THE ORIGINS OF AND AN INTRODUCTION TO VISUAL STRUCTURE IN FILM AND DIGITAL MEDIA COLLUSION WITH THE RUSSIANS? COLLUSION COLLUSION COLLUSION YES! ABSOLUTELY. But it’s not what you think… Chapter 1 - Origins SOME FOUNDING FATHERS OF VISUAL STRUCTURE SOVIET FILMMAKERS & THEORISTS Forging the Foundations of Visual Structure Lev Kuleshov b. January 13,1899, Tambov, Tsarist Russia d. March 29, 1970, Moscow, USSR For Luck (1917) - Director Na kranson fronte (On the Red Front), (1920) - Director The Death Ray (1925) - Director Contributions to Film Theory & Filmmaking Pavlovian Physiology (the Kuleshov Effect) Creative Geography Instructor, The Moscow Film School (1st one) Cinema as an Artform – Montage is the key The Kuleshov Effect 1920 This video clip does not play in PDF format. SOVIET FILMMAKERS & THEORISTS Forging the Foundations of Visual Structure Sergei Eisenstein b. January 23,1898, Riga, Latvia d. February 11, 1948, Moscow, USSR Strike! (1924) - Director Battleship Potemkin (1925) - Director Alexander Nevsky (1938) - Director Contributions to Film Theory & Filmmaking Montage : Metric, Rhythmic, Tonal, Overtonal, Intellectual Dialectics by means of Cinema Editing Techniques based on Biomechanics Cinema as Vehicle for Struggle SOVIET FILMMAKERS & THEORISTS Forging the Foundations of Visual Structure Vsevolod Pudovkin b. February 16, 1893, Penza, Russia d. June 30, 1953, Jurmala, Latvia Chess Fever (1925) - Director Mother (1926) – Director (His Masterpiece) Storm Over Asia (1928) - Director Contributions to Film Theory & Filmmaking His Book: Film Technique and Film Acting, 1954. Plastic Synthesis – Editing over Acting, & Typage 5 editing techniques: Contrast, Parallelism, Symbolism, Simultaneity, and Leit Motif (a short, constantly recurring musical phrase) The Kuleshov Effect 2011 Shame – Dir. Steve McQueen, Editor – Joe Walker SOVIET FILMMAKERS & THEORISTS Forging the Foundations of Visual Structure Alexander Dovzhenko (Ukraine) b. September 10, 1894 d. November 25, 1956, Peredelkino, Russia Zvenyhora (1928) Arsenal (1929) Earth (1930) Contributions to Film Theory & Filmmaking Struggles and Glory of the People on the Land Less Ideological, More Personal His Silent Trilogy (Zvenyhora, Arsenal, Earth) Long Parallel Montage Sequences (Cross Cutting) EUROPEAN FILMMAKERS & THEORISTS Forging the Foundations of Visual Structure Slavko Vorkapich (Austria-Hungarian) b. March 17, 1894, Dobrinsi, Austria-Hungary d. October 20, 1976, Mijas, Spain The Life and Death of 9413, a Hollywood Extra (1928) - Director Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) - Montage Sequences Hanka (1955) - Director Contributions to Film Theory & Filmmaking The Avant-Garde in Early American Cinema - Optical Effects Pioneer Montage Theory (David Copperfield, The Good Earth, Meet John Doe) “Kinesthesis”, Double Exposures, Montage Effects “The Vorkapich”, his legendary montage sequences USC Film Dept. Chair – 1949 - 1951 AMERICAN PIONEERING FILMMAKER Forging the Foundations of Visual Structure Lestor Novros (American) b. January 7, 1909, Passaic, New Jersey d. September 10, 2000, Sherman Oaks, CA Fantasia, Night on Bald Mountain sequence, (1940) - Animator P-38 Flight Characteristics, (1943) USAF - Animator To the Moon and Beyond (1964/65) – 360 Cinerama– Director/Producer Universe (1974) – Director & Producer – Academy Award Winner ( Doc) Contributions to Filmmaking Early Disney Animator Large Film Format Pioneer - Graphic Films Corporation Iconic USC Course – “Filmic Expression” Brought Fine Art Theory to Filmmaking – He was a huge influence. AMERICAN FILMMAKER & FILM THEORIST Forging the Foundations of Visual Structure Bruce A. Block (American) Active Film Producer, Author, & Visual Consultant Irreconcilable Differences, (1984) – Visual Consultant Bachelor Party, (1984) - Visual Consultant Stuart Little, (1999) – Visual Consultant As Good As It Gets, (1997) – Visual Consultant Father of the Bride I and II, (1991) – Producer What Women Want, (2000) - Producer Contributions to Filmmaking His Book: The Visual Story – Seeing the Structure of Film, TV, and New Media Tenured USC Professor of Cinematic Arts, Eisenstein Chair in Cinematic Arts, Track Head, Production Design AMERICAN FILMMAKER & FILM THEORIST Forging the Foundations of Visual Structure Bruce A. Block (American) Active Film Producer, Author, & Visual Consultant Bruce Block’s book, Visual Story, Seeing the Structure of Film, TV, and New Media, adopts concepts from the aforementioned filmmakers and cinema theorists, Kuleshov, Eisenstein, Pudovkin, Dovzhenko, Vorkapich, Novros, as well as many others & he assimilates them with the science of visual perception, psychology, art history, photography, theater, and forges them with STORY STRUCTURE in a new way. Chapter 2 - Foundations BuildingBlocks What are SCRIPTS are built