project prepping

this has been a fun project to prepare for as it is 'my project'. i think about it alot, and that helps. i have found it really helpful to take notes at any random moment an idea for a shot or lighting comes into mind. notes for my journal, shot ideas are what i have been working on so far, no story board to date. i dont like story boards, i dont like having something telling me what i must shoot, i may want to change it a week after i make one. an ongoing list of ideas that are very possible is almost a better replacement for my use. my DP and i have a lot of the same ideas for the project, and i think the conjuction will yield some good results. just reviewing the script will bring another idea in. review and notes seem to be the best pre production methods along with compiling eqpmt, crew, and shot litst.

piece from fall 2009.

i did this entertainment news type piece last fall on a track and field athlete here at UofA for entertainment news production class. hope you enjoy.

chelsea taylor news piece from UA, Telecommunication and Film on Vimeo.

camera movement

this assignment, concerning camera movement, was a nice one to complete. i found a clip from the movie "four rooms", a tarantino thriller that i actually forgot how great of a movie it actually is. one of the reasons this film, and most tarantino films, is visually compelling is because of the quick cuts, odd angles, and symmetrical framing that is utilized. the clip is only 1:36, and has a link for it below.
the first shot is a medium waist shot, and is actually the 'token' tarantino shot of himself he has in every one of his films. nice framing, still camera movement, has the table and money soft in the foreground. the next shot is a pre-cursor for an angle used later, an overhead of the table, but this is close on the money, three stacks of $100 bills. we then cut to a still shot, CU of the bellboy, head in hands listening to tarantino. 'four rooms' sticks with the still camera shot again for a profile shot of tarantino continuing the explanation. that is the end of the still shots, the next few are slow moving tracking shots. while tarantino continues to talk, the CU of the bellboy is pulled out, so if is a medium shot from the chest up, and has a very slow zoom into the face of the bellboy. the background is soft, so the eyes stay fixed upon the bellboy for the whole shot. this is an effective movement, as the dialogue is very serious, a bet is being made for a lot of money, and the movement reflects the seriousness as we move into the mind of the bellboy. the shot stops once we are at the CU of the head again.
the next shot is the great shot in the film. we go back to the overhead, but this is a wide overhead showing the table and the five people around it. no wasted space in the frame! the camera is still for a few seconds, staying on the table, but once the men stop moving and the scene is set, the camera begins movement. this seems to be a crane shot, overhead with a slow zoom in on the action. the camera zooms in to the left of the frame, quickly cutting out the right side. the camera seems to go from a straight down angle to leveling out. it has a minor rotation of about 15 degrees and slowly levels to a CU of a lighter. this shot has a short depth of field, as the lighter is critical focus and the man's hand and shirt are a bit softer. this overhead, slow pan down leveling shot is a nice complement that is not used that often, but seems to fit tarantino perfectly. the action is slowly unfolding, building to a moment just as the camera is slowly moving to a spot. once there, we have a few quick cuts (pinky gets chopped off, man screams), before a steadi-cam shot of the bellboy swiping the money from the table, putting it away, and waltzing out of the room. even here, the action is quick. the last shot is one continuous shot, but goes from money, quickly to pocket, quickly to bellboy's head, and he quickly turns and leaves the room. this is the immediate aftermath of the bet, and everything seems to be happening fast with a lot of commotion in the background, and the quick cuts and movements mirror the feeling.
i think the camera movement in this film is excellent, and has the traditional tarantino quick cut style to it. i do not see any 'bad' tracking shots in this clip, as the clips match the mood of the scene very well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzYOrldilP4

short film

this is not my favorite online short, just to preface. this is more of a music video but i still find compelling images in it and i like the setup of not trying to hide itself. the short knows what it is. so this piece is kind of making fun of itself in a way. i say this because of the background and the attire of the people. it places itself on a stage with a spotlight, and alternates between close ups of the faces and medium shots of the group dancing. it follows a pattern, alternating between people and between faces and groups. it has a high key lighting setup, and uses all thirds of the frame.

http://www.dscheinert.net/movies/2009_ItsCoolToRap.mov