Unit 1: Filmmaking 101

TASK 1: Filming Basics

On Set Calls

 While on set, 'On Set Calls' are used to convey a message to everyone on the set at that time. 'On Set Calls' include:

•  "Quiet Please" or "Quiet on Set" (Called by the Director or the 1st Assistant Director. This reminds everyone on set that filming is taking place, and that they must be quiet during this time.)
•  "Stand By" or "Ready to Go for a Take" (Called by the Director or the 1st Assistant Director. This reminds those who are not prepared to make themselves ready for the next take.)
•  "Sound?" (Called by the Director or the 1st Assistant Director. This is called to make sure that the sound department is ready.)
•  "Sound Ready" (Called by the Sound Recordist. This is called in response to "Sound?", and lets the Director know that the microphones are ready.)
•  "Camera?" (Called by the Director or the 1st Assistant Director. This is called to make sure that the camera department is ready.)
•  "Speed" or "Camera Rolling" (Called by the Camera Operator. This is called after the camera has been recording for 3 seconds, and lets the Director know that the camera is recording.)
•  "And... Action" (Called by the Director or the 1st Assistant Director. This is called to let the actors know when they should begin the scene.)
•  "Cut" (Called by the Director. This is called to let the Camera Operator know to stop filming. The Director may wait five to ten seconds at the end of the scene before calling this, to ensure more flexibility in editing.)
•  "Reset" (Called by the Director. This is called when the Director wants to do another take of the scene.)
•  "Move On" (Called by the Director. This is called when the Director is happy with a take, and the crew can move on from it.)
•  "That's a Wrap" (Called by the Director, and relayed by the 1st Assistant Director. There is also something called a "Celebrity Call" when someone like a lead actor makes the call, but it mostly depends on who the Director gives the honours to. This is called to signal the end of production, so the film can then enter post-production.)

How to Stay Safe on Set

 Ways to stay safe on set include:

•  Writing out a 'Risk Assessment' (A way to identify all possible errors and outcomes, in case something goes wrong during shooting.)
•  Performing a 'Location Recce' a couple of days before filming (Has multiple uses, but can also act as another way to identify risks before shooting.)
•  Make sure any wires from your equipment are taped down with hazard tape.
•  Take care when moving lights or packing them away. They could be hot and burn.
•  Make sure your crew has plenty of food and stays hydrated with water.

How to Perform a Location Recce

  A 'Location Recce' (also referred to as 'Location Scouting') is a pre-filming visit to a location (performed no more than a couple of days before the shoot date) to look at how suitable it is for filming. The results and findings of these visits can be logged on documents, such as this:

TASK 2: Shot Size, Type & Angle

What is Shot Size?

 Shot size describes how close a character or object of interest is to the camera, and how they are framed. Examples of shot sizes include:

•  Establishing Shot (A shot focusing on a setting, commonly used in the opening of a scene to update the audience on the scene's current location.)
•  Wide Shot (When two or more characters are positioned on the opposite sides of the shot, commonly used to express a relationship between two characters or groups, likely a tension or separation.)
•  Master Shot (Commonly used during a conversation between two or more characters, and will often be referred back to throughout the scene to break up other shots such as Medium Close-Ups.)
•  Full Shot (When a character's entire body is in the frame, with the top of their head being close to the top of the frame, and their feet being close to the bottom of the frame. It is useful when fully establishing a character's appearance to the audience, as the camera is close enough to see the character's face and emotions, all while still being able to see their entire body.)
•  Medium Full Shot (When a character can be seen from the top of their head to below their waist. Often referred to as the "Cowboy Shot", as it is most commonly used in Westerns. This is because directors often like to keep the cowboys' gun holster in frame, especially during tense stare downs.)
•  Medium Shot (When a character can be seen from the top of their head to above their waist. The most common shot in cinema, due to its neutrality and flexibility.)
•  Medium Close-Up (When a character can be seen from the top of their head to their shoulders, commonly used during a conversation between two characters. Commonly used to remove background distractions, and focus only on the character and details in the story/dialogue. For example, the audience is more inclined to really listen to a character's words in this shot, as it establishes a certain intimacy between the character and the audience.)
•  Close-Up (When only the character's head can be seen in the frame, commonly used during intense or emotional scenes, as it allows the audience to clearly see an actor's emotions.)
•  Extreme Close-Up (When the shot is focused only on a very specific part of a character, whether it be their eyes, mouth, hand, shoes, etc. Commonly used to draw attention to a specific detail about a character.)

What is Shot Type?

 Shot type describes how many characters are in one shot, and their relationship with the environment. Shot types use multiple indicators to describe the shot. The first indicator would be the number of characters in one shot. Examples include:

•  Single Shot (When only one character is in the shot.)
•  2 Shot (When two characters are in the shot.)
•  3 Shot (When three characters are in the shot.)
•  4 Shot (When four characters are in the shot.)
•  5 Shot (When five characters are in the shot.)
•  Crowd Shot (When six or more characters are in the shot.)

 Another indicator is whether the shot is described as clean or dirty. If a shot is clean, it means no other characters or objects are obscuring the point of focus. If a shot is dirty, then we have the opposite. Other indicators include:

•  Over-the-shoulder Shot (When the shot is looking over a character's shoulder, commonly used in a conversation between two or more characters.)
•  POV Shot (When the shot shows what a character is seeing. This gives the audience an empathetic view of the story.)
•  Insert Shot (When the camera is focused on an object, rather than a character. This is useful for highlighting key props in a scene.)

What is Shot Angle?

