GREAT-STARS EXPOSITION TO SET DIRECTING

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

v    WHO IS A SET DIRECTOR?

v    QUALIFICATION OF A GOOD SET DIRECTOR

v    KINDS OF SET DIRECTOR

v    BEDROCKS FOR GOOD SET DIRECTING

v    THE LIMITATIONS AGAINST SET DIRECTING

v    TYPES OF SET DIRECTING

v    CAMERA ANGLES AND MOVEMENTS

v    CAMERA MOVEMENTS

v    DESCRIBING SHOTS

v    TYPES OF SHOTS

v    INTRODUCTION TO MOVIE SPECIAL EFFECTS

v    THE ART AND SCIENCE OF MOVIE SPECIAL EFFECTS

1.         WHO IS A SET DIRECTOR?

A Movie Director is a person who is in-charge of Artistes’ performances in a location and also a person who tells the Director of Photograph what to do, how to do it and when to do it, in order to achieve a better production for professional usage.

From the definition above, we discovered three basic terms: “What to do”, “How to do it” and “When to do it”.

(i)                 What to do:

This depends on the concept of the Set Director

(ii)               How to do it:

This is the act by which the Set Director breaks down his concept to the Director of Photograph and the Artistes on Set.

(iii)             When to do it:

The Set Director gives decisions; he controls the set, rebukes the artistes’ errors and have proper calculations in every default found in the story.

2.                  QUALIFICATIONS OF A GOOD SET DIRECTOR:

A.                 Creativity:

This works with great imaginations; it tells the ability of a Set Director to use his imaginations to produce the following:

(i)                 New Lines:

(ii)               New Shots

(iii)             New Movements

(iv)              New Ideas

Just for not other reason than to cover any lapse(s) that may bring criticism to the job and to make the movie more interesting and professional in order to win the heart of the marketers.

B.                  Boldness:

A good Set Director must be bold to direct the artistes and the Director of Photograph who are greater than him and must also be authoritative over artistes, but not to be harsh on them.

C.                  Foresee the Production:

Every good Set Director should know the appropriate shots to take in any scene before its time for the shots, and must know what he want at every time to avoid been subjected to the artistes’ suggestions.

 3.        KINDS OF SET DIRECTOR:

v    Special Effect Director

v    Non-Special Effect Director

v    Realistic Director

v    Non-Realistic Director

v    Adventurer Director

A.         Special Effect Director:

This is a kind of Set Director who is in-charge of all shots that involves magical powers and others like immortality, spiritualism and lots more. He knows the necessary shots to take that will favour the editor in the studio in order to achieve all the special effects needed in the story.

            B.         Non-Special Effect Director:

This is a kind of Set Director who directs the set but will be ignorance of all the shots that involves special effects like magical powers, immortality, spiritualism and lots more. He does not know the necessary shots to take that would favour the editor in the studio to achieve all the special effects needed in the story.

            C.         Realistic Director:

This is a kind of Set Director who is too realistic in every actions performed. Instead of faking actions like slaps, sex, etc. he would rather requires them real. This director can only fake actions that would cause the death of an artiste.

Note: Most Special Effect Directors are Realistic Directors.

            D.         Non-Realistic Director:

This is a kind of Set Director who is not realistic in actions performed by the artistes, he rather fake the actions to look real.

            E.         Adventurer Director:

This is a kind of Set Director who are often involved with more adventurer movies; they are the directors that other directors should be afraid of because their thoughts and concepts are more higher and even far beyond the planet.

4.                  BEDROCKS FOR A GOOD SET DIRECTING:

1.         Watch movies for no other reason than to criticize them, base on the wrong shots of the directors and performances of the artistes.

2.         Knowing the weakness of your Role Models in order to be greater than them by working against their weaknesses.

3.         Overcoming the limitations of your Role Model

4.         Able to correct Artistes’ errors after rebuking them on set.

5.         Knowing the basic of their inspirations by taking their initial actions to understand the kind of actions and artistic concepts they may render to the shot at last.

