Pre-Production - Research
PRODUCTION RESEARCH
My Role during the pitch:
We first sat down and had a meeting and split the amount of work between the three of us. This way we all had an equal amount of work to complete for the Pitch. I had many things to do for the pitch for example mood boards, mood reel, and colour palette. James also contributed towards the mood boards.
My Role and the impact I have on production:
During this production, my role is the Director of Photography (DoP) this is an important role within any project because without a DoP the show/film would never be made. My job is to analyse the script and work out how the story is going to be told through the lens. This is because the job of being a DoP is to fulfill the director’s vision through the camera lens. There are many different elements to being a DoP, it’s not just turning up on the day and pressing record on the camera. Doing this is wrong a DoP has a crucial role within Pre-Production and Production. Pre-production is a crucial part of the film making process for a DoP this is the time where we can analyse the script given to us and break it down to produce a shot list that would best suit the narrative. This is also a time where a DoP would research the production, which is what I’ll be doing for this production.
I have a very important role in this production if I don't produce the right work now during the pre-production and research stage then the production will fail during filming.
What I want the film to look like:
To start with It was tricky trying to work out what the film was going to look like and it took a couple of video calls with Ethan (Producer) and James (Director) before I could try and put together in my head how the film was going to look visually. Once we started to get a concrete narrative down and we loosely knew how the story was going to unfold. This is when I decided to look into different movies within the same genre to get some ideas down
Mood reel
I began by noting down how I wanted the framing, lighting, and camera movements that I would like to include within this production. To do this I made a list of films that were similar to our idea and made a mood reel, just to get a basic concept down with what I think the show would look like.
Once I knew the films I should be looking into I started to edit clips of them together. Editing is VFXnot my strongest skill, but I was determined to make this edit professional so it was ready for the Pitch. Knowing that our production was based around Aliens I decided that the reel should include this futuristic glitch effect that would appear when the text would appear. I also thought it would be a good effect for transitioning between clips. I researched into tutorials that would help with my editing, which would help the reel look polished and professional.
(Fig 2: Still from Mood Reel)
To achieve this effect I watch a tutorial, the video was called “Create GLITCH Text Effect Premiere Pro CC (NO PLUGINS)” (tutvid, 2019) the video was simple and I got the grasp of doing it rather quickly, which saved a lot of time considering making this Reel has taken me a few days to complete. Overall, using this effect gave an added dimension to the mood reel making it clear around the genre which our film will be under, which is a Sci-Fi dark comedy.
For the other Glitch effect I looked into ways to have the clips have a transition between each other. The tutorial was called “5 GLITCH TRANSITIONS UNDER 4 MINUTES + Bonus” (Cinecom.net, 2018). I wanted to include this effect because I didn’t want the reel to seem like a basic edit with clips going along to music, like a music video. To achieve this effect I found a tutorial that showed me 5 different ways of having a glitch transition. I liked how all the effects turned out, however, I decided to choose the second example that was shown. This effect was done by using the VR Digital Glitch and changing the master amplitude, whilst also going through the Colour Distortion and Geometry Distortion X. Doing this provided a nice shift between clips as some jumps could have been too much for the eye to handle and to process what I wanted them to notice. For example, going from really overexposed lighting from American Horror Story to the harsh shadows in Alien.
To achieve this effect I watch a tutorial, the video was called “Create GLITCH Text Effect Premiere Pro CC (NO PLUGINS)” (tutvid, 2019) the video was simple and I got the grasp of doing it rather quickly, which saved a lot of time considering making this Reel has taken me a few days to complete. Overall, using this effect gave an added dimension to the mood reel making it clear around the genre which our film will be under, which is a Sci-Fi dark comedy.
For the other Glitch effect I looked into ways to have the clips have a transition between each other. The tutorial was called “5 GLITCH TRANSITIONS UNDER 4 MINUTES + Bonus” (Cinecom.net, 2018). I wanted to include this effect because I didn’t want the reel to seem like a basic edit with clips going along to music, like a music video. To achieve this effect I found a tutorial that showed me 5 different ways of having a glitch transition. I liked how all the effects turned out, however, I decided to choose the second example that was shown. This effect was done by using the VR Digital Glitch and changing the master amplitude, whilst also going through the Colour Distortion and Geometry Distortion X. Doing this provided a nice shift between clips as some jumps could have been too much for the eye to handle and to process what I wanted them to notice. For example, going from really overexposed lighting from American Horror Story to the harsh shadows in Alien.
