Reflection of Advanced Videography

       Advanced videography has taught me a great deal, not only about cinematography and the technical aspect of the look of film, but about myself as a filmmaker as well. When I began this class, I had no idea what exactly I wanted to do with my degree, but now I have come a few steps closer to knowing where I will be after college. 

One thing i learned is that every small detail that goes into planning has a purpose. From where the lights are placed to which camera is used, to the framing and composition. Everything has a purpose. Without even one small element, the film would not come out like the director envisioned it to come out. Most people do not understand how technical, tedious, and stressful it can be to make a film.

Camera choice is very important. I did not know about workflow and all the different recording formats. I thought you could plug any camera into a computer and it would work out. I'm glad to know that if I use a Sony HDV, that I'll need a capture camera as well. I might have chosen that camera for the beautiful colors and not paid any attention to how I would load and edit the clips. I learned a lot more about DSLR. I had done research on them because I knew I wanted one and I'm still saving my money for it. I'm glad I got the chance to actually work with them and learn more about lenses and the strengths and weaknesses of DSLR. I feel that as a consumer, I can make better decisions about what equipment to buy because of the class. I also know why I need certain equipment, which is also important because now I know what to save my money for. 

Before this class, I hated lighting and camera operating. I thought that I wanted to direct and produce, but after being in this class I've realized that I love cameras. I love framing up the talent and yes, even lighting. I do hate moving the lights and dealing with them but maybe one day there will be someone to do that for me. I can't wait to get a camera now because I love shooting so much. 

I learned more about sound this semester. In 201, I did not get to do sound very often and now I know how important and tedious it is. I learned about the software Pluraleyes. It makes life so much easier when you have a limited amount of time to sync music and edit. I am more interested now in audio than I used to be because there is so much you can do with it. Hopefully I can get a zoom recorder on my own and learn more about audio. A film is no good if you can't hear what is being said. 

Like I said in an earlier blog post, the planning a director has to do is very important. If the director does not have everything perfectly planned out, then they will not be able to communicate their vision to everyone else on set. I am already an organized person, but organizing for a film is different because there is creativity involved. You have to know how exactly to put your ideas on paper because no one can do that for you.

In conclusion, after this class, I have realized my true strengths, weaknesses, and desires. I'm glad that I got so much out of it and if I had to take it all over again I would. This is one of the classes I've taken that actually taught me a lot about what I am interested in. I feel like having this class helps me make better decisions about my future and my purchases. 

Artist Statement and Reel

Director/DP Reel from Katie Stewart on Vimeo.

      When I envision a new project, I envision real, beautiful moments in life. There are times when I wish I had a camera to document events or circumstances. If not, then I wish to re-create the moment and enhance it. I envision life as it really is to a person who is just a girl, or just a boy. Everyone is human. No one is perfect. People like to watch stories about people just like them. Why would we want to watch a film without a struggle? Life is a struggle and a story with perfection has nothing to root for or fight for. As humans we want to fight for love, root for the underdog, or strive for our biggest dreams. When I envision a piece, I envision a special moment or moments in life as they are, but  with better lighting and music in the background, of course. 

I love natural lighting because natural beauty is the most beautiful thing to me. I think every person is beautiful in different ways. My visual style is to portray a specific person's beauty in the way it was meant to be portrayed. Sunlight and candlelight is beautiful and natural just like people are beautiful natural.  Sunlight and a beautiful person are complements of each other. 

Because I am a musician, most of my ideas are inspired by a song or a melody. Whenever I hear a song, I imagine a story. I envision different shots with each part of the song. Every song can tell a story whether it has words or not because music conveys emotion. Any song can stir some kind of emotion in me and remind me of a past event, moment in time, or an imaginary story I've dreamed of. I can't imagine a world without music. I can't imagine my life without music. Lastly, I can't imagine my work without music. Music is and forever will be a part of my life, my dreams, and my work. 

My goal as an artist is to focus on the natural beauty of life in a way that displays life as it is, to just a girl, or just a boy through telling a story with music and truth. 

Inspiring Reels and Beautiful Shots

2010 Show Reel - Director of Photography from Marlon Torres on Vimeo.

      I searched DP reels on vimeo. I watched a few and I picked this one because it completely took my breath away. I love the colors from the DSLR cameras he used because everything feels so real when you watch it. I love the natural lighting and natural beauty of his shots. He uses a lot of outside locations to shoot. The beach shots are amazing. I feel like I am actually at the beach. I love his detailed shots. I am in love with tight shots that are very personal and show detail. He uses a great deal of these. The music went very well with his personal style which is very similar to mine. Personal, naturally beautiful, and breathtaking. I hope some day that my reel will be as beautiful as his.
      To me, a money shot is a shot that takes your breath away, a shot that makes you wish you were there where everything looks perfect and beautiful. Many of the shots in this reel are money shots to me because they feel real and beautiful.


 
MAMMOTH REEL 2010 from MAMMOTH on Vimeo.
      This reel is much different from the previous one. It is much more fast paced and incorporates many different genres. I love the use of graphics in this reel. It seems like they are used as transition points and they work very well. Even though the reel had many different types of shots, everything fit because of the way the clips were arranged with the music. I was entertained and wanted to see more. I like how the reel started with people and ended with people in the same type of shots. I love to see people laugh and I really like that they used people laughing to begin and end the reel. The movement in between is really awesome too.

