Producer reaction

Producers are extremely important, as they are what is needed to get things done!  Producers come up with the idea and originally gets the project created. They are in charge of making sure the project gets financed, figuring out what to do if the project goes over budget/ time, and making sure everyone on the project gets along. A producer needs both phenomenal logistical skills, and phenomenal people skills.

There are four major categories of producers. Staff producers are hired to produce many small projects (for example major television networks have many staff producers).  The opposite of this would be an independent producer. This type of producer works freelance to pitch projects to networks and film companies. This makes up the majority of producers.

Executive producers are usually working for a specific news network like Staff producers. They hold a very high position of power, and will usually make all the big decisions, and will work on other projects as well.  Finally, a producer hyphenate will do other related jobs related to the project as well as producing such as writing, directing, etc.

In order for a producer to create a project, there are four steps they must complete. First, they must create an idea that could be turned into a workable project. Then they must determine the goals of the project as well as decide what kind of audience the project would appeal to.

They also need an idea of a budget in place in order to successfully pitch the project. Once the big picture is completed, the producer needs to focus on making sure the day to day problems in the project are under control. They need to keep in mind legal issues, such as copyright laws that may apply to their project, because any possible legal related problems would be the responsibility of the producer to avoid or fix.

It is also the responsibility of the producer to make sure that the set is up to the standards of unions or guilds if their crew members are a part of one.

Figuring out the shooting schedule early is another essential part of setting up a successful project. This accomplishes two things: first, it makes sure the talent you want to use can complete the project with no problems.

Second, it helps keep the budget under control by not paying everyone for too many days.  Also important is making sure locations to shoot are available when you have the personnel available to shoot there. A good producer separates out when the crew will shoot each scene on Script Breakdown sheets.

Scenes should be shot in a way that is the most cost effective and time effective for everyone involved. Once the shooting schedule is determined, the budget should be determined. A good balanced budget should have approximately equal above the line (creative talent) and below the line (technical talent) costs.

It is the job of the producer to make sure all of this is taken into account, which shows the importance of the producer when shooting a picture.

Chapter 7 Reaction

Filming in bright daylight similar to this has its own unique challenges.

As with all things, when one decides what kind of lighting to use, the most important thing to consider first is the aesthetic one is seeking. The realistic aesthetic leads to realistic lighting that would mimic real world natural light, for example, if light would naturally be coming from a window, light would be imitated to be coming from that direction. Modernist aesthetic leads to lighting that is more abstract. It reflects the emotional state of the characters. Postmodernist aesthetic is a mixture of classic and modern techniques and a mixture of colors and textures. An example that the book gave was disorienting rock concert lighting at a circus in the movie “Batman Forever.”

In movies I have watched, I recognized the use of postmodernist lighting in movies like “Moonrise Kingdom,” which used vintage bright colors in day scenes and dark realistic colors in rainy depressing scenes. Realistic lighting was what I could find the most useful in digital journalism/ news stories, as modernist or postmodernist lighting could be distracting. However, I appreciated the idea of postmodernist lighting being used occasionally in documentaries and I found that interesting.

There are many different lights one can use. Sunlight can be used directly in a way that is hard and creates shadows. Another light that can be used in combination with sunlight, because they have high color temperature and intensity is the Carbon Arc Light. However, they are inconvenient to use because they are big and bulky. For different lighting, one can use spotlights or floodlights.

Both are good for different things. Spotlights are bright focused beams of light. Floodlights are softened diffused beams of light. TV stations use three or four point key lighting in a triangular or rectangular shape.

The text also noted the importance of making a diagram for lights in order to prevent possible blockage problems and possible shadow problems from things like boom mics and cameras. The text also noted the importance of creating a set and costume choices with a contrast of colors and textures to make it visually appealing.

However, it also needs to be able to be functional as well so those working on it can maneuver around it easily. The costumes were suggested to avoid bright patterns like plaids to avoid standing out too much.

