CKV varendonck college

This period, we'll delve into the world of film. The goal is to introduce you to as many film genres and techniques as possible. Then, you'll get to work creating a storyboard and a film yourself.

Much has happened since the first film was created. Increasingly, experimentation has made more and more possible, from silent films to virtual reality. Yet, all film phases and genres retain their charm.

In class, we'll briefly cover the history of film and the different film genres.

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          Assignment 1:

          a. What film genres are you familiar with?

          b. What's the oldest film you've ever seen, outside of these CKV lessons?

          c. Think about your last three films you watched. Why did you like these films? Are they all in the same genre?

 

          Share your opinions and experiences with your classmates.

          The image below shows some film stills from Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho.

          In class, we will watch and discuss the famous shower scene from the film. We will discuss how a sequence of images can tell                            a story.

 

         Assignment 2:

         You will complete this assignment in groups of up to four students. Choose a (well-known) film together. Then, try to tell a                   story with four photos. Think carefully about the visual aspects we covered in the photography lessons during the first period.           Think carefully about using the right frame, who or what you include where in the picture, and the angle from which you take             the photo.

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         Assignment 3:

         Find the film posters for your top 5 films. Describe at least 3 film posters based on the following questions:

         - What do you see?

         - Can you deduce the story from the film poster? If so, how?

           What is missing, or how would you depict the film? Think about (main) characters that

           are or are not depicted, the setting that is or is not visible, and supporting text.

         - Can the atmosphere of the film be deduced from the film poster?

           Consider, for example, color, shape, font, framing, composition, perspective, and light-dark (contrast).

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After this introduction, we'll go through the steps involved in film production, so you'll know what to consider when making your own film. Assignments four through seven are preparations for your practical assignment and will be completed with the group you'll be filming with. Groups may consist of a maximum of four people.

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Classic Story Structure

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A director is responsible for making a film. When developing a film concept, they have to make many choices. If you've seen a fair number of films in your life, you know that an average film lasts about an hour and a half to two hours. You also know that the resolution comes in the final minutes. All the questions you've been asking yourself throughout the film are then answered.

Many films follow the same storyline. Of course, every story is different. But whether it's a romance or an adventure story, since classical antiquity, every story has been told according to the same five steps:

1. The introduction and explanation of the situation (5 Ws): the characters are introduced one by one.

2. The problem

3. The main characters' reactions to the problem

4. The climax

5. The ending

Once the director has broadly outlined the story based on the points above, they can focus on the details.

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The 5 Ws

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If you miss the beginning of a film, you miss a lot of crucial information. Step 1 of the classic story structure clarifies what the rest of the story will be about. This is done through the 5 Ws. The information about Who does What, Where, When, and Why (5 Ws) is meant to fully immerse you in the film's story within the first fifteen minutes. Just look at the opening scene of the film 'The Lion King'.

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1. The characters (Who)

2. The events (What)

3. The locations (Where)

4. The time period in which the story takes place (When)

5. The characters' motivations (Why)

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A film/television art director designs the entire design (style, color scheme, locations, and time period) of a film, television series, or commercial based on the script. They work closely with the director and specialized designers to ensure consistency in the design. Examples of tasks include: studying the script and screenplay, creating sketches and construction drawings, conducting color and location research, advising on sets and props, advising the director, consulting with the director, designers, and film and television crews, preparing quotes, and establishing schedules. Once the plans are finalized, filming can begin! For this project, we don't have the luxury of a large film set, nor the resources to hire professional sets and actors. But you'll see that with limited resources, a lot of creativity, and imagination, you can certainly create your own unique story.

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         Assignment 4:

         In class, we'll practice building a story. We'll do this playfully by each taking turns adding something to the story. So, the first               person starts with the location, the second person adds characters, the third person imagines an event, the fourth person                   adds a reaction from the characters...and so a story emerges.

         In this way, you and your group will create a story. You can choose a genre beforehand, but this can also arise during the                     brainstorming session. At the end of the brainstorming session, try to outline the story of your film in a maximum of half an               A4 page.

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         Assignment 5:

         You and your group will create a mood board. In this mood board, try to gather as much inspiration as possible from other               films, photographers, clothing, objects, and colors. If you have many different ideas, you're welcome to create multiple mood             boards. You don't have to make any final choices yet. This assignment is mainly to fuel your creative juices! You can also create           a playlist (Spotify) so you can create a soundscape.

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Framing

The foundation of all your recordings, of all your shots, is the framing. Think back to photography assignment 1. Do you still know how to name those shots?

In class, we'll practice framing again and the important concept of POINT OF VIEW.

 

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Camera Techniques

A movie camera can be used in various ways. This allows a director to visualize a story in different ways. Filming always begins with recording a shot. A shot is a single, unedited, short or long film sequence. A scene is a series of stitched-together shots connected in place, time, and action. For each shot, a director can make various choices regarding framing, point of view, and camera movement. The first two concepts were discussed during the "Heroes" theme. The concept of camera movement is self-explanatory. Combined with certain viewpoints, it can convey different images to the viewer, creating various effects, including tension, threat, submission, or curiosity. Below are some camera movement techniques:

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•      Pan: The camera pans from left to right or vice versa, for example, when the shot "slides" from one cowboy to another,                 showing the distance between them.

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•      Tilt: The camera pans from high to low or vice versa, for example, to show a tall building from the ground to the roof,                     showing its impressive size.

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•      Dolly: The camera moves (on rails) along with the object, for example, to follow two characters while walking, giving the                 impression of walking along with them.

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•      Crane: The camera floats from high to low or vice versa, for example, over the audience at a concert.

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•     Hand-held: The camera is carried on the shoulder, for example, during a scene at the front in a war film, making the events          appear more realistic.

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Before shooting scenes, it's essential to create a storyboard. A storyboard is an overview of developed shots of scenes from a film script, based on the director's vision. It consists of drawings that depict the scene, allowing the film crew to visualize what the director wants to show on the big screen. But a storyboard isn't just made up of drawings; all decisions regarding framing, angles, and camera movements are clearly explained in a storyboard. It also often contains information about the characters, the situation, and indicates the duration of a shot.

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Assignment 6: Create a storyboard consisting of at least six shots. Use the story from assignments 4 and 5.

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Editing

After all the filming is complete, the shots are selected, trimmed to length, and pasted into the correct order. This technique is called editing. The director and their editor—the person who does the editing—choose a specific editing method. When editing, they pay attention to:

• The pace at which the shots follow one another.

• The coherence between the selected shots.

• The way the shots are stitched together. There are several possibilities for this:

1. One, a hard transition;

2. One, a fade-in: the slow emergence of an image from a black screen;

3. One, a fade-out: the slow disappearance of an image into a black screen;

4. One, a dissolve: two images merge into each other, with the first disappearing with a fade-out and the second appearing with a fade-in;

5. One, the first image is "wiped away" by the second image.

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There are also many other techniques and considerations to consider when editing a film, which we'll discuss in class using examples.

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Assignment 7: Add editing techniques to your storyboard from assignment 6. Find out which film editing program you can use to edit the material. Consider Capcut or Windows Movie Maker (standard software on most laptops).

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Let's start with the PO assignment. Get started on your own film, keeping the information above in mind!

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