SUMMARY

Role

Cinematographer

Intention (SMART Goal)

By March 2nd, as part of team 2, I will explore the cinematographer’s skill pathway by following The Visual Story by Bruce Block and will have created scenes that demonstrate the visual story structure of space.

PRE-PRODUCTION – INQUIRY

Leader in the Field / Exemplary Work

Claire Mathon

Training Source(s)

The Visual Story by Bruce Block

Creating Longitudinal Space (deep space):

Emphasize longitudinal planes. Any wall, floor, or ceiling can create a longitudinal plane. Keep frontal planes out of the shot because they’re flat. Including longitudinal planes is the most important way to create deep space.
Stage objects perpendicular to the picture plane (toward or away from the camera). Arrange the objects emphasizing size change. Objects in the FG should be larger and objects in the BG should be much smaller.
Move the camera. Get a dolly, a crane, or hand-hold the camera but keep it moving as much as possible. Be sure to motivate the camera moves by linking them to object movement or dramatic purpose. Dollying in and out, tracking left and right, and craning up and down create relative movement.
Take advantage of tonal separation. Light scenes with more tonal contrast. Make objects in the FG brighter than objects in the BG.

Creating Flat Space:

Eliminate perspective. Remove all longitudinal planes and emphasize frontal planes
Stage objects parallel to the picture plane. Keep the objects in the picture on a single, frontal plane so that they remain the same size.
Remove relative movement. Don’t use a dolly or crane for camera movement unless the dolly moves parallel to frontal planes. A tripod and a zoom lens may be all you need because the camera should tilt and pan only to maintain flat space.
Reduce tonal/ color separation. It will be important to reduce tonal contrast and condense the gray scale. Color should be limited to all warm or all cool colors. Reversing the depth of color and tonal separation can further enhance the flat space.
Let objects blur. A shallow depth of field will allow the backgrounds to go out of focus. Blurred objects eliminate depth and emphasize flat space

Project Timeline

1. Start Pre-Production
2. Choose role
3. Make a SMART goal
4. Research Intentional Lighting, Focus, and creating deep and flat space.
5. Create Shot list with camera angles, position, and movement.
6. Create a timeline for the project.
7. Collaborate with the team, discuss film ideas.
8. Write log-line.
9. Create Trello board with scrum
10. Start Production
11. Gather Equipment and Props
12. Shoot the scenes, collaborate with director.
13. Start Post Production
14. Work on presentation.
15. Work on the blog post.
16. Finish presentation and blog post.
17. Present to class.
18. Reflect on what could be done better.
19. Present to Advisory Committee.

Proposed Budget

PRODUCTION – ACTION

The FILM

The Film

Skills Commentary

Slideshow

Intentional Lighting – I used light sources for the majority of all scenes shots within the building. When we were outside I let the sun do the work, as it was too complicated creating a light source while Lily was running to her destination.

Intentional Focus – In this scene I correlated the focus of the camera with the actions of the character. In the first photo the focus is on Adia as she is asking Lily for the money. In the second photo the focus is on Lily as she was handing Adia the money and receiving the envelope in return.

My Shot List with camera position, angle, and motion – Using this helped to organize what needed to be done for each shot and provided me with a checklist of what needed to be done next.

POST-PRODUCTION – REFLECTION

21st Century Skills

Ways of Thinking (Creativity, Innovation, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving)

I was creative with how I filmed Lily running to her destination and how I related those scenes to flat and deep space.

Ways of Working (Communication & Collaboration)

I collaborated with our director, Emma, while shooting the scenes. We also all collaborated together when creating the idea for this film.

Tools for Working (Info & Media Literacy)

The Bruce Block book and doing individual research where my main tools for working in this film session. Our team also used trello to help us keep up to date on what needs to be done for each day. All three of these tools also helped me be more productive.

Ways of Living in the World (Life & Career)

Keeping up with the schedule in this film was a great learning experience for my future. Especially when I have an assignment with a deadline. This skill can also relate to avoiding procrastination.

Reactions to the Final Version

We had advisory members critique and comment on our projects. I received feedback from James, “As you shot the scene when the character entered the forest, I liked how steady the camera was as you followed her, even when she was running.”

Self-Evaluation of Final Version

Simple- Our logline was relatively simple, therefore, it was easy to formulate a set of scenes that told our story the best without overthinking it.

Unexpected- Our film was unexpected because during the majority of the film the audience would infer that Lily is up to no good. But, in the end she is just delivering an ingredient for Samantha’s smoothie.

Concrete- Our film was memorable because of the way we used color, and kept the purpose of the envelope a secret.

Emotional- Our film was emotional because we didn’t reveal what the envelope was for until the end.

What I Learned and Problems I Solved

I learned about the basics of how to use flat space and deep space, however, I think that in the next film I would like to challenge myself more with that skill. For instance, in this film I used a lot of flat space which does not create as much tension as deep space. So, I want to use more deep space in the next film.

Grammar and Spelling

Grammarly

Editor

Lily