Due to a shortage of available roles, I have once again been appointed as the group's camera operator. Although this is will indeed be detrimental to my overall skill-set development, it will provide me with a second opportunity to hone my cinematographic skills; as well as allowing me to experiment with more techniques and equipment that were not necessary or available for the experimental or documentary projects. I have already undergone research into a majority of the techniques I intend to employ in this project. However, there are a few additional elements that will be necessary to research into further before putting them into practice. They can be seen below.
Green Screen
Green-screening, more professionally known as chroma-keying, is a technique that is very commonly used in film and television alike. It is the process by which an image or video is layered on top of another. It is a very commonly used visual effect that is often used to remove a background, change a background, add visual effects to an actor, among many other things. Green screens often have to power to create an entire set during post-production. For our project however, we do not plan to be quite so ambitious with our use of green screen. We intend to record a variety of objects against a green screen that would then be able to make appearances in Luke's hallucinations. Although we are not yet completely decided on whether or not such an idea really needs to be implemented into the film, we intend to at least film some footage against a green screen anyway as it will allow us more footage to work with, as well as allowing us to broaden our skill-sets. It is indeed true that green-screen is more of a post-production process than a cinematographic one. However, there is undoubtedly a reliance on good cinematography for a green-screen to be effective. For example, in order to create the illusion that the objects and actors being filmed are in fact present within the intended background scene. the lighting of the two shoots should be as similar as possible. Due to our green screen footage being taken in a studio, the green screen will naturally produce ambient light as a result of spill. Consequently, the proportions of actors and objects may seem to fade, creating a rather unnatural and artificial look to the shot if lighting is not properly managed. In terms of the camera itself, the depth of focus adopted within the green screen shot should match that of the intended background as closely as possible. It is also important to consider exposure as a a coloured background such as a green screen can easily result in poor saturation levels if the camera is over or underexposed. In the case of underexposure, it can create high levels of noise that could potentially render any footage taken unusable. It is therefore important to light the green screen area as effectively as possible in order to allow a good exposure to be obtained more easily.
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| Green Screening in 'Grey's Anatomy' |
DSLR Camera
Unlike my previous experimental and documentary projects, this time I have chosen not to opt for using the Canon XF100. Instead, this time I will be using a DSLR camera; specifically, the Nikon D3100. DSLR stands for "Digital Single-Lens Reflex". Though these cameras are more specifically geared towards photography, they are also more than capable of producing high-quality video footage; footage that, in my opinion, outdoes that of the XF100 in terms of cinematic quality in most situations. Unlike traditional SLR cameras, Digital SLRs come equipped with large image sensors that are capable of adapting the camera to the current shooting environment, allowing for high-quality footage suitable for photography and filmmaking. In addition to this augmented shooting quality, the D3100, as many DSLRs do, are capable of being equipped with a variety of lenses for almost any situation; allowing an excellent level of versatility and convenience. In our case, the lens we are using is the Nikon 17-35mm Telephoto Lens. This lens allows us to easily make changes to the camera's zoom, focus, and aperture; enabling us to create our cinematic shots much more easily. Despite DSLRs generally being specialised towards photography, in more recent generations, they have started to transition more into moving image. Due to their relatively low cost and adaptability, DSLRs are being used more in more in filmmaking in recent years. For example, the short film "Each Moment Is The Universe" (Bruce Thierry Cheung, 2012), was shot entirely on a DSLR; specifically, the Canon 7D. The film can be seen here. As visible on the screenshot below, DSLR cameras are able to use their specialism for high-quality photography to provide similarly high-quality footage with a very cinematic appeal; something that would be much more difficult to implement using an XF100.
