Giff's Jargon

University blog.

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Beautiful view on the walk home from radio yesterday evening with @k.cirne 🧡 #colchester #colchestercity #nofilterneeded https://www.instagram.com/p/CdxcOvtoZga/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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On the 18th August 2021, I downloaded a game that was on offer and I had expected to be overly underwhelmed by, however, on this day, I bought this game and, unbeknownst to me, I bought a game that would go on to mean the world to me. A game that still gives me butterflies and gets my heart excited every time I hear anything that reminds me of my adventure in Revachol. I cannot remember the last time I had discovered a game that makes me feel this way. The artwork, the award-winning soundtrack thanks to one of my new favourite artists Sea Power, a game that made me cry, laugh, feel insulted, but also one I felt I could relate to and immerse myself in, completely forgetting the outside world existed. Non-gamers are probably like WTF NERD, but if you’re a gamer, then you know what I am saying. I wish I could experience this game fresh all over again, but for now I lay in hopes of an even more beautiful sequel. #discoelysium #playstation4 #revachol #tequilasunset #cuno #kimkitsuragi #harrierdubois #klaasjeamandou #oranje #disco #vivalarevolucion #joycemessier #whirlinginrags #cryptozoologist #callmemanana #evrartclaire #measurehead #za/um #zaum https://www.instagram.com/p/CdsZrzhIHNl/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Little sketch I did ;

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Showreel Georgie Smoke Mirrors

Here is a little video I have put together of shots and short clips from the shoot I wan involved on for my University project. Music is Pendulum - Tarantula...

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Smoke and Mirrors

A short crime drama made for a University project. I was the Camera Operator. Excuse the boom.

Link to finished production.

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Here you can see a selection of stills taken from shooting day allowing you to get a sense of what went on behind the scenes throughout the day. There is also evidence of me as the Camera Operator for this shoot.

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Shoot Day

On Tuesday, May 2nd, me and my university filming team made our way to ‘La Tour Cycle Cafe’ in Ipswich for our filming day. We were picked up by our tutors from Colchester Town at about 8:30am and made our way to Ipswich. We had discussed as a team which camera and other equipment we would need for the day. These included the Canon C100, (Chosen because it was what I was most used to and had been gaining experience with.) a boom mic, for sound and a black magic video assist screen so that the cinematographer and director could have their own screen to view whilst filming was taking place. This was particularly useful during shots where I had to position my body in awkward ways to get the desired shots. From this filming day process, I have learnt that Camera Operators need to have stamina for long shoot days as they have to hold the camera for extended periods of time and it also helps to be flexible so that the more complex and creative shots can be achieved with more ease. I have also learnt that the camera operator must have a positive attitude towards the director and cinematographer and listen to what they want the camera operator to achieve. The camera operator must be good at listening to instructions and doing as they are told, therefore discipline is another good skill for a camera operator to have. I feel like on the day I was professional and did what I was asked of. I made sure my creative ideas were heard to other members of the crew, whether or not they agreed with my suggestions or not. I have also learnt that, if team members disagree, the best solution is to stay calm, collected, focused and not argue, as this is not good for team morale and could affect future careers for all involved in the confrontational dispute. Although during the day a couple of our team members had an argument and filming was put on hold towards the end of the long day, I feel I stayed professional and was ready to continue filming as soon as possible. I introduced myself to the actors to set them at ease and show that I was friendly and grateful for them to be with us on the day. Once filming was complete, we all got together and had our photograph taken and the director thanked us all for our hard work and understanding during the stressful times. Overall, I absolutely enjoyed this filming day, specifically as I feel we all pulled together as a team when it came down to it on the day of production. I am not only proud of myself, but of the whole crew. 

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Shot and Lighting Reccee

After receiving the script for the film we were making and finishing my shot list, it was time to travel to our chosen location in Ipswich for a shot and lighting reccee. 

On the morning of Tuesday 25th April, around 09:00am, me, Joe, Aaron, Henry, Bronte and our tutors took the college bus up to the La Tour Cycle Cafe in Ipswich as they had some rooms free for us which were perfect to use as our crime scene for our film. We had a look around the room and recorded some shots with the Canon C100 and a black magic box that the user can connect to the camera being used for recording, as another screen. This is useful for the director and cinematographer to be able to view what the camera is picking up as the camera operator films, so that they are not all leaning over the camera trying to see the viewing screen whilst filming is going on, as this can be frustrating for all involved. Once I have hold of the pictures and film clips taken from the shoot and the location reccee, I shall be uploading them to this blog. 

