Key Photographers

BRASSAI: (PREFERRED)

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A Hungarian-born French photographer, originally born Guyla Halasz on September 9 1899 in Brasso, Hungary.

Brassai was credited with producing a wide range of images of 1920’s Parisian life. He wanted to immobilize movement rather than capture the dynamic pulse of the city through movement. Brassai also encountered Paris at street level and in unfamiliar places, he often saw beauty in the mundane or the overlooked and forgotten. In addition, he also has experience in journalism, writing, sculpturing and film-making. His influences were Leon Paul, Jacques Prevert, and Henry Miller.

An example of his work would be “Couple d’armoureux dons en petit cafe, quartier italie, 1932. One of his famous moments would be the Matisse with his model, Grand Central Station, New York, Bassin du Luxemburg.

ANSEL ADAMS:

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Ansel Adams was an American photographer and environmentalist. He was born on February 20th 1902 San Francisco, California . Adams rose to fame as a photographer of the American West, particularly Yosemite National Park, using his work to promote conservation of wilderness areas. His iconic black and white images helped to establish photographer among the fine arts. He died in Monterrey, California, on April 22nd 1984.

DON MCCULIN:

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Don McCullin is an internationally famous photojournalist. He was born in 1935 in Finsbury Park in London, but left school at 15 without qualifications. During National Service in the RAF, he became a photographer. He later bought his own camera, but his mother had to buy it back after he pawned it.

MARIO TESTINO:

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Mario Testino was born on October 30, 1954, in Lima, Peru. His father, a businessman, was the son of Italian immigrants. His mother was from a Spanish background and had an Irish decent. He was one of six children born to the couple. Mario went to a Catholic school, Santa Maria Marianistas, when he was young.

DAVID BAILEY:

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David Bailey was born in London in 1938, and is widely considered to be one of the greatest photographers. Bailey’s background was modest, he even speaks of wearing shoes made from cardboard during his childhood. Bailey’s interest in the arts may have begun from a very early age as a result of his constant trips to the cinema.

GREGORY CREWDSON:

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Gregory Crewdson was born in 1962, Brooklyn, New York. His first experience of photography. At sixteen, he played in a band called the Speedies, whose first single was titled “Let Me Take Your Foto.” In 1985, he received a BA from the State University of New York-Purchase College, where he studied photography with Jan Groover and Laurie Simmons.

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Post-Production

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To be honest, I felt that post-production went really well compared to the other stages. There were a few mistakes within the footage that needed extra attention during editing and they were thankfully fixed in editing. Before editing, I had a rough idea on how the short film would look visually and how it would sound, so to help with this vision, I put together a playlist on YouTube of what soundtracks and sound effects were going to be used. This made a part of post production easier; because if I did this whilst in post-production, it would have been very time-consuming.

I kept my group updated on what was happening during editing on a WhatsApp group chat, the first version of the video was sent over and they all had different ideas to contribute towards the editing. We had some disagreements of what could work and despite this, we had a chat about each idea and if we thought they didn’t work, then we would try something else. After adding the group’s idea’s into the video, it came together really well and before submitting it to our lecturer; there were some finishing touches to add, for e.g – colour grading, cropping, cutting, sound fx and et.c

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Overall, I believe that post- production went brilliantly as everyone in the group added their input into the video, which then I understood on the deadline that the group were actually meant to edit their own versions. By working with what we had, we managed to get everything done.

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Styles Of Photography

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WHAT IS PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY?

So, portrait photography typically consists of taking photographs of an individual or a group of people.  It mainly focuses on the face, although there have been some exceptions. Portrait photography is supposed to connote the mood and tone through the expression on the face/faces.

Key things to consider:

• Lighting (too much/too little)
• Fast shutter speed (to capture motion)
• Wide aperture (to compensate) 
• Native ISO (balanced)
• Fill flash (on/off camera & diffused)
• Reflected light

WHAT IS LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY? (PREFERRED)

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Landscape photography is capturing an image that incorporates the spirit of the outdoor environment. It carries a sense of being there to see something breath-taking. It means something different to every photographer, which is a good thing and this is what drives forward and helps our photos improve.

