Video and Sound Production - Exercises

17/04/20 - 08/05/20 (Week 1 - Week 7)

Atiqah Farzana Binti Syalleh Karimyee (0336740)
Video and Sound Production
Exercises

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LECTURE NOTES

Week 1 (17/04/20)

Our first class session was held via Zoom with Mr. Martin and Mr. Razif. Here are the lecture slides:

After our briefing, we were required to install two Softwares which would be very crucial for this module- Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Audition and After Effects. The most important tool is a camera, but Mr. Martin also asked us to buy a tripod and headphones if we didn't have one already. 

Week 2 (24/04/20)

This week's class was also held via Zoom, and the lecture was about storytelling in film. Here are the lecture slides:

Week 3 (01/05/20)

No class today as it is a public holiday (Labour day).

Week 4 (08/05/20)

Today's lecture is a continuation of last week's lecture- storytelling in film. 

We learnt more about the breakdown of a story's plot and structure. Each story has a 3 ACT structure which consists of:

        ACT 1 - Beginning:

            Setup/introduction of a story

        ACT 2 - Middle:

            Confrontation of a problem

        ACT 3 - End:

            Resolution of problems

ACT 1 - BEGINNING/SETUP:

The "inciting incident" which turn the story in a new direction

• To introduce the main characters.
• To introduce the world.
• To establish a dramatic situation.
• This leads to an incident that complicates the story.

To summarise the beginning of a story's 1st act, we can use these three phrases:

1. Once upon the time…..
2. Everyday…...
3. Until one day…...

ACT 2 - MIDDLE/CONFRONTATION:

Also known as ‘Rising Action’, this part of the story develops obstacles and complications which will lead to the climax of the story. 

• Known as ‘Rising Action’.
• To develop obstacles / complications.
• Leads to climax of the story.

To explain the chain of events in a story's 2nd act, we can use these three phrases:

1. Because of this……
2. Because of that……
3. Because of that……

At the end of this act is the 'Climactic Turning Point' where a possible solution is presented and the protagonist's quest reaches critical mass.

ACT 3 - END/RESOLUTION:

Act 3 resolves all obstacles/problems and ends the climax.

• Answer to all obstacles/problems
• Tying the loose ends
• Ending of climax

To resolve the story's 3rd act, we can use these two phrases:

1. Until finally…..
2. And ever since then……

Week 5 (15/05/20)

We learnt that the earliest cinema film was made in 1896 called 'Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat' by the Lumiere Brothers. At the time, the shots were very simple and straightforward. The camera usually only had one shot which was positioned as if the viewer was actually there. Later on, filmmakers realised this technique was very flat so they broke the action into shots and sequences, which is essentially how modern cinematography is.

A shot is a continuous view shit by one camera without interruption.

A sequence is a series of scenes, or shots, complete in itself.

A scene defines the place or setting where the action is laid, and may consist of a series of shots or sequences depicting a continuous event.

A shot size determines how large the area that's visible within the frame. There are 7 different shot sizes which are:

1. Wide shot
2. Medium wide shot
3. Extreme wide shot
4. Medium shot
5. Medium close-up shot
6. Close-up shot
7. Extreme close-up shot

Fig. 1.1 Shot Sizes

Wide shot (W.S)

includes the entire subject and important objects in the immediate surroundings. If used in the beginning of a scene, it is often called an "establishing shot".

Fig. 1.2 Wide Shot

Medium shot (M.S)

shows the subject that are important to understand- gesture and expression. It usually only shows the person from the waist up, and the lower half of the body is out of the frame.

Fig. 1.3 Medium Shot

Medium close-up shot (M.C.U)

character is approximately filmed midway between the waist and shoulders to above the head.

Fig. 1.4 Medium Close-up Shot

Over-the-shoulder shot (O.S)

shows the subject from behind the shoulder from another person. If can be from below too, but it shouldn't show too much of the person or else it would no longer be considered an over-the-shoulder shot.

Fig. 1.5 Over-the-shoulder Shot

Extreme wide shot (E.W.S)

shows a broad view of the surroundings around the character and conveys scale, distance, and geographical location. It's used to show where the character is in their environment.

Fig. 1.6 Extreme Wide Shot

Medium wide shot (M.W.S)

shows a character usually cut off across the legs above or below the knees. It is wide enough to show the physical setting in which the action is taking place, it permits a nice balance of figure and surroundings.

Fig. 1.7 Medium Wide Shot

Close-up shot (C.U)

isolates the most important part of the subject. For a speaker, this is generally the head, or small object. It emphasises the facial expression and details of an object.

