1、Basic Film Production,Production Phases,There are three phases of production common to most professionally produced motion pictures. These are:Preproduction phase Production phase Postproduction phase,http:/ 高压油管 金属软管 液压接头 http:/ http:/,Preproduction Phase,In general, the preproduction phase encompa
2、sses all aspects of preparation that are performed before the camera starts to roll. Some aspects of preproduction include:,Screenwriting Storyboarding Funding Assembling a crew Casting Costume Design Location Scouting Set Design Properties (“props”) Scheduling,Preproduction Phase,Screenplay/Script:
3、 The screenplay supplies the general plan for the production of a film. There are two types:The “spec” script The “shooting” script,Preproduction Phase,The “Spec” (Speculation) Script is the version of a screenplay that writers distribute to producers in the hope that it will be “optioned” (i.e. con
4、sidered for production). It primarily contains: Slug-Line (brief description of the setting, e.g. “INT. ROOM DAY” which means the interior of a room during the day) Business (descriptions of characters/action) Dialog (the lines intended to be spoken by the actors),Preproduction Phase,The Shooting Sc
5、ript is a much more detailed version of the spec script that includes numbered scenes, specific camera angles and other technical information. An example of a page from a shooting script (from the film Pieces by Andrew Halasz shot here at William Paterson) can be seen on the next slide.,Preproductio
6、n Phase,Writing a screenplay and analyzing a film narrative require an awareness of similar concepts: Character Conflict Action Story Plot,Preproduction Phase,Character Agent of physical and social action Subject to physical and social action Subject to needs and desires Subject to social norms, mor
7、es, and laws,Preproduction Phase,In an instructional book on screenwriting, Syd Field (1979) divides character into interior and exterior aspects. Viewers of a film dont have access to the characters interior life and so it must be expressed in the exterior life through actions taken in professional
8、, personal, and private contexts. One pursuit of narrative analysis is the interpretation of character motives based on action.,Preproduction Phase,Preproduction Phase,Conflict The source of narrative conflict is the needs and desires of the character when they are met with oppositional forces. Ther
9、e are three basic types of narrative conflict: Character versus Nature (i.e. the physical world) Character versus Character Character versus Self,Preproduction Phase,Action In a film narrative, a character is expressed through his/her actions in responding to a conflict. Two overlapping types of cha
10、racter action are: Social Action (e.g. dialog, communicative behavior) Physical Action (e.g. stunts, athletic behavior),Preproduction Phase,Storyboarding: A storyboard is a series of drawings intended to represent how the film will be shot, including how each frame will be composed and how subject a
11、nd camera motion will occur. The storyboard articulates the mise-en-scene of the film. Mise-en-scene: All of the elements that compose the shot.,Preproduction Phase,Funding: Films are generally expensive to produce. Even small independent productions with unknown actors can cost hundreds of thousand
12、s of dollars. Because of the level of investment involved, most films rely on either production companies (“Hollywood” films) or independent investors (“Independent” films).,Preproduction Phase,Assembling a Crew: A crew is the group of workers on a film set who are responsible for facilitating produ
13、ction (as opposed to acting). Although large productions may employ many crew members in many different departments, there are only a few basic positions which are detailed later in the production phase.,Preproduction Phase,Casting: Choosing actors to play roles. Costume Design: Choosing or designin
14、g the clothing/costumes that the actors wear. Location Scouting: Choosing the locations where the film will be shot. Set Design: Constructing sets where the film will be shot.,Preproduction Phase,Properties (“Props”): Choosing the tools and objects used in the film. Scheduling: Coordinating all aspe
15、cts necessary to the production.,Production Phase,The production phase refers to the period of time when the film is actually being shot. Some aspects of production include:,Direction Camera operation Lighting Sound recording Acting,Production Phase,During production, these roles are usually delegat
16、ed to the production departments listed on the next two slides.,Production Phase,Production Departments Direction Director (oversees all aspects of the production) Assistant Director (works closely with the actors) Camera Cinematographer (oversees camera operation and lighting plan) Camera Operator
17、(operates the camera) Assistant Camera (loads camera, pulls focus) Lighting Cinematographer (oversees camera operation and lighting plan) Gaffer (head electrician) Grip (sets up lights),Production Phase,Production Departments (continued) Sound Sound Mixer (records the sound) Boom operator (positions
