4.29 - Editing & Review

Warm-Up
POTD
QOTD:
Use the edit-chart.jpg (on your desktop) to answer the following questions.
When can or should you use a mix (also known as a dissolve)? When should you use a fade in or fade out?


The 3 Basic Types of Edit:
Cut:
No transition between two cuts.

Mix:
Two clips are blended together. The first clip becomes more transparent as the second clip becomes more opaque.

Fade:
On a fade-in, a solid color (usually black) is gradually replaced by a clip.
On a fade-out, a clip is gradually replaced by a solid color (usually black).

Any other edits are generally avoided unless the style of edit fits a specific purpose (no, looking cool or interesting is NOT a purpose).


Peer Review Previews

4.19 - Production, Day 2

Warm-Up (10 min)

POTd


QOTd: When is it OK to break the 4th wall?
VOTd:
Fourth Wall:
The fourth wall refers to the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play. The presence of the fourth wall is an established convention of fiction and drama, which has led some artists to draw direct attention to it for dramatic or comedic effect. When this boundary is "broken", for example by an actor onstage speaking to the audience directly, or doing the same through the camera in a film or television program, it is called "breaking the fourth wall."

Quiet: Verbal cue to get ready to shoot. If you are recording with sound, you will want to make sure your actors can be heard.

Camera: Verbal cue to begin recording. It is good practice to begin recording 2-3 seconds before calling for “action.”

Action: Verbal cue to begin the action of the scene.

Cut: Verbal cue to stop the action of the scene. It is good practice to cut 2-3 seconds after the action of the shot is recorded.

Breaking the 4th Wall

Annie Hall Excerpt

Recording
We have:
- 3 HD cameras,
- 3 microphones
- 3 tripods
3 lights
2 dollies
Can you guess how many groups will record per class?


Uploading
Double Back Up:
When you have finished your shoot, import your clips to the desktop. From the desktop, copy your clips (they are in the iMovie Events folder) to the External Hard Drive. Once you have completed copying your clips to the hard drive, copy the clips to your server.

4.15 - Who Got the Props?

Warm-Up (10 min)
POTD
VOTD:
Golden Hour: The hour after the sun has risen and before the sun has set. During these times, the color and diffusion of natural light and are ideal for shooting.

Blocking: The plan the movements of actors on a stage or movie set. Used to coordinate the movements of the actors with the framing and movements of the camera.

Rule of Thirds: Dividing the frame into three horizontal and three vertical sections. It is common practice to: 1) align a subject’s eyes on the top horizontal line of the frame. And 2) place the frames most important elements on the intersections of these lines.

Continuity: Stable and without interruption or disruption.

Amassing our props and wardrobe (30 min)
Why did your main character change their sweatshirt in the middle of that conversation? Nothing ruins a movie quicker than a glaring continuity error. While we may shoot over the course of a week or more, we use specific wardrobe and props to preserve the illusion that your movies takes place in one continuous 

To begin shooting we need all our props and wardrobe that will fit the characters and scenes we have written.

Use the wardrobe and props sheet to design your character’s look and fully prepare for the scene.

!!END PRE-PRODUCTION!!

If you have received all of your stamps and are done with your pre-production, you may work on your BGP/GP work or:

If you have received all of your stamps in your project folder, you are ready to shoot. You may check out a camera, tripod and dolly from Morgan. Please check these items out and upload any clip to your server and the hard drive upon finishing your shoot.

REMEMBER: HD clip take a long time to upload!

4.12 - Titles & Storyboards

Warm Up (10 min)
POTD
VOTD:

Title Sequence:

A title sequence is the method by which cinematic films or television programs present their title, key production and cast members, or both, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound. It usually follows but should not be confused with the opening credits, which are generally nothing more than a series of superimposed text.

Technique Rubric (5)
A note about “advanced” projects: students must include some visual effect sequence or other creative sequence to achieve “advanced” in their technique rubric.

Titles (5)
Watch the Napoleon Dynamite title sequence. A creative (and cheap) example of creative titles.

