Week 6 -Directing ---The Moving Master pt.2

Week 6 - Directing --The moving Master pt.1

Week 6- Directing 2

Week 6 - The Perfect Plan: Storyboard and Shot List Creation

The production process is incredible - you transform inanimate words on paper into color, emotion and life on the screen. But producing a script isn't an easy endeavor.

Script creation is a task that requires lots of time, work and planning. In fact, planning is probably the heart and soul of the production. The proper planning and legwork must be accomplished or even the best script will fall flat on its face.
There are many aspects to pre-production planning, but we're just going to focus on two of them here: the storyboard and the shot list. If you're working on a small production, then you might get to do everything yourself! If you have much of a budget, then some of this planning can be done in conjunction with other members of your crew.

In Living Color

Your first planning tool, the storyboard, is essentially a comic book of your production. It covers all the major shots, angles and action involved in the script. Think of it as shooting your movie on paper instead of tape. Shot by shot, you draw out the script and decide how to visually compose each scene.
Why is this so important? Because now you know how your shots work together. No jump cuts or bad angles to surprise you in the edit bay. You are also assured that you have adequate coverage of each scene. Storyboarding allows you to maximize both your time and your resources when on set - and that amounts to saving money. The storyboard helps bring out ideas and find trouble spots in your scenes.
There are many options available for storyboard creation. In its simplest form, you can draw one with stick figures on a notepad. Perfect for a quick and dirty board that gets the job done. Another option is advanced storyboarding software which can create an animated 3D previsualization that almost feels like a movie itself. This fits the bill when there's a client involved that you want to impress. And if money is no object, you can hire a storyboard artist, just like Hollywood directors do.

Sketchin' Away

Before you begin the storyboard, study your shooting locations in detail. You might even bring a camera and snapshots of potential angles. This type of scouting work will give you a better idea of how to compose the shots on paper. The camera is also a great tool for creating a basic storyboard. Bring a friend or two along as talent and use your camera to capture all the angles and positions. Load the pictures into a PowerPoint presentation and then play the presentation to see how it all flows.
To create a storyboard on paper, put two rows of boxes on the page with ample space above and below each row for making notes. Make sure your boxes are roughly the same aspect ratio you're planning to shoot with. Have lots of copies of your blank boards - you don't want to run out! With your script in hand, sketch each scene, using multiple boxes to capture all your intended shot angles. Critically examine the finished product, looking for gaps in shot coverage or problematic setups. And don't forget to use a pencil so you can easily erase and redraw.
 
While your storyboard isn't expected to be a work of art, there are a few standard conventions that will make it more understandable to others. Indicate a zoom or dolly in the frame by putting a floating box around the telephoto position. Use arrows pointing in or out to indicate the zoom's direction. Use single arrows to communicate movement. Show the direction of a pan or tilt by drawing the beginning and ending in two separate frames, then putting an arrow and a directional notation to make the action clear, ie, "pan right".

As you draw, use the space around each frame to make notes on camera action ("Tilt up") or script notes ("Lucy dances around the car"). Also keep a notepad off to the side where you keep track of needed gear, sound effects, props, make-up, special effects - basically anything and everything needed to pull off the scene should be included in those notes.

Previsualization software takes your planning to the next level. By creating 3D worlds and models to inhabit them, you're able to see the way those notes you made on camera and actor staging play out. There are two great benefits to this type of storyboard. One - as previously mentioned, it makes for an effective client presentation. They can easily grasp how your concept will really work. Two - it can help you better visualize complex sequences that are hard to draw on paper.

Writing It Out

When you're finished with the storyboard, move on to planning your shooting strategy. The scenes in your script may each call for multiple camera angles. If you are filming with a single camera, shooting these in linear order is probably not the best choice...unless you enjoy constantly changing your camera and lighting setup. Instead, squeeze all you can from each setup by making use of another indispensable planning tool, the shot list.


In a nutshell, the shot list groups similar shots together so that you have an efficient shooting schedule. Prepare the list by looking through a scene's storyboard and noting which frames can be captured during the same setup. Write them together on the list. Then use your list as a guide, and check off shots as they're captured. You'll protect yourself from overlooking an important close-up or establishing wide-shot.

Another benefit of the shot list is in creating a schedule. You can get a rough picture of how much time it will take to capture a scene as you plan out the various setups. It also allows the crew to easily follow along with what's needed next. For example, by looking at the list, they can see that there are only two shots left in this setup, so it's time to begin preparing for the next setup.

 

Week 6 -Directing --What is a Story Board?

What is Storyboarding, and Why is it Useful?

