aadityalekshmi16

[aadityalekshmi16]

Introduction

Hey guys! I am Aadityalekshmi .S and I’m an AS Level, Media Studies student at Bodhi International School, Jodhpur. I have opted for this subject to broaden my perspective in the stream of films alongside learning about the developing industry. We have opted film as a media to study. In our first class, we developed an understanding about the syllabus for the course and also what Cambridge demands from us as a media studies student. This year the countries including ours was hit by the unwelcome Covid - 19 pandemic which led to a prolonged staycation at our homes. We continues studying through online meetings and access to content on Google classrooms.

They I began writing this in an orderly manner alas the way she

The week began with the discussion of the topic Media texts and a brief discussion on the syllabus criteria and requirements.

The first task provided to us by the teacher was quite interesting. It was to read "What Is Media Text?" and to handover to her a list of our favorite movies and series that we would suggest for others to watch too.

Additionally a short video had been attached to the assignment, which read "The Paper Boy" which we had to view twice and make observations on it in detail. This task enhanced our understanding on film openings and different codes and conventions of a film.

Below mentioned is the list that I turned in:

VIRUS

Just Add Magic

Constantine

Vampire Diaries

Originals

Anveshanam

Abominable

F.R.I.E.N.D.S

Little Things War

1st time observed:

Loud music to begin- catches attention

Scenes relate to the music* Change of music creates suspense

2nd time observed:

It provides a hint by showing the gun along with the cutlery.

The title Paper Boy for the film convinces us to observe the title on the newspaper - Teenage Spy

The swift movement shows hurriedness but the wearing of everything precisely shows safety

The filter to the end of the scenes is an addition.

The more a person is near to the camera the more they tend ti be in blur mode.

Thus the camera man zooms in on the dolly shots, it makes the way of shot viewing easier

The loud music to begin with

Through these activities and assignments we were introduced to terms like clip analysis (in terms of camera, sound, symbolic and technical setting), codes and conventions.

[aadityalekshmi16]

Preliminary Task

Camera Shots

This week was super fun! Starting with theoretically learning about different types of camera shots to practically applying our learning through activities, the journey was noteworthy.

What is a camera shot?

A camera shot is composed of the series of frames that are shot uninterrupted from the moment the camera starts rolling until it stops. Camera shots are an essential aspect of filmmaking and video productions, because by combining different types of shots, angles and camera movements, the filmmakers are able to emphasize specific emotions, ideas and movement for each scene.

Types of Camera Shot Sizes

Master shot/Extreme long shot

It is used to show the subject from a distance, or the area in which the scene is taking place. This type of shot is particularly useful for establishing a scene. The character does not necessarily have to be seen in this shot.

Long shot/Wide shot

It shows the subject from top to bottom; for a person, this would be head to toe. The character become more of a focus than an extremely shot. This shot often set the scene and character’s place. It can also act as an establishing shot at times.

Medium Long/Wide Shot (MWS)

It’s a shot between full shot and medium shot. It shows subject from the knees up. The emphasis tends to be more on action and movement rather than a character’s emotional state.

Medium Shot

It shows part of the subject in more detail. For a person, a medium shot typically means a shot from waist up. This shot is a general, all-purpose shot. Medium shots are used for dialogue sequences, and they allow the viewer to pick up on the character’s movements and gestures. Body language is important to conveying emotion, and the medium shot remains close enough to capture that emotion.

Medium Close Up shot

Subject falls between medium and close up shot. It generally frames the subject from chest or shoulder up. This shot showcases the face of as subject, letting audiences see small nuances of behavior and emotion while eliciting a higher degree of identification and empathy; the slightly wider framing also lets body language convey meaning by the inclusion of a character’s shoulder.

Close up shot

It fills the screen with part of the subject, such as a persons face or feet, when you want to reveal a subject’s emotions and reactions.

Codes and Conventions

Hey guys! Just like the previous day I mentioned, we started this one with an interesting topic: Codes And Conventions.

Media Codes: Technical, written and symbolic tools used to construct or suggest meaning in media forms and products. Media codes include the use of camera, acting, setting, mise en scene, editing, lighting, sound, special effects, typography, colour, visual composition, text and graphics. Light and mechanical aspects are controlled by the statuesque people around the crew and cast.

Media Conventions: Rules or generally accepted ways of constructing form and informing meaning in media products including story principles, form and structure, generic structures, character and story arcs, cause and effect, point of view, the structuring of time, elements of page layout, paper stock for print, titles and credits sequences, hyperlinking and mounting and framing of images.

Symbolic - these show what is beneath the surface of what we see. E.g. a character’s actions show you how the character is feeling.

Technical - These are all the ways in which equipment is used to tell the story in a media text. E.g. the camera work in a film.

Written - These are the formal written language used in a media product. Just like technical and symbolic codes, written codes can be used to advance a narrative, communicate information about a character or issues and themes in the media product.

We were provided with various interesting examples on the Symbolic codes such as Setting; Mise-en-scene; Acting; Colour

That’s all for this day!

[aadityalekshmi16]

This week we concluded our major theory lessons and began working on the preliminary exercise.

Preliminary Exercise

The scene to work on was provided by our teacher.

A girl coming out of library and going upstairs.

Next we learnt how to write a Shot Division.

