When finding visual research for my self portrait video, I decided to look at some Film Noir inspired photography. I am planning on using a black and white colour scheme for my video therefore I thought that some of this imagery would give me some ideas for my own work. All of the images are black and white but they have a very extreme high contrast quality to them which is created through hard lighting. There is a strong sense of highlight and shadow which increases the intensity of the image. They all have quite a mysterious and crime like appearance as the people featuring in some of the images are quite often hidden in the shadows with their identity hidden from the audience. I would like to include people in my video but am not quite sure who I will include or how obvious I will make them to the audience as I have thought of asking some close family/friends to film their own sections, therefore their part in it would be very subtle. Some Film Noir photography is not always of people. Often it will show a landscape, usually an industrial, city like location. I think that my video will include several landscapes, however, I am naturally more drawn to naturalistic and scenic locations such as the woods or the beach, therefore I am more likely to film these.
I think that I will not include the same level of contrast and intensity in my imagery as I don't want to copy the style of Film Noir. I will just think about some of the locations I use and how the lighting will effect the level of shadowing and highlights. The photography all has quite an aged feel to it which reflects the time period, however, the footage in my video should reflect the current time which is fitting as it should be a representation of our place in the world and how we see it.
For the drama scene, we have been given the task to look at how the original director interpreted the scene and adapt this using our own directorial vision as to how we would direct the scene. I have watched the scene several times and liked the way the Director - James Strong, directed it, often using lots of close ups and over the shoulder shots to show emotion on the face of the person speaking at the time. I have decided to use quite a few similar shots as I think they work well. However, there are a few cutaways between conversations towards the end of the scene which I have decided to show using a split screen. This will show each conversation happening at the same time so that it will seem like a conversation between Nigel and Susan when in fact they are having separate conversations with Miller and Hardy. I think this will give the scene more of a seamless appearance, allowing the characters to offer their opinions one after the other. In terms of lighting and colour, I would like to explore different options to express my own creative vision for the scene. We had a lighting workshop yesterday where we learnt how to set up some hard lighting for filming. This is a very important aspect which is always carefully considered when shooting an interior scene. As my scene is an interrogation, I think that lighting could be crucial for setting the mood and atmosphere as I would like it to increase tension so that the suspects look under pressure. In terms of colour scheme, this is something I would like to look at but is something I would use in the editing process with Adobe Premiere. Colours can be used to express moods and tones so this is an aspects I would definitely like to look further into to make the scene expressive.
For the first lighting workshop, we were introduced to some of the equipment at the studios, including a full description of the lights we would be using and the safety requirements when using them. We worked in groups of four, I worked with Nisserin, Becca and Laura. We took turns taking on different roles including the director, the gaffer and the model. This allowed each of us to experiment with the light management and work as part of a team. We learnt that lighting is an incredibly important aspect of any piece as it can convey the mood and impression of it therefore setting the tone for the audience. Using several tools including black wrap and gel wraps, this can alter the colouring of the lighting which is often used to convey a certain emotion. Before using the camera to film, we changed the white balance so that the colour tone was correct and we could work with it from then on. Looking at different aperture settings and the shutter speed, this can alter the exposure on the subject. As we were working with a person with them being the focus, altering the the exposure can make the lighting softer so that you can still see the details of the face. When I was directing the lighting, I experimented with the position of the lights, seeing what it looks like with only a back light or with side lighting as well. Using the camera, I then altered the aperture to eliminate too much exposure on one side of the face. When looking at the lighting, I've noticed it's quite intense as the lights are 700W and incredibly powerful. The scene I am going to film for the drama piece is an interrogation scene in a police station between two investigators and two suspects. Lighting is not only a good way of conveying mood but can also show dominance from one character which has made me think about how I should use lighting in the scene. When I think about interrogations, I think about the idea of having a spot light over someone to increase the pressure. Although, i think that would look quite drastic and obvious, when experimenting with lighting, I would like to explore this idea for my scene and make it more subtle to just give a hint towards that.