5.                  THE LIMITATIONS AGAINST SET DIRECTING:

1. Lack of Creativity
2. Fear
3. Unable to Foresee
4. Confusion
5. Letting the Artistes to know your Weakness on Set
6. Being Angry on Set

6.                  TYPES OF DIRECTORS

1. Artistic Director
2. Set Director
3. Assistant Director

a.                  Artistic Director:

This is the type of director that directs the Artistes on back set and making sure that they deliver their lines & actions properly on front set.

b.         Set Director:

This is the type of director who directs and visualizes the movie based on the script, creates shots, suggests how the actors should portray their characters, and helps to edit the final cut. Basically, is the person in charge of converting a script into a movie.

c.         Assistant Director:

This is the type of director who assists the Director in being in charge of the Artistes performances on set and also in dictating the kinds of relevant shots to take on set.

CAMERA ANGLES AND MOVEMENTS

Camera angles and movements combine to create a sequence of images, just as words, word order and punctuation combine to make the meaning of a sentence. You need a straightforward set of key terms to describe them.

The relationship between the camera and the object being photographed (i.e. the ANGLE) gives emotional information to an audience, and guides their judgment about the character or object in shot, the more extreme the angle (i.e. the further away it is from eye left), the more symbolic and heavily-loaded the shot.

CAMERA MOVEMENTS

A director may choose to move action along by telling the story as a series of cuts, going from one shot to another, or they may decide to move the camera with the action. Moving the camera often takes a great deal of time, and makes the action seem slower, as it takes several second for a moving camera shot to be effective, when the same information may be placed on screen in a series of fast cuts. Not only must the style of movement be chosen, but the method of actually moving the camera must be selected too. There are seven basic methods:

1.         Pans:

A movement which scans a scene horizontally: The camera is placed on a tripod, which operates as a stationary axis point as the camera is turned, often to follow a moving object which is kept in the middle of the frame.

2.         Tilts:

A movement which scans a scene vertically: Otherwise similar to a pan.

3.         Dolly Shots

Sometimes called TRUCKING or TRACKING shots; The camera is placed on a moving vehicle and moves alongside the action, generally following a moving figure or object. Complicated dolly shots will involve a track being laid on set for the camera to follow, hence the name. The camera might be mounted on a car, a plane, or even a shopping trolley (good method for independent film-makers looking to save a few dollars). A dolly shot may be a good way of portraying movement, the journey of a character for instance, or for moving from a long shot to a close-up, gradually focusing the audience on a particular object or character.

4.         Hand-held Shots:

The hand-held movie camera first saw widespread use during World War II, when news reporters took their windup Arriflexes and Eyemos into the heat of battle, producing some of the most arresting footage of the twentieth century. After the war, it took a while for commercially produced movies to catch up, and documentary makers led the way, demanding the production of smaller, lighter cameras that could be moved in and out of a scene with speed, producing a "fly-on-the-wall" effect. This aesthetic took a while to catch on with mainstream Hollywood, as it gives a jerky, ragged effect, totally at odds with the organized smoothness of a dolly shot. The Steadicam (a heavy contraption which is attached a camera to an operator by a harness. The camera is stabilized so it moves independently) was debuted in Marathon Man (1976), bringing a new smoothness to hand held camera movement and has been used to great effect in movies and TV shows ever since. No "walk and talk" sequence would be complete without one. Hand held cameras denote a certain kind of gritty realism, and they can make the audience feel as though they are part of a scene, rather than viewing it from a detached, frozen position.

(A crane was used to take a shot where a balloon was floating in the sky)

5.         Crane Shots

Basically, dolly-shots-in-the-air: A crane (or jib), is a large, heavy piece of equipment, but is a useful way of moving a camera - it can move up, down, left, right, swooping in on action or moving diagonally out of it. The camera operator and camera are counter-balanced by a heavy weight, and trust their safety to a skilled crane/jib operator.

6.         Zoom Lenses

A zoom lens contains a mechanism that changes the magnification of an image. On a still camera, this means that the photographer can get a 'close up' shot while still being some distance from the subject. A video zoom lens can change the position of the audience, either very quickly (a smash zoom) or slowly, without moving the camera an inch, thus saving a lot of time and trouble. The drawbacks to zoom use include the fact that while a dolly shot involves a steady movement similar to the focusing change in the human eye, the zoom lens tends to be jerky (unless used very slowly) and to distort an image, making objects appear closer together than they really are. Zoom lenses are also drastically over-used by many directors (including those holding palmcorders), who try to give the impression of movement and excitement in a scene where it does not exist. Use with caution - and a tripod.