(Fig 4.1: Alien Abduction in American Horror Story / Just before the glitch transition)
(Fig 4.2: Alien Abduction in American Horror Story / Whilst the glitch is taking place)
(Fig 4.3: Glitch transition into the scene from Alien)
(Fig 4.4: Glitch transition has finished and now it’s just the shot from Alien)
Mood boards
When sitting down with James (the director) we discussed certain features of the show that we were going to need to go ahead with filming. To do this we decided it would be best to make a series of mood boards to help get an idea of what the characters, location, and set design would look like. We took into consideration that our production is a low budget, so when it came to looking for images we thought that it would be best if with tried to stick within our budget.
Main Protagonist.
After James and Ethan completed the character profiles we discovered that our character should look timid and have the characteristics of a loner, a character that doesn’t have many friends and just keeps to himself. Obviously, with the actors we chose we know that we would not be able to afford any of these actors.
Aliens
When discussing what the alien should look like we took a lot of inspiration from BBC’s Doctor Who. The show is well received in the UK the show uses a lot of prosthetics when showing the Aliens, which is what we discussed would be the best solution. We also took inspiration from the Mighty Boosh (top left of fig 5.2) as you can see the make-up has been purposefully made to not look smooth. This was due to the style of the show, the show purposefully made some visual and prosthetic effects look bad, which made the show funnier and more popular. Even though all these Aliens look amazing in their way, due to our production being low-budget it would be unwise to have this in our film. From a DoP view I believe it would be better for the film if we barely saw the alien for example in Ridley Scotts Alien, the Alien is barely seen throughout the film. The director and the DoP have manipulated different angles, lighting and pacing to help add to the tension the audience would feel when watching.
Locations
The main location that would be used is the main protagonist's home. We thoroughly discussed how we want the house to look like as this will tell the audience whether he is successful or not. Overall we decided that we want the character to seem successful and to seem mentally strong and work-driven individual. Here is what we wanted the house to look like:
As shown in the images this is just a standard townhouse, which is expensive and would need someone with a sustainable job to live alone and afford this house. Normally, this location would cost a substantial amount of our budget, however, Jame has good connections with the Isle of Sheppy Police and if Covid restrictions lighten up by the time of production, then we can use their training facilities. This would be a great location if the circumstances are right. We would not need to recce the location as James has already been there to film. However, I would like to see the location as I have never been there before and I need to examine the location so I then know what would be the best equipment to bring to the shoot.
As well as the police training houses we also want to film in an interrogation room; we believe that it would be possible to do this with a small budget due to the connections we have with the police department. This location is important for the narrative of the story as this is where our protagonist has a moment of realisation when being interrogated. Below are some images of what we want the interrogation room to look like.
Fig 5.4 (police station images from Mood board)
For the Alien game show, Jame and I took a lot of inspiration from Japanese game shows like Takeshi Castle. We enjoyed the weirdness they embrace when making these shows and compared to a lot of different countries gameshows and the Japanese break the norm with their ideas. This is why we decided to take inspiration from these gameshows to represent the Aliens and how they have taken control of the protagonist for their own twisted amusement.
Fig 5.5 (Stills of Japanese Gameshow from Mood Board)
Another crucial location to the narrative is a multi-story car park. Now, these are not hard to find and can be easy to get permission to film on. We would need to get in contact with whoever owns the car park. I would like the location to have a city background with big buildings just to get a sense of how small our character is. Here are the images James and myself found for our mood board.
The final location is going to be a room within the house and James had an idea that our character has a model town (like in Hot Fuzz) which he has built himself. Jame also came up with the idea that the camera would go on a journey around this model town and whilst going through would zone in on the specific elements of the town. This element would foreshadow the key moments later on in the film.
Fig 5.7 (Diorama room mood board)
Colour palette
For the pitch I also had to create a colour palette for our film, a colour palette shows what recurring colours are going to be present within the film. Colour in the film is important as it can give another element that will help the narrative “Color affects the viewer in the same way that music or dance does: it reaches people at a gut emotional level.” (Blain, B, 2012) whether it comes across through lighting, set design, or costume the colour that is chosen has to be right to address the audience how the character is feeling. Knowing this I decided to look more into the psychology of colour and how it can make the audience feel.
Fig 5.8 List of the psychology behind colour
As shown in the list above each colour can have multiple effects on human emotion, which is why it’s important to choose the right colour. Knowing that our film will have mature themes that will demonstrate a person’s mental disabilities and struggle, so I considered this when making the colour palette. This is why I decided to use a multitude of colours that signify an element of mental illness or mystery:
Blue = DepressionOrange = Expansive
Violet = Mysterious
Yellow = Illness
Black = Unhappiness & Sadness
Red = Danger Power
White = Purity
Green = Self-awareness
Fig 5.9 Colour Palette from the pitch
If I can use these colours correctly I will be able to manipulate them to help guide the audience and to even juxtapose the colours against each other to create dramatic irony. Using this palette I can now collaborate with James to test different gels to place over the light, whilst James can look into set design and costume for our actor.
