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About Time Scene Re-Creation
Password: AboutTime
Scene Re-Creation CRIT:
On the 12th of December, we had our CRIT for our Scene re-creation with our class and Paul and Kieran. Our film was played and play against the original, and then we discussed the process of filming and the struggles we came across.
As disscussed previously, we struggled to light the scene correctly, and we explained these issues in the CRIT.
Feedback:
Kieran and Paul both echoed the same feedback. They explained that in Brontê’s close that the pillow was slightly overexposed and the audiences eyes are drawn to the brightest part of the screen, therefore, the focus was on the wrong part of the screen. Kieran commented that in future, the zebra feature should be utilised to prevent this from happening. While filming, we did understand this to be an issue and did use the zebra setting in the camera. However, we struggled to get the desired lighting on Brontës face and couldn’ figure out how to get around the issue and thought at the time the overexposure wasn't too bad. But we now know for the future how to slove and look out for the problem.
Additionally, Paul and Keiran said that it was during the close-ups that we achieved the right tone. However, we didn't quite achieve the tone during the two-shot. We thought this might be the case because we struggled so much with the shot during shooting. Paul noted that the foreground of the two-shot was an issue, he said that the fact Brontë's forearm was quite significant within the frame that is was distracting. Therefore, in future, we should consider the composition of the frame more and less about the accuracy of the shot to keep the tone and guide the audiences more effectively.
Overall, the CRIT went well going into it, we knew the criticisms we would receive and accepted the feedback with open arms.
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About Time Scene Re-creation:
My self, Brontë wadd and Peter Fraser teamed up for this project and decided to recreate the proposal scene from ‘About Time’.
Our First Meeting/Pre-production:
For our first meeting, the three us met up at the Bainfield Common room to try and find a scene in which we could re-create. After a bit of a discussion, we decided to do the Proposal Scene from ‘About Time’. Once we had agreed on the scene, we choose to sit down and watch the entire film to place the scene within the context of the rest of the film. By doing so, we learned more about how the characters related to one another and gained an understanding of how the tone of the scene associated with the rest of the film.
After we had grounded our understanding of the film, we then broke the scene down shot for shot. First, we created a shot list which catalogued each shot in terms of its camera angle, lighting and lens type etc. Next, we created a PowerPoint Presentation which included screens shots of each shot which we be a document we could refer to while on set to see how close we would be to the original.
The following day I created a casting call (4th Picture). I decided to create an actual poster/call instead of just writing a post on facebook as I thought this would have a better reach to actors as it looks more professional and eyecatching. Once I had created the casting call, I posted it on several Edinburgh filmmaking/acting groups on Facebook to find actors. However, the casting call produced very little, and we weren't able to secure any actors, therefore considering Peter and Brontë were available, and they had the right accents and looks they were willing to stand in.
The next obstacle was the location. Luckily Peters family own a flat in Leith which Peter said could be a good option. Myself and Peter did a location recce at the flat and found it was an excellent option. The bedroom had a window which is similar to the one in the scene, and we could achieve the right set up by rearranging the furniture in the room. Therefore, we choose this as our location.
Before we went to shoot, we had a production meeting with Kieran. During this meeting, we discussed the scene we had chosen, where we were up to in terms of production and advice about how we could achieve the right lighting and tone. This meeting was reassuring and helpful. Kieran gave us some advice about lighting and lens choice and thought we were on the right track in terms of production.
Test Shoot:
The day before we were supposed to film, we went to the flat and did a test shoot. The main priority for the test shoot was to see if we could replicate the lighting and framing of the scene. During the shoot, we found it difficult, but by the end, we thought we had achieved the right lighting for each shot. After each lighting set-up, we marked the position of each light on the floor and took pictures so we could replicate it all the next day.
The First Shoot:
The next day we headed to the location to shoot. However, we came across some issues. The first shot we tried to get was the master two-shot and despite us thinking we had achieved the right lighting the day before when we came to it that it just didn't seem right. The lighting was wrong and kept trying and trying to get it right, but the end, we had run out of ideas. Also, we had spent the whole time just focusing on the two-shot because the lighting and framing was all wrong, but also we weren’t getting the performances from Brontë and Peter and spent a large amount of the time rehearsing the scene to get it right. Therefore, the first shoot didn’t go according to plan due to the lighting but also because we didn't put in the time before the shoot to focus on delivery.