On big video productions there may be as many as a hundred people on set at once, which means that every second a director spends stroking his chin and wondering about where the camera ought to be placed he's paying a hundred people to stand around and watch him. This is something that motivates a film's backers to make sure that there are no moments during shooting when everybody who's getting paid to work isn't working. One of the ways that directors, producers, art designers, and directors of photography make sure that everything is worked out before the cast and crew actually get to the set and minimize standing-around time is to use storyboards.

Storyboards are typically a sort of comic book style illustration of the entire movie, or sometimes just difficult scenes in a movie, including camera angles and the motion of actors through the sets. Lots of storyboard excerpts have made their way onto the Internet; Google can help you track down many of them.

Spectacularly popular movies, such as Star Wars or Kurosawa's war epic Ran, may have their storyboards published as books. Many other movies will show some of the storyboards in the special features section of the DVD - often with side-by-side comparisons of the original storyboards and the final film. Lots of storyboarding tips and storyboard examples can be seen on line on websites like YouTube. There's also a plethora of writing about storyboarding in this history of Hollywood.


One very famous champion of the storyboard is Alfred Hitchcock. Rita Riggs, the costume designer for Psycho, discusses the director's affectation for extensive storyboarding in Stephen Rebello's book,

Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho, saying: "The real difference working with Hitchcock and his circle was that you had an entire, cohesive picture laid out before you on storyboards. He truly used storyboards to convey his ideas and desires to all his different craftsmen. You knew every angle in the picture, so there was not a lot of time wasted talking an item to death. We also didn't have to waste time worrying about things like shoes, for instance, because we knew he wasn't going to show them in the shot."

Other directors, such as the award-winning filmmaker and documentarian Werner Herzog, find storyboards constraining and an impediment to the free flow of creativity - Herzog is quoted as saying "storyboards remain the instruments of cowards who do not trust in their own imagination and who are slaves of a matrix..."
Whatever your ultimate opinion of their usefulness, they are part of the cinematic vocabulary.

Week 6 -Directing - Types of Storyboard

Not all storyboards are meticulously drawn cartoon frames worthy of publication, some are a lot less involved and others can be much more involved. Today we'll look at a few common varieties.

Narrative Only
Narrative only storyboards are perfect for people who can't draw, don't have the money to hire a storyboard artist, or who aren't risking a whole lot in having people stand around their set for a few minutes while they figure out where they want the camera - which is probably most of us. It's not uncommon that the director, the videographer and the talent live far enough apart that physical meetings aren't practical and who come together on a weekend to bang out a final product. You might not need a great deal of detail. You might just send out a narrative storyboard like this:

• Medium Shot, Janet reaches in her purse for her keys.
• Closeup of door knob from slightly above doorknob height and to the right, the door is already slightly ajar!
• Closeup of Janet looking worried from low angle.
• Closeup of Janet's hand pushing open the door.
• Medium shot, over Janet's shoulder as she looks into the room.
• Medium shot, reverse, Janet looking through the open door, she enters.

Basic Panels
Basic Panels are a step up from narrative only storyboards, as well as a brief description, they'll have a very basic drawing, this can help camera operators and lighting designers know in advance exactly what the director is looking for. These can be in the "slightly above stick-figure" range.
 

Scene Cards
Scene cards are like basic panels, but more elaborate - the drawing usually takes up one entire side of the card with a description written on the back. If you're looking on eBay for scene cards, you'll find something completely different. In the early days of cinema, a "scene card" usually referred to a still from a completed film with a description or caption on the back or underneath - a lot like the collectible bubble gum trading cards popular in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Collectors' scene cards became superfluous when it became easy to own an actual copy of the movie, this seems a little sad.



Animatic Storyboard
To make an animatic storyboard you can scan sketches, use photographs you've taken, or even tear images out of magazines, put them into your favorite video editing software and add narration or music. The idea of an animatic storyboard is often just to get the idea or feel of your project across.
Many of us tend to think of ourselves as "not the sort of people who will ever have the need or the opportunity to approach financial backers" and because of this don't think too deeply about things like storyboards. One great example of a successful use of storyboarding was Christopher Salmon's animatic storyboard for an adaptation of Neil Gaiman's short story The Price. Salmon drew still images from an animation he wanted to produce and uploaded it to kickstarter.com - a crowd source funding website. Enchanted by his narration and still images, 2001 different backers around the world invested almost $162,000 in his venture spurred along by the author who also got involved after seeing the storyboards.

3D pre-visualization
If you're trying to prize millions out of potential backers or explain a complicated escape sequence involving Bruce Willis, 40 explosions, and a hedge maze, you may want to create a 3D walkthrough of your scene or movie before you start working on it.

Using storyboard software like FrameForge's Previz Studio 3 you can show virtual camera angles and scaled sets to your backers before they plunk down their cash. The 3D will allow you to see the relationships between your actors, your scenery and your camera. This can be an enormous help if you want to see how adding additional lights to a scene may change the shadows or light characters moving from one place to another.