VFX:
Another element that I had to think about for the Pitch is a potential VFX shot that might be incorporated into the film. I don’t have the best background when it comes to VFX shots, but for the pitch, I needed to just consider it for the production. Knowing this I set out to try and find a simple VFX tutorial to help me know roughly how to do the shot. The VFX that we wanted was just a simple abduction, where you see a flash of light beam down onto our character and he begins to get sucked up into the light. I was able to find a small tutorial on how to recreate this shot. I still need to conduct a test shoot for this recreation, but before I do that I need to research the specific camera I want to use. The reason I need to do this is that I need to know if the camera I good enough to do VFX shots. My camera, which is a Canon 750d would not be able to get an accurate shoot compared to the Sony A7 (the camera I will be using for the shoot).
Specific shots in shows I want to recreate
As a DoP I like to watch other creatives work and analyse why they have done this to help the narrative. I always wonder if I can recreate this shot in my work. There are many different shots that I would love to create for this project, but I’ve narrowed it down to three that I want to achieve.
Top Boy
The first of the three is from Netflix Top Boy and the shot takes place during the fifth episode of the series. This episode begins after the two main characters finally decided to start working together on their journey to become the top drug dealers in London. At the start, all things are going well and the character is essentially ‘flying high’ as everything is going right for once. This shot has many names, but I’m going to refer to it as the double dolly shot, this is where both camera and actor are on a dolly to make the actor seem like they’re floating. Tracking shots like this are important as they
Fig 6.1 & 6.2 Images of Dris and Dushane from the double dolly shot.
In Top Boy’s case, they have done this shot to show that the actors are doing well for themselves, they are doing so well that the shot has been done to show how they’re floating above everyone else. This shows that they have power over everyone else in the show. This effect can be easily pulled off with the right equipment, however, due to the film being low budget, if I wanted to use this technique I’ll need a cheaper solution. To achieve this shot I need to work out a way in which I can recreate this double dolly shot. The reason why I want to have this shot within our film is that at the beginning our character is meant to seem mentally stable and living his best life. So having this shot when he’s walking to the shop will show the audience that he is ‘flying high’ and throughout the production, this tracking will slowly become more like he’s falling. This then suggests that the character has hit rock bottom and is not well. Even though this shot can take the audience out of the narrative by making them think more about the shot, this could work to our benefit. Showing the audience an unnatural approach and by breaking the fourth wall “ The fourth wall is an imaginary wall that separates the story from the real world” (Lannom, SC. 2020) this can suggest something more alien as if something is not quite right and it hints that something supernatural might be happening.
How To recreate the double dolly.
I know that the University provides a dolly and track, I need to work out how I’m going to get the subject to move safely with the camera. I have found a tutorial on frugal filmmakers building their dolly, this is the cheapest way we can achieve this shot is by making our own, which should cost roughly £50 to make.
SnorriCam
The second shot I would like the recreate is the SnorriCam, which has been used in many films and TV shows. The Snorricam is essentially a mount that goes around the actor and uses the actor’s natural movements to give an unsettling emotion towards the audience. A good example of the shot being used is from The Hangover when Stu (Ed Helmes) wakes up for the first time after his heavy night out. The shot gives an effect that is dizzy and disorientated, which I believe will be good for when our protagonist is starting to lose control. This shot is interesting as “It creates a fascinating visual effect… The actor always remains in the same fixed position in the center of the frame.” ( McGregor, L. 2017) with this, I can create a sense of paranoia as we see our protagonist losing control and his mental health slowly beating him.
As stated in the video this shot would only work if it would suit the narrative and I believe it does. Our character is meant to show his mental struggles as he starts to forget his actions, this would create a great sense of tension for the audience. To recreate this shot I will need to have my own body mount, but due to the budget, I could potentially hire one out for a few days. Hiring out the equipment would be the best option.
Zoom Dolly
The third and final shot that I would like to incorporate into our film is the dolly zoom. This shot has been a staple for many different films and shows, this shot is most noticeable in films like Vertigo and Jaw. To achieve this shot it’s very simple all you need is a camera with a zoom lens and a dolly on tracks. The effect is in-camera so you need to dolly either towards or away from a subject whilst zooming in the opposite direction. The trick is to try and keep the subject still whilst the background changes, the subject must stay still in the frame.