These all seemed like things that would be helpful to keep track of when shooting news stories. I could see how lighting would be important to plan as many news packages are filmed outside which may have inadequate lighting. Also I could see the importance of having a lighting plan in a studio where things could be moving around and could be changing.

I also found it important to note how digital cameras are more sensitive than analog cameras, and therefore must be lighted more carefully. The text also noted that there should be more care in costume and set choices as cameras can pick up on unsatisfactory choices for both of those things as well.

This is important for digital journalists as digital cameras are far more used in today’s age than analog cameras.

Chapter 10 Reaction

As with many things with media production, this chapter showed that the digital age has changed the way editing happens. There used to be serial post-production or editing all in one step. However, now digital cameras mean that editors can edit during production as well as post-production. This is basically called “parallel editing” and it means that editors can continue to refine their choices up until the last minute. Preliminary editing is editing together a rough cut and final editing is the last cut before it is shown to viewers.

The aesthetic a director wants to take with editing can deeply effect the choices he or she makes. Movies following the “realism” aesthetic are characterized by a flow of actions and a consistent directional placement of objects showing consistency between shots. These editing techniques all reinforce the idea that the viewer “is there” as the action is happening. Therefore, editing is usually to fix mistakes such as messed up dialogue, gaps or any kind of confusion. If material is shot in a way that is too confusing, it is often unusable in realistic editing. Common content that uses realistic editing include documentaries and news stories. The point is to create as much clarity and flow as possible.

Modernist editing calls much more attention to the editing process with jump cuts and editing techniques that draw attention to the editing process. While sound effects in realistic editing coincide with what is happening on screen, that is often not the case with modernist editing; sound can reflect an emotion a character is feeling, or create a contrast between what you hear and what is happening onscreen (ex: slow music with fast paced images or vice versa). The essential point of modernist editing is to cause disorientation to the viewer and draw attention to the editing technique.  Post-modern editing mixes realistic and modernist styles with creative twists, and encourages the viewer to feel as if they are participating in what they are watching.

As far as editing styles, while continuity editing is popular in fiction, A and B roll editing is more popular in non-fiction, which would be more applicable to this class.  The “A roll” is talking heads where interviewees talk to the camera, usually directly.  This is mixed in with the “B roll.” The “B roll” is shots of actions happening and events that are relevant to the subject. This can be mixed with other scenery to create a more interesting production.

Sound is edited through fading, crossfading and transitions.  A mix log of sounds and sound effects must be carefully kept with times for all sounds and effects. For documentaries/ news a voiceover is often recorded and edited and then put over visuals that correspond with the voiceover. While many forms of editing still exist, Digital editing is the most relevant for this class. First the person editing must organize all the clips in order to be able to find them easily when editing. Then, through the magic of digital editing, they can cut, copy, paste and trim clips on a timeline and add sounds and other visual effects to create a visually appealing finished media project.

Chapter 8 Reaction

This chapter showed the importance of the camera. Knowing how to work a camera is important in journalism because digital journalists should be able to create a news package from start to finish, with video, editing and story. This means often journalists (especially MMJs must shoot their own stories.

In order to make a pleasing image, operators must frame the actions and objects within the frame and keep track of essential area, lookspace, walkspace and headroom. Essential area is where all the key information should be placed so they can be seen in the film.  Lookspace leaves room for a subject on screen to look at something offscreen in a way that is aesthetically pleasing. If a character is moving across the screen, it is important to leave some space in front of them to walk. This is called walkspace. If not, the frame will look awkward and restricted.

This is mostly important when doing a medium, long shot, or extreme long shot. A long shot would be full body and a medium shot would be three quarters.  When filming a person, you must leave headroom over the subject so that they don’t look confined, unless doing an extreme closeup or close up.

A close up is just on someone’s head and shoulders, and an extreme close up is just on someone’s face. As far as moving the camera, you can pan left or right, or tilt up and down, as well as dollying in and out.