Furthermore, here are the three types of Landscape Photography:

Representational Landscape –

This is the most natural and realistic style of landscape photography. It is an approached method of photography with a “what you see is what you get mentality”. No props or artificial elements are added. However special attention is drawn to the framing, lighting and composition of the image

Impressionistic Landscape –

These types of photographs will make the landscape seem more unreal. The viewer is giving the impression of a landscape rather than the true representation of one.

Abstract Landscape –

It uses parts of the scenery as graphic components. Abstract landscape photography design is more important than a realistic representation of what is seen. The photographer may place emphasis on something which seems counter intuitive to place emphasis on. They may make use of silhouettes or other lighting techniques to highlight shape, They may focus in on an area within the landscape itself.

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In my opinion, I feel that Landscape Photography is about people, obviously you are not taking photos of people, but your goal is to always to show people what you have captured. When you bring a viewer into a scene, you are giving them a sense of the world that you have seen, that is the unique concept behind landscape photography.

WHAT IS (CANDID) STREET PHOTOGRAPHY?

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Street Photography (aka candid photography) is the process of taking photographs in the natural (usually urban) life of things and people who are unsuspecting of the photo being taken. If the subjects are prepared or the environment staged it ceases to be candid photography. 
This is often easier than other types of photography, because it means less planning or idea generation. However, it could lead to other potential problems.

The Law:

• It is legal to take photos in public of anything (except certain private places)
• It is legal to take photos of people (including children) in public
• It is not legal to harass members of the public 
• Police officers have the right to stop and search (not security guards)
• It is not legal to become a public obstruction

The Rules:

• Be prepared to explain yourself
• Respect personal privacy 
• Play it safe
• Be culturally competent 
• Stand on public property (some places are open to public, but are private)

WHAT IS CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY?

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Concert photography is the photography of activities referring to concerts and music. It encompasses photographs of a band or musician as well as coverage of a concert. It is a minor commercial endeavor that supports in part of the efforts for many independent photographers.

WHAT IS PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY?

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Product photography is where a branded item is accurately and attractively represented in advertising. Product photography can make a major improvement in many websites as professionals, who understand the procedure, use correct lighting, background materials, camera angles, focus, and depth of field and other technical features as part of the job.

WHAT IS FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY?

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Fashion photography is where an image has a sense dedication to showing fashion apparel and accessories in a way that enhances them. Over a period of time, fashion photography has developed its own aesthetic with beauty of clothes, models, and accessories, enhanced by the use of tropical locations, storytelling and stylized photographic techniques.

WHAT IS LONG EXPOSURE PHOTOGRAPHY?

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Long exposure refers to leaving the camera’s shutter open for a longer period. This creates an image where movement has merged into one image. Usually this makes an image blur, therefore, it’s important that the camera is steady.

WHAT IS LIGHT PAINTING PHOTOGRAPHY?

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Light painting is when a photographer takes advantage of the movement of light through a long exposure. Essentially, the camera is logging the trail of light. This only works when there is a contrast between the source of light and the background. The camera settings must compensate for the long exposure (slow SS, narrow aperture and low ISO). 

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Pre Production

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In this part of the process, my role was to complete the pre production forms. This is done so it helps to make sure we follow the correct guidelines. For e.g. the booking of equipment specific to our needs, planning out our schedule in advance for filming, noting key elements needed in production and post-production. All of this will impact the rest of the stages, as it sets out a clear aim of what we need to achieve in order for the project to run smoothly as possible.

Hair, costume and make-up

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Brooklyn Giles – Urban/Street Wear. Tracksuit Bottoms, T-Shirt, Red Hoodie and Shoulder Bag

In order to focus attention on Brooklyn’s character, we wanted to make him represent the modern day youth, giving his style personality, as we wanted to make him look like a stereotypical teenager but also adding a hint of danger that makes it feel authentic to adolescent viewers alike.

