Pre-Production Summary

As I learned more about pre-production, I realized how many processes there are to preparing for a proper shoot. All of these multiple stages are crucial to finishing a project, and skipping any of them will lead your project into the ground. They are a few question I still have however, such as what stage is the hardest? Before I go into production, I want to know which part will take the longest. Another question I have is the process of blocking. I'm still somewhat confused on how the whole process is laid out. Is it similar to rehearsal? The biggest thing I learned from the presentation is how many writing processes there are. For the longest time, I believed that they only created a script, storyboard, and then shot the film. I only recently learned about processes such as loglines and treatments. The whole Pre-production process is important because it plans out the whole movie before anything is shot. Without this stage, the whole project will fall apart.

Creating A Shot List

During the phases of pre-production, a crucial step is creating different documents that will help you in the future during shooting. One of these documents is called a shot list, and what it consists of is given away by its name. A shot list is a list of shots for the shooting phase of your production. This document helps give you a more visual representation of the shots that you need in order to create your movie. The shot list also gives the crew an idea of locations for shoots and how long the shoots on certain days will take. A shot list is essential to your production because it helps you lay out what shots you need to finish on certain days of production. Without even a simple shot list, your production can, and will, easily go down hill from the beginning.

Storyboards

Before you even go out to shoot your film, the first thing that you need to do is the pre-production stages, and one of those major stages is the storyboard stage. A storyboard is a visualization of the shots that you want to film in the future. Storyboards can range from just small sketches on a paper to larger more complicated drawings, showing characters and actions in depth. Creating a storyboard is an important step in filmmaking because it can give the director a clearer vision of what the film has in store for the future: they help with planning out difficult shots or angles. The script also plays a very important role in the creation of storyboards. The script is somewhat of an outline for the storyboard, an outline of an outline. The script and storyboard are then put together during the shooting phase of production, leading to the filming of scenes.

3-Act Structure

In all stories, theres a very basic structure for how the story should go along. These steps are called the setup, confrontation, and resolution. The setup is the beginning of the story where the main characters are introduced, a setting is established, and the villain is introduced. This step serves to give the reader a sense of scope and understanding of the story thats about to unfold. The next step is the confrontation, where the characters of the story are introduced to the main problem in the story. This is one of the hardest parts of the story to write because the author needs to introduce more plot points to make the story more interesting. The last step in the process is the resolution. This step has the climax of the story, something like a final battle or a couple getting back together. This conclusion gives the story a final parting with the viewer, leaving them satisfied. Without following these basic story beats, the story won't have a structure that the viewer can follow.

Pre-Production Writing

When writing a story for a possible future production, there are three main pre-production steps that must be taken before the final script is written. The first step is the overall outline of the created story. The outline is normally a somewhat short, bullet pointed list of the main story beats in order. After the outline is constructed, the writer creates a synopsis of the story. A synopsis is a paragraph or two long summary of the story as a whole, including main characters, main story beats, and tone of the story. The final step in the pre-production writing phase is writing and creating a treatment for the story. A treatment is a somewhat "early draft" of the finalized story. The treatment could include final character names, locations, and even a final name. Before even writing the script for a production, these three steps must be completed first in order for the script writing process to be swift.

Pitching strategies

In order to make a proper pitch, you need to keep your idea short and concise. By keeping your pitch as short as possible, it lets you get the buyers attention and interest more easily. When condensing an idea into a simple one to two sentence pitch, there are a few things you should keep track of. The first thing to remember is to not think about the whole story: only talk about the main story beats and how certain big things affect the cast. Along with only keeping the main story beats, you should also boil down the pitch to only the main characters and the antagonist. These points put together give the buyer an idea of the overall tone of the story. To properly write a good pitch, you need to keep in mind that your buyer doesn't need to hear the whole story, just the parts that matter the most.

Pitching

When pitching an idea for a movie, there are a few different things that you must keep in mind. The first thing to remember is that you don't have much time to convince the people that your idea is good. You only have around 60-90 seconds to make people like your idea. Another thing to keep in mind is to not tell your whole story and keep your buyer in suspense. Telling your whole story may confuse the buyer and not want to pick up your story. By not keeping your buyer in suspense, they won't want to come back to you to find out the rest of the story: they'll want to see it made and put up on the big screen. One last thing to keep in mind when pitching a story is to finish off the pitch with a last convincing sentence. Summarize your story while also giving the title to wrap up your pitch. Being able to give a convincing pitch can lead to your project succeeding or falling straight into the ground.

What Is Preproduction?

The process of creating a film or a project has different steps even before filming the scenes for the project. The main step before filming is the planning process known as pre-production. The pre-production stage consists of storyboarding scenes, casting, finding locations, etc. This is the stage of production where the chosen director of the project is selected and brainstorms more ideas for the film. A group of writers is brought together by the director and producer to compose the given idea into a working story, which is then created into a well planned storyboard. As preproduction continues, more and more people are added onto the crew, such as talents and film crews. When producing a project on any scale, the preproduction stage can not be skipped. Without this vital stage, a project can easily fall to pieces, bringing a possibly great idea and crew down with it.

