FilmmakingPre-Production and Production

Presented by Phillip Countryman

Introduction

What we will cover:

Pre-Production

● Story/Script Development● Shot Lists & Storyboards● Preparing For The Shoot

Production

● Understanding Exposure○ Lighting

● Camera Systems● Sound● Crew Roles● Wrap-Up

Recommended Books- STORY — Robert Mckee- Elements of Screenwriting: A Guide for Film and Television Writing — Irwin R.

Blacker- The Filmmaker’s Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age —

Steven Ascher and Edward Pincus- Master Shots, Vol. 1-3 — Christopher Kenworthy - The Complete Film Production Handbook (American Film Market Presents) —

Eve Light Honthaner

Always be reading!

Part 1:

Pre-Production

Storytelling- How does a story work in film?- The hollywood story arc.

Breaking down a scene:

- Beats.- Character motivation.- How does the scene move the story forward?- Emotional impact.

Story Arc - “The Hero’s Journey”

Breaking Down A SceneA scene must always have beats– the timing or rhythm of the scene. This can be a result of a pause in dialogue, a big decision or just shifting energy throughout a scene. An argument between two characters is often full of beats which keeps the conversation and the story moving forward.

Consider what the beats are in a scene while watching a movie.

Character MotivationExample Scene: Out of Sight - “What if?”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te4G4EGjidM

How Does The Scene Move The Story Forward?A scene should always have the purpose of moving a story forward.

- A character makes a confrontation, decision, etc.

If the scene doesn’t propel the story, cut it.

Avoid showing something for the sake of showing it.

Shot Lists and Storyboards- A shot list is a written breakdown of (numbered) camera angles which show

the coverage of the scene.

- A Storyboard is a drawn version of the shotlist, showing how each angle will look in relationship to the others.

Examples:Shot list:

https://www.techsmith.com/blog/shot-list/

Storyboard:

https://passatdmt.wordpress.com/2014/12/01/creating-a-storyboard/

Preparing For The Shoot- Getting Cast and Crew assigned- Renting Equipment- Securing Locations- Documentation

- Release Forms- Location Permits (if applicable)- Insurance - Call Sheets

Call SheetsA call sheet has all of the information that your cast and crew will need before and during the shoot.

Part 2:

Production

Understanding Exposure- The difference between Photography exposure and Motion Picture exposure.- Creative limitations- Lighting Principles

- Types of Lighting- Tungsten vs LED vs HMI vs Natural Lighting

Photo vs Motion Picture exposure- Photo exposure gives you the creative freedom to adjust Shutter Speed,

Aperture, and ISO

- Motion Picture exposure only gives you the creative freedom to adjust ISO and Aperture. Shutter Speed remains locked.

Shutter Speed- Shutter Speed correlates to motion blur. - The speed is dependent on framerate.

- Shutter Speed = Frame Rate x 2- If shooting 24fps, then shutter speed = 1/48th sec.- When shooting on film, shutter is calculated by degrees. 1/48sec = 180º shutter

Aperture- Aperture determines how much light the lens allows through it. This correlates

with depth of field. - An aperture that is wide open at f/1.4 would result in shallow depth of field

and more light. Closed at f/16 results in wide depth of field and less light.

Example

http://mynomadiclens.com/index.php/2017/08/05/what-is-aperture/

Deep Focus: Citizen Kane – Orson Welles

Shallow Depth of Field: Moonlight – Barry Jenkins

Film/Sensor Sensitivity - ISO, ASA, and Exposure Index (EI)- The lower the ISO, the lower the Noise Level. - Creative uses of grain.

Lore (2012) – Cate Shortland

Lighting: 3 Basic Types of LightingKey Light

- Primary light source. This can represent sunlight or any other source of high light intensity within the scene

Fill Light

- Light used to fill in the shadows, to balance out the key light. Important for Dynamic Range.

Back Light

- Used to light the actor/subject from behind. This creates separation of subject from background.

Key Light

Casino Royale - Columbia Pictures

Fill Light

Titanic - Paramount Pictures & 20th Century Fox

Backlight

Schindler’s List - Universal Pictures

Tungsten vs LED vs HMIWhen shooting on motion picture film there are two types of white balanced film

- Tungsten- Daylight

Tungsten lighting is much warmer lighting (3200ºK)

Daylight is much cooler light (5600ºK)

You should set your white balance to one of these two temperatures for consistency.

When mixed your shot will have multiple different colors of light and will be unbalanced.

LED & HMIWhile tungsten light is a very warm light source, LED lighting is able to mimic both daylight and tungsten. This will allow you much more flexibility.

- Keep in mind, no two LED lights are the same! Some might not mix together.

HMI is the most color accurate light on the market. It is balanced for daylight. It is bright and very power efficient.

- The drawback is that it is extremely expensive, and requires more equipment.

Mixing Tungsten and Daylight

Inherent Vice - Paul Thomas Anderson

Camera Systems- Rent or Own?- Choosing the right tool for the job.- Large Camera Systems require more planning and equipment.- Small systems allow you to be more mobile, and shoot in more conspicuous

settings.

1080p HD or 4K?Resolution is in huge debate right now, and should be considered when choosing a camera system.

The most important thing to consider is color depth. You can have a really high resolution image, but the color depth determines the quality.

8 - bit vs 16 bit

Colors available:

- 8 bit: 256 colors- 16 bit: 65536 colors

https://www.reaconverter.com/features/image-editing/color-depth.html

Rigs (In-studio demonstration)Basic components of a rig:

- 15mm Rails- Follow Focus- Matte Box- Optional accessories

SoundSound is one of the most important and most under-considered aspects of film. Without good sound, you image will not hold up.

Sound recorded on location is only the first step. Sound design in post will make or break your project.

It is important to bring on a good sound person to your project, who will maintain high quality sound throughout the production and in post. Sound is usually broken up between multiple people.

Location Sound- Boom Mics are used to get audio from actors and other sources that are

important to the scene. They are mounted on a pole, and are often held above the subject.

- Lavaliers are smaller mics that are attached directly to the actor to get more isolated sound. These are very useful for scenes where multiple characters are speaking, and a boom mic is too cumbersome.

Sound RecorderThe sound recorder is an important asset. The quality of your recorder will impact the quality of the sound you can capture on set.

Zoom H6 Recorder/Mixer:

Crew Roles

● Director○ Assistant Director (AD)○ 1st AD○ 2nd AD

● Cinematographer● Sound Mixer● Boom Operator● Gaffer

● Electrician● Production Manager● Producer● Makeup Artist (MUA)● Production Assistant

(PA)

*And of course don’t forget your talent (actors)!*

Wrap UpOnce you’ve gotten through production, it’s important to offload and backup all of your footage.

BACK UP YOUR FOOTAGE.

- I’ve seen bad things happen to good people…

“That’s a wrap!”

Q&A

Up Next: Post-Production and Editing

See you next time!