4 Hour Film Challenge - Reflection

This task was one which allowed me to identify, explore and improve my practical and organisational skills. The most challenging aspect, was completing the project within the allocated amount of time. Initially, the group struggled to devise a narrative of some form, hence a lot of time was spent developing concepts and possible plots. Once a vague storyline had been agreed upon we began shooting immediately to avoid wasting any more time and conducted the shoots in a relatively organised manner.

During the shooting process, the first thing we did was ensure that the correct exposure had been achieved, however in a selection of shots we noticed that the footage was slightly grainy as a result of the low light available to us indoors.

In the future, the use of an additional light source, such as an LED light, would eliminate noise and produce a smooth and correctly exposed video.

An aspect of the shooting process that I felt was particularly successful was the way we conducted some experimentation in capturing a range of camera shots and collectively incorporating the skills that we had learnt over the weeks. This reflected our understanding and showed our practical abilities, as well as giving us an opportunity to all share our thoughts and concepts with one another.

By using different lenses, we were able to explore different aperture settings, to create interesting and dynamic shots.

I volunteered to do the editing for the group and particularly enjoyed this process, as I was able to further my own skills, by working on precisely merging shots together in a relatively seamless manner, ensuring that the overall production flowed and was easy to follow for the audience.

One thing that lacked and could have been drastically improved, was the narrative. Towards the end of the sequence, the storyline became vague and it was difficult to decipher any meaning from it. Therefore, we learned that the conceptual element is just as vital as the visual and we should have planned each detail before shooting, in order to overcome this issue.

4 Hour Film Challenge - Video

Aperture

The Aperture setting on a camera, is responsible for adjusting how wide the opening of the lens is, therefore will dictate how much light will enter the camera. A shallow depth of field means that the lens will be open wider, whereas a deep depth of field, will result in a narrower opening.

Aperture value is represented in terms of f/number; a lower value indicates a shallow depth of field and vice versa. For example, f/2.8 will result in a fraction of the frame being in focus, as opposed to f/22, which will ensure that a majority of the shot is in focus. Depending on the lens used, varying aperture settings will be available. Macro and telephoto lenses will allow a larger aperture, as opposed to standard lenses, some allowing an f/stop value of f/1.4 or f/2.8.

Using a shallow depth of field, means that there can be one significant area of focus, creating a more atmospheric and intimate feel to the shot. For my own example, using an aperture setting of f/2.8 with a telephoto lens, I chose to focus on something insignificant in size, in order to create the desired blurred background, to really exaggerate the shallow depth of field. The colourful background produced an enticing mosaic of hues, however did not distract from the predominant subject, within the foreground. In order to perfect this video further, I would chose to shoot it with the use of a tripod, in order to reduce camera shake and ensure maximum clarity.

 

I also experimented with using a slightly smaller aperture, just to identify and highlight the minor distinctions. Using f/5.6 with the use of a standard lens, again produced a shallow depth of field, with a selective proportion of the frame in focus however in comparison to the previous example, the large aperture was not so visually drastic.



A wide angle lens is typically used to capture vast shots that have multiple, significant details in them, such as landscapes. Therefore, a small aperture setting would be relevant in order to keep a majority, if not all, of the frame in focus. An f/stop value ranging from f/11 to f/22 would suffice.
For my visual example, I experimented with f/22 I incorporated the compositional quality of rule of thirds, in order to make full use of the foreground, mid-ground and background, presenting me with more visual elements to keep in focus.



Overall, the most difficult aspect of this task, was ensuring that all my videos had been captured with the correct exposure. By varying the aperture settings, I had to adjust the shutter speed and ISO accordingly; for the shots with the deeper depth of field, I increased the ISO without allowing the shot to become noticeably grainy and reduced the shutter speed to compensate for the overall reduction in exposure. Similarly, for the large aperture examples, it was difficult to keep the shots from becoming overexposed, as a result of such a shallow depth of field, therefore I had to correct the levels in post production.

Focus Techniques

Where the camera is focused, determines where the attention of the audience will be directed. There are numerous focusing techniques all recognisably used within moving image production.

Deep Focus refers to a shot that keeps all areas of the frame in sharp focus, including the foreground, mid-ground and background. This means that each detail which is featured within the shot must be planned and positioned with care, as it will be visible in the frame. This technique was beloved and commonly used by Orson Welles and cinematographer Gregg Toland.

Still taken from 'Citizen Kane' 

In order to achieve this technique, the use of a higher f/stop would be required, to ensure that everything in the shot is clearly in focus. This also adds compositional value, as the rule of thirds has been considered. Within the film 'Citizen Kane', Welles also makes use of a wide angle lens, to add an element of psychological tension; the effect results in the predominant character Kane appearing superior in size, as opposed to others in the shot; this acts as a metaphorical expression for his powerful and overbearing personality.

