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! 

5 Trends That Make Every Movie Look the Same

I'll be the first to admit that I probably spend too much time online. But it's so hard to say no when there's such quality time-wasters out there! One of my perennial favorites is Cracked.com, a humor site known for their bitingly hysterical, yet informative articles. It may not be the most reputable source available for filmmaking theory, but there was one article that I just couldn't keep to myself:

5 Annoying Trends That Make Every Movie Look the Same

This article covers stylistic trends that Hollywood seems to be stuck in a rut with. Included are:

1. Movies that are color-coded by genre
2. The excessive use of orange and teal tones
3. Time ramping use in action films
4. Faking the look of a documentary
5. Using 3D in a way that degrades the quality of the film

Reading the article, I was rather dumbfounded to see how predictable Hollywood has become, if you only know where to look.

Granted, this article does stem from the view of a snarky pundit. There are understandable rationals behind these trends rather than the production staff becoming "lazy," as the author suggests. For example, the heavy use of orange and teal imagery is really just a side effect of filmmakers wanting color contrast in scenes with the flesh tones of their human actors. You can't change the color of their flesh, and the color wheel dictates a nice blue looks great with the slight orange of skin. There is not much leeway there.

Also, there are considerable commercial reasons behind many of the trends listed. For example, the "color-coding by genre" argument never takes into consideration the importance of playing to the audience's expectation. If an unprepared audience is presented with something completely foreign, then they will not accept it as readily. Could you imagine Dark Knight done in vibrant Technicolor?

Still, some arguments ring true, especially the one about lackluster 3D movies. Some filmmakers have used the technique to immerse their audiences in a visceral way. Others do it for the 15 dollar ticket price they can charge. Though unfortunate, that is the way things are.

The article gives a refreshing perspective for me as a filmmaker. I have made a mental note to try not to unnecessarily add my work to the evidence supporting this article. Still, I believe filmmakers should be free to make their films using whatever techniques they want, regardless of how trendy or worn out they are.

Binaural Sound. The New 3d?

Has the buzzword "3D" lost it's buzz yet? It's true, after an explosive renaissance in Hollywood after James Cameron's "Avatar," 3D films just aren't bringing in the incredible margins that they have, even a year ago. As the technology gains more market share, it also loses it's novelty, which is arguably a large part of it's appeal. But three-dimensional visuals aren't the only gimmick in town. Not by a long shot. This is Hollywood afterall.

Before the days of installing new 3D-capable projectors, theaters were in a similar arms race of how many watts their theater's sound system sported. From the beginning of the Talkies, sound technology has steadily been improving from stereo to surround sound. But little known to the general population is another advancement in sound design: binaural sound.

Binaural technology records sound the exact same way we perceive them. Two microphones are placed about 7 inches apart, and a head shaped object is placed between to account for the small alterations our own heads creates. This is different from stereo sound, where the left and right microphones could be placed wherever the sound engineer wants. With Binaural recording, there is a defined perspective. The listener is then placed in the middle of that perspective when they listen through headphones (necessary to avoid "cross talking" between the two sides, or hearing a bit of the left sound in the right ear). This has the unique ability to make sound appear three dimensional. Don't believe me? Try it yourself!

Tip: You must use headphones for this to work

It would be too easy to tell if a sound is coming from the left or right. Somehow, however, you can also hear the sound move frontwards or backwards, and up or down. You can hear the woman whispering behind you, then hear her move to your front. How can only two speakers give so much dimension?

The secret is in the timing of the recordings. The minuscule difference of when sound arrives at your left ear and right ear is not lost on the subconscious mind. Also, the shape of our ears distort and direct sound differently if it is entering the ear from in front or in back. By mimicking the human aural design as faithfully as possible, the effect can become even more effective.

Just like 3D films today, binaural sound recording was developed far before the latest blockbuster films. The first experiments with it actually date back to 1881! Since then, the technology has struggled to find a proper use, despite a fad of musicians recording their albums with it (One example being Pearl Jam's unironically titled "Binaural" album). Despite it's seemingly magical effect, the technology never really "caught on."

This could be due to the fact that the format's practical applications are unfortunately limited. Though some select circumstances in movies could benefit from this total sound immersion, it is a foreign form compared to how we process movies now. It would be akin to showing feature films in 60fps. It may be a more lifelike experience, but it is not part of the audience's internal film expectations. Not to mention, you'd be required to wear headphones on top of those ugly glasses at the movie house. One application that would benefit greatly from this technique, however, is point-of-view video games. Since the audience is already submitting to a point-of-view perspective, it plays right into the audience's coded viewing experience, and add the realism that game developers strive so hard to achieve.

Though it is yet to be seen whether binaural sound will ever find widespread adoption, it still can inspire sound designers to create an ever more immersive soundscape, and make a pretty awesome YouTube video, too.

-Dylan Van Arsdale

Sources

www.filmschoolrejects.com/opinions/why-cant-3d-sound-be-the-future-of-movies.php

http://sciencefictionworld.com/films/science-fiction-films/574-the-death-of-3d.html

http://benbeck.co.uk/firsts/talkies2.htm