all's said and done

Friday, 6 September 2013

Video Editing

Any kind of production would not be a success without Editing.

A raw footage may have its intrinsic beauty. However, the story may not be depicted appropriately without doing some changes to the footage, considering that the audience will have different interpretations of the scenes or the whole plot itself.

Video Editing is very important because it helps in the management of shooting time or production stage. It makes the whole production process speedy. Just imagine that you are doing a film without having a post-production stage (editing), you would hardly finish the entire film because the planning of shooting scenes and the filming process itself would eat a lot of your time. Also, there is no burden to have a one-time shooting stage.

Another important role of editing is that it contributes to the mood, transitions and objective of the film. Through editing, we can hide "imperfections" in the scenes. Now, visual effects are undeniably part of the post-production stage. Editing greatly helps in sequencing of scenes.

Some products that we can do with videos are: films or movies, music videos, lyric videos, advertisements or movie trailers (teasers), documentaries, news reports, television shows, video demonstrations or explanations, and evidences of an event or crime.

Here are five editing techniques one should learn to achieve a film/movie's aim.

1. Match Cut - combining two shots of differing angle and composition so that the action continues from one to the other in the same time and place. This is done to show seamless progression of action and to enhance three-dimentionality. Here's an example:

2. Cutaway - is used to show a subject - detailed close-up or person observing an action. Subject (i.e. observer) is not seen in shots edited before or after cutaway. This is used to cover jump shots (subject jumps from one part of the screen to another) and to provide a subject's reaction to an action (e.g. interview scenes).

For example:

3. Fade From and To Black - "Fade From Black" means the image gradually appears from a black screen. "Fade To Black" means the image gradually disappears to a black screen. These are used to begin and end a video. These can serve as transitions between scenes to signify changes in time or location.

This video has an example:

4. Super - this is mixing two images/footage together. This is used to show two views of subject at the same time that can suggest that the main subject is thinking about the other.

For example:

5. Lower Third Title - is used in putting text at the bottom third of the screen. This is commonly applied in identifying the name and title of an interviewee or to provide subtitles for a film.

This is an example:

Reference:

http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~candace/basics/editing.htm

Video Sources:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI82hsBrq8w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mznhIILVu-k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRDbB3zrevU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XANR5i4VIns

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugdUjzPWo4k

Sunday, 1 September 2013

Film Analysis: Hugo

Hugo is an orphan boy living in the walls of a train station in 1930s Paris. He learned to fix clocks and other gadgets from his father and uncle which he puts to use keeping the train station clocks running. The only thing that he has left that connects him to his dead father is an automaton (mechanical man) that doesn't work without a special key. Hugo needs to find the key to unlock the secret he believes it contains. On his adventures, he meets Georges Melies, a shopkeeper, who works in the train station, and his adventure-seeking god-daughter, Isabelle. Hugo finds that they have a surprising connection to his father and the automaton, and he discovers it unlocks some memories the old man has buried inside regarding his past.

The theme of this film is "reason for existence" or "purpose in life". This is mainly because of Hugo's undying passion to find out the secret message and the purpose of the automaton by constantly looking for ways to mend it. At the same time, "purpose in life" was also mentioned in one of the dialogues - when Hugo and Isabelle talked about what their existence is for.

The film's cinematography and lighting were well-blended. The angles of the scenes, especially the thrilling ones, showed unique perspectives. One example would be the scene where Hugo was hanging down on one of the big clock's hands, hiding from the station inspector. The lighting gave a cinematic effect from the beginning until the end of the film.

The set design was good because it portrayed the reality in each of the locations used in the scenes (i.e. train station, Georges' house, library, etc.). Also, the set design itself complemented the film's cinematic effect. Costumes were as good as the whole production design. In the same way, the actors and actresses' outfits showed what was the real clothings of the people in Paris.

Symbolism in the film included the clock, the heart-shaped key and lock, the ashes of Hugo's notebook, the drawing of Voyage to the Moon and the broken automaton itself. Moments when Hugo looked through the hole on the clock illustrated that he has been looking for hope across time. The heart-shaped key and lock implied that the automaton's fixed condition depended on continuous love, passion and not giving up in making it write or work. The ashes of Hugo's notebook symbolized fake action. If you burned something to be able to get rid of it, why would you keep its remains (in a handkerchief)? It only showed that Georges' scheme was just to make Hugo feel hopeless (because he really did not burn the notebook). The drawing that showed Voyage to the Moon captures the beauty of adventure. The broken automaton symbolized mystery, significance of a message and ceaseless wonder for purpose.

The general editing of the film was also very good. However, the part when the title was showed, "HUGO" only appeared for about three seconds which slightly made its exposure lacking and hanging. There was also an observation in the film's sequencing of scenes and "understandability". Although the overall story was understood, some of the scenes did not cohere well. One example would be Hugo's "double dream". This is a point of improvement unless the director's aim is to put the audience in a little puzzlement. Other scenes (i.e. the very first scene/s) were purely computer-animated. The scene where there were flying drawings from the small chest in Georges' house was totally amazing.