Advanced Videography Scene Assignment: Adaptation of Red Riding Hood

Red Riding Hood Adaptation from Katie Stewart on Vimeo.

This is my scene assignment. I decided to do an adaptation or Red Riding Hood because I have recently been inspired by ABC's new series, "Once Upon a Time." I wanted to choose a fairy tale and it is very hard to do a fairy tale as a student project. I had recently seen Red Riding Hood's episode on the show and felt like it was a story I could convey and adapt without elaborate costumes and sets because it mostly takes place outside. I love natural light so this was definitely a challenge I was up for doing. I'm not completely sure that I pulled it off but I most certainly enjoyed being outside with a camera that takes amazing images.

Prepping for My Scene Assignment

       Prepping to do the scene assignment was quite a bit of work, but is well worth the effort in the end when you can watch your piece and know that you got everything you wanted. Nothing is ever going to be perfect, but properly planning reflects the result of the film. I came out of this experience learning the hard way that detailed preparation and communication is the key to success. 

I am already a very organized person but I had not done story boards or floor plans or a shooting script. Learning these things is valuable because this is how you tell someone else what vision you see in your head. The director-DP relationship has everything to do with the director's planning and preparation. If the director doesn't know exactly what they want and have it on paper, the vision will not be able to come to life because the DP will not have a clue what to shoot and a lot of time will be wasted on shots that the director does not even like. 

In my case, I think me and my DP got along very well. I feel like I could have done a better job drawing and explaining exactly what I wanted. I also wish I would have looked at each and every shot but it is hard with the small viewing window. We should have shot more than we needed because when you have less, it is harder to edit. 

I learned a great deal from this assignment because so much went into the planning, scheduling, and communication. Movies can't be made without hard work during pre-production and I'm sure it doesn't help if you don't have a good relationship with your director of photography.

An Inspiring Short Film

This is a short film from the Campus Movie Fest at the University of Indiana. It inspires me because a student made it and it looks so perfect and professional. It's such a good story and it flows really well. It is so creative. I love that it has a choreographed dance scene. The planning that went into that must have been difficult, especially since you only have a week to make a movie in campus movie fest. It inspires me because as a student I get discouraged and think that my movies won't ever look professional. This video proves that if other students can do it, I can do it. I love the cinematography, the editing, the story, everything. It's such a fantastic short film.

Scene Analysis: Sherlock Holmes

 This is the master shot in the scene that introduces the villain of the movie. He is very dark and mysterious because we do not know anything about him, but we do know he is up to no good. This shot is low key and dark because it is where the villain commits his crimes. There is a key-light on his victim because she is what he is focussing on. There is some soft fill light around them but there are still shadows and dark places. The fire behind him symbolizes his power as he tries to lure her into death.

 This is the first close-up of the villain. It is very dark and you can barely make out the features of his face. There is a small bit of rim light around the sides of his hood, hinting that if he'd take his hood off, we might see who he is. He wants to remain hidden while he does his evil deeds.

 After the first close-up, we now get and extreme close-up of his mouth. In this shot he seems to be speaking in tongues. One half of his face is lit while the other half is in shadows. His mouth is filling the frame because it is the focal point of his crime. He's using his words to coerce the victim into killing herself. His mouth is the weapon. Even though we cannot completely see his face, we can see that his front teeth are crooked which is the only identifier we have at this point.

This shot is a medium long-shot establishing that Sherlock Holmes is nearby to try and stop the villain and gather more information about the villain. The columns are lit more that Sherlock because it shows that he is hiding. Most of his body is in shadows because he does not want to be detected.

 The camera cuts to a medium close-up to intensify the action that is about to happen in the scene. His face is framed in the columns and the light on his face is just enough so that he is seen spying on the villain.

The next three shots are establishing shots of the men who have surrounded the villain to protect him. These shots are as if they were the view of Sherlock. The shots show that Sherlock is outnumbered. Each shot is cut quickly to intensify the overwhelming number of men Sherlock spots.

 There are some backlights lighting up behind the men and some soft fill lights above them, but there are soft shadows everywhere to convey the suspense and mystery. The people in the shots are difficult to make out because they work with the villain.

 This one is described above with the other two, but the shot only frames one person. In this shot, the person is walking in from out of the darkness. This shot shows that more people are coming in the room.

 A man is sneaking up on Sherlock but Watson suddenly attacks the man and Sherlock quickly turns to assist. The man can barely be seen because he is trying to be discrete. These shots are Medium shots and are still in the shadows because the people in the main area are still unaware of their presence. This light is soft and seems to be coming from the main area. There are key-lights in the men's faces just enough so we can see what is happening. In the second one, Sherlock seems to have a backlight from the larger area.

 This shot is a medium close-up of Sherlock and Watson taking out the attacker. Their faces are lit better than before because we can now see that the team is complete with Watson in the picture. More lighting represents that together, they are ready to take on the villain.

 This shot is a medium shot of the team. It is angled upward to establish that the men are strong and brave. Also, they had just succeeded in taking out an attacker. They are both equally framed which represents a partnership. The lighting is still low because they are still unknown to the others in the building.