Assignment 2
Last updated
Last updated
Please note that you cannot upload an MOV or MP4 file directly, only a link. This is important so that we can easily access your videos in class.
As discussed in class, the primary purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate a grasp of all the basic steps of videography that we’ve covered in class including:
Pre Production (storytelling, planning for the edit, storyboarding, shot list)
Production (technical + aesthetic camera operation)
Post Production (continuity editing in Premiere Pro)
You do not need to submit any pre production documents for the first assignment, but as demonstrated in class, it can be helpful to do a recce of a location, and then break down the scene you want to shoot there into a storyboard and shot list before actually filming.
This is the broad set of technical considerations your camera work will be assessed on:
Correctly exposing a shot, keeping shutter speed steady at 1/48, and manipulating the aperture and gain controls.
Here is an example of an underexposed, appropriately exposed, and overexposed image.
Use the focus ring to get your shot in focus. Here is an example of an out of focus vs focused image.
Whether your subject is in focus or not also depends on your depth of field. When you change the aperture to affect exposure, it also affects your depth of field.
A large aperture increases exposure and creates a shallow depth of field, whereas a small aperture decreases aperture and create a deep depth of field. These scenarios are illustrated in the example below.
Select the appropriate color temperature for your filming condition. As rough ballparks, if you’re shooting in warm light, your WB temperature should be set to between 2700K-3000K. If you’re shooting in daylight or white light, your WB temperature should be set between 5000-6000K.
If you select a low color temperature and you’re shooting outdoors or in white light, your footage will look cool.
If you select a high color temperature and you’re shooting in warm light, your footage will look warm.
You can manipulate this to taste to a certain extent, but be mindful of your choices.
Generally speaking, your frame rate and shutter speed will not change from shot to shot.
You want to film at 24 frames per second (FPS), and
set the shutter speed to one over twice your frame rate (1/48).
For slow motion, you record at a higher frame rate than you playback. For fast motion (timelapse), you record at a lower frame rate than you playback.
Set your resolution to full HD, that is 1080p.
The NX100 can film in two codecs — most SD cards will support AVCHD. For our purposes it doesn’t matter which one you choose, different codecs deal with compression differently, leading to more or less efficient ones (ie. a compression algorithm that reduces file size without harming quality).
This is an artificial binary, but beyond the technical settings, your assignment should also demonstrate a keen eye, where the framing and composition feel intentional.
I’ll be looking for intentional use of composition guidelines like the rule of thirds, headroom, leading lines.
The simplest way to break down your shot choices is into shot size and shot angle. The three main shot sizes include wide, medium, and close up. Shot angles could include straight, high, low, top, over the shoulder, etc.
The way the series is organized is a helpful way to approach this assignment:
Shot sizes: establishing, wide, medium, close up
Framing: singles (dirty/OTS, clean), two shot
Camera angles: eye level, low, high, overhead, dutch
Depth of field
Movement
Lenses — most of us are not working with lenses, but learning how lens choice affect all these above decisions can help us recreate them to some extent.
Frame rate
Transitions
Basic editing
Framing and composition revisited
As discussed in class, you have to shoot for the edit in order to avoid running into continuity issues. So while continuity is not exclusively an editing issue, it is in Premiere Pro that you have to take your shots and string together a sequence.
Some simple guidelines to keep in mind include:
Coverage simply refers to getting all the footage you need to effectively cover a scene. Depending on the context, this could include shooting from multiple angles using different shot sizes, remembering to get inserts, cutaways, etc. and rules like the 180 degree and 20/30 rules.
When using the methods illustrated in the video above to cover a scene, you need to find effective ways to cut between your different shots and string them together.
One of the simplest ways to film a simple action is to cover it from multiple places, and then cut between the shots while the character is moving.
This and other basic edits are covered in this video:
Beyond the basics, there are plenty of ways to get creative with transitions. Here are a few good videos to refer to for editing inspiration.
While you are primarily being judged on technical competence, filmmaking techniques only feel effective if they are used in the service of a compelling narrative.
For the purposes of this assignment, we agreed to have no voice — ie. no dialog or voiceover. This is because it adds a layer of complexity, and we haven't covered audio yet. If you feel confident using voice and being able to handle the technical aspects of it, you can do so.
We used a very simplified screenwriting framework which includes determining the following:
Setting — where is the story happening
Subject — who is the main character of the story
Goal/obstacle — define a simple goal, and come up with an obstacle that prevents the character from easily achieving their goal
I’ll be interested in how you tease out interesting premises from your setting — subject combination. Once again, this won’t inform a huge part of your grade, but try to avoid very lazy setups where very little happens, or the action is underwhelming. How can you hold our attention for 60-90 seconds?
In Premiere Pro, go to Export > Media. Choose Format > H.264, and Preset > Vimeo 1080p HD.
Double check the format of your exported file. If you followed the steps above it should be a media file that opens in a regular player like QuickTime or VLC player. If your file extension is .pproj, you have not exported a video, but rather saved a Premiere Pro project file.
Make a free YouTube or Vimeo account if you don’t already have one, and upload your film. Submit the link using the form at the top of this page.
If you have any trouble with these steps, don’t worry and let me know. Though these steps are simple, no one will be penalized for not submitting their work correctly if they have done it. Email me directly and we will work out the issue.