There were unnoticeable problems with sound. The editing of audio just added to the film's mood and message.

My rating for this film is four out of five. I recommend this film to all persons, regardless of age, for them to realize the value of purpose and adventure just as how I did.

Reference:

1. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0970179/

Photo Sources:

1. http://www.laterbloomer.com/late-bloomer-movies

2. http://www.aceshowbiz.com/still/00001691/hugo-still03.html

3. http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/hugo/5926

4. http://www.dexigner.com/news/24290

Friday, 16 August 2013

Scribble Your Thoughts

I understand that my dreams are un-understandable.

You keep on appearing. I cannot decode the reason.

Why was that? What do these things mean?

Thirst for purpose runs in my soul.

I wonder if there is a way for us to maintain dreamless nights.

'Cause I prefer that than when I see you in my dreams.

Sleep is supposed to be an aim, a rest that we deserve.

Not something that we want to avoid.

_______________________________________________________

:) :(

Tuesday, 6 August 2013

Types of Shot

The following are the shots which can be seen in the video:

1. Extreme Wide Shot - this type of shot is incorporated in the video through allowing a big/wide part of the backfield to be viewed in the frame, with the subject appearing small.

2. Wide Shot - in this shot, the subject is nearer compared to the previous shot. But this still has a wide view.

3. Medium Shot - the subject is nearer, i.e. the only part of her body which is included in the frame is her waist up to her head.

4. Medium Close-up - the focus in this shot is the subject's face (which can include her neck and other things near her head/face).

5. Extreme Close-up - in this shot, only the subject's smile/mouth appear in the frame.

6. Over-the-shoulder Shot - a girl's back is turned from the camera with the previous subjects appearing over her shoulder.

7. Close-up - only the girl's face appears in the frame.

8. Cut-in - the girl's moving hands (while she is talking) appear in the frame.

9. Graphic Shot - in this shot, the subject is inside the big three-dimensional zero.

10. 2S Shot - two persons appear in the frame.

11. Index - a finger is pointing to the sky.

12. 3S Shot - three persons appear in the frame.

13. 4S Shot - four persons appear in the frame.

14. Cross-shot - another girl talks to the main subject, connecting one shot (big girl is talking) to another (small girl is reacting).

Friday, 26 July 2013

DSLR Activities

Noise Quality

For this photo, I used ISO200. The image is darker than when I used a higher ISO. There is no obvious noise.

I used ISO6400 for this photo. The light seems to become a bit stronger or brighter. Noise is noticeable.

Depth of Field

The aperture of this photo is 5.6 and the shutter speed is 1/4. The background has bokeh.

The aperture of this photo is 32 and the shutter speed is 1/5. Background has no bokeh.

Blurriness

The shutter speed of this photo is 1/8. Aperture is 29. There is apparent motion blur.

The shutter speed of this photo is 1/400. Aperture is 5.0. The image of water droplets is very sharp.

Sunday, 14 July 2013

Language of the Lens

Just as various paints are used to create different forms of visual art, or a choice of ingredients to cook a certain dish, or strategies to achieve a specific plan; DSLR cameras also have different types of lenses which can produce unique photos. Here are five of them:

1. Zoom Lens

The zoom lens’ focal length is adjustable from a minimum to a maximum length. This lens has become a basic lens for DSLRs. This usually has a lower maximum aperture than other lenses. Its maximum aperture is greater at the wide-angle end than at the telephoto end of the zoom range. Zoom lenses are made such that the loss of image quality remains minimal. This kind of lens can be used particularly in medium or normal shots.

2. Prime Lens

The prime lens or “prime” is a standard non-zoom lens. It is smaller, lighter and cheaper than a zoom lens of the same quality. It has a larger maximum aperture, so it can be used with less light at the same shutter speed and can provide less depth of field if desirable.

3. Macro Lens

The macro lens is designed for extreme close-up shots. This is popular for nature shooting, especially if the subjects are small living and non-living things. Most macro lenses can focus to infinity with satisfactory sharpness.

4. Perspective Control Lens

The perspective control lens allows the photographer to control the appearance of perspective in the image; the lens can be moved parallel to the film or sensor. This movement of the lens allows adjusting the position of the subject in the image area without moving the camera back; it is often used to avoid convergence of parallel lines, such as when photographing a tall building or other vertical structures.

5. Fisheye Lens

The fisheye lens is an extreme wide-angle lens with an angle of view of up to 180 degrees or more, with very noticeable (sometimes intended) distortion or the so-called convex non-rectilinear appearance. This usually is the widest lens a DSLR can have. Its focal length depends on the film format it is designed for. Fisheye lenses are also used for scientific photography such as recording of aurora and meteors. They are also used as peephole door viewers to
give the user a wide field of view.

