Videography

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Visual References for Rounders Scene

For my scene assignment I am recreating the scene from the movie rounders where Matt Damon takes on Johnnie Chan in a hand of poker.

In my version of the scene I am really looking to crush the depth of field and play with two different colors of gels.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Scene Analysis: Punch Drunk Love

Punch Drunk Love
Directed: Paul Thomas Anderson
Cinematographer: Robert Elswit
Starring: Adam Sandler

Barry Egan is a socially challenged plunger salesman. He has seven sisters who harass him, and drive him into sudden fits of violence. The film follows Barry as he falls in love and breaks out of his lonesome, and sheltered life.

In one of the opening scenes in the film Barry is spooked by a mysterious harmonium, an instrument much like a piano, that someone dropped at the end of the street. He is intrigued by the instrument, but usually shies away from uncertainty. Barry is comfortable in the warehouse where he works. It is familiar, and an escape from the outside world. In this scene he ventures outdoors to collect the harmonium, a journey that is frightful, and dramatic. Then in the safety of his office he is able to examine his prize and we begin to see a new side of Barry as he opens up.

Scene Analysis:

Barry ducks away in the safety of his warehouse. He is almost completely in shadows, his character is hidden from the audience. This makes him mysterious and curious. It is also how Barry prefers it, out of the spot light, by himself. The outdoors, which takes up the majority of the screen, is extremely bright by contrast. This amplifies Barry's reluctance to to venture out.

Barry's first steps outside. He remains mostly hidden, safe from the uncertain outdoors, as he looks out at the harmonium. The extremely shallow depth of field separates him from the surroundings. The soft morning light is high key and reveling. This close up puts the focus on his eyes and the emotion of the moment.

This wide shot serves as a reveal. We see the less than luxurious warehouse complex where he works. We see that he is somewhere in the western united states by the landscape. We see pieces of a car from a violent accident that happened earlier that morning, which scared Barry further into recluse. We also see that he has stepped outside of the gate to his warehouse, further into the world, further away from safety. The wide shot also makes Barry small in a big world, and adds to the mystery of the strange object in in a strange place.

As a huge 18 wheeler flies by in front of Barry, kicking up dust, Barry grabs the harmonium and makes a dash for safety. The quick cuts in the sequence add to the frantic situation. This wide shot shows the relative size of Barry and the huge truck. It makes him look insignificant, and small in the world around him. The dust clouds our view of him and shows the chaos of the outside world that he is caught up in. Instead of following Barry as he runs to the office we take a distant perspective, safe from the uproar. The audience doesn't feel threatened, we just watch our frantic main character.

Safe in his dark office Barry inspects his prize. His face is again cast in shadows. He is hidden, the way he likes it. The key light is at his back, he is sheltered from the sun and the chaotic outdoors.

This shot is almost completely dark. Barry's face is hidden. He feels safe and is free to play with his new instrument. It is a low angle, giving Barry a building confidence as he breaks his usual routine and explores something foreign. We slowly zoom into his face, penetrating this personal moment.

As he continues to make music his face becomes illuminated by soft warm light. The shallow depth of field tells the audience to look right into his eyes. Intimacy. The moment gives Barry confidence and briefly takes him out of the sheltered and fearful life he lives. Light represents knowledge, happiness, and all good things.

However, he can only handle a little at a time. His partner flings open a garage door, flooding the warehouse with light. He is illuminated with low key blue light from outside. Barry's moment of comfort and confidence is broken. Although Barry has begun his character's transition, it will be a long slow process.

Cinematographer Robert Elswit uses a shallow depth of field, contrasts between high and low exposure, contrasts between types of light, and both wide and close up shots to exaggerate the drama of the scene.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Portrait of a Place

The Clearing from UA, Telecommunication and Film on Vimeo.

This short film is a portrait of a place. It depicts an area that was once heavily wooded but is now a muddy clearing, a scarred landscape before development. The film juxtaposes this barren area with the surrounding nature. Directed by Adam Booher. Director of Photography Mathew Richards.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

JVC vs. SONY

Both the JVC HD and the SONY HDV cameras are stellar pieces of equipment and I am happy to use both of them. Both cameras have excellent picture quality, and great usability.

I prefer to use the JVCs for one reason. I would rather shoot to an SD card. SONYs write to mini dv tapes and require you to capture the footage to the computer. This is a hassle and I would much rather skip the step. Also, I recently shot with the Sony to a HDV tape and had a lot of trouble capturing it. There is only one HD dock in the downstairs lab and no docks at the library. This makes capturing your footage kind of a pain in the butt. I would much rather be able to drag and drop the files to save them. Also, the DV tapes hold something around 55 minutes of footage, which is far less than some SD cards are capable of holding. The JVC can hold two SD cards and when one fills up, it will automatically switch to recording on the second one. This allows you tape continuously which is advantageous for documentary filming.

My experience with shooting with both cameras is largely the same. They are both well designed, easy to use, and handle. The JVC is smaller, which is worth noting. It is lighter, easier to handle, carry, and is not as intimidating to point at someone.

Overall, both cameras are easy to use, however, I prefer to use the JVC because it is more compact, and it writes to an SD card.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

my VISUAL style

I am relatively new to film, but I have been thinking visually for a while. I have a background in photojournalism, nature and wildlife photography, as well as in graphic design and graphic art. This is a collection of images that inspire me, move me, or just look real good.

I have always been interested in decay. These images of deteriorating Detroit are hauntingly beautiful. They depict places that were once thriving and full of life. Now they are deserted, falling apart, and begging to tell a story. Over time, these places have gained character, interest, and intrigue.

I am also inspired by nature and wildlife photography. We live on a crazy planet, with crazy creatures. This goofy looking guy lives in of world of razor sharp rocks. Wild. This image is also evidence of the photographers commitment to getting a shot, a patience and determination that excites my inner adventurer.

As a designer I am also obsessed with typography. Type faces communicate beyond the words. It gives copy a personality, tells the viewer how to read something, and can be a lot of fun.

My favorite photojournalist is Brent Stirton who is known to use studio lighting in the field. This non traditional method makes this image of a New Guinean tribesman incredibly powerful. It helps to highlight the juxtaposition of a traditional culture and the impact of the west.

I am coming from a wide variety of visual backgrounds. Through the New College I am attempting to combined all of these interests into a major. I have an eye for anything different. Anything that I am not use to seeing, or that makes me look twice. I enjoy images that explore the colorful differences in culture around the world, as well as the breadth of biological diversity on this planet. I see character, and a story in decay, and I love a really well designed gig poster.