In the afternoon, me, Aaron, Bronte and Henry went back to our university class to go through Bronte’s shot-list as her one would be the one we would use as she was the cinematographer. However, I will keep my shot list as proof of the background work I have done for this film. We also spoke about props and costumes that would be needed for our production. Unfortunately our prop designer was absent for this, so it was harder to organise than it should have been. Despite this, we worked together to distribute who could supply which props and which specific props and costumes we would like to have. Props included: Knives; Chair; Quarters; Rope; Camera. Costumes included a white shirt and latex gloves.

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Here is evidence of an audio clip I did as I worked through the script and which shots I had anticipated to use. I have recorded as an audio file and linked to screenshots of the script I was given to help reach the word count of my University assignment. 

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Other inspirations

I have also been watching several other films and television shows that I feel offer the same kind of style that could influence my filmmaking in the upcoming production. 

Ghost In The Shell (R.Sanders, 2017) - There were several scenes in this movie that I feel were similar in lighting and shot types to Only God Forgive and Drive especially during one scene when Major, the main protagonist, makes her way to a nightclub to track down a hacker, however her and her team end up being caught in a trap at the nightclub.

Pic from: http://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2082776/pictures-live-action-ghost-shell-movie-turns-hong-kong-futuristic

Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) - CSI is a forensics crime drama television series that premiered on CBS October 6, 2000. As half of our short film is set as a crime scene with investigators examining a murder victim, I thought it would be a good idea to gain some inspiration into shot types and techniques used in the CSI shows. In the shows there are a lot of close-ups to show to the audience evidence that the investigators find, such as burns to victims’ bodies, ligature marks, knife wounds and bullet wounds, close-ups of items of evidence such as hairs, pieces of thread and shards of shattered glass. As there are shots in our production where the investigators find ligature marks on the victim’s neck and a payphone handset ripped from the device with wires coming from the main body of the payphone, I will make sure to use the close-up shots and pull-focus techniques I have gained inspiration from with CSI.

I have attached a link to a YouTube video featuring CSI scenes. The first 12 seconds are what I am concentrating on as I really like the use of lighting at the crime scene, especially the fact that the audience can see the flashing of the police car siren on the wall coming from the window in the incredibly dark room.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4Iy3CuEpZg  

Pulp Fiction (Q.Tarantino,1994) - Now Pulp Fiction is one of my all time favourite films, so of course I took this as an opportunity to re-watch some of the scenes again. Here is a link to one of my favourite scenes. I like the use of the shot reverse shots used in this scene where Jules looks and speaks to the Brett sat at the table. Brett doesn't respond so it cuts back to Jules talking again. I feel I could use this technique in our short film during conversations with the two investigators. I am also a fan of the intense close-ups used on Samuel L. Jackson so can use these in the filming of our short production at university. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mnb_3ibUp38

Fargo - I like the look of the opening scene of Fargo; it is nighttime but the neon lights stand out bright which I believe is the style of film the director wants for our short production. Again there are shot reverse shots between the characters talking to keep the audience interested and to see which characters are speaking. 

Double Indemnity (B.Wilder, 1944) - Now this film was made a lot earlier than the other I have watched and I watched this as I was interesting in seeing the shots and how lighting was used in this old noir film. I know the film we are making is very dark in style so I thought I would watch this film to see if there were any shots I could take inspiration from. 

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Filmspiration

As a film student, a lot of my time is taken up by watching films. However, as much as I enjoy this, it does not mean that I am not working. Sometimes when I am watching films, I have a pen and notepad at the ready to write down any inspiration that I can gain from current films and influence me to add those influences into my own productions. 

All ideas are inspired.

