Blog Post Five: Depth of Field in Cinematography

Depth of Field in Cinematography

1.) Still images from existing media (film or television)

a.) A still showing how deep it is used to convey development 

b.) A still showing how shallow is used to convey character

c.) A still showing how soft is used to convey character

2.) Stills I have created

a.) A still showing how deep it is used to convey development

b.) A still showing how shallow is used to convey character.

c.) A still showing how soft is used to convey character

3.) A major challenge that I faced while creating this was still using the soft depth of field. When choosing the film still, it took me about 15 minutes, and that was after watching videos on how to achieve a soft depth of field in cinema. When showing soft from stills I have personally created, making sure it looked "dreamlike" while also making sure to be able to make out details was a tough part of this photo experiment. I had to keep making the layer of Vaseline thinner because the thicker it was, the harder it became to see any of the characters. For creating the deep focus shot, I had difficulties making sure my phone did not automatically blur the background, which was a simple but tedious fix. But even after fixing it, my camera kept reverting to what it was originally doing, so I had to resort to using my mother's phone. For shallow shots at first, it ended up making the main subject much darker than I wanted, so I ended up having to change the levels of light to make it look much better than the first picture I took. While I experienced lots of difficulties with the soft focus the reviewing classmates' work, rewatching the videos to get a better understanding, and asking some of my classmates in person, I got over this issue, making the shot look much better (not perfect, but improved). I got to experience lots of different camera techniques while creating my photo experiment, while exploring the different depths of field. I had to use it now, I understand what each of them means (hands-on activities stick better in my brain)

Blog Post Four: Camera Position

Blog Post Four: Angle, Level, Height, and Distance in Cinematography

1.) Stills from existing media (film or television) that demonstrate the following:

 a.) A still showing how an angle is used to convey conflict

 b.) A still showing how level is used to convey development

 c.) A still showing how height is used to convey development

 d.) A still showing how distance is used to convey conflict

2.) Stills you create that demonstrate the following:

a.) A still showing how an angle is used to convey character.

b.) A still showing how level is used to convey development

c.) A still showing how height is used to convey character.

d.) A still showing how distance is used to convey conflict

3.) For this assignment, the challenge that I faced was determining which still from what film seemed to convey the story behind the still. Additionally, when I did find good stills, it was challenging to determine which one fit into a specific category. For level I had a hard time making sure the picture I was taking was straight enough because every time I took the photo, it looked off, save for the one time I accidentally took a vertical picture, which was a quick fix of rotating my phone and retaking it. For distance, when describing which of the subjects would be in the back was hard alongside figuring out how far the character needed to be away from the other when doing distance (not loving distance but stalker distance). I settled for something reasonable for distance, but I still find it hard to make the decision. Other than those issues, not too much. I learned a lot from this experience when it comes to filmmaking, making with how the different categories swayed our emotions along with them, and how the way you take the photo greatly impacts the viewer's take on that photo. Also, getting to take photos with all of these different strategies was pretty nice, especially when finding out which object would better convey what the question was asking you to take a photo of (what the photo would convey). I experienced lots of good filmmaking strategies with the videos I watched alongside the hands-on approach to doing this assignment (with hunting down film stills alongside taking photos of my own). 

Blog Post 3: Mise en Scene

 Mise en scène: Movement, Contrast, Color, Size, Frontality

1) Stills from existing media

a.) A showing contrast to guide the viewer's attention

b.) A showing color to guide the viewer's attention.

c.) A still showing size to guide the viewer's attention.

d.) A still using frontality to guide the viewer's attention.

2) Stills I created

a.)  A still showing how contrast is used to guide the viewer’s attention.

b.) A still showing how color is used to guide the viewer's attention

c.) A still showing how size is used to guide the viewer's attention

d.) A still showing how frontality is used to guide the viewer's attention

2) Written Evaluation

For me, I had a very rough time portraying contrast and color. I kept confusing contrast and color even after watching the videos multiple times, but after viewing other posts, I tried my best. For size, I had no issue; in fact, I had too many options I just ended up picking the most appropriate item for what was being asked of me to do. Frontality was easy, just have to find a clip where the actor is facing forward, and for the plushie, it was a bit harder as it wasn't straight, no matter how I tried, so it looks a little crooked. I do not think it makes that much of a difference, but if it does, then I would fix it. For color finding the right shade was rough if I made it to bright it didn't work and to dark made it hard to see the stuffed animal. For contrast in media it was difficult to find good stills because what I had in mind was very different then what actual contrast in movies details, I struggled with finding a good example not only in film but also with the still I would take because the ones I took at first did not really draw in the eye but I do think after rewatching the video and looking at other post I got the gist of it. With this experience, I learned a lot about what works well and what doesn't work as well, alongside the different shades that show up fairly nicely on a dark subject. I learned a lot about patience when finding the right object to photograph and better techniques for everything (frontality, color, size, and contrast).

Blog Post 2: The Rule of Thirds

The Rule of Thirds

 1.) A still from the movie John Wick: Chapter 4

2.) Places/Settings/Landscapes and "The Rule of Thirds"

a.) A photo taken without regard for the rule.

b.) A photo taken with the horizon aligned with the bottom horizontal rule line, with a big tree lined up with the hot spot.

3.) One figure (animal)

a.) A photo taken without regard for the rule.

b.) A photo taken with the lizard aligned with the top left hotspot (left vertical line).

4.) Two figures (same rules as above) (cute ducks edition)

a.) A photo taken without regard for the rule.

b.) A photo taken with eyes and landscape aligned according to the rule AND figures with neutral spacing.

c.) A photo taken with eye and landscape alignment AND vertical placement to suggest attraction.

d.) A photo taken with eye and landscape alignment AND vertical placement to indicate unrequited love.

5.) Written Analysis

A.) The still from John Wick: Chapter 4 uses "The Rule of Thirds" in many ways. First, they have an over-the-shoulder shot with John Wick's head in the upper right hot spot, and when we look to the left side, we then see the bad guy/enemy in this situation. It creates a sense of worry and conflict because you can't see if John Wick has a weapon, but you can definitely see the enemy's weapon. It develops the plot by showing that there is about to be a major fight and someone is going down, creating a sense of anticipation, excitement, and worry at the same time. While you are excited to see this fight, you are also worried about who will come out victorious, the bad guy or the main character, John Wick.

B.) In image 4c, it tells my desired story by showing a long shot of the two ducks. They are in the center of the image, showing how close they are, giving off a "romantic" vibe; they have little space left between them, hinting that the next scene might be kissing. So, when I moved the ducks away from the left side and right side, I put them facing the same direction close in the middle. I wanted the image to give off a sense of finally together, no need for more struggles vibe. The ducks' heads are both slightly turned, suggesting that they both know of each other's feelings and are leaning in for the long-awaited kiss to really seal their feelings. I made sure to make use of the long shot to really give a sense of how close the ducks really were to each other, leaving almost nothing to the imagination, then what I desired (P.S. I desired the audience to notice the romance going on between the ducks!)