Cinematography, Composition & Editing Lecture – NICCI THOMPSON

Cinematography Camera (angles & movement) Lighting Colour noun the art of photography and camerawork in film-making. Cinematography Camera (angles & movement) Lighting Colour Art Direction Set Design / Props / Wardrobe Blocking

The Cinematographer / D.O.P In charge of everything that goes through the lens. Works closely with the director through pre-production and production. Responsible for using visuals/pictures to tell the story in the relevant mood/theme – Provokes emotional impact! Manages the technology on the set as well as his crew.

The Camera is a Tool….. The camera is used to show the story. It’s used to capture the performance of actors. It’s used to help convey the style and tone. It’s used to best describe the director’s vision and to communicate that vision to the audience. To manipulate and lead on the audience. But!!! It’s not the most important thing. That’s story!! (Just a box with a hole in it!)

Visual Literacy….. Wiki https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I90ZluYvHic “Visual literacy is the ability to interpret, negotiate, and make meaning from information presented in the form of an image, extending the meaning of literacy, which commonly signifies interpretation of a written or printed text.” Wiki https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I90ZluYvHic

Framing…..

Line of action….

Head room and looking room……

Don’t over complicate….. “Coverage” – The various angles in capturing a scene. Only shoot what you will need, and what you will use. Keep in mind the edit!! Rules are made to be broken!

Colour and Grade…. There are two stages of colour in film – Production colour that falls within lighting Post Colour Correction and Grade Post is there to make any corrections as well as Add that final flavour to the film.

Lighting…. (Gaffing) Lighting is vital. If you have the perfect shot but if the lighting doesn’t fit, it does work. Lighting is used to manipulate, shape and Enhance a person/scene/location. It’s there to reiterate the tone, feeling and emotion of the scene. “Gaffers are painters with light.”

Set Design & Wardrobe

“Blocking”? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8CP1tT8tdk

Blocking… The Movement in a scene. Where the characters move, how we follow them, what provokes the move and how it benefits the story. Nothing in day to day life is static. Even the most mundane tasks/situation have movement and action. It’s the first thing that should be done on location before filming.

Editing is….. The process of filmmaking where the video captured is restructured to make a new piece of work. In modern society there are various software available to aid in doing this, such as AVID, Final Cut and Adobe Premiere (to name the industry standards). Using such tools, one can take the existing video and place it into a new coherent order that best enhances the initial brief / project objective.

The Video Editing Stages….. The Assembly The Rough Cut Fine Cut Picture Lock Sound Mix Musical Score (Depends) Colour Correction / Grade Final Cut

The Relationship with Director and editor…. This is more for larger scale productions with roles on a crew, but worth covering. Arguably the most important relationship of the process. It’s the execution of the idea, artist vision and STORY. Always trust your editor and listen to them! The final draft of the script is written in the edit. The editor can only work with the material you give them.

FLOW, PACING & Structure! Make sure the product is always “doing it’s job”! Take the audience along on a ride, hook them in, reveal what it’s saying, why do they need to know and then conclude. Don’t bore people to death - short and snappy. Don’t fall in love with your work, “throw away your sweeties.”

Land those Punches…. SONY – TKO. Dir. Greg Hackett https://vimeo.com/124344587

The Footage….. You will possibly end up with a LOT of footage. In order to work efficiently, and to utilize your work, be organised. Keep track of what you have and arrange it early on in the edit so you know where everything is - Things always get lost. Keep a production log on set of each shot with notes is always useful! Watch your “DAILIES”. Reviewing the footage end of each day after a shoot is always good in case you need to get more or want to try something different.

“Festina Lente”

Take time to learn the craft of editing, but learn by doing. “Make Haste Slowly” Take time to learn the craft of editing, but learn by doing. Keep making mistakes, but learn from them.