Blog 8: Project 1_Equipment, concepts, story development, shots

Part 1: Organisation of equipment and looking at picture of the film location:

Today we organised the video equipment for the current project ‘Portrait of a Location.’ We went to the computer desk and asked questions based on the check sheet list made out last week. Here I had duties to carry out being ‘Production Manager. ’Questions such as: opening times of computer desk, time required in advance of taking out equipment and procedures for same, to check that the video recorder has an SD card of approximately 32GB, which it has. Then checked the equipment to make sure it was all there and in good working order. The ‘Director’ noticed that the platform for linking the camera to the tripod was not present, so this was replaced with a complete tripod. The computer desk administrator then took details of my student number and mobile phone number and informed us that we have the equipment for the two weeks of the project. We brought the equipment to the ‘Director of Photography’ who will take the equipment home to practice on in advance of going on site tomorrow afternoon and to make sure that the battery is charged.

Today I and the ‘Director of Photography,’ looked at the photos taken by the ‘Director’ which he took at the location of the film where we will be shooting. The ‘Director’ discussed his ideas about the pictures which was very interesting and got me thinking about the story to be told and how this will be carried out. I have been pondering on the ideas this evening and watched some T.V. to examine various filming and shot types. In particular the programme ‘Nationwide,’ hosted the ‘Tidy Towns,’ awards ceremony. Here, they went through various locations and from this I gained inspiration on types and sequences of shots of ‘locations.’

I scribbled a few sketches and supporting text based on the thoughts from the ‘Director’s’ photographs and the ideas that we were all discussing as a group and this combined with my studying of the shot types, angles, orientations, combinations that was portrayed on the television (after all the T.V. Crew are kind of ultimate experts) I came up with the following suggestions:

Part 2: based on the Director’s photographs ideas for development of the plot in terms of story in order to determine potential shots and their sequence:

Plot: the emphasis in the film is the interaction between and the journeys within humankind and nature with human objects. The human objects are the Director’s key to the story. Perhaps the film starts at the castle where the camera shoots through a window onto human objects e.g. clothes female and male, trinkets etc. Their arrangement is important.

Then the camera view is out this same window on a nature journey where the camera details various nature objects and also shots of the interaction between nature and humans e.g. photo of garden seat with vines going through it. The progression is through nature scenes and its characteristic transitions i.e. high to middle to low ground and defining features. Here there can be a lot of experimentation with shot and angle sizes to portray the feelings we want to evoke.

The last transition is to the sand and the water’s edge. Here, the viewer is surprised to see the same human objects seen in the castle, but they are organised in a completely different way. For example in the human building they may be folded clothes an organised setting.

At the water’s edge there may be male and female clothing cast off in a random way that lovers might as they run towards the water, here merging the human and the nature worlds.

There could be another development on this plot, that is a where the camera rapidly flicks back through all the images along the journey to the Castle, where there are now no human objects, clothes etc. It is as if the humans have left the castle and become one with nature.

Part 3: an overview of the reasons for camera shots in terms of how they tell the story:

Camera shots: That the shots are somewhere timing-wise starting and ending at the ‘Castle.’ This can have huge significance as it is a kind of interface between humankind, their constructs and how nature can determine their legacy i.e. vegetation growing through the castle. The idea to stimulate the viewer into thinking who has the final say: humans? Or nature? or some kind of a blend. Various pictures can be presented as evidence of each. For example, pictures of the castle and also of a long seat with vines growing through them, or some other human construct which is very obviously human and related to human activity.

The film may feature views in a window / door of the castle where there are human objects (e.g. props we have decided on of clothing and maybe others personalised things like: trinkets, photo-album etc.) and their positioning of these will be important. This may start with an open view moving in towards the window, focusing step-by-step at the window and then into the castle where the view opens up. Next, there is focus on the various objects, to get the viewer thinking of the human representations here in terms of their objects. The camera zooms in on these objects. Lots of angle types and tilts can be used to create emphasis and curiosity.

Then the camera can look outwards out of the window. Here, the view is narrowed as the camera moves towards the window. Camera pauses for a moment at the window and their view opens up to the location outside.

From here the camera portrays the location human &/versus nature subjects. It is like a journey out of the castle on a ‘nature excursion.’

Lots of nature shots as we have seen from the Directors photographs. It could be started with a slow progression along a pathway and the camera noticing the things along the way. The camera then focuses in on different aspects of nature. For example the pictures we have seen of ‘insects,’ ‘flowers,’ ‘trees,’ ‘nature transitions.’

