Writing, Directing and Producing Documentary Films and Videos

This week I read this book. Specially, I read the postproduction part, because I start to edit my documentary. Rosenthal introduce how to start documentary. 

The editing process has three steps,  assembly cut, the rough cut and the fine cut(Rosenthal, 2007). The assembly cut means try to put them roughly in order according your audio and video script. At this stage, you also need to evaluating shots. Editor should use different shots to make the same point. You can deciding which you prefer.Your interview shots will go in with the corresponding sync sound track, but apart from that, you will not bother with sound at this stage(Rosenthal, 2007). It could be two or three times its final length. The real work begin on the rough cut. Here is talk about proper structure, climaxes, pace, and rhythm.

 You need to check your character whether come over well and the film has punch. In the rough cut, you need to consider your structure of documentary whether smooth. I think climaxes of last term documentary in the wrong place. To some extend, I think climaxes should be put in the fit place. If not in right place, Climaxes will be disappeared.Some contents in the documentary should be removed. Audience cannot absorb too much information. Rosenthal(2007) said:" documentary films tend to use less music, since it can break the illusion of reality. However, when used well, music can lift a film tremendously. During the fine cut, you make the picture more better, adding music and effects and color grading. You need to repeated deliberation effects, music and narration. This becomes a see-saw process. 

In my documentary, I also want to use After effect to make opening title in start and end. So I try to make 3D and 2D track text. 

Reference: Rosenthal, A. (2007) Writing, directing, and producing documentary films and videos. 4th edn. United States: Southern Illinois University Press.

‘The Shut Up and Shooting Documentary Guide’ book combine my interview plan

I finish read the book four chapters, preproduction, imagine control and camera work, interview prep and conducting interviews. I directly organize knowledge point to my interview plan. It is a simple way to help me acquire knowledge.

Set the capture date: 21st February and 13th March.
First time, we will shooting indoor and outdoor of Ace cafe. Some riders talk about motorcycle and scenery shots. The second time, the main purpose is to interview Mark Wilsmore and add some footage.

Interview location: Ace café London.

Address: Ace café London, Ace Corner, North Circular Road, Stonebridge, London, NW10 7UD.

Tel: 02089611000

Equipment preparation: 2 DSLR Canon 6D, 2 tripods, and sound equipment（wireless lav mic and Short gun mic）. Reflector. XLR cable. Pistol grip. Dead cat.

enougn battery No 5 & No.7,camera battery, SD cards, glidecam and vocas.  zoom H2n.

The question is opening questions basically. 

Firstly, you need to know your subject’s name and title and spell their name out for you.

Framing and background: try to find a window seat in the daytime and try to find some element of that space that can help visually tell your story and get them in the frame.

Such as: helmet, leather jacket, motorcycle, and poster of rock music.

For the best visual effect, could do a little creative art direction on location.

Subject position

You should generally position your subject facing slightly left or right.

Pay attention to your subject’s ‘eye line’.

The interviewee should look at the interviewer not the camera.

Interview’s eyes are at the same level as the camera.

Check your frame to make sure your subject’s eye line appears natural and too off camera.

Appearance: leather jacket, t-shirt with motorcycle or rock star.

Fixing face: large nose should place key light at same angle/height as camera lens. Adjust to avoid nose shadow. Camera: avoid shooting from low angle. Avoid shooting wide-angle close-ups.

Release form

In addition,  release form need be signed. Try to get a signed release form beforehand when possible. Always get a 'verbal release' on camera.

When you shoot, give your subject instructions that will help you to shoot and edit the interview smoothly. My interview time should be an hour at most. All phone should be off, when the camera rolling.

Tomorrow, I will try to use glide cam and shoulder rig to shoot some video. Talk about how to use it and what problem when I use it.

Reference:

       Anthony Q. A. (2008). The shut up and shoot documentary guide. Oxford: Elsevier’s Science & Technology. 334.

The visual story

This week I finish read The visual story. The book overall has ten chapters. I have read chapter 3 space. So I talk about the rest of chapter in the book.

Chapter 4 line and shape

The line appear in the color contrast and tone, the line appear or disappear must be depend on the contrast. No matter the line in the white or black background,  the line only appear in the color contrast and tone. Such as a black square in a white background, people can see it. On the contrary, the black square in a black background, people cannot notice it. The same principle appear in the 3D viewpoint. In addition, object appear the different positions in a frame, audience will subconscious connect the objects to make line. Track also can makes line, regardless of actual or virtual line. Many picture can be reduced a simple line via color contrast and tone. A simple way we can check the main lines in the picture, just via squint to observe the picture that is a easy way to recognize the lines. To evaluate the lighting can be controlled line existence. When an object movement, it will leave the line or track. Different track will give audiences different visual intensive.

Chapter 5 Tone

Tone is the brightness of objects. Firstly, you need to find the subject, you need to show the audience what the audience to look. Secondly, check the lightning method is to take a white and black photo. Finally, tone can emphasize the important objects or hide the objects that depend on how you want to design the tone non-coincidence.

