Film and video

Film and video

Film and video

The word analogue or analog recording comes from the Greek, ana “according to” and logos “relationship”.

An analogue or analog signal is continuous, any continuous signal for which the time varying feature (variable) of the signal is a representation of some other time varying quantity, i.e., analogous to another time varying signal. For example, in an analogue audio signal, the instantaneous voltage of the signal varies continuously with the pressure of the sound waves- a continuous wave form.

It does differ from a digital signal, in which in the continuous quantity is a representation of a sequence of discrete values which can only take on one of a finite number of values.

The term analogue signal usually refers to electrical signals; however, mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, human speech, and other systems may also convey or be considered analogue signals- always broken down into ones and zeros.

Analogue

Analogue recording is a technique used for the recording of analogue signals which, among many possibilities, allows analogue audio and analogue video for later playback.

Analogue recording methods store signals as a continuous signal or in the media. The signal may be stored as a physical texture on a phonograph record, or a fluctuation in the field strength of a magnetic recording. This is different from digital recording which digital signals represented as discrete numbers.

Digital

Digital signals are a sequence of pulses consisting of just two states which are ON (1) OFF (0). There are no numbers or values in-between.

Film

Film can be a chemical or a digital process.

When it is a chemical process a light sensitive silver halide emulsion coated on a film base is exposed to light in a camera. This creates a latended image which is made visible by emerging the film into a chemical solution which we refer to as a developer. A print can then be made by projecting the image from the film onto sensitized photographic paper and processing the paper through a number of chemical baths.

A movie projector is an opto-mechanical device for displaying motion picture film by projecting it onto a screen.

Digital

Digital imaging does not require chemical. Digital images are captured using arrays of photo sensors and these images are then processed by specialised software. Prints can be made through for traditional projection. Or film can remain in a digital form for digital projection.

In everyday speak, people commonly refer to chemical photography as analogue to contrast it with the digital process. Here analogue is referring a signal whose output is proportional to the input.

A good example for analogue in traditional photography is a light meter where light falls on a photo cell which generates an electrical current moving a needle over a scale. The brighter the light is, the more the needle moves. Ironically, the sensor in a digital camera is also analogue: each one of the millions of pixels which constitute the sensor is a light sensitive photo cell generating a tiny electrical current which is responding to light. The brighter the light the stronger the current. 

here is a video which i have found which shoes the difference between Analogue and Digital in filmmaking. The video also uses two different cameras in which one is analogue and one is digital with the comparisons being made throughout the video. 

Analog/Digital Comparison: 35mm vs. Arri Alexa vs. Arri Alexa with added grain from zhdk filmwissen on Vimeo.

Film - analogue and digital

Film

Film

Film refers to a chemical process which is used for analogue recording, copying, playback, broadcasting and display of moving visual and audio media on a material called celluloid.

In a second, 24 frames per second go through the film gate.

Celluloid is a transparent, flammable plastic made in sheets from camphor and nitrocellulose. It was used for making cinematographic films.

The first celluloid size was a size 16 mm. The small negative size meant that films often appeared grainy.

The larger films when blown up appear more resolute due to the fact that is has less enlarging to do, compared to the smaller film, which has to be enlarged more so loses quality in the process of enlargement as it has to fit onto a large cinema screen.

The arrival of a larger 35mm negative brought improvement picture quality.

Video

Video is an electronic medium used for analogue recording, copying, playback, broadcasting and display of moving visual and audio media on magnetic tape using an analogue video signal.

Digital video is a type of digital recording system that works by recording, copying, playback, broadcasting and display using a digital rather than an analogue video signal.

Digital cinematography refers to the process of capturing motion pictures as digital video images as opposed to the historical use of motion picture celluloid film.

Digital capture may happen on video tape, hard disks, flash memory, or other media which can record digital data through the use of digital movie video camera or other digital video camera.

The difference between analogue and digital

Digital technology is fairly simple to define. A system using digital signal simply represents information as discrete, sampled values. An analogue signal use a continuously-varying electrical signal. Both are means of encoding – neither is the literal sound. A digital system is so-named because those discrete values are akin to counting (hence “digits,” as in counting on your fingers), whereas an analogue system uses an electrical signal that is analogous to – though not literally – the original, in that it varies in the way that (for sound) pressure would. Digital breaks all the information and records the sound in ones and zeros.

