Album cover
Album cover
Album cover
Emily Lee
Filmmaking
When producing a film it is obviously vital to correctly record the scenes required, however the magic of cinematics lies in the editing of the footage. Originating from the French ‘couper’- the cutting of the film - and ‘monter’ - the bringing together of the cut pieces - the term ‘montage’ is used to describe the end product of the editing process.
Cuts of film most often comprise of two different parts - their physical form and their narrative function within the overall film.
Key terminology:
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Rushes - the raw cuts of film taken straight from the camera
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Mechanical aspects - Describing the physical aspects of assembling the film
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Narrative function - Outcome of the cut in terms of storyline and message
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Straight cut - Cut between shots sharply without a transition
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Split edit - Where the audio from one clip precedes it or trails it into another clip
J cut - Where the audio precedes the clip (named for its apparent J shape on the editing timeline)
L cut - Where the audio trails the clip (named for its apparent L shape on the editing timeline)
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Jump cut - A cut between two shots of the same type that produces a slight jump in the flow of the film (most commonly seen in youtube videos)
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Transition - An effect to aid the change from one shot to the next
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Graphic match cut - Cutting two shots of different angles together which both contain the same structures, providing continuity
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Cross cut (parallel cut) - Cutting together two or more different shots in a sequence to create the implication that both situations are occurring simultaneously
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Contrast cut - Juxtaposing two different shots in order to draw visual or audial comparisons (can be an extension of a match cut)
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Insert - A shot that is added into the narrative to highlight a piece of relevant information
Continuity
Eyeline match
The 180 degree rule
In the film industry, continuity refers to the smoothness of the timeline of a film, meaning that there are no errors in the graphic matching of shots from different angles. For instance, should a character begin to raise their hand in a shot from directly in front, the hand should continue to raise from the position it was last seen in the first shot after cutting to different angle. This prevents the film from appearing jumpy and allows a scene to play out more naturally, as if the viewer were witnessing it in real life rather than from behind a screen.
In essence, ensuring the continuity of film is to ensure that the film seems genuine throughout.
Relating again to continuity, it is vital to ensure that when cutting together a scene involving some form of interaction between two or more people, the eye lines of these persons must meet. I.e. if two people were to be shown to be having a conversation, and the close crop of one person showed them to be looking off to camera left, then the second person must be looking out to camera right. Having the eyelines meet provides a sense of stability and effectively establishes a connection between the persons involved.
This rule refers to the positioning of the camera within a scene. When filming an interaction, the camera must stay on one side of the scene in order for it to make sense. For instance, if two people were having a conversation, the camera could film over the right shoulder of one person, but must then film over the left shoulder of the second person so as to remain on the same side of the 180 degree line. Adhering to this rule maintains continuity and thus maintains a sense of balance and steadfastness.
This rule can be broken with the camera angle jumping across the line to film an interaction from the opposite side when a sense of chaos or confusion is intended. It is also possible to bend the rule by continuing the shot whilst the camera is moved around the scene, thus shifting the position of the 180 degree line to a new position.
The Kuleshov Effect
Lev Kuleshov was a Russian filmmaker, one of the founders of the world’s first film school: the Moscow Film School. Kuleshov was most fascinated by the theory of filmmaking and the psychological effects of the editing of a piece of footage - ‘the soul of cinema is in the edits’. Captivated by the possibilities of instilling emotion the viewers through the interaction of different shots, Kuleshov produced a short film to demonstrate this. The film begins with a bowl of soup on the table, then cuts to a close up of a man with a neutral expression. Next we see a child in a coffin, then again the reaction shot of the man. Last is a woman lounging on a sofa, then once again the shot of the man.
The A shot of the man’s face sets the scene for the viewer, with the B roll image played just after. The return to the face after the B roll eludes to a specific emotion despite having used the same piece of film of the man’s neutral expression. The emotion is instilled within the viewer due to the juxtaposition of the A and B shot, with the neutral expression of the A shot appearing to carry the emotion suggested by the presence of a specific subject in the B roll. As a result of our expectation that having been cut together, the two shots
are related, we draw upon our previous cinematic expectations and are thus led to believe A shot is actually a reaction shot respective to the B roll. It is hence that Kuleshov proves that the outcomes of any film are determined during the edit, not the capture.
