With production wrapped up on our infomercial, I can now look back on the pros and cons of the whole work period. Overall, I feel that there has been strong progress throughout the course of the module. While I was excited for the project when it was revealed to us, I was worried as I was unsure which role I wanted to partake in. Admittedly, director of photography was my only choice as the rest of the group seemed much more confident with their choices but I went with it anyway. I feel that I am stronger on set than I am doing post which was part of the reason I embraced the role assigned to me.
In terms of my role, I feel that I could've added more while working on set. It is clear from the footage that one day of shooting I managed to do a serviceable job as the actors are well lit up and the green screen is evenly lit. It was on the second day of shooting that I feel I could've done a better job. I mentioned in a pervious post that there are moments when the lighting will switch between high-key and low-key lighting. While it fits the mood for the most part, the scene in which I am guiding the audience through connecting the camera to the tripod is very dark and is noticeable because it occurs between two high-key shots. The resulting contrast in shots becomes very distracting and the lighting is jarring as a result. In the future, I will probably look into taking out external lights in order make sure the actor is lit up.
One of the other areas that I had input with was the script. While I didn't write all of, it was given an opportunity to write a small portion of it. I managed to fit my scene into the style that had already been set by the head writer quite well and you probably wouldn't be able to tell there was a change of writer had I not addressed it. Despite being assigned the role of director of photography, I felt that my biggest input was the acting. My background is predominately acting so I take any opportunity I can to act in films when required.
I enjoyed the group I was with as we almost instantly managed to come up with our idea and saw it through to the end. Overall, I am happy with the production process. I wish there was a bit more we could to the film itself but, while I was present for part of the editing and gave some input, I wasn't the one in charge. This project has taught me that I need to have faith in the whole crew in order to piece together a strong product. Working on my own does give me freedom to write and put together my own piece however I learn more as a group. I probably wouldn't have done as much research into lighting alone as I did as a result of being in a group. Personally I think the process is better than the film itself but there isn't much more that can be done.
Light Contrast
Looking back on high and low key lighting, contrast is range of tones between black and white that the key lighting was trying to amplify. Low contrast shots have a wide range of view and have a softer look to them, although the colour and tones aren't as strong. High contrast shots, on the other hand, have a much smaller range and a harder look to them.
Hard and Soft Light
As I mentioned above, I used the term "softer" and "harder" in reference to lighting. Diving deeper into this, the quality of light that we see on screen is labelled as "hardness" and "softness". A hard quality shot has a sharper look to it with darker shadows while a soft quality shot uses lighter and more subtle shadows.
Colour
The colour of the shot (also known as the hue) is achieved from lighting, art direction and laboratory procedure and the colour of the shot can have an effect on what the scene is trying to convey to the audience. The overall hue can be tinted a certain colour in order to invoke a certain emotion or time of day to a location in an effort to make the audience feel something. For example, blue can be used for sadder scenes while red is used for more intimate moments. The time of day is represented by colour too such as yellow for sunrise and blue for night.
The colour saturation is how richer colours are conveyed on screen. Saturated colours appear more vibrant while desaturated colours are more barren and bleak. Saturation is traditionally used for emotion or time frame. Flashbacks are generally desaturated to make is appear older.
Colour can also have strong emphasis as the film can draw the audiences eye towards a certain object. This idea can also be used in black and white films to make something of importance stand out. A great example of this is in Steven Spielburg's 1993 film 'Schindler's List' which, while filmed entirely in black and white, features a girl wearing a red coat. This is the only colour in the film and is used to shock the audience when they see the red stand out among a pile of corpses after becoming acquainted with the coat.
High key lighting is a method of lighting film that found its place in the workplace due to its compatibility with three point lighting. This lighting method uses light to create a low amount of contrast between the darker and brighter parts of a certain shot. High key lighting is a versatile method as it can be used with a number of shots in order to achieve many goals. The main goal is to avoid shadows. Due to the lack of shadows, high key lighting is used for more jovial scenes that belong is more 'upbeat' genres such as comedies and musicals.