This is the tabular format in which we learnt to collect our information on each shot respectively.

The six students present in the class were divided into 2 groups of 3 each. Each group contained a camera person, Editor and a Director. We were assigned the task of writing the shot division according to the scene provided. As we were present near the library, our group chose to discuss the shot division at the location itself.

We decided on which side (180 degree) of the area we would shoot from . Also all three members of the group enacted the scene to decide where the camera will be placed and which all shots the camera person would use to enhance the scene and make it further creative. Once the shot division was written, we were tasked to write the screenplay for the same, so as to shoot the scene on the respective day under deadline.

The class moved on to learn the basics of how a foundation portfolio is created.

We attached these sticky notes to our notebook as a short activity, our teacher provided us the info on each element of a foundation portfolio.

1. Blog Writing

2.Inspiration

3.Ideation

4.Script Writing

5.Location and Casting

6.Props; Make-up and Costume

7.Shot Division

8.Screenplay

9.Storyboard

10.Master Break-down

11.Scheduling

12.Shooting

13.Editing

14.Genre; Codes and Conventions 15.CCR - The final portfolio

Last we learnt were two out of the four Narrative Theories.

1. Vladimir Propp Theory

8 Characters Role Theory:

Hero

Heroine

Princess’s Father

Helper

Donor

Villain

False Hero

Dispatcher

2. Todorov Theory

5 Steps that a Character will go through:

Equilibrium

Disruption

Recognition

Repair the Damage

New Equilibrium

[aadityalekshmi16]

April 1 and 10

Hello! This month’s first day included a great topic:- Genre and Colour Psychology

Genre

Film genre are identifiable types, categories, classifications or groups of films that have similar techniques or conventions such as – Content

Structure

Theme

Mood

Plot

Setting

Props

Styles

Period

Narrative

Motives

Sub Genre

Sub genres are identifiable sub classes within the larger film genre with their own distinctive subject, matter, style, formula, iconography etc.

Task: Search movie of each sub genre and write in a table.

Poster Analysis

Post that, distinct movie posters were displayed in the class. We were asked to analyze them in terms of codes and conventions. This activity was really fun and it compelled us to think out of the box. The search for the hidden meanings was really interesting and we were all amazed by how effectively messages can be conveyed just via the use of visuals.

Some of the posters that we discussed were:-

In all these posters we in a group discussed the colour theory, titles, font sizes, patterns, background, depth, cast details and many more as such.

Next, we were asked to chronicle different colors, what meanings each one of them conveyed and famous movie posters with dominating colours. By-way of  this activity we were introduced to Color Wheel.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dPtyNek6tGZful8NKj3sS9YkfC00ZdFK/view?usp=sharing

This is how a basic color psychology wheel looks like.

Colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel are considered to be complementary colors. Analogous colors are any three colors which are side by side on a 12-part color wheel, such as yellow-green, yellow, and yellow-orange. Usually one of the three colors predominates.  Monochromatic colors are all the colors of a single hue. Monochromatic color schemes are derived from a single base hue and extended using its shades, tones and tints.

This was all for today!

[aadityalekshmi16]

February: 3rd Week

Foundation Portfolio

This following week was our shoot!

It took a lot of efforts for the team to decide the final shot list and prep the location and the camera angles accordingly. We targeted onto challenging the typical and common conventions of the drama genre. We did this by following a hybrid genre which allowed us to add a varied and wider range of ideas as well as creativity to it.

Three members of the team including our teacher contributed to this by shooting from different angles at different speed and styles front camera as well as personal phones to gain a variety of shots that would help us choose the best out of all.

The cinematography pattern included steady, swift and clear movements of the character in frame.

Pre-Production

Pre-production documents

Clip Analysis - Fargo season 1, ep 1.

Clip Analysis - 34 season 1, ep 5.

This week included us learning how to write a screenplay and how to make a shot division.

This is our first draft of the screenplay for AS production.

We created this using Studio Binder Website, and maintained our backup on Microsoft Office Word files.

Simultaneously, we are also practicing Clip Analysis. This week, we analyzed a clip from Fargo S1 E1.

The analysis happens in all the 5 areas -

Represenation

Mise-en-scene

Editing

Camera

Sound.

We focused specifically on our particular areas designated, as mine was editing.

1st task - Arranging and organizing stuff for the external shoot.

2nd task - Contacting and confirming location availability and transport respectively.

Master break down & shot division

Finalizing actors

Finalizing location for foundation portfolio

After organizing and preparing our location in the first 30 mins of the day. The location was in the outskirts of the city, approximately a hours distance from our start point.

We booked a room at the location and settled ourselves, thus began our shoot.

Our location had a traditional and authentic look which provided us the natural lighting, artistic doorways, wide arenas and much more.

We shot at different spots at the same location, used the natural lighting and the traditional look to enhance the shots.

Post - Production

We began with editing this week as well. My director and I alongside our teacher worked on it together. This was a difficult and time consuming process. I also learned the keyboard shortcuts for basic tools like these. It enabled me to save a lot of time and energy and edit efficiently.

I used Premiere Pro for editing purpose and started with the basic sorting and organizing task assigned by my teacher.

After the basic editing and selecting of preferable shots I moved on to selecting the background score for the same.