Cinema Arts Final

The 1st Semester Cinema Arts Final will consist of four parts: Reading, Essay, Skills, Knowledge.

Part 1: Reading for Information - US Bureau of Labor Statistics 2010-2011 Edition; Motion Picture & Video Industries. 80 Points

Instructions:  Read and familiarize yourself with the questions, then read carefully through the document which can be found at this link US Bureau of Labor Statistics 2010-2011 Edition: Motion Picture and Video Industries   (also Ms Hawks will pass out a copy to each student).  Write the questions and your answers on a separate sheet of paper. Please be neat and write legibly. Use complete sentences an paraphrase (use your words) the information.

1. Give three specific examples of how digital technology is changing the motion picture industry.

2. Describe several of the advantages and challenges of working in the motion picture industry.

3. Table 2 shows the employment numbers for workers in the film industry for 2008, and the projected percentage increase of workers needed for 2008 through 2018. Which 6 occupations are expected to have the most growth?

4. Under the Training and Advancement section, the document talks about schooling for various occupations, but what qualities do they say are the most important for getting a job?

5. Wage and Salary employment in the film industry is expected to grow between 2008 and 2018. How much more will it grow in comparison to all other industries?

6. Name the three occupations in the creative sector of filmmaking that earn the highest median wage, and write what their median wage is.

7. Name three industry unions and who belongs to them. Also, why do you think workers join industry unions?

8. Why is reading a document of this nature helpful to someone?

Part 2: Essay - 200 possible points

Instructions: Choose a movie that has made a significant emotional impact on you and write a two-page single-spaced essay about it. Describe the cinematic techniques that the filmmaker used to create an emotional effect, and be detailed in telling the scenes and how the filmmaker dealt with them. Points will be given for completeness (20%), attention to detail (20%), organization (20%), content (use of cinema terms, unique observations about the film) (20%), neatness (20%).
NOTE: It is best to have a movie you can watch in detail and take notes.

Part 3: Skills: Camera Set up - 50 possible points


Student must demonstrate ability to set up tripod, camera and sound equipment.

1) Take tripod from bag, set it up so that camera is at eye-level and the tripod is level.
2) Set up Panasonic DV camera with tape, battery.
3) Get all equipment necessary for sound. Set up for lavalier mic.
4) Turn on camera and test sound and video.
5) Return all items to their proper storage area.

Part 4: Knowledge: Multiple Choice and Matching Final - 200 pts

See blog posts Final Study Guides parts 1, 2 and 3 to find out content.

Video Production: Jan 4; Movie Trailer: Camera Angle #2 Project

Camera Angle #2 Project  240 possible points

Objective: Students will create a short Movie Trailer in their production teams.

Requirements:
1) All new camera angles & movements must be included, but others may be used as well. The Camera Angles that must be included are: Low Angle, High Angle, Canted/Dutch Angle, Bird's Eye View, Worm's Eye View, Dolly, Zoom, Track/Truck, Let In/Let Out, Let In and Follow

2. Must follow the Movie Trailer Genre, meaning it must contain elements which distinguish a trailer from a film, e.g., MPAA Preview Approval Screen, "Coming Soon,""Starring..."

3. Movie that the trailer is about must have a clear genre, e.g., must show elements of horror or romance.

4. The trailer may be about:
A) The movie your team just made, and may include some shots from that movie.
B) A movie that doesn't yet exist.
C) A movie that has been made already.

5. Before your team will be allowed to film, you must submit:

A) A clear synopsis of the story that you are making the trailer for.
B) A Team-produced storyboard. Each person in your team must contribute to this storyboard. For instance, if there are 3 persons on your team, each person must draw at least 3 of the new angles in storyboard panels.

Final Study Guide, Part 3: Visual & Story Structure

Pt III:  Visual & Story Structure

1.The smallest unit of film, 24 to 30 run through a projector every second.