Second Metting with Kieran:
Because the first shoot didn't go according to plan, we scheduled a meeting with Kieran to see where we were going wrong and how we could move forward. The meeting went well Kieran reassured and told us we were on the right track with lighting, but there were just a few changes that could help get it right. Additionally, going for this second meeting enabled us to show Keiran our efforts, and he understood that the issues we had. We all felt better and happier, returning to the project after the meeting.
The Rehearsal:
We understood that one of our pitfalls from the first shoot was the lack of attention we paid to Brontë’s and Peter’s performances. Therefore, I suggested that the day after the meeting with Kieran, we should schedule a time to rehearse their lines. So the next day Brontë finalised the script, and we all met at her house to go over the scene. This was very beneficial because it meant we would spend less time on set, focusing on this aspect of the scene. Also by rehearsing, it meant less taking takes because the actors knew their lines and the rehearsal allows Brontë and Peter to become more comfortable acting with each other and get those nuances in the performance which would help with the tone of the scene.
The shoot:
After meeting with Kieran, we were feeling better going into the next shoot. Considering during our test shoot, we managed to get the lighting for the close-ups pretty accurate we decided to shoot those shots first because we could spend less time getting them right. Once we were happy with the first two close-ups, we then move onto the double master shot. We still really struggled to get the proper lighting for this shot we spend hours trying to get it right, but it still didn’t work and what we ended up with was the best we could achieve the time constraints we had.
Editing:
It took two days to edit the scene. Avid is still a new software for us, so it took a little bit of time to get into the flow of things, but, Brontë had a better grasp of the software and enjoys editing she took the wheel in a sense. Me and Peter were present during the editing process as we collectively consulted on the edit and helped to make certain decisions. However, when it came to exporting the scene, it went slightly wrong. During the edit, we did a slight colour grade to make Brontë and Peter to look less orange and to just try and replicate the colour of the original scene better. However, when exporting the scene for some reason the colour went massivly darker than it was screen, therefore the pictures above are of the orginal footage before it was colour graded which are more reprsentational of what the lighting was meant to look like.
Next was the Crit...
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Location Scout - Visual Exercise 3
Final Decision:
After weighing up the pro’s and con’s of each location I have decided to that Dean Village will be the location I will shoot at for this project.
A first chose this location because it is the one which spoke to me the most, places that look historic and seemingly take you back in time are places which I love and really connect with. Therefore, I believe I can capture the essence of dean village well.
Secondly, it was the location in which I thought I could best create a story. There are several different elements in this location which I could play with and believe I can create an interesting story over the ten shots.
Thirdly, location. only being a ten-minute walk from Princes Street is perfect. Considering this is a solo project and I will have to do all the heavy lifting myself means easy access is a must. Cramond Beach was a close second but considering it was a difficult location to get to is why Dean Village became first choice.
Now that I have my location locked down I will now return to the location and plan my shoot properly, thus figuring out my ten shots and how I am going to the story I want to.
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Cramond Beach:
When I finally got to the main section of the beach I found it very desolate and eerie. The tide miles out and planes were flying overhead. The sound of their engines quietly echoing through the still landscape. As well as the hum of aeroplanes, birds could be heard cawing into the distance. The air was thick with salt but surprising the harsh winds of the seafront were absent.
On the location shoot this way fourth stop. I know that if chose this location I could definitely create an atmosphere because the whole place has it in abundance. However, I feel that a lot I would want to capture, which I saw today, would have to left up to chance. For example, the planes which fly overhead, there were quite a few which lead me to believe the beach is under a popular flight path. But the chance they will be there again and at the right moment is risky. Additionally, I had the idea that could reflect the planes the big still shallow bodies of which were on the beach floor and capturing this will be difficult and time-consuming.
Also, there were flicks of birds which I saw today and if I would be able to capture them on camera would be amazing and add to the project massively. But the likelihood of that happening again would very slim.
Therefore, even though the landscape offers so much and I wish I was able to capture Cramond beach effectively, I think within the time constraints of the project this location might not be quite suitable.
