OUR TASK

 

The activity involves to create a video that meets the following characteristics:

 

Time: 5 to 8 minutes

 

Topic: Gestural Language

 

Types of lenses:

-Zoom lenses

-Prime lenses

-Telephoto lenses

-Wide-angle lenses

-Normal lenses

 

Shot sizes:

-Wide-long shot

-Fullshot

-Medium shot

-Close up

-Extreme close up

-Insert shots

-Reaction shots

 

 

Camera angles:

-Eye level angle

-Low angel

-High angle

-Dutch_tilt

-Point of view angle

 

Camera moves:

-Pan

-Tilt

-Pedestal

-Dolly

-Track

-Zoom

-Dolly counter zoom

 

 

What is Cinema?

Cinema, or motion picture, is the art of moving images; a visual medium that tells stories and exposes reality.

Created in the dusk of the 19th century, cinema is the most recent art form of the world. It is also, by far, the world’s most complex, collaborative, and costly artistic expression

 

What do Producers do?

In the film industry, a producer is the person who manages several aspects of the production process of a motion picture and strives to make sure that all the necessary elements are ready at the right time. Occasionally micromanaging and multitasking, most producers are involved in the production process since the early stages of development all the way to final phase ofdistribution.

Whereas the director is responsible for the creative and artistic elements of a film, the producer is responsible for enabling the director’s view by furnishing him with a crew, cast, equipment, props, and location. Here's a bit of their job descriptions:

·         Buying the rights to a screenplay;

·         Hiring a screenwriter to write a script;

·         Renting equipment and returning it on time;

·         Booking locations and negotiating prices with owners;

·         Having actors sign release forms;

·         Signing insurance paperwork and contracts;

·         Supervising budget and schedule;

·         Making sure the cook arrives or ordering a take-out.

 

Development

The first phase of a movie production is called development. This is the period in which the screenplay is written. At this point in time, a producer may or may not be already attached to the project. If the screenplay is a spec script, then the screenwriter is writing it on his own, without any guarantee that he will ever sell it. If the writer is in a work-for-hire system, then he's getting some money for his time.

The development phase can be the shortest or the longest phase in a production. In The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, for instance, the short story in which the movie is based on was published in 1922, with the rights for a movie being first acquired in the mid-1980s. Between this first purchase and beginning of the official pre-production, several directors and stars were attached to the project. In 2008 the movie was first released with David Fincher as the director and Brad Pitt in the main role.

 

Pre-Production

For pre-production to start, producers must commit themselves to a project – a screenplay. Once greenlit, the script furnishes the framework for the production. Location scouting, casting, equipment rental, storyboard, and shoot script all happen in accordance to the screenplay.

One of the main tasks for the producer during this phase is to secure funds for the production to progress to the next level. Serious student filmmakers must understand that any film production costs money. Meals for the crew is often the biggest expense to young filmmakers. For Hollywood studios, on the other hand, their hugest expense is often the star's salary, which is higher than the entire crew's combined. Equipment rental, contracts, permits, and insurance are also costly for the independent producer and should not be ignored.

Creatively and artistically, many decisions must be made. First and foremost, a director must be chosen; he or she will be in charge of creative decisions from that moment onward unless fired. Writing the shooting script is huge responsibility in this phase. The director must be extremely familiar with the screenplay to the point that he knows what and how he wants to shoot the movie. The shooting script is a more detailed description of the shots and scenes of the movie.

 

Production

The main part of the production phase is called principal photography – which is the moment when camera rolls to record the actors and make the movie. The purpose of pre-production – all the procedure applied and decisions made during this phase – is to make everything during principal photography go as smooth as possible.

Principal photography is the most expensive part on a film production. Major Hollywood producers are paying $1500 a minute. This amount accounts chiefly for cast’s and crew’s salary. Student filmmakers may be shooting at the vicinity of $100 a day, used mainly for food. Ergo principal photography in any film must be fast and efficient. Achieving such a feat is an art in itself. The director and his crew must come together as a well-oiled machine.

Notoriously, what most stalls principal photography is lighting and camerawork. The inexperienced filmmaker may find this assertion ludicrous, but professionals know better. This is especially true for student filmmakers, the reason being twofold. First, students can’t afford all the nice toys as found in the studios, thus they face worst challenges. Secondly, studio movies have so much money that the consensus amongst producers is to “fix in post.” Cinematography at that high-end has become sloppy.

 

Post-Production

Normally, post-production only starts when principal photography ends, but they may overlap. The bulk of post-production consists of reviewing the footage and assembling the movie – editing. The time editing takes to complete is directly proportional to the amount of footage recorded and how good camera notes are.

An infamous example is the case of Apocalypse Now. Shooting indiscriminately, sometimes with eight cameras rolling, Francis Ford Coppola ended principal photography with tons of footage that were good for nothing. His editor, Walter Murch, who started working before Coppola was done, spent two years in the editing room figuring out how to piece this epic together. Camera notes help in the sense that they tell the editor where to look and what to look for.

 

Distribution

Once the movie is completed, it must be distributed. This is how producers make their money back, hence they invest a lot of time and energy in finding the right distribution deals for their projects. A successful distribution deal involves theatrical release, as opposed to direct-to-video agreement. Naturally, studio-produced movies have distribution from the get-go. Independent producers, in the other hand, often struggle while hunting for the most suitable distributors.