2. A brief (one or two sentences) description of the basic story, idea or concept of a film.

3. Places in a story or film where something significant happens to turn the story or protagonist in another direction.

4. The person or thing that causes conflict for the protagonist, often the "bad guy."

5. The personal change a character goes through from the beginning of a film to the end.

6. The main character of a story or film, who the story is about.

7. The smallest unit of visual story on the screen, what editors use to put films together. 

8. A story unit where a bit of drama is played out in continuous time.

9. Classic story structure, with a Set-up, Conflict, and Resolution.

10. Any fictional film, as opposed to documentary or reality TV.

11. The graphic-novel-like drawing that shows what is to be shot and how, usually includes specific camera angles and movements.

12. The term that defines the catagory of a film, such as horror, romance or action.

13. A scene that jumps into the past or the future.

14. Spoken dialogue that describes the visual scene, but is recorded by an actor or other speaker after the scene is shot and put onto the soundtrack during editing.

Pt 3: Visual & Story Structure: Answers

1. Frame (noun)

2. Synopsis

3. Plot Points

4. Antagonist

5. Character Arc

6. Protagonist

7. Shot

8. Scene

9. Three Act Structure

10. Narrative

11. Storyboard

12. Genre

13. Flashback or Flashforward

14. Voiceover Narration

Final Study Guide, Part 2: Production Phases & Occupations

Part II: Production Phases and Occupations

1. Someone who writes screenplays, that is, scripts for film and television.

2. A final stage in the production of a film or a television program, occurring after the action has been filmed or videotaped and typically involving editing and the addition of soundtracks and visual effects.

3. A photographer who operates a movie camera. 

4.  Actors without speaking roles used as “background” or in crowd scenes. Not mentioned in the film credits.

5. The person who makes the ultimate creative decisions about the look of a film, and works with actors to get the best performance.

6. An electrician responsible for lighting on a movie or tv set. 

7. Runs the set, plans the cost-efficient scheduling of locations and talent, schedules the days’ shooting and is responsible for carrying out the director’s instructions. 

8. The actors in a movie with speaking roles.

9. The phase of film production in which the major scenes with the lead actors movie are actually shot, as distinct from pre-production and post-production. Also known as the “principal photography” phase.

10. Film crew member who moves or sets up track for camera equipment, installs rigging for lights or sets or moves production equipment.

11.  Someone who creates the conditions for making movies. They co-ordinate, supervise and control matters such as fund-raising, hiring key personnel and arranging for distributors. They are involved throughout all phases of the film-making process from development to completion of a project.

12. The planning stage of a film or television program involving script rewriting, budgeting, hiring crew, scheduling, casting, storyboarding, set/costume design and location selection.

13. A cinematographer responsible to the director for achieving optimum image on film. Selects the camera and lighting equipment and supervises camera and lighting crews for each shot.

14. The phase of film production in which the movie is actually shot, as distinct from pre-production and post-production. Also known as the “principal photography” phase.

15. A person in charge of keeping track of the props of a production as well as obtaining or purchasing them. 

16. People on or near a set who are not part of the cast or crew.

17. First phase of production process, where ideas and characters are fleshed out, and scripts are written.

18. Person who assembles the shot footage into a film, adds sound, titles, sound FX.

19. Person who finds and secures locations for a shoot. They are responsible for any problems that arise between the location community and the film crew.

20. Person who takes careful production notes to make sure that errors do not occur during filming (such as actors suddenly changing positions from take to take) and makes detailed production reports.

21. Everyone working on a film set who are not the cast or talent.

22. The phase of production where a finished film is marketed and leased to a theater or other venue.

23. Plans how to mic the scenes. May operate the mic boom and records dialogue.

Pt 2: Production Phases & Occupations

1. Screenwriter

2. Post Production

3. Camera Operator

4. Extras

5. Director

6. Gaffer

7.  Assistant Director

8. Cast or Talent

9. Production

10. Grip

11. Producer

12. Preproduction

13. Director of Photography or DP

14. Production

15. Prop Master

16. Civilians

17. Development

18. Editor

19. Location Manager

20. Continuity or Script Supervisor

21. Crew

22. Distribution

23. Sound Operator

1st Semester Final Study Guide: Part 1, Camera Angles

Here it is, your study guide! It will be available through finals week and beyond, (except when finals are actually given, just in case you were tempted to call up this page on your cell phone, which you shouldn't be using in class anyhow). The answers are below, you may have to scroll a bit to read them.