"The Kuleshov effect" by Lev Kuleshov - n.d.
“Pure cinematics - the assembly of film”
— ALFRED HITCHCOCK
In a similar experiment, director Alfred Hitchcock uses an A shot involving a close crop of a man looking at a subject behind the camera and smiling. If this A roll is cut to include a mother playing with her child between the glance and the smile then the man is considered to be kindly and well mannered. Yet if this B roll clip is replaced with a shot of a woman in a bikini then the man becomes ‘dirty’ and perverted despite the A roll shots being exactly the same and entirely unrelated to that particular B shot.
Once more, Hitchcock proves that it is the juxtaposition and cutting together of shots into a specific order that produces the narrative and emotion for a piece of film.
Inspiration
"Built for success" by Arthur Ward - n.d.
In his photos, Ward focuses on capturing the views that we don’t normally see.
This image in particular is incredibly appealing as a source of inspiration fo ray own film. In his description of this image, Ward references the numerous hours spent in training by elite athletes, most of which go unnoticed with only a short performance to show for all their hard work. Ward calls this image a “tribute to the hard work athletes all across the world are doing to achieve their goals and dreams”. Similarly, I intend to make my own film an accolade of the incredible effort put into training by these dedicated gymnasts.
Additionally the lighting set up of this image is akin to the lighting that I intend to use in my own work. There is an obvious source of brighter light shining onto the shoulder and knee with little to no fill on the left hand side. This one sided lighting allows for the casting of some shadows in order to produce tone definition on the muscles of the athlete, enhancing the overall sense of drama. However I feel that the lighting here is slightly too soft to create an immense volume of drama, and thus I intend to use harsher lights on a more oblique angle to produce more contrast with only minor highlighted areas and deep areas of shadow hence helping me to construct a more climactic film.
“Good sports images are about seeing what others don’t”
— ARTHUR WARD
Taking inspiration from Ward’s philosophy that “good sporting images are about seeing what other don’t”, I plan to produce a film such that the viewer is able to see what an audience normally doesn’t. My oblique angle for this project should hopefully allow me to show my sport in a different light and hence allow me to emphasise the true level of skill within these young people.
My idea
Producing a mind map of ideas, I explored a number of different possibilities of concepts for my one minute film. Having looked at Dalí’s work in surrealism, I felt this may perhaps be an interesting place to take my film. I also considered taking inspiration from Escher’s ‘Relativity’ and thus delve further into surrealist notions. However I felt that, having already looked into surrealism in my still life work, turning my attention to another division of my theme may be a more engaging approach.
For my film, I am choosing to centralise my focus on the concept of ‘impossible feats’. For this I will be delving into the world of sport - specifically acrobatic gymnastics. Having been a competitive gymnast for over 8 years, I feel that acrobatic gymnastics is an incredibly challenging sport, yet incredible to observe and hence I plan to produce a film representing almost a gymnasts point of view - focusing down on the minute details to expose the sheer volume of hard work that goes into creating such a captivating performance.
In order to present the skill associated with the sport, I will be using a relatively high level partnership from my gymnastics club and focusing on different throws, catches and other impressive motions. Using a tight crop for these shots will allow me to portray the
painstaking detail and discipline that go into each move, rather than showing the entire skill which - despite appearing utterly astonishing - would show the same common perspective of an observer, whereas my intention is to entirely immerse the viewer into the sport.
Rushes
I filmed a large number of scenes, many of which were repetitions in order to ensure that I had achieved the shot I was after for each. Exploring a number of different ideas that did not all necessarily work allowed me to gather enough footage to work with in the post production editing process. I filmed many of my rushes in slow motion, captured at 100fps as this allowed me to alter much more easily the speed at which the shots played through within the video whilst still maintaining a high quality and resolution.
Behind the scenes
I used two continuous light sources on light stands either side of the subjects on their highest power in order to produce harsh, oblique lighting to highlight the tone in the muscles of the gymnasts, and also to add drama to the film, making the actions seem overall more impossible.