Chapter 6 Color

Sunlight made by different color. Color system is composed of  two system: additive and subtractive system. The additive system involves the mixing of colored. The subtractive system is used in the mixing of painting and dye. Additionally, the basic components of colors is hard to define each color. Someone like to use some poetry name such as: 'King's ransom', 'liberty' and 'romance', which tell about more emotion the color rather than a description of color itself. People often use color swatches. If swatches are not available, there are three terms that can describe any color: hue, brightness and saturation. Hue is position of the color wheel: red, orange, green, blue, yellow, cyan, purple, magenta. There are only eight hue, pink, brown are not hue. Brightness is addition of white and black to the hue. Brightness is the position of the gray scale. Saturation refer to the purity of the hue. For example, the fully saturated means the hue is extremely vivid. In fact, when we shoot a film, we can use color palette to control the color. Filter is used in film of different style. Such as 'comformist' use lots of filter in the film, there are cool tone filter. To control the color in the film that is the film consistent style.

Rhythm and movement

Rhythm and movement easily confuse  in sometimes. A faster movement could be not have a fast rhythm. A movement can be fast or slow, it is different rhythm. Finding the rhythm in movement, some specific movement can create visual rhythm. Secondly, the rhythmic beat will increase intensive, the movement of the object gets larger in the frame. Sometimes, we need follow the sound's rhythm to confirm visual rhythm. Moreover, decide how much editing will be involved in a scene, this will influence your amount of fragmentation.

Chapter9 Story and visual structure

A story has three basic part: exposition, conflict and resolution. Exposition of a story need to state fact needed in the story, e.g. location, time, main characters, character relation, plot and so on. However, sometime exposition could not appear in the beginning of the film. The director will use flashback or montage， putting exposition set in the middle of the film. Then,  conflict and climax of story. As the story develops, the conflict will increase.The conflict could be external or internal. Internal conflict usually include emotion struggle. External conflict usually include physical situation. Such as fighting or crashing. The resolution for finish the story. And the audience need to time to experience the whole story. Simultaneously,  visual structure also has visual exposition, visual visual conflict and visual resolution. Firstly, the visual exposition need to show the basic visual component will be used to support the story. In addition, visual exposition can set up visual component for space, emotion and line and shape. Secondly, the visual conflict need to follow the principle of the contrast and affinity to build intensive. To be specific, the greater contrast in the visual component, the more visual intensive or dynamic increase. The greater affinity in the visual component, the visual intensive or dynamic decrease. Thirdly, the visual resolution can use the principle the contrast and affinity, to increase the visual component affinity. The visual intensive will decrease, thereby a story will be finished. 

Overall, visual story is a really good book. I learn many visual components. This week I use lots time to finish read the book. Each part is important in a film that is depend on what style of film do you want to make.I will compare the different space aspect in six genres of documentaries next week. And  How can  I set up a visual structure of documentary in my work. I will talk it later.

References:

Block, B,A. (2008) The visual story : creating the visual structure of film, TV and digital media, 2nd edn., Oxford: Focal.

Space

I finish reading the space part in the book. Jools let me make a video to show the four types of space. I think the deep space and flat space are easy to crate and find sample. Limited space is a specific combination of deep and flat space cues. About ambiguous space is not blur picture that is audience do not know the size and space relationship in the picture plane.

Flat space 

Flat space is opposite of deep space. To create a frontal planes in the picture is flat cues. Objects move parallel the the picture pane and keep the same size. In flat space, objects never change shape and gray scale need keep in a range within the picture. Brighter object appear closer and darker objects appear far away.

Limited space

Limited space avoid create longitudinal plane and objects movement perpendicular to the picture plane.  Limited space like a row of glass sheets, if it can separate clearly, limited space is produced.

Ambiguous space

Audience do not know the location of objects and camera. Lacking of movement and objects of unknown size or shape that is ambiguous space. Ambiguous space usually occur suspense and horror films.

This video is talk about four types of space. When I shooting the video, I feel the most hardest is to create limited space and ambiguous space.

References:

Block, B,A. (2008) The visual story : creating the visual structure of film, TV and digital media, 2nd edn., Oxford: Focal.

The Visual Story Chapter 3: Space 3.1 Deep Space

Last week I got a book, name is The Visual Story written by Bruce Block. I read the part of space. There are four subcomponents of space: deep, flat, limited and ambiguous. This week I just read one of them. I will finish read it before next week. The part is talk about how 2D screen surface display picture that appear to have 3D? It is not 3D movie, it is make a 3D picture in 2D screen surfaces.                                                                                         

When we take a picture, a different angles can create a deep space. The building near the camera is bigger than long distant building. It is a principle, size different. That can make a depth of cue.In addition, we can find vanishing point in the picture. If we extent the road, it will become a point. The point is vanishing point. 

Object Movement

The two objects in front of camera, one object in the foreground another in the background. Two objects use same speed in the same starting line, the background object slower than the foreground object. Actually, they move same distance but audience can feel background object appear slower and shorter movement. This is illusory depth. 

Camera Movement

The camera dollies in, the foreground object will get bigger than background object. The background object just has a slight changes.The relative movement between the foreground and background is the depth cue.
Additionally, the textural diffusion, aerial diffusion and shape change that all of help us to make the deep space in the 2D screen. And deep space can highlight the subject in the complex environment. The lens language of space can make the documentary more tension and engage audience emotionally.

Reference:

BLOCK, B., (2008) The Visual Story: Creating the Visual Structure of Film, TV and Digital Media. 2rd edition. Oxford: Elsevier Inc.