Conversely, the use of a Shallow Focus, will produce a video in which only a certain section of the frame is in focus. This will depend upon the aperture setting and focal length of the lens. In addition, the distance that the camera is, from the subject is also a determining factor in what effect the focus technique will create. This type of focusing is good for directing the viewers attention to a particular area of the shot, naturally, the eye will follow whatever is in focus.

Rack Focus, also referred to as Pull Focus, alludes to a technique which entails shifting the focus from one area in a shot to another point. For example, from the foreground to the background or vice versa. As opposed to deep focus, the use of a shallower depth of field would be more relevant in trying to achieve this technique, as there will be more of a noticeable shift in focus.

For my own example of rack focus, I decided to shoot something that was, in terms of visual presentation, fairly consistent in structure. So that I could alternate the focus between areas of the frame effectively, as well as implementing a sense of balance.




Reference List:
FREER, I. Film Studies 101 [Online] Available from: http://www.empireonline.com/features/film-studies-101-camera-shots-styles/p1[Accessed: 23rd September 2015].

Brown, B. (2012) Cinematography - Theory and Practice. 2nd Edition. Oxford: Focal Press.

New Wave - Auteur Theory

The Auteur Theory, was relevant to the Czech New Wave movement, in the sense that it derived great depth by portraying the director as the author, as opposed to the writer of the screenplay. The word itself is French in origin, 'translating to 'author' and deriving from the prefix 'auto', meaning one' (ETHERINGTON, C W and DOUGHTY, R), suggesting that the director's work, is an expression of their creative vision.

This concept of one predominant figure had been identified since the 1910's and although it gave a personal element which could have been viewed as endearing, screenwriters were beginning to campaign in an attempt to gain fair recognition for their input towards productions. This is true in the sense that the creation of film, is a collaborative process. 

The theory itself was developed within the 1950's, by French directors that were involved in the New Wave movement. Francois Truffaut suggested that 'a true auteur is someone who brings something genuinely personal to his subject instead, of producing a tasteful, accurate but lifeless rendering of the original material'. 

Reference List:

ETHERINGTON-WRIGHT, C. DOUGHTY, R. (2011) Understanding Film Theory. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 

HALL, S. (2010) Auteur Theory. [Online] SlideShare. Available From: http://www.slideshare.net/staceyhall/auteur-theory-5416218 [Accessed: 2nd October 2015]. 

Czech New Wave - Experimentalism

New Wave - Contextual Research

Czechoslovakian New Wave

The Czech New Wave conspicuously drew influence from literature and expressed a cultural element by extracting inspiration from folklore. 'Valerie' (1970), 'in its depiction of clashes between paganism and Christianity rooted in Slavic history and culture comes an exploration of sin and sexuality, innocence, love, nature, and violence,' (SABINO, M) shows just how such a mystical and emblematic expression alludes to the rise of the counter-culture at the time. Furthermore, female directors at the time, such as Věra Chytilov and others, highlighted the rise of feminine power and independence through their films. Again this is a representative example of the counter-culture that was being introduced.

However, as a result of such unconventional concepts, and the way 'filmmakers overtly subverted the social-realist genre imposed on them while still working under the auspices of the state, as expected, many of these films were swiftly banned after completion, only getting released locally after the Velvet Revolution' (SABINO, M).

Official founder of the surrealist movement, Andre Breton described Prague, the capital of Czech, as 'one of those cities that electively pin down poetic thought'. (MARTIN, S 2013). For this very reason, we see that from the Czech new wave, a diverse collection of expressive productions derived. However, it wasn't until 1934 that Czech cinema began to emerge and gain recognition within the world of film. It was ignited by the success of Gustav Machaty's 'Ecstasy' at the Venice film festival. The Czech director had paved his way into Hollywood as an assistant to Griffith and Von Stroheim. Although his film gained popularity, it evoked controversy and as a result, was condemned by the Vatican and cut repeatedly by the USA. it can be argued that the these events became a microcosm of what would evolve into the Czech New Wave. (OWEN, J L 2011)

'There exists one everlasting conflict...the hopeless struggle between intelligence and stupidity, between the individual and the totality, and one eternal problem: the fundamental unwillingness of the people, or of humanity as a whole, to deal with problems which concern them.' (NEMEC).

Reference List:
MARTIN, S. (2013). New Waves in Cinema. Hertfordshire: Kamera Books.

OWEN, J L. (2011) Avant-Garde to New Wave: Czechoslovak Cinema, Surrealism and the Sixties. New York: Berghahn Books.

SABINO, M. (2014) Taste of Cinema [Online] Available From: http://www.tasteofcinema.com/2014/10-essential-films-from-the-czech-new-wave/ [Accessed: 28th September 2015].