Genre: Horror

As part of cinematography, we have been put into groups and given a specific genre to film a short film that cinematically adheres to the conventions of the genre. The members of my group are Corey Fuimaono and Matt Van Dorrestein and we are filming a short film idea that Matt came up with years ago and filmed with his friends. We plan on re-creating this film and are shooting a section of it each to fill the requirements of our brief.

Genre conventions to consider:

- POV shots let the audience see through the monster's eyes
- High and low camera angles to connotate fear and nightmares
- Handheld shots can make the audience disorientated
- ECU (extreme close up) shots to see the fear in the victim's face


Here is a link to a slide share by George Woodford, about horror genre conventions:
http://www.slideshare.net/marine18/horror-genre-conventions

We are planning to shoot the film in Queens Park and using Coronation Drive which runs right through the middle of the park and is lined with trees that look spooky and leafless which would set up the environment for a horror.

Coronation Drive, Queens Park

Here are some links to YouTube videos that discuss the conventions of the horror genre:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaHsEoZ3Gko

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zosPpJepok

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTgjqChqsJ4

We are filming this on the Blackmagic camera and I am a little nervous about doing this because it will be the first real time that I have used this camera but onwards and upwards and let's make a horror!!!!!

Bloody Square Law Week: 13th April - 19th April

So, this bloody inverse square law is doing my head in! Every time I think I am close to working it out, I find something that makes me go back to the beginning to try and understand what it all means!!!! It's starting to drive me batty! It probably has not helped that we have been filming on location this week for our group project and I am absolutely knackered!

Anyways, I have found some more information about the inverse square law. If a light is say for example 1 metre away from the subject then we work out the lighting ratio and percentage like this: 1 metre squared  = 1x1=1 which makes the lighting ratio (fraction) 1/1, therefore, the light intensity is 100%. If you move the light back, however, it does not halve the light intensity but quarters it because 2 metres squared = 2x2=4 which makes the lighting ratio (fraction) 1/4 = 25%.

Here's a few links to videos on the inverse law and its application to cinematography:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GasmmsK6k84

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saJSCGk7C_g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3aa-CJYhGU

It has been really hard to find a video or even photos that show the difference in light intensity over distance without the shutter speed or the aperture of the camera being changed. I managed to find two examples of images that show the difference in light intensity over distance out of everything that I have found during my research.

Examples of images showing the change in light intensity

Well, I really hope I am going down the right path with this topic and I hope I can teach my class mates something when I present all of my information to them.

Inverse What? Week: 6th April - 12th April

I am sooooo busy with the group project at the moment that i have not had much time to do anything to do with cinematography. However, I have managed to do some more research on the inverse square law. As I have said previously, this topic is mind boggling but I think I am slowly coming to terms with it - I mean SLOWWWWLLLLYYYY!!!!!

The definition that I have found to describe the inverse square law and it's application to cinematography is: "The intensity of illumination is proportional to the inverse square of the distance from the light source."
The inverse square law applies to cinematography in relation to lighting and I have deciphered the above statement to mean that the inverse square law is a formula for the intensity of light over distance. This means that light becomes less intense the further away it is moved from the subject. That's as far as I have researched about it so far, although I have peeked at the next bit of research which is something to do with lighting ratios, so I guess that will have to be next week's mission. For now the inverse square law will have to wait while I go and be a producer, caterer, runner or whatever other position may need filled on set for our group project!

Light intensity

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Diffusing the Scene Week: 30th March - 5th April

This week in cinematography we did a class exercise in diffusion. We experimented with a small diffuse screen and then a large diffuse screen set up on the butterfly frame. We used a Rifa light as a backing light and a Fren-L as the key light. 

We started off with the small diffuse screen and had it an even distance between the subject and the key light. We did a take with the diffuse screen closer to the key light and then one closer to the subject. The further the diffuse screen was from the subject, the darker the footage appeared. We then pulled the key light closer and did the same experiments with the diffuse screen - putting the diffuse screen at an even distance between the key light and subject, then moving the diffuse closer to the light and then closer to the subject. Again the footage became darker when the diffuse screen was moved closer to the light. When the diffusion screen was closer, it acted as another light source because it became a medium  for transferring the original light source.

We took the small diffuse screen and put the large diffuse screen into position. We did the same experiments with the large diffuse as we did with the small diffuse.. When the light was at a further distance and the diffuse screen was closer to the light, the shadows were softer but when the diffuse was closer to the subject than the key light, the light was more intense but focused more in one spot. The diffuse in these experiments needed to be moved back from the subject to spread the light source and make the light softer. This makes the subject look more flattering. Here is an example (below) that I found on the internet, that shows the difference between harsh and soft light and how much more flattering soft light is compared to harsh light.

