(Year 2 Prep Work) Activity 2: JOB ROLES

Activity 2: JOB ROLES 

UNDERSTANDING THE TV AND FILM INDUSTRY

Director

A directors job is obviously to direct the film, but this means that they have control of the overall visual of the film, from what actors are used, to what location is used. Directors also have control over the production design and visualise the script.

• What are they responsible for?

-Directing the film

-Visualising the script

-Hiring cast members

-Production design

-Guiding the technical crew

• What skills and qualifications do you need to have? 

l though it is not required, the majority of successful directors have completed bachelors degrees in film production

.

• Who are they the boss of?

Directors are in charge of guiding the crew team, they are also in charge of the actors in which they have decided to hire to be a part of their production.

• How much does it pay?

Directors tend to gain 10 percent of the films gross earning. Famous directors such as Nolan and Speilburg earn from 1 million up to 10 million,.

• What are your working times like? Do you work on contracts, for weeks, days or months?

Directors working times are variable based on the type of production they are directing, but also how ever long the production takes to complete.

Editor

• What does the job include?

An editor gains all of the footage collected by the camera crew. They then have to prepare the product, this means that they have to build up the story in a sense, putting clips where they need to be or wherever it bests suits the clip. Editors can also delete or get rid of clips if this is required to make the product moe successful. 

• What are they responsible for?

Editors are responsible for putting the product together, they are responsible for collecting all the footage and putting it all together within a software to create a successful end product. They are also responsible to the sound. 

• What skills and qualifications do you need to have? 

Editors are expected to have gone into study such as college and university and studied the specific topic, therefore meaning they will be expected to know the ins and outs of the software that they use, and know how to successfully create a finished product. They will be expected to have a form of degree in editing software or media.

• Who are they the boss of?

Editorial assistants.

• How much does it pay?

The pay varies based on the production however it can vary between £18,000 to £25,000, this is at beginners level. If it was to be at a experienced level it would vary between £37,000 to £70,000.

• What are your working times like? Do you work on contracts, for weeks, days or months?

Work hours vary based on the production and the size of the production, however it tends to be shift work based on office hours. However editors are genuinely required once the filming process is complete. Hours also vary on when editing studios have been booked. 

Sound technician

• What does the job include?

Sound technicians jobs include being able to assemble and operate the required equipment to record any dialogue or sounds required for a production.

• What are they responsible for?

Assembling and operating sound equipment  as well as ensuring sound is recording at the required times and dialogue is picked up.

• What skills and qualifications do you need to have? 

You need to have certificates such as diplomas and degrees within the specific area, meaning you need to be aware of the equipment and how to operate it as well as how to assemble it.

• Who are they the boss of?

They are in control of the sound and making sure that the sound is to the best of it's ability 

• How much does it pay?

Depending on the size and length of the product, and also the budget of the film, sound technicians can receive from £30,000-£35,000, however this also varies based on working hours. 

• What are your working times like? Do you work on contracts, for weeks, days or months?

Working hours vary on the production, sound recorders are required throughout the filming process as they are required to collect all sound necessary for the product.

Stop Motion Unit 33 notes (merit assignment 1)

Watch the above STOP MOTION?

What genre is the animation and what generic conventions (things you expect to see) can you pull out?  Lee Hardcastles claymation is the genre Action/Crime iof this animation, you expect to see props of guns, make up of blood and and SFX explosions. The style of this stop motion is Claymation. A generic convention of this genre is an evil boss who is the bad character and a hero with a group of good people who fight against each other. 

What do you notice about the movement of the figures body? The movements of the model we're unatural, they we're shuffling because the models had no legs. This has broken the principles of animation - ARCS. This creates the characters which are cats to seem funny, it also makes them look like they're marching. The models are shot and fly backwards so the creater has used the principle of gravity when the cat fell out of the building, this is used to keep it realistic and has to follow some realism, also it is a paraody of the film and they need to keep along the lines of the orignal film. 

What do you notice about the movement of the figures face and facial expression? Scene where the cats are sweating, which shows they're emontion and fear which has an effect on the audience, so we begin to realise that there is danger. The sweat falls which is following the principle of gravity. 

What comments can you make about the use of sound? They have used sound effects for the movements of the characters, also the sound effects for the gun shots and explosions. The characters don't speak in this clip and are completely silent, the sound they have used however adds an intense dramatic feel when the viewer is watching this clip. The non diegetic soundtrack. SFX - Stabbing, Dialogue - Scream, SFX - Explosion 


What different styles of stop motion have we seen?
-Claymation
-Live Action
-2D
What two principles of animation have we learnt about?
-The principle of gravity
-Arc
When it was hard to identify a genre, what word did we use?
-Realism
-Surrealism
What is the final deadline for assignment 1?
-19th of September
How long does your section of your stop motion have to be? 
-30 seconds 

The old and the new

What differences can you see in the two animations?

