The research, development and product
As a group we decided to continue our idea of VET-MAN from the Transition Unit and develop it into a final major project. However, together we decided that a mockumentary approach was the wrong way to go, therefore, we opted for a sit-com instead. I decided to continue with my role of Director Of Photography.
To understand what was required of me within my role I researched the role of the DOP and three DOPs (Polly Morgan, Petra Korner and Jamie Cairney), contacting all of them for additional information and advice. This helped me to work out what to prioritise and what was necessary to prepare in the pre production of a project. As well as this, I conducted some research into relevant programmes that would aid me in the development of VET-MAN. I chose programmes that used a similar filming style to my desired handheld, natural method but with different methods of delivering the comedy so that I could establish how appropriate this filming method would be for the production of VET-MAN. I researched The Thick Of It as the programme which had the most similar filming style to my desired style, I then also researched I'm Alan Partridge and Brooklyn Nine Nine which had similar handheld styles yet with slight differences which are outlined in these posts. I then also research Black Mirror (in particular the episode Shut Up and Dance) to look at different cinematography styles and to see how different moods can be evoked through different cinematography methods. Furthermore, I also researched the sit-com as a genre which involved looking into sit-coms such as Big Train and Not Going Out. All of this research combined helped to inform my filming style, what to test in my test shoots, which equipment to use, how to light the production, how to construct the mise-en-scene of the production, colour grading decisions and how this affected the telling of the story of VET-MAN - all of these decisions into the cinematography of VET-MAN and why I made these decisions are displayed in my Director Of Photography statement.
One of my biggest roles as DOP was test shooting so that I could make the appropriate decisions into how VET-MAN should be shot and displayed visually. These test shoots allowed me to narrow down which camera would be most appropriate to use to shoot VET-MAN, how to light the scenes and also gave me some practice at blocking and shooting certain scenes with the director such as the opening scene and the owl punch scene - helping me to solidify my storyboarding and shot list choices and also to see how feasible it is to film the selected scenes in the proposed style.
Another big role of mine as DOP was creating the storyboard and shot list for the production. This helped to lay out all the cinematography decisions for VET-MAN in order to clearly display how the production would be shot.
Overall, I feel the development of the pre-production of VET-MAN was successful. I feel the research I performed lead me to test the correct things in the test shoot and, therefore, make the best decisions into the filming style and which equipment to use to achieve this. The storyboard and shot list clearly lay out how each scene should be filmed which will allows the intended cinematography for VET-MAN to be displayed - these also provide a lot of information into the camera movements, shots and lighting required for each scene, meaning the producer can use this to schedule the shoot days - making the collaborative element of this unit smoother.
Strengths
- Gained first hand insight from two young female DoPs which helped to focus my ideas. The main piece of advice given from both was that the story should be central to all decisions made - this helped me to focus my ideas and keep asking myself how my decisions related back to the story I was trying to tell. From this advice into prioritising the story, I was able to solidify my choice in natural handheld camera style and the realistic yet cinematic look (which would be depicted through the colour grade and aspect ratio) as this reflected the naturalistic, deadpan, dark comedy of VET-MAN.
- Gained insight from the DoP of my main inspiration (The Thick Of It) for the filming style of VET-MAN. This helped to both give me more ideas into the production of VET-MAN and reinforce ideas I already had. Jamie Cairney revealed that the production of The Thick Of It mainly relied on natural or practical lights - and if this failed to provide enough light for the scene, lighting was rigged overhead or through windows to mimic natural or practical lighting in a way that didn't interfere with the filming process. As Cairney revealed that a lot of the action was captured spontaneously without blocking, it was important that lighting equipment would not be captured by the rapid, unpredictable camera movements. Although VET-MAN is slightly more planned and blocked (meaning that the positions of lighting equipment can be such that they do not interfere with the shots), due to using some similar techniques such as quick pans and crash zooms, it is good to limit the amount of equipment that could be accidentally captured in shot to avoid re-takes of scenes and lengthening the production process. This insight into the production of The Thick Of It also proves that a good quality, natural look can be achieved using mainly natural and practical lighting - it does not HAVE to be supplemented by artificial lighting equipment.
