After the intensive lecture last lesson, Ms. Wong surprised us today by telling us to create 3 sequences that would demonstrate the Kuleshov Effect we learnt about last class. This included everything from brainstorming to writing, to planning to shooting and finally editing and exporting; and she wanted it completed by the end of the class! This practical exercise would allow us to apply knowledge learnt last class, as well as to practice time management skills that many mentioned having trouble with the last semester.
My partner for this challenge shoot was Justin Yau, a classmate and friend, and so we naturally worked well together, immediately brainstorming ideas and planning sequences. Understanding that a sequence was made from 3 shots (the original subject; their point of view; their reaction) and that to demonstrate the Kuleshov Effect you needed consistent base shots (shots of the subject and their reaction), we decided on the base shot first, and then to explore the point of view shot. As time was and would continue to be our biggest problem, we used the first idea that came to mind and that we could brainstorm different ideas from – a reaction of shock or surprise. Having this base shot down, we could focus on brainstorming ideas for the point of view shot. We played with ideas of the subject being late for the bus, seeing an injured friend, seeing a teacher, seeing a murder or a corpse, and more jokingly, the idea of hearing somebody loose a large one in the bathroom. In the end, we found the first two most reasonable and feasible, but couldn’t think of a 3rd. Instead of spending more time brainstorming, we went to borrow equipment and start shooting, and to brainstorm and plan as we went along, so that we would have more time to edit and complete the task on time.
The first obstacle we encountered was that we were the last group to collect film equipment, and as a result, there were no more Canon HD digital cameras we were used to operating. Ms. Wong gave us a Flip-cam to use, but more problems aroused as it refused to capture footage. In the end, we had to use valuable time going to the 9th floor and borrowing a film camera from the film class in the year below. Having to sort out equipment problems and then having to learn the basics of the camera cost us valuable filming time; but taught me to never rely on school equipment, and that one may have to improvise with a flip-, a film- or even a phone-camera.
With equipment in hand, we first shot a few minutes of ambient sound from the 9th floor, a location high and open enough to capture ambient sound but not specific people’s conversations, nor the sound of wind blowing. This time allowed us to plan our next few shots, to get to explore the camera’s basic functions, as well as to capture ambient sound for the editing stage. This process allowed me to practice my multi-tasking and planning skills.
To film the base shots, we went to the 6th floor stairwell, as it would be low enough to run to the injured classmate and hopefully catch the bus, but also high enough to see the aforementioned objects. Production roles were not specifically delegated, but as I had filmed the ambient sound and had the equipment in my hand, I became the camera operator while Justin acted. We did not discuss these roles as time was running out, and we were satisfied with the outcome of the first few takes.
The shot of the bus was taken from a higher vantage point than from the 6th floor stairwell, because it offered a better view of the buses arriving and departing the stations. As we kept to the general “x” angle, and only moved up slightly, the footage looked to be a realistic cut-on-eye line and added to the continuity effect of the footage. This reminded me that footage captured through the camera and viewed on screen can be different from that of real life, and in the end, it is the former that matters most.
The “injured classmate” character was acted by myself, and filmed by Justin. This meant I had to run all the way down to the courtyard while Justin filmed from the stairwell to keep the cut-on-eye line effect. As I was in PE uniform and had trainers on, I felt safer running down the stairs than I would have had I been wearing leather shoes or flip-flops, reminding me that appropriate attire is always important when filming.
As we were brainstorming ideas for the 3rd and final point-of-view shot, a police van suddenly drove up past the school and up the hill. Immediately, we set up the tripod on the stairwell with a clear view of the road where the van was bound to drive back down, planning to make it a shot of Justin’s shocked reaction at seeing the van and then running away. As we waited, Justin suggested we take the camera down to the road to film it clearly as it drove by, but I argued that it would not be worth the time or energy, the police may be suspicious of us filming them, and that it would ruin the cut-on-eye line effect. Eventually however, I gave in to his arguments, and we ran down, only to see it drive past while we were on the fourth floor. In hindsight, I realized that even if we had captured the footage, it would not have fit the sequence logically, as it would have shown Justin running towards the van and not away. This taught me to stick with my gut and decisions, but whatever decision is made, should be carried out quickly, because had we spent less time debating and started running faster, we could have caught the van in time. This also taught me to think ideas through, because the police idea would not have made sense anyway.
Getting back, we had more technical difficulties, as we had to spend time finding a fire-wire to transfer data, as well as figuring out the correct settings for the footage and how to capture the footage. In the end, we did not have enough time to finish editing, and had to come back one lunch time to complete the task. This taught me to prioritize tasks, as had we borrowed equipment before brainstorming, we would not have had these technical difficulties and may have completed the task on time.
No comments:
Post a Comment