Week 5 - The importance of sound in film

Week 5 - Film Score

 Scoring: The Heart of a Film

The relationship between sound design and music is a delicate mix that can define a film’s tone and emotional impact. Musical compositions have the power to linger — becoming synonymous with iconic moments and characters. Even a few notes from John Williams’ legendary “Star Wars” score can instantly transport us to a galaxy far, far away.

But film scoring goes beyond just the sweeping orchestral themes. Musical scores can define the personality of a film, which frees the composers to utilize any musical (or non-musical) instrument they can imagine to record. Music has the unique ability to tap into our emotions and has been described as “the art of sound in time.” 

This allows complex emotional journeys to be crafted to gently guide us through the narrative and amplify our connection to the characters’ struggles and triumphs.

It's hard to imagine what the most significant pieces of cinema would be like without the soundtracks that accompanied them. Would they have risen to such acclaim? Would they be the notable and respected works they're known as? The short answer is probably not. The use of music in film can be paramount to the finished product and, in some cases, can be even more memorable than the visual aspects.

The importance of the score

 George Lucas famously once said that "sound is 50 per cent of the movie-going experience." Music and sound will always help strengthen the emotional connection we have with a specific event or experience and impact the way we feel, so it's only natural that this builds a lasting impression within film.

The role of music in film can provide the viewer with cues on what's about to happen, the mood a particular scene should elicit, or how the protagonist and antagonist are feeling. The latter certainly helps with immersing the viewer and builds relatable characters they can empathise with – or despise. Depending on the type of film you're watching, be it a sci-fi movie alive with sharp strings reminiscent of Ennio Morricone's score for The Thing; a historical epic like Dunkirk with an ominous bass rumble that makes you physically tense up; or an animated family classic with journeying progressions like those found in Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away, the execution of the score and the mood it evokes can ultimately enhance or change the way a scene is perceived.

 

 

Week 5 - ADR: Automated Dialogue Replacement

  

ADR: Automated Dialogue Replacement

Another key technique used in sound design is re-recording dialogue in a process called Automated Dialogue Replacement, or ADR. Often called “looping,” recording dialogue in a controlled environment ensures clarity and consistency. This not only helps avoid distracting changes in the audio due to moving microphones and changing noisy environments, but it can also provide a powerful storytelling tool by bringing the characters’ voices right to the front of the speakers.  

ADR is a detailed process as the engineer and actor work together to ensure the timing, tone, and energy match the previously recorded visual. The new performance must also carry the proper emotions and believability. After recording, the engineers and producers will sort through the “Selects,” or best takes. 

The team will “comp” a final set of takes, then synchronize them to any on-screen lip movements. As an option, they may do multiple versions to allow editing profanity or alternate film edits. After editing, the mixing process will control placement, dynamics, tone, and even add subtle ambiance to replicate the actor’s location and distance on screen.

The ADR and Foley processes highlight the dedication of professional sound designers to perfecting even the most minute auditory details. This underscores how their craft is not merely about replicating real-world sound, but also elevating the emotional impact of the storytelling.

Week 5 - SOUND- Post-Production Magic: Foley Effects

 

One of the most captivating aspects of sound design in film is the creation of foley effects — a practice named after sound artist Jack Foley. Foley artists meticulously recreate the sounds of everyday actions and movements to replace or enhance the sounds recorded on-set during the original filming. 

The rustling of clothing, the clinking of glasses, footsteps on various surfaces — these seemingly mundane sounds are carefully constructed in post-production foley studios to achieve authenticity and resonance. This wildly creative process uses huge collections of noise-making supplies and carefully recreated performances.  

These foley studios typically have a large studio space with a huge variety of surfaces and items. These dedicated post-production studios have drawers of different materials, combined with dozens of styles of shoes to recreate the footsteps of any character or scene in the film.  

They will also have shelves full of random trinkets and noise makers to recreate anything imaginable. Large, heavy tarps can make thunder, and a kitchen knife against a shovel may create sword effects. Even simple sounds like plates and silverware will need to be recreated.

Imagine a scene in which characters engage in a lively sword fight. While the visuals might showcase the intense choreography, it’s the layered sounds of clashing blades, grunting, breathing, heavy impacts, and the scuffling of feet that draw us into the heart-pounding action. 

Foley effects add a layer of realism and infuse scenes with emotional weight and impact, ensuring that audiences are fully immersed in the on-screen events.

Week 5 -How Sound Design Plays an Important Role In Film

 

Sound Design in Film

When we settle into a dimly lit movie theater or cozy up on the couch, we all hope to be drawn into a grand and cinematic experience. The vibrant colors, breathtaking landscapes, and captivating characters draw us into the story unfolding before our eyes. 