Fig. 1.8 Close-up Shot

Extreme close-up shot (E.C.U)

singles out a portion of the face and magnifies a detail. The object is to focus on the important detail either to increase the drama or impact on a situation or to allow the viewer to see a necessary picture information more clearly.

Fig. 1.9 Extreme Close-up Shot

Camera angles

The rule of thirds divides the frame into thirds both horizontally and vertically. the points where the vertical and horizontal lines cross are aesthetically pleasing spots to place subjects or to have perspective lines converge.

Fig. 1.10 Rule of Thirds

Fig. 1.11 Rule of Thirds Examples

Screen direction

Dynamic screen direction:

Constant screen travel depicts a subject motion in one direction only. A series of shots of a person walking, a car driving, a plane flying- should move int he same direction to show progression.

Fig. 1.12 Dynamic Screen Direction

Static screen direction:

When planning shots with two characters, you need to understand the camera movement in relation to the 180 rule. The rule enforces the camera stays on a horizontal axis and not cross-sections so that it will disorient the viewer. The horizontal axis is called "Line of Action".

Fig. 1.13 Static Screen Dimension

180-degree rule:

If cam 2 and cam 3 are used, the audience says on one side of the line of action. These shots are called "reverse angle shots". Cam 4 (x) crossed the line of action and makes the sequence disorienting and confusing.

Fig. 1.14 180 Degree Rule Example

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INSTRUCTIONS

Module Information Booklet:

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EXERCISE

Week 1 (17/04/20)

No exercise yet for this week.

Week 2 (24/04/20)

1. Adobe Premiere Pro Exercise - Mints

Our first editing exercise required us to edit and compile 19 clips into one single video. Here is my completed outcome:

Fig. 2.1 Mints - Exercise

2. Plot Segmentation: REBOOTED

We had to write a plot segmentation to the short stop-motion animation 'REBOOTED' which is attached below:

  Fig. 2.2 Rebooted Film

This is a plot segmentation of Toy Story which we could use as a reference.

Here is my first attempt at a plot segmentation for 'REBOOTED':

Fig. 2.3 Rebooted - Plot Segmentation

However, Mr. Martin wanted it to be only in an A4 page; one sentence per short scene and a breakdown for a long scene. I felt mine was rather lengthy so I had to rework it. Here is the shortened version:

Fig. 2.4 Rebooted - Plot Segmentation Final

Week 3 (01/05/20)

 Even though today was a public holiday, we were still given a few exercises to do.

1. Adobe Premiere Pro Exercise - Doritos

Similar to the first exercise, we had to combine several clips together to make a complete video. However, this time the clips are numbered incorrectly so we have to piece them together in the correct order. It was a bit tricky because each clip was very short and it got confusing at times.

Fig. 2.5 Doritos - Exercise

2. Adobe Premiere Pro Exercise - Lalin

'Lalin' is a Thai short film about a girl struggling with acne who fakes her identity on social media.

Fig. 2.6 Lalin - Short Film

Unlike the previous two exercises, the clips in this exercise has a person holding a clipping board at the start which indicates the scene and take number before the actual recording starts. The director will yell 'action' when it begins and 'cut' when it ends. Since the clips are very different compared to the previous exercises we've done, Mr. Martin gave us an in-depth tutorial on how to edit the clips together.

There was one particular scene in which the man is sitting at the table, then it jumps to the next scene of the same place but he is gone. Mr. Martin taught us how to edit it seamlessly by putting the scenes together, and then shortening the 2nd scene. 

Fig. 2.7 Overlapping Scenes

Fig. 2.8 Shorten 1st Scene

Fig. 2.9 Combine both scenes

For the finishing touches, he went to the effects tab and chose the effect 'cross dissolve' to blend the two scenes together. The effect 'dip to black' was also added at the beginning and end of the video for a fading effect.

After following the whole tutorial, this is my outcome:

Fig. 2.10 Lalin - Exercise

Week 4 (08/05/20)

1. Lalin Exercise - Trimming to 50 seconds

Mr. Martin asked us to trim the Lalin video to only 50 seconds sharp. We also had to add some background music, which he gave us a few choices to choose from. This is my attempt:

Fig. 2.11 Lalin - 50seconds

2. Thai Soap Advert - Trim to 40 seconds

This is a Thai soap advertisement shown in 4 different, yet equally creative ways. 

Fig. 2.12 Ake Soap Ad

Our seniors had filmed the 'emo' part of the advertisement, which we then had to compile the clips and trim them to be only 40 seconds. This is my attempt:

Fig. 2.13 Ake Soap Demo - 40seconds