Best of luck to all of you, my wonderful students! You have great brains and you will do just fine.

Ms Hawks

Pt 1:  Camera Angles & Techniques

1. Camera angle which shows an object in great detail, such as a bit of a face, like an eye that fills the screen.

2. Camera angle where the camera is placed near the ground and shoots up.

3. Camera movement that focuses in or out to make an object larger or smaller.

4. Camera movement where the camera is moved upward or downward along a vertical axis.

5. A camera shot taken as if through a character’s eyes.

6. A camera shot where a subject enters or exits the frame while the camera is in a fixed position.

7. A camera shot where the subject is kept inside the frame as they move about. 

 8. A camera shot where camera is positioned behind someone’s shoulder, usually as they have a conversation with a second subject.

9. A camera shot where a subject’s entire body is in the frame, with head and feet near the top and bottom of the frame.

10. Camera angle where an object fills the screen, or a face is shot from the neck up.

11. Camera angle that shows a scene from a distance, so that most of the scene is on the screen and location is easily understood.

12. Camera angle where the camera is elevated and shoots down.

13. Camera movement where the camera is pushed toward or away from the filmed object. 

14. To turn or rotate a camera horizontally. 

15. A camera shot taken of a subject from about the waist up.

16. A camera shot where a subject enters the frame and the camera then follows their movements.

17. A camera angle where the camera is slanted and not level with the horizon.

18. Camera shots where two characters’ views of each other are shown, often used in conversation and often using two cameras.

19. Angle that is taken from the ground, filming straight up. 

20. Guideline of filming that states that two subjects in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other, and that the camera always stays within the same imaginary half circle around them.

21. Angle that is taken from the air, or up high, filming straight down.

22. Camera movement that follows alongside a subject as they move, or moves around their body.

23. Framing a subject from the chest up.

24. Usually the first shot of a film, that shows where the film takes place and gives the setting, and often, the main character or characters.

25. One continuous shot where the actors play out an entire scene, shot in wide angle.

Pt 1: Camera Angles & Techniques: Answers

1. Extreme Closeup

2. Low Angle

3. Zoom

4. Tilt

5. POV/Point of View

6. Let In or Let Out

7. Follow shot

8. Over the Shoulder

9. Full Shot

10. Close up or Choker

11. Wide Angle

12. High Angle

13. Dolly

14. Pan

15. Medium Shot

16. Let In and Follow

17. Canted or Dutch Angle

18. Reverse shots

19. Worm's Eye View

20. 180 Degree Rule

21. Birds' Eye View

22. Track or Truck

23. Medium Close Up or Bust Shot

24. Establishing Shot

25. Master Shot

Film Festival Project for Cinema Arts Students

Student in the Cinema Arts class will be required to produce and submit a short film to a film festival. I am compiling a list of festivals for students to choose from, but you may also submit to more than one.

Deadlines for these festivals vary, but most have deadlines that range from February to May. Because deadlines change, festivals become defunct or new ones come up, and festival websites aren't always updated after the last current film fest, we will have to do some research about the particulars.

This is your chance to put to use everything you learned in Video Production class last year. You know the fundamentals of how videos are made, and what it takes to make it good (idea, time, energy, collaboration) and you will now practice making videos with an eye for good production and entertainment value.

Even if your film is not accepted to the film festival, it is good experience preparing a piece of work for a deadline. Keeping your deadlines is extremely important for your success as an artist of any kind, but especially in the collaborative arts such as film and theater.

By September 1st you should have a rough idea of your project, which should include your film's genre, a synopsis and outline.

We will be discussing more about this project in class.

