resolution and aspect ratio

Dada Film

How does Dada film do it's job of taking art into the 20^th century by moving images?

The beginnings of Dada correspond to the outbreak of World War I, and the movement itself could be seen as a reaction to the catastrophe. While most of the European poets and painters joined the war propaganda and glorified the war as the climax of European culture, Dadaists attempted to undermine the cultural values and social myths that WWI promoted. The Dadaists tried to emancipate their audience from cultural idols, taboos, and norms by creating and participating in art that worked to become public manifestations that provoked the audience to become “Dadists” for a brief moment in time. 

most of the dada films seem to have moving inanimate objects,repetition of objets and people, formal and informal balance, and forms of variety along with unity.    

kuleshov effect

Kuleshov effect:

a film editing (montage) effect demonstrated by Russian filmmaker Lev Kuleshov in the 1910s and 1920s.It is a mental phenomenon by which viewers derive more meaning from the interaction of two sequential shots than from a single shot in isolation.

(close up of actor, then cuts to a shot of something the actor is thinking about, or looking at. then show them one after another so the audience assumes thats what the actor is looking at or desiring.) 

metropolis analysis

Metropolis Final Analysis:

• Fritz Lang (opening credits)
• wanted to make a film that would make an impression on the American market (googled it)
• He (Fritz Lang), wanted to make the biggest film of that time period. (googled it)
• this film was made for a large audience of people, it addresses the audience by keeping them entertained with the urban/modern aspects and setting of the film and interesting camera movement and angles. (googled) 
• this film was made in a higher society setting and environment due to its large intricate sets, costumes etc... (the film)
• German expressionist (class work) 
• Star Wars C3PO is very similar to the robot figure in metropolis (imdb)

Twilight chase scene

Twilight Chase Scene


I felt that this project was done pretty well and up to standards as our first "real" film for this class.I felt that rule of thirds and camera angles were used in every shot as it was required. Thing that could have been better were the quality of the shots and we should have planned our story board out a bit better. For our next project i plan to have sound to go with the video and to plan out our shots better. Overall I am very happy with the way this turned out.

German Expression Movement

The Golem: 

1920
Carl Boese and Paul Wegener 
madness,anti-hero, contrast, variety
inspired floating rings in Metropolis






Metropolis:
1927
Fritz Lang 
urbanization, sci-fi
inspired C3PO in Star Wars






Pandora's Box
1929
Georg Wilhelm Pabst 
anti-hero, framing, contrast
inspired comic strip Dixie Dugan

camera angles

establishing shot: a usually long shot in film or video used at the beginning of a sequence to establish an overview of the scene that follows

variety 





long shot: The camera is a considerable distance from the subject(s) being filmed.  The whole human figure from head to feet is included in the frame, with the surrounding environment very visible.

informal balance

medium shot: A human subject in MS is generally shown from the waist up; background begins to be visible and potentially important, and two-shots are possible.

repetition of vertical lines

(:9)






eye level shot: The camera is located at normal eye level (five to six feet from ground level) in relation to the subject.  Unless otherwise noted in the script, the camera will automatically be set up at eye level.  When analyzing a scene, eye-level shots do not need to be indicated as such; the reader will assume that this is the position of the camera, unless otherwise indicated.

leading lines








close up shot: The camera is close to the subject, so that when the image is projected most of the screen shows a face and its expression, or some relatively small part of a larger whole.

horizontal lines








birds eye shot: the camera is placed directly over the subject.

(:13) formal balance

worm's eye view: a view of an object from below, as though the observer were a worm




(:56) scale











extreme close up: A minutely detailed view of an object or a person. An extreme close-up of an actor generally includes only his eyes, or his mouth.


movement












reaction shot: A cut to a shot of a character's reaction to the contents of the preceding shot.



(:47) variety










point of view shot: Any shot which is taken from the vantage point of a character in the film. Also known as the first person camera.



repetition of horizontal lines









over the shoulder shot: A medium shot, useful in dialogue scenes, in which one actor is photographed head-on from over the shoulder of another actor.