However, it’s important not to overlook the hero’s role in enhancing our emotional connection to the story — sound design. The marriage of sound design and filmmaking is a dynamic collaboration that transforms a mere visual display into a multisensory journey.

The Essence of Sound Design: Crafting Emotion and Atmosphere

At its core, sound design involves the meticulous creation, curation, and manipulation of audio elements to complement and elevate the visual aspects of a film. This auditory art form includes dialogue, foley sound effects, otherworldly original sounds, ambient sounds, music, and more. In big movies, these elements may have whole departments dedicated to perfecting the sound.  

The visual elements of lighting, set and costume design, lens choices, etc., provide us with visual information about the scene. Directors and cinematographers may spend millions of dollars and months or years getting the right look to tell the story. In silence, however, all their efforts are wasted. 

The auditory cues reach out of the flat screen and envelope the listener to create realism, depth, texture, and emotional resonance to the scenes. Not only that, but sound design in film can also inform the listener of offscreen information, build anticipation, or create surprise.

Consider a suspenseful thriller as a character creeps through a dimly lit corridor — the faint creaking of floorboards underfoot, the distant echo of a door closing, intense breathing, and the subtle rustling of leaves outside will all work together to create tension and anticipation with nothing visual even needed. Without these auditory cues, the scene falls flat — ultimately failing to elicit the visceral response the audience expects.

Sound design can also remarkably transport us through time and space. A period drama set in the Middle Ages might employ background noises of horses, wooden carts, blacksmiths, and outdoor merchants to recreate the ambiance of the time. Similarly, a futuristic science fiction film can use innovative soundscapes to transport us to otherworldly realms — making the alien landscapes feel eerily tangible even though these are never-before-heard environments.

Week 5 - The WILHELM Scream

• The WILHELM Scream
  A series of short painful screams performed by an actor were recorded in 1951 for the Warner Brother's film "Distant Drums." They were used for a scene where a man is bitten and dragged underwater by an alligator. The recording was archived into the studio's sound effects library -- and it was used in many of their films since. "Star Wars" Sound Designer Ben Burtt tracked down the scream recording - which he named "Wilhelm" from a character who let out the same scream in "Charge at Feather River (1953)." Ben has adopted the scream as sort of a personal sound signature, and has worked it into as many films as he can.

Week 5- Film Sound Cliche

ANIMALS

• Animals are never ever silent - dogs whine/bark/yip, cats meow  or purr, cows moo,  even in cases where most animals wouldn't be making a sound.
  
  
• Rats, mice, squirels and other vermin always make the tiny little squeeky noises constantly while they are on screen.
  
  
• Dolphins always make that same "dolphin chatter" sound when spinning, jumping, etc.
  
  
• Snakes are always rattling

• Crickets in winter and peepers in the fall

• Dogs always know who's bad, and bark at them.
  
  
• Insects always sound wet
  
  
• It's the same Cat scream over & over. 

Sound effects editor  Peter Steinbach once tried to record his own cat scream by stepping on it's tail. His  advice: - You only have one take. Step hard! (and dont wear shorts)

BIRDS

•  Red-tailed hawk screeching - [Listen to and read about Red-tailed hawks!]

• Whenever we see a hawk or a bald eagle, the sound is always that same red-tailed hawk screeching sound that's been around since the 50's! 

• Always just before/or after some dramatic part of an adventure flick, you will here the screeching of a red-tailed hawk.
  
  
• Whenever a cliff or mountain is shown, especially if it's high, the Red-tailed hawk will screech.
  
  
• The Red-Tailed Hawk scree signifies outdoors and a big, lonely place
  
  
• Owls sound like Great Horned Owl. (a bird, that for the most part seems invisible) [Listen to and read about Great Horned Owls!]
  
  
• In a horror film when there is a full moon there is either an owl or a wolf howling in the distance. [Listen to Wolves!]

• The Loon is mostly found in lakes in North America. In the movies it seems to be just about anywhere in the world.
  [Listen to Loons|

• Kookaburras (a type of large Australian kingfisher) are inhabitants of African/South American jungles, not Australian open forest. (laughing bird sound, see most Tarzan films). [read about and listen to Laughing Kookaburra!]  A Field Guide to Hollywood Bird Songs
  Unnatural acts on movie soundtracks by Robert Winkler
  

BICYCLES

  

•  All bicycles have bells (that sounds)  

   

BOMBS & EXPLOSIONS

• Bombs always have big, blinking, beeping timer displays.

• If something explodes, it takes about a minute for the explosions to stop 

• Explosions always happen in slow motion. When an explosion occurs, make certain you are running away from the point of detonation so the blast can send you flying, in slow motion, toward the camera.