Visual & Performing Arts Standards: 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, 5.0

Life is a Picture in Motion - Assignment Q1

Life is a Picture in Motion - 20 possible points

This is often how I see my life, as an ongoing movie. Some days it's a comedy, some days a drama, sometimes a romance. Some days it's the greatest surround-sound 3-D smell-o-vision adventure and other days it's boring and tedious and I want to switch theaters.

For this assignment, think about how your life is like a movie.  Describe a cinematic (movie-like) scene from your life. Write the action in present tense (which is how professional Hollywood scripts are written) and follow the format of the example below. You can change the names of the characters in your scene to keep them (and yourself, if you wish) anonymous.

• At least 5 paragraphs
• Use standard English convention: capitols, punctuation, complete sentences.
• Choose a scene with some conflict, drama or humor. If you write about yourself, put yourself in the 3rd person (as if you were someone else). Change the names of the people involved.
• Be as descriptive as possible.
• I don't mind if you embellish the truth, in other words, fib a bit to make the story more interesting.
• Read Ms. Hawks' True Life Example before beginning


MS. HAWKS' TRUE LIFE EXAMPLE

Title:  The Great Shake
Genre: Action - Drama

Ann and her friend Nancy, both in their 30's, and Ann's son Tony, 6, stand inside Woolworth's department store, shopping. Each looks at something different; Ann at Halloween colored hair spray, Nancy at cages of parakeets, and Tony at He-Man action figures, but all are within eyesight of each other. Suddenly, the building jerks with a loud jolt, then begins to shake violently. All of the items in the store are thrown from the shelves onto the floor, and the shelves themselves fall like dominoes, blocking the way to the exits. Instinctively, the three quickly move together in a huddle, their eyes wide with terror. The noise is deafening and it feels as if the building is being picked up and dropped repeatedly by an angry giant. Other customers in the store are screaming in panic

Realizing they are caught in the midst of a terrible earthquake, Ann looks at the ceiling, and sees it is constructed of old pressed-tin tiles, the kind common in old turn-of the-century structures and she thinks, "This building is so old, it might collapse on us."  She looks into the eyes of her best friend and son, and hopes this won't be their last day together.

Then, as quickly as it began, the shaking stops. "Come on," Ann says, "let's get out of here."

They pick their way through the piles of merchandise littering the floor. Ann throws aside display stands to clear the path as best she can. When they finally reach the front door and step onto the street, a popular shopping district in Santa Cruz, California, they see broken storefronts, bricks, and goods thrown onto the sidewalks. People wander about in a daze, some yell "We've got people trapped in here!"  White clouds of dust from the crumbling buildings too thick to see through billow around them. They spot a looter on a bicycle taking advantage of the chaos; he grabs merchandise and rides off into a cloud of dust. Several people watch the looter, but nobody bothers to do anything about him, they are all too shocked.

"Did a bomb go off?" Nancy asks. Ann turns to her, and sees that her friend is in such shock she doesn't realize what has happened. "No, it was an earthquake. And there's going to be aftershocks so we need to get away from these brick buildings."

As they walk away, Tony notices he's still clutching the He-Man action figure he was looking at when the earthquake started. "Mom!" he holds it up for her to see. "Hey, we didn't pay for that!" Ann takes the toy from him and tosses onto a pile of Woolworth's merchandise that was thrown through their now broken front window and lies outside the store on the sidewalk.

A Woolworth's clerk standing nearby sees this scenario–she shrugs and laughs. "Like it really matters. I would have let the kid keep it."

Visual Film Structure: Frames, Shots, Scenes, Sequence

Terms you must learn (in bold italics, background highlighted) : Frame, Shot, Scene, Sequence.

Additional Terms (in bold italics): Reel, Frame Rate, Soundtrack, Digital Format, Framed/Framing, Angle, Extreme Close-Up, POV (point of view), Flashback, Flashforward, Intercut/Crosscut, Character, Protagonist, Antagonist.

There are two types of film structure: visual structure and story structure. First, we will discuss visual structure.