Sophie McInnes – Casual Wear. T-shirt, Black Coat and Jeans

MISE-EN-SCENE

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• Woodlands – Providing a mysterious feel, especially when Cain is walking through the woods.
• Estate – Adding realism into the story, a more neutral feel.
• Both locations are symbolic to the character, having a dark, mysterious side and a more orthodox feel in a conventional location.

CAMERA ANGLES

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• Mid shot
• Tracking shot
• Close up
• Extreme close up

The horror genre is known to involve a majority of intense camera angles, so we wanted to replicate that and incorporate it into our story using mostly MCU shots.

EQUIPMENT LIST

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• Camera – D3300
• SD Card x1
• Tripod x1
• Dolly x1
• Zoom Mic x1
• Boom Pole x1

PROP LISt

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• Newspaper x1
• Pill Bottle x1
• Shoulder Bag x1
• Chain x1
• Photograph x3
• Phone x1

These props were added into the story as key elements that help make it seem more realistic and determine the traits of the main character.

LIGHTING PLAN

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• Woodlands – Natural Lighting
• Field – Natural Lighting

AUDIO

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• Non-Diegetic Atmospheric Soundtrack
• Park Ambience
• Voice Over (Brooklyn)
• Walking On Pavement
• Newspaper rustling in the wind
• Camera Flash
• Whispers
• Pill Bottle
• Tension Build-Up Soundtrack
• Reverse Cymbal Dry

This is a list of sound effects chosen specifically for the project to match the atmosphere of our mise en scene.

JOB ROLES

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• Directors: Jay Jenkins & Finley Buckland
• Camera Operators: Jay Jenkins & Finley Buckland
• Actors: Sophie McInnes & Brooklyn Giles
• Editor: Jay Jenkins

CHARACTERS

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• Cain – Played By Brooklyn Giles
• Teenage Girl – Played By Sophie McInnes

RISK ASSESSMENT

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SHOT LIST

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THE SCRIPT, SToryboard and planning sheet

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The Idea

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Our project title is called “Delirium”, this title refers to a disturbed state of mind and associates with the chosen genre of our short film. The story follows a adolescent referred to as Cain, this name derives from Adam and Eve’s firstborn, historically and religiously their child was known for being murderous and possessed. This story is set on a shady estate, Cain has been suffering with serious mental health issues after his parents were tragically murdered. Unaware he is struggling mentally, Cain places himself in a little fantasy world, playing the part of a “detective” trying to solve the mystery around his parent’s deaths, but as the story progresses we soon learn that he is in fact the killer and has been running away from himself afraid of what he has become.

ISSUES WE MAY FACE

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In regards to health and safety in the production stage of this project, there are a lot of potential issues we might encounter; especially as all of our scenes are established outdoors. One of the main hazards is having difficulties with the weather, since we can’t predict the forecast for our filming days, there is a high chance of rainfall, which is dangerous as it could impact the equipment. In addition to this, rainfall can affect the environment around us, making it unsafe to record our scenes, so pre-cautions have to be taken into account to avoid any injuries or technical breakages. Furthermore, as we are filming scenes on a local property, there is another high chance of people interfering with our scenes; in order to work around this we may have to politely ask or inform those people that we are off site to record footage for our college project.

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Independent Research

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As part of the independent research task, I will explain the potential idea for our project and go more in-depth – looking into what makes a psychological horror.

POTENTIAL IDEA

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When we were assigned with our project brief, there was a wide variety of sub-genre’s to chose from, myself and the group were very interested in the idea of a psychological horror, especially as all of us have had personal experience from watching psychological horror movies. This made us feel confident in our decision to chose the genre. In the planning stages, I had an instant thought that came to mind, I imagined that the story could possibly be based around a teenager struggling with mental health issues. During the planning it was mental health week, so it tied in nicely with the brief.

Part of my main inspiration for one of the scenes in our short film was from a clip based off EastEnders. It involved a eerie scene linking into the psychological aspects we were aiming for. But obviously as a group we added our own twist on the horror elements.

WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR?

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Psychological horror focuses on the main character’s inner conflict and the fear comes from an attack on the ego.