Composition Reflection

After learning more about composition, I've come to appreciate how different shots in movies are put together to progress the story. Now when I look at different films and TV shows, I think about the crew's thought process when creating the scene. One example that I've seen recently is parts in the movie Scott Pilgrim Vs The World. Even with the somewhat simple looking window scene, it was meticulously planned out. Another example in the same movie would be when Scott is walking with Knives, the scene changes from inside to outside in one cut, making the transition seamless. Finally, I've started to notice how movies use different rules, such as the rule of thirds. Unless its for dramatic effect, a lot of movies rarely put a character in the center of the frame. I think that after learning more about composition, I've begun to notice more of what the director was thinking while creating the film.

Camera and Composition 3-2-1

I think that this unit has taught me the most. I've been wanting to learn more about cameras ever since I signed up for this class. With my very limited knowledge of camera's, I feel like I've learned more about camera's in this unit than my whole life. The first thing I learned is how to properly set up a camera on a tripod. I always knew it was a somewhat simple process, but know that I've done it a few times I'm more comfortable with it. Another thing I learned it how to set certain settings on the camera. Before having this hands on knowledge, I knew what white balance was, but never learned how to set it on a camera. Lastly, I learned how different parts of the camera worked. I understood that the lens is able to change the amount of light, but I didn't know how it worked. While learning about cameras, I came up with a couple of questions. The first question is how do I know which ND filter to use? My second question is how do you set up bigger rigs such as cranes? The last thing I want to learn about is the differences between lenses. What makes them different? Overall, I'm really happy that I learned more about cameras, and I'm excited to learn more!

The Hitchcock Rule

The world famous film maker Alfred Hitchcock did wonders for the art medium of film. One of his contributions is his rule named after him, that being The Hitchcock Rule. This rule states that the size of an object in the frame should be proportional to it's importance in the story. For example, if there is a knife on the table and the camera shows the knife in full, it might play a bigger role later in the story. This rule applies to film making by showing the audience indirectly what the story will contain. Another example would be a close up of a characters face. This close up allows the viewer to feel the character's emotions, from being sad to enraged. The Hitchcock rule allows for an even more in depth way of telling a story through film.

Screen Direction

During the editing and filming process, it's important to know the direction of the characters. For example, if a character is entering from screen left, in the next shot they need to be entering from screen left again. If this necessary rule is broken and a character enters from screen right, the audience will believe that the character has turned around. When moving in a diagonal motion, the same rule applies. As the character moves from long shot screen right to close up screen left, the next shot should show the character walking from screen right to screen left. If these rules are not followed, the audience will feel disoriented and believe that the character turned around while walking.

Angles

As a film maker, different decisions need to be made when composing a scene. When showing a shot of two characters, depending on how the characters act, the camera can be positioned at a high angle or a low angle. The high angle shot on a character gives the impression that the character is weak or the lower person in the conversation. The opposite shot of the high angle shot is the low angle shot. This angle gives the character a sense of superiority and power. A different, less emotionally driven shot called the eye level shot is also very common. This shot pairs the camera's height with the subjects eyes and rarely gives the audience a certain feeling. By being inherently neutral, these shots are normally used in news casting and talk shows. If a film maker is able to affectively use these different shots, it can enhance the overall feeling and emotion of the film.

Framing Shots

     When framing up a shot, there are somewhat different levels of how close the camera is to the subject. The three main shots are full shots, medium shots, and closeups. The full shot is when the subjects whole body is in frame, without cutting anything off. If anything below the knees is cut off, it makes the shot feel rushed or done by mistake. Medium shots is when the subject is shown above the waist area. This gives the feeling that the subject is closer to whats happening in the seen. A close up is when only the subjects head or eyes is in the frame. All of this different kinds of shots can be applied in multiple ways, such as with an over the shoulder shot. A full over the should shot conveys that the person or thing that the character is facing is far away. Another example is with the two shot, where two characters are facing each other, and these different kinds of shots can enhance the scene in certain ways.
     Along with different kinds of shots, different lenses can also give the scene a whole different feel. Using a wide angle 16mm lens combined with a closeup for example, this gives off somewhat of a comedic or silly feeling to the scene because of the subjects distorted features. Changing the lens however can also change the size of certain objects in the background. Depending on how you want your shot to look, these two aspects can be changed to give your shot the right feeling.

Framing Shots Differently

Framing shots can be a challenge to film makers. With the ability to put your camera almost anywhere you want in space, there are many different ways for a scene to be composed. One reason why film makers might want to frame their shots differently from others would be to add a certain emotion to the scene. By having certain characters in specific positions, the whole scene can be changed from one mood to another. Aspects such as headspace can be changed to give these different emotions to the scene. Another reason why some film makers change how shots are framed is to show their style. Different light colors and positioning can change how the audience perceives the scene and director's vision. The last reason why film makers change their framing is to portray a character a certain way. The way that the camera focuses and zooms on the character can completely change the audiences feelings about the character. Combining the position and movement of the camera, the feeling of a scene can be completely changed to the director's vision.

