Waiting 2B Scene

Tag: Cinematography

  • WW: Why You Need to Understand Colour Temperature

    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.

  • FF: Quentin Tarantino’s Best Visual Film References… in 3 Minutes!

    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

  • HIMM: 4 Things to Help Get A Cinematic Look on a Budget

    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.

  • Blog: 3 Things to Expect from Us This Year

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    It’s great to back from our January hiatus. The proverbial batteries have been recharged, we’re ready to tackle the 2016 blogosphere – and we’re trying out a new format for our W2BS posts that clearly spells out what you can expect from us throughout the year to come.

    1. Monday’s we will share a How It’s Made Monday post to inspire you with some of the secrets of videocraft.
    2. Wednesday’s will be all about the Whatsit Wednesday posts: a series that will resource you to do video better – offering hints and tips on how to improve your videocraft. And,
    3. Friday’s will further delve into cinematography and videography with Flick Friday posts aimed at motivating you and supercharging your creativity.

    There will also be an array of ad hoc posts that cover all the other fun bits and pieces that the internet tends to offer – as well as the general blog post or two – so the future looks bright for Waiting 2B Scene in 2016.

    It’s wonderful to have you on board!

  • HIMM: A Quiet Long-Take Champion (Zhou)

    A long take – this is simply a shot that doesn’t cut away to other shots, but is a continuous shot that usually follows the action of the scene as it plays out in real-time. Even if you have never heard of the term, I’m sure you have seen one in action (anything that has top-ten style list dedicated to it is probably something which falls into the category of stuff you have seen)!

    In the early years of cinema, it was normal to shoot with long takes – it made production both a little easier, and a bit cheaper. As cinema developed cinematography became more complex, and consequently the pace of editing increased. In what seemed like almost no time, the long take was either done away with altogether, or it directors wielded it as a stylistic badge of honour.

    Let me ask you this then: what if you were able to incorporate the long take into your work without drawing attention to the fact? How would you do it?

    With 55 directorial credits spanning four decades, Steven Spielberg knows how to. The Hollywood giant has used this classic technique so frequently that it is definitely a signature move – yet many of us may not have realised it.

    While other purveyors of the long-take usually parade the shot, Spielberg has managed to have many of his ‘oners’ fly under the radar – allowing audiences to become immersed in the dramatic energy of a scene without noticing the technique being used. Love him or hate him, that is a rare cinematic skill that ought to be celebrated – if not emulated.

    So today on How It’s Made Monday, I want to share an excellent video essay on the Spielberg ‘oner’ by one of my favourite online commentators, Tony Zhou. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

    https://vimeo.com/94628727

  • Video Montage: The Turn Smile (Dissolve)

    If you were to ask just about any serious cinematographer for their thoughts on stock footage, the general consensus would be one of derision. In a digital age where content creation is often more important than the complaints of said cinematographers though, using stock footage is a tool you might want to seriously consider. That advice is not without a warning label though.

    Back in April the team at No Film School gave us 6 awesome reasons to consider using stock footage in our work: the cliff notes version is that,

    1. It’s often cheaper and easier than shooting something yourself,
    2. Hollywood uses it,
    3. It’s ready when you need it,
    4. Not all stock footage looks like “stock footage”,
    5. You don’t have to travel everywhere or pay for permits, and
    6. Guess what — stock filmmakers are filmmakers too.

    If you have never heard of Dissolve – it is a stock footage provider, though their branding works quite hard at differentiating itself as a provider of better quality stock than you might get elsewhere. By and large, I like their stuff. With that being said, their own array of stock collages (of which today’s clip is just one example) prove an important point… too much of a good thing really can be terrible! For me, it also highlights this fact: some stock footage really does just look like stock footage – even when you have a better quality stock product!

    Some stock – like the turn smile – just has that look about it. And you know what? That is okay. My point is that if we can stay somewhere between the extremes of outright stock derision and attempting to create a piece using only stock, we might be surprised at how handy – and effective – some well placed stock footage can be.

  • News: Kenyan Film Made on Mobile (BBC)

    It is really easy to think that we need to have the latest and greatest kit to make movies and videos. And I mean really easy (#firstworldproblems). But I read a wonderful story today that was a timely reminder.

    While there are DJI Osmo‘s out there, or Lily, or the BMPCC – or whatever else takes your budgeted fancy – these are all just tools in a filmmakers/videographers arsenal. And much like a toolbox, sometimes you just need to pull out something that can get the job done… like a mobile phone.

    When was the last time you tried to make something videographic without all of the bells and whistles we are used to? Maybe this story will inspire you to think outside of your box this week.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35075188

  • HIMM: Kingsman Finale, Visual Effects (BUF)

    This morning I want to launch something new – kicking off a series of Monday-specific video-shares that explore a variety of film and TV behind the scenes clips: so welcome to the very first edition of How It’s Made Mondays!

    Founded in 1984 as one of the few pioneers of CGI, BUF has been creating content for over 30 years – providing some stunning visual effects for more than 100 films and 850 commercials. One of those films was the 2014 film, Kingsman: The Secret Service.

    This short clips highlights some of the impressive work that went into developing the visual effects for the films climatic finale. With that being said, consider yourself warned, as this will obviously make for a massive spoiler if you haven’t yet seen the film.

  • Video Montage: Hello by Movies (Vlot)

    So the world is already sick of hearing Adele’s Hello. That is understandable, considering it has been played to death on pretty much every communication medium known to man.

    Why then would I want to contribute to the agony of humanity? Because I stumbled on an amazing video montage that has recreated the song using nothing but lines from films… and that stuff takes time man! So it is worth the pain of the song to share some love and kudos where it is due.

    Here’s to you Matthijs Vlot!

  • Short Film: Light & Shadow (Weiss)

    Wow. That is the best place for me to begin talking about this piece. Just wow.

    Commissioned by the film-making camera accessory giant Zacuto (and shot simultaneously with Revenge of the Great Camera Shootout 2012), this 20-minute Emmy-winning piece by director Steve Weiss – Light & Shadow delves into the creativity and passion of more than 30 of the most legendary cinematographers of our time.

    If you are interested in film, television, online video, or pretty much any kind of visual storytelling – then you need to have this in your life. You really do. It is seriously inspiring.