The film that I believe would best compare to ours would be the diner scene from Goodfellas. Martin Scoresacce has used this camera effect to add a sense of paranoia as the main character gets himself too deep in the mafia. I want to achieve this shot as there is a moment within our film when our protagonist is starting to suspect something is wrong “...this shot creates a sense of unease in the viewer, simulates a spatial warp, and can either shrink or extend distances based on the choice of direction.” (Lannom, SC. 2020) this will help give the audience a sense of unease, which is what I want to get across. To be able to execute this technique I will need to do multiple test shoots, as I have never tried to accomplish this shot I need many practice attempts.
(ALL TEST SHOOTS ARE AVAILABLE UNDER PRE-PRODUCTION PAPERWORK)
What Camera Does The Commission Allow
After discussing many features about our film with Ethan our Producer we originally thought that our commission would be the BFI short Films fund, however after looking into their website to see how we could potentially get them to commission our film our hopes were cut short. To gain access to the grant we would need to have more diversity within our group and unfortunately, that's not possible for us, another element as to why we can't be accepted is because we are all students in full-time education. Sadly, we won't be able to get that grant and a commission. On the other hand, we discussed many different possibilities that we can go down; we ended up going down the route of being completely independent. This means we would have to fund everything ourselves, but also means that I can choose what camera I'd use for filming. The camera I have decided to choose for our project is the Sony A7iii, this small yet powerful camera will be perfect for our project for reasons I'll go over below.
Why the Sony A7iii?
I've decided that the Sony A7iii would be the best camera that we can use within our budget due to the fact we can hire them out from the university for free, but this is not the major selling point for this camera. After looking into the camera I discovered that the camera has a great sensor type "35mm full-frame (35.6x23.8mm), Exmore R CMOS sensor." (Sony, s.d) this means that it uses less power within the camera sensor meaning a longer battery life, which is essential for the long hour shoot days we are planning for. However, that's not the main benefit from the CMOS sensor as it can also produce smoother graduation from shadows, With this, it will give me more freedom for creative visual imagery.
Another great aspect that this camera has is that "Standard ISO range is extended to ISO 100-51200 (EXPANDABLE TO iso 50-204800), while Detail Reproduction and Area-specific Noise Reduction technologies maintain image details and cut noise." (Sony, s.d) which is great for our production. This is not talking about audio, when talking about noise within the image this means the static that can be seen in the image. Essentially what this means is that the Sony A7iii can increase the ISO (which normally creates a lot of noise) without there being noise that would distort the image. Not only does it stop the image from being distorted it also means that this camera is incredible when filming in low lights as it stops the noise from being visible within the frame. This s very important as in our film because it has themes of mental illness a lot of the scene is going to have little lighting this is because I want to show the audience that his mental illness is getting the better of him.
Another great feature from the Sony A7iii is the camera has "Fast Hybrid AF with 693 phase-detection and 425 contrast-detection AF point" (Sony, s.d) this means that the camera has insanely quick autofocus. This is great for the type of shots I want to recreate like the zolly. Not only is the autofocus quick but there is a feature where I can select a face and the camera will scan that face and will keep that face in focus through the clip. Having fast autofocus will significantly help with a few shots I have planned, however, this is not a feature that I will use constantly. I like to have full control over the focus so I will only use this feature when I can't get it on the manual focus.
With all these great features of the camera that will benefit our production with the crisp quality the camera has, but I need to know how to set up the camera to get the best quality to shoot with. I need to know whether it would best to shoot in SLOG or something else, what would be the best setting for VFX shots?
How to set-up the camera to get the right setting
The Sony A7iii at first glance can look quite complicated and difficult to get a grasp of. Compared to the cameras I have used this one definitely has the most power inside it. The camera has the ability to film in 4K and if put on the right setting it can have S-LOG, which is very good for colour correction. Even though the camera had all these abilities, it wouldn't mean anything if I didn't know how to set it up correctly I wouldn't be able to achieve the best out of the camera we want to have. Knowing this I decided to book out the Sony A7iii and a DJI Ronin to have a test with both of them just to get a grip on how the camera works. The reason I have done this is due to covid restrictions we won't get many attempts to use the camera through workshops. We have only had one workshop with this camera, which was helpful, but I felt I needed more time to fully understand the camera. Which led the producer and me to book out have really test with the camera.
At first glance the Sony A7iii has one of the most complex in-camera settings; I knew it would take time to fully understand how all the settings work. I used what I learned for the workshop, however, to really help me fully understand how to correctly set up the camera I decided to watch another DoP/Cinematographer on how they set-up the camera to get the best possible image.
