Basic Film Production

1. Basic Film Production Matthew T. Jones Film as a Medium Supplementary Notes

2. Production Phases • There are three phases of production common to most professionally produced motion pictures. These are: • Preproduction phase • Production phase • Postproduction phase

3. In general, the preproduction phase encompasses all aspects of preparation that are performed before the camera starts to roll. Some aspects of preproduction include: Screenwriting Storyboarding Funding Assembling a crew Casting Costume Design Location Scouting Set Design Properties (“props”) Scheduling Preproduction Phase

4. Preproduction Phase • Screenplay/Script: The screenplay supplies the general plan for the production of a film. There are two types: • The “spec” script • The “shooting” script

5. Preproduction Phase • The “Spec” (Speculation) Script is the version of a screenplay that writers distribute to producers in the hope that it will be “optioned” (i.e. considered for production). It primarily contains: • Slug-Line (brief description of the setting, e.g. “INT. ROOM – DAY” which means the interior of a room during the day) • Business (descriptions of characters/action) • Dialog (the lines intended to be spoken by the actors)

6. Preproduction Phase • The Shooting Script is a much more detailed version of the spec script that includes numbered scenes, specific camera angles and other technical information. An example of a page from a shooting script (from the film Pieces by Andrew Halasz shot here at William Paterson) can be seen on the next slide.

8. Preproduction Phase • Writing a screenplay and analyzing a film narrative require an awareness of similar concepts: • Character • Conflict • Action • Story • Plot

9. Preproduction Phase • Character • Agent of physical and social action • Subject to physical and social action • Subject to needs and desires • Subject to social norms, mores, and laws

10. Preproduction Phase • In an instructional book on screenwriting, Syd Field (1979) divides character into interior and exterior aspects. Viewers of a film don’t have access to the character’s interior life and so it must be expressed in the exterior life through actions taken in professional, personal, and private contexts. One pursuit of narrative analysis is the interpretation of character motives based on action.

11. Preproduction Phase

12. Preproduction Phase • Conflict • The source of narrative conflict is the needs and desires of the character when they are met with oppositional forces. There are three basic types of narrative conflict: • Character versus Nature (i.e. the physical world) • Character versus Character • Character versus Self

13. Preproduction Phase • Action • In a film narrative, a character is expressed through his/her actions in responding to a conflict. Two overlapping types of character action are: • Social Action (e.g. dialog, communicative behavior) • Physical Action (e.g. stunts, athletic behavior)

14. Preproduction Phase • Storyboarding: A storyboard is a series of drawings intended to represent how the film will be shot, including how each frame will be composed and how subject and camera motion will occur. • The storyboard articulates the mise-en-scene of the film. • Mise-en-scene: All of the elements that compose the shot.

15. Preproduction Phase • Funding: Films are generally expensive to produce. Even small independent productions with unknown actors can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Because of the level of investment involved, most films rely on either production companies (“Hollywood” films) or independent investors (“Independent” films).

16. Preproduction Phase • Assembling a Crew: A crew is the group of workers on a film set who are responsible for facilitating production (as opposed to acting). Although large productions may employ many crew members in many different departments, there are only a few basic positions which are detailed later in the production phase.

17. Preproduction Phase • Casting: Choosing actors to play roles. • Costume Design: Choosing or designing the clothing/costumes that the actors wear. • Location Scouting: Choosing the locations where the film will be shot. • Set Design: Constructing sets where the film will be shot.

18. Preproduction Phase • Properties (“Props”): Choosing the tools and objects used in the film. • Scheduling: Coordinating all aspects necessary to the production.

19. The production phase refers to the period of time when the film is actually being shot. Some aspects of production include: Direction Camera operation Lighting Sound recording Acting Production Phase

20. Production Phase • During production, these roles are usually delegated to the production departments listed on the next two slides.

21. Production Phase • Production Departments • Direction • Director (oversees all aspects of the production) • Assistant Director (works closely with the actors) • Camera • Cinematographer (oversees camera operation and lighting plan) • Camera Operator (operates the camera) • Assistant Camera (loads camera, pulls focus) • Lighting • Cinematographer (oversees camera operation and lighting plan) • Gaffer (head electrician) • Grip (sets up lights)

22. Production Phase • Production Departments (continued) • Sound • Sound Mixer (records the sound) • Boom operator (positions the microphone) • Clapper (displays the clap slate for the camera) • Talent • Actors (perform before the camera) • Miscellaneous • Production Coordinator (scheduling) • Continuity “script girl” (watch for continuity errors) • Make-up Artist (apply make-up to actors) • Production Assistant (various jobs)

23. Production Phase • All of the departments and positions described on the last two slides serve one goal: to capture the sound and image necessary to tell the story. Although going into every detail of production is far beyond the scope of this course, let’s consider the “nuts and bolts” that go into filmmaking.

24. Production Phase • How does the camera work? • When we are watching a motion picture, we are actually watching a rapid series of still images that are projected in rapid succession on the screen. • We are able to perceive motion in a film because of the cognitive/perceptual phenomenon known as persistence of vision.

