Category: editing

Week 5 Blog Post

,
Caleb

Hello class,

I chose to look at starwarswars.com and the How Not to be Seen videos.

Starwarswars.com was a project I’d heard about before but had never looked into. This project combines the first two trilogies of Star Wars films and plays them simultaneously, one on top of the other. This was done, as Marcus explains in the about section on the website, through an effect that only displays the brightest pixels in each video layer. He says that’s why Hoth from Episode V takes up a large section of the project as the white pixels of the snow are the brightest.

How Not to be Seen was a trip. I was thoroughly confused at first, but as the video continued, I think I got a grasp at the message behind becoming invisible. Pixel manipulation allows for any object, person, place or thing to be changed or altered on screen. Green screen, resolution, image layering, all are methods used to alter what the audience sees.

Tying these examples to the main question for this blog, how is the realism of traditional cinema challenged by techniques such as this? As the audience, we are keen on determining whether something is real or not. Is this scene CGI or is its traditional footage? Pixels determine what’s visible, and what’s not. As creators, we can choose what we want or don’t want to be seen. We can choose what’s real or what’s not real.

Thanks for reading!

Caleb

Shameless Framing

, , , , ,
Tiffany Duran

What is happening visually?
Framing and editing are creating a busy, chaotic scene. Showing minor interactions like the two boys fighting over the bathroom shows that the family tries to manage with multiple people living in a single home.
How does continuity editing help narrate the family dynamics?
The continuity editing following the main character and then the behavior from the rest of the family members shows the roles they all play. Following the main character and the tasks she is doing shows that she is the main caretaker of the family. Showing the rest of the family members gathering at the dining table eating breakfast together shows there is no one else that has an equal role to the main character. Showing the box for electric bill money being passed around to all of the kids and them handing over cash with no question shows that they all have a means of making their own money and pitching in to the bills of the home.
What are the visual anchors within the chaos of movements?
The anchors in this scene changes at different points in the scene, but they are the main character, the electric bill and the milk jug. In the beginning it is the main character as we follow her as she gets ready and wakes everyone else up, as well as taking care of tasks. The electric bill money box comes from the main character and moves through the rest of the characters as well as the milk jug.

Duel: An Intense Scene – Continuity Edits and Scene Build

, , ,
Tiffany Duran

In this scene, Steven Spielberg uses many continuity edits to build the scene and create tension.
The beginning of the scene uses the 180-degree rule by staying on the left side of the subjects with the subject’s facing camera left as they are driving. The scene uses longer cuts to create a feeling of uncertainty about the truck drivers next moves.
One shot reverse shot is used for the dialogue between David and the gas attendant before he moves on to the phone booth to call the police. An insert shot shows David’s surroundings while he’s in the booth which gives a sense of vulnerability.
Cross cutting is used to start building tension by showing the action of David calling the police while the truck driver makes his way towards David. Shorter and more rapid cut scenes are then used which starts to build tension.
During a shot of David on the phone, audio from the last scene of the truck is continued to be used to imply that the truck is approaching David which adds suspense.
Match on action shots are used to show the action taking place when the truck runs over the telephone pole and the animal tanks. Insert shots are used to show the dangerous animals now surrounding David which adds to the chaos of the scene, as well as the sad reaction from the gas attendee. More match on action shots are used to show David trying to deter the driver by throwing a tank at him, and then David making his way to his car.

Week 2 Blog Post

, , ,
Caleb

Hey everyone,

I’ve chosen to take some clips from Bladerunner 2049 and discuss how the shots I’ve taken carry the scene’s momentum.

Here’s the clip itself:

 

A closed eye.

^Extreme close-up (ECU).

^Extreme close-up (ECU).

^Extreme long-shot (ELS).

^Extreme long-shot (ELS).

^POV shot from inside the car.

^Medium close-up (MCU).

^Still-pan downward for the previous three frames.

^Medium / medium close-up.

^Pan downward with focus on water reflection.

^Long shot (LS).

^Medium shot with potential focus on long shot object.

^Long shot (LS).

^Extreme long shot (ELS).

^Close-up / medium close-up (CU or MCU).

The editing of this opening sequence sets the tone for the film. A close up of an eye, not only referencing the original Bladerunner, acts as a signal for the audience to prepare themseleves the complexities of a futuristic world. The grandeousness of the next few scenes shows off this new world and allows ample time for the audience to take it all in.