The viewer may be led through wild vegetation as they make their way through nature to the ‘beach’ scene of sand/water. Here the viewer comes across clothes (neatly folded or not). However, the idea is that they are the same items of clothing, trinkets etc. that was noted in the castle, are located by the water. There could be a lot of creative thinking and development of the plot around these aspects. The viewer is challenged to think about this and figure out, the context and meaning of these objects. Since they are placed in and surrounded by nature with no humans in sight their context is in nature.

At the very end, there may be a rapid flicking backwards through all the shots, footage of the journey images, to the castle, and now the same objects are there (that they already saw in the castle and at the beach and are now here again, how can this be? the viewer is inclined to think)

Film ends with focusing of the camera in a closed shot on something of the castle like a plaque or graffiti, as we saw in the Directors photographs. The ‘clothes’ and their layout and male and female clothing are a key idea of the Director. Perhaps there are no clothes or that arrangement of these could be reversed or presented in some other way that is different in the castle scenes to the beach scenes.

Part 4: Shots in more detail of natures and human elements to tell the journey of the story/plot:

Castle: various significant angles as described above. Also, a shot starting at one side of a building noting changes in shadow profiles as the morning/evening light falls on it, then moving for example from left to right around the corner of the building where the viewer is exposed to something of interest. The camera can pause at this point for emphasis.

Graffiti/ plaque: containing text on the castle and also other locations. The idea is to pan across slowly from left to right along the text. Then, pause the camera on a portion of the text. The effect of this is to get the viewer to think. The human brain looks for logic and struggles with this. It is as if they are being asked a question, or faced with something incomplete. (Images following this t.b.d)

Other specific features of the castle (or something else): to start with a focus one main feature of e.g. a doorway that has an associated architecture often found over doors and windows of old buildings, a closed shot. Such features often marks a focal and balance point around which other aspects of a building are orientated. The camera may then zoom out from this feature until its entire context, that is the castle itself is seen in the view.

Trees: shots where the angle of the camera is tilted upwards and zooming in and out slowly, to show the magical and delightful effect of the interweaving of the light through the branches. Also, there may be group shots of tree patterns e.g. a consistent pattern emerging from being equally spaced and same type of tree in a more humanised part of the location to some wild areas of woodland where it may be possible to see patterns in these also. There is a lot of this type of vegetation in the pictures we saw today.

Insects: to video the insects. Then at the editing stage to speed up the pace of the camera. This is so that the insects are ‘jumping and flickering’ very intensely: it is at a rapid pace and the timing of the software used in editing can be used to achieve this effect. This for the viewer imparts a nature type and dynamism.

Other wildlife: to be discovered on our site visit. For example, a swan moving towards the camera and to notice the characteristic cone shaped pattern it creates as it passes through water. The cone is narrowing as it moves towards the camera person. Also, the swan is getting larger. As the swan is getting too close for comfort to the camera person, the camera starts to recede, as if the viewer is moving back away from the swan while keeping the swan in their ‘field of view.’ There is an interaction in this.

Flowers: here the zoom lens can be used. First of all to start the shots looking at an angle upwards from the stem area towards the flower itself. It is as if the camera is taking in a view from a miniature like a tiny insect’s aspect. Using the pivot handle and camera may pan upwards at the same level of zoom, from the stem slowly upwards towards the flower head and pause the shot on the flower head to pay attention to its details e.g. petals.

Nature Transitions: the natural transitions between various vegetation and wildlife which is dependent on the locations geography. Our location is mid- to low-land so there is a very nice transition from what I’ve seen in the photographs from trees on a height, brambles, moving down towards human scale vegetation and grasslands to sand and the water’s edge. This could be filmed as a kind of ‘constant’ where it acts as a background to all the other ‘variable,’ events (human and nature). It could also be filmed as a kind of cross-section view from a distance where all transition types can be read.

Signs and pathways: perhaps a sign in the foreground where the viewers’ eye is first drawn to, and next along an associated pathway, along its z-axis, which leads onto infinity or something else in particular.

 

I think the ‘Portrait of a Location,’ is mainly about portraying that which contributes to a ‘sense of place.’ Here I have laid out a potential blueprint for shots and shot sequence and the endpoint of the dramatic sequence.

Our team will be out onsite in Plassey, Limerick tomorrow, just checked the weather, sunny and no rain for Tuesday and Wednesday, equipment organised and ideas in the making.