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Category: Media

Blog: Employing Symmetry (Part 1)

If you have ever done research on how to get the right visual shot – whether painted, photographed, or captured in motion – then you probably know the ‘rules.’ This stuff isn’t new. But today I think it’s worth repeating.

The elephant in the room is that, to misquote the rogue pirate Barbossa, “… the code is more what you’d call “guidelines” than actual rules.” While there is aesthetic appeal with a host of the visual rules that have developed over centuries – the fact is that we can quite easily go ahead and break them. But. Before we do… we really ought to know why the guidelines exist, and why they work first. Then we can decide when and how to best ignore them for our work.

To demonstrate, take a look at this montage of the cinematographic symmetry (try saying that three times fast!) used in the internationally acclaimed TV series, Sherlock.

There is something kind of soothing about it, isn’t there? To put it as simply as I can, where the goal of composition is to create a path that is pleasing for the eyes to follow (this is why the guideline exists) – symmetry gives the viewer a vague sense of the harmonious, of beautiful proportions, and of balance (this is why this particular guideline works).

There are many techniques that will strengthen (or weaken) the symmetric properties of an object or scene. How much of a scene we choose to show is paramount. So too is the position of the camera in relation to the subject, its height, tilt etc. We also need to take particular care to ensure the centre of the composition is equidistant (my word of the day!) to both sides. When done right, it looks simply beautiful. But can you imagine – for example – a shot of the Taj Mahal (an entirely symmetrical structure… right down to its symmetrical reflection in the pools of water around it) that has been misaligned? Well… it would look sort of like this…

The fact that this image is only slightly out is enough to make it a jarring visual. So while it is possible to break the guidelines of symmetry, if and when we chose to do so, we will really need to go all out. No half measures.

Coming up in part 2, we will finish looking at how to employ symmetry with another example or two, and some concluding considerations.

11/10/2016
Montage: What’s Worth Fighting For?

Most guys – and plenty of the womens too – will agree: what is not to love about a good old fashioned slobber-knocking action flick? There’s action sequences, there’s crap getting blown to smithereens, there’s inspiration pep talks and cheesy one-liners… so much goodness!

So I was thrilled to find an action film montage made by Rasika Chomkwang this morning. Honestly, the self-titled “hobbyist editor, artist, animator and wannabe film maker,” has made a piece that pretty much hits all the right buttons. You’ll enjoy this one!

04/04/2016
Blog: Why The Simpsons Continues to Work

Love them or hate them, it cannot be denied that The Simpsons have been an animated mainstay for a little over a generation. But why is it so? It has been written that, “a pictured parody of controversial issues of a society is the most effective approach that target various dilemmas within a society without offending anyone belief, notion, religion, gender and lifestyle.” I consider this to be one of the reasons for longevity of The Simpsons.

The show has always been paraded as highly dysfunctional. Nevertheless there is an undeniably traditional ‘every’ American family model to the show (father, mother, and the ‘2.4’ children). It is one of the things which has anchored it: we can bank on this dynamic of returning to the comfortable American family scenario by the end of every episode. That trusted formula has allowed the writers to explore some hotly contested social commentaries over its 27-year tenure on TV. Unconsciously knowing that by the end of the 22-minutes everything will be back to normal, we have felt safe exploring these topics with the family.

Now I admit that this doesn’t sound very video-crafty – so why am I writing about it? Well, I thought it would be an interesting backdrop for what I believe is the second reason that the Simpsons have continued to work: the incorporation of pop culture into the story-lines.

The pop-culture celebrity list alone is huge, and there are far too many pop culture references to include in a humble blog post (well, one short enough to be read. Honestly, a TLDR comment is the bane of bloggers!). Still, I want to do this point justice.

As someone who enjoys cinematic elements, I was well pleased to find the following clip. It is my joy to share a cleverly montaged side-by-side comparison of some of the Simpsons cinema references. Created by Spanish student Celia Gómez, I hope you enjoy it just as much as I did!

10/03/2016
FF: How To Highlight 2016’s Best, In Just Over 1-Minute

Welcome to the Flick Friday – a series that will motivate you, supercharging your creativity as we delve into cinematography and videography together. Today, we’re sharing a post by a relatively new video channel to both YouTube and Vimeo, called the Art of the Film.

They have developed a series of videos released today, we are treated to a one-minute (or so) montage that highlights some of the 2016 Oscar nominees. The concept is great, and the execution has been done quite well.

Do yourself a favour and check out all that they have to offer. For the purposes of Flick Friday, you can whet your appetite by watching the team share their quick look at the five nominees for Best Cinematography at the 88th Academy Awards.

https://vimeo.com/155886827

19/02/2016
WW: Why You Need to Understand Colour Temperature

Welcome to Whatsit Wednesday – a series that will resource you to do video better, offering hints and tips on how to improve your videocraft. Today, we’re sharing a short article on why we need to understand colour temperature.

Is understanding colour temperature and balance in an increasingly web-based ‘phoneography‘ (think cinematography for phones) marketplace really that important? The answer is simple: yes.

Understanding colour temperature will improve the quality of your work and give you an advantage over your competitors – those average Joe’s who either don’t know any better, or frankly don’t care. In short, this is the kind of stuff that separates the amateurs from the professionals – and even if you ARE an amateur, the equation is simple: when you know more about what you’re doing, you will begin to produce visuals that look more professional.

Covering a range of issues such as camera white balance and RAW, as well as examining some of the physics of colour, Richard Lackey has once again delivered an excellent article that will help you understand colour temperature, so that “you will always be ready to balance your camera even in situations where you have no control over lighting at all.”

Article.