• Bombs "whistle" when falling from a plane 

 

CARS

• Car tires "always" screech on dirt roads. 

• Car breaks must always squeak 

• Car tires must always squeal when the car turns, pulls away or stops
  
  
• On big budget films- whenver a car does any maneuver It must accelerate - ideally to the point of peeling out! even if it is going under 20mph
   
• In a route we hear a large truck and a horn with Doppler effect
  
  

COMPUTERS

• Every button you press on a computer makes some kind of beep
  
  
• Text being spelled out on screen (whether computer or lower third) MUST make some sort of typing and/or dot-matrix-printer type of sound.
  
  
• in foreign language versions of u.s. movies computers show their messages in english, but they all can speak!

 

ENVIRONMENT

 

• Castle Thunder
  Until around the late '80s, whenever you heard a thunderclap in a movie, it was probably "Castle Thunder".
  Listen to and read about "Castle Thunder"
  
  
• Storms start instantaneously: there's a crack of thunder and lightning, then heavy rain starts falling. 

• Thunder is always in sync with the lightning, and the explosion sounds are always in sync with the stuff blowing up, no matter how far away. Same for fireworks 

 

• Whisteling types of wind are always used 

• Non-stop bubbles underwater 

• Doors always squeek

• Enviromental sound to a shoot with the window open, are  always next to a schoolyard or a construction-site. 

• When in San Francisco, no matter where you are, you always hear a cable car and or a fog horn.
  
  
• The Universal Telephone Ring
  Endlessly used on television (especially in TV shows produced at Universal Studios during the '70s and '80s) and in many films as well - is the sound of a telephone ringing.
  Read about and listen to "The Universal Telephone Ring"
  
  
• Exterior Ambiences: No matter where you are outside, if it's not in the city, you hear a lonely cricket chirping
  
  
• Trains: we always hear the same old classic distant trainhorn over and over again.
  
  
• in U.S. films playing in big cities there's always a police horn in the background - in films from other countries... never!!!! 

 

• When a light bulb gets broken, there's always a kind of electric sound
  
  
• Whenever there is a fight or commotion going on in the upstairs of a house, the person downstairs won't hear a thing because the noise of gunshots, chairs falling over, screams etc will be totally masked by the following sounds; the phone ringing, the washing machine beginning its spin cycle, the dog barking, a drink is being whizzed up in the liquidiser or the maid beginning the vacuum cleaning. .

  

HELICOPTERS & AIRPLANES

• Helicopters always fly from surround to front-speakers. 

• People standing outside a running helicopter can always talk in normal or just slightly louder than normal voices

• Every helicopter shutting down emits the chirp-chirp-chirp sound of the rubber drive belts disengaging, in spite of the fact that only the famous Bell 47G (the Mash chopper) actually makes this sound. 

• Piston helicopters always start up with screaming turbine engine sounds. 

• An approaching airplane or helicopter will make no noise until it is directly over the characters, at which point it will suddenly become thunderingly loud.

• Characters will never hear an approaching airplane or helicopter, even though in real life you would hear them approaching for at least a minute before they were close enough to see. This also holds true for approaching armies on horseback and tank battallions.

• The tires of any jet screech upon landing

• Any airplane in a dive will make a whining noise that will get louder and higher-pitched the longer the dive lasts. 

     
 

KNIFE

 

• When a character pulls out a knife, even from his pants, you hear a sound of metal brushing metal

Week 5-Sound in Film

Though we might think of film as an essentially visual experience, we really cannot afford to underestimate the importance of film sound. A meaningful sound track is often as complicated as the 
image on the screen. The entire sound track is comprised of three essential ingredients: 

• the human voice
• sound effects
• music

These three tracks must be mixed and balanced so as to produce the necessary emphases which in turn create desired effects. Topics which essentially refer to the three previously mentioned tracks are discussed below. They include dialogue, synchronous and asynchronous sound, and music. 
  THE HUMAN VOICE: dialogue
Dialogue authenticates the speaker as an individual or a real person rather than the imaginary creation of a story teller. As is the case with stage drama, dialogue serves to tell the story and 
expresses feelings and motivations of characters as well. Often with film characterization the audience perceives little or no difference between the character and the actor. Thus, for example:

Humphrey Bogart is Sam Spade; film personality and life personality seem to merge. Perhaps this is the case because the very texture of a performer's voice supplies an element of character. 


When voice texture fits the performer's physiognomy and gestures, a whole and very realistic persona emerges. The viewer sees not an actor working at his craft, but another human being struggling with life. It is interesting to note that how dialogue is used and the very amount of dialogue used varies widely among films. For example:

In the film 2001 little dialogue was evident, and most of what was used was banal. In this way the filmmaker was able to portray the “inadequacy of human  esponses when compared with the magnificent technology created by man] and the visual beauties of the universe.”