Best settings for the best quality
Using what I've learned over the years and using this video to help guide me I now know how to correctly set up the Sony A7iii to get the best quality. When opening the in-camera menu the camera will ask what File format would the operator like to use to film. The best option is for the file format to be RAW "Cameras that film in the RAW format they do minimal processing to the image: they record the raw data that came out of the video sensor" (Blain, B. 2012) this mean that the video footage won't be compressed by the digital camera. If the camera footage is compressed this means the camera has got rid of some resolution in the image making the image no longer HD. If shooting Raw then the next step is to change the Raw File Type to uncompressed for reasons I've already stated, doing this will result in the best possible image.
Fig 7.1 Screengrab of the video
After doing that the next step would be to skip the sections that are JPEG as I won't be using that and to go the aspect ratio, which will be 3:2. Once doing that I would then scroll across to the next page, I would then find the tag which will read Long Exposure NR. I need to turn this off, I don't want this on because if I was to do a long shot the exposure would be off leading to noise and grain within the shot. However, leaving it on whilst in RAW shouldn't affect the image that much this is only if I was to be filming in RAW AND JPEG. I then would go to Colour Space, which I will leave as sRGB as I don't want to affect how the camera detects colours.
Fig 7.2 Screengrab from the video
These are the main areas to focus on within the first menu, however, the second menu, it will have a lot more options for the camera, which I need to know in order to get the best out of the camera. Firstly, there is another File Format section, this is where I will change the format so the camera will record in 4K. To do this. I will need to change it from XAVC S HD to XAVC S 4K. the reason to shoot in 4K is because this allows me to shoot in higher resolution, which means the footage will be better in quality. After that I would come across the record settings I will need to change the settings to 24p 100m, this means that the camera will be able to shoot in slow motion without losing and quilty. Slow-motion is a big factor of what I want to achieve as there are some scenes where the slow-motion can give a sense of tension as it slowly builds up to something big. These are the main settings of the camera to sort out to be able to get the best image quality. I will definitely be using this information for our project and to help me not forget I will be writing these down to have with me on the shoot. That way I can be prepared and ready for when it comes to filming and won't be wasting valuable time.
camera settings for best VFX shots
After doing some research into the camera settings it makes it clearer on what would be better for the possible VFX shot I need to do for the film. Knowing that the setting that gets the best image quality would be the best for getting across convincing VFX. There are many different in-camera techniques to help with VFX, I found a tutorial which helped me fully understand what the camera must do in order to have good VFX
As stated in the video there are many different ways to prepare for a VFX shot and there was one element that really stuck with me. the presenter explains that the camera needs to focus on is by taking a clean plate and by getting the right shutter speed and depth of field. A clean plate is essentially getting either an image or a video of the scene without any subject in, it must be just the location. This will give the VFX team more room to work with as they can mask the subject into the slean plate where they'd do the VFX work. This will definitely be the way our VFX shot will work as I want to do a scene where our protagonist is being sucked into the sky. So having a clean plate of before and after the character leaves will help give the illusion that Aliens have taken him.
Another element he mentioned was the shutter speed and depth of field. Shutter speed is how many frames the camera allows in the higher the shutter speed the smoother the shot will look "The higher the shutter speed the crisper your tracking results are going to become.” (FXhome, 2019) this explains why having a higher shutter would be best. Especially for our production as we're going to see the protagonist being sucked into the sky. Also doing this will help when having to mask around the protagonist in the post to make it look convincing. The other element he explains is the depth of field, "Depth of field is the area of acceptable sharpness in front of and behind the subject which the lens is focused. Put simply, it refers to how blurry or sharp the area is around your subject." (Maio, A. 2019) doing this wrong can be vital for the VFX. The presenter says that the image needs to be clear, which means the f/stop will need to be higher in order to not get a depth of field. However, the shot I'm planning on doing has no camera movements so this might be irrelevant to the VFX shot I want to do, but I will need to do test shoots to further my final thought.
the best setting to help with colour correction
Lastly, I want to know whether the camera will be able to get a good colour correction without ruining the image. I know that we will be filming in RAW, which already means that the footage won't be compressed or distorted. This is a good thing as I want the colour correction to seem as natural as possible, but with darker highlights, like in David Finches Se7en. The Sony A7iii is an interesting camera as in the menu it also has a section called picture profiles. This section gives the user different settings to create a specific look they might like. During the test shoots, I noticed the picture profile 7 was the best as this allowed S-LOG, which gives the user more variety for colour correction in post. This is why I will make sure to use this specific profile as it will be more beneficial in post-production.
Would I need any lenses?
There are two lenses that come with the universities A7iii and that's a 50mm Prime and 18-105mm lens, which already gives me enough variety with different shots that can be achieved. However, there is one piece of equipment that I want to get, which attached to the lens. This is called a split lens diopter, " Diopters are simple meniscus lenses that are placed in front of the camera lens and reduce the minimum focusing distance of the lens." (Blain, B. 2012) which will be interesting for our production. Below is a video that will explain more about the split lens diopter and will give examples of what they can achieve.