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Portobello Beach:
My first thought of Portobello beach was unexpected. I was expecting a colourful promenade with quaint cafes, ice cream and fish and chip shops, possibly the odd beach hut. But this was not the case. Apart from a small ice cream parlour and arcade adjacent. This small section felt worn down and dated, devoid of the colour and happiness which comes to mind when thinking of beaches. Portobello Beach was the third stop on the location scout.
My first thought about capturing the essence of the beach was to go down a slightly darker route. Considering its winter and the lack of colour promenade I thought I might play with the idea that this was once a place which people would flock to in the summer but that is no longer the case. Therefore capturing the atmosphere of abandonment.
The weakness of this location is the light. I don’t whether it was because of the time of day I went at but the sun was facing the shore so, therefore all the shots I was taking included my shadow.
Secondly, the wind, because it’s on the seafront the wind was quite aggressive. I would like the wind to be a feature as it would create this sort of dissolute atmosphere but I don’t want it sound blown out and interfere with the other sounds I would want to create to build up a soundscape.
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Dean Village:
Dean Village is a place out of time. It was as though I had stepped into the past and was living in the early 1900’s.
To know that this place is less than a ten-minute walk from Princess Street is unbelievable.
The sense you get when you walk around this quaint little village is a strong sense of stillness. All you can hear is the rush of the river, birds tweeting and the subtle wind brushing through the trees.
It was as though the place was emitting this feeling which transcend over those who inhabit the place, as all people who lived there walked silently among its streets. This feeling even stretched to the tourists.
Dean Village definitely feels like a place cut off from the rest of the world. A place where it’s residents don’t need to fear the hustle and bustle of a major city and feel entirely comfortable leaving their front door open.
Dean Village is definitely a captivating place.
On the location scout, this was the second place I went to. I feel strongly that Dean Village is a location which will be suitable for the exercise and create a captivating piece.
My initial thoughts about creating a story through the 10 shots in Dean Village were: firstly, I thought about a day in Dean Village. Where the piece would start at dawn with the sun beginning to rise and end with sunset. I think this would create some gorgeous light which would capture Dean Village beautifully.
Secondly, I would perhaps still shoot from dawn till dusk, but introduce this idea of the outside world encroaching in on Dean Village. At first, I would shoot Dean Village as though it was a period piece and capture the 1900’s element of the place and then slowly begin to introduce the 21st Century aspects of the Village into the composition of the shots.
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Location Scout - Exercise 3
On Tuesday 5th November I completed a location scout for this exercise, I went to several different places to find the right location.
These included:
Wild West
Dean Village
Portabello Beach
Cramond Beach
Doing this was really helpful and I was able to find a really good location for the project. In the following posts, I will break each location down and how it was or wasn’t suitable for the project.
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First of all, I went to the Wild West. Now this location is a fake Wild West street which was built as a promotional stunt for some business and has remained ever since. I thought this location could be quite unique and would be a fun challenge to make it seem as though I was in fact in the Wild West; however, once I arrived at the location it was smaller than I was expecting a was being used as the yard for a garage. Hence I didn’t take picture and discounted this location.
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Film Analysis - Workflow and Creative Camera Techniques.
Due: September 27th 2019
Whiplash - Caravan
Whiplash, directed by Damien Chazelle, centres around a young ambitious drummer called Andrew (Miles Teller) who is trying to win favour with his music teacher Fletcher (J.K Simmons). Fletcher is notorious for his poor temper and pushing his students to the very limits, this toxic behaviour leads to a constant battle between the pair and the film becomes an allegory about their relationship.
Caravan is the climax of the film but I believe this extensive scene is a fine example of cinematography, lighting, colour and editing working perfectly together to showcase masterful characterisation and storytelling.
From the opening few seconds colour is established as a crucial part of the visual storytelling in this film; Damien Chazelle uses a clear colour palette of green and orange. Andrew is somewhat of an outcast, his determination has isolated him for his peers; therefore green is used when walking through parts of his college he deems not worth his time. The dark green palette of these scenes represent his ambition and drive to be successful, he has allowed this drive for success to dominate his life and the social aspect of college becomes a danger to this lifestyle. Hence, the colour green in this film becomes one which is unsettling and dangerous. However, the colour palette completely shifts when we are on stage or in the music room, Andrew feels comfortable being a part of the band and believes this is his rightful place; thus the colour of the scene is now orange.
