYELINE + 180 Character looking offscreen left. Character looking offscreen right. Eyes directed at height of other character Eyes directed at height of other character Camera positioned to right of actor Camera positioned to left of actor SPATIAL AWARENESS/CONTINUITY Many films utilise Continuity Editing. This means that each edit cuts seamlessly across actions resulting in a smooth ‘flow’ where the on screen space is not interrupted. For example, a character puts down a cup in a medium shot. The next shot is a close up and the cup continues it’s path from where it was in the last shot. ! JUMP CUTS purposefully break this screen space creating shifts in time and movement (see ‘Breathless’ Jean-Luc Godard.) ! Being aware of where characters/objects are from shot to shot on set is vital to creating continuity editing BLOCKING Blocking is the process of walking actors through the script and noting where they are moving in the scene. ! By walking actors through the script/set you can visualise where the camera should be placed in relation to the actors for each shot. You can also think about how to implement 180 degree rule, match on action and camera focus throughout the blocking process. ! Setting MARKS (pieces of tape on the floor) is useful for actors to know where to start or stop movement in a scene. SHOOTING FOR EDITING - PROCESS ! ! 1/ Block the action. 2/ Shoot the first take as a master shot. 3/ Shoot exactly the same action but cover close ups, mediums, tracking shots, over the shoulders etc. each time. 4/ Shoot cutaways. 5/ If you can, record some ‘room tone’ (the noise of an empty space) to help with any audio issues later. ! It helps to have a storyboard, script, blocking notes and shot list to hand while shooting. ! TASK As a film crew shoot a very simple scene (script provided) with editing in mind. Think about continuity, coverage and match on action. Organise the crew into the following roles: ! DIRECTOR (responsible for directing actors & liaising with DOP) DOP (camera - frames and shoots) GAFFER (lights the scene) SOUND RECORDIST (mics/booms recording scene audio) ACTORS x 2 ! Other roles you could employ: ! 1ST AD (assists the Director) ASSISTANT DOP (Assists DOP) SLATE (Clapperboard - sometimes Clapper/Loader/AD will do this) You will be editing the rushes later. TYPICAL CREW DIALOGUE BEFORE EACH TAKE AD: “Quiet on set” ! AD: “Sound Ready?” ! SOUND: “Ready” ! AD: “Camera Ready?” ! DOP: “Ready” ! AD: “Roll Sound.” ! SOUND: “Sound Rolling/Speed” ! AD: “Roll Camera.” AD: “Mark It!” ! (SLATE marks) ! CAMERA: “Camera rolling/Speed” ! Director: “Action!” SHOOTING FOR EDITING.
Recommended publications
  • Shot Types Identified Refer To: There Is a Convention in Video and Filmmaking That Assi
    Shot Types identified; Camera angles and movement 1 Info Sheet Shot Types Identified Refer to: http://www.mediacollege.com/video/shots/ There is a convention in video and filmmaking that assign names and guidelines to common types of shots, framing and picture composition. The list below briefly describes the most common shot types. The exact terminology often varies between production environments but the basic principles are the same. Shots are usually described in relation to a particular SUBJECT. 1. EWS (Extreme Wide Shot) / Establishing Shot The view is often on the level of showing the entire landscape. The view is so far from a human subject, for example, that s/he isn't even visible. Often used as an establishing shot. 2. An establishing shot is used to show the location or environmental context of the action shot that follows. 3. VWS (Very Wide Shot) / Wide Angle The human subject is visible, but barely noticeable in the frame. The emphasis is on placing him/her in context/environment. 4. WS (Wide Shot) The subject takes up the full frame, or at least as much as comfortably possible. AKA: long shot, or full shot. The subject is shown from head to toe. 5. MS (Medium Shot) Shows some part of the subject in more detail while still giving an impression of the whole subject. Usually shows the subject from the hips or waist to the top of the head. 6. MCU (Medium Close Up) Half way between a MS and a CU. 7. CU (Close Up) A certain feature or part of the subject takes up the whole frame.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 the Work of an Invisible Body: the Contribution of Foley Artists to On