 Shot angle is used to describe the location and position of the camera itself, in relation to the character or object in focus. Examples of shot angles include:

•  Low Angle (When the camera is placed lower than the character or object in focus. Commonly used to make the character seem more empowered and strong.)
•  High Angle (When the camera is placed higher than the character or object in focus. Commonly used to make the character seem belittled or fragile.)
•  Overhead Shot (When the camera is placed above the character or object in focus, and looking down at a 90° angle. Often referred to as bird's-eye view or God's-eye view. Commonly used to showcase complex environments.)
•  Dutch Angle (When the camera is tilted. Often referred to as a canted angle. Commonly used for dramatic effect, or to create an uneasy atmosphere.)

 Under the umbrella of shot angles, there are shot heights. Examples of shot heights include:

•  Eye Level Shot (When the camera is aligned with a character's eyes. The most common and neutral shot height. The eyes are one of the best ways a good actor can show realistic emotion, and levelling the camera with the eyes will draw focus to that.)
•  Shoulder Level Shot (When the camera is aligned with a character's shoulders. The second most common and neutral shot height. Commonly used during conversations, often in the form of an over-the-shoulder shot.)
•  Hip Level Shot (When the camera is aligned with a character's hips. Most commonly found in Westerns in conjunction with Medium Full Shots, as directors usually like to draw attention to the cowboys' gun holsters, which rest at hip height.)
•  Knee Level Shot (When the camera is aligned with a character's knees. Commonly used to track a character through an environment.)
•  Ground Level Shot (When the camera is aligned with a character's feet or the ground. Commonly used to capture important details on the ground, while still focusing on the character at the same time.)

TASK 3: Mise-en-scène

 Mise-en-scène (meaning 'staging' in French), is the combination of all of the visual elements that create a shot (e.g. props, set design, costumes, colour, blocking, framing, etc). French film critic, André Bazin, explained Mise-en-scène as telling a story in one image, in contrast to Montage, where a story is told through multiple images.

 There are two common styles of Mise-en-scène:

 Naturalistic - When the world in which the characters live is realistic. When the setting matches something the audience is used to seeing in real life, when characters are wearing ordinary clothing, when the colour grading of the film is natural and accurate to real life, etc. Examples of a film with naturalistic Mise-en-scène include: 'The Dark Knight (2008)', 'The Social Network (2010)', and 'Marriage Story (2019)'. A director popular for this style is David Fincher.

(From 'The Dark Knight (2008)'. In this scene, Bruce Wayne is seen sleeping during a meeting with his colleagues. The modern set design and abundance of reflective surfaces around the room give off a sleek and professional feel, letting the audience know that this is an important gathering. The reflective surfaces could also work as symbolism, as though the shot is holding up a mirror to Bruce and his behaviour. Most of the characters in the scene are sitting at a long table, and with Bruce sitting apart from everyone else, it shows a visual disconnect between him and his colleagues. Bruce's distance from the camera is also important, as he is the furthest away from the camera out of everyone else at the table, showing that he is emotionally the furthest away from the current event in the story, which is the meeting. All of the other characters in the shot are staring at him as well, visually portraying to the audience that this is something shocking to the other characters, and therefore should be shocking to the audience too.)

 Theatrical - When the world in which the characters live is unrealistic. Things are unintended to look normal, and things like the setting, costumes, colour grading, and lighting, are meant to be exaggerated and highly stylised. Examples of a film with theatrical Mise-en-scène include: 'Alice in Wonderland (2010)', 'The Wizard of Oz (1939)', and 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001)'. A director popular for this style is Tim Burton.

(From 'Alice in Wonderland (2010)'. In this scene, the Queen of Hearts looks over at her castle grounds from a balcony. She is the main antagonist of the movie, which is highlighted by the dim lighting in this scene. There is also thunder and lightning throughout this scene, which adds to the effect. The balcony looks over at a river of blood, decorated with stone heads and a canoe. This hints at her obsession with beheading, and the canoe especially highlights the pleasure she takes in it. The Knave of Hearts stands far behind her, visually implying their complicated relationship. The balcony is on a platform that is higher than the ground that the Knave is standing on, visually showing the pedestal she puts herself on, in comparison to him. The Queen is stressed in this scene, which could be another reason why she is standing so far from the Knave, as though she is distancing herself and in need of space to think.)

TASK 4: Rule of Thirds & 180° Rule

What is the 'Rule of Thirds'?

 The 'Rule of Thirds' is when the composition of the shot is split into thirds, horizontally and vertically, splitting the shot into 9 equal squares. There are 4 cross-sections around the centre square, and placing a character or object in focus on any of these cross-sections will make it clear to the audience that they are important.

 Another way to use the rule is to place characters or objects in focus within the thirds along the horizontal axis, or even frame them within the centre square.

What is the '180° Rule'?

 The '180° Rule' is when an imaginary line is created from one character to another, during a conversation between these two characters. The line is created as a guide for camera placement. The rule is that as much as the camera can change position, it must stay on one side of the line to avoid disorientating the audience when cutting from shot to shot. Though, this rule can be broken if the director wishes to disorientate the audience. It is important to remember that filmmaking rules such as the '180° Rule' and 'Rule of Thirds' can be bent or broken to produce certain results. You don't need to follow them religiously. However, rules like these must be understood properly before you can understand how to break the rules effectively. 

TASK 5: Editing

 For this task, we needed to play around with a few edits on Adobe Premier Pro, this included: on-screen text, fade transitions, colour grading, etc. I used two pieces of stock footage, and edited them so the video ended up looking somewhat similar to what you'd see during an opening credits sequence.