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| Every Moment Is The Universe, 1:10 (Bruce Thierry Cheung, 2012) |
Dedolights
Although hardly a revolutionary approach to cinematography, I have not yet had much experience in using cinematic lighting, as both of my experimental and documentary groups found that constructing a lighting set up was not necessary for our intentions. Although it would seem that this was indeed the case, lighting could still have been used to augment the cinematic and aesthetic quality of the shots we had taken. This time however, my group does indeed intend to make use of lighting; specifically, via the use of Dedolights. The room that we intend to film the therapy session in does indeed come with adjustable lights, however they are unlikely to prove to be as effective as Dedos. Characters and objects may appear flat and unrealistic if the lighting setup is not adequate. We feel that using Dedolights to set up our scene should provide us with more cinematic and visually interesting shots. Furthermore, given the nature of the film's main character, it is likely that lighting may indeed play a role in illustrating the nature of his psychology; perhaps using deliberately imbalanced lighting to only light one side of his face, creating an impression of schizophrenia. Before anything like this can be done however, we need to make sure we understand the fundamentals of cinematic lighting. Specifically, we need to make sure we come to terms with the most rudimentary lighting setup: three-point lighting. This setup involves positioning 3 lights around a subject; these lights being capable of a variety of roles for a variety of visual effects. Typically, this setup is comprised of three lights: the key-light, the fill-light, and the back-light. The key-light, as the name suggests, acts as the primary illuminator of the subject. The way in which this light is set up is capable of changing the effect of an entire shot. It is typical positioned at a 45-degree angle in front of the subject. The fill-light provides secondary illumination; the way in which this light is combined with the key can create a variety of effects. It is often positioned in front of the subject at a 90-degree angle to the key. Conventionally, the illumination the fill produces is set up to be approximately 50% as intense as the key. Subsequently, the fill's primary role is to eliminate shadows created by the key. However, as a result of our possible intentions to produce a chiaroscuro effect on our subject, we may decide to subvert this typical convention by lessening or even removing the fill-light in order to obscure half of our subject's face in shadow. Finally, the back-light is placed behind the subject; typically at a 90-degree angle to the key-light. The purpose of the back-light is to create a rim of light in order to separate the subject from the background, as well as highlighting contours. Given the unsettling nature of the therapy session scene, it is likely that we will attempt to experiment with our lighting setup in order to produce a visual effect that supports out intentions.
Split-Screen
Split-screening has a variety of uses in filmmaking. The most common way in which it is used is as a stylistic effect to place two actors within a single scene, or two provide multiple angles of a single scene. This is achieved by recording two or more separate shoots, which are then aligned in post-production. The idea of the split-screen is to rupture the illusion that what is being viewed is a seamless reality; subverting what a film is typically intended to accomplish. In our case however, we plan to use split-screen in a slightly less popular way. The effect can also be used to place an actor within a scene more than once by locking the camera in position, film the two (or more) versions the scene, and then arrange them together in editing. Often, the two shoots are divided by an imaginary line (often central) that actors and moving objects must not cross as they will disrupt the illusion. When attempting a split-screen effect in this manner, it is imperative that the camera is kept in an absolutely stationary position between shoots, and that the shooting environment does not change (such as a change in lighting or miss-en-scene) so that the only variation between the shoots is the action taking place within them.
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| The traditional form of split-screening, seen here in "Pillow Talk" (Michael Gordon, 1959). |
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| Seen here in "Parent Trap" (David Swift, 1961), split-screening is used to allow Hayley Mills to portray two characters in a single scene. |
Although hardly a revolutionary approach to cinematography, I have not yet had much experience in using cinematic lighting, as both of my experimental and documentary groups found that constructing a lighting set up was not necessary for our intentions. Although it would seem that this was indeed the case, lighting could still have been used to augment the cinematic and aesthetic quality of the shots we had taken. This time however, my group does indeed intend to make use of lighting; specifically, via the use of Dedolights. The room that we intend to film the therapy session in does indeed come with adjustable lights, however they are unlikely to prove to be as effective as Dedos. Characters and objects may appear flat and unrealistic if the lighting setup is not adequate. We feel that using Dedolights to set up our scene should provide us with more cinematic and visually interesting shots. Furthermore, given the nature of the film's main character, it is likely that lighting may indeed play a role in illustrating the nature of his psychology; perhaps using deliberately imbalanced lighting to only light one side of his face, creating an impression of schizophrenia. Before anything like this can be done however, we need to make sure we understand the fundamentals of cinematic lighting. Specifically, we need to make sure we come to terms with the most rudimentary lighting setup: three-point lighting. This setup involves positioning 3 lights around a subject; these lights being capable of a variety of roles for a variety of visual effects. Typically, this setup is comprised of three lights: the key-light, the fill-light, and the back-light. The key-light, as the name suggests, acts as the primary illuminator of the subject. The way in which this light is set up is capable of changing the effect of an entire shot. It is typical positioned at a 45-degree angle in front of the subject. The fill-light provides secondary illumination; the way in which this light is combined with the key can create a variety of effects. It is often positioned in front of the subject at a 90-degree angle to the key. Conventionally, the illumination the fill produces is set up to be approximately 50% as intense as the key. Subsequently, the fill's primary role is to eliminate shadows created by the key. However, as a result of our possible intentions to produce a chiaroscuro effect on our subject, we may decide to subvert this typical convention by lessening or even removing the fill-light in order to obscure half of our subject's face in shadow. Finally, the back-light is placed behind the subject; typically at a 90-degree angle to the key-light. The purpose of the back-light is to create a rim of light in order to separate the subject from the background, as well as highlighting contours. Given the unsettling nature of the therapy session scene, it is likely that we will attempt to experiment with our lighting setup in order to produce a visual effect that supports out intentions.
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