Cinematic Language PCB3

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David Tamés Kino-Eye.com Podcamp Boston 3 July 19, 2008 Improve your video using cinematic language techniques

description

Presentation given at Podcamp Boston 3, July 19, 2008.

Transcript of Cinematic Language PCB3

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David TamésKino-Eye.com

Podcamp Boston 3July 19, 2008

Improve your video using cinematic language techniques

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Format

‣ Discussion, not lecture

‣ Where do you want to go today?

‣ Anyone in the room should feel free to join in, comment, question, at any time

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Discussion topics

‣ The importance of production value (or lack of) in video

‣ Cinematic techniques and their development from the 1920's to today

‣ How the techniques you use (whether you care about production values or not) conveys a message

‣ Specific techniques and the potential messages to the viewer

‣ Art (expression is primary) vs. Design (communication is primary)

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Some thoughts

‣ Story trumps production values

‣ Authenticity and sincerity is key

‣ Discipline is still valuable

‣ Know thy audience

‣ Consistency with brand

‣ You know the rules because you were raised on them

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How important are production values?

‣ We are redefining what production values are and how important they are.

‣ Video that follows (or does not follow) established cinematic techniques conveys a message whether intend to or not

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Elements that contribute to production values

‣ Camerawork, including movement, composition, selective focus

‣ Sound

‣ Lighting

‣ Production Design

‣ Editing

‣ Titles

‣ Effects

‣ Subject Matter

‣ Attitude

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Web shows with high & low production values

‣ Steve Garfield's video blog, among the first video blogs, point and shoot aesthetic, a delightful mix of stuff that is unique, authentic, http://stevegarfield.blogs.com/videoblog/

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Web shows with high & low production values

‣ MobLogic: a well-produced video show in the journalistic, video blog tradition, very savvy and contemporary in terms of style and subject matter, http://www.moblogic.tv/

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Web shows with high & low production values

‣ quarterlife: a web episodic with an online community, among the first with "television production values," and among a small number of projects pursuing a traditional narrative storytelling form, http://www.quarterlife.com

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Web shows with high & low production values

‣ The Show with Ze Frank, a web video program produced for one year (March 17, 2006 - March 17, 2007) with a unique, minimalist aesthetic and has become a classic available in archive form, http://www.zefrank.com/theshow/

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Web shows with high & low production values

‣ Rocketboom, good example of a well produced, but not over produced, internet news show, among the first of its genre,http://rocketboom.com

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Web shows with high & low production values

‣ Goodnight Burbank

‣ Gravityland

‣ Many more... what other shows do you like? Why? What can you say about their production values?

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Evolution of technique since the 1920s-1930s

‣ conventions which have stuck:- the 180 degree rule - cutting continuity- eye/gaze match- cut on movement- third-party address (in interviews)

‣ conventions which did not stick:- wipes- iris transition- static camera

‣ conventions added in recent decades:- jump cuts- mix of textures- fast cuts- imperfections (either left in or added)- hand-held camera

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What's the point of discussing techniques?

‣ We are making choices that will influence the future of moving pictures

‣ Breaking the rules, for example, what were once mistakes, like "jump cuts" were used in Breathless for effect and are now fundamental elements of cinematic element

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Some techniques in widespread use today

‣ Hand held camera

‣ Direct address

‣ Panning

‣ Trucking

‣ Zooming (most commonly used in kung fu films, 70s independent films, OR home videos!)

‣ Smash zoom, having fun with the camera

‣ Head room

‣ Composition, especially Rule of Thirds

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Recommended reading

The Digital Filmmaking Handbook

by Ben Long and Sonja Schenk

An excellent introduction A basic introduction to making films with digital video technology. The book provides coverage of camera gear, sound gear, editing and audio software, etc. and balances that nicely with preproduction, production, editing, and final output. Once you've covered the topics in this book, you'll have a solid footing in the technical and process-related issues of telling stories with a digital video camera.

Clicking on the book title will take you to the Amazon book page. Using this link to purchase the book helps support Kino-Eye.com

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Recommended reading

Secrets of Video Blogging

by Michael Verdi, Ryanne Hodson, Diana Weynand, and Shirley Craig

An excellent book written by vlogging pioneers filled with both technical and creative tips in a fun to read format provides everything you need to get started video blogging: how to create a vlog, hosting services, tips on shooting, lighting, sound, and video compression. While most of this information is freely available online, the book gathers everything together in one portable book.

Clicking on the book title will take you to the Amazon book page. Using this link to purchase the book helps support Kino-Eye.com

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Recommended reading

Cinematic Storytelling: The 100 Most Powerful Film Conventions Every Filmmaker Must Know

by Jennifer van Sijll

An encyclopedic treatment of the one hundred most important cinematic language elements. Primarily written for writers who want to learn how to write visually, the book is general enough to be of interest to all kinds of media makerswho want to hone their visual language skills. Contains many excellent definitions, examples, and discussion from both classic and contemporary films.

Clicking on the book title will take you to the Amazon book page. Using this link to purchase the book helps support Kino-Eye.com

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Recommended reading

The Visual Story: Creating the Visual Structure of Film, TV and Digital Media(second edition)

by Bruce Block

A good introduction to visual composition and storytelling that describes the use of visual elements like lines, rhythm, composition, light, color, motion, and more in a clear and concise manner. This book will help you understand the difference between a shot that looks good and a shot that helps you tell your story. An excellent follow up to the first edition.

Clicking on the book title will take you to the Amazon book page. Using this link to purchase the book helps support Kino-Eye.com

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Recommended reading

Editing Techniques with Final Cut Pro (second edition)

by Michael Wohl

Even if you don't cut with Final Cut Pro, the aesthetic discussions alone are worth getting the book for, now out of print, available used from various booksellers at a very reasonable price.

Clicking on the book title will take you to the Amazon book page. Using this link to purchase the book helps support Kino-Eye.com

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Copyright 2008 by David Tamés, Some Rights Reserved. Released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License. For attribution, please link to: http://kino-eye.com/2008/07/19/cinematic/

Product photos and book covers are copyright by their respective owners and used according to accepted fair-use guidelines and are excepted from the Creative Commons Share-Alike licensing.

Copyright and Acknowledgements

‣ This presentation evolved from a session led by John Herman and David Tamés at Podcamp NYC on April 7, 2007.