7.         Aerial Shot:

This is a shot taken from a plane or helicopter (not a crane). E.g. if a scene takes place on a tall building, you may want to have an aerial shot of the floor on which the action takes place. This can be used at the beginning of a film, in order to establish setting and movement. Helicopter can go anywhere, keep up with anything, move in and out of a scene, and convey real scenes and exhilaration; so long as you don't need to get too close to your actors or use location sound with the shots.

DESCRIBING SHOTS

When describing camera angles, or creating them yourself, you have to think about three important factors.

Ø   The framing or the length of shot

Ø   The angle of the shot

Ø   If there is any movement involved

When describing different cinematic shots, different terms are used to indicate the amount of subject matter contained within a frame, how far away the camera is from the subject, and the perspective of the viewer. Each different shot has a different purpose and effect. A change between two different shots is called a CUT.

TYPES OF SHOTS:

C.U. (Close Up) Shot:

It is a passport kind of shot. This shows very little background, and concentrates on either a face, or a specific detail of mice in the scene. Everything else is just a blur in the background. This shot magnifies the object (think of how big it looks on a cinema screen) and shows the importance of things, be it words written on paper, or the expression on someone's face. The close-up takes us into the mind of a character. In reality, we only let people that we really trust get THAT close to our face - mothers, children and lovers, usually - so a close up of a face is a very intimate shot. A film-maker may use this to make us feel extra comfortable or extremely uncomfortable about a character, and usually uses a zoom lens in order to get the required framing.

T.C.U. (Tight Close Up) OR Extreme Close-Up Shot:

It is a shot taken closer than a passport kind of shot.

M.S. (Master Shot) OR Long Shot:

It is a shot that contains all the details of an image from any possible angle of a camera. This is the most difficult to categorize precisely, but is generally one which shows the image as approximately "life" size I.e. corresponding to the real distance between the audience and the screen in a cinema (the figure of a man would appear as six feet tall). This category includes the FULL SHOT showing the entire human body, with the head near the top of the frame and the feet near the bottom. While the focus is on characters, plenty of background detail still emerges: we can tell the coffins on the right are in a Western-style setting, for instance.

Roving Shot:

It is the kind of shot by which camera roams about.

P.O.V. (Point of View):

It is a shot taken from an actor’s point of view.

M.M.S. (Medium Master Shot):

It is a shot that takes the half image of a person.

L.M.S. (Long Master Shot) OR Extreme Long Shot:

It is a shot taken from more distanced point than a master shot. This can be taken from as much as a quarter of a mile away, and is generally used as a scene-setting, establishing shot. It normally shows an EXTERIOR, e.g. the outside of a building, or a landscape, and is often used to show scenes of thrilling action e.g. in a war film or disaster movie. There will be very little detail visible in the shot, it's meant to give a general impression rather than specific information.

(The extreme long shot on the left is taken from a distance, but denotes a precise location - it might even connote all of the entertainment industry if used as the opening shot in a news story).

S.M.S. (Short Master Shot) OR Medium Shot:

It is a shot taken from a point closer than a master shot. Contains a figure from the knees/waist up and is normally used for dialogue scenes, or to show some detail of action. Variations on this include the TWO SHOT (containing two figures from the waist up) and the THREE SHOT (contains 3 figures...). NB. Any more than three figures and the shot tend to become a long shot. Background detail is minimal, probably because location has been established earlier in the scene - the audience already knows where they are and now wants to focus on dialogue and character interaction. Another variation in this category is the OVER-THE-SHOULDER-SHOT, which positions the camera behind one figure, revealing the other figure, and part of the first figure's back, head and shoulder.

(This is a position where a D.O.P. was raised to take a High Angle Shot)

High Angle Shot:

It is a kind of shot taken from a position that is not as extreme as a bird's eye view. The camera is elevated above the action using a crane to give a general overview. High angles make the object photographed seem smaller, and less significant (or scary). The object or character often gets swallowed up by their setting - they become part of a wider picture.

