Research- Storyboards

In yesterdays lesson we looked at storyboarding. A storyboard is a graphical representation of camera shots for a film sequence. It visually tells the story of an animationn panell by panell. The storyboard will outline things like characters, sound, time and camera shot. We were asked to look at two websites for homework.

These were:

longroadmedia.com and

6thformnoodle.blogspot.com

Update- Media for schools day at the Vale

I cant believe that i forgot to tell you, last friday i attended a media filming day at a charity golf event which was organised by Sony and held at the Vale! We were there with media for schools and our job was to film the golfers taking their first shots! We also filmed ourselves interviewing some famous people incluing Neil Jenkins and Nicky Piper! Throughout the day we learned how to use and set up a camera and tri-pod. We learned about different camera shots and angles and the overall day gave me a much better understanding of filming and how it is done. I really enjoyed the day and would love to do something similar again in the future.

Cerys xoxo

Update- Media Workshop cancelled

Today was a bit of a disaster! The fire alarm went off and we missed about an hour of our media workshop! Its ok as it has been moved to next week now, and i cant wait!

Cerys xoxo

Research- classwork

In our media lesson today we watched a scene from the Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho. We watched the famous shower scene. We analysed the scene and commented on the use of music, creation of suspense, camera work, and most importantly the editing. We learnt about continuity editing which is basically how lots of shots are played in a certain way and using certain camera shots to insure that it flows. If a film did not have continuity editing it would look messy and wouldn't really make sense!
We were also given a second handout. The handout outlines production tips for camera work and camera operation. Tomorrow we are spending a whole day attending a media workshop which i am really excited about! I will tell you all about it tomorrow!

Cerys xoxo

Research- The man with the golden arm!

Saul Bass is often referred to as "the master of film title design". I have analized one of his famous title sequences called "the man with the golden arm". The film was about the struggle of Frank Sinatra who played the hero, - a Jazz musician overcoming a heroin addiction.

The title sequence featured a cut-out of a heroin addicts arm. Saul Bass chose this as the main feature of the titles instead of the famous face of Frank Sinatra. He chose it knowing that the arm was a powerful image of addiction.

I chose this title sequence because it is one of Saul Bass' most famous pieces of work. He has used his style to create the titles. They are simple but very effective. The title sequence is quite simular to one of his other sequences for the film psycho. This shows that he had his own particular style, and it was very successfull.

The titles feature arkward white lines which jab at arkward and unsettling angles. The white lines are very effective on the plain black backround and jump out to the eye. The white lines fit in well with the plot of the story as they almost "inject" into the title credits, and at one point the films title is seemingly penned in by four of these uneasy lines. The music fits in perfectly with the Jazz theme in the film. It is an upbeat, exciting orchestral piece with trumpets and other brass instruments.

Cerys xoxo

Research- Saul Bass (1920-1996)

At home I have been researching the famous American graphic designer, Saul Bass. He is best known for his film-making and design on animated motion picture title sequences. Saul Bass entered the film industry in 1954 when he developed the advertising campaign for Carmen Jones, an Otto Preminger production. He was then asked by Preminger to create the promotion motif for a 1995 Frank Sinatra film called "Man with the Golden Arm". Bass designed a graphic logo for the film. While Bass argued that the sequance fell flat without animation, Preminger stubbornly disagreed. The final compromise of staccato - like movements quickly earned a spot as one of the classic moments in American film.

Bass also worked for Alfred Hitchcock and was responsible for the electric, eye popping segments before Vertigo (1958) and Psycho (1960).

Research- classwork

Last lesson we looked at blogs made by another school and watched some of the videos that they made for their continuity exercise.We were also given a handout telling us about three important principles when filming:

Match on action. Match on action is an editing technique where you cut from one shot to another view that matches the action and pace of the first shot. This is done to create an impression of continuity despite the fact you might have filmed the shots two weeks apart!

Shot-reverse shot. This is a very common effect used in making film an TV. When two characters are in conversation, film one character looking off screen to where the other character is imagined to be, and vice versa. You edit between a character talking and a character listening.

180 degree rule. This rule tells us that when filming the brief sequence of action in the room, you need to storyboard the scene so that an imaginary line is drawn across the room, cutting it in half. If you cross the line when filming, the characters will appear to exchange places and continuity will be lost.

Cerys xoxo

First post!

This is my first ever blog! I am not really sure what i am doing or how to use this website but i am excited none the less! I look forward to sharing my thoughts and videos ect with you soon! The media course sounds very interesting and i can't wait to get started!

Cerys xoxo