(:14) horizontal lines

camera movements

Zoom: It involves changing the focal length of the lens to make the subject appear closer or further away in the frame. 

How its used: to make the subject appear closer or further away in the frame; effectively magnifying a part of the images, shows the context of the setting or where the subject is located.

Pan: Moving the camera lens to one side or another.(to follow a subject or scan a scene)

How its used: This is a swiveling movement, i.e. mounted in a fixed location on a tripod or shoulder, rather than a dolly-like movement in which the entire mounting system moves.

Tilt: the camera is aimed sideways along a straight line. Note that the camera itself is not moving. It is often fixed on tripod, with the operator turning it either up or down

How its used: if you mount a camera on your shoulder and nod it up and down, you are tilting the camera. Used to show how big things are (height) looking up shows power looking down shows lack of power

Tracking: Tracking is often more narrowly defined as movement parallel to the action, or at least at a constant distance

How its used: Move the camera physically to the left while maintaining its perpendicular relationship. Natural movement, can look through rooms to follow subjects

Dolly: Motion towards or motion from. (The phrase dolly-in means step towards the subject with the camera, while dolly-out means to step backwards with the camera, keeping the zoom the same.)

How its used: The camera is mounted on the dolly and records the shot as it moves. More natural movement than zoom, reveals info in the shot

composition

I think for our first time using the cameras and equipment we did a really good job. We could have done a bit better by using different and better camera angles and we could have been more creative with shots. Overall it was well done but could be even better with slight improvements, such as a better use of rule of thirds. For the next film, hopefully  I will have a better feel for the camera a editing software so I can produce a abetter/more advanced film. I recommend to anyone producing a similar film to check camera angles and height, and make sure everyone is in the right place before hooting your film. Don't forget to say rolling, action, and cut. Always keep in mind putting people on points of emphasis and the rule of thirds, it is more important than you think.

principles of design

PHOTOGRAPHY AS ART

Photography is more than combining cameras, lenses, and film; it is about using those tools in combination with the elements and principles of design to create visual art.  Understanding how to use the elements and principles will turn your “snap shots” into photographic works of art.  Define the following terms.

Elements of Design

Line: ·      Leading Leading lines are lines within an image that leads the eye to another point in the image, or occasionally, out of the image. o     ·      Vertical being in a position or direction perpendicular to the plane of the horizon o     ·      Horizontal a horizontal line in an image that conveys a message of ‘stability’ or even ‘rest’. o     ·      Diagonal suggest a feeling of movement or direction o     ·      Curved  Curved lines do vary in meaning, however. Soft, shallow curves suggest comfort, Deep, acute curves, on the other hand, suggest confusion,  o

http://char.txa.cornell.edu/language/element/element.htm use this website to figure out what each type of line represents.

Principles of Design

Balance: Symmetrical The parts of an image or object organized so that one side duplicates, or mirrors, the other. Also known as formal balance ·        Asymmetrical also called informal balance, is more complex and difficult to envisage. It involves placement of objects in a way that will allow objects of varying visual weight to balance one another around a fulcrum point. ·

Unity: unity occurs when all of the elements of a piece combine to make a balanced, harmonious, complete whole.

Variety: variety is to combine different elements (differences in shape, color, line, textuture...) into one composition

Movement / Rhythm:  caused by using elements under the rules of the principles in picture to give the feeling of motion and to guide the viewer's eyes throughout the artwork.

Emphasis: an area or object within the artwork that draws attention and becomes a focal point.

Proportion / Scale: the size of an object (a whole) in relationship to another object (another whole).

Repetition / Pattern: An element that occurs over and over again in a composition.

Making Choices

Point of View: bird’s eye an elevated view of an object from above, with a perspective as though the observer were a bird ·        worm’s eye a view as seen from below or from a humble position. ·

Rule of Thirds: applied by aligning a subject with the guide lines and their intersection points, placing the horizon on the top or bottom line, or allowing linear features in the image to flow from section to section.

Framing:  the presentation of visual elements in an image, especially the placement of the subject in relation to other objects.

Simplicity: the quality or condition of being plain or natural