Despite orange being a colour which connotes enthusiasm and happiness, the film is clever with its use of colour and the room is never just orange. For example, when the film is in the practice room with Fletcher the dominant colour is orange, however, there are notes of green in the scene. This represents the turbulent nature of Fletcher’s character. Orange is used because Andrew is there and his enthusiasm for the drums is overpowering, but he understands that Fletcher is unpredictable and his fate as a successful drummer is in his hands. Therefore, the subtle use of green illustrates the danger of Fletcher’s temper which is always looming over the students.
However, in the Caravan scene when Andrew goes back on stage these subtle green hues have disappeared, Andrew is no longer scared of the repercussions of Fletcher’s temper and he is solely focused on proving his worth as a drummer. Despite this, the orange colour has a slightly yellow tone which demonstrates that while Andrew is trying to prove himself he still needs to be cautious.
Although colour and lighting are closely related, with lighting providing colour, there are other lighting elements in this scene. Lighting at this moment is instrumental in emphasising characterisation. At the start of the scene we focus on Andrew’s face, key lighting is used with a reduced fill light in order to create a cinematic aesthetic. But also, the brightest part of the frame is what attracts the audiences eye, thus this style of lighting is used to highlight Andrew’s face. At this point we can see clearly that he is happy to be on the stage, however only a few seconds later he is betrayed by Fletcher, the lighting doesn’t change and we can clearly see the shock of the betrayal on his face. This is in contrast to how lighting is used on Fletcher in the same instance. As Fletcher is stood on stage a strong key light is used, this causes him to become a dark and forbidding figure on stage. He has just destroyed Andrew’s world and therefore this strong spotlight which is shining down upon him suggests that he has become a God-like figure as he now possesses all the power in the conflict. After this, lighting is used to cast Andrew completely in shadow as he shrinks into insignificance by Fletcher’s actions. There is only one piece of dialogue during this interaction, however, due to the lighting, we can clearly interpret the drastic shift in the relationship dynamic and devastating repercussions of Fletcher’s actions.
Cinematography in this scene is also used to demonstrate to the audience the balance of power between the two characters. Multiple times during the scene Andrew and Fletcher share a two-shot. At the beginning of the scene Fletcher takes up two-thirds of the frame; this shows his dominance at that point in the action. Later in the narrative, once Andrew takes back control, in the same two-shot Andrew is now the dominant presence and takes up two-thirds of the frame. Despite it being such a subtle piece of framing it is a massive visual cue for the viewers, without the need of dialogue it clearly demonstrates where the two characters stand at the different points in the narrative.
Editing in this film works in conjunction with the camerawork and from the very beginning of the film time is a constant element within the films narrative which is only emphasised through its editing. Fletcher controls the rhythm and the timing of the band and it is also established at the beginning of the film that he is in charge of the cuts; the film runs on his time. This is emphasised through rhythmic and quick cuts which run in time with the music that he is conducting. And it is no different in the Caravan scene, director Damien Chazelle said he wanted the films editing to emulate the editing style in Raging Bull with fast cuts and subtle retimes which disorientate the viewer and portrays an ongoing battle between a pair of characters.
In this final scene, there is a shift in the editing and the control is taken away from Fletcher as Andrew takes control and the cuts become in time with his playing rather than at the command of Fletcher. This subtle yet powerful technique is used to great effect and illustrates the character dynamics in this scene and foreshadows the coming narrative. We know that Fletcher has had control until this point and won’t allow Andrew to take control forever, therefore once Andrew has proved himself worthy the editing becomes equal and both parties are in-charge. This is demonstrated through a beautifully stylistic whip pan. When Andrew is playing the camera focuses on him, however, once the music shifts and the rest of the band is heard the whip pan is used to shift focus onto Fletcher; at this moment the pair have harmonised and both are in charge of the edit.
To conclude, all elements of filmmaking are used masterfully in this scene to create high tension which propels the narrative forward with minimal dialogue and showcases complex yet compelling characterisation.
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