1920's Style Film

For this film challenge we were tasked with making a 2 minute 20's style film. We decided that a horror/mystery sense would be the best theme to go with to get the era across. 

Our original plan was to go to the top of the old college in the abandoned attic to film a series of shots. However for health and safety reasons we were not allowed to be up there. Because of this we went with the style of a 'Benny Hill chase' which although was ahead of the time period we were set in, actually worked quite well and led us to featuring different motion shots that we may not have had with our original idea. 

Another element of this challenge was the fact it was a silent film that we had to subtitle in editing, this was new to us as we had normally featured the audio from the original shot which meant we had to think more about how the actors were presenting themselves visually to make sure the narrative would match up through filming and editing.

A problem we had when filming was the camera was running low on battery so we had to film quicker than we'd have liked which meant some of the shots we had were not as polished as we needed meaning we had to go and re-film some shots as they were out of focus. This was obviously an inconvenience as it was taking away from the editing time we had set for ourselves. 

One of the reasons we were tasked with a 1920's silent film was to work with adding layers on film, we were given a 'scratchy' effect to place over the footage to really emulate that old footage look to pass it off as a 1920's original film, with this we still had to play around with how transparent we wanted it to appear to ensure the original footage was still visible. In addition to this were featuring text to caption the scenes taking place with speech that we individually decided we wanted. Finally it was to add the music which was relatively simple however still had to be timed right to suggest an organised flow to the film. 

Elements of cinematography

Elements Of Cinematography 

 Composition 

In cinematography, composition refers to the frame of the image and how the elements of the mis-en-scene appear in it. Composition guidelines must be observed when telling stories visually, as in filmmaking. Useful conventions are applied to make heroes stronger, villain ominous, generate anxiety, give the audience tranquility, and more…

Film Scholar's Insight Composition rules and conventions are older than cinema and photography. Most of the concepts in this page have been used for thousands of years in painting. Filmmakers and photographers have borrowed many techniques from painters and used them as a springboard for new ideas and practices.

Lead Room

If a character is looking frame left, then he should be placed frame right. This makes the framing comfortable because the subject is looking at the open space in front of him. This open space is called lead room or lead space.

If the actors were frame left, looking frame left, then the empty space would be behind them. This doesn't feel right because they would be looking at the edge of the frame. The proximity to the frame would generate a claustrophobic undertone that could upset some viewers.

Notice that when two shots of two actors in different sides of the screen are intercut together, the audience surmises that the actors are looking to one another, regardless of where they are.

 

Rule of Thirds

Another basic composition principle is called Rule of Thirds. To follow it, one must imagine the frame with two vertical lines and two horizontal lines, as to create three vertical sections of the same dimensions and three vertical sections also of the same size. The result is something like this:

The intersections of the lines are points of interest, where important objects are often placed. These points of interest are comfortable to the eye, thus the middle portion of the frame are kept "empty" or clear.

Filmmaker's Insight Filmmakers, like any other group of artists, like to break rules. The guidelines explained in this pages are just some basic concepts that any cinematographer or camera operator should know and apply. In some circumstances, however, it's okay to stray away from these rules. Overlooking the norm is acceptable with motivation and purpose. With practice, you should be able to conceptualise extraordinary compositions and make them work in your favor. Consider, for example, the two types of composition below. Static Composition Compositions with the majority of lines being horizontal or vertical are called Static Composition. In theory, horizontal and vertical lines are somewhat soothing, calm, tranquil... Notice how the the Emperor in Hero (2002) is not in none of the intersections of the Rule of Thirds. Indeed, he is right in the middle of the frame. The symmetry of the shot communicates the perfection of the palace and intensifies the situation. It is as though only a sacred or regal place could be so symmetrically perfect. Dynamic Composition When a composition has many diagonal lines it is called Dynamic Composition. The dynamism or excitement comes from the fact the diagonals are somewhat unsettling (as opposed to a static compositions that communicate peace and tranquility). As shown in the example above, one easy way to make shots dynamic is with an ultra high camera angle looking down at the subject. Depending on how camera is positioned, the natural lines of the environment will look diagonal http://www.elementsofcinema.com/cinematography/composition.html

Enrolment Task - Editing

Task:
Research the development of editing technology

Create a blog post that outlines the development of editing technology.
This post must include mention of:

