Video and Sound Production - Exercises

1/4/2022 - 1/7/2022 (Week 1 - Week 14)

Sasilvia Cheong Pei Hoong / 0345031 / Bachelors of Design in Creative Media
Video and Sound Production 
Exercises

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LECTURES

WEEK 1 / Module Briefing

Time base project- learning objectives

Pre-production: Preparation

• Idea development
• Story
• Storyboard
• Visual References
• Location/ Props

Production: Principal Shooting

• Lighting 
• Costume
• Principal Shooting

Post Production: Editing

• Offline Editing
• Online Editing
• Audio Editing

WEEK 2 / Framing and Storyboard

Shot Size

Shot size determines how large the area that's visible within the frame

Wide shot - W.S

Includes the entire subject and important objects in the immediate surroundings

Medium shot - M.S

Shows the subject that are important to understanding, gesture and expression, from the person waist up, letting hands and the lower half of his the body outside the frame

Medium close-up shot - M.C.U

Films subject character from approximately midway between waist and shoulders to above the head

Over the shoulder shot- O.S

Shows the subject from behind the shoulder of another person

Extreme wide shot - E.W.S

Shows a broad view of the surroundings around the character and conveys scale, distance, and geographical location

Medium wide shot - M.W.S

Shows a character usually cut off across the legs above or below the knees. It is wide enough to show the physical setting in which the action is taking place, it permit a nice balance of figure and surrounding

Close-up shot - C.U

Used to isolate the most important part of the subject

Extreme close-up shot - E.C.U

Single out a portion of the face magnifies a detail

Camera Angle

Rule of thirds is a composition where frames are divided into thirds both horizontally and vertically. 

Fig. 1.1 Rule of thirds

Subject Angle: Composition

45 degree (3/5 angling) 

Great for facial modelling as front and side of face, if properly lighted will appear round and eyes are displayed fully

3 Dimensional solidity

Angling the camera in relation to the subject so that two sides of the objects are viewed, results in the most effective rendition

Angle 

Parallel lines diminish and converge preferably toward the right

Camera Angle: Subject Height

Eye-level angle

The eye level of an observer of average height or from the subject's eye level

Low angle shot

Camera is tilted upward to view the subject

High angle shot

A shot in which the camera is titled downward to view the subject

Screen Direction

Dynamic screen direction 

Constant screen travel depicts subject motion in one direction only

Fig. 1.2 Screen direction

Static screen direction

When planning shots with two characters, the camera in relation to the 180 degree rule. The rule enforces the camera stay on a horizontal axis is called "Line of Action"

Fig. 1.3 Static screen direction

180 degree rule

If camera 2 and camera 3 are used, the audience stays on one side of the line of action. These shots are called "reverse angle shots". If camera 2 and camera 4 are used, the audience crosses the line of action. It's disorienting and confusing.

WEEK 3 / Storytelling in Film

Re-cap

Story (What happened?): The set of all the events in cause-effect relationship occurring in time and space, both the ones explicitly presented and those the viewer infers, constitutes the story.

Plot (Why they happened? And how?): Everything visibly and audibly present in the film, and material that is extraneous to the story world.

Plot Segmentation: The best method for understanding a film's narrative system is to create a plot segmentation, a scene-by-scene outline of the entire film.

Story Structure

3-ACT Structure

Beginning: Setup / introduction of a story

Middle: Confrontation of a problem

End: Resolution of problems

Fig. 2.1 The Three-Act Structure

Plot Point 1: "the plot thickens"

• The "inciting incident"
• Turn the story in a new direction
• Sets up what Act Two is going to be
• Raises the stakes
• Reminder of the narrative enigma; presents the possibility of  a different outcome

Plot Point 2: "the longest mile"

• The "Climactic Turning Point"
• Protagonist's quest reaches critical mass
• Possible solution is presented
• Biggest cliffhanger" will the protagonist win or lose?

3 act structure case study 1: Burrow (2020)

2D animated short film produced by Pixar. The plot features a young rabbit as she tries to build the burrow of her dreams, becoming embarrassed each time she accidentally digs into a neighbor's home.

Fig. 2.2 Burrow Sparkshorts by Pixar

Act 1: Beginning / Setup

• To introduce the world
• To introduce the main characters
• To establish the dramatic situation
• Leads to an incident that complicates the story (Plot Point 1)  

Act 2: Middle / Confrontation

• Known as 'Rising Action'
• To develop obstacles / complications
• Leads to climax of the story (Plot point 2)

Act 3: End / Resolution

• Ending of climax
• Answer to all obstacles / problems
• Tying the loose ends

3 act structure exercise 1: Guang (2011)

Guang tells the story of an autistic young man with a hidden musical talent who struggles to find a job, and his relationship with his brother.