As shown in the video this accessory will give the shot a very stylistic look, I can use this to my benefit. Also seeing this shot I believe can draw the attention of the audience to two parts of the screen. This will be interesting as I could get rid of rack focusing and use the split lens diopter. I also believe that doing this can add to the effect that our character is losing control of himself and it gives an unnatural look to the shot.
Lighting
Lighting is just as crucial to a DoP's job as actual camera work, without correct and well thought out lighting then the film will look off and won't be as good. The reason why lighting is so important is that it can have more of an emotional effect on the audience, whether it makes the scene more enjoyable or adds more tension. There is a lot of different aspects to think about when trying to light a scene, whether it would be soft, harsh, natural, practical, flat, and even the mood and tone the lighting will bring to the scene. Knowing that our film has mature themes I want the lighting to represent and show how our main character is slowly losing to mental illness. Starting the film with lighting to represent that he has full control and then to harsher lighting with different gels to help show to the audience that he's going mad, but also giving more emotion to the audience.
Also, I spoke to many different people including Ethan and James and I went over with them that it would be better for the film if we barely saw the alien, but instead used different lighting styles to represent the alien. For example in Alien, audiences barely see the Alien instead they have manipulated the lighting as well as the elongated shots of desolate corridors to add suspense, which scared audiences around the world.
When thinking about lighting I knew that I wanted something that would create suspense, which is why when I made the mood reel for our Pitch I looked into many different Sci-Fi and dark-themed shows and films. Within the reel you can clearly see a pattern with how I want the show to look like, however, there are some extravagant options in the video. Although there are some clips, which wouldn't work for the tone I took great inspiration from Mr. Robot and The Worlds End. I picked Mr. Robot because everything that is done in the show breaks the normal conventions of storytelling whether it's through the camera work or the lighting. The show plays off these conventions and it works for them and the lighting shows how the character is feeling and his struggles with mental illness. Not only from Mr. Robot, but in The Worlds End, which is a dark comedy, throughout the film the characters are running from aliens in the dark and the films consist of sidelights and backlights. This gives the character a silhouette look but also shows the characters' reactions to the sidelight. This attempt at lighting can give the scene more tension as it doesn't look natural. Personally, I want to use as minimal lighting as possible because when there is no light it will start to add tension and suspense for the audience. This is why I believe that practical lighting would benefit our film "A practical light is an actual working light that appears in a scene." and doing this will help save money for the production, which could be spent on making the alien look more realistic.
What other equipment would I be using:
Other than the camera there are many different pieces of equipment that I will be using during the production stages of our film, fr example, I will be using a DJI Ronin, tripod, and dolly on tracks to help achieve the shots. I want to help the narrative. Each piece of equipment will help bring a different element to the production, which will give it that professional look.
The DJI Ronin
The DJI Ronin is a type of stabiliser that I want to use for this production. I have used it before in other productions and have had some practice with this piece of equipment and have recently tried to get a test shoot whilst using it. However, for some reason, we couldn't get the Ronin to work properly, even after watching a significant amount of tutorials to try and figure out why it wasn't working. I need to do more practice shoots with the Ronin in order to use it successfully in our film. I believe the Ronin will benefit the production because it will help add more variety to the shots, which will help add more tension to the atmosphere of the film.
dolly on tracks
I will need a Dolly on Tracks for this project if I want to be able to pull off the shot I've mentioned above. I have used the Dolly on Tracks before during previous projects and I believe I have pretty much mastered how to use this piece of equipment successfully. However, I still must do test shoots using the equipment, this way I will know exactly how I want the camera to move to help the narrative progress. Using movement in shots can make the production look more professional and can be very aesthetically pleasing to see, but if done wrong it can look bad and will stand out like a sore thumb, which is why it is important to fully understand how to use the Dolly on Tracks in order to make the production better.
would we need to rent any other equipment?
This being a low budget production, I need to be careful with decision making for what we would actually need to benefit the production. The majority of the equipment I could easily get from University, for example, the camera, lights, sound equipment. However, there is a restriction with the equipment, I might need a specific lens that the University can not supply. There are a few things that I think will benefit the production that the university cannot supply. Firstly, accessories for the camera lens, as stated above I want to use a split lens diopter to add an unnatural effect that will add to the performance of the character losing control.