    1 The Work of an Invisible Body: The Contribution of Foley Artists to On-Screen Effort Lucy Fife Donaldson, University of Reading Abstract: On-screen bodies are central to our engagement with film. As sensory film theory seeks to remind us, this engagement is sensuous and embodied: our physicality forms sympathetic, kinetic and empathetic responses to the bodies we see and hear. We see a body jump, run and crash and in response we tense, twitch and flinch. But whose effort are we responding to? The character’s? The actor’s? This article explores the contribution of an invisible body in shaping our responsiveness to on-screen effort, that of the foley artist. Foley artists recreate a range of sounds made by the body, including footsteps, breath, face punches, falls, and the sound clothing makes as actors walk or run. Foley is a functional element of the filmmaking process, yet accounts of foley work note the creativity involved in these performances, which add to characterisation and expressivity. Drawing on detailed analysis of sequences in Cabaret (Bob Fosse, 1972) and Die Hard (John McTiernan, 1988) which foreground exertion and kinetic movement through dance and physical action, this article considers the affective contribution of foley to the physical work depicted on-screen. In doing so, I seek to highlight the extent to which foley constitutes an expressive performance that furthers our sensuous perception and appreciation of film. On-screen bodies are central to our engagement with film; the ways they are framed and captured by the camera guides our attention to character and action, while their physical qualities invite a range of engagement from admiration, appreciation and desire to awe, fear and repugnance.
    [Show full text]
  • The General Idea Behind Editing in Narrative Film Is the Coordination of One Shot with Another in Order to Create a Coherent, Artistically Pleasing, Meaningful Whole
    Chapter 4: Editing Film 125: The Textbook © Lynne Lerych The general idea behind editing in narrative film is the coordination of one shot with another in order to create a coherent, artistically pleasing, meaningful whole. The system of editing employed in narrative film is called continuity editing – its purpose is to create and provide efficient, functional transitions. Sounds simple enough, right?1 Yeah, no. It’s not really that simple. These three desired qualities of narrative film editing – coherence, artistry, and meaning – are not easy to achieve, especially when you consider what the film editor begins with. The typical shooting phase of a typical two-hour narrative feature film lasts about eight weeks. During that time, the cinematography team may record anywhere from 20 or 30 hours of film on the relatively low end – up to the 240 hours of film that James Cameron and his cinematographer, Russell Carpenter, shot for Titanic – which eventually weighed in at 3 hours and 14 minutes by the time it reached theatres. Most filmmakers will shoot somewhere in between these extremes. No matter how you look at it, though, the editor knows from the outset that in all likelihood less than ten percent of the film shot will make its way into the final product. As if the sheer weight of the available footage weren’t enough, there is the reality that most scenes in feature films are shot out of sequence – in other words, they are typically shot in neither the chronological order of the story nor the temporal order of the film.
    [Show full text]
  • 10 Tips on How to Master the Cinematic Tools And
    10 TIPS ON HOW TO MASTER THE CINEMATIC TOOLS AND ENHANCE YOUR DANCE FILM - the cinematographer point of view Your skills at the service of the movement and the choreographer - understand the language of the Dance and be able to transmute it into filmic images. 1. ​The Subject -​ ​The Dance is the Star When you film, frame and light ​the Dance​, the primary subject is the Dance and the related movement, not the dancers, not the scenography, not the music, just the Dance nothing else. The Dance is about movement not about positions: when you film the dance you are filming the movement not a sequence of positions and in order to completely comprehend this concept you must understand what movement is: like the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze said “w​ e always tend to confuse movement with traversed space…” ​1.​ The movement is the act of traversing, when you film the Dance you film an act not an aestheticizing image of a subject. At the beginning it is difficult to understand how to film something that is abstract like the movement but with practice you will start to focus on what really matters and you will start to forget about the dancers. Movement is life and the more you can capture it the more the characters are alive therefore more real in a way that you can almost touch them, almost dance with them. The Dance is a movement with a rhythm and when you film it you have to become part of the whole rhythm, like when you add an instrument to a music composition, the vocabulary of cinema is just another layer on the whole art work.