For example, the main character might start to doubt their own grip on reality or start to question whether they or the world around them has gone mad. Suspicion, paranoia, and self-doubt on the part of the main character are common.

A psychological thriller may combine the psychological horror with a more typical thriller plot. For example, you might have a murder mystery in which the evidence and suspects are so strange that the detective is forced to question their own sanity or what is real.

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Horror Sequence Analysis

SHAUN OF THE DEAD

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I have chosen to analyse a sequence from the hugely popular horror classic: Shaun Of The Dead.

The film Shaun Of The Dead (2004) directed by Edgar Wright, follows a group of middle-class English citizens attempting to survive a zombie apocalypse whilst holding out in a local public house. The films name is a reference to another well-known zombie film “Dawn Of The Dead”. The whole movie is basically a parody of the zombie genre, which is “Rom-Zom-Com”

VIDEO LINK

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ANALYSIS

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In the first scene, there is a sound bridge – it acknowledges a production company involved with the making of the film (Working Title). An non diegetic audio track (Ghost Town, The Specials) begins playing in the background, this song sets up the ‘zombie’ thriller feel, with its haunting melody. (that continues to persist through the duration of the film) In fact, this song actually represents the 70’s era, where the younger generation were depicted as being ‘aimless and vacant’ due to the “poor” politics by then prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. This track also fits into the narrative, characters Shaun (Simon Pegg) and Edd (Nick Frost) behave in an indistinguishable manner.

After this, a diegetic sound of a ringing bell transitions from the black screen to the very first (mid) shot we see of Shaun (Simon Pegg) looking directly into the camera, suggesting he could be the protagonist. He has a very vacant facial expression, which makes him look zombie-like. Another mid shot is used to establish the setting of the scene., which is a pub and is conveyed as very serious through the lighting. A conversation taking place between Shaun and Liz is very significant to the plot, but it is contrasted by Ed (Nick Frost) interjecting his comedic remarks. This sets up the entire film and indicates that it is a comedy film with serious messages. During the first line of dialogue, we are being formally addressed and placed into an on-going conversation (audience positioning) between Shaun and Liz (Kate Ashfield) The rule of three principle is used in this scene as 3 characters are amongst each other. We can denote that Ed’s character isn’t conscientious about his image, wearing baggy tracksuit bottoms and a scruffy t-shirt. He is seen playing on a gambling machine, which could suggest that he doesn’t have a lot of money. In contrast to Shaun who is quite self-conscious about his image, wearing a nice shirt and tie which represents wealth; connoting he is able to dress up when going out because he has a job and is able to make a living. However there is that sense of scruffiness from Shaun which could link to Ed; as we learn later on, they are in fact living together – implying a strong friendship, with Ed leading Shaun astray.

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A shot reverse shot of Shaun and Liz having a conversation makes it feel more realistic and creates an effect on the audience, as if they are there in the pub with them. Liz’s friends David (Dylan Moran) and Dianne (Lucy Davis) are then introduced who are idly engaging in their conversation. They stare at Shaun particularly, mainly due to the group’s unwillingness to identify Ed as a cause for trouble and civil unrest between the characters; For e.g. one of Liz’s opening lines is “It’s not that I don’t like Ed” which shows their denial to explicitly expose him for what he is and what he does.

Now preceding onto the opening credits, it shows a variety of people working in mundane, dead end jobs. This portrays the people around Shaun as already ‘zombies’. They are repeating the same routine everyday with little thought – like zombies, which is displayed throughout the rest of the opening scene; as society is being reflected on. Bright lighting in these scenes tell us the film isn’t a typical“freight-fest” – this is used to reinforce the theory as supermarkets in the middle of the day are an unconventional location choices for the horror genre.