 

The comedy, Bringing Up Baby, on the other hand, presents practically non-stop dialogue delivered at break-neck speed. This use of dialogue underscores not only the dizzy quality of the character played by Katharine Hepburn, but also the absurd duality of the film itself and thus its humor. The audience is bounced from gag to gag and conversation to conversation; there is no time for audience reflection. The audience is caught up in a whirlwind of activity in simply managing to follow the plot. This film presents pure escapism - largely due to its frenetic dialogue. 
 
SOUND EFFECTS: synchronous and asynchronous sounds

Synchronous sounds are those sounds which are synchronized or matched with what is viewed. For example:
If the film portrays a character playing the piano, the sounds of the piano are projected.


Synchronous sounds contribute to the realism of film and also help to create a particular atmosphere.  

For example:

The “click” of a door being opened may simply serve to convince the audience that the image portrayed is real, and the audience-may only subconsciously note the expected sound. However, if the “click” of an opening door is part of an ominous action such as a burglary, the sound mixer may call attention to the “click” with an increase in volume; this helps to  engage the audience in a moment of suspense. 
Asynchronous sound effects are not matched with a visible source of the sound on screen. Such sounds are included so as to provide an appropriate emotional nuance, and they may also add to the realism of the film.  

For example:
A film maker might  opt to include the background sound of an ambulance's siren while the foreground sound and image portrays an arguing couple. The asynchronous ambulance siren underscores the psychic injury incurred in the argument; at the same time the noise of the siren adds to the realism of the film by acknowledging the film's (avowed) city setting. 
 
 
MUSIC: background music
Background music is used to add emotion and rhythm to a film. Usually not meant to be noticeable, it often provides a tone or an emotional attitude toward the story and/or the characters  epicted. In addition, background music often foreshadows a change in mood. For example, dissonant music may be used in film to indicate an approaching (but not yet visible) menace or disaster. 

 
Background music may aid viewer understanding by linking scenes. For example, a particular musical theme  associated with an individual character or situation may be repeated at various points in a film in order to remind the audience of salient motifs or ideas. 
Film sound is comprised of conventions and innovations. We have come to expect an acceleration of music during car chases and creaky doors in horror films. Yet, it is important to note as well that sound is often brilliantly conceived. The effects of sound are often largely subtle and often are noted by only our subconscious minds. Yet, it behooves us to foster an awareness of film sound as well as film space so as to truly appreciate a twentieth century art form, the modern film. 

Week 4 Directing - Blocking a Scene

 

Week 4 - Film Set Rules

Film Set Etiquette is very important on set and having bad  set etiquette can go as far as getting you fired or put on someone’s blacklist. Bad etiquette is something even the most experienced person is guilty of from time to time, but it is most common with people new to film sets.
The problem is that most new, less experienced people especially ones fresh out of film school or kids that have taken online film courses have an uncontrollable desire to show you just how much they know or how good they can be at every job. What they don’t understand is that making those comments and suggestions or doing someone elses job is hurting their career more than doing them good. Soon they will be known for having bad etiquette or being a know it all.
In this blog we will talk about general onset behavior as well as behavior in real on set situations…

General Film Set Etiquette:

• Drug and alcohol use is frowned upon on set.

• Keep you mouth shut and your ears open.

• Respect the chain of command.

• Be polite, say please and thank you.

• Learn people’s names. This is a big one, camera department gets to cheat and tape the actors grid that’s on the call sheet to the camera, others aren’t so lucky.

• Be watchful and respectful of your co-workers. Just because farting is okay on the grip truck doesn’t mean its okay in front of the talent.

• Try to show up a little early. Do some networking, learn where the equipment is, read the call sheet, have a coffee. Do whatever it takes to prepare yourself for the day.

• Arrive on set prepared with the tools you need to do your job.

• At top of day report to your department head, introduce yourself and be respectful.

• When given instructions in person or over the walkie be sure to acknowledge by saying “copy” or “copy that”. Do not copy if you do not fully understand the instructions. Feel free to repeat back, ask questions or do whatever it takes to fully understand what you are being instructed to do.

• When in need of a washroom break be sure to tell your boss! In film school you might have been told to ALWAYS tell the Assistant Director as well, that is great in theory, but on larger sets the AD has so much to deal with that they really don’t need to know which tech is pooping. You are fine as long as your boss knows and someone is around to cover you. Now, that goes for lower level crew mainly, as a Cinematographer or any higher up position the AD must be told.

• Watch your boss and be aware of what is going on in your department and around you.

• Work hard, but don’t over do it. ‘Work smart, not hard’ is a goo motto to follow is a good motto to follow, but that doesn’t mean be lazy. Pace yourself, the days are long and there will be plenty of work.