Article References:

Photo Sources (in chronological order from number 2 to 5):

Sunday, 23 June 2013

The History of Philippine Cinema

Cinema's Arrival in the Philippines

Pertierra, a Spaniard, attempted to launch his first movie show in Manila in December 1896. However, the show kept being postponed until January. In 1897, the movies: Un Homme Au Chapeau (Man with a Hat), Une scene de danse Japonaise (Scene from a Japanese Dance), Les Boxers (The Boxers), and La Place de L' Opera (The Place L' Opera), were shown in Manila via 60mm Gaumont Chrono-photograph projector.

Lumiere Cinematograph

A Spanish soldier named Antonio Ramos imported a Lumiere Cinematograph from Paris. Two persons, namely Liebman and Peritz, were able to present the first movies on the Lumiere Cinematograph in Manila by August 1897.

Earliest Movie Shot

In 1898, Antonio Ramos used the Lumiere Cinematograph to film Panorama de Manila (Manila landscape), Fiesta de Quiapo (Quiapo Fiesta), Puwente de España (Bridge of Spain), and Esceñas Callejeras (Street scenes).

First Movie Houses

Cine Walgrah, located at 60 Calle Santa Rosa in Intramuros, was opened by a British man named Walgrah. Another movie house, named Gran Cinematografo Parisien located at 80 Calle Crespo, Quiapo, was opened in 1902 by a Spanish entrepreneur, Samuel Rebarber. Jose Jimenez, a stage backdrop painter, set up the first Filipino-owned movie theater, the Cinematograpo Rizal which was located at Azcarraga Street.

Rose of the Philippines

The first Philippine story film was entitled Rose of the Philippines . It was produced by Carl Laemmele's Independent Moving Picture Company and was known as "a dramatic story from the days of the Empire".

When sound was present

In 1910, the first picture with sound reached Manila, using the Chronophone. By 1930, the talking pictures were already one year old in the country with the showing of Syncopation, the first American sound film.

Film Marketing

New York and Hollywood film companies established their agencies in Manila by 1912. In 1915, the best films of Europe and U.S. were being enjoyed by Filipino audiences, both in Manila and the Provinces.

Zamboanga

The first Filipino movie to achieve international recognition was Zamboanga, starred in by Fernando Poe and Rosa del Rosario, in the year 1937. Hollywood director Frank Capra praised Zamboanga as the most exciting and beautiful picture of native life he had ever seen.

Golden Age of Philippine Cinema

The 5th and 6th decades were the Golden Age of Philippine cinema with films engraving marks in the overseas scene. Among the films which achieved awards at the Cambodian, Asia and Berlin Film Festivals were: Kandelerong Pilak, Ifugao, and Anak Dalita.

Film Producers Association

In 1911, the first association of motion picture producers and distributors was organized by American, Spanish, Filipino producers and theater managers to fight the imposition of censorship and to lobby against taxes.

Censorship and Taxes

In 1912, the Government established the Board of Censors for cinematographic films. It was succeeded by the Board of Censorship for Moving Pictures in 1929. This is now the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB).

Film Academy

A Presidential Decree was issued creating the Film Academy of the Philippines. Under its umbrella are the different organizations of the industry's working forces:

MOWELFUND - Movie Welfare Fund
KAPP - Katipunan ng mga Artista ng Pelikulang Pilipino
KDPP -Kapisanan ng mga Director ng Pelikulang Pilipino
DGPI - Directors Guild of the Philippines, Inc.
SGP - Screenwriters Guild of the Philippines
FEGMP - Film Editors Guild for Motion Pictures
PDGP -Production Designers Guild of the Philippines
STAMP - Sound Technicians Association for Motion Pictures
ADPM - Assistant Directors and Production Managers
FSC - Filipino Society of Cinematographers
UFIMDAP- United Film Music Directors Association of the Philippines
OSFILM - Organization of Specialized Filmmakers
AFW - Actor's Workshop Foundation
PMPPA - Philippine Motion Picture Producers Association
MPDAP - Movie Producers & Distributors Association of the Philippines

Film as an Effective Medium

It was Jose Nepomuceno who came on the scene and realized the challenge and promise of cinema from a different perspective. He saw cinema, not only as a profitable entertainment fare, but as a unique medium with which to document the unfolding development of the Philippines.

Government's Recognition of Cinema's Relevance

The Philippine Commission recognized early the potential of cinema as a tool of communication and information, so that in 1909, the Bureau of Science bought a complete filmmaking unit and laboratory from Pathe, and sent its chief photographer, the American, Charles Martin, to France to train for a year.

Effect of Global Economic Trends on Cinema

Big movie studios in Hollywood, such as 20th Century Fox, MGM, Paramount, Columbia, Universal; and in the Philippines- the famous Big-Four- Premiere Production, Sampaguita Pictures, LVN Studio, Lebran Production, are all virtually closed down due to the proliferation of individual and collective modes of film production.