Example of harsh versus soft light

Here is the link to a YouTube video that I found that talks about diffusion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z5Py1GHU9c 

I have been researching the inverse square law and it is frying my brain. It is such a confusing topic but I am determined to understand it and put the information into a presentation that is coherent for everybody to understand!

Interview Lighting

This week, we applied what we learned about three-point lighting to a class exercise/experiment. We got into groups and had to set up a three-point lighting system as though we were recording an interview. Our requirements were as follows:

- MCU: Medium Close Up shot

- Long-ish lens (not widest)

- Good lighting: three-point diffused (wide light source)

- Experiment with flags as they can cut out unnecessary spill

- Background: depth of field (bokeh), remember perspective (angles, lines), think about composition

- Use C-stands for flags

- Check framing

- Always check: focus, white balance, aperture, exposure and gain

- Put the camera on a tripod and level it out

Three-point lighting set up diagram

My group set up a lighting plan that was similar to this, except for the key light which was pushed back a little further. We recorded footage, first with no diffuse on the lights and then we put some diffuse on both the key and fill lights. The light on the subject was more harsh without the diffuse on the lights and the light was much softer with the diffuse on the lights and therefore, was much more flattering on the subject.

This week we were also given our subjects for our oral presentation assignment. The subjects were given to us at random and my one is; 

"Inverse Square Law and its application to Cinematography."

I  have no idea what this even means but I am researching what it is and how it applies to cinematography. So far, I have worked out that it has something to do with the distance of the light from the subject and how it affects the intensity of the light. Hopefully by the end of my research, I will understand properly what it means and also understand it's applications to cinematography.

High Key, Low Key & Three Point Lighting

Lighting has been the subject in cinematography class this week. Lighting can affect the tone, mood and style of any film. It is an important part of cinematography and film in general. We have been learning the difference between high and low key lighting and have been learning about three point lighting as well.

High key lighting has the following attributes:

- bright

- lack of shadows

- lighting ratios are small, reduced

- lack of contrast

Grandma's Boy - Example of High Key Lighting

High key lighting is generally used in such genres as comedy and musical. It purposely has the shadows reduced and this means that there is a lack in contrast.

Low key lighting has the following attributes:

- lots of shadows and contrast

- lighting ratios are large

- darkness, highlights usually pick up the form of the actors

- chiaroscuro - Italian word that means the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrast affecting a whole composition

Harry Potter - Example of Low Key Lighting

Low key lighting is the complete opposite of high key lighting and used for dramatic effect. Films such as Harry Potter and The Godfather use low key lighting.

Three point lighting consists of exactly that - three lights! The three lights found in a three point lighting system are:

- Key light - This is the primary light source

- Back light - This is also known as the 'rim light'. This light provides seperation of the subject from the background

- Fill light - This light fills in the shadows on the face (person) or subject, preventing harsh shadows

The three point lighting system is a simple and most commonly used lighting system to light sets. It is favourable for doing interviews. Also, a kicker light can sometimes be used as well - this light provides definition to background elements but is not a part of three point lighting.

In class, we did experiments using some lights. We set up three different lights and turned off every other light source. We turned each light on, one at a time and filmed the same subject. The lights we used were a pro light, rifa light, rifa light with a soft box on and a fren-l light. I started my experiments using the rifa light with the soft box on it and set the aperture and started filming. Once I was done with this light, I turned off that light and turned on the next one. I did not change the aperture once I had set it. The only things that changed were the different lights I was using. I ended up setting the aperture with the wrong light to start off with and so the experiment did not happen to work out how it was meant to but it still showed the light differences when I switched on a different light. I have never felt that lighting has been one of my strong points (as an animator) but I think with some more research and learning, I may just get there!

Aperture, Gain and ND Filters - Cinematography

In class, we have been doing some practical exercises using the camera which involved us changing the shutter angle, ND filter, aperture, gain and the focal length of the lens. These experiments were to show us how these things work and how focal length and aperture change the depth of field of the image.

My group used a Canon camera for these experiments. We had a sheet with twelve different set ups on it that we had to do in our groups of three. We each took turns at taking control of the camera and setting it to all the settings that were required. Each person had to frame up a mid shot of a person (subject) with an interesting background and go through each set up which consisted of three different focal lengths - wide lens (zoomed all the way out), mid length (zoomed half way in) and a long length (zoomed all the way in). The shot had to be a mid shot of the same subject at each focal length.