    [Show full text]
  • Mcconkey on Thailand Jour, Supplanting Any and All Spurious History Continued on Page 8
    NEWS FOR OPERA TORS AND OWNERS olume 1, number 3 Dec. '88 Ancient History "The Brown Stabilizer" That's what I wanted to call it. It wasn't just ego (that came later!). I thought it needed a simple, honest, "70's" kind of natural name, a pure name, not a stupid, gimmicky name like "Steadicam." It was Ed DiGiulio's suggestion, which I hated immediately. Of course, as he predicted, the word has now become simply a word, a noble word, meaning exactly what it says, and in fact , I am daily (well, yearly...), grateful that he prevailed and that we didn't call it the bloody Brown Stabilizer! In any event, I recently unearthed some early pictures, and have been inspired to relate the one-and-only true version of the birth of our noble gadget. So here it is: the truth du McConkey on Thailand jour, supplanting any and all spurious History continued on page 8 For three months in the Spring of McCONKEY: The first day it 1988, Larry McConkey worked on was 1200 in the sun, and the humidity Brian De Palma's new feature, made it feel like it was virtually "Casualties ofWar." Thefilm is raining all the time. I had a long coming out in early 1989. tracking shot down a dirt street in the Vietnamese village set. Now, I tend to be very careful not to wear myself LEITER: Was it any fun? out during a shoot, and I get as much McCONKEY: Yes. I had never rest as possible between takes and as been to Southeast Asia before, and much help from the crew as I can, but Thailand is now one of my favorite even so, after four or five takes I was places in the world.
    [Show full text]
  • Trainplayer/Tracklayer Manual
    TrainPlayer/TrackLayer Manual TrainPlayer / TrackLayer User's Manual Version 7.2 June, 2020 TrainPlayer/TrackLayer User's Manual copyright ©2005-20, TrainPlayer Software file:///E|/RRW/Doc72/index.htm7/2/2020 12:59:32 PM Contents TrainPlayer Contents Introduction Welcome to TrainPlayer What's New in Version 7.2 What For? About This Manual Where to Go for Help TrainPlayer Menu Reference Getting Started About Files Opening a Layout A Tour of the Screen Layout Properties About Sizes and Scales Adjusting the View Map View Layout Printing Exporting Images The Help Menu What's Next Running Trains About Trains The Train Control Bar The Train Window Moving Trains By Hand Yard Mode Switches Coupling and Uncoupling Horns and Sounds file:///E|/RRW/Doc72/Contents.html (1 of 6)7/2/2020 12:59:33 PM Contents Turntables and Transfer Tables Managing Cars About Cars Car Collections Default Car Sets Car Loads Car Properties Car Data Properties Collection Editors The Car Inventory Bar Building Trains Selecting Cars and Trains Adding Cars and Trains Removing Cars and Trains Relocating a Train Naming Trains Train Properties The Train Tree Operations About Ops Ops Central About AO Grids Further Reading Scripting About Scripting Scripting UI Devices Working With Scripts How to Get Started in Scripting TP Programming Language file:///E|/RRW/Doc72/Contents.html (2 of 6)7/2/2020 12:59:33 PM Contents Scheduling Clock Schedule Window Stations Station Properties Customizing Operation Preferences Switch Preferences General Preferences Track Preferences Train Preferences
    [Show full text]
  • Wide Shot (Or Establishing Shot) Medium Shot Close-Up Extreme
    Definitions: Wide Shot (or Establishing Shot) Medium Shot Close-up Extreme Close-up Pan –Right or left movement of the camera Tilt –Up or down movement of the camera Zoom –Change in focal length (magnification) of the lens V/O –Voice-over, narration not synchronized with video SOT –Sound on Tape, Interview audio synchronized with video B-Roll -Refers to the earlier days of film when you had two rolls of film – A and B – and you had to edit them together. A-roll is the main subject of your shot, with audio such as an interview with someone or SOT (Sound on Tape synchronized with the video). B-roll is the background video for your film, often just video over which you’ll lay an audio track (such as the person talking in the A-roll). Nat Sound (Wild Sound) –Natural sound recorded with B-Roll This is video that has some natural background noise – traffic on a street, birds chirping in a park, etc. This audio can add depth and impact to a two-dimensional video tape. 2-Shot –Shot of the interview subject and the person asking the questions Reverse Angle –Straight-on shot of the person asking the questions Use a Tripod Use a tripod to get a steady shot, particularly if you’re shooting something that is not moving or a formal interview. Shaky video, especially in close-ups, can cause the viewer to become dizzy, even nauseous. If you don’t have a tripod or you’re doing a shot where you’ll have to move quickly, then find something to steady your camera – i.e.