- The three test shoots helped to decide equipment would be most appropriate for the production of VET-MAN and how best this equipment would be used to capture the desired shooting style. The first test shoot was very successful and enabled me to narrow down which camera out of the Panasonic DVX200, JVC GY-HM850 and Canon 7D would be best for shooting in a handheld, natural, observational style with crash zooms and panning. I compared the cameras in terms of the quality of footage they produced, the ease of use, the weight of the camera, the features of the camera, the stability of the camera and the scope for the colour grading process - this lead to me picking the Panasonic DVX200 after thoroughly testing all the cameras. This thorough testing has meant that I have chosen the best camera for the production which will enable me to achieve the desired realistic yet cinematic look. The second test shoot enabled me to test the settings of the camera further and also work out how to shoot a complex scene within the production. Working out how to film this scene meant that I could visualise how this action within the script was going to pan out and, therefore, allowed me to storyboard this piece of action better so that I will have a clear idea of how this will be filmed in the actual production. The final test shoot allowed me to test lighting in order to find the best lighting for the shoot - I tested reflectors and LEDs in different locations and lighting situations to work out which sort of lighting would be needed for each scene to maintain the natural look of the production. By performing these in-depth test shoots, I have ensured that the equipment I have chosen is the most appropriate for the production and will help me to achieve the best result.
- I included detail in the storyboard and shot list into how the scenes will be lit and where the natural lighting will be coming from. This helps to give a clearer image of how the scenes will appear visually, not just in terms of how they are shot with the camera movements etc, but how the lighting will affect how the characters appear. Including this detail also helps the producer to schedule which equipment is needed for each scene so that she can ensure this is available to use - ensuring a smoother production.
Weaknesses
- The storyboard and shot list are based on the third draft of the script, meaning that they will need to be developed further before the project can be taken into production. Whilst the storyboard and shot list are sufficient in mapping out the shot types and camera movements within the scene, certain things have changed between the third draft and final draft which means the storyboard and shot list will need to change accordingly. However, the third draft storyboard and shot list still depict the rough storyline of VET-MAN and the camera movements and shot types will remain largely similar which means these versions of the storyboard and shot list still give a clear vision of how the cinematography of VET-MAN will pan out - I could just develop this further by developing the final draft of the script into a shot list and storyboard.
- My chosen cinematography style is quite difficult to achieve as I have chosen to combine two opposing styles - realistic and cinematic - therefore, it may be hard to achieve the right balance. I have chosen to film in a high quality resolution, colour grade using a hollywood standard scheme of teal and orange and crop to an aspect ratio of 21:9 in order to give VET-MAN a cinematic look, yet the main things keeping the essence of realism are the shot types and camera movements - this suggests there may be an imbalance between the two styles and VET-MAN may look more cinematic than realistic but this just means I need to be more aware of my camera movements and ensure these are performed as proposed to keep the realistic style of the production.
- I fell slightly behind schedule with storyboarding, meaning that only one storyboard of the production could be developed. Ideally, I would have liked to complete a storyboard on the final draft of the script but this was also dependent on collaboration with the writer. If I had kept on schedule, I may have been able to compromise my original plan and still develop a storyboard on the fourth draft of the script as well as the third as this would have given an even clearer direction for the cinematography of VET-MAN, however, there was not time to do this. Despite this, my storyboard and shot list of draft three of the script still depict a clear idea of the story, I would have just liked for it to be more refined.
What did I learn?
- From my research into Polly Morgan, I found that all decisions to do with the look and aesthetic of the production must take into consideration the story you are trying to tell. As she said; "all choices come in response to the STORY. What are you trying to say? How are you trying to make the viewer feel? How can you use the tools available to you to achieve that?" - This advice really helped me to put consideration into all the choices I made. I have chosen to shoot in a handheld, observational way BECAUSE this adds to the realistic nature of the production which helps to shift the focus onto the deadpan, satirical humour. I have chosen to use the Panasonic DVX200 BECAUSE the controls of the camera are accessible and the weight of the camera is not too much for the handheld, observatory camerawork. The camera also films in 4K which gives good quality for a cinematic look and gave the most realistic colours / exposure when compared to the other cameras in the initial test shoot. I have chosen to colour grade the project in orange and teal complimentary colours BECAUSE this adds to the cinematic elements of the product but I am using these colours at a reduced intensity to keep the essence of naturalism. I have chosen to crop the product to an aspect ratio of 21:9 BECAUSE this adds to the cinematic essence of the film as this gives a wider field of vision, however, when combined with the realistic camerawork and colourings, this helps to produce the realistic yet cinematic desired look.
- Artificial lighting is sometimes necessary even when creating a natural looking production. Initially, I hadn't planned on using lighting equipment as I wanted the production to have an entirely natural feel, however, after testing lighting in the test shoots, it was apparent that natural results could be achieved using the lights. It was also apparent that natural or practical lighting in some of the locations would not have been sufficient (e.g. the practical lighting within the pub was far too dull, leaving the subject completely cast in shadow) - without performing this lighting test shoot, I would have planned to use natural lighting and, therefore, would have produced a lower quality product. This has shown me the importance of test shooting and not assuming that to produce a natural looking production, everything needs to be natural - additional equipment can be used in clever ways to produce an enhanced yet natural looking result.