At each focal length, there were four images that needed to be taken, each with slightly different settings. Following is each of the four different settings that were required:

1. Shutter Angle: 180
    Gain: Low (0dB)
    ND Filter: 0
    Set aperture for correct exposure

2. Shutter Angle: 180
    Gain: Low (0dB)
    ND Filter: 1
    Set aperture for correct exposure

3. Shutter Angle: 180
    ND Filter: 2
    Adjust gain if image is too dark for acceptable exposure
    Set aperture for correct exposure

4. Shutter Angle: 90
    Gain: Low (0dB)
    ND Filter: 1
    Set aperture for correct exposure

Here are screenshots of my experiments:

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Unfortunately, I did not focus the camera clearly on my subject in the last four images (long focal length), so the footage came out looking too soft and there was no definition in the background to show the depth of field.

The gain affected the image by making it look grainy when it was set on medium and high gain. High gain was the grainiest. From this lesson, I learned that the gain should never be touched unless its really needed like at night time.

ND filters affected the light that was seen in the image. It dulled down the brightness of the glaring light (if you look in the corners of the images where the sky is, there is a slight difference in brightness) but it did not affect the light on the subject in the image.

The aperture affected the depth of field. As previously discussed in my post about aperture, if there is a higher f-stop (small lens opening) then the depth of field is deeper and if you use a lower f-stop (larger lens opening) then the depth of field is shallower. Unfortunately, because of my lack of focus (on the camera) the images can not be properly compared.

I have learned heaps of different things by doing this exercise and I plan on doing this exercise again, so I am able to practice using the camera and this time I will hopefully remember to use the focus on the camera. Come on, Lee - FOCUS!

Aperture & Depth of Field - Cinematography

This past week I have been learning about aperture, what it is, what it affects and then physically applying it to photos, comparing each different aperture setting. So, first of all what is aperture?

Aperture and Depth of Field example

Aperture controls how open the lens is which in turn lets a certain amount of light come in through the lens. Aperture is measured on a camera by f-stops. If the f-stop is high then the opening of the lens is small but if the f-stop is low then the lens is opened wider and when the lens is opened right up, more light can get in. Aperture is used in conjunction with shutter speed to gain the correct exposure and as the aperture changes, the shutter speed needs adjusted to gain the correct exposure.

Examples of different f-stops

The aperture affects the depth of field of your shot. The depth of field is the range of acceptable sharpness in your image. The depth of field can either be shallow or deep and defines whether your background is sharp and detailed (deep) or whether your background is blurred and shallow. Bokeh is a japanese word that is used to describe extreme background blur (out of focus). If you have a higher f-stop (small lens opening) then your depth of field will be deeper and if the f-stop is lower (wider aperture) then the depth of field will be shallower. Above are two examples of the same image but using different f-stops.

Here is a YouTube link that discusses aperture, f-stops and shows a progression of images showing different depths of field:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhDODaUN3pI

I am slowly getting my head around aperture, depth of field and shutter speed and how they all relate to one another. Check out this blog next week for the next update of things I have learned to do with cinematography.

Shutter Speed - Cinematography

Cinematography is one of the new skills/papers that I have currently thrown myself into and have started to learn about. The first thing that we have started to learn about is the exposure triangle which has to do with exposure settings on a camera - both film and photography. We have discussed shutter speed and aperture but have not touched on ISO yet, which is the final part of the exposure triangle. This blog post will discuss shutter speed including an explanation of what it is, what it affects, what its use is in film and an example of different shutter speed used in a film for dramatic effect.

Exposure Triangle

Shutter speed is the unit of measurement which determines how long the shutter remains open as the picture is taken in both photography and film. I am learning more about the film side but there are many similarities between photography and film exposure. The slower the shutter speed, the longer the shutter remains open while the image is being recorded and the faster the shutter speed, the less time the shutter remains open while the image is recorded. The shutter speed and aperture on a camera work together to control the total amount of light that reaches the camera's sensor.

We measure shutter speed per second which is also related to frames per second on a film camera. For example if a camera's frame rate is set at 400 frames per second (fps) this means that the shutter is opened for 1/400th of a second for each image recorded. A higher frame rate reduces the amount of motion blur that occurs. This is a Vimeo link to a video that demonstrates the reduction in motion blur with a higher frame rate:  https://vimeo.com/19603537

Different shutter speeds can be used to add dramatic effect in films. In the film 300, there is a fight scene that uses a high shutter speed to reduce motion blur. The fight scene involves Astinos and Stelios and has a lot of slow motion shots that are clear and create dramatic effect. This scene uses a fast shutter speed to emphasize the action that is happening and make the image free from motion blur leaving it crystal clear and nicely defined. This is the YouTube link to the video of this particular scene:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0xSqLrG-ow

So, that's all I have learned about shutter speed at the moment and will post again soon with some more of the new things that I have learned in my cinematography paper.  I look forward to learning some more cinematography skills over the next few months and will keep posting with my research and new knowledge.