3 act structure exercise 2: Lalin (2005)

Lalin' is a Thai girl living in Sapporo, Japan; where no one knows her and can live under a new identity. Posing as a modern beauty, she becomes an idol on the internet. The reality is that Lalin hiding from the world and striving for self-acceptance.

3 act structure exercise 3: Munich (2005)

Review: “This is Spielberg operating at his peak — an exceptionally made, provocative and vital film for our times.”

Act 1: Beginning / setup

• To introduce the world- Black September terrorist attack at the Munich Olympics.
• To introduce the main characters- Avner Kaufman, a Mossad agent of German-Jewish descent.
• To establish the dramatic situation - Avner is chosen to lead a mission to assassinate 11 Palestinians allegedly involved in the massacre.
• Leads to an incident that complicates the story - After their first kill, which they are nervous and barely pull it off, they have crossed the divide.

Act 2: Middle / Confrontation

• Known as ‘Rising Action’ 
• The threat to Avner’s life, which also emphasizes the fact that their contact who supplied the explosives is untrustworthy.
•  Avner and his team coerce permission into taking part in the raid in Beirut.
• To develop obstacles / complications 
• Their contact dumps them into the same safehouse with a group of Palestinians.
• Leads to climax of the story 
• After learning from his contact that he and his team are being hunted
• Avner’s increasing doubt about their mission and his own safety.
• Climax of the story 
• Avner and his one remaining team member go after the top name on their list—but fail when the alarm is sounded early.

Act 3: End / Resolution

• Ending of climax - Avner leaves the service.
• Answer to all obstacles / problems Tying the loose ends

WEEK 4 / Storyboarding

Fig. 3.1 Psycho - shower scene storyboard

Storyboarding = Visualization

Storyboard is the most effective wat to map out a scene when it has a complicated action involved or few perspective point of view.

1. Originally developed in Disney during the 1930s
2. Involves converting a script into a comic that depicts the action visually
3. Provides a layout of events as seen through the eyes of the camera
4. Contemporary storyboards are used in a wide variety of multimedia projects

Purpose of storyboard

• Show important action
• Continuity/ Editing point
• Shot composition
• Indicate camera angle/ movement
• Map out the scene

Storyboarding process

• Do a story breakdown and get a shot list ready for storyboarding
• Use floor plan to mark out the camera position
• Camera angles for each sequence can be indicated in floor plan. Sc/sh numbers are written beside the camera symbol
• Start from EWS/WS, then cut in to characters/ objects. Cute between action and reaction
• Cut to different framing and different angle shot
• Use cut away to enhance storytelling and creating mood. Then insert cut awat or C.U shot as transition for new scene
• Cut to different framing and different angle shot

Staging subject among foreground, midground and background to create contrast in size and distant, focus, brightness and colour. Separate the space by using planes as foreground, midground and background which contain many depth cues including size change, textual diffusion, tonal and colour separation, up/down position, and overlap.

Animatic

Animatic is defined as series of images played in sequence, often with a soundtrack. In essence, it is an animated storyboard. 

Advantage of Animatic

• Timing of every shot
• Rhythm of the sceme
• Audio and music added

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INSTRUCTIONS

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Week 1 In class Editing Exercise :

During our first week of class Mr. Martin tasked us to edit a footage where we had to arrange of the 19 individual footage on timeline in a proper order in Premiere Pro.

 

Fig. 1.1 Mint ad edit (1/4/2022)

Week 1 Editing Exercise (Independent Learning) :

After that Mr. Martin tasked us to do the same thing as the previous exercise but now with a twist the videos are not numbered correctly so we have to figure out the order ourselves.

Fig. 1.2 Mint ad editing in Premiere Pro  (3/4/2022)

Fig. 1.2 Doritos ad edit  (3/4/2022)

Week 1 Film study (Independent Learning)

We were also tasked to do a film study where we are required to watch a 2 hour and 44minute thriller/drama movie. Where we area going to discuss the story structure and sound design in the following week.

Week 2 Shooting exercise: Framing

For week 2 exercise, Mr. Martin tasked us to shoot 8 different size of the shots:

• Low angle wide shot
• Frontal medium close-up (soft  background)
• Frontal medium shot (soft background)
• Extreme close-up shot
• Side angle medium shot (soft background)
• 3/4 angling medium close-up shot (with blurry/soft foreground)
• Close-up shot
• Eye-level medium-wide shot

Framing shooting exercise reminder:

• Shoot wide shot with wide angle
• The rest zoom in to get soft background
• Refer to the examples provided or google references for good composition
• Avoid overexposed or underexposed (too bright or too dark)
• Do the shooting during day time
• Shoot landscape format video, 5 seconds per shot
• Edit with caption (mention the shot size), export video for submission

I did not have anyone to film so I used a tripod and my phone to film myself. My skin condition was not the best so please excuse the mask. I also added a background music since I felt that it was awkward without it.