Analog versus Digital comparison chart
	Analog	Digital
Signal	Analog signal is a continuous signal which represents physical measurements.	Digital signals are discrete time signals generated by digital modulation.
Waves	Denoted by sine waves	Denoted by square waves
Representation	Uses continuous range of values to represent information	Uses discrete or discontinuous values to represent information
Example	Human voice in air, analogue electronic devices.	Computers, CDs, DVDs, and other digital electronic devices.
Technology	Analog technology records waveforms as they are.	Samples analogue waveforms into a limited set of numbers and records them.
Data transmissions	Subjected to deterioration by noise during transmission and write/read cycle.	Can be noise-immune without deterioration during transmission and write/read cycle.
Response to Noise	More likely to get affected reducing accuracy	Less affected since noise response are analogue in nature
Flexibility	Analog hardware is not flexible.	Digital hardware is flexible in implementation.
Uses	Can be used in analogue devices only. Best suited for audio and video transmission.	Best suited for Computing and digital electronics.
Applications	Thermometer	PCs, PDAs
Bandwidth	Analog signal processing can be done in real time and consumes less bandwidth.	There is no guarantee that digital signal processing can be done in real time and consumes more bandwidth to carry out the same information.
Memory	Stored in the form of wave signal	Stored in the form of binary bit
Power	Analog instrument draws large power	Digital instrument drawS only negligible power
Cost	Low cost and portable	Cost is high and not easily portable
Errors	Analog instruments usually have a scale which is cramped at lower end and give considerable observational errors.	Digital instruments are free from observational errors like parallax and approximation errors.

Ellipsis

Ellipsis example

Ellipsis is both a narrative device and the most basic idea in film editing. Ellipsis concerns the omission of a section of the story that is either obvious enough for the public to fill in or concealed for a narrative purpose, such as suspense or mystery.

I chose this video because i think it is a perfect example of ellipsis and how it is done in film. This also shows different ways which you can use ellipsis and how it lengthens the scene/ clip but shortens in time.

Manipulation of diegetic time and space

The manipulation of diegetic time and space

The manipulation of diegetic time and space refers to a range of techniques used in filmmaking to change the dimensions of space and time in ways that would not be possible in real life. All this comes from diegesis.

Diegetic sound – sound inside the story world, which the characters can hear

Non diegetic sound- voice over, sound effects

Time can be made longer of shorter/ condensed and stretched.

Space can be compacted and expanded

Manipulation of diegetic time and space

Wide angles can be used to constrain spaces to the dimensions of aspect ratio and frame.

Deep focus can be used in conjunction with lighting effects to add enormous depth and detail to interior spaces.

Cutting from one location to another location can make the two appear connected.

Editorial techniques such as ellipsis and expansion of time manipulate time as it is experienced by the audience.

Elision is the cuts between scenes that we see e.g. someone wakes up, brushes teeth, and then is walking to work. This is because all of the in between event that happen aren’t necessary which gives us ellipsis.

Flash backs presenting recollected events in a character’s memory can be used to reveal key aspects of plot;

Flash forwards into the future can reveal what a character is planning/ envisaging/ expecting. 

Multiple points of view example

Multiple points of view is where the film shows different points of view of many different characters. As a film has one story-line throughout the whole film, multiple points of view are there to show the audience various characters’ views upon the particular subject.

An example of this would be in Iron man mark 4 vs mark 2. They do a good job at showing their point of view throughout the film individually, along as filming their other co-stars showing their view upon the story-line. This is an example of multiple points of view as it shows every aspect of the actor and how things are seen by them and it also shows the perspective of others around.

 We will see what is happening with one character and then the camera will cut to another character followed by another character if there is another and so on. It shows a scene from the point of view of all the characters involved.

I chose this particular scene as i believe that is was a clear example of Multiple points of view and you can see several shots within the scenes which conveys the multiple points of view.

Shot variation

Shot variation

A master shot is a shot recording of an entire dramatized scene, from start to finish. It is usually a long shot, filmed from an angle that keep all the players in view.

Usually, the master shot is the first shot checked off during the shooting of a scene and is the foundation of the camera coverage. Everything from start to finish, before anyone enters the scene to everything that happens in between, no stopping.

Coverage - Once the master shot is in the bag, other shits are considered and this would be a closer coverage shot. He /she directs other sits that reveal different aspects of the action.

Followed swiftly by close ups, focusing on the main subject then into some insert shots of key objects.

A wide shot sets the tone and is generally used at the beginning of the sequence to:

 Set the tone of the scene

Introduce us to the location

Enable the audience to understand the concept of the scene.

Long shots are used to present a new location

Shot variation

Medium shots are commonly used to show the dynamics of two or three person interaction;

Closer coverage is used for:

·         Intensity

·         Intimacy

·         Detail

Shot variation is used in a lot of action films when a fast paced scene is being shot. In addition to a high number of cuts in a short space of film time the variation of shots and dynamism also help fasten the pace of the scene.

Shot variation check

Have you:

·         Explained what shot variation is?

·         Located an example and uploaded it to your blog?

·         Listed the variety of shots in the clip you have found?

Analysed what each particular shot type brings to the scene?



