Film Tutorials

Crash zoom

A tutorial to effectively create the crash zoom effect. I am keen to use this camera movement for a cartoonish, comical effect. It works well in action scenes to heighten the drama and intensity. I think the zoom would be ideal to use when the characters do a stare off to build anticipation.

The tutorial explains how to do the crash zoom by editing in Premiere Pro, which is the software that I will use for the project. It involves creating a zoom by using a wide/medium shot and a close up/extreme close up shot, finished off with a motion blur effect to complete the stylistic zoom.

Blocking and staging

Roger Deakins, a cinematographer that I researched into for my contextual research, explains his thought process behind his work when using elements of blocking, staging and composition. The video will help to better my understanding on filmmaking so I can apply it to my own projects and create a visually impressive and well-thought out scene. I am interested in using blocking and staging for continuity, following characters' movements and utilising set space.

Anamorphic lens

Anamorphic lenses are expensive and is not realistic to use as a part of a low-budget, short film. Therefore, I will look into tutorials on how to create the effect of an anamorphic lens without using one. In research, I gathered information on the visual style the anamorphic lens creates. It gives the look of a lens flare, an oval bokeh, a soft and dreamy look on the edges of the frame and shoots a wide field of view.

Tim Olsen's video shows a tutorial of how to achieve the anamorphic lens look in a quick and simple DIY. Cardboard, a cutting knife and string is all that is needed to achieve the look. Cutting a piece of cardboard that is the same shape as the lens on your camera, drawing an oval shape at the centre of the cardboard and cutting it out, then attaching a string to the centre of the oval to create a lens flare. This simple DIY is a great way to achieve the aesthetic look of an anamorphic lens on a budget.

Anamorphic on a Budget shows how visual elements that an anamorphic lens produces can be achieved in post-production, without the need of an anamorphic lens. The tutorial shows how to create distortion, flares, an oval bokeh and how to change the aspect ratio.

Lighting

Philip Broom describes types of lighting and how to achieve the look of each lighting, displaying its effect by using a mannequin. As shown in the thumbnail, backlighting with atmosphere spray creates an aesthetically pleasing image and I would be interested in using this combination for my film for a dreamy look.

Matt Guajardo shows how to create a cyberpunk/neon look by colour correcting your image and taking advantage of the RGB curves. This will be an ideal way to achieve the look of neon lighting in post-production without the need of RGB lighting. White, artificial lighting and natural lighting is the most easiest type of light to get a hold of. I have had a look at RGB LED lighting and it could cost around £60 so looking for alternative ways to achieve a neon look will mean that I only need to spend little to none. As shown in the tutorial video, the creator starts off with white, artificial lighting and turns it into a cyberpunk image.

RGB lighting can also be achieved by using transparent colour gel sheets for around £5 and camera filters for around £10.

DSLRguide demonstrates how to achieve the noir aesthetic on a budget. Showing lighting setups, costumes, set designs and motivated light. The tutorial gives me an idea on how to achieve the noir look without the need to spend much.

Film Riot explains how to capture stylistic noir shots and tells the history of film noir. The first shot uses a Dutch angle, a backlight and smoke to create an aesthetically pleasing shot. The second shot is the common light from the blind shot, positioning a DIY blind in front of the character with a backlight and side light. Other shots include motivated light and an office setting, and shows how to achieve the shots.

Rob Ellis lighting tutorials

His channel has many tutorials on how to make cinematic lighting. I have chosen four videos of his that I have looked at, which I think will help in film production to create aesthetically pleasing and professional lighting. In my previous project, Desolate Space, a trailer for a horror game, I learnt how important lighting is when it is done right. The horror project is definitely my best one yet because I used professional lighting and arranged it in a way to produce a stylistic shot. See image for an example of the lighting that was used in the trailer.

Side lighting in the Desolate Space trailer, dark background achieved by using a black screen.

Costumes

Explains how costume designers decide on what the character wears. It is important to understand the character, get inside their head, read the screenplay to understand what costume will perfectly describe the character. Research is important to understand historical and cultural references. The costume tells its own story and can reflect the character's emotion, journey and persona.

Set design

Set design can affect mood, it can reflect the character's emotion so we understand what they are feeling, it can tell a lot about a character. It can also display the themes of the film and it tells a story. The set design must fit within the concept of the film and transport you to a different world.

Dance scene

Choreographers break down the Pulp Fiction dance sequence by explaining the context behind it, historical and cultural references, meaning behind the facial expressions and body language, hidden messages and reasons for choosing the choreography. The video shows similarities between Pulp Fiction's dance scene and other dance scenes that Tarantino was influenced by them, such as the 1964 Band of Outsiders film. Vanity Fair states that "Tarantino steals from every film he watches, but he makes it his own."

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