What could I develop?
- I need to have better time management so that I can achieve the things I set out to (e.g. developing a further storyboard). If I hadn't fallen behind with the development of the storyboard, I would have been able to develop a further version and, therefore, had an even clearer idea of the cinematography involved in VET-MAN which would have ensured for an even smoother production process. However, due to falling behind schedule, the only existing storyboard for VET-MAN is based on version three of the script. I will now develop a storyboard and shot-list based on the final version of the script to ensure VET-MAN can go straight into production.
Sunday 9 December 2018
Wednesday 5 December 2018
PRE-PRODUCTION UNIT: Director Of Photography Statement
As the director of photography for VET-MAN, I am in charge of the overall look and aesthetic of the production. My responsibilities include; determining the shooting style, deciding which equipment would best fulfil this style, working out how the locations will affect the use of the equipment, how I wish to colour grade the footage to achieve the desired look within the chosen filming style as well as providing the shot lists and storyboards for the production.
The Shooting Style
Having researched the shooting style of various different situation comedies, both English and American, I have decided on a natural yet cinematic observational handheld style, characterised by lengthy sequences without cuts and using crash zooms to emphasise key points within the narrative. Even though shooting handheld has been an option since the invention of cameras, "the use of hand-held camera as an intentional aesthetic choice developed during the cinéma vérité style of the 60’s French New Wave movement ... Since then, the technique has been used to heighten tension and give realism to countless films and television programs." [Walsh, 2012]I have decided this would be most appropriate for VET-MAN as the realism of the piece greatly impacts the comedic effect of the dialogue. As Polly Morgan, a young female director of photographer in charge of the cinematography for Call The Midwife and American Horror Story, said; "all choices come in response to the story. What are you trying to say? How are you trying to make the viewer feel? How can you use the tools available to you to achieve that?" [Morgan, 2018] By shooting in an observational handheld manner, VET-MAN is given an almost documentary-style feel, making the audience believe this ludicrous situation of a failed vet taking his career into his own hands could actually happen in reality. Therefore, the use of crash zooms to emphasise certain actions and reactions is integral to the piece as it heightens the comedic value whilst maintaining the deadpan, macabre tone that is instilled throughout via the dialogue and actions of the characters and the observational shooting style. As it has been noted' "the zoom forces our attention on a particular area of the frame" [McGregor, 2017], showing how the technique of zooming is effective in ensuring the audience recognise the comedic elements within the scene as these will be highlighted to them through the use of zooms.
This technique can be observed in sit-coms such as The Thick Of It and Brooklyn Nine Nine (the former being an English sit-com and the latter being an American sit-com - showing that this technique can be carried across different styles of sit-com and still prove to be effective).
In The Thick Of It, the zoom is used to emphasise Malcolm being unimpressed and annoyed. Even though the starting shot was already a medium close up, meaning that the facial expression is clear to the audience, zooming in to a close up accentuates this emotion further as the audience is being physically drawn in. This also makes it very clear to the audience which part of the frame should be receiving their focus.
Whilst Brooklyn Nine Nine does use the same technique of crash zooming within the shot to emphasise certain aspects and emotions - a similar cinematic technique is also used where a slight jump cut is used to transition from a medium shot to a close up shot to achieve the same effect as the zoom shot of emphasising the emotion.
I will be using a mixture of these two techniques in VET-MAN to emphasise the characters' actions and reactions.
This technique can be observed in VET-MAN where blood splatters on Tim's face as he carries out a failed operation. The zoom from a medium shot to a medium close up will help to focus the audience's attention on the blood splatter.
Another use of the zoom technique that I will be utilising is using the zoom as a reveal. This can be observed in sit-coms such as Alan Partridge - an English sit-com. This proves effective in building anticipation among the audience as they are being prevented from viewing the full picture which builds suspense and excitement for what is to come.
As shown in my research, this technique is used regularly in Alan Partridge but is especially effective in the ending scene of 'Watership Alan' where it is presumed Alan is sitting on a chair and drinking a beer, whereas, he is actually shown (through a zooming out shot) to be sat up in a stretcher as someone else pours the pint into his mouth - adding to the shock factor and, therefore, heightening the comedy of the situation within the scene.