The smallest unit of visual film structure is a frame.

If someone handed you a reel of film, and you unwound it and looked closely through it, you would see that it was a series of images, each looking something like this–

Each image is a frame of film. There would be holes at either side, called sprocket holes, that pulled the film through the projector, much like how a bike chain is pulled by the sprocket to turn a bike wheel. Film is pulled through a projector at 24 frames per second, usually written as 24 fps, which is called the frame rate or the rate of speed that the film passes through the projector. Also on this frame, there would be a bumpy sort of line running along the edge of the image (see left side of image) and this is the film's soundtrack.

Film and video are not the same. They have different frame rates–film; 24 fps, video: 30 fps. Film is made by chemical process and video is electronic. Because we are now in the middle of a major shift in media technology, the movie business is quickly changing to a digital format, and film reels and videotape will become as antiquated as vinyl records became when CDs and then MP3 digital music players came onto the consumer market. 

If you were to examine large lengths of the film on your reel, you might see the image suddenly change, showing a different location or view. This indicates a new shot. A new shot begins when the camera is stopped, the image is framed differently so that we see either a new image, or the same image taken from another angle. For instance, you might see a shot of a kitten playing with a toy mouse. Then you might see a shot of it's brother kitten watching from behind a chair. Then another shot of the brother kitten watching, only this time an extreme close-up of only his eyes. Then a POV (point of view) shot of the toy mouse that he is watching. Then a shot of the brother kitten as he pounces on the toy mouse from behind the chair. Then a shot of the first kitten hissing in anger as his brother carries the toy mouse off in his mouth.

There are 6 shots altogether, which make a scene.    

Shot 1. Kitten plays with toy mouse

Shot 2. Kitten's brother watches from behind chair.

Shot 3. Extreme Close up of brother kitten's eyes.

Shot 4. Brother kitten's POV of toy mouse.

Shot 5. Brother kitten pouncing on mouse.

Shot 6. Kitten hissing as brother steals the toy mouse.

A frame is the smallest unit of film. Each shot is made up of many frames (remember, 24 frames per second), and a scene is usually (not always) made up of several shots. 

A scene is defined as action that takes place in the same location or the same time. There are exceptions to this, such as if a character has a flashback, or flashforward, or the scene intercuts or crosscuts between two locations with action happening at the same time. 

 A sequence is usually made up of several scenes. Taking the kitten example, say this scene came from a movie titled, "9 Lives–A Cat's Story." In this movie, there might be a kitten sequence, which was made up of several scenes about the protagonist cat as a kitten.  The second sequence might be the cat as an adolescent, and this sequence might be a series of scenes of the cat going outside for the first time, the cat meeting up with the antagonist dog next door, the cat getting stuck on the roof. A third sequence could be the cat now fully grown keeping the dog next door in line, prowling the neighborhood, falling in love with a female cat, having kittens of his own. 

So, the visual units of film go from smallest to largest: frame, shot, scene, sequence. 

About Video Production Class

The ROP Video Production class is a yearlong course designed to give students a basic and broad understanding of the film and video production process. It is the prerequisite course for the Cinema Arts course, meaning it must be taken with a passing grade before a student is allowed to take Cinema Arts.

The areas of study within this course are:

1. The Production Process: Preproduction (preparation for filming, such as scriptwriting, storyboarding, casting, technical and artistic preparation), Production (filming and everything related to actual filming, such as setting up lights, cameras, directing actors) Post Production (after filming; editing, adding music and special computer effects). Beyond the making of the movie, Distribution and Marketing are also sometimes considered part of the production process.

2. Film Occupations: What producers, directors, assistant directors, gaffers, grips, editors, etc., actually do.

3. Standard Film Lingo: terminology you must understand in order to converse about film. Terms such as; genre, shot, scene, sequence, plot, montage, protagonist, antagonist, conflict, synopsis.

4. Technical Knowledge: This includes basic knowledge of how to navigate an iMac, and Apple software applications such as iMovie, Garageband, Photobooth. It also means learning the fundamentals of video camera operation, lighting, and sound.