• Early editing - cutting
• Moviola
• Flatbed Edit Suites
• Linear and Non-Linear editing
• Online and Offline Editing
• The Digital Era (CMX-600, Edit Droid and Avid 1)
• Modern editing platforms (Final Cut, Premiere Pro)
• Film and file types

Include mention of key texts affected by the developments in technology. You must
include videos and images that help illustrate your answers

Cutting
Cutting, the most basic edit in film, is a visual transition where one shot is instantaneously replaced by another on screen. In early films, film makers were cautious of editing as they thought it would cause confusion within audiences, however upon trial and error they found by cutting/splicing scenes, they could form more complex narratives. 

Moviola
A moviola is a device that allows a film editor to view a film whilst editing. It was the first machine for motion picture editing when it was invented by Iwan Serrurier in 1924. The machine allowed editors to study individual frames in their cutting room to help them determine where the best cut could take place.

Flatbed edit suites
A flatbed edit suite was what followed after moviola, it's another film editor used with motion picture. The images and sound rolls are loaded onto separate plates which move individually or can be locked together to maintain a synchronised transition between the sound and the image. 

Linear and Non-linear editing 
Linear editing is a post-production process of selecting, arranging and altering images and sound in a predetermined sequence(tape-to-tape) it was the first format to edit video tapes to begin with and was used a lot in live TV.
Non-Linear Editing became available and gave a new way of editing in the 90's, it allowed the original content to be kept with the edits themselves are edited by the software within, each time the audio audio or visual is rendered it is copied from the original therefore keeping the original safe.

Online and Offline Editing 
Offline is very similar to non linear editing in that it doesn't alter the original, it is copied and then edited. The digital revolution has made the process quicker for the editor when they moved from tape video cutting to computer editing software. Online editing is the next step, online editors allow an editor to edit video tape recordings using computer software.

The Digital Era

CMX 600

The first Non-Linear editing system, it was introduced in 1971 by CMX Systems, a joint company of CBS and Memorex, it was referred to as RAVE, or Random Access Video Editor. The 600 had a console with two black and white monitors, as well as a light pen which was used to control the system. The right monitor played the preview video, and was used by the editor to make cuts and to edit decisions by using the light pen to select options, which were over-laid on the image, while the left screen played the edited video. It recorded and played back video in analogue on disk packs the size of washing machines.

Edit Droid                                                      The Edit Droid is a computerised analogue NLE system which was developed by Lucasfilm spin-off company, the Droid Works and Convergence Corporation who formed a joint company. It existed through the mid 80’s to the early 90’s. Edit Droid debuted at the National Association of Broadcasters 62nd Annual meeting in 1984, alongside the Montage Picture Processor which would be its competitor for many years. Edit Droid has three screens, one Sun-1 computer display, one small preview video monitor and a large rear-projected monitor containing the cut. It pioneered the use of graphical display for editing introducing the timeline as well as picture icons to identify raw video clips.

Avid 1                                                            Avid 1 was based on an Apple Macintosh II computer with special hardware and software designed by Avid installed. By the early 1990s, Avid/1 began replacing machines like the Moviola and Steenbeck flatbed editors, allowing editors to edit easier. The first feature film edited using Avid/1 was Let’s Kill All The Lawyers (1992) directed by Ron Senkowski. By 1994, only three feature films had been edited using Avid/1, by 1995, dozens had made the switch, showing its popularity.

Modern Editing Software

Premier Pro 

A timeline based video editing software app, used by BBC and CNN for feature films such as Gone Girl, Captain Abu Raed, and Monsters. Premier Pro’s Plug-ins allows for importing and exporting formats not supported by QuickTime and others, and supports a wide variety of video and audio files.

Final Cut Pro                                                      A series of non-linear video editing software developed by Macromedia Inc. and later by Apple, the most recent version runs on Mac OS computers. The software allows the editor to transfer video onto a hard drive to be edited, processed and rendered to a variety of formats.

https://emilywheelhousehnccreativemedia.wordpress.com/2016/08/31/development-of-editing-technology/

moviola image
https://rowlandediting.wordpress.com/history-of-video-editing-and-techniques/
flatbed edit suite image
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steenbeck