25. Production Phase • How does the camera work? • The motion picture camera is a tool used to rapidly expose a continuous series of film frames to light that is reflected off of objects and focused onto the film by the camera’s lens. The following three slides display diagrams of the inside of a basic motion picture camera.

29. Production Phase • How does the camera work? • As you can see, the film makes its way from the spool into the loop and through the gate. The aperture in the gate is a small square hole that allows light to pass from the lens onto the focal plane of the film. This process is represented in the diagram on the left of the next slide.

31. Production Phase • How does the camera work? • Once light has been focused by the lens, the camera shutter opens. The shutter is shaped like a revolving disc and it’s function is to allow a single frame of film to be exposed to light ONLY when it is completely motionless inside the gate. This normally occurs 24 times per second. See the following slide for shutter operation.

33. Production Phase • How does the film record the image? • In the instant that the shutter opens and closes, exposing the film frame to light, a chemical reaction takes place on the surface of the film. The coating of emulsion, which is composed of light-sensitive silver halide, is burned away in various degrees (depending on the intensity of the light) leaving behind a “latent image” that is revealed once the film has been processed. The following two slide illustrates this.

36. Production Phase • Shot / Mastershot • The 180 degree rule.

37. Production Phase • Now that we understand the basic mechanism, let’s consider some of the ways that it can be manipulated during production: • Types of shots • Types of angles • Lens choice • Movement • Lighting

38. Production Phase • Types of Shots • There are four basic shot types that are based on the apparent proximity of the subject. • Long shot • Full Shot • Medium shot • Close up shot

39. Production Phase • Types of Shots • The Long Shot (a.k.a. Establishing Shot) • In the most pragmatic sense, long shots can be used to establish a location, acquainting the viewer with the onscreen space so that the sequence of shots that follow is not disorienting. • Long shots can also be used to suggest a wide variety of meanings such as isolation, loneliness, freedom, emotional distance, and more. (Note that interpreting any particular shot or sequence of shots is dependent upon the context of the film.)

40. Production Phase • Types of Shots • Full and Medium Shots • Full shots include the entire body of a subject from top to bottom while medium shots generally include the body from the waist up. • Full and medium shots tend to mimic our point of view when we are engaged in a social encounters.

41. Production Phase • Types of Shots • The Close-Up Shot • Close-up shots capture a single object, or feature within the frame. They are commonly used to reveal subtleties and/or create a sense of engagement or intensity.

42. Production Phase • Types of Angles • There are three basic types of angles which refer to the position of the frame with respect to the subject within the frame. • High Angle • Low Angle • Straight-On Angle

43. Production Phase • Types of Angles • High Angle • A high angle shot refers to a camera position where the lens aims down at the subject from above. An extreme high angle is sometimes referred to as “bird’s eye view.” • High angles can be used to reveal the layout of a room or to make a subject appear weak and small. As mentioned previously, however, the context of the scene and the larger film must be taken into account prior to interpretation.

44. Production Phase • Types of Angles • Low Angle • A low angle shot refers to a camera position where the lens aims up at the subject from below. • As opposed to the high angle shot, the low angle tends to make the subject appear intimidating and powerful. Again, the larger context of the film must be accounted for.

45. Production Phase • Types of Angles • Straight-On Angle • A Straight-On shot refers to a camera position where the lens is aimed directly at the subject. • Especially when used in conjunction with the full or medium shot, this angle mimics our point of view in a social encounter.

46. Production Phase • Lens Choice • The only function of a lens is to focus the light that is either projected or reflected from the surrounding environment onto the focal plane of the film. However, lenses come in a variety of focal-lengths which make the depicted scene appear at different distances. There are three basic types of lenses: • Telephoto lens (a “long” lens) • Wide angle lens (a “short” lens) • Normal lens • Zoom lens • The image on the next slide shows the basic function of a lens.

48. Production Phase • Lens Choice • Lens choice is guided by two primary and strongly related factors: • Focal Length: The distance perspective of the lens. • Depth of Field: The range of distance that can focused in front of the lens.

49. Production Phase • Lens Choice • Telephoto Lens • The focal length of a “telephoto” lens results in a magnified perspective, not unlike a telescope, which makes objects appear closer than they actually are when viewed with the naked eye. The telephoto lens has a relatively shallow depth of field, meaning that only a narrow range of space before the lens can be put into focus. It also tends to compress the foreground and background of the field, making images look flat or two-dimensional.

50. Production Phase • Lens Choice • Wide Angle Lens • In direct opposition to the telephoto lens, the focal length of the wide angle results in a distanced perspective, which makes things appear further away than they actually are when viewed with the naked eye. The wide angle lens has a relatively deep field, meaning that a vast distance of space before the lens can be put into focus. It also tends to create a more three dimensional effect. An extreme wide angle lens is sometimes referred to as a “fish eye” lens.