We cut to a POV shot inside the car which then cuts to the the backside of the main character, K. The audience gets the cue that they are traveling somewhere with K as they’ve now seen the inside of the car and are actively moving.

We then cut to another character as they are shown working before acknowledging the car the audience was just in. We see K leave his car in a foggy long shot, K walking toward the camera which then cuts to an extreme long shot of the building.

Here K enters, and we are finally shown a clear close-up of our main character for all the audience to see.

Immersion is the goal of this opening sequence and it succeeds at doing just that through intuitive frameing.

Thanks for reading!

Wonka – Screen Grab Shots

, ,
hbetts24

Movie: Wonka

Scene: Ending Sequence

It’s four-ish minutes since it has both the part with Noodle and her mom reuniting and the beginning of the Factory. I started grabbing shots at the 3:20 minute mark since there was more variety in shots after that.

1 & 2- Medium Shot

3- Low Medium Shot

4 & 5- Wide Angle Shot

6- Medium Shot

7 & 8- Long shot

9 & 10- Extreme Long Shot

11- Long Shot

12- Medium Long Shot

13, 14, 15- Long Shot

16- Extreme Long Shot

17- Long Shot

18- Medium Shot

19 & 20- Close-Up Shot

21 & 22- Medium Close-Up Shot

23- Low Medium Shot

24- Extreme Long Shot

25- Long Shot

There is around 5-7 different shots that I could name. The scene goes back and forth between just the characters and the surroundings/backgrounds. It’s like a showcase of what’s possible between the two characters.

The wide, long, and extreme long shots all show more of the surroundings and background as to where the characters are and what is going on around them.

The medium shots are showing more of what the character is doing in the scene instead of focusing on what is going on around them.

There are a few close-up shots that are giving more of the characters emotions and their interaction between each other. Willy and the Oompa-Loompa are in the process of creating a partnership. The low medium shot captures their shake on the deal before the extreme long shot takes us outside the factory which leads right into the closing long shot where we get the movie title.

Poor Things – Screen Grab Shots

, ,
Tiffany Duran

Movie: Poor Things
Scene: Dancing scene

This is a bit of a long scene so I will be reviewing starting at the 0:40s mark.

Frame 1: Long Shot

Frame 2: Medium Long Shot

Frame 3: Extreme Long Shot

Frame 4: Extreme Long Shot

Frame 5: Long Shot

Frame 6: Medium Long Shot

Frame 7: Medium Shot – bit of an upward view

Frame 8: Long Shot – bit of an upward view

Frame 9: Medium Shot – bit of an upward view

Frame 10: Medium Shot

Frame 11: Extreme Long Shot

Frame 12: Medium Shot

Frame 13: Extreme – Extreme Long Shot

Frame 14: Medium Long Shot

Frame 15: Long Shot

Frame 16: Long Shot

Frame 17: Long Shot

Frame 18: Long Shot

Frame 19: Long Shot

Frame 20: Medium Shot

Frame 21: Long Shot

Frame 22: Long Shot

While this scene only uses about 4 different types of frames, the editing and back and forth is effective in showcasing an unspoken relationship between the two characters.

The extreme long shots showcase the “norms” of society and comparison between the behaviors of the two characters. The cuts to these shots highlight the characters existence amongst a society.

The long shots show the characters body taking up space in their surroundings and the distinction between the two characters behaviors. The female protagonist’s (Bella) behavior is as if she is letting the rhythm of the music set her behavior rather than the surrounding dancers. She is not conforming to the norms of the surrounding characters, but she is eager to join them. The scenes when she is the main subject in the shot is most obvious of this behavior. The scenes when the male antagonist (Duncan) is dancing with her shows his efforts in trying to conform her behaviors to those around her. The scenes when he comes and takes her as a partner are most obvious of this behavior.

The medium long shots are used as another perspective, although a bit more personal, of comparing the two characters to the rest of the dancers. These shots help with continuing the scene and flow between frames.

The medium shots are used to highlight what seems to be a fight between the two characters for control. This is a closer view isolates the two characters from the rest of the dancers. Bella wants to continue her independent behavior while Duncan wants to control her to conform.