The camera then cuts to a group of people at a bus stop, a majority of them stop to check their phones in a weirdly odd synchronization; reinforcing the idea of people turning into zombies by doing everyday things.
In the next scene, it starts with a low angle shot, a silhouette can be seen as well as a pair of stumbling legs. This classic technique is usually captured to introduce an antagonist in a horror film by making them seem more physically frightening, but as the camera gradually pans up; it is revealed to be the protagonist, Shaun. It can be looked at in two ways: the first, and simplest of these is that this is just another joke that makes fun out of the horror genre that the audience will highly appreciate. The second is that this foreshadows some of the events of the film, it’s Shaun’s actions that causes himself and his girlfriend to split, suggesting that the biggest antagonist is Shaun himself.

The only dialogue we hear in the scene is from Ed who states “Haven’t you got work?”. A camera angle slowly zooms in towards both characters, creating a form of tension on screen, this tension is then diffused by the question Ed asks, adding a comedic element to the scene and surprising the audience. This reinstates the idea of the general public already being zombies, having to do the same tasks repeatedly.

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An Introduction To Horror

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In this project, I will be exploring the horror genre also analyzing what key elements that create and define it as a whole. As part of this assignment, we have put ourselves into groups of 4, tasked with producing a 2 minute opening sequence that incorporates horror and most of it’s sub genres; by doing this, we will learn how to put together a short film professionally from start to finish.

WHAT IS HORROR?

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Horror is a genre that is hard to be defined by one single definition. Therefore, the most accurate is the one that defines horror through each of it’s categories. Definitions of horror can vary, film producers have attempted to create a definition that would be able to completely distinguish and separate horror from similar genres for e.g – science fiction and thriller. However, they have always encountered difficulties, as the attributes that refer to one genre can be also found in the other one.

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To characterize horror as a genre that invokes tension in people is not accurate enough. Science fictions, thrillers, detective and crime stories initiate the same feeling of suspense. The same is to be said about the emotion of fear or the display of blood, which are other attributes of horror production. Horror films also tend to reflect on society at the time of release. To put into this point into context, a film would reflect upon a “hot topic point” that has worldwide discussions throughout the year. “Get Out” and “Us” created by Jordan Peele; would be a perfect example of this.

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In my opinion, I feel that the psychological genre is the best one within horror. This is because it tests with the audiences mental capabilities, making them question their own sanity to what is real and what isn’t.

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Production

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DAY ONE

In production, we began filming on 22.10.2019 at Rowland’s Lane in Fareham. Originally, our plan was to film scenes at Blackbrook Recreation Ground, which wasn’t far from the college and the setting in the script involved a park. However, due to cast/time difficulties; we had to incorporate our new chosen location into the story.

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During the set up of equipment, there was an unforeseen issue with the environment, the ground was unsuitable for the Tripod and Dolly Slider; so unfortunately, they were discarded. Instead, the camera we were using was attached to a hand-held glider. Here is the list of equipment officially used in our project:

• 1x Canon Camera
• 1x Glider
• 1x Zoom Audio Device
• 1x Boom Mic

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My role in the production process was camera operator and assistant director alongside Finley Buckland. I ensured that the equipment we were using was carefully handled, also making sure that each scene was filmed exactly how we visualized it through the script and storyboard. While filming we encountered prop issues, this was down to our organisation skills. So, instead of shooting scenes chronologically, we had to work backwards; as there were some scenes which involved props, for e.g newspaper – this had to be hand-crafted. Eventually, we did manage to shoot a handful of scenes, but they weren’t followed exactly from the script, this is okay though as we can all look at this incident as a learning curve for being more organised.

DAY TWO

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On 23/10/19, we resumed our filming from where we left off. We had quite a bit of a slow start, this was due to a piece of equipment from the hand-held glider going missing; which Freddie Hunt pointed out. Therefore, as a group we took action and went to the location where luckily we found the missing piece. After returning it to Freddie, he entrusted us to continue filming scenes for our project. I thought that during the filming, it was simply rushed; however this was down to the fact that we had spent half of our lesson time searching for the missing piece of equipment.

OVERVIEW

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Overall, I believe some parts of the production didn’t go well as planned. This was because we weren’t successful in filming at the right time frame, leading to half of the script being unused. In future, it would be more beneficial to look after equipment that Freddie has trusted with us with and then we might not waste important time searching for missing pieces.