Blog: Discuss the digital effects of one or two works listed above. What kind of spaces are depicted in these various videos? Digital effects work on the data layer of the digital image, by the manipulation of pixels. Effects, such as green screen, manipulate the color and ordering of pixels. Compositing is the layering of multiple images or tracks into a whole. Glitch effects come from the damage of code in media files. How is the realism of traditional cinema (its truthfulness in capturing images of bodies in a three-dimensional world) altered, enhanced or challenged by these techniques?  How might you use digital effects in your montage assignment?

Digital effects play a key role in shaping the spaces and realism of videos, allowing creators to go beyond what traditional filmmaking can achieve. Green screens, for example, replace real backgrounds with digital ones, transporting actors to places that don’t exist. This challenges the realism of traditional cinema, which usually captures real-world settings, by introducing a controlled, artificial world.

Compositing layers multiple images or video tracks, blending live-action footage with digital elements to create environments that feel real but are constructed. This blurs the line between what’s real and what’s fabricated, altering our perception of cinematic truth. Glitch effects, caused by damaged digital files, disrupt the image and can symbolize breaks in reality or emotional tension.

For my montage assignment, I would most likely use digital effects like color correction to adjust the tone of the scene or dim the lighting for mood. I might also use effects to make certain items pop, drawing the viewer’s attention to key elements. Additionally, incorporating a green screen layer could help place characters or objects in a unique background, adding depth to the overall visual experience. These subtle changes would enhance the visual impact without taking away from the realism of the scene.

Sounds sourced from Freesound along with a few personally recorded audio clips.

Miryssa Casas & Zach Heller

Hallway Horror Dreams!

Miryssa Casas & Zach Heller

Blog: Discuss the framing and editing in the clip below (it’s an opening from an episode of the show Shameless). What is the scene communicating? What is happening visually? How does continuity editing help narrate the family dynamics? What are the visual anchors within the chaos of movements?  How can a family gather at the table, discuss plans and eat breakfast in under 2 minutes!?  No need to answer all these questions, just address what you see.

This scene captures the chaos of getting a family ready for the day, but with a twist. It opens with Fiona, the main character, wiping fog off the window. As the camera comes into focus, we’re positioned behind her, watching her reflection in the mirror. Fiona turns around, and the camera shifts to a front view, following her as she moves through the house, waking everyone up. The shot follows the 180-degree rule, and we’re now positioned behind Fiona again as she interacts with the rest of the cast. A door slams, and in a quick cut, we transition to the family sitting at the dining table for breakfast.

Breakfast is pure chaos. The electric bill is due, food and supplies are running low, and everyone is scrambling to eat. We see Fiona adding water to the milk jug, trying to make it last. The family then passes around a box, each person contributing money for the bill. Finally, there’s a match-on-action cut where Fiona catches a tossed cell phone. So much all in one!

When homework time turns into nap time.

We are taking dehydrated tomato peels and turning them into tomato powder for cooking.

Blog Post:
This is an exercise to illustrate how continuity editing and framing are used to make a space and build a narrative. Select one of these scenes from Duel.

What kind of continuity edits are used to build the scene?  Try to use continuity terms:

• 180 degree rule
• 30 degree rule
• Cut in / Match on Action (from wide to close-up or reverse)
• Motivated POV shot
• Shot Reverse Shot 
• Empty frame
• Graphic Match
• Parallel action/ Crosscut

Describe how the arrangement of shots make a believable space. How does the framing focus attention to narrative detail? Discuss the role of sound in supporting the spatial relationships made in the cuts. If possible, comment on how the continuity editing in the scene (the spatial and temporal relationships from shot to shot) builds the tension of the story. What narrative information is revealed and concealed in the scene through the cuts?

Miryssa Casas & Zach Heller

Blog: Post these screen grabs in sequential order to the blog. Then for each image provide a description for the kind of shot (long shot, medium shot, close up, shaky, pan, etc) it is. Use Class Notes- Framing for reference. Discuss how the scene is held together as a narrative whole through the camera framing and editing.

Framing and shot types are important in storytelling because it helps the audience set the scene, portrays feelings, and establishes characters throughout the story. In the next few photos, we will be going over a variety of shots in a scene from the Sweetest thing, a 2002 romantic comedy, and explain why its important.

In the scene above, we have a medium close-up shot, capturing her hands up to her chest as she animatedly describes her date to her friends. The director uses this shot to emphasize her exaggerated expressions, highlighting her excitement and joy.

The next scene shows all three friends sitting around a table at the restaurant, enjoying lunch together. The setting provides the perfect backdrop for their gossip session. This helps the audience establish the setting/environment of the story.

If you haven’t seen this movie before, this scene unexpectedly breaks out into song and dance, as hinted by the chicken wings above. The director uses a medium long shot, with two of the friends in the foreground, shown from the knees up, while the third friend is in the background, being held as she playfully walks across a table. If this doesn’t scream fun then I don’t know what will.

The director uses a close-up shot here to emphasize the character’s reaction as she says ‘eww,’ while someone nearby is in the middle of a handstand. The entire restaurant pauses when she speaks, amplifying the impact of her statement.

Lastly, this is an interesting shot as it captures the full body but intentionally excludes the heads. The director focuses on highlighting a specific dance move that primarily involves the legs, which is why the camera avoids showing any faces.