• Allow others to do their jobs, don’t be a hero. Don’t chirp in about things that have nothing to do with you or your department.

• If you want to help another department ask them if they need it first. A simple “may I?” before moving a camera case or stand can save you a lot of grief later. The bigger the set the less likely you will be allowed to touch anything that doesn’t belong to your department.

• Take a call sheet at the top of the day or print one the night before. In most cases many of your questions can be answered by looking at the call sheet

• Communication. When turning on a light, flying in track, dolly or anything in general call it out. Don’t just walk on to set with a 10 foot chunk of metal, that’s how people get hurt.

• Do not just plug items into any available outlet. Never unplug anything. ALWAYS ask an Electric.

Dealing with people directly below you:

• Learn everyone’s name and be nice to them. Too many gaffers have not cared to learn my name and use it. To them I am expendable (which is true to a certain degree), but that doesn’t mean treat me that way. The nicer you are to me the harder I will work for you.

• Be patient with the less experienced and try to teach as you go. That doesn’t mean take everyone aside and teach them how to set a flag when you’re supposed to be dolly gripping. Pick and choose your moments, it’s as simple as explaining why you bagged a stand a certain way as you do it.

• Don’t be afraid to assign tasks or delegate responsibility, even if someone is working for a lower rate or for free that doesn’t mean baby them. In most cases people working for free are there for the experience and would be willing to do almost anything within reason.

• Appreciate their hard work and thank them graciously. It’s a simple as saying “great morning guys, thanks for the hard work” or “awesome work today, thanks” at the end of the day. Even covering one pitcher sometime and saying “thanks” goes a hell of a long way.

• Look out for your people! Don’t let them get taken advantage of, make sure they are being paid fairly, being well fed and getting their full lunch hours. Why? Because they deserve it, the better paid, well rested and fed they are the better they will make you look and the better you will make your boss look.

• Be assertive when you need to be. Don’t be too nice because you will be walked all over. I recently had this experience…I had hired two guys to finish up a job with me,  it was the last few days of a  four-week feature film and I was being overly nice with them. On the next job I found their work to be sloppy, slow and careless. I let them hear it and suddenly they were working well again, they were working the way they did on the first job. Later I realized that I was so nice on the first one that they thought they could get away with being lazy.

Dealing with Production:

• If you have a question or concern make sure you are bringing it to the right production team member, don’t hassle the director about something the PM should be dealing with and don’t ask the PM something that the AD’s should be dealing with.

• Know the roles of the production staff, it will get your issues dealt with more efficiently.

• When you are asked to reply to an email or phone call try to do it as soon as possible. It makes for a very stressful day if you can’t get in touch with the crew the day before a shoot starts.

• If anything strikes you as odd or concerning on the call sheet let the distributor know as soon as you receive it, don’t wait until you are on set and it might be too late.

• Keep a copy of the call sheet on you at all times, production doesn’t need to be bothered with questions that can be answered if you just read the call sheet.

• Don’t ignore the call sheet, some people think that all they need to know is what time they show up and then act surprised when there is a location move. Production doesn’t spend hours working on them for you not to read them.

Sensitive Locations:

• Respect the home owners wishes. If the home owner is around or you’ve been given instructions to not unplug something or avoid going in a certain room follow those instructions to a T.

• Be cautious with stands and lights. Tennis balls can be attached to each leg or location mats can be placed down.

• Careful when removing tape from painted walls or hardwood floors. Although you should be using 2 inch black paper tape (painter tape essentially) it can still cause some damage, so be gentle.

• Do your best to return the location to the condition it was in when you arrived. Put back any bulbs you’ve replaced etc.

• If you damage or break something tell Production ASAP. Even if it’s something tiny they can easily be doing damage control or figuring out how to repair or replace it.

In conclusion:

Just keep on going to film sets and then you will garner the experience. If you are not interested in going to film sets to help out, you should find another job or another course to do then film school.

 

Week 4 -Blocking a Scene (Directing)

When a first time Director steps on a set, blocking a scene can be one of the most frustrating and terrifying parts of their job.

 

If a director doesn’t understand the concept of blocking and staging, and they also don’t know how to speak the actor’s language, they could end up wasting valuable shooting time.
Every film shoot is divided into five parts:

1. Block – determining where the actors will be on the set and the first camera position
2. Light – time for the DOP to light the set and position the camera for the first shot
3. Rehearse – camera rehearsal of the first set-up with the actors and crew
4. Adjustments – making lighting and other adjustments
5. Shoot – shooting the first scene (then repeat the process)

Blocking a scene is simply “working out the details of an actor’s moves in relation to the camera.”
You can also think of blocking as the choreography of a dance or a ballet: all the elements on the set (actors, extras, vehicles, crew, equipment) should move in perfect harmony with each other.
Here are 5 important blocking tips:

1. Having a shot list will help you during the blocking process. The shot list is like a map: it gives you a path to your destination but you don’t always have to follow it

2. Let the actors show you what they want to do first, then, when you make a suggestion, it is based on something you have already seen

3. Where the camera is placed is determined primarily by what is important in the scene.

4. Blocking is like a puzzle: directors need to keep working at it until the whole scene works.

5. In Television and low budget films, speed is essential, story and block some scenes so that your action takes place in one direction (to avoid turning the camera around for reverses.)