5. Basic Screenwriting and Script Interpretation: Professional Hollywood scripts follow a very exact format and have very specific terminology such as slugline/scene heading, action, character heading. Script interpretation means reading and visualizing what the screenwriter wants you to see, but also adding your own unique vision to the script when appropriate.

6. Camera Angles and Maneuvers: What is a low angle, POV, dolly or dutch angle? When would you use an extreme close-up or a two-shot? Which camera angle do you choose to get the greatest emotional response?

7. Working as an Effective Production Team: Filmmaking is usually a collaborative process, and students work in production teams in this course. Here we practice skills that are essential and valuable for most occupations: communication, cooperation, respect, flexibility, ingenuity, creativity, support, honesty, initiative, technical skill and follow-through. This area is probably the most critical for success in this class, and if you learn to work well with others in a mature and professional manner, you will have learned what are probably the most important skills for getting and keeping a job.

What You Must Do to Pass This Class

1. Show up. Excused absences are understandable, but since this class requires hands-on cooperation and participation, especially on video production days when we are filming, it is very important to everyone on your team to have you physically present and ready to work.

2. Have a Good Attitude and be Ready to Work. Because this is a Regional Occupation Program course, also known as Career Technical Education, your training (and our CTE standards) require that you learn how to behave appropriately and effectively on the job. If your future employer finds you are unwilling to work, not doing what your supervisor has asked you to do, disrespectful of fellow employees, arriving late, mishandling equipment, stealing, swearing, or doing anything which everyone understands is counter productive to the task at hand, she or he is likely to reprimand or fire you. I will likely dock you some points (which I can do, being a CTE instructor) or write up a discipline referral, call your parents, ban you from using the video equipment, or all of the above. I would much rather give you a good grade, as I find this usually makes everyone much happier.

3. Pay Attention, Do the Assignment. Every day in class there is usually a short lecture and a small written assignment. Often this means copying down one or a few new terms and definitions to learn, for which you are given some points. These assignments will be graded and go into your folder, which you will then use during final exams. If you don't do these assignments, not only will you not know the material, but you won't have anything to refresh your memory during the test, not to mention the lack of points will bring down your grade.

4. Complete Your Projects: In a production team, sometimes things fall apart. People get sick and don't show up for a week. People drop out. People just don't do their job, for whatever reason. However, this does not excuse the rest of the team from the assignment. I have seen students complete video projects when their team went from 8 students down to 2, and do it well. I am very impressed when I see students take initiative to complete projects in the face of production challenges, and usually reward them with extra points.

5. Study for the Final: There are a hundred to two hundred terms and procedures to learn in this course just to have a basic understanding of filmmaking. There are quizzes and semester finals. The final is challenging, but it is not impossible to get all questions correct, especially if one puts their mind to it.

6. Talk To Me: If you have a problem or question related to this course, please don't hesitate to see me. I want you to have a positive experience in my class. Your success is my success.

Welcome to Spartan Studio!

As you know, most major Hollywood production companies end in "studios," as in, Universal Studios, Fox Studios, etc. This is why I chose to name Seaside High Schools's ROP Multimedia/Video Production Class blog Spartan Studio. It is an ironic name, of course, because not only are we the Seaside Spartans (spartan, the noun, meaning "person of Sparta" or "person of great courage and discipline") but our production studio is, for the moment, spartan (spartan, the adjective, meaning "marked by simplicity, frugality or lack of luxury and comfort"). We often do have to be frugal and make do with what we've got, especially now that budgets are tight. However, we do now have both a classroom and a production studio area, and this will allow us the room to film and to build small sets if we wish.

Being spartan is not necessarily a bad thing. Creativity is often spurred by limitation, and there are many examples of low budget films that achieved great critical and financial success, and also big budget films that were flops. It is my hope and intention that my students learn that engaging their inventiveness and creativity are at least–if not more–important than how to operate a camera.