Knowledge of lenses is important as well. A concave lens is thinnest at the center, so they diverge from each other. Convex lenses are thickest at the center so the lens rays converge. Compound lenses combine both of these things. It is important to have knowledge of lenses to know what to use in every situration. Shorter focal length lenses present a wider field of view.  They should also know how to vary the aperture of the lens to change the amount of light going through the lens to make it darker or lighter.

Video cameras are either field cameras, convertible cameras or studio cameras. Video cameras can either be standard definition or high definition. Digital cameras have a viewfinder, body, and optics and recording. The HDV camcorder is light and portable and can be used by professionals or the public.

Field cameras can be for professional TV shows like sports or documentaries. Studio cameras are very expensive and are great quality but not portable. DC cameras are typically used for films.

Also very important is taking care of the camera. The camera must be kept clean and dry and charged to protect the camera and make for a successful filming experience.  Cameras are also very sensitive to heat, so they must be kept in the shade. The camera also must be attended at all times. Focus must be made to do well when filming, because it can be expensive to film for a long period of time.  Knowing how to take care of and work a camera is very important for those working in digital journalism.

 

 

 

Chapter 2 reaction paper

Do you think this will be in realistic, modernist or postmodern style?

Chapter 2 discusses the process of production from start to finish which is mainly broken into 3 parts (pre production, production, and post production). Pre-production can include writing a treatment, the preparation of project proposals, etc. Production is the actual process of creating a video project. Post production is editing film and audio after the shoot has finished.

The chapter also discusses the pros and cons of digital vs analog film. While there are many benefits with the flexibility of digital video when it comes to encoding it and editing it, many still believe analog has the best resolution. Digital technologies are used for all kinds of things throughout production, however, with computer graphics, scripts etc for pre production, and editing in post production. I found interesting the idea that while traditional film is often more attractive to film buffs, digital is so much easier to work with through all stages of production. I could see why so many movies shifted towards digital releases when the technology was released.

There are important decisions in a project for studio vs location producing and single camera vs multiple. The book notes the concept of Murphy’s Law — everything that can go wrong will and to prepare for any scenario. It is also important to consider what aesthetic one should aim for in production- modernism (avant garde), postmodernism (mixture of styles) or realism (realistic aesthetic). The text noted that realistic art included people and things that an audience could relate to and sympathize with the characters like in most Hollywood movies. Modernism was described by the text as more “elitist and private.” An example the text gave was the movie Big Fish by Tim Burton.  Post modernism was described as mixing elite art with popular culture such as Harrison Ford’s character in Blade Runner.

The Chapter also noted the history of film. It began with traditional film through photography, then audio technology was added in when film developed to “talkies.” Then digital formats changed everything. Now with the rise of digital technology, all the formats are merging to all be controlled by computers, which will have an impact on all aspects of production from start to finish.

What I found important in the chapter was the idea of being prepared for anything that could go wrong. I also found the history of film interesting, and the concept that analog film is more beautiful to film buffs than digital, but how the ease of working with digital technology leads it to be a choice that makes more sense for those directing productions in today’s age. This chapter showed me the importance of planning during production and the specialized work that goes through all stages of production. It also shows how important it is to pick an aesthetic that works for your production. As far as journalism production, it seems that realistic aesthetic would be the most relevant to the types of production I will be doing.

Chapter 1 reaction paper

Streaming is changing the way movies and TV shows are distributed.

Chapter one discusses the importance of understanding audience and distribution when pursuing projects in video production. The chapter discusses the fundamental importance of studying audience demographics, as it will give insight (“scientific, statistical validity) into what kind of decisions to make as far as production decisions: what areas to focus money into in the production and how much money to spend. Those making productions can note how popular their project may be with an audience through studying TV shares and ratings for broadcast TV and hits on the internet. They can encourage the success of their future project through “advertising penetration” or making sure many people have heard of their project.

Another way is by connecting successful stars and directors to their project. The text notes the rise in recent years of streaming being a major form of showing and distributing music and films. The text notes that understanding how to successfully distribute one’s project is important towards getting the project to successfully reach the target audience.