    [Show full text]
  • Film Terminology
    Film Terminology Forms of Fiction English 12 Camera SHOTS camera shot is the amount of space that is seen in one shot or frame. Camera shots are used to demonstrate different aspects of a film's setting, characters and themes. As a result, camera shots are very important in shaping meaning in a film. Extreme long shot A framing in which the scale of the object shown is very small; a building, landscape, or crowd of people would fill the screen. Extreme long shot/Establishing shot This shot, usually involving a distant framing, that shows the spatial relations among the important figures, objects, and setting in a scene. Long Shot A framing in which the scale of the object shown is very small A standing human figure would appear nearly half the height of the screen. It is often used to show scenes of action or to establish setting - Sometimes called an establishing shot Medium long shot A framing at a distance that makes an object about four or five feet high appear to fill most of the screen vertically Medium Shot A framing in which the scale of the object shown is of moderate size A human figure seen from the waist up would fill most of the screen Over the shoulder This shot is framed from behind a person who is looking at the subject This shot helps to establish the position of each person and get the feel of looking at one person from the other’s point of view It is common to cut between these shots during conversation Medium close up A framing in which the scale of the object is fairly large a human figure seen from the chest up would fill most the screen Close-up Shot A framing in which the scale of the object shown is relatively large; most commonly a person’s head seen from the neck up, or an object of a comparable size that fills most of the screen.
    [Show full text]
  • Cinematic Technique Intended Effect and Purpose Film Examples Shots
    WRITING A STYLE ANALYSIS ESSAY Name ___________________________________ Cinematic Techniques Due Date ________________________________ Cinematic Technique Intended Effect and Purpose Film Examples Shot: A single piece of film, uninterrupted by cuts. Establishing Shot: Often a This is used to establish setting long shot or a series of and to show transitions shots that sets the scene. between locations. Long Shot (LS): A shot from It may suggest the isolation or some distance (also called vulnerability of a character. a full shot). A long shot of a person shows the full body. Medium Shot (MS): The The effect is to ground the most common shot. The story. camera seems to be a medium distance from the object being filmed. A medium shot shows a person from the waist up. Close-up Shot (CU): The Shots and Framing Shots image being shot takes up at least 80% of the frame. Extreme Close-up Shot (ECU): The image being shot is part of the whole, such as an eye or a hand. Two Shot: A scene between two people shot exclusively from an angle that includes both characters more or less equally, it is used in scenes where interaction between the two characters is important. Cinematic Technique Intended Effect and Purpose Film Examples Eye Level: A shot taken Ninety to ninety-five percent from a normal height – that of the shots seen are eye level is, at the character’s eye because it is the most natural level. angle. High Angle: The camera is This angle usually has the above the subject. effect of making the subject look smaller than normal, giving the character the appearance of being weak, powerless, and/or trapped.