When developing ideas for the self portrait piece, I decided to document some of the aspects I am thinking of including. Rather than choosing to tell a continuous story, I think I would like the video to be a montage of unrelated clips that all demonstrate something significant. However, to make the portrait have an unusual edge to it, I would like to make some of the clips not so obvious as to what they are showing. I have come up with an idea to include people who are important to me, however, rather than showing them on camera, I want to give the camera to them and ask them to film something that interests them. This wouldn't be clear to the audience as to what it was showing but I would know what those clips represented. One of the first aspects I thought about was the colour scheme. When thinking about colours I like to look at or wear as clothing, I tend to lean towards a mono colour palette of black, grey and white. Therefore I am going to think about using a greyscale colour scheme. This is something I can experiment with in the editing process. For this video, we must include ourselves in some way. I think I would like to use my eyes and just have a subtle hint of me in the video rather than appearing in it completely. This then lead me onto thinking about including make up in some way. When I get up in the morning, doing my make up is something that gets me ready for the day and makes me feel like I am ready and complete. Therefore I have come up with the idea of filming my eyes bare and documenting the process of putting makeup on them until they look finished. I think I will increase the speed of this to fit the time frame and have this section as something that will continue through to the end amongst other clips, with the last clip being the finished eyes. I also thought about some hobbies and interests I have including photography so I would like to find some interesting locations to film including a route I take on a daily walk as it is visually appealing and something I undertake each day. I would also like to show my interest in reading and watching films in some way, maybe replacing the lack of dialogue with quotes on the screen.
For the first day back in the studios after Christmas, we were given the task to explore the idea of a self portrait as a group. This was to get us thinking about own self portrait project and spark some ideas for that. I worked in a group with Ellen, Laura, Imogen and Sammi. We had a discussion before filming, exploring some ideas and decided to base our video on how we start the day at Uni. As the course is something we all have in common, this concept allowed us to have a theme that we could all relate to. Imogen starts her day with a coffee and a cigarette, therefore we filmed her making her way downstairs and outside to do this. Ellen and I said that we both start the day with the food so this is what we decided to film. In order to eliminate any dialogue we decided to take inspiration from some of Charlie Chaplin's silent films where the actions were the focus of the pieces. In order to replicate this, we made the actions quite dramatic and emphasised as well as speeding up all of the footage to give it more of a handheld appearance. To complete the silent film likeness, we added a black and white colour scheme and chose an instrumental piece of music in the style of Charlie Chaplin. Considering the limited time we had to construct an idea, film and edit it, I am pleased with the final outcome. I think that working in a group is really helpful and an important part of the learning process as it allows you to listen to ideas from other people and see them put into practise, therefore widening your own knowledge for personal pieces of work.
For the 'Directions' unit, we have been given the task to look very closely at a drama series that we admire from a directorial and creative point of view. Whilst studying a few British dramas for the 'Story-telling' unit, I looked at the first series of Broadchurch. It is a fictional crime drama that takes place in the close-nit town of Broadchurch in Dorset. We follow the characters of DS Ellie Miller and DI Alec Hardy who investigate crime in the area. The first series focusses on the murder of a boy in the town. Like many crime and mystery dramas, we are taken on a whirlwind of twists and turns, lead to believe many of the characters may have done the murder before a shocking reveal at the end, keeping the audience in suspense. I have chosen to look at Broadchurch as my drama choice because I loved the storyline but thought that the way the directors - James Strong and Euros Lyn directed it really carried the series, making it feel very gripping but moving at the same time. The topic of the first series is incredibly serious. I thought that the way this was handled was excellent, as the directors managed to convey the emotion and heart ache Danny's family were feeling through good story-telling, camera work and music whilst not taking away from the excitement of the unknown for the audience.
