Techniques of Filming

Recently I've been interested in simple techniques that increase the quality of the shots when filming. I found a decent article posted by lavideofilmmaker.com called "11 Essential Film Techniques". There's definitely an emphasis on the world essential, because the first 8 or so are some very standard techniques such as zoom, pan, tilt, and over-the-shoulder. Assuming you guys already know about most of these techniques, I'm going to focus on the last two. However, if you want to read the full list you can check it out here:

http://www.lavideofilmmaker.com/filmmaking/film-techniques.html

Number 10 is called the Dutch Angle shot. You may know it as the sideways/crooked shot.

This shot is rarely justified, but when it is, it works beautifully. Dutch angles are used to create a sense of unease with the viewer or suggest that something is out of balance. This makes sense because the shot is quite literally out of balance. Wikipedia claims the first film to use this kind of shot was a 1919 silent German horror film called "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari". Today, Dutch angles are quite popular and we can point them out in several films and TV shows. They were also extensively used in the 1960's Batman TV series (I mention this only because I talked about this show last time).

Number 11 I also found very interesting. They labeled it as Mixing focal lengths in a scene to make one character dominant over the other. Normally, you want to use the same lens in a back and forth conversation to keep the shots similar. However, there is one exception to this. I could reword it in some way but they really say it best:

"If two characters are talking and you cover the scene with complementary over-the-shoulder shots and you want to make one character look a lot more dominant than the other, you can use a wide lens (short focal length) when shooting over the shoulder of the dominant character, and a significantly longer lens when shooting over the shoulder of the other character. As a result of the short focal length, when you film over the shoulder of the dominant character, he will dominate the frame because he will look much larger than the other character."

I found this to be a very artistic use of the lens. It's also a good example of learning the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist (hats off to Picasso for that line). Anyways, I hope you find these techniques interesting and I invite anyone to comment with interesting techniques they've have found! 

Apple

I recently watched a brand new documentary on Steve Jobs.  It was recently done and talked about his life from the starting of Apple, to buying Pixar, to once again becoming the CEO of Apple, until his death.  Admittedly, I am an Apple fanboy.  I own an iPhone, a Macbook, an iPad, and countless Apple applications like Logic, Final Cut Pro, and many others.

Normally, we think of Steve Jobs as just the CEO of Apple, a guy who helped with the iPhone and was ultimately, a computer geek.  What this documentary highlights and why I am writing this is that Steve Jobs revolutionized almost every aspect of the media today.  He was involved with the creation of Final Cut Pro and studio, he was instrumental in starting iTunes, helped launch logic, and also helped create the software that makes all of these tools and assets that we use as communications and Television Radio majors possible.

With just the mention of the word Final Cut (the old version at least), most people think right away about a NLE that was revolutionary, streamlined the editing process, and kept costs down in the process.  It's interesting to think that a man that we all consider a visionary, impacted all of us so closely.  I for one began editing on Final Cut Pro in high school.  Because of Final Cut, I found my love for making films, telling stories, and finding my own way to be creative.  Had it not been for Steve Jobs or even iMovie, my high school may never had the money or resources to have a video production class and I never would have gotten to the point I am at today.

Another thing that Steve did was with audio.  ITunes is gigantic; and unstoppable force in the music industry along with iPods.  People forget that when iTunes was created, there was nothing even remotely close to it on the market nor was there anything reasonably as advanced as the iPod was when it was released shortly after.  Music is one of my biggest passions along with video and when I was thinking about, Steve has literally contributed to almost all of my happiness in my life in some way.  While his programs are not instrumental to my life all of the time now that I have found my passion, I still use them today and without Final Cut or Garage Band and Logic, I may have never realized how creative of a person I really am because there was nothing even remotely affordable on the market or easy-to-use for music and video.

While people are quick to judge "apple fanboys", I think it is important to step back and think about all of the ways Apple has impacted our lives.  Steve Jobs and his company have made so many things possible for all of us that may never have been possible before.  Because of their innovation, so many more innovators were created and made able to realize their true potential.  For this, not for the iPhones I use or the computer I own, do I hold Steve Jobs so highly.  Through his products, he inspired me and many others around me to create, to learn from ourselves, to be our own visionaries, and for this, we are all indebted to Steve Jobs.


May he rest in peace.

The living Wake

Over thanksgiving break I had the opportunity to watch to watch an indi-film starring Jesse Eisenberg. It was very witty and clever and made it to my favorites list at number 35. The story is about a man who is dying of an incurable name-less disease and and his doctor tells him the very specific time for him to die. The story is set on his last day on earth. He sets out to find the answer to why his father left him and his mother when he was very young and he later finds his father and he tells him all the resolving facts to the story and brings him to his death. The story certainly keeps you intrigued and interested while taking you on a journey to see the last day of his life and the sadness of his only friend as he carries him to his grave most literally. The story weighs heavily on its characters and their development.