Compression

Some digital files can be very large; it can be useful or necessary to compress them for ease of storage or delivery. However, while compression can help save space it can also slow down or delay the opening of the file. 

when we are in editing mode on a video through any software, the final video must be exported so that it can be viewed through different software, if you fail to compress your video in the correct format then it may fail to play on certain types of players, for example, apple does not allow flash files to run on their iOS operating systems, so choosing the format you compress into is very important. 

There are 8 file formats, there are;

H.264, JPEG, TIFF, MPEG2/4, FLV, GIFF, Microsoft AVI and Quick Time

Importance when compressing

Firstly we need to know that there are two main formats when it comes to compressing, and these are File format and Video format. 

File format is the main decision maker which decides what type of player will be able to understand and play your video file. 

The video format decides the type of player that will be able to understand and play your video file and the quality of your video. 

We need to know this because we need to understand that there is no one format that works on everything, 

flash works on most browsers but not on iPhone or iPad, this basically tells us that before compressing a video we need to know the platform it is going to be played on so we can chose the appropriate file/video format (video codec).

Monatge

Montage is a form of editing in which a series of short shots are edited into a sequence for it to make sense. It was introduced to the industry by Eisenstein and it was first used as a synonym for creative editing.

Metric Montage

Metric montage is taking frames from a number of shots which are put together to tell a story. Metric can be used to shorten the lengths of different shots and then you keep on using that shot to create emotion. This technique is used to manipulate time taken for a scene because of the fast paced action. 

Below is an example of metric montage;

Rhythmic Montage

Rhythmic Montage focuses on movement within the frame of a shot, which creates a rhythm rather than manipulating the length of the frame which is done using the metric montage effects. Audio also plays a part with rhythmic montage. 

Below is an example of rhythmic montage;

Tonal Montage

Tonal montage is shots that are collected to create a mood as the film is being viewed. Tonal is the opposite of metric because it doesn't use short length clips that can create a sense of emotion;

Below is an example of Tonal Montage;

Over tonal Montage

Over tonal Montage brings together the montages above this, metric, tonal and rhythmic. It uses them to create a mood for the film. 

Below is an example of over tonal montage;

Intellectual Montage

Intellectual Montage uses the juxtaposition of more than one shot to create an intellectual meaning. What this means is the viewer will be able to understand what is going on the film without being told anything.

Below is an example of Intellectual Montage;

Below is 2 clips I had created of Montages, I hope you are able to understand what they portray;

Continuity Editing

In today’s lab we spoke about continuity editing, in a nut shell that basically means continuous editing, it has to tell a story.

A constructed scene where everything flows in a consistent, smooth manner.

Creating a Mental Map.

A mental map helps the viewer make sense of where things are, where they are going, or where they are supposed to be.

Continuity editing relies upon screen direction, position, and temporal relations from different shots.

Types of continuity Editing

Graphic Continuity - when two successive shots are joined to create a strong similarity of compositional elements

Rhythmic Continuity - Use rhythm to cut, used in music videos, in clubs etc. Factors include beat, accent and tempo.

Spacial Continuity - When the film maker connects any two points in space through similarity, difference or development or even divide the whole space into component parts to make up the scene.

Temporal Continuity - is about making sure that people and things don't jump around in time.

Today we had also watched clips from V for Vendetta to look at and identify continuity editing.

Below is my edited version of Payback.

ScreenPlays

With regards to screen plays, we had to create a short screen play draft that we had to bring into class.

We had to read out or screen plays, or if we could not, then Rakesh would read it for us. We had to listen to each screen play and give feedback to the person who wrote it.

We also watched one minute clips of other peoples work as a class.

In today’s lab session we took turns reading out our screen plays and giving feedback on each one, I feel this was helpful as it is a way for us to improve our work so we can achieve higher grades when it comes to producing the screen play.

Below is my script;

Story Board

in today lab session we read through a script taking it turn by turn, students got to read different parts of the script, I feel we did this exercise because it helps us understand what the different parts of the script are, I had learnt something new because I am used to reading some ones speech with speech marks, but in this script there were none so this was new to me.

we also focused on analysing the script as well we trying to work out what type of camera angles were used, this was also a good exercise as it helped us to get a better idea of what type of angles are good for certain scenes. I learnt a lot as I thought I knew good shots for some scene, but my teacher Rakesh was able to tell me other wise and show me better ways to make a scene look better.

We also had the chance to make our own story boards and watch the clip that related to the script we were reading, this was helpful because it showed us how close we were to knowing what the actual camera shots were, below is a picture of my rough story board and the script we read in class.

Sound Production

This lab was quiet interesting because Rakesh showed us about frequency and he played a clip in which different frequency is shown, some students weren't able to hear the last few frequency that other students could hear.

When working with sounds you would need to know about frequency. People can hear sounds with in certain frequency levels, from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, (H = hertz). A key factor in hearing sounds is your age, for example during our lab; Rakesh was the first to stop hearing the sounds.

When recording sound would be recorded using a Mic, there are many different microphones you can use to record sound.

One of the best mics to use is an Omnidirectional Mic, this mic is able to record sounds from all different directions around the Mic.

This image below is of an omnidirectional mic

There are also many other mics that can be used such as a Stereo Mic, a Cardioid mic, Mini Cardioid Mic etc.

Omnidirectional Mic

• Omni pattern provides maximum ambient pickup. Frequency response: 20 - 18,000 Hz.
• Operates on battery or phantom power.
• Ideal for group vocals, strings, acoustic guitar and piano.

Stereo Mic

• Provides the spacial impact and realism of a live sound field.
• Frequency response: 30 - 20,000 Hz.
• Battery operation only.
• Ideal for TV, DAT (digital audio tape) and Radio recording.

Cardiod Mic

• Sound is similar to expensive studio microphones.
• Low-mass diaphragm ensures minimum sound distortion.
• Frequency response: 30 - 20,000 Hz.
• Operates on battery and phantom power.
• Ideal for close-up vocal, overheads, piano and strings.

Mini Cardoid Mic ((Lavalier Mic)

• Frequency response: 40 - 20,000 Hz.
•  Operates on battery and phantom power.
• Mic is attached to a power and transmitter module.
• Provides crisp, full sounding voice and instrument pickup.

Unidirectional Mic (Shotgun)

• Two range settings: “Normal” for close up and medium distance recording; “Tele” for long distance pickup.
• Frequency response: 70 - 18,000 Hz.
• Designed especially for voice recording with video cameras.

Lighting

During this lab session we had gone onto learn about lighting. We had the opportunity

To go into the green screen room and play around with some lighting effects to get a much deeper understanding of what we were doing.

We had learnt a lot about colour temperature, as when you want to take a picture it is important to get the colour temperature correct, this is because it is a way to make the image look exactly the same way as you would see something with your eyes, thus making it more realistic.

Colour temperature is measured in Kelvins (K) and the Kelvin spectrum ranges from 1,000K - 10,000K. This image below shows exactly what the scale looks like.

There are 3 rules we need to follow when thinking about lighting;

1. Set the camera up for the appropriate colour temperature if you want your picture to look normal.

2. You can setup your camera at a higher or lower colour temperature if you want a particular cinematographic effect or you are shooting day for night.

3. You can mix colour temperatures for creative effects.

White balance

White balance is a settings change within the camera to ensure that the white colour you see is still there in the final imaged. This is because camera does not see the way our eyes do.