3. Production: Camera

Part 3
Montage: Production

Share Your Storyboard and Get Feedback

Today we're going to begin to share our storyboards and then give feedback to the filmmakers.

Here's a reminder of the feedback rules we went over yesterday:

Feedback rules

The filmmaker sets up their goals for the project.

It's important for the audience to know what the filmmaker is trying to achieve so that they can give good feedback that will help the filmmaker in that goal. Sometimes, audiences project their own goals and then the feedback process can go wrong.

2. Start with the positive.

You need to help encourage the filmmaker. You want to see the good in their work. It could be the potential for good or a good idea. It’s always about supporting the filmmaking.

3. Be specific.

Try to not just say, that’s good. But what about it is good. They need to know if they are going to replicate that.

4. Limit the improvements to the most important elements.

What step(s) can they take to make their work better? It’s not as helpful to give them a long list of areas they can improve, but try to cut to the most important area they can grow in.

5. Filmmakers choose the feedback that helps them.

It's up to you what you want to go with. It's your film!

Production: Overview

Production is the part of filmmaking where you are shooting the film. It's what most people typically think of when they think of filmmaking. Film production looks very different depending on the budget and the production company. It could be just you making a film by yourself. That's possible. We're going to check out this one video by a YouTuber filmmaker named D4Darius. Let's take a look at his film that he shot by himself and talk about what made it work (or not work!).

Just for context, let's talk about big budget productions. In Hollywood and Hollywood type productions, they look similar to these two short videos we'll watch about the movie, 1917. You can see that there is a much larger crew and cast and the video will show you what it looks like to have a professional crew film a movie. We're going to watch a short scene from the movie and then the behind the scenes video.

Production: How to Use Your Camera

CAMERA SETTINGS FOR 4K

In all smartphones, there is a settings area where you can adjust the settings of your camera. It's possible for most smartphones to shoot in 4K which just means that the image will have a greater amount of detail and will look better.

SHOOTING HORIZONTALLY

I prefer that you shoot horizontally. I feel this will give your film a better look because the horizontal image looks more like a "real" film. You can also use the rule of thirds more effectively. Portrait or vertical mode of shooting looks more like a homemade film and it may be appropriate if that's what you're going for but I would avoid it.

FOCUS:

Focus is how sharp your image or not sharp. It's very important to control this well. The smartphone camera usually automatically focuses on what is the most obvious object or person to focus on. If you want to control the focus of the camera, then for an i phone, you can...

I'm not as familiar with Androids, but check out this link:

Below, you have an example of an in-focus image vs. an out of focus image.

Android Camera Settings

SHALLOW DEPTH OF FIELD

One special effect that is related to focus is Shallow Depth of Field. It's a great way to make your film look more professional and engaging. It looks something like the images below. Notice how sharply focused the person and the flower is in the foreground. But the background is blurry. It definitely can look cooler and more cinematic than an image where everything is in focus. This kind of image is hard to do with a smart phone but I've had some success if you take the following steps.

Bring your camera as close as you can to the subject.
If necessary, use manual focus on the subject that you want to be in focus.
Make sure the background is farther away. It doesn't work too well if the background is close to the subject.

EXPOSURE AND LIGHT

Exposure is how much light is in the frame. Again, most smartphones are making all of these decisions for you. If you want to control the exposure, then, here's how you do it on an iphone:

For Android phones, check out that link above. I'll try to find more info if you're not getting what you need.

Below is an example of good exposure and over exposed image.

A FEW THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT LIGHT

If you're shooting outside, the best time to shoot is the Magic Hour. It's either as the sun is rising or as the sun is setting. It creates a magical light effect that is soft and diffuse and just looks better. See the two examples below. If you can't shoot at magic hour, then be careful of very strong sunlight. It can really overexpose your image. Try shadows or indirect light. Also, an overcast day is good because the light is diffuse with the clouds filtering the sunlight.

INDOOR SHOOTING AND LIGHT:

So the main thing to remember here is that the lighting needs to be on the objects or people that you want it. It can be very distracting if the main character is too dark. Try playing around with the lights in the room and creating the best lighting set up for your story. Also, know that there are some types of light that are more attractive than others. These box lights shown below are diffuse and so they tend to look better. If you want an attractive look, I would stay away from fluorescent.