My use of this technique will be seen in shots such as when Tim and Luke appear from behind the owl enclosures to continue their scheme. At the beginning of the shot the audience are left with the question of why the owl is acting in such an irrational way with Molly, however, once the camera zooms out to reveal the entrance of Tim and Luke, the audience soon realise their interference has something to do with it.
The action-heavy scenes will be comprised of a larger variety of shots than the dialogue scenes to aid the pacing of the production. During dialogue scenes, the majority of the comedy is being delivered through the characters' dialogue and their reactions to the dialogue - this can be captured through mainly medium and medium-closeup shots as this will ensure the characters' expressions are clearly visible to the audience. Action-heavy scenes require more shots in quicker succession to increase the pacing and enhance the excitement for the audience. This faster pacing also builds up the tension and anticipation so that when the comedy is delivered, it has the maximum impact on the audience.
This technique can be observed in the three aforementioned sit-coms and can be observed in VET-MAN in scenes such as when Tim punches the owl out of the air. As storyboarded and tested in test shoot 2, in the seconds in which the owl flies towards Tim and he punches it, 4 different shots are used (a medium-closeup zooming in to a closeup of Tim's face to show his reaction, a medium shot to show the owl flying towards him from the side, and over the shoulder medium-closeup to show the owl flying towards Tim and a medium-closeup zooming in to a closeup of Tim as he punches the owl out of the air). Together, this allows a vast amount of coverage of the scene whilst also speeding up the pace to reflect the frantic nature of the character's actions.
As well as zooms, in VET-MAN I will include camera movements such as tracking and panning. This works to follow the characters through the scenes without cutting to different angles to observe this action.
This technique is especially prevalent in The Thick Of It where it is used to follow the characters through the scenes, making as little cuts as possible. This helps to transport the audience along with the action so that they are experiencing everything along with the character. On top of this, the minimal cutting allows for a more observational, natural, realistic feel which will aid the cinematic yet realistic style of VET-MAN.
Colour and Tone
The colouring of a production helps to connote a lot about the story. Having researched colour theory, I found that there are five common film colour schemes. The first being a complementary colour scheme which entails using two colours on opposite sides of the colour wheel to form a complimentary pair. The second is an analogous colour scheme where colours that sit next to each other on the colour wheel are chosen to form the colour scheme of the film and is usually used to create harmony in a colour palette. The third technique is a triadic colour scheme which takes three colours spaced evenly around the colour wheel and one is usually most dominant whilst the others are used for accent. The penultimate colour scheme is a split-complimentary colour scheme which is similar to the complimentary colour scheme but uses the two colours next to the opposite complimentary colour instead. Finally, the last colour scheme is the tetradic colour scheme which consists of four colour made up of two complimentary pairs, however, one pairing is more dominant. When deciding on the colour scheme for VET-MAN, I had to decide which scheme would suit the tone and story of the production best.
For VET-MAN I am using a complimentary colour scheme in order to tie in with the natural yet cinematic look that I am hoping to achieve, particularly focusing on the orange and teal colours. This colour scheme is often used in cinema because "if you take two complementary colours and put them next to each other, they will 'pop'", [Hoad, 2010] enhancing the visual quality of the production by highlighting the contrast between these colours. I will be taking inspiration from Polly Morgan's colour palette in Call The Midwife as she refers to her personal style as "cinematic naturalism" [Morgan, 2018] and this is very similar to the desired realistic yet cinematic look for VET-MAN.
Therefore, I have borrowed elements from the colour grading of The Thick Of It as this uses grading to create a completely natural look. The skin tones are peach with a slight grey undertone to reflect the office lighting. The walls are a grey / cream colour and the shadows are a dull dark blue or brown. All together this creates a natural, realistic look.
In VET-MAN I am taking inspiration from the orange and teal colour grading of Polly Morgan to create a cinematic look but I will be combining it with desaturated undertones such as those used by Jamie Cairney in The Thick Of It to bring the natural, realistic feel to the production.
This can be seen in the colour grading of my test shoots. As displayed above, in VET-MAN I will enhance the orange and teal colours in order to make the production 'pop' in a cinematic way, however, I will introduce desaturated undertones to the skin and environment to ensure the realistic tone is not lost.
Lighting
The lighting of the production also contributes to the entire look and aesthetic. Due to the desired realistic feel of the production, I didn't want to use artificial lighting as I feel this is usually detectable. However, after test shooting both interior and exterior scenes, I thought of a compromise which introduced equipment to help light the production whilst still retaining the natural quality.
I wanted to emulate lighting that can be observed in sit-coms such as Big Train. The lighting is very natural in order to convey a realistic and observational feel.