Another piece of equipment that I would like to have for the production would be some cine lenses, just to make the production look more professional. This will also help get the best possible quality out of the camera. The types of lenses that I have been looking at are Samyang cine primes. These lenses are very high quality, which would result in our production looking high quality. I believe that these lenses would benefit our production because the lenses are built to match each other to keep whatever you're recording consistent "... the lenses are designed to match each other too. So when editing footage and cutting between shots captured with different lenses the colours should be easier to match..." (Jaques, D. 2018) doing this will help give us the desired look we are after. Lastly, I will need a smoke machine, this will add to the ominous aesthetic that the Aliens will create. However, this is not just going to be from. aDoP vision, this type of equipment will be speaking about with the director if this is what they envisioned.
where can I rent the equipment?
There are many different websites that we can rent equipment from, for example, DV Camera Hire, Fat Llama, and Apache Rental. The cheapest website that would benefit our production would be Fat Llama, this website allows you to rent from other filmmakers in our area. This would make it easier to get the equipment, not only that, but they also are the cheapest in the area. Being the cheapest is best for us due to the low budget. I'm going to look at all the equipment that I'll need for the production, to make a small budget plan to see how much it's going to cost the production team, I will also be looking at the equipment I can get from the university, this is to make a more accurate budget.
how much would everything cost
Sony A7iii
For the Sony A7iii, I managed to find a camera body close to our base for £35/day, this is quite expensive, but if we were to get this camera for more days the prices would drop to £28.57/day. Knowing that we are going to have more than one film day, I have worked out how much this camera would cost us for seven days, which is £199.99. This would be a very big chunk of our budget, so luckily we don't need to rent this camera as we can hire it ours for free from the university.
Fig 8.1 Sony A7iii on Fat Llama
Samyang Prime Lenses
For the Samyang Cine Prime Lenses, I have decided to try and find a bundle which we can hire out, rather than hiring each out individually, which would result in more money being spent. The lenses that I have decided to get are 24mm, 50mm, and 85mm. I believe that these lenses can benefit our production as they can give us more variety between shots. The price for these lenses for 1 day would cost us £75, but for seven days would cost our production team £249.97. Even though these lenses would greatly improve the visual look and quality of the film. This would really take away the majority of our budget, however, if we aren't rent out the camera body, we could definitely afford to use these lenses.
Fig 8.2 Samyang Prime lenses on Fat Llama
Vinten Tripod
The Vinten Tripod is essential for filling, without this accessory then the film would have its polished cinematic look. I have managed to find a cheap Tripod, for only £13/day. However, as stated above we'll need longer for filming so for seven days the camera would cost us £56.28, which is very cheap and very affordable for us.
Fig 8.3 Vinten Tripod on Fat Llama
DJI RONIN
The DJI Ronin M is going to be one of the most important accessories that we can find, as I have big plans with using it. Luckily they are not that expensive to rent for seven days only costing around £150, which considering the scale and the importance is relatively cheap. Even though the kit is cheap, we would not actually need to rent it our as we can use the one provided by. the university.
Fig 8.4 DJI Ronin M on Fat Llama
Dolly on Track
The Dolly on tracks is another piece of kit that we could get through the university, but I've found one on Fat Llama for a very reasonable price. For seven days we could get the kit for £90.02, which is very reasonable. However, as stated we can gain access to this through university.
Fig 8.5 Dolly and Track on Fat Llama
Tungsten light
When looking for lights I knew that I wanted to use tungsten as they are the most professional. Normally, I would use LED lights as they are easier to control, however, I wanted to challenge myself and really learn how to control the lighting within the film. I found some lights called (2x650W+2x1000W) Fresnel Tungsten spotlights for roughly £34.64 a day, but we will need them for a whole week, which would cost £25.46/day. This over the week would cost us £178.22.
Fig 8.6 Tungsten Lights on Fat Llama
diffusers/softeners
The diffusers/softeners are the cheapest piece of kit to hire our, only costing the production £6.02 for seven days. Diffusers and softeners are a key element to help get the correct lighting, what they do is help bounce light off to either get a softer look on a subject.
Fig 8.7 reflector diffuser on Fat Llama
Smoke Machine
For the production, I spoke with the producer and director and they were saying that there will be a scene in the alien spaceship when our protagonist is being probed. Once being told about this scene I knew that to create this unworldly look it would be good to have a smoke machine to create this foggy floor. I found one to rent close to our base for a reasonable price of £12.86/day, this would be the price for an entire week so altogether it would cost £64.30.
Fig 8.8 Mobile Smoke Machine on Fat Llama
Green Screen
After speaking with the producer and director we discussed the shot which would include visual effects knowing that we needed visual effects I took into account that we would need to hire a green screen for this film. I found one for a reasonable price of £12.86/day, however, we would need to rent it out for a week so altogether it would cost £64.30. This is a reasonable price for the green screen, however, we would not have to rent this as there is a green screen studio provided by the university so we would use that to save the money.