18、 the microphone) Clapper (displays the clap slate for the camera) Talent Actors (perform before the camera) Miscellaneous Production Coordinator (scheduling) Continuity “script girl” (watch for continuity errors) Make-up Artist (apply make-up to actors) Production Assistant (various jobs),Production
19、 Phase,All of the departments and positions described on the last two slides serve one goal: to capture the sound and image necessary to tell the story. Although going into every detail of production is far beyond the scope of this course, lets consider the “nuts and bolts” that go into filmmaking.,
20、Production Phase,How does the camera work? When we are watching a motion picture, we are actually watching a rapid series of still images that are projected in rapid succession on the screen. We are able to perceive motion in a film because of the cognitive/perceptual phenomenon known as persistence
21、 of vision.,Production Phase,How does the camera work? The motion picture camera is a tool used to rapidly expose a continuous series of film frames to light that is reflected off of objects and focused onto the film by the cameras lens. The following three slides display diagrams of the inside of a
22、 basic motion picture camera.,Production Phase,How does the camera work? As you can see, the film makes its way from the spool into the loop and through the gate. The aperture in the gate is a small square hole that allows light to pass from the lens onto the focal plane of the film. This process is
23、 represented in the diagram on the left of the next slide.,Production Phase,How does the camera work? Once light has been focused by the lens, the camera shutter opens. The shutter is shaped like a revolving disc and its function is to allow a single frame of film to be exposed to light ONLY when it
24、 is completely motionless inside the gate. This normally occurs 24 times per second. See the following slide for shutter operation.,Production Phase,How does the film record the image? In the instant that the shutter opens and closes, exposing the film frame to light, a chemical reaction takes place
25、 on the surface of the film. The coating of emulsion, which is composed of light-sensitive silver halide, is burned away in various degrees (depending on the intensity of the light) leaving behind a “latent image” that is revealed once the film has been processed. The following two slide illustrates
26、 this.,Production Phase,Shot / Mastershot The 180 degree rule.,Production Phase,Now that we understand the basic mechanism, lets consider some of the ways that it can be manipulated during production: Types of shots Types of angles Lens choice Movement Lighting,Production Phase,Types of Shots There
27、are four basic shot types that are based on the apparent proximity of the subject. Long shot Full Shot Medium shot Close up shot,Production Phase,Types of Shots The Long Shot (a.k.a. Establishing Shot) In the most pragmatic sense, long shots can be used to establish a location, acquainting the viewe
28、r with the onscreen space so that the sequence of shots that follow is not disorienting. Long shots can also be used to suggest a wide variety of meanings such as isolation, loneliness, freedom, emotional distance, and more. (Note that interpreting any particular shot or sequence of shots is depende
29、nt upon the context of the film.),Production Phase,Types of Shots Full and Medium Shots Full shots include the entire body of a subject from top to bottom while medium shots generally include the body from the waist up. Full and medium shots tend to mimic our point of view when we are engaged in a s
30、ocial encounters.,Production Phase,Types of Shots The Close-Up Shot Close-up shots capture a single object, or feature within the frame. They are commonly used to reveal subtleties and/or create a sense of engagement or intensity.,Production Phase,Types of Angles There are three basic types of angle
31、s which refer to the position of the frame with respect to the subject within the frame. High Angle Low Angle Straight-On Angle,Production Phase,Types of Angles High Angle A high angle shot refers to a camera position where the lens aims down at the subject from above. An extreme high angle is somet
32、imes referred to as “birds eye view.” High angles can be used to reveal the layout of a room or to make a subject appear weak and small. As mentioned previously, however, the context of the scene and the larger film must be taken into account prior to interpretation.,Production Phase,Types of Angles
33、 Low Angle A low angle shot refers to a camera position where the lens aims up at the subject from below. As opposed to the high angle shot, the low angle tends to make the subject appear intimidating and powerful. Again, the larger context of the film must be accounted for.,Production Phase,Types o