For the brief, we have been asked to choose a scene or sequence of scenes that we particularly admire from a directorial point of view and recreate them, putting our own personal style and signature into it and re-interpreting the scene/s. As I have only watched the first series, I would like to watch the second series too and choose from both so I have a wide knowledge of the drama before interpreting it. One thing, I particularly admired was the use of camera shots and time frame in the series. I thought that this was a great way of showing something on screen and creating emotion without having the characters say anything at all.
Directions is the second unit for this year. A director is a visual story teller. Every successful director has a distinct style of directing that personalises their work and shows their individuality. For this unit we are expected to explore our role as a director and create two short films. The first short film will be a self portrait. The film should be no longer than 2 minutes and should demonstrate who we are through our own personal directing style. It should represent who we are as people, what we think about and show the world through our own eyes. For the second video we have been given the task to look at a drama series, examine it and choose a scene or sequence of scenes and recreate them putting our own creative spin on the series. However, we are required to keep the general tone of the series the same so it is still recognisable to the audience. We can choose any drama series, excluding sitcoms or soaps. We then have to develop a 5-6 page script, retelling the scenes in our own way. This should be very helpful when directing the scenes and evolving a new scene that differs from the style of the original scene/s.
For both videos, the point is to explore our directorial vision, therefore, we must use crew members including a camera operator and a sound operator, as well as incorporate actors from outside of the class to give the videos a much more professional and dramatic feel and atmosphere. I think that I will enjoy this unit as I am looking forward to exploring my own directorial vision and working with a larger crew than last time. However, this is also quite daunting as the role of a director is very authoritative which I think will be quite challenging.
When developing ideas for the self portrait piece, I decided to document some of the aspects I am thinking of including. Rather than choosing to tell a continuous story, I think I would like the video to be a montage of unrelated clips that all demonstrate something significant. However, to make the portrait have an unusual edge to it, I would like to make some of the clips not so obvious as to what they are showing. I have come up with an idea to include people who are important to me, however, rather than showing them on camera, I want to give the camera to them and ask them to film something that interests them. This wouldn't be clear to the audience as to what it was showing but I would know what those clips represented. One of the first aspects I thought about was the colour scheme. When thinking about colours I like to look at or wear as clothing, I tend to lean towards a mono colour palette of black, grey and white. Therefore I am going to think about using a greyscale colour scheme. This is something I can experiment with in the editing process. For this video, we must include ourselves in some way. I think I would like to use my eyes and just have a subtle hint of me in the video rather than appearing in it completely. This then lead me onto thinking about including make up in some way. When I get up in the morning, doing my make up is something that gets me ready for the day and makes me feel like I am ready and complete. Therefore I have come up with the idea of filming my eyes bare and documenting the process of putting makeup on them until they look finished. I think I will increase the speed of this to fit the time frame and have this section as something that will continue through to the end amongst other clips, with the last clip being the finished eyes. I also thought about some hobbies and interests I have including photography so I would like to find some interesting locations to film including a route I take on a daily walk as it is visually appealing and something I undertake each day. I would also like to show my interest in reading and watching films in some way, maybe replacing the lack of dialogue with quotes on the screen.
For the 'Directions' unit, we have been given the task to look very closely at a drama series that we admire from a directorial and creative point of view. Whilst studying a few British dramas for the 'Story-telling' unit, I looked at the first series of Broadchurch. It is a fictional crime drama that takes place in the close-nit town of Broadchurch in Dorset. We follow the characters of DS Ellie Miller and DI Alec Hardy who investigate crime in the area. The first series focusses on the murder of a boy in the town. Like many crime and mystery dramas, we are taken on a whirlwind of twists and turns, lead to believe many of the characters may have done the murder before a shocking reveal at the end, keeping the audience in suspense. I have chosen to look at Broadchurch as my drama choice because I loved the storyline but thought that the way the directors - James Strong and Euros Lyn directed it really carried the series, making it feel very gripping but moving at the same time. The topic of the first series is incredibly serious. I thought that the way this was handled was excellent, as the directors managed to convey the emotion and heart ache Danny's family were feeling through good story-telling, camera work and music whilst not taking away from the excitement of the unknown for the audience.