Low key lighting is the opposite and is therefore used in much harder hitting and gritty films that belong in genres such as horror and noir. The goal of low key is to bring about many shadows and focus light on certain areas of shots in order to highlight something. Low key lighting can be used to create eery and suspenceful moments that have the audience on edge.
The way that these two lighting can be used in the same film is to convey the atomsphere that the plot is presented with. For example, a scene incorporating high key lighting can give the sense that everything is normal and the audience can be feel safe due to there being nothing to suspect. In contrast, a low key shot gives a much more ominous feeling, even if it is used on the same character and scene as previously seen in a high key shot. Here is an example taken from Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 thriller 'Rear Window'.
An important style of lighting that can be used in most cases for filming or photography is Three Point Lighting. This is achieved by using three different points of light: the key light is the main light focusing on the subject in the piece and is generally lit from above and very slightly to the side of the subject. The fill light is a smaller light placed close to the key light and is positioned slightly below the subject. Lastly is the back light and is used to light up the background behind the subject. The back light helps create more depth to the area and amplifies that it is indeed a 3D scene you are shooting.
The steps to create three point lighting are listed as such:
1. Start the shoot in darkness to make sure there are no default lights to interfere with the three lights about to be introduced. When the first light is introduced, there should be no other light in the scene.
2. The next step is to introduce the key light to light up the subject and work out where most of the shadows lie. This will act as the main light source for the piece. It is important that the key light is brighter than all of the other lights being used to light up the front of the subject.
3. Introduce the fill light to make the subject more visible as it extends the lone light given off by the key light. The fill light can be used to strike the illusion of secondary light sources such as lamps or reflected light. The light given off from the fill light should be the opposite of the key light (e.g. if the key light is on the left, the fill should be on the right). It should also be lower than the key light.
4. Finally, introduce the back light to make it more clear that the subject is away from the background. Back lights can be as bright as you require to create a rim of light (also known as the rim light) around the top of the subject.
I can see three point lighting being used very well for stills photography as the way the light hits the subject makes it more clear and highlights the details. In relation to our project, I could see myself use this next time I work in a studio space or an indoor shoot but I prefer to use ambient light when outside. When using a green screen like we did, I prefer how we did with simply using two key lights above the subject almost acting as dual spotlights to make sure the green screen is evenly lit, as are the actors.
Despite working in the green screen studio for the entirety of shooting, it is still worth going over all the types of lighting that were available for use
ARRI Fresnel Light
The light that I was most familiar with was the Fresnel light due to my time performing stage acting. The Fresnel is one of the more commonly found lights for film, TV and stage. The name, dubbed after the inventor Augustin-Jean Fresnel, doesn't refer to the set up itself but rather the lens encased in the body. The lens deviates from the typical smooth appearance that most other lenses would make use of and instead is built with a more rigged appearance.
As the diagram shows, the contrast is jarring however the rigged lens makes for a much more focused light. The way this works is by tilting each ring of glass towards the centre with varying degrees of angles as the circle progresses as shown in this diagram.
As a result, the light is more focused and more consistent rather than losing its intensity around the edges of the light beam. The pattern that the lens follows helps break up the light as it makes its way through the lens.
One of the most useful tools applied to the Fresnel is the 'Barn Door' that is placed on the front of the light. It is designed to bend the light in the direction that the lighting technician (or Gaffer) desires. The down side of the barn doors is that, as a result of exposure to heat of the bulb, they become very hot if left on for too long.
LED Light Panels
The most promising aspect of the LED lights are its ability to use little power yet have a strong output which is perfect for long takes as the power will take a longer time to run down as well as energy efficiency. The battery life of an LED light lasts approximately 2 to 3 hours at full charge but can also be plugged in to preserve power. The LEDs output 650-800 watts while, in contrasts, only takes in 36 watts with power consumption. The energy efficiency is very impressive and is one that I could consider for long takes in the future. As there is very little heat given off from the light, it is much easier to make use of gobos and gels.
An example of a gobo used to create shapes as light passes through the gaps.
