Blog Post #10 - Course Evaluation

      I have thoroughly enjoyed TCF 312 Advanced Videography with Dr. Raimist. I fought all summer to get this class on my schedule for the fall and I succeeded. I did not know what I was getting myself into, but I just knew I needed some of Dr. Raimist's teachings before I left the Capstone. I heard through other students how good of a teacher she was and I wanted to know for myself. I can now say that she is. She is very knowledgeable about the material and equipment because she has worked with it on numerous projects. I think teachers should have firsthand experience with the material they teach and Raimist has that. I appreciate firsthand knowledge.
      Although the course required a lot of time and energy, it was useful. I feel like I have a better understanding of the work that is required to make a film. I have a better understanding of all the positions and how things operate. I also learned exactly what it is that I want to do and what I don't want to do in the industry. 

     The class time was used wisely, although at times I felt it was too long, but it is necessary considering the amount of material that has to be covered and the fact that the class only met once a week. I think my favorite and most enjoyable parts of the class were the blog post, scene assignment, and portrait of the place. I think the blog post were helpful because they reiterated what we learned in class and helped us grasp the language of filmmaking. I also liked the projects we had to work with other people on like the scene assignment and portrait of the place. It allowed us to be creative and enhance our communication skills.

     I think the least enjoyable parts were the days of actual lecture. I love being hands on and lecture sort of took away that vibe. I have little interest in camera specs and lenses, but it was material that we needed to know for the final so I listened and grasp it anyway. I love the fact that Dr. Raimist allowed us to take our written exam home and use our readings and other material to fill it in.

     TCF 312 was a challenging course, but because I love film I enjoyed it and took a lot from it. I think Dr. Raimist is an awesome teacher filled with knowledge and I am appreciative that she shared it with me.   

Blog Post #9 - Reel and Artist Statement

Artist Statement

“When I embark on the journey to make a film, my goal is to visually bring alive an authentic story.” – Brittany E. Walton

            That statement is what I am in the pursuit of. I believe as a filmmaker it is my responsibility to bring words to life, furthering the vision of the script. Films should engulf the audience, grasping their attention from beginning to the end; giving the audience something to believe in.

            I love movies, well great movies at least, and for as long as I could remember I’ve been watching movies. I would find myself flipping through the television only stopping if something caught my eye. I would catch myself watching the films very closely from the beginning to the end and even reading the credits; I wanted to know who directed, produced, wrote and even starred in it. At a young age, I did not understand how my love for movies would play a role in my life. For a long time I wanted to become a sports analyst and eventually work for ESPN, but it wasn’t until my freshman year in college that I realized that’s not what I was called to do. After that epiphany, I changed my major and never looked back.

            I have a love for an array of movies from action films, love stories, urban films, history, sports movies, science fiction, and the list goes on. If it has great dialogue, relatable characters, jam packed action, delivers a message, or extravagant scenery it has my attention. I am not just a specific genre film watcher, so I most definitely am not a specific genre filmmaker. I believe people should not limit themselves in life and I carry that same belief over to filmmaking. Why limit myself to just making only one type of film when my imagination is not limited to one type of dream; stories can be told in a billion different ways. Spielberg did not limit himself; in fact he has produced and directed films in many genres: science fiction, action & adventure, war, history, animation. He inspires me.   

As an aspiring director and producer, I am setting out to deliver to my audience authentic visual stories that will make them laugh, cry, scared, anxious, and even stimulate and inform them. Making a film is a journey in itself and watching a film should be an adventure too.

Blog Post #7 - "Best" Camera

     I find it rather difficult to dictate any particular camera the "best" camera, because all cameras have different advantages and  strengths than others depending on what you are trying to capture. For example, the DSLRs are best for crushing the depth of field, getting extreme close up shots, and capturing slow motion because of the size of the camera, the camera settings, and the clarity of the lens. The Go Pro is best for capturing objects and characters underwater, while Sony EX3s and FS 100 are best for capturing normal scenes with objects and characters are in exchanging in dialogue and minimal action. I, for one, like to use the EX3s because they are less complicated, easy to manage and carry. I can either pop it on a tripod or hand-hold it, depending on the feel of the scene I want. They are not as heavy as other cameras, which makes hand-holding it not so difficult. Also, EX3s have an easy post work flow because it takes SD cards and I can add a boom microphone straight to the camera and it automatically syncs as it captures sound. I also like to use my DSLR from time to time just to get some really extreme close up shots with clarity. So to dictate the "best" camera would be almost impossible, I think it comes down to what you are trying to capture to pick the camera that is best for that situation. 

Blog Post #6 - Scene Assignment Material

 

Sharing some of my scene assignment material....here are pictures of my production bible. 

 

 

My script title sheet...

 

A preview of the script...

 

My marked script...

 

 

My shot list...

 

Just one of the many pages of my storyboard...(not the best sketch)

 

Another page from the story board...(I know what's in my head lol)

 

My floor plan...(stick people rule)

 

And lastly is a preview of my shooting schedule...(this is very important when you don't want to be doing this all night)

Blog Post #8 - Visual References

 

     These are the visual references for my scene assignment. My goal for my recreated scene is to be high light, high contrast. I want every character to be fully lit, so you will be able to see every important facial expression, body movement, and objects (in the foreground) frame. I want the background to sort of be blurred out with low light; I don't want the background to be fully seen. The 2 characters are the most important and the focus should be on them. So high light and high contrast will lead the audience's eyes to pay attention to them. Also my visual references show the aesthetic for my scene, I want it very modern looking with lots of colors.

 

 

Blog Post #5 - Inspiring Lighting Styles

Here are several different lighting styles from several different movies. A few of them are from black and white films, but you can still see the lighting inspirations very clearly and distinctive. There are soft light, hard light, over head spotlight, hard back light, fully lit, lines blocking light and light adding depth and contrast. 

Blog Post #4- DSLR Strengths and Weaknesses

DSLR cameras are great for many things and bad for other things. DSLR strengths are that one those cameras are smaller so it can fit in tight spaces, where EX3, JVC, and Sony's can't fit. Second, DSLRs have a variety of lenses that can be used; which can give a variety of wide and long shots. Different lenses that can be used are prime, Ziess, and zoom lenses. The lenses can be removed and changed easily and quickly. DSLR lenses are so great that the image of the object is so clear and precise. Thirdly, DSLR cameras are good at rack focusing easier and clearly; it can also do soft or hard focus. Lastly, DSLR cameras settings are easy and simple to change and set. The weaknesses of DSLR are not as many as the strengths. Weaknesses are the DSLR microphones are small; recording sound from far away would be a challenge. Some sort of external microphone or sound recorder would have to be used to capture sound far away from the camera. Which in turn will make the post work flow longer and challenging. Another weakness is that some DSLR cameras require CF cards, which are bigger and more expensive than SD card which most cameras use.