Film Research - Superbad

Fake ID Scene

This is an exterior shot with natural light, the shots are bright with a low depth of field. The colours are pastel and do not look very saturated. Main character in the scene is contrasting against a white background, the light source is high with no harsh shadows on the face. The background is never plain there is always something to divide it up. The colour theme for the clothes are blues and browns, the images overall have warm tones.

Test Footage and More Research

I have done some test footage over the past few weeks and have been pleased with what it has taught me. I will upload the videos as soon as I can. I recreated the tilt shift effect that I saw in the film 'The Social Network' I used After Effects to do it and I think it came out ok but I am not too sure if it is the effect that I want, maybe I should try it with a few different shots and give it a little more blur.

The second clip I will upload is a shot that I got in Cheltenham, it was a really nice sunny day and I got some good shots. It’s amazing how much light can change your images, so I am keen to find a sunny afternoon to shoot on again! I liked the movement that I used and I was thinking of this in terms of an establishing shot that introduces a character. The movement is not as smooth as I would like though, I would repeat a similar movement with a jib. Also I would say that the shot is overexposed, it looks nice and bright but there is a lot of detail missing in parts of the image. I have found with the camera I was using (550d) it is better to underexpose a little because it looks a lot brighter on a bigger screen. I want to keep getting shots and I will see how grading can improve my images.

I will randomly update you on some of the films I watch, for instance I watched '17 Again' last night! Throughout most of the film there were almost no high contrast shots, with is good because that really fit with the story they were telling. In the beginning though there was a dark silhouette and this was a very memorable shot, I think that it is dark for a good reason, the film loops back round to that moment and it is the shot that makes the film, for me anyway. I also love how they make his girlfriend in the opening scene glow and really standout and look pretty, the lighting they use is very soft.

I will keep blogging, Chow!

Some Research and Inspiration

Over the weekend I watched the film 'The Social Network' at the cinema. Great film! A part of the film in particular caught my eye. It was during rowing race, they created an effect on the video that it look like everything was really small, like looking down on a miniature world. I'd seen it before in photography but never video, I thought that the effect made the moving image look stunning. The effect is created by applying a blur to the top and bottom part of an image leaving a thin strip still 'in focus', this seems to direct the eye where ever you want and have a misleading effect to make things look smaller.

I went to Bristol City and while I was there got some video footage and photos looking down on a busy street. I have played around with some of the photos, some produced the desired effect better then other. (Check out my Flickr page, the image Toy Town is the one I used to test out the effect) I will try and do the some to a video clip and upload it to this blog.

Cinematography Blog

I have found inspiration for this assignment in different forms, feature films, shorts and photography. I like to use a bit of everything when it comes to thinking of ideas of  images to shoot. I understand that light is the key to making images look stunning and unique, if you ignore lighting the video can look dull and boring, when all you need to do is wait for the right time of day or understand how to work a scene to obtain the best light. This is why i think research into locations is an important factor.

Cruel Intentions
I know it may not be the best film in the world, but i like it! Throughout the entire duration they use a lot of natural light and I think it gives the film a very organic feel. There is also a very nice scene in an indoor pool, the light reflected off the water and illuminates the whole scene in a way that is interesting because the light is constantly moving. I think that it really sets the mood for the scene and give it a sinister feel. Also in other parts of the film sunlight is often used as a key light, at times quite harshly and strong shadows are formed and intense areas of light. Others scenes the sun is used again but it has a much more gentle vibe and you really feel the colours.