Camera Movement

When filming a scene, certain aspects of the camera can be changed to give the shot a better sense of kinetic energy. By moving the camera, the audience can feel like they're more in the scene. For example, a device called a dolly can be used to physically get closer to the subject of the shot. This can add a completely different feel than just zooming in on the subject. In one example, a dolly in shot was used on a saw, and cross cut on a dolly in of a character. This gave the audience the idea that the character is going to use the saw in some way later in the film. One film that I want to study the movement would be Scott Pilgrim Vs The World. In the film, there are multiple different ways they move the camera to set up for jokes. In the famous window scene, the camera is panned toward Scott as he moves to jump out of the window to escape talking to Knives. Without certain aspects of camera movement, many shots that we see in modern films wouldn't be possible.

Zooming V.S Dolly Shots

When going from a wide shot to a close up of your subject, there are two main ways to get closer to your subject, those being zooming and dolly/trucking. By using the zoom function on your camera, you can easily get a closer shot of the subject, but if the subject moves out of the focal range, the frame becomes blurry and unwatchable. When preparing for a zoom shot, zoom in on the subject and focus, then zoom back out to your wide shot. This will keep the subject in focus when you begin shooting. The second way to get closer to your subject is by using a dolly. A dolly can be used to physically get closer to the subject, giving the shot a more 3d feel. A dolly can also be used for a trucking shot, where the camera is moved horizontal to the subject, giving more room for the audience to understand the scene. When deciding which way to get closer to your subject, remember how each one makes your audience feel when watching it: choose the one that would feel more natural for the scene.

Point Of View Shots

When shooting a scene, different camera angles can be used to give the audience a different feel about the scene. Some different kinds of shots would be objective, subjective, and Point of View shots. The objective view is the most common shot used in a scene. This view gives the audience a "fly on the wall" perspective, giving a scene a sense of a 4th wall. This wall can be broken in many ways, such as the actor looking directly into the camera. The subjective view is when the audience is put right where the character is in the scene, such as someone driving. The Point of View shot is where the audience is put into the perspective of a character or object. This shot can be either objective or subjective. An example would be a group of characters looking down a deep hold or an over the shoulder shot. With combining certain aspects of these different angles, it can make a scene more engrossing for the audience.

Composition

When framing up a shot for a scene, there are certain rules that should be followed in order to properly show the subject. A few of these rules are the rule of thirds, look room, lead room, and head room. The rule of thirds is when the frame of the shot is split into nine different boxes. These boxes are a sort of guide to show where the subject of the frame should be placed. Look room is the amount of space between the camera and the subject. This amount of space is dependent on the angle of the camera. Lead room is when the subject of the shot is moving in a direction. For example, a driving car needs a certain amount lead room in front of it to look like its driving in a direction. Headroom is the amount of space between the subjects head and the top of the frame. Without this spacing, the subject could look like they're slowly sinking or hitting their head on the ceiling. When not following these rules of composition, the shot can be off-putting to the viewer.

Rule Of 3rd's

When movies were first coming to fruition, filmmakers realized that the same rules of other art forms could be transferred over to film to make different shots more appealing to the eye. This is where the Rule Of 3rd's was created. Filmmakers found out by splitting the frame into nine equal boxes and lining up their subjects with the intersections of the lines, they could make their shot look better to the viewer. The Rule Of 3rd's has become such a widespread rule with artists that most cameras now have a feature to show the nine equal boxes to correctly line up the subject of the shot. On certain occasions however, this rule can be broken if needed. When braking the Rule Of 3rd's, it can make the audience feel uneasy or uncomfortable when watching.  Filmmakers use The Rule Of 3rd's to add more attention to the subject of the scene. With a little creativity, the Rule Of 3rd's cam be used to better an entire scene.

Focus and Exposure

When setting up for a specific shot, one of the most important things to adjust on the camera is the focus and exposure. These two settings are critical because they can either make your shot look great if done correctly, or horrible if done incorrectly. The focus on a camera is normally manually controlled with a ring on the lens of the camera. Turning the ring clockwise will give the image a tighter focus, while turning it counter clockwise gives a more distant focus. When adjusting your focus, you know your subject is in focus when they're sharper than the background; however, if the subject moves closer or further, the camera will lose its focus. Exposure is another setting to keep a close eye on when shooting. Exposure adjusts the amount of light being let into the camera. Adjusting this ring opens and closes an iris inside the cameras lens, letting in or blocking out light. When trying to get the right exposure, adjust the ring until the subject is not too dark, but also not too bright. When shooting a scene, these two settings are some of the most important things a camera operator needs to adjust.

White Balance

When shooting in different lighting, the setting color temperature on the camera must be adjusted accordingly.  Color Temperature is the amount of blue or orange light that the camera sees. By changing the color temperature on the camera, it makes different lights appear as white in the shot. This is called the white balance of the camera. This setting makes sure that white is being properly shown in the camera. Color temperature is measured in Kelvin, 15,000K being clear daylight while inside is measured at around 3,200K. The importance of color temperature is immense during a shoot. Without changing to the correct color temperature settings, make the scene look worse, change the mood of a whole scene, and make the editors do extra work in color correction. Without the use of color temperature, scenes will look much different than how you want it to be.