Fig. 2.1  Editing in Premiere Pro (9/4/2022)

After I finished with editing and assembling the footage and background music I added the caption from each of the shots.

Fig. 2.2   Adding captions (9/4/2022)

For final touches I did some retouches on the footage as some of them were too bright or too dark so I adjusted them using the effect lumetri colour.

Fig. 2.3   Adjusting the lighting (9/4/2022)

Fig. 2.4   Shooting exercise: framing final video (9/4/2022)

Week 2 Premiere Pro editing exercise 1

We had to assemble footage like we did for our last exercise but this time we had a twist where we had to cut out what the director is saying or when the footage is too long. We were provided with footages and a storyboard. Mr. Martin also gave us a tutorial video on how to cut the part out as well as add effects to the man disappearing part and the effect for the beginning and ending of the video.  

Fig. 3.1 Editing in Premiere Pro  (9/4/2022)

Fig. 3.2  Premiere Pro editing exercise 1 final video  (10/4/2022)

Week 3 Shooting exercise: Music Video

On week 3 we were tasked to dance for a music video where we had to form a group of three and come up with a song choice as well as a choreography for it. 

We had to film a few shots such as:

• Wide Shot - high angle (You, Solo)
• 3 single full body shots - eye level (You at the middle+2 of your team members)
• Medium Shot - Eye level (You)
• Medium Close-up Shot - Eye level (You)
• Close-up Shot - Eye level (You)
• Extreme Close-up Shot - Eye level (You)
• Wide Shot - Low angle (You, Solo)

After forming a group of 3 we chose our song which is Out of Time by The Weeknd and then came up with a choreography inspired by the dance video by Soula. I also helped with coming up with the rest of the choreography and film an example of it for the others so that they can follow it. Since none of us was keen in dancing, I came up with a choreography without making too bold. 

Fig. 4.1   Out of Time by The Weeknd (15/4/2022)

Fig. 4.2  Out Of Time - The Weeknd / Soula Choreography / Urban Play Dance Academy (15/4/2022)

I filmed all the footage of myself, it was a bit hard since I did not have much space and good lighting in my house since it kept raining every single day. After everyone had send their part of the dance I started editing the video. 

Fig. 4.3 Footages taken  (19/4/2022)

After that I move onto Premiere Pro to edit my video where I changed most of the footage to B&W and only the dancing part with colour which is somewhat of a theme I was going for. 

Fig. 4.4 Lowering saturation  (19/4/2022)

I also wanted to add a glitch effect on one of the transition when my eyes open and decided to use VR Digital Glitch effect and tweak the animation keyframes of it to make it look like its moving. 

Fig. 4.5 Glitch effect (20/4/2022)

After combining all the footages, transitions were added to make the overall video look better and also text at the start and the end of the video were added.

Fig. 4.6 Editing in Premiere Pro (21/4/2022)

Fig. 4.2  Final Music Video - Out of Time by The Weeknd  (21/4/2022)

3 Acts Structure

We were also tasked to write down the 3 acts structure for Burrow, Guang, Lalin and Munich. For Munich we are required to do extra analysis which are:

• Story Outline (One paragraph)
• Describe the main character (One paragraph)
• What is the character's goal?
• What are the obstacles that he faced?

Burrow

Fig. 5.1 Burrow part (1/3) 

Act 1

Rabbit wants to build a house underground.

Plot Point 1 

The rabbit is too shy to ask for help to build her home.

Act 2

Rabbit digs deeper to find a place to stay.

Plot Point 2

Water started leaking through while the rabbit was digging and eventually it started to flood.

Climax

Everyone helped lead the water away from the underground and everyone was safe and sound.

Act 3

They all helped to build the rabbit's new home.

Guang

Fig. 5.2 Guang 

Act 1

A job interviewer ask the main character to introduce himself .

Plot Point 1 

The main character failed his job interview as he got distracted.

Act 2

Main character's brother got another job interview for him and kept reminding him the date, time and place to make sure that he does not miss it.

Plot Point 2

The main character heard a sound and followed it, where he found the glass he wanted.

Climax

The main character and his brother got into an argument because he missed his interview.

Act 3

The main character's brother peek inside the main character room and saw him performing with a bunch of class with water filled inside which created really nice music. The brother realized what had happened and felt bad.

Lalin

Fig. 5.3 Lalin

Act 1

Introduction where she is in Japan, she got bullied in her past so she edits her pictures on social media.

Plot Point 1 

Met a guy who offered a translating job to her.