Furthermore, in preparation for the short film I will be helping to produce as part of my next university assignment, I have been watching films recommended by the director/scriptwriter and a couple of films that I feel fit the genre and style of the film we will be making. Two of the films I have watched have been ‘Only God Forgives’ (N,W Refn, 2013) and ‘Drive’ (N,W Refn, 2011) These were the two films that our director/scriptwriter recommended we watch after watching a clip from both films during our lecture. If you have not seen either of them, I also recommend you do. Both films have a very dark style to them and use clever lighting to cast shadows when needed, but also very bright neon colours that stand-out to make the films visually pleasing. There are a lot of smooth pans in both movies to follow the actors as they walk or to follow the path of where the actor is looking at the time. These are techniques I can use during our production to portray a similar kind of style and feel to the film. If on the filming day, outside is bright and sunny and lights our interior location too much, to keep the dark style of film, I can bring the ISO down on the camera so that the camera’s sensor detects less light. I can also decrease the aperture by increasing the f-stop number. 

The lower the f stop number, the wider, or bigger, the aperture. (https://www.redbubble.com/people/peterh111/journal/5725038-the-easy-guide-to-understanding-aperture-f-stop) 

The aperture is the size of the lens opening that allows light into your camera. (

http://www.canonoutsideofauto.ca/learn/) 

If I have to use a low f stop number, this will mean my aperture is wider, therefore more light will make its way through the camera lens. To compensate for this I would need to increase shutter speed as shooting faster allows less light through the lens.

There is a lot of maths and physics equations involved when it comes to filming and photography, I am still trying to understand and make sense of it all, but I am trying to learn as much as I can, therefore I will carry on researching to extend my technical and creative knowledge when it comes to my desired specialist role. If any of you reading this think you can help me, please do not hesitate to get in touch. :) 

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Here is a list of some top crime films that have a similar style to the film I will be helping to produce at University. Our film at university is based around the murder of a man and takes place at the crime scene investigation with flashbacks to the murder taking place. The short film will be a dark, noir, crime drama and I have watched small clips from some of these films shown to gain inspiration into what the film we produce could look like. 

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People think that all cameramen do is point the camera at things, but it's a heck of a lot more complicated than that.

Chris Elliott

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Camera Operator Skills

Camera operators (cam ops) can specialise in studio, outside broadcasting, on location, or all three!  

Studio cam ops usually follow a camera script, where they are given the order of shots. They can rehearse these shots and they are cued by a director when recording begins. These type of cam ops have to be effective at interpreting what their director envisions very quickly during recording.

Outside broadcasters work with a group of camera operators to film sporting events and music gigs. 

On location cam ops are likely to have more of an opportunity to suggest shots to the director and have their creative input acknowledged more.

“Skills You need to show evidence of:

sound theoretical, practical and technical knowledge of cameras; the ability to frame and compose shots; the ability to perform camera moves accurately; interpersonal and communication skills; the capacity to multi-task and take direction from others; teamworking skills and the ability to lead and motivate others; tact and diplomacy; the ability to work under pressure and to deadlines; flexibility, creativity and patience; attention to detail. Excellent hand-eye coordination and good hearing and colour vision are also vital. Physical stamina is required for working long hours and carrying heavy equipment around. Additional useful skills include a driving licence and competence in IT.

Many freelance operators own their equipment and so they need to be able to carry out maintenance and basic emergency repairs. Knowledge of safe working practices, with regard to electricity and lights, is essential.” - Copied from Prospects

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A screenshot from the Creative Skillset website on what a camera operator does. I have researched the role of a camera operator as this is the skill I want to specialise in and it is important for me to understand what the life of a camera operator could involve. 

The more I know the better prepared I can be. 

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Camera Operators carry out the Director of Photography’s (DoP) and Director’s instructions for shot composition and development. They are usually the first people to use the camera's eyepiece to assess how all the elements of performance, art direction, lighting, composition and camera movement come together to create the cinematic experience.

Creative Skillset 

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Here is a video I filmed for a small group of dancers at Colchester Institue. As well as this video I have filmed 3 other videos, where instead of interpreting fire, the dancers interpret earth, water and air. I chose this video to upload as it is my preferred one out of the three. The dancers had the video of the fire projected onto them making them look like they were dancing flames. 

Filming this video gave me the opportunity to further experiment with the C100, a couple of prime lenses and put my current knowledge to use, all of which I will put to use when filming for the short film production I will be working on at university. As with this film, I would prefer to use the 50mm prime lens when it comes to the short film I will be filming for my university project as I feel it looks a lot better and will really give off the cinematic feel needed to make the drama look great! 

I really feel this is an effective piece of film and I hope you enjoy it too. :)