It is evident that lighting equipment is required for scenes such as this because the window behind the character would naturally silhouette his face, however, his face is still clear and visible to the audience. It is possible to achieve such a look using either a light or a reflector as a light would provide additional lighting to the scene to compensate for the natural light coming from behind, whilst a reflector would bounce the natural light back into the scene.
Prior to figuring out which lighting equipment I would need, I had to work out how each location was affected by the natural light.
I created maps of each location to display where North, East, South and West were so that I could determine how the light would affect the locations. As each location proved to receive a lot of natural light during the day (as light was able to reach the locations from the South / East directions) I am using an Interfit Reflector to light daytime scenes (both interior and exterior) as this reflects natural light back onto the characters' faces in a way which looks natural and enhances the quality of the images.
The lighting test shoots help to demonstrate how the same subject and location is affected by different lighting equipment. As shown above, the best result was given by the reflector as this illuminates the subject naturally using the natural light entering the location from the north-west facing window. All locations shot in daylight have been mapped to highlight how the sun will affect the location so that a runner with the reflector can move according to where the scene takes place and how the sun enters and moves through the location.
For night shoots, artificial lighting is essential due to the dim natural lighting conditions. As I found in the test shoots, two aputure LED lights (one on a high setting and the other on a medium setting) both set to a warm colour temperature work best to emulate the warmth of street lighting which adds to the natural look of the entire production. Practical lighting will also be used in the night locations (either street lighting or interior room lights) to aid the realistic feel of the production as this lighting would be present in real life. The effect of using a combination of practical lighting and artificial lighting can be seen through the lighting test shoots.
Aspect Ratio
Aspect ratio plays a big part in setting the tone of VET-MAN. As the desired tone is cinematic yet realistic, I conducted some research into cinematic aspect ratios. I narrowed my options down to 16:9 (a common aspect ratio for widescreen HD TV) and 21:9 (a common aspect ratio for cinema). In VET-MAN both aspect ratios will be used, however, the 16:9 aspect ratio is only used for the first shot before Tim steps into the scene. Once Tim has stepped in, the production is letterboxed to form a 21:9 aspect ratio.
This wider field of views helps to "emulate a perspective that [is] in many ways closer to what the human eye perceives." [Kroll, 2014] In cinema this is done through anamorphic lenses which stretch the image vertically so that when it is projected back, it is pushed down to a wider aspect ratio. Giving VET-MAN a 'cinemascope' look adds to the cinematic yet realistic tone - the colour grading and shooting style help to convey the realism of the piece, whilst letterboxing the production to a 21:9 aspect ratio adds to the cinematic feel as it imitates a wider field of vision.
Frame Rate and Quality
I will be shooting VET-MAN in 4K with a frame rate of 24 using the Panasonic DVX200. The reason for this is that 4K allows for a better-quality image despite whether the production is shown on a 4K capable screen on HD capable screen. This is because when the image is shrunk down for a lower resolution screen, the noise within the image reduces and the image becomes sharpers, making it appear better quality. This also future proofs VET-MAN for if it is shown on a 4K-ready screen. The noise reduction is also a good tool as VET-MAN includes scenes shot at night which will require using increased gain which is usually accompanied by noise - however, shooting 4K with this camera will prevent this.
As well as shooting in 4K, filming in 24 FPS will help add to the cinematic look of VET-MAN as "the vast majority of films and movies are shot at 24 FPS" as this "closely [resembles] the 'frame rate' your eyes see in". [Coburn, 2018] Combined with the natural and observational shooting style, this will help to create the realistic cinematic look I envisaged for VET-MAN.
Saturday 1 December 2018
PRE-PRODUCTION UNIT: Shot List
To accompany the storyboard, I created a shot list to detail each shot that will make up the production of VET-MAN. This gives an objective list of all the shot types, framing, movement and description of the contents of the shot. On top of this, I have included how each scene is lit. This is so that all members of the crew know what is required for each scene so that the production can run as smoothly as possible. The producer will use the shot list to schedule which actors and equipment are used for the production of each scene.
The shot list was created on the third draft of the script and will be developed further based on the final draft of the script. This draft was developed enough so that the outline of the story will remain the same and therefore the shooting of each scene should remain fairly similar - it is just the contents of the scene which may change. This may mean a slight difference in shot types used as certain bits of the scene may get cut which may mean certain camera movements such as crash zooms may not be necessary to capture them - the shot list will be adapted to take into account the changes in the final draft.
The director has told me that the scenes will remain in the same order and take place at the same time of day as planned - this means the only things that will change are the number of shots within the scenes, what they capture and how they are captured. The information to headline each scene will remain the same.
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