L.A.S. (Low Angle Shot):

It is an increased height shot (useful for short actors like Tom Cruise or James McAvoy) and gives a sense of speeded motion. Low angles help give a sense of confusion to a viewer, of powerlessness within the action of a scene. The background of a low angle shot will tend to be just sky or ceiling, the lack of detail about the setting adding to the disorientation of the viewer. The added height of the object may make it inspire fear and insecurity in the viewer, who is psychologically dominated by the figure on the screen.

Oblique / Canted Angle Shot:

It is a shot taken while the camera is tilted (i.e. is not placed horizontal to floor level), to suggest imbalance, transition and instability (very popular in horror movies). This technique is used to suggest POINT-OF-View shots (i.e. when the camera becomes the 'eyes' of one particular character, seeing what they see — a hand held camera is often used for this.

Over Head Shot OR the Bird’s Eye View Shot:

It is a shot taken from a position over the head of a person. This shows a scene from directly overhead, a very unnatural and strange angle. Familiar objects viewed from this angle might seem totally un-recognizable at first (umbrellas in a crowd, dancers' legs). This shot does, however, put the audience in a godlike position, looking down on the action. People can be made to look insignificant, ant-like, part of a wider scheme of things. Hitchcock (and his admirers, like Brian de Palma) is fond of this style of shot.

Subjective Shot:

It is a shot taken from the subjective position of a camera.

U.S. (Underground Shot):

It is a shot taken from the ground posture of a camera.

O.S. (Over Shoulder Shot):

It is a shot taken from the shoulder of a person.

Establishment Shot:

It is a shot taken to know the location of a scene.

Cut Away Shot:

It is a snappy shot taken swiftly on a particular action.

INTRODUCTION TO MOVIE SPECIAL EFFECTS

"How do they do that?” This is the big question in the minds of awestruck movie audiences worldwide watching a well-made Special Effects movie. Humans fly, prehistoric dinosaurs come back to life, space ships engage in dogfights, oceans submerge cities... Is there a limit to what the effects guys can achieve on screen? Infact we are venturing into an era where technology is no longer a limitation to bringing magic onto the screen. Only imagination is. What emerges on the story board, finally lands on celluloid. How that actually happens is what this web site is all about. "How do they do that?" Well here's how. Special Effects is both an art and a science. The science part involves the complete understanding of how the audio-visual sensory parts of our body and brain perceive the world around us, while the art part involves the strategic use of this information to fool the sensory system. Special Effects range from highly sophisticated techniques like visual effects or photo special effects to the mundane effects like special effects make up or even special effects hair dye.

The table shown below lists the various scientific phenomenon that work behind the various special effects. First study the scientific facts, and then see how they are exploited by the gurus of Movie Magic.

Persistence of Vision:

Look at a bright light for a few seconds and then abruptly close your eyes. The image of the light seems to stay in your eyes a little longer even though your eyes are closed.

This phenomenon is termed as Persistence of Vision because the vision seems to persist for a brief moment of time.

When the retinas of the eyes are excited by light, they send impulses to the brain which are then interpreted as an image by the visual cortex in the brain. The cells in the retina continue to send impulses even after the incident light is removed. This continues for a few fractions of a second till the retinal cells return back to normal. Until that time, the brain continues to receive impulses from the retina, and hence seems to perceive an image of the source of light, giving rise to the phenomenon called Persistence of Vision.

Principle of Motion Picture:

The Principle of Motion Picture is totally based on the phenomenon of Persistence of Vision. Without it, motion picture as we know it simply wouldn’t exist. Our eyes can retain a picture for a fraction of a second after seeing one. Before this time frame expires, if another similar picture is shown in its place, the eyes see it as a continuation of the first picture, and don't perceive the gap between the two.

If a series of still pictures depicting progressively incrementing action is flashed before the eyes in rapid succession, the eyes see it as a scene depicting smooth, flowing action. All visual media (Movies, TV, Electronic Displays, Laser Light Shows, etc) exploit this phenomenon.

Thanks to Persistence of Vision, our entertainment industry could make a transition from perpetual live shows like dance and dramas, to recordable entertainment like movies.

What is Motion?

Motion of an object is the continuous displacement of the object in space with reference to another object. In the absence of a reference object, motion ceases to be apparent. What this means is that motion is always measured in relation to another object, which is used as a reference point.  