HOW TO HOLD YOUR CAMERA FOR STABLE SHOTS

Besides the focus and exposure, the most important thing about shooting with your smartphone is how you hold onto the camera. Two major tips:

Hold the camera with both hands to steady the shot.
Keep your elbows to your chest. This gives you an even steadier shot because your arms are supported by your body.

HOW TO HOLD YOUR CAMERA WHILE MOVING

Your camera can get pretty shaky when you are trying to film someone running and tracking that person. So one way to solve this problem is to walk like a ninja. In other words, bend your knees and crouch while you are walking. This will help smooth out the shot. If you walk upright, it tends to make every step very jerky with the camera.

You can also use anything that has wheels that you can safely sit or stand on like a rolling chair.

TRIPODS FOR MORE STABILITY AND FLEXIBILITY

These are devices that help you create a very stable shot and also can be very helpful if you don't have anyone to shoot for you. If you don't have one, you can make one. Here are a few examples (see the video to learn how to make these):

And there are tripods that you can purchase. Here are a few I use:

Activity

I want you to make three different 10-second videos using the techniques that we just went over.

Make a 10-second video with a sharp focus. Find something to film and make sure your main subject is in sharp focus.
Make a 10-second video with good lighting. Find something to film and make sure the lighting looks good to you.
Make a 10-second video with a shallow depth of field.

Also, please make sure that all of the videos are stable and not too shaky.

And please use the horizontal way of shooting or landscape way of shooting.

A WORD ABOUT SOUND

We're not really focusing on sound because it's a whole different ball game and I hope you'll focus mostly on image for this project. But if you are planning to use sound. The biggest two things you need to worry about is:

Proximity. You need the microphone close to the speaker. You can do this by shooting with the camera close to the actor and so we can hear her voice. Or you can also place another smartphone near the actor and record it separately. Then, in post-production, you'll have to synch the sound. You need to clap your hands before yelling Action because that clap will be how you bring the two clips together.
Background noise can kill sound for your film. If you have loud and especially sharp noises in the background, that will make the sound almost not useable. The sound is really hard to fix in post.

Homework

The homework is to shoot your film and make sure you save it onto your computer. Tomorrow, we'll talk about editing and making your film a reality. Good luck! And as always, email me with questions.

BONUS CONTENT

HOW TO SHOOT LIKE A FILMMAKER

When you are on your "set" and you are ready to shoot. There are certain steps that most filmmakers take to make sure that they are in synch with their cast and crew. Even if it's just two of you, it's important that you work together. These steps will help you and also if you get in the habit of this, you'll be more comfortable doing this when you get into larger settings.

First, use your storyboard to figure out how you are going to set up your shot.
Think about the actors and their actions in the scene. Have them practice the action. Or if there are no actors, then just make sure what you're filming is ready to go.
Then, it can be good to practice the camera move that you're going to use to film the action. Especially if it's a tricky move like tracking the action.
Then, once the actors have practiced and the crew has practiced the shot, then you're ready.
Director presses record button and says, "Camera Rolling". This means that you're recording. It also means the actors need to get ready for their action.
Director can say, "Scene 1, Wide shot, Take 1". This is a way to help organize the shoot. If you have this at the beginning of the shot, it'll help the editor to figure out what it is. So the format that is helpful is what scene is it. What type of shot is it. And what take is it.
Director then checks to see if everything is ready and when it looks like everyone is ready to go, they can yell out, "Action!" This signals the actors to go and do their action.
After the action of the shot is finished, the director decides to keep going or to stop. When she's ready to stop, she yells out "Cut." This signals to the actors to stop acting and the crew to stop filming. A good rule of thumb is to let the scene play out a little longer than you might think because sometimes interesting things happen that you might want in the film.
After you finish the take, then you can review the footage if you weren't able to see it. You decide if you want to shoot again or if you want to move on to the next shot. Some directors like David Finch shoot like 30 takes of a scene. He's famous for being a perfectionist. Some directors just do it a few times. But it's up to you.
It's good to make sure that the footage is saved onto your computer. I have lost a huge amount of footage because it sometimes gets damaged or lost. So while you're shooting, it's good to make sure you save it onto the computer as a safety measure. Some filmmakers actually like to edit it on the spot. So they can see how it flows together or not. This is not a bad idea because you might see something in a quick edit to let you know if you should reshoot something.

Part 3 Montage: Production

CAMERA SETTINGS FOR 4K

Part 3
Montage: Production