Dedolights
Specifically, the DLH4 light head. This light went on to become the single best selling professional precision light source in the world. The light boasts its ability to work with a range of accessories, such as the aforementioned barn doors, in order to make the dedolight a very versatile lighting tool. The DLH4 also sees the use of Aspheric lenses, making use of a thinner lens, and improved output of light. This is clearly a powerful light that has done very well in the professional world and the versatility and strong light output is evidence of this.
Enlichrom Minilites
The Enlichrom Minilite is a light that is easy to use due to its lightweight, metallic shell, cooling fan to avoid the metal casing from getting to hot for use, illuminated on/off switch to see when the room behind the light is too dark as well as a reflector to enhance the range for which it can be used. It too can be used with barn doors as well as other additional accessories such as reflective and/or shoot-through umbrellas.
When I set out with the role of lighting the film, I thought it would be much easier than anticipated because our film is shot entirely with green screen. While it didn't take long to work out how to make the lighting work for the film, there were still a lot of technicalities to it. The most important aspect that I had to perfect were shadows. Shadows as well as the gradient of colour that the green screen was presented in. In order for the green screen to work perfectly, it was imperative that the green was a solid colour that the lighting didn't affect or else the green screen effect would not transfer properly.
I am glad that the green screen we used was a hard surface with no chance of creases because then we would have to deal with shadows blocking out certain parts of the screen. On the topic of shadows, it was important that there weren't any visible on the screen itself. There are a few on the actors however they don't carry over to the screen. When we first entered the room, the first thing I notice (as the production lights were off) was that there were two giant shadows across the screen and sought out the correct lighting to deal with this. It was a simple process as all we had to do switch on the two lights closest to the green screen. As there were only two actors, we were able to simplify the process even further by having them closest to the left (stage left) of the green screen and therefore have on light focusing on them from an above angle. The light is ahead of them and above them meaning that it almost acts as a spotlight.
Something I learnt and briefly mentioned before was how to light the actors and the screen. It's important to focus on them separately. I found it easier to light the green screen first as it required the most accessible and immediate lights and was simply a case of switching on the aforementioned lights. When working with the actors were more about making sure their shadows didn't get into shot. As I was one of the actors, I had to make sure everything was fine before stepping onto the green screen as having only one would be able to tell us how it looks.
Looking back on the footage, it looks like the lighting is fine although I feel that there could've been less shadows made my the actors' faces but, overall, the effect should work perfectly. However, upon reshooting in order to do some more close ups, there were a change of lighting arraignment that was out of my hands due to a previous project earlier in the same week. At first this was a good thing as the green screen was lit up for evenly and allowed the actors to work in the middle of the screen rather than be forced to the side. What didn't work out so well were the new shots themselves. They are significantly darker than the previous shots. There is now a switch between high-key and low-key lighting that looks jarring. However, we managed to incorporate this into the film as the low-key shots came in when the tone of the piece took a dark turn.
While not my first time with green screen, this is the first time that I've had to worry about how the behind the scenes aspect of it to make sure it looks fine and works properly. I would gladly use it again and had a very positive experience with it.
To fulfil the infomercial brief given to us, my group banded together and produced the idea of a parody of generic 1990s films and television. In order to emulate this style, we looked at films and TV shows we grew up with and set off with the cheesiest and most cliche project in mind. Examples of tropes to emulate included bizarre buzzwords such as "Radical", "Awesome" and "Tubular", words made famous in that decade yet are rarely used now unironically (with the exception of "Awesome" which is still used today). Ironically, I found out that many of the generic tropes and mediums we looked at (most prominently the likes of 'Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure' and the 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' cartoon) were, at earliest, from 1989 however the defined what we would look for in other 1990s products. They may be breaking the limit of 90s yet they were the big thing to emulate. Other films such as 'Wayne's World' had very similar aspects and that was released in 1992. Even the sequel to 'Bill and Ted', 'Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey' premiered in 1991. I suppose that if we had to pin point which era we looked for specifically, I would label it as late 80s to early 90s.