17/02/2016
HIMM: How To Mess Up Your Aspect Ratio

How It’s Made Monday is meant to inspire you with some of the secrets of videocraft: sometimes, those secrets lie in how NOT to do things just as much as they are found in how to do things. So today we’re going to share how to mess up your aspect ratio. In short, leave it unplanned!

For those with amateur experience in videography, let me ask a question: when was the last time you planned the aspect ratio elements of your video production? In all honesty, most people simply point and shoot and hope they capture something that works (and for the record, vertical video should never be considered something that works IMHO). For professionals, as much as depends upon them, the opposite is true. Rather than simply thinking, “I hope this will look good,” they consider what they want the production to look like – and then go about planning the shoot to achieve that end. Believe it or not, this also includes which aspect ratio to use.

For the most part, I work with widescreen footage (for simplicity, let’s call that 16:9). So when I take a look at a DVD and find the footage has a 4:3 SD ratio, I expect a visual phenomena called pillarboxing. For those who don’t know, that means when the 4:3 image is displayed in a widescreen environment, the image is displayed with added lateral mattes (usually black, though some productions have used more creative ways to add those mattes).

Subsequently, if you were to fit a widescreen image into a 4:3 environment you could fork out cash to have a pan and scan application made (the important information in each 16:9 scene is shown in the full frame size of the 4:3 aspect ratio this way). Or – the cheaper, and far simpler, alternative would be to letterbox the image. Where pillarboxing is lateral, the letterboxed image has horizontal mattes (usually black bars) above and below it.

So how can you mess that up?

While there are many things that might go wrong – my personal favourite would have to be the unintended ratio fail known as windowboxing. In this happy example (above), the source material was 4:3. Some thought went into having footage for a 16:9 audience though, so the advertisement was intentionally pillarboxed to that end. Unknown to the production house (it seems), the channel the advertisement was to air on was actually a 4:3 broadcast. So, the network took this faux 16:9 image and letterboxed it to fit. Given that people have widescreen TV’s though, these lovely people ended up with this glorious mess – a final image that was even further pillarboxed! Such fun!

So if you want to emulate this lunacy, begin by pointing, shooting, and hoping it all turns out for the best. It’s surprisingly easy to do. Additionally, you should not consider what platform you intend your production to be shown on. Oh, and you should remain completely oblivious to what might happen if your production crosses between display platforms. If you can do these three things – then you will be well on your way to developing ratio blunders of the highest order.

15/02/2016
WW: How To 3-Point Light An Interview On A Low Budget

Welcome to Whatsit Wednesday – a series that will resource you to do video better, offering hints and tips on how to improve your videocraft. Today, we’re sharing a short video tutorial on how you can successfully light an interview when on a low budget.

When it comes to storytelling from the heart, Stillmotion believe you can learn more from a well-informed friend than you can from the finest academic institutions. To that end, that is how they approach everything they teach–as colleagues. This is also why we are sharing this great tutorial: though originally posted three years ago (and originally titled How to Light An Interview for $26), the presentation is great and the lighting-hack they suggest is still super usable!

10/02/2016
FF: Quentin Tarantino’s Best Visual Film References… in 3 Minutes!

Welcome to the very first Flick Friday post for 2016 – a series that will motivate you, supercharging your creativity as we delve into cinematography and videography together. Today, we’re sharing a great video montage by Jacob T. Swinney on Quentin Tarantino’s Visual References.

There is lots to be said about this great montage, but we will leave it to Swinney himself to entice you: “It is a well known fact that Quentin Tarantino is a self-proclaimed cinephile. But the writer/director’s love for cinema is most obviously expressed through his own films. In addition to showing his characters spending a great deal of time discussing cinema, Tarantino’s films are jam-packed with homages and visual references to the movies that have intrigued him throughout his life.

Many filmmakers pay homage, but Tarantino takes things a step further by replicating exact moments from a variety of genres and smashing them together to create his own distinct vision.”

With over 30 of these visual references to be had, in a word – it is simply brilliant.

https://vimeo.com/148955244

05/02/2016
WW: 3 Ways to Approach Day to Night Timelapse

Welcome to the very first Whatsit Wednesday post for 2016 – a series that will resource you to do video better, offering hints and tips on how to improve your videocraft. Today, we’re sharing a 50-minute tutorial on 3 ways that you can go about approaching a day to night timelapse through manipulating aperture priority, blending in post, and ramping up your exposure/ISO.

Made by Saskatchewan (Canada) local, Preston Kanak – this filmmaker, educator, and time-lapse photographer, unpacks the time-lapse ‘holy grail.’ Demonstrating that while there is an assumption that the day-to-night lapse is complex, the reality is that they may not be as difficult for you to achieve as they appear.

03/02/2016
HIMM: 4 Things to Help Get A Cinematic Look on a Budget

One of the most common questions young filmmakers ask is, “How do I make my film look cinematic?” Usually the answer is “good lighting” – but what if you don’t have access to any?

Though still in school, it is exciting to hear ideas from host and creator of DSLRguide – Simon Cade. Why? Well, when creating content on a tiny budget, you are forced to consider how to make cinematic visuals a little differently: so when a young guy who spends most of his time filming, editing, or learning about filmmaking takes the time to share some of his experiences on how he has gone about achieving that – it’s something worthwhile considering.

Cade identifies the following four things as items that will help you make up for bad, or at least less than special lighting: locations and sets, colour, emotion, and senses. It’s by no means a comprehensive list – but it will certainly inspire you to move in the right direction.

“I’m all about learning the meaning behind the choices we make in films, and using film as a method of communication.” – Simon Cade.

01/02/2016