34、f Angles Straight-On Angle A Straight-On shot refers to a camera position where the lens is aimed directly at the subject. Especially when used in conjunction with the full or medium shot, this angle mimics our point of view in a social encounter.,Production Phase,Lens Choice The only function of a
35、lens is to focus the light that is either projected or reflected from the surrounding environment onto the focal plane of the film. However, lenses come in a variety of focal-lengths which make the depicted scene appear at different distances. There are three basic types of lenses: Telephoto lens (a
36、 “long” lens) Wide angle lens (a “short” lens) Normal lens Zoom lens The image on the next slide shows the basic function of a lens.,Production Phase,Lens Choice Lens choice is guided by two primary and strongly related factors: Focal Length: The distance perspective of the lens. Depth of Field: The
37、 range of distance that can focused in front of the lens.,Production Phase,Lens Choice Telephoto Lens The focal length of a “telephoto” lens results in a magnified perspective, not unlike a telescope, which makes objects appear closer than they actually are when viewed with the naked eye. The teleph
38、oto lens has a relatively shallow depth of field, meaning that only a narrow range of space before the lens can be put into focus. It also tends to compress the foreground and background of the field, making images look flat or two-dimensional.,Production Phase,Lens Choice Wide Angle Lens In direct
39、opposition to the telephoto lens, the focal length of the wide angle results in a distanced perspective, which makes things appear further away than they actually are when viewed with the naked eye. The wide angle lens has a relatively deep field, meaning that a vast distance of space before the len
40、s can be put into focus. It also tends to create a more three dimensional effect. An extreme wide angle lens is sometimes referred to as a “fish eye” lens.,Production Phase,Lens Choice Normal Lens The focal length of the “normal” lens is similar to the actual distance of objects in the field of view
41、 when viewed with the naked eye. Zoom Lens The focal length of the “zoom” lens is able to be manipulated while in use, and can range from telephoto focal lengths to wide-angle focal lengths.,Production Phase,Camera Movement Camera movement guides the perspective of the spectator and causes him/her t
42、o attend to those events and features which are most important to the narrative and aesthetic of the film. There are five basic forms of camera movement: Panning Tilting Tracking Trucking Booming Crane Hand-Held,Production Phase,Camera Movement Panning Panning refers to the left to right or right to
43、 left movement of the camera as it remains on a single axis. This is demonstrated graphically on the following slide. Tilting Tilting refers to the down to up or up to down movement of a camera while it remains on a single axis.,Production Phase,Camera Movement Tracking Tracking refers to the sidewa
44、ys movement of the camera as it captures a scene. Trucking Trucking refers to the forwards or backwards movement of the camera as it captures a scene.(These are demonstrated graphically on the following two slides.),Production Phase,Camera Movement Booming Booming refers to the vertical movement of
45、the camera as it captures a scene. Craning Crane shots permit a wide range of sweeping motion and height in capturing a shot. This is demonstrated graphically on the next slide.,Production Phase,Camera Movement Hand-Held Just as the name indicates, hand-held camera movement is performed without the
46、assistance of a dolly or tripod. Hand held shots tend to have convey the subjective point of view of a character since they imitate a first-person perspective. Hand held shots are commonly used in “slasher” films to create a feeling of panic. Steadicam: A steadicam is camera mount that is attached t
47、o the operators body. It serves to reduce jerky movements and create the sense of a steady flow through space.,Production Phase,Lighting Lighting refers to how a scene is lit, and, to a large extent, how it is exposed on film. It is among the most complex and important aspects of production and can
48、be divided into two categories based on location and two categories based on style. Location (Indoor versus Outdoor lighting) Lighting Scheme (High Key versus Low Key lighting),Production Phase,Lighting Location Indoor lighting Indoor lighting is generally achieved through the use of specialized lam
49、ps with varying characteristics of directionality (focus), throw (distance), and intensity (brightness). There are three lights in a basic lighting setup (also see the next slide): Key Light (provides the primary source of illumination) Fill Light (illuminates the shadows left by the key light) Back
50、 Light (separates the foreground from the background),Production Phase,Lighting Location Outdoor Lighting Outdoor lighting is generally done with large, powerful lamps known as HMIs. In addition to lamps, other devices such as reflectors, flags, and neutral density gel may be used to increase or reduce the intensity of sunlight on various parts of the scene.,