The entirety of the project would be recorded in front of a green screen so that the actors could be incorporated into any environment that we choose. The reason we wanted to do this was because the cheesy and cliche aspect of bad special effects is something that we saw a lot of during the 90s and also because the 90s saw a rise of special effects in cinema. CGI was becoming a more common place element of film and we wanted to amplify this with our own special effects. I was given the role of director of photography which essentially led to me looking at how the film will be lit.
Link to infomercial script written by Martin Steell with additional input by Tom Hayes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uL51pkoLYTKXyOVAw2u6CxlYUfgn7w4qHVTCzozLACU/edit
In 1883, Italy, Carlo Collidi released the children's novel 'The Adventures of Pinocchio'. The basis of the novel follows a wooden marionette named Pinocchio crafted by a woodcutter named Geppetto from a piece of talking wood given to him. While it is dubbed as a children's novel, I argue that it is worthy of the title 'Fairy Tale'. The most obvious example for this is the fact that it features a fairy dubbed as 'The Fairy with the Turquoise Hair' and the idea of a sentient, talking piece of wood existing is purely fantasy. Fairy tales also tend to have morals behind them. Compared to another children's book like J.R.R Tolkein's 'The Hobbit', Pinocchio is trying to convey a warning to children while 'The Hobbit' is simply a grand adventure being conveyed to the reader. The moral is about discovering who you are as signified by the ending which sees the fairy turn Pinocchio into a real boy when he understands himself and life. However, this ending was only added to lighten the incredibly dark tone of the original novel. One of the many famous ideas the story presents is the idea that Pinocchio's nose grows whenever he lies and this only adds to the moralistic sense that the story has. It is warning children that they will get caught if they lie. The argument could be made that, especially based on the title, the story is simply an adventure however the morals I have brought up along with the whimsical and
Walt Disney's 'Pinocchio'
The most obvious example of Pinocchio being reinterpreted is the 1940 animated film adaptation by Walt Disney. What is fascinating about the film is the contrast in tone compared to the original story. Disney's 'Pinocchio' is a much lighter story as the character of Pinocchio is much more naive and likable. In the original, he is made out to be quite an arrogant, destructive and irresponsible puppet. One big example of this change being made is the use of Jiminy Cricket. In the film, he acts as Pinocchio's conscience and guide throughout the film and yet in the story (where he is unnamed), he is killed quite early on by Pinocchio after scolding the puppet for his ignorance.
"Because you are a Marionette and, what is much worse, you have a wooden head."
At these last words, Pinocchio jumped up in a fury, took a hammer from the bench, and threw it with all his strength at the Talking Cricket.
Perhaps he did not think he would strike it. But, sad to relate, my dear children, he did hit the Cricket, straight on its head.
With a last weak "cri-cri-cri" the poor Cricket fell from the wall, dead!
(Death of the talking cricket, Chapter 4 of 'The Adventures of Pinocchio')
The Fairy with the Turquoise Hair's name is simplified as The Blue Fairy and has much more of a god-like appearance. She is the one responsible for bringing Pinocchio to life and tasks him with earning the wish of being a real boy rather than rewarding him for his life discovery.
The story is simplified much more. The film does cover many scenes featured in the book, such as the puppet theatre and the climax at the ocean, however due to the length of the film in contrast to how much the book can cover, many of it is glossed over and the book provides a deeper look at certain places and situations. One of the most iconic scenes of the film, the boys being taken to Pleasure Island and being turned into donkeys, is one of the many dark scenes taken straight out of the original novel. Two elements that are greatly altered however are the climax and the use of the characters Honest John and his henchman Gideon, who are the Fox and Cat, mentioned in the story. As expected of Disney, the two are anthropomorphised to make more child friendly as well as more identifiable as actual characters. The only animals that aren't altered are the donkeys in which the boys are turned into. The climax features some possibly symbolism that could be applied to both the book and the film, although it is more obvious in the film. In the original story, Pinocchio (as a donkey) is thrown into the ocean in an attempt to be drowned. Upon turning back into a puppet, he is eaten by a giant fish. In the Disney film, since we have to see the fish, it is specified as a whale dubbed 'Monstro'. The visuals of Gepetto living inside the whale on a wrecked ship brings about the idea of Jonah from the Bible and begs the question as to what the idea behind this symbolism could imply. I feel the message being conveyed is that there is a parallel between the two. In the Bible, God speaks to the giant fish that ate Jonah and requests Jonah be given a second chance to fulfil the word of God. In 'Pinocchio', the puppet is killed in the escape whereon he is brought back to life by the Blue Fairy, who we've established is a god-like figure, and therefore given a second chance at life following the example laid upon by the fairy.