For the pan from foot to head, I used two assistants to raise the lights alongside the camera so that the lighting on the gymnast was even throughout the shot. I would’ve liked the lighting to be harsher and further accentuate the grit and physique of the gymnasts, however I feel it would have been unsafe to do so due to the nature of the activity as the gymnasts would’ve been blinded by brighter lights or become obstructed by moving them closer and hence become unable to correctly perform the moves.
Using a black background allowed me to isolate the gymnasts and better accentuate their working muscles, however the backdrop I used was slightly too small to be able to maintain the dark background for the higher level motions, causing the rest of the gym to appear in some of the shots.
Editing
In the editing process, I copied the scenes across from my rushes and began to piece together my film. Taking inspiration from Lev Kuleshov’s work, I took an initial neutral shot - a pan from foot to head - and spliced in a series of B roll inserts to juxtapose the indifference of the A shot. Switching between the two shots - much like the Kuleshov effect - allowed me to instil emotion, eluding to a sense of determination within the young gymnast in her efforts to work hard and be the best she can.
The main portion of the film is slow - aside from the fast paced inserts - followed by an energetic montage of catches and throws and other bits and pieces of moves. This to me is an effective replica of the regime of a gymnast - with a long, hard period of building determination and strength, with only a short period of intense activity being presented to a panel of judges who number the value of your work.
First cut
In my initial cut, I placed the rushes together in the approximate position that I wanted them in. I then took the music - a specific choice related to the gymnasts in the shoot - and worked out roughly where I could cut in each of the fast paced sections at the start and then cut to the fast montage toward the end. It was crucial to ensure that the inserts were strategically placed throughout the pan upwards in order to avoid unintentional meaning, making the film seem too suggestive. I therefore paused before the groin and chest in order to disrupt the momentum of the shot, which both allowed for the build up of tension and the interruption of any immodest connotations.
I aimed to fit the footage to the audio rather than the other way around as I did not want to alter too much the composition of the audio and cause it to become too unrecognisable as this was a vital part of the film - the audio being the pair’s balance routine music.
Applying a harsh lighting filter to the footage placed further emphasis on the contrast caused by the lights, which was again accentuated by the conversion to black and white and the adjustment of the highlight and shadow sliders (boosting highlights and dropping shadows). This produced a more dramatic atmosphere in the film, thus displaying the grit and determination required for a gymnast - or any athlete in fact.
Unfortunately in this cut, I did not manage to cut the audio incredibly well, with slight jumps allowing for continuity errors. Another error within this initial cut are the discrepancies in the post production work in the film. The levels are inconsistent, with extreme highlights seen in one shot and dulled into the next. I aim to adjust both of these factors in my final edit in order to more effectively suspend the viewer’s disbelief.
Final cut
My primary focal points for my final cut were ensuring that I got rid of the continuity errors caused by the post-production editing work and aligned the audio better to the film.
For the audio I re-made the first section, cutting in the beats at more even intervals as the music began to dip, allowing it to chime straight back in after the strong beat - therefore allowing for more cohesion in the film, making it more aesthetically pleasing a whole. I also made use of the fade options, dropping the volume right down to near silence before the fast montage, allowing me to emphasise the contrast and increase the drama. I also made adjustments to each of the different shots, ensuring that the levels were more even across the entire film, again allowing it to become more aesthetically pleasing.
Unfortunately, despite my use of continuous focus in my film - meaning that the camera tracked the subject, rather than searching for an object in a certain space - there were glitches and out of focus sections, causing a more amateurish feel to the overall film. Some parts also appear more shaky than I would have liked due to my lack of a gimbal or tripod during the shoot. If I were to repeat this shoot, I should like to allow myself slightly more time in order to film a wider variety of motions, however this would have to be specifically scheduled away from competition training and not during a school week due to the huge amount of energy required to maintain the balance of school and gym - a balance that I do not wish to disrupt and negatively impact the gymnasts involved.
All in all, I feel that my juxtaposition of fast and slow shots combined with my hard lighting and the addition of the specific routine music allowed for the creation of an effective film relating to the concept of “feats of impossibility”.