Fig 8.9 Green Screen Background
Illustration List
Fig 1 Leggett, E. (2020) Mood Reel List [Photograph] In possession of: Leggett, E: Chatham.
Fig 2. Leggett, E (2020) Screenshot of Mood Reel [Screenshot] In possession of: Leggett, E: Chatham.
Fig 3. Leggett, E (2020) Screenshot of Mood Reel [Screenshot] In possession of: Leggett, E: Chatham.
Fig 4.1. Alien abduction in American Horror Story (2013) [Television still, Netflix] In: American Horror Story: Season 2. Unknown. FX
Fig 4.2. Screenshot of mood reel showing glitch effect (2020) In: American Horror Story: Season 2.
Fig 4.3. Screenshot of mood reel showing glitch transition effect (2020) In: Alien.
Fig 4.4. Mechanic in Alien (1979) [Film Still, Sky Movies] In: Alien. Shepperton studios
Fig 5.1. Leggett, E. (2020) Mood boards [Screenshot] In possession of: Leggett, E: Chatham
Fig 5.2. Leggett, E. (2020) Mood boards [Screenshot] In possession of: Leggett, E: Chatham
Fig 5.3. Leggett, E. (2020) Mood boards [Screenshot] In possession of: Leggett, E: Chatham
Fig 5.4. Leggett, E. (2020) Mood boards [Screenshot] In possession of: Leggett, E: Chatham
Fig 5.5. Leggett, E. (2020) Mood boards [Screenshot] In possession of: Leggett, E: Chatham
Fig 5.6. Leggett, E. (2020) Mood boards [Screenshot] In possession of: Leggett, E: Chatham
Fig 5.7. Leggett, E. (2020) Mood boards [Screenshot] In possession of: Leggett, E: Chatham
Fig 5.8 List of Colour meaning (2016) [nofilmschool, screenshot] At: https://nofilmschool.com/2016/06/watch-psychology-color-film (Accessed 15/10/2020)
Fig 5.9. Leggett,E. (2020) Screenshot of colour palette made [ Screenshot] In Possesion of: Leggett, E. Chatham
Fig 6.1 Double Dolly shot in Top Boy (2019) [Television Still, Netflix] In: Top Boy: Season 3: Netflix.
Fig 7.1 Menu on Sony A7iii (2018) [YouTube still] In: Sony A7iii User's Guide. YouTube. At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QNsvR9b7PQ (Accessed 08/12/2020)
Fig 7.2 Menu on Sony A7iii (2018) [YouTube still] In: Sony A7iii User's Guide. YouTube. At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QNsvR9b7PQ (Accessed 08/12/2020)
Fig 8.1 Sony A7iii body by Josh (2020) [Fat Llama, screenshot] At: https://fatllama.com/rentals/bearsted/hire-sony-a7iii-camera-body-69532423 (Accessed 20/12/2020)
Fig 8.2 Samyang Prime Lenses by Luca [Fat Llama, screenshot] At: https://fatllama.com/rentals/london/hire-xeen-bundle-24mm-50mm-and-85mm--47958545 (Accessed 20/12/2020)
Fig 8.3 Vinten Tripod by James [Fat Llama, screenshot] At: https://fatllama.com/rentals/london/hire-vinten-tripod-93171276 (Accessed 20/12/2020)
Fig 8.4 DJI Ronin M by Imeh [ Fat Llama, screenshot] At: https://fatllama.com/rentals/grays/hire-dji-ronin-m-06255013 (Accessed 20/12/2020)
Fig 8.5 Hague D5T Dolly and Track by Channel [Fat Llama, screenshot] At: https://fatllama.com/rentals/london/hire-hague-d5t-dolly-and-track-45776527 (Accessed 20/12/2020)
Fig 8.6 2x650W+2x1000W Fresnel Tungsten Lights by Francois [Fat Llama, screenshot] At: https://fatllama.com/rentals/london/hire-2x650w2x1000w-fresnel-tungsten-lights-video-spotlight-80587135 (Accessed 21/12/2020)
Fig 8.7 Neewer reflector diffuser light by Jos [Fat Llama, screenshot] At: https://fatllama.com/rentals/london/hire-neewer-reflector-diffuser-light-lighting-silver-gold-white-83490982 (Accessed 21/12/2020)
Fig 8.8 Mobile smoke machine [Fat Llama, screenshot] At: https://fatllama.com/rentals/london/hire-mobile-smoke-machine--42842662 (Accessed 21/12/2020)
Fig 8.9 Green screen background [Fat Llama, screenshot] At: https://fatllama.com/rentals/london/hire-green-screen-background--23061093 (Accessed 21/12/2020)
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