Here is a clip from the famous Skyfall - Glass marksman shot that i have found via YouTube which is an excellent example of shot variation. From the beginning of the clip we see various shot sizes from a long shot, close-up and medium shots. 

Shot sizes

Shot sizes

Shot sizes are how big things are in the picture, and whether it mainly shows the setting, people in the setting, or details of faces and things. Most filmmakers use standard names for shot sizes. What really differentiates movies from plays is the way filmmakers manipulate the audience’s field of view. In theatre, the audience is in a “wide shot,” always looking at the entire stage and all the actors on it. They are free to look wherever they want. In cinema, however, the filmmaker directs what the public sees and how. While a long shot can show a vast vista of Mount Everest, an extreme close-up can show the silent despair of a child learning that his mother has passed away. These different shots make up the fabric of visual storytelling. 

Here are the various types of shot sizes used in filmaking. 

they are also the most common shots which are used in film.

Wide/Long Shot

Long shots are used to emphasize a sweeping location around the subject.Long shot and wide shot are interchangeable terms.This frame from Gone with the Wind (1939) emphasizes the tragedy of the Civil War and its death toll.

Medium Shot (MS)

Medium shots are the most common types of shots in the movies. Showing most of the subject’s body, medium shots are halfway between long shots and close-ups; however, authors disagree on the definition. While some writers say that the medium shot shows the character from a little above the knees to the top of his head, others state that medium shots only go as low as a little above the waist. Regardless of the academic debate, a medium shot is by all definitions a happy medium between a full shot and a close-up. 

Close-Up (CU)

In close-up shots, the subject occupies most of the frame, allowing very little observation on the environment. Close-ups are much more dramatic than long or medium shots and they are preferred when emphasizing someone’s emotion. 

Extreme Close-Up (ECU)

Often labelled as a detail shot, extreme close-ups do exactly that: show a small detail that would otherwise be missed in a winder shot.

Here is another guide to shot sizes and how, realistically they could be used. 

Multiple points of view

Multiple points of view

At the editing stage, the editor will switch between camera angles depending what the subject is doing. This effect of varying distances and angles, as opposed to sticking to one shot all the way through, brings shape, texture and depth to the scene. The editor uses action matches to preserve continuity, makes the cuts invisible and the audience gets a multi-faceted perspective on events which engages then in the action.

Multiple points of view is a technique where a number of different camera angles are employed to film a single event.

The difference between 'following the action' and 'multiple points of view' is that in the latter we are focused on a single piece of action and seeing that action from many different vantage points. 

The multiple points of view technique can:

• Enable the audience to see a bigger picture and help them understand full what is going on;
• add dynamism to the action making the scene more engaging;
• Manipulate time: observing the same action from multiple perspectives elongates time;
• Reveal key information from different perspectives.  

In my search for a video clip which conveys multiple points of view, i have found a clip from the movie World war Z. 

The video clip which is on YouTube, called World war Z lab scene.

There are demonstrated scenes of different points of view between 0.27 seconds and 0.31 seconds in the video clip. 

It shows the different points of view from where the zombie is seen chasing the antagonist ( Brad Pitt) and we see it from the perspective of the zombie and the perspective of Brad Pitt when he is trying to escape and run away from the protagonist which is the zombie. 

Another clip i found which is from the first scene of World war Z, called Philadelphia features various 'points of view' shown from one of the daughters perspective, the mothers and Brad Pitt when the family is  

being warned by the police officer.
In the clip, we see the multiple points of view between 0.21 seconds of the clip and 0.32 seconds, then again between 1.58 minutes and 2 minutes of the clip.

following the action

following the action
A directing technique which captures all movements a character makes when he/she moves from location to location.

Usually there will be more than one camera shooting the action in the various locations.
this provides the editor with a range of footage and material that they need in able for them to succeed. they will be able to make selections from when the entire sequence is being put together.

Following the action 
At the editing stage, the editor will switch between camera angles and shots, also depending on what the subject is doing and what coverage the director and editor decide best advances the narrative.

This effect of varying distances and angles, as opposed to sticking to one shot all the way throughout the filming process will bring shape, texture and depth to the scene.

The editor uses action matches to preserve continuity, making cuts invisible, and the audience gets multi faceted perspective on events which engages them most in action.
/////////////////////////////////////////////// 47 shots in a 40 second clip -  Fast paced

close up
long shot
extreme close up
head shot
wide shot
low angles
Fast paced scene


Makes it high octane and dynamic, it gives off high energy from the action.

Cross cutting - when you cut scenes and put them together to emphasise the action and to build tension.
Parallel editing-  when you move from a shot from one person to another person whom is somewhere else to show a relationship between them.

In-camera video editing

This is my in-camera editing skills, from what i have shown i express the basic foundation skills of in-camera editing with this short video clip which consist s of various shots and angles.