As far as making successful productions projects for TV, there are other factors to consider. For broadcast, content must appeal to advertisers. The main target demographic is women between (18-34). Other big groups who are becoming more attractive to advertisers are men of the same age, minorities, and baby boomers who are all typically targeted less and have a good bit of disposable income. They must also receive good ratings and shares. They are more likely to succeed with a good time slot (prime time) and/or by following another popular program.

A show is very successful if it can make it to at least 5 seasons and very few make it to syndication. Content less focused on these ratings can succeed on cable networks who can narrowcast to a more “niche” audience, or on Public Television. However, Public Television is threatened by lack of ratings and can sometimes suffer/ cave to commercial pressures because of this.

Theatrical films are mostly distributed by big companies such as Disney, MGM etc. In big commercial films, 90% typically goes to the distributor and 10% goes to those showing the film. There are also Non-theatrical films who are often nonprofit and shown as an act of public service. The distribution of films is being changed by streaming and the DVD/Blu-ray industry suffers as a result.

However, the video game industry is still very successful and Hollywood has been very involved with it, as it makes about the same amount as the box office aspect of the film industry per year ($5 billion). The textbook noted how in future years, the industry may shift distribution towards the trend of watching/listening to content on personal devices.

For my reaction, I was personally intrigued by the way the media industry is changing so much due to the rise of Netflix and the internet. I thought it was interesting how streaming is so popular compared to the former models of distribution and “hits” on the internet are kind of like “shares” on TV now. What I believe I learned from this chapter was that in order to succeed, one must, along with proper market research, make his or her project available with current popular models of distribution like streaming.

Side by Side

“Side by Side” was produced by Keanu Reeves and discusses the change from analog to digital that film is going through. The movie noted the development of digital film and the Hollywood’s transition to digital films. There were many pros and cons between the two forms and why some directors were reluctant to switch.

Cinematographers in particular talked about the struggle with analog film. They noted how they could film all day and not know if anything was usable until the end when they played the “dailies.” Most cinematographers noted how difficult it was to know how things were going to turn out and light things properly when not knowing how it would show up on film. When the “dailies” turned out good, it was exciting and everyone was happy. However, just as often, it turned out bad. Most cinematographers noted how helpful it was to immediately know how the lighting was showing up on screen. However, some said the screen on the camera was so small that it still wasn’t particularly helpful.

Digital film technology radically changed post production Digital technology seemed to be especially loved by directors who took advantage of special technology. The director of Sin City noted “technology pushes art and art pushes technology.”  Many directors with critically acclaimed movies said that their movies would not be possible without digital technology. George Lucas said after filming Star Wars 2 that he would never direct another movie on analog. Although now post production can fix colors in post some cinematographers noted that they didn’t need it because they took pride in creating beautiful colors on screen through lenses, lighting etc.

During production, digital has many benefits as well. Its light size led it to be able to be picked up and more easily maneuvered. The benefit of this is shown in the footage of children running through the street in the movie “Slumdog Millionaire.” The lighter aspect of the camera means that directors can get shots that they could never get on traditional film.  Also now, as directors could see how performances were coming across on the monitor as they were happening, they could provide better feedback to their actors.

Digital also led to the rise of 3D movies, where two cameras filmed at slightly different angles to form a 3D image. “Avatar” was filmed for 3D which made it fundamentally important for that movie. While 3D was important for that movie, directors had unfavorable opinions of 3D movies. Many said they only saw it as a “gimmick” and not a respected technique for directing but just something added on to increases sales.

For the directors who do miss analog film, the “Alexa” camera was invented for those who miss the look of old school film. In the end, while some directors said that digital technology ruined the “magic” that analog cameras had, many benefits were cited in the production and post production as far as ease of production and ability to add effects that would have been unthinkable before the rise of digital technology. Therefore, I believe that the viewing of Side by Side shows that while there is a lot to learn from the old years of analog technology, the move towards digital technology is not a bad thing.