from ? Plot, Character, Dialogue – yes. What is MUSIC built from ? Instruments, Notes, Melody – yes. What is SOUND built from ? Volume, Bass, Treble, Sound FX, Other – yes. What are VISUALS built from ? Scenery ? , Props ?, Costumes ??? NO. Chapter 2 - Foundations UNDERSTANDING THE FOUNDATIONS OF VISUAL STRUCTURE DEFINING VISUAL STRUCTURE… Visual Structure is the creative employment of the science of visual perception, cognitive psychology and fundamental visual design elements in order to support a given story or narrative. FOUNDATIONS OF VISUAL STRUCTURE Chapter 2 - Foundations WHAT ARE THE DESIGN ELEMENTS? THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN FOUNDATIONS OF VISUAL STRUCTURE The Seven Elements of Visual Structure TONE LINE SPACE RHYTHM THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN MOVEMENT COLOR SHAPE The Four Subcategories of Space SPACE DEEP SPACE FLAT SPACE LIMITED SPACE AMBIGUOUS SPACE The Four Subcategories of Space DEEP SPACE The Four Subcategories of Space DEEP SPACE • Deep Space is the illusion of a 3D world on a 2D surface. • Deep Space is created by…..DEPTH CUES Deep Space is the most complex element of the SEVEN and can be subdivided into & controlled by several depth cues. DEPTH CUES OF DEEP SPACE ControllingDEEP SPACE on a 2D Surface DEPTH CUES OF DEEP SPACE Detailingthe DEPTH CUES of DEEP SPACE Staging in Depth, Staging People or Objects along the Z-Axis Orson Welles almost always used ‘Staging in Depth’ to create an illusion of Deep Space on a 2D surface 1,2, & 3-Point Perspective, Converging Lines, Vanishing Points Think about how you depict buildings, your Horizon Line, Frontal Planes vs. Longitudinal Lines Tonal Separation deals with the visual phenomenon that lighter colored objects will appear closer than darker ones. Textural Diffusion deals with objects surface texture and color. Objects with less detail appears further away. Aerial Diffusion deals with particles in the air. Fog, Mist, Rain, Pollution… DEPTH CUES OF DEEP SPACE Detailingthe DEPTH CUES of DEEP SPACE, continuned Three basic camera moves create the illusion of Deep Space. Dollying In & Out, Tracking Shots with foreground objects, Boom and Crane Shots with objects in the foreground and background Two types of object movement create the illusion of Deep Space, 1.) Multiple objects staged along the Z-Axis moving Parallel to the Picture Plane, and 2.) objects moving Perpendicular to the Picture Plane are Depth Cues that create Deep Space. When an object changes shape our brain interprets it as a Depth Cue. Something as simple as a human hand rotating creates for us the illusion of 3D Space on a 2D Plane. DEPTH CUES OF DEEP SPACE Detailingthe DEPTH CUES of DEEP SPACE, continuned Simply put, based on physiological and psychological reasons, we perceive Warm Colors as being CLOSER than Cool Colors. Researchers believe this may be the result of our responses to different wavelengths of light and for this reason we can manipulate the perception of space on a 2D plane. An object’s sharpness is determined by lenses and Depth Cues are available when an object is in focus, therefore, the more out of focus an object is the less Depth Cues can be inferred by it. In general, we perceive objects placed higher in the picture plane as being farther away than objects that are placed lower in the picture plane. The introduction of a Horizon Line complicates this perception. The Four Subcategories of Space This video will not play in a PDF FLAT SPACE The Four Subcategories of Space FLAT SPACE • Flat Space is REMOVAL of the illusion of a 3D world on a 2D surface. • Flat Space is created by ELIMINATING….DEPTH CUES Flat Space is the opposite of Deep Space and can be achieved by REMOVING the Depth Cues that create Deep Space. The Four Subcategories of Space FLAT SPACE Staging along the same Frontal Plane to maintain size consistency Eliminate vanishing points, converging lines & longitudinal lines Keep objects oriented along flat Frontal Planes – No Z-Axis Flat Space tonal separation employs a reduced tonal range. Limiting tones to one third of the total scale flattens the space. Reverse the placement of brighter and darker objects in the Picture Plane – Brighter in the BG and Darker in the FG. Maintaining consistent textural detail and avoiding differences and textural complexity will help create Flat Space. Aerial Diffusion applied consistently across the Picture Plane can create Flat Space. The Four Subcategories of Space FLAT SPACE A Camera PAN or TILT creates FLAT SPACE because objects maintain their relative size to one another. Using the ZOOM feature of a lens creates FLAT SPACE. Objects should move PARALLEL to the picture plane. People walking PARALLEL to the Picture Plane creates FLAT SPACE. Avoid overlapping objects - overlaps suggests depth Similar to