    [Show full text]
  • Cinematography
    CINEMATOGRAPHY ESSENTIAL CONCEPTS • The filmmaker controls the cinematographic qualities of the shot – not only what is filmed but also how it is filmed • Cinematographic qualities involve three factors: 1. the photographic aspects of the shot 2. the framing of the shot 3. the duration of the shot In other words, cinematography is affected by choices in: 1. Photographic aspects of the shot 2. Framing 3. Duration of the shot 1. Photographic image • The study of the photographic image includes: A. Range of tonalities B. Speed of motion C. Perspective 1.A: Tonalities of the photographic image The range of tonalities include: I. Contrast – black & white; color It can be controlled with lighting, filters, film stock, laboratory processing, postproduction II. Exposure – how much light passes through the camera lens Image too dark, underexposed; or too bright, overexposed Exposure can be controlled with filters 1.A. Tonality - cont Tonality can be changed after filming: Tinting – dipping developed film in dye Dark areas remain black & gray; light areas pick up color Toning - dipping during developing of positive print Dark areas colored light area; white/faintly colored 1.A. Tonality - cont • Photochemically – based filmmaking can have the tonality fixed. Done by color timer or grader in the laboratory • Digital grading used today. A scanner converts film to digital files, creating a digital intermediate (DI). DI is adjusted with software and scanned back onto negative 1.B.: Speed of motion • Depends on the relation between the rate at which
    [Show full text]
  • 3. Master the Camera
    mini filmmaking guides production 3. MASTER THE CAMERA To access our full set of Into Film DEVELOPMENT (3 guides) mini filmmaking guides visit intofilm.org PRE-PRODUCTION (4 guides) PRODUCTION (5 guides) 1. LIGHT A FILM SET 2. GET SET UP 3. MASTER THE CAMERA 4. RECORD SOUND 5. STAY SAFE AND OBSERVE SET ETIQUETTE POST-PRODUCTION (2 guides) EXHIBITION AND DISTRIBUTION (2 guides) PRODUCTION MASTER THE CAMERA Master the camera (camera shots, angles and movements) Top Tip Before you begin making your film, have a play with your camera: try to film something! A simple, silent (no dialogue) scene where somebody walks into the shot, does something and then leaves is perfect. Once you’ve shot your first film, watch it. What do you like/dislike about it? Save this first attempt. We’ll be asking you to return to it later. (If you have already done this and saved your films, you don’t need to do this again.) Professional filmmakers divide scenes into shots. They set up their camera and frame the first shot, film the action and then stop recording. This process is repeated for each new shot until the scene is completed. The clips are then put together in the edit to make one continuous scene. Whatever equipment you work with, if you use professional techniques, you can produce quality films that look cinematic. The table below gives a description of the main shots, angles and movements used by professional filmmakers. An explanation of the effects they create and the information they can give the audience is also included.
    [Show full text]
  • Usc Sca Ctpr 507 Production I -‐ Fall 2011
    USC SCA CTPR 507 PRODUCTION I - FALL 2011 COURSE DESCRIPTION and OUTLINE (Section 18603 – Pollard/KositcHek) 4 units INSTRUCTORS: Cinematography: Robert KositcHek Email: [email protected] Phone: (310) 315-9465 Day/Time: Mon, 2:00 – 5:00 Location: SCA Stage 2 Producing/Directing: StU Pollard Email: [email protected] Phone: (310) 344-9380 Day/Time: Mon/Wed, UsUallY 2:00pM – 5:50pm (see Course Outline below) Location: SCA 362 Office Hours: By AppointMent OnlY SA: Christine Moitoso Phone: (209) 484-7508 Email: [email protected] WitH facUltY gUests: Editing: Reine-Claire Dousarkissian / 310-435-8216 / [email protected] SoUnd: Midge Costin / 310-890-2353 / [email protected] SoUnd: Doug Vaughan / 310-413-9181 / [email protected] Required text book: Voice & Vision, Second Edition: A Creative Approach to Narrative Film and DV Production by Mick Hurbis-Cherrier AtHletic SHoes and long pants MUST be worn to all CineMatograpHY classes USE OF LAPTOPS, CELL PHONES, TABLETS, ETC. NOT ALLOWED DURING CLASS Hello and welcome to 507! There is no better way to learn how to make a picture, than actually going through the process of doing it… Be patient and open to new ideas as you embark on this creative and personal journey of discovery. OVERVIEW: Production I (CTPR 507) is about ideas and your ability to communicate effectively through the language of cinema. It combines introductions to the five major disciplines within the cinematic arts: producing, directing, editing, cinematography, and sound with guided opportunities to create individual and small group projects. Students will make two short HD projects as part of an exploration of visual storytelling, as well as shoot a directing an exercise in the Fundaments of Directing (production students only).
    [Show full text]