When we drive, the road & the surroundings move past us. Thus we get the sensation of motion. So the road & surroundings are our reference points. When we fly, the earth beneath us is our reference point. But as you can see, the closer the reference point, the more acute the sense of motion. That's why astronauts in orbit seldom sense speed (though they are moving at thousands of miles an hour ) because earth, their only reference point is quite far away.

OK, but what has this got to do with Special Effects ?! A Sfx technique called Compositing totally relies on the way our mind perceives motion. Compositing is one of the most useful tools in a Sfx technician's bag of tricks. Keep these two in mind; the object, and its reference point(s); both of these are necessary to perceive motion in a scene.

Story Board:

A series of sketches based on the final draft of the script depicting various scenes in the story, which the director, cameraman and the art department use to plan for each scene.

Types of Special Effects:

There is a wide range of effects that is used in the industry. You have front / back projection, compositing, cel animation, computer animation, rotoscoping, stop-motion & go-motion animation, puppetry, pyrotechnics, miniature / model making, matte paintings, makeup effects, stunt effects, sound effects and a host of other effects techniques. The list keeps growing as time goes by. Sometimes older techniques give way to newer and more sophisticated ones. And as stated earlier, Special Effects range from highly sophisticated techniques like visual effects or photo special effects to the mundane effects like special effects make up or even special effects hair dye.

THE ART & SCIENCE OF MOVIE SPECIAL EFFECTS

Almost everyone is fascinated with movie special effects. Be it space adventures, monster movies, super hero flicks or disaster movies, special effects are the highlight of the show. While everyone admires the effects, very few really understand how these visual effects shots are created. If you think its all done using computer animation, you're in for a surprise. Movie special effects is much more than just CGI. Yes, 3D animation does have a big role to play, but it is still only one in a myriad of techniques used to bring magic onto the screen.

Contents at a Glance

Ø   How Special Effects Work

Ø   Compositing Demo

Ø   Learn to create your own Special Effects

Ø   Build your own Home Studio

Ø   New Amazon

How Special Effects Work A Sneak Peek behind the scenes.The first thing you need to understand is that a special effects shot doesn't rely on just one single technique but a host of effects techniques working together to create the illusion. There is a wide range of effects techniques used in the industry. You have front / back projection, compositing, cel animation, clay animation, computer animation, motion control, rotoscoping, stop-motion & go-motion animation, puppetry, pyrotechnics, miniature / model making, matte paintings, makeup effects, stunt effects, sound effects and a host of other effects techniques. The list keeps growing as time goes by, and sometimes older techniques give way to newer and more sophisticated ones.

Below contains the answers to most pertinent questions that deal with the various effects used in movie industries like...

*    What is meant by the term 'Movie Special Effects?

*    What are the various types of movie special effects?

*    Which is the most popular and widely used effects technique?

*    Which is the best way to learn special effects?

*    How does one get into the special effects industry?

There is no particular effect that can be singled out as the most used technique. Every single effects technique has an important role to play in the industry. But the one Fx technique that can come close to being labeled as the 'most widely used' is compositing. Compositing is the technique whereby two shots are superimposed one over the other to form a composite shot. This technique has been used for more than half a century and has survived all technological innovations.

A common example is our everyday weather forecast on TV. The weather map is a separate computer generated shot onto which the announcer is super-imposed, making it look as if he/she is standing in front of a giant TV screen flashing different weather images.

By separating the foreground and the background into distinct layers, we can manage each layer with much more control. In fact this technique gives rise to enormous possibilities in the special effects realm. If a scene has actors in the foreground and some scenery or buildings in the background; the two can be shot separately and then composites together. Now you might wonder why we would want to do that instead of simply shooting them together. You see, if we can separate the two, then we can shoot the actors even inside a studio and then use another real footage for the background. You don't have to transport the actors to the location for the shoot. You can also use pictures or computer generated environments to place your actors in.

Even if the actors are shot on location, a lot of additional detail can be added to the shot using compositing. These days, so much foreground and background details are added to the original shot that it totally transforms the look of the final shot. For instance, actors can be shot in a wilderness setting, but vegetation and lakes or rivers can be digitally added to the scene. It is no longer necessary for location scouts to search high and low for the perfect setting. They just need something vaguely resembling the required background. The rest of the details can always be added using CGI (computer generated imagery) in post production- if the budget can afford it, that is.