Storyboards (65)
Use your shot list to create your storyboard. Remember, drawing skills don’t matter as much as proportion - i.e. be sure to make the size of your subjects heads fit the type of shot that you are making. Not every frame should look like a full shot!

4.8 - Styles and Shot Lists

Warm-Up （10min)
POTD
QOTD:
Is there a video or movie that has a similar plot or visual style to the one that you are planning? It’s always a good idea to draw inspiration from quality sources; find a clip on youtube that relates to your short in some way. Post the URL link or embed code on your blog and give a brief explanation of how your video relates to it (same subject, same style or genre).

VOTD: Use the following vocabulary word in an example sentence.
Genre: a category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter.

Bad Shot List! (20 min)
Use the bad shot list to find the poorly thought out shots and camera movements. Insert your comments & corrections into the sections that are violating.

Style Study (20 min)
While making writing your outline you were asked which genre your film would fall into (horror, action, comedy, etc.). Using your memory, the internets and the following links to identify one, or more, plot convention or visual style element you will use in your short - post your findings with the link to your blog.

film noir: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_noir#Visual_style
comedy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comedy_film
all genres: http://www.statemaster.com/encyclopedia/Film-genre


Create Your Shot List (60 min)
Now that you have your objectives and beats, as well as some inspiration from other film styles, put together your shot list. Use the shot list template (on your desktop) to list your shots. This list will help you to keep track of your progress during production as well as help put the story into visual terms. REMEMBER: Each shot should have a specific purpose and motivation!

Print and save your shot list to your server when complete and earn a stamp!

4.7 - Objectives & Beats

Warm Up (10 min)

POTD
QOTD:
Using the following passage, identify the objective and beats on your objectives and beats sheet:

Mel comes to school early to find the classroom door locked and her teacher is nowhere to be found. She takes a seat in front of the class and takes out her binder. Thumbing through the pages she carefully brings a number of pages to the front of her binder and labels them with brightly colored post-its. She looks up and sees her teacher approaching her. Immediately rising to her feet, Mel greets the teacher and the teacher responds with a nod. Mel hands the teacher the binder and points out a couple of key pages and notes. The teacher nods in approval. The teacher reaches into her pocket and produces a stamp which she promptly uses on the students binder. Mel thanks her and scurries down the hall.

END

Identify Objectives & Beats (30min)
It’s possible that in your one minute short film, you will only have one objective (e.g. get the grade changed, return to normal size, cross the street). How many beats will it take to get your main character to achieve the objective?

With your group of three, identify and extract the objective and beats from your story. Change and details of your story if necessary.

4.5 - New Project Step 1: Screenplay

Warm Up (10 min)
POTD
QOTD:
If you had to tell a story in one minute what would you need to include? What would you leave out? Describe your favorite movie in one paragraph.

Know Thy Project (10 min)
Introduce Project

Watch It (15 min)
Watch 1 minute movies for inspiration.

Brainstorm (10 min)
What types of stories can be told in a minute?

Step 1: Write It (50 min)
In your group of 3 complete the following:

1. Concept: one sentence description of story “It is a story about a _____ who____”
Who is your main character?
What is he/she trying to accomplish?
Who is trying to stop him/her?
What happens if he/she fails?

Characters: Describe each of the characters in your story.
- What does he/she want, is going to get or going to achieve?
How does your character view the world?
Describe your character’s attitude?
What change will your character go through?

Plot: Draft the narrative of your story. Try to tell the story as you would tell a friend. Use visual imagery as much as possible.
Where does the story take place?
What genre is the story?
What is the point of the story?

Reflection (10 min)
In a few thoughtful sentences, please answer one or more of the following questions on your blog:
What did you learn today?
What is one thing that went well today and what made it go well?
What is one thing that went badly today and what could have made it go better?
What did you succeed at today?
What do you need to improve on for next class?
What questions do you have for Morgan?
What suggestions do you have for Morgan to make class better?