Other Reinterpretations
While many will point to 'The Wolf Among Us' for fairy tale modernisation, I looked to the comic in which it was based on 'Fable' for no other reason than Pinocchio not being featured in the video game adaption and stuck with the source material. We are introduced to Pinocchio in the first volume of 'Fables' where his, like everyone else, is a twist on the classic fairy tale character living in the mundane real world. Pinocchio is a human boy, just like he always wished he would be, however he is still a boy. After many, many years, he has not aged as the fairy apparently took his wish to literally. As a result of being restricted to a young body, he has grown bitter and brash which is contrasting to the happy-go-lucky version Disney established.
Purely for comedy's sake, Pinocchio is one of many fairy tale characters introduced in the film franchise 'Shrek'. Only briefly seen in the first film trying to defend himself from being sold by Geppetto, he is promoted to a more prominent character in the second film where he joins the ensemble fairy tale cast with saving Shrek from incarceration using his strings to parody a scene from 'Mission Impossible'. While nothing is too out of the ordinary in terms of adaption, it's worth noting a scene from 'Shrek The Third' which seems him challenged by a question which he wishes to lie to. In order to get around this, he constantly dodges answering and leaves with a convoluted and goes around in circles until the villain, Prince Charming, gives up on asking. It's an interesting way of countering the classic Pinocchio idea that proves that 'Shrek' is all about parodying classic fairy tales.
'Pinocchio' applied to robots
Arguably the most prominent example of a modern interpretation of 'Pinocchio' is Steven Spielburg's 2001 film 'A.I. Artificial Intelligence'. Part way through the film, the robotic child David (played by Haley Joel Osmont) discovers the story of 'Pinocchio' and it quickly becomes his favourite story no doubt because it follows the idea of a non-human boy eventually finding his self worth and becoming human. David's discouragement from his human brother and his abandonment only drives him to find the 'Blue Fairy' from the story and get his wish. As the plot progresses, David does find the fairy however his wish isn't granted by it as it is instead done by aliens which is a sign of the modernisation of the tale. Another interesting alteration is that David doesn't necessarily want to be a real boy but simply wants to be treated as such as his wish is to be with his mother again.
'A.I' brings about the concept that robots can be compared to the classic tale as many forms of media featuring robots will eventually have them grow so advanced that they wish to be on our level. Chris Columbus' film 'Bicentennial Man' features a story of an android built to follow orders (played by Robin Williams) who spends so much time around humans that he wishes to be on himself and ultimately does so. Two upcoming films also feature the idea of robots paralleling humans. Neill Blomkamp's 'Chappie' is about a robot who is treated like a human from his 'birth' and grows like a human does as he is a robot that can think and feel. Following 'Chappie' we are also made aware of the next film in the 'Marvel Cinematic Universe'
The most recent example of 'Pinocchio' being used in modern media is the trailer for the upcoming film 'Avengers: Age of Ultron'. The trailer's music is a slowed down, haunting cover of 'I've Got No Strings' from Disney's adaption which is in reference to the film's antagonist Ultron who is seen as a dark parallel to Pinocchio's character. Ultron, also being an A.I., appears to be trying to become more human like as the film progresses judging by the trailer as he compares himself to being free of his control. Tony Stark builds Ultron to help fight for the Avengers however his mind is so advanced that he breaks free from his bonds, or his 'strings', We see him as a broken wreck of one of Tony Stark's Iron Man suits but, by the end of the trailer, has reached the uncanny valley by being a humanoid robot and states "Now I'm free, there are no strings on me", the abstract strings being symbolic of his enslavement.