Compositing Demo

Of course, movie special effects have evolved over the years to what they are now. Every small step in the evolution process was an important building block towards adding more realism to the shots. The work of the early pioneers in special effects is as important and impressive as the innovations brought about by the latest computerized techniques used in today's movies.

Outstanding artists like Stuart Blackton and Winsor McCay started improvising on animation techniques and thrilled the world with their short animated films back in the early 1900's. In fact "The Sinking of The Lusitania" by McCay is still an amazing animated shot to watch today. Then Earl Hurd invented Cel Animation and took animation to the next level. Some animators, instead of using drawings, used clay models or puppets and photographed them in progressive stages of movement to create their cartoon films. So cel animation and model animation evolved almost simultaneously. This technique was pioneered by Willis O'Brien, who in 1914 made a 1-minute short film about a caveman and a dinosaur, "The Dinousaur and The Missling Link". Ray Harryhausen took off from where O'Brien left and created some of the most memorable stop motion films made by Hollywood.

If you're interested in trying your hand at special effects, there are a number of helpful resources in the form of books, videos and online tutorials. All you need is some dedication and effort on your part to use these materials to hone your skills. You can get started with basic equipment that you might already have at home. To setup a simple home studio where you can both shoot as well as edit your films, all you need is a simple camcorder and a computer. With just these two tools, you can create pretty stunning movies to impress your friends and family. Once you have the know-how, next you would need the necessary equipment to create awesome special effects movies. Just check out this list of tools that you would need in your own home studio. First you would need a good camcorder to shoot your movies with. Many people need help in choosing the right kind of camcorder for their home studio. The following videos give you a few hints to help you get started.

Get a Good Camcorder

Flip Ultra Video Camera - White, 4 GB, 2 Hours (2nd Generation)

This is an excellent camcorder for a novice, or someone who just wants an easy to use camcorder that is small and compact. You personally don't need more than 2 hours recording time and it's wonderful not having to purchase tapes. The price is actually less than many digital cameras. The Flip Ultra can meet your standards for: quality, value, and ease of use.

Aiptek A-HD+ 1080P High Definition Camcorder (Silver)

This camera has great image quality, and was a great buy. But one thing that can be frustrating (before buying) was that you couldn't find much info about the more advanced specs. But luckily, I have done the homework for you and do recommend this model.

Sony DCR-SR47 Hard Disk Drive Handycam Camcorder (Blue)

This camera is a standard class of video, but it excels beyond the class and could even be compared to cameras that cost 100 to 200 dollars more.

Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Flash Memory Camcorder w/15x Optical Zoom

The video quality is superb, as is ease of use. There are two 1920x1080 picture quality modes: MXP at 24 mbps and FXP at 17 mbps -- and three at 1440x1080: XP+, SP and LP, at 12, 7 and 5 mbs, respectively. I believe it defaults to LP out of the box, which is 1440x1080 at 7 mbps. I suggest you select FXP to get true 1920x1080 resolutions. Upping to 24 mbps might be a good idea only if you are going to do a lot of post editing. I can't see an improvement over FXP. Recording times with a 16GB card are 1:25, 2:05, 2:50, 4:45 and 6:05, respectively.

 

Good Lighting Equipment

F.J. Westcott Co. Photo Basics 401 Ulite Digital Lighting Kit

Product Description: This package comes complete with everything you need: Lighting, Green Screen, Educational DVD, Digital Image DVD and free trial of Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 software. The educational DVD covers all aspects of set up, lighting and posing. The included DVD walks you through all aspects of set up, lighting and posing.

Special Effects / Editing Software

Screenblast Movie Studio 3.0

User Review: The Screenblast Movie Studio is very easy to use and I had it doing video clips and transitions 10 minutes after opening the box. Installation was very smooth and the tutorial is quick and good enough to get you started. The manual that comes with the software is pretty good, but the HELP menu in the program itself is pretty much the way to go. Everything is drag-and-drop and making changes could not be any easier. I have used Adobe Premiere, Pinnacle 8, and a few other OEM bundled packages and Sony Screenblaster is so much easier to use and in most circumstances, has better looking transitions and effects.

DIRECTING TERMINOLOGY

Action:

Cut:

Dry-run:

Improvise:

Mime:

Sequence:

T.O.P.: