Course Reflection

This class has been the most beneficial of my college career. Before this semester the only cameras I had ever touched were the JVC 100 and a Flip I bought one day when I was bored. Now I feel technically sound on a multitude of camera and have the knowledge to work my way around cameras I have never used before.

I did not know a thing about lighting before this class, and now I have the base to set up hard and soft lighting situations. I may not get it right on the first set up, but I know how to troubleshoot and get things to look the way I want once the initial set up has been made.

This class taught me some of the finer aspects of composition like eyelight and Hitchcock's rule. The filmmaker's eye was really helpful in this regard. I have become more snobby in which locations I will use to shoot something. Before I was only concerned about space, but now I'm also worried about what the space looks like. Setting up in a poor place is no excuse for bad composition.

I gained a handle on which lenses to use in what situation and was willing to try more combinations of lenses at certain apertures as opposed to 201.

The production meeting finally made all the previsualization hit home for me. Before that I would just keep it all in my head, but really the more previsualization techniques you use: shot list, shooting script, story boards, floor plans, the better your project turns out. It's much easier to show people as opposed to tell them.

And finally I think my style is starting to come into it's own. Enjoy shooting classic hollywood style shots, but I also like to change them up with dynamic 21st century shots.

DP REEL

Artist Statement

Although I am still relatively new to film, I feel my voice is taking shape nicely. I want to make films where every moment feels like it's big. Many times a movie will open and the audience with say, "Ah, this is so smooth, so sick, so intense. This movie is going to be great, then things level off. I want to sustain that feeling for a whole 90 minutes.

 I want to make comedies that go beyond the basic structure of shot, that are funny and tragically deep at the same time. Comedies that play with light and composition to accentuate the humor.
I want to make action movies with lots of guns and a plot that doesn't leave wives falling asleep. Action movies that have swooping crane shots and reveals.

I will accomplish this with a style that is dynamic. Cameras tilted. Either positioned like your on the fringe of the action, or right in the thick of it. There is no room to hang out in the dead space. I want to follow the grammar of shot so well that when I break it, everyone knows it was on purpose, even the untrained audience. Everything is calculated, everything is precise.

Learning #2

Since the last post about learning we have shot our scene assignments. Working with classmates was a great experience. Gripping and gaffing was a nice no pressure way to observe and learn things. It taught me that other people have creative ideas and solutions. Maybe before this class I thought that my way was the best way 100 percent of the time. Now it's probably the best way 95% of the time. The main thing I am focusing on now is selecting good areas to shoot and really paying attention to focus. My strengths include framing and I also feel that I have a better sense of how to light indoors better than most of my peers.

I hope to ultimately direct, but I would still be very happy with myself as a director of photography or even a cameraman as long as I was being a cameraman for something cool.

Best Camera

The guy from NOFILMSCHOOL aptly said the best camera is the one you have. In my case sense I don't have a camera at the moment, I will go with the camera I am most likely to get, which is a t2i. The biggest reason is price to quality ratio. The limitations include the really shallow depth of field, shakiness when not mounted on a tripod and overheating. The strengths include great picture quality, price and size. It's a lot easier to rock a t2i and people not get freaked as opposed to say an ex3.

DSLR cinematography

DSLR cameras are great because they are an inexpensive way to get really great looking video. You can plug so many different lenses on them, you have a lot of range in the way of style you want. The ISO reading gives you another way to control lighting.

To me the biggest limitation is depth of field. The crushed depth of field a DSLR gives you is great, but it's almost like you have to put together a series of talking portraits. The subjects can't move vertically and stay in focus. They also can't shoot for more than 10 minutes or so at a time which can be problematic for interviews. They are so small that they are sensitive to movement. Handheld isn't much of an option with DSLRs, I have had some success stabilizing them on my knee though.

The EX3 w/ the 35mm adapter would be the rig I would use to shoot an independent full feature at this moment. It can be mounted onto jibs and shoulder harnesses and with the adapter it has really good picture quality.

SCENE ASSIGNMENT

Word

Scene Assigment Reflections

Things I learned:

You can never do too much previsualization
Not using a tripod just to not use a tripod makes your video look like amateur hour
Partying hard the night before a shoot leads to a poor day.
JVC 100s don't have much room for zoom. It's hard to crush depth of field in small areas.
You have to be meticulous to get your shots the way you want them.

Camera Movement

My favorite camera movement is when it follows walking people.

Portrait

Enjoy.

Scene Analysis

I know I already posted this scene, but I really dig it. Okay.

CU Sienna talking to daniel.

OTS MCU of Sienna Looking over her shoulder as she walks onto dance floor.

CU of Daniel looking at Sienna.

The camera then slowly zooms out to reveal 2 shot MCU Sienna's boyfriend talking Daniel's ear off while Daniel is transfixed on Sienna.

MS Sienna dancing.

Zoom in to MCU Sienna dancing and smoking a cigarette.

M2S Daniel and Sienna's boyfriend w/ dancers partially blocking view.

MCU Sienna.

M2S Daniel and Sienna's bf.

MS Sienna w/ dude checking her out.

Tighter M2S.

MLS Sienna

2SMCU Daniel and Sienna's BF from different angle.

Camera tilts down to show Sienna handing Daniel her number.

CU Sienna.

MCU Daniel putting number in breast pocket.

The import of this scene to the movie is it's when Daniel meets his love interest, Sienna. It is also intriguing when you look back on it because Sienna's boyfriend is much of an afterthought for the rest of the movie then he shoots Daniel at the very end. This scene showing Daniel ignoring him is a nice use of  foreshadowing.

Learning

So far I feel I have learned the most about lighting. In 201 I had no idea how to get rid of shadows or make things look pretty in general. I didn't understand the purpose of silks. It never occurred to me that a light can be bounced off the ceiling. I thought they had to be put directly on the subject. I've also come to pay more attention to eye light.

I feel like my best strength as far as videography goes is composition. I seems to do well placing things along the rule of things. Focus is the hardest thing I deal with. Things look good on the screen unless you really pay attention to it. Sometimes you have to go past focus then back to make sure the image is sharp.

I'm also pretty good at using lines to creating a sense of depth.

Lighting

You can't tell it in the clip. But the lighting here is excellent. It is a wedding party going on throughout the thoroughfare of the town of deadwood. My favorite thing about it is all the important characters are visible, but not overblown and all the background players are dimmer. Really guides the eye.

This is my favorite shot from Little Miss Sunshine. The sky looks so pretty it seems done in post, but the director's said in the commentary that it was real. They also said it was done as the day was winding down so they had to hurry and did the scene in two takes.

GGOOOOOLLLLL

I want to make movies, direct them. Start out small then eventually built to a mega-blockbuster trilogy that will be utterly breathtaking and human.

I feel like people don't see things the way I do, and that is an Effin-A-Crying-Shame.

I've come to realize that although I have good vision as far as shots and angles and how I want that to relate to the story at that certain moment in the film, others are much better than me at making things look super pretty. My main goal in this class is to find some balling cinematographers for my projects.

As far as my education in this class goes,  I want to get better at manipulating depth of field and lighting. Using fog machines sounds pretty cool, too. To do this I need to read the books and check out cameras every weekend so I can film, edit and post things and be like, "Don't look at me, look at what I'm looking at."

Inspirated.

First off, sorry for the delay in posting. Been busy like a bee. Speaking of which, I was Maine over labor day and saw two bees going to town in two different flowers. Pretty intense.

As far as inspiration goes, I don't really look at too much photography, but maybe I should start doing that.

Music is a big influence on me. I feel like life is better when played in step with a soundtrack.

I think the intro to movies is very important. I like movies that have a good song and are already establishing the story during the opening credits.

I already have the opening sequence to five of the movies I'm going to make planned with their respective songs.

This is good.

I've been watching Deadwood on DVD recently. I'm enthralled by the way they are constantly racking focus. I watched Sons of Anarchy last night and their racking wasn't up to par. Sad day.

Gap commercials are always good.

I also like tall buildings

10 Freaky Thangs

1. I've had nicknames all throughout my life. I define the people I know by what name they call me. I'm most proud of my current nickname "kbone" because it is a self-imposed nickname. I have three different groups I run with in Tuscaloosa and they all call me kbone simply because I said they should.

2. I don't have cable or internet.

3. I like making people I don't know uncomfortable.

4. I'm currently rushing through the Song of Fire and Ice (Game of Thrones) novel series trying to get the last chapter of the Dark Tower series out of my system.

5. Speaking of Game of Thrones. The scene where Eddard Stark is executed is the most beautiful TV scene I have ever seen.

6. Guilty pleasure for Sons of Anarchy. Since I am sans cable I am currently searching for a viewing buddy.


7. Rocknrolla is such a pretty movie.

8. I like to wear really cheap clothes and very expensive sunglasses.


9. I divide my life into eras according to the most influential band at that time. I have had 3 main eras. And I am currently in transition waiting for a fourth to come along. There have been many other bands besides the three, and once an era is over I still listen to those bands, but they don't connect with me like they did during the era.
The first and greatest and only one tattoo worthy was Alkaline Trio.

Then there was Bright Eyes (oh Conor)

and lastly Kings of Leon

10. Sometimes I can see the future.