Week 4- What is Directing?

The director's vision shapes the look and feel of a film. He or she is the creative force that pulls a film together, responsible for turning the words of a script into images on the screen. Actors, cinematographers, writers, and editors orbit around the director like planets around the Sun. Despite the director's pivotal role, most Hollywood movies are designed to pull you into the story without being aware of the director's hand. Many talented film directors with long lists of feature film credits are so skilled at being "invisible" that they are little known by the movie-going public.

The Director's Vision
Imagine you're being considered to direct a Hollywood film. You're handed a screenplay that has been "greenlighted" (given approval for production) by a major studio. As you read through it, you begin to imagine how it might play out on screen. You see the characters coming to life. You envision the lighting and hear the sound. You are absorbed in the world of the story until you see the script's final words: Fade Out.

When you're done reading the script, you ask yourself some key questions. What is the main idea or theme of the screenplay? What does the story say about the human condition in general? You also think about the script cinematically. How will the script translate to the visual language of the screen? Who is the audience? As the director, you must feel passionate about this soon-to-be film. Feeling connected and committed to the story will help you do your best work, and there's an enormous amount of work ahead.

If you are hired as the director of this film, you may need to help shape the script for the screen. A good script is the foundation for a good film, but even the best one may need to be developed or molded to work well on the big screen. Sometimes the producer will develop a script and then hand it over to the director. In other cases, the director may work with the writer early on to help develop a script from its infancy. Nowadays, the planning for a film is often underway before there is a script. A director or producer purchases the rights to a story and then hires a screenwriter. Whatever the route from script to screen, the director plays an important role in shaping the way the story is told.

Assembling the Cast and Crew
The people you work with, both the actors and the crew who will make things work behind the scenes, are crucial to the film's success. The right people will understand and respect your vision, work well with one another, and bring their own unique gifts to the filmmaking process. The film's producer normally hires the crew, but the director will have input into crucial hires such as lead actors.

A production designer is responsible for the believability of a film's scenery and sets. In essence, the production designer is the architect of the film, working to make your vision, as director, a reality. The production designer also works closely with the art director and set decorator, making certain all the visual details are accurate and the style and period of the film reflect your wishes.
The cinematographer, or director of photography, helps to translate your vision to film, scene by scene, planning shots and supervising camera operators. Often, cinematographers are artists with experience in painting and photography. Their job is to create and capture the images that best tell the story.

The actors you choose will bring your story to life. Your casting decisions will be based on such factors as availability and whether or not an actor is suitable for lead or ensemble acting, as well as on a healthy dose of intuition. Often a casting director or producer will help you select the cast.

Filming and Post-production
After months or even years of development, delays, and rewrites, the final script is set and the film goes into pre-production. During this phase, budgets are detailed, scenes are planned and designed, and a shooting schedule is prepared. Storyboards—visual representations of every shot—are prepared by a storyboard artist in consultation with the director, director of photography, and designer. Before a single frame is shot, the film is planned from beginning to end on paper. The final stages of pre-production include weeks of rehearsal, set construction, and location scouting.

Once shooting begins, you'll need to continue to communicate your vision of the film to the actors and crew. You'll also need to be able to improvise on the set and troubleshoot if necessary. This flexibility can make the difference between an acceptable production and an exceptional one. On average, you will be able to complete filming for about three script pages per day, or the equivalent of about three minutes of screen time.

Once the shoot is over, hundreds of thousands of feet of film need to be assembled into a coherent story. Days or weeks of shooting result in only a few minutes of screen time. In the editing room, your vision will either come to life or perish. With your guidance, the film and sound editor will complete the detailed technical work required at this stage. Your "director's cut" of the film (the one you work with the editor to create) may not be the final one the audience sees. The film's producers may decide to cut certain scenes or use a different film clip for a certain effect. Editing is a collaborative process, the final step in the difficult work of bringing your vision to life.

Your stature as a director (as well as the terms of your contract with the studio) determines how much say you have in determining what version of the film is released to the public. Occasionally, a director dislikes the final cut and decides not to be listed in the credits. If this happens, the credits list Alan Smithee as the director. Alan Smithee is not a real person, but an alias used as a substitute when a director refuses to be linked to a film.