The quality of the cinematography has improved from King Kong vs T-Rex to Seafood Creature Comfort. At 4 seconds into the King Kong clip we see a real life woman actor but throughout the Creature Comforts we never see a human person. 

What similarities are there in the two animations?

The smilarties in the two videos is that throughout the videos there are animal creatures that are acting unrealistically, at 15 seconds in we see two ducks speaking to each other which is surreal and at 54 seconds in we see King Kong and T Rex fighting each other, this also wouldn't happen in reality. Both of these animations we're shot from the same point of view, it limits the engagement of the audience. They're trying to make the characters have human quailites and feelings for example at 1.04 King Kong is trying to save the woman who he loves and at 40 seconds in on Creature Comforts, the cat and dog are sat on the coach speaking to each other. Can you tell if over time there has been a development in the skills and techniques of animation?

The movements of the characters have improved drastically, at 3 seconds in we notice that they move more swift than the way the T Rex and King Kong move at 35 seconds in. Also we notice at 1 second in that even the background image is much more advanced and detailed, this shows that other a long period of time we have made technology more equipped so we can focus on perfectioning such small details. The King Kong animation hasn't been synronized when the animal roars the sound stops and starts in different shots. 


Tangled

Tangled - Animation pull out time codes for arcs, overlapping/follow through secondary action, gravity 

At 16 seconds we see Rapunzel walking and sweeping up using arcs. At 1.11 they're not following the rules of gravity because she is floating in the air using her hair has a rope. 33 seconds in we see her using secondary action by following through on her actions. 

Cravendale

At six seconds in we see the biscuit boy using arcs, his legs are running and his arms are swinging so he can get to the lake quickly. 

Principles of animation 

• Time: The time it takes to make the action happen the number of frames you need to move the object.
• The fewer the frames, the faster, the more frames you take the longer
• For acceleration increase the distance between movements, for deceleration decrease the movements gradually
• The right timing is the difference between looking from side to side, to shake your head no
• Gravity 
• Things fall, think of your frame rate and the force of the object you will drop
• Persistence of vision is a theory that a stop of still images in any order can be given the effect of animation if viewed by the human eye at a certain rate.
• The human eye retains an image for 1/20th of a second, giving the illusion that a still image is animated 
• Look at your thaunotrope 
• "Overlapping action" is the tendency for parts of the body to move at different rates (AN ARM WILL MOVE ON DIFFERENT TIMING OF THE HEAD AND SO ON).
• Arcs & poses 
• Movement does not tend to be in straight lines, but follow curves or arcs, to show more natural movement
• Remember the pose is important in communication action, the animation is what happens between the frames 
• Anticipation 
• A jumping figure, must bend its knees first so the audience can anticipate what will happen next, the head must urn to look into the off screen space so we can anticipate someone coming into frame
• Secondary action
• Adding secondary actions to the main action gives a scene more life
• A person walking can simultaneously swing his arms or keep them in his pockets
• The important thing about secondary actions is that they emphasise, rather than take attention away from, the main action. 

(Year 2 Prep Work) ACTIVITY 1 VIDEO TECHNOLOGY AND EDITING TECHNIQUES

ACTIVITY 1:

 RESEARCH TASK BLOG LABEL: VIDEO TECHNOLOGY AND EDITING TECHNIQUES

What is HIGH DEFINITION in TV and Film?

High definition is basically a different standard of digital television broadcasting which offers sharper, more detailed pictures and surround sound, making the overall experience much more enjoyable for the audience. Only viewers that own a "HD Ready" television set, a special HD set top box receiver and reception of a high definition service will experience true HD programming. Also high definition programmes must also be specially shot.

What are the different aspect ratios for TV and film? Which ones are better for TV programmes and films?

Ratios are simple numbers that let you know how the film was shot. For example a 1.78:1 means that for every unit of 1.78 wide you need to go 1 high. So if we are using inches the ratio is 1.78 inches wide and 1 inch tall.A more practical example would be a 50" HDTV which has a ratio of 1.78:1. This would mean that the viewing size is 43.57 inches wide by 24.50 inches high.

I have listed examples of which ratios are better for standard TV, HDTV and the ratios used standard films and bigger budget films. 

The standard for a TV programme is 4x3(1.33:1)  - This is the standard Full Screen square TV size. Notice how much image is lost to cropping.

The standard for HDTV programming is 16x9(1.787:1)  which relays on a resolution of 1920x1080 or 1.78:1. Film can still be cropped to fit on a 16x9 HDTV.

The standard ratio for a lot of movies you see in the movie theatre is 1.85:1. Which is only 

slightly wider than 16x9.

2.39:1 - This ratio is also used in a lot of movies, usually the bigger budget movies as the film stock costs more.

What are the different types of audio and video signals?

Analogue component video signals - This means video signals can be split into two or more component parts. In a typical component video system the signal will be divided into:

·       ‘Y' or ‘luma' which is the brightness portion of the image and travels along one cable

·       ‘Pb' which gives the difference between the luma information and the blue part of the image and has its own cable

·       ‘Pr' is the final component and carries similar information describing the difference between luma and the red part of the image, again in a dedicated cable

A green signal is not required as it can be calculated from the other two colour components.
This common ‘component' system (or colour space) is known as YPbPr.

S-Video (Separate Video) is another common form of component video. S-Video separates the signal into only two parts; luma and chroma (combined colour information).

Digital component video signals - Video specifications such as SDI (Serial Digital Interface) use a colour space very similar to YPbPr. This is known as YCbCr. Again, luma, blue/luma difference and red/luma difference form the coloured image, but in the YCbCr information is expressed digitally.

Analogue composite video signals - In a composite video signal, a signal cable carries all the constituent parts of the video image. YUV is a common composite video signal type.

·       In YUV the ‘Y' stands for luminance.  This monochromatic image contains more than just image information: it also provides a synchronising ‘pulse'

·       The ‘U' value is the difference between blue and luminance

·       ‘V' is the red/luminance difference

In a composite system all of this information is carried in the same cable (the colour information is carried as a sub-carrier signal). YUV is versatile; it contains a fully formed monochrome image for display on black and white televisions.

What are the different types of digital filming and storage?

Digital memory cards are used to store digital film, memory cards are removable, and quite a few different types are available. DSLRs mainly use Compact Flash, but other formats, such as SD cards, are becoming more popular. Compact cameras use a wider range of cards.
Different types of digital filming and storage are Compact Flash (CF), Secure Digital (SD)
Sony Memory Stick (MS), MultiMediaCard (MMC) / SecureMultiMediaCard (SecureMMC).

What was terrestrial TV? Why was it turned off?

Terrestrial TV is a type of television broadcasting using radio signals for transmission and television antennas and tuners for reception. Terrestrial television is the first system of television broadcast and the BBC began broadcasting in 1929, and had a regular schedule of television programmes in 1930. There was virtually no other method of television delivery until the 1950s with the beginnings of cable television. Terrestrial TV became outdated like many other things in life and something better was invented which was cable television.  

What are the different ways we can record TV?

Recording digital TV has become easier these days to record analogue TV onto videocassette ever was. Now there is no need to look up dates and times and input the details all you have to do is just pick the show that you want to record and press the 'record' button. Other than recording TV by pressing the record button you can also buy a vintage video player/recorder and record things by using videocassettes. Plus DVD recorders are an option as they're quite cheap and easy to set up, although they probably won't interact with an electronic programme guide. There are also a number of different hybrid devices, such as Popcorn Hour which combines internet, hard drive and DVD recording.

Find out about three different Editing softwares?  

1. Final Cut Pro - The pro's of final cut are that it has a 64-bit and multicore-CPU support for speedier performance. Friendlier interface. Compound clips. Auditions for alternative clips. Magnetic trackless timeline. Background processing. Good organisation tools—ratings, tagging, auto analysis for faces, scenes, and stabilisation  Powerful new multi cam support. Powerful keying features. Supports Thunderbolt and studio-monitor output.
2. Pinnacle Studio 16 Ultimate - This editing software costs £66.58 and has multitude of video effects and the ability to upload directly to Facebook, Vimeo, Box and YouTube, Pinnacle Studio has long been a favourite in video editing. While it is one of the more expensive options in this list, and it doesn’t have 4K UHD support, Pinnacle serves as a nice middle-ground option for those who aren’t slackers in the video editing department, but who haven’t reached pro status just yet.
3. CyberLink PowerDirector - PowerDirector 12 Ultra provides the most comprehensive tools for high-quality video productions - all with easy-to-use features and fastest 64-bit video editing. The new MultiCam editing support allows you to import up to 4 videos taken by different devices, and sync them by audio tracks so that you can easily pick the best shots. Theme Designer allows you to create 3D animated slideshows with your videos and photos.

Which one is better? (use reviews to prove this)

Final Cut Pro review 

Pinnacle Studio 16 Ultimate Review

I think that Final Cut Pro is the best editing software due to the large amount of people that use this software to edit videos and films, it is the most advanced editing system compared to the other two which I have gotten reviews for. For the price it is also popular because some of these others are around the same price but you can do so much more with Final Cut Pro. Apple are one of the biggest companies in the world and they know how to get people to buy there products, it is stated in the review that they have built a completely new faster, cleaner and more intuitive digital video editing package. 

Which is better HD or standard definition, prove it with research?

HD is better than standard definition, this is because the visual is less pixilated, meaning the visual is clearer and it also makes smaller details blend into the action. Because HD is clearer it also means that key elements of the action that may be small but important are clearer and stand out more as the details are shown in a much better quality. 

You can see by this picture that the Standard Definition is poorer quality than High Definition.

Signature that the work is mine

THE FANTASIST (short film)

THE FANTASIST (short film) paperwork

Camera Shot Lists

Storyboard

Crew Contact List 

My Film Script