Act 2

Lalin chatted with the guy online and they both grew closer with each other

Plot Point 2

The guy arrived in Sapporo, Japan and wants to meet Lalin but she refuses to meet him as she does not want him to see her true identity.

Climax

The guy is about to leave is on the station platform as the train is approaching, Lalin run as fast as she could to station to find him.

Act 3

Lalin decided not to hide behind the mask anymore hence her followers decreases.

Munich

Fig. 5.4 Munich

Act 1

During the Munich Massacre, 11 Israeli athletes was killed by Palestinian terrorists. Avner was given a target list of the 11 names of the Palestinian terrorists to kill with a group of people, which is from the orders from Israel's Prime Minister.  

Plot Point 1 

Avner and his group made their first kill, shooting the man to death. It was their first kill, they were nervous and hesitant about it since they barely pull it off.  

Act 2

They got put in a safehouse together with a group of Palestinians. They lied their way out, but in the end they ended up killing them. 

Plot Point 2

Avner hunted down the woman who was responsible for Carl's death and kills her. 

Climax

Avner and one of his remaining group member went to kill the terrorist that was the top name on their list but they failed to do so. Avner then leaves the service. 

Act 3

Avner has paranoia and PTSD after the whole incident. 

Story Outline

After the Munich Massacre, 11 Israeli athletes was killed by Palestinian terrorists. The Israeli government then secretly assigns Avner and a group of men to kill the men who was on the target list. He was assigned in a team of 4 men which are , Steve a South African driver, Hans a document forger from Frankfurt, Robert a Belgian toy-maker trained in explosives and Carl a former Israeli soldier. Avner and the 4 other men was hesitant and was barely able to make their first kill. Louis a man who provided information to Avner and his men provided a safehouse for them, to their surprise they found that they were put together with a group of Palestinians. They were able to bluff their way out, but after heading outside they started shooting the Palestinians men and killed them off. Carl was murdered by a woman, Avner and one of the men hunted her down and killed her. In the end, Avner and one of his remaining team member wanted to kill the terrorist that was the top of their target list. Unfortunately, they were failed to do so and Avner leaves the service. Coming back home to his wife and daughter, Avner soon suffered from paranoia and PTSD from the whole incident.    

Describe the main character

Avner Kaufman, a Mossad agent  was assigned to be a leader of a team of 4 men to lead a mission to assassinate 11 Palestinians terrorists. He is someone who loves his wife and soon to be born child, he also cared for his team members. He has a gentle soul as he can be seen doubting his mission after killing a certain amount of the people he targeted. After going in deeper into his mission he started becoming more paranoid and haunted by the fact that he killed many people. Because of what he went through he faced post traumatic disorder and became incredibly paranoid of his surroundings. 

What is the goal of the main character?

In the beginning his goal was to kill of the terrorist to show how much he cared for his country. He also loves and care for his family back in the USA. 

What are the obstacles the main character faced?

He was faced with the burden of having to assassinate 11 men and also killing off some innocents lives. Avner also had to leave his family and soon to be born child to do his duty, he was very hesitant having to leave them behind as he loves them a lot. After everything that happened, he then suffered from PTSD and paranoia. 

Week 7-9 Editing Exercise: Colour Correction

On week 7. Mr.Martin uploaded a drive with 12 video clips where we had to assemble them in Premiere Pro like what we did for week 1 editing exercise. But there was a twist, we had to edit the video and cut it to exactly 30 seconds.

Fig. 6.1 Video clips provided  (27/5/2022) 

Fig. 6.2 Demo emo editing to 30 seconds  (27/5/2022) 

Fig. 6.3 Demo emo editing 30 seconds  (27/5/2022) 

After we finished editing the video for 30 seconds, on week 11 we were tasked to do colour correction on it.

I colour corrected the video with basic corrections and the colour wheels to match the colours of all the clips within the whole video.

Fig. 6.4 Colour correction in Premiere Pro  (//2022) 

Fig. 6.5 Final colour correction  (//2022) 

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FEEDBACK

Week 7 (13/5/2022)- The music video looks fun, but the wide angle is not wide enough but it's okay.  

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REFLECTIONS

The editing exercises were really fun since I had experience with Premiere Pro before I did not struggle as much. However, the shooting videos, were extremely exhausting and draining to film especially for the music video where we had to dance. I don't exercise much so man I was so out of breath. Other than that, I also struggled with finding a big space to film in my house since most of it has things occupying the spaces and great lighting was incredibly hard to achieve since Malaysia keeps raining.

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REFERENCES

Lectures

Fig. 1.1 - 1.3

from week 2 lecture slides

Fig.2.1 -2.2

from week 3 lecture slides

Fig.3.1

from week 4 lecture slides