Assignment Examples for PORTRAIT of a Person, Place or Event

RESERVE YOUR EQ at least 48 HOURS IN ADVANCE! Email your eq reserves.

Your email should include the following:

TCF 312

Your Name

Pickup Date:

Return Date:

Detailed list of EQ desired (BE SPECIFIC!)

Examples:

Please note: We will watch some of these examples in class(the projector is broken), but I encourage you to watch as many as you're able. When you watch consider WHAT is the story or stories being told (what do you think is the filmmaker's message, or what do you take from his/her piece?), and HOW is the story told visually. What are the levels of filmmaking - technical skill, aesthetics/style, color, camera work, etc... being deployed to work in service of the media message?

Some (hopefully inspiring) examples:

Uptopia #3

D-Nice's "Experiencing the Dream"

Brian B+ Cross "KEEPINTOKYO" and "TEEBS"

Noisemaker Media's "Spanish Harlem Hop Park Jam" and "True School Park Jam Series 2010 Trailer"

pouringdown.tv - "of all the things that can happen" and "the skies uptown"

Examples of portraits of people:

[Please Note: These use "talking head" interviews (which the assignment does not allow, but the majority of the pieces feature the interview(s) used as v.o. (which is acceptable for this assignment).]

  
Harlem Elvis from John X. Carey on Vimeo.

Kickflip from I Am Los Angeles on Vimeo.

Maxwell The Barber (Short Documentary) from Stephen Potter on Vimeo.


Here are examples of a portrait of a place:

Look Up at the Stars, Portugal! from Matthew Brown (Matty Brown) on Vimeo.

Utopia, Part 3: The World's Largest Shopping Mall


Here are examples of a portrait of a person and/in a place:

 

  
Shelter from the Storm from John X. Carey on Vimeo.


The Guardian from Carly Palmour on Vimeo.

Here is an example of a portrait of an event:


D-Nice Presents: Experiencing The Dream from D-Nice on Vimeo.


2012 True School Park Jam Series Trailer from Noisemaker Media on Vimeo.



Please also see what other TCF students have done before you. Visit the right sidebar and search for a couple, but here are a few:

TCF 312 Portrait of a Place from Henry Busby on Vimeo.


The 15th Lake from Xavier Burgin on Vimeo.



Suggestion: visit the right sidebar of my blog to see what students in previous semesters have put together. Here are a couple:

Filter Assignment - A.D., Myranda, Sam

Filter Assignment from UA, Telecommunication and Film on Vimeo.

1. READ: 

Guide to Camera Filters and How to Use Them


How, When and Why to Use a Polarizing Filter and this is also good explanation of polarizer filters

Tiffen Filter Guide 
(Please read about the many kinds of filters but look specifically for the filters that we have for the SONY HDV cameras - see list below)

2. WATCH:

 





Note: the effect of the filter and how the effect is adjusted by rotating the filter

3. Send an email to request a camera as follows:

4. TUESDAY, SEPT 11, IN CLASS, MEET AT THE EQ ROOM!






We will film in pairs or groups (based on how many cameras are avail).

Each group will get

SONY HDV
batter
tripod
white card
HDV filter pack 
(Please make sure there is a polarizer and at least two other kinds of filters in your pack!)


Here's the assignment:

TCF 312 – Group Exercise #2: SONY HDV with FILTERS
* Please film BEFORE class on Tuesday, 9/11 *
FILMED IN CLASS ON TUESDAY 9/11

NOTE FOR HDV CAMERA SHUTTER SPEED:
If you set your camera (MENU > CAMERA > PROG SCAN) to Progressive, you then have access to 1/48 shutter speed! (Sorry about that).

To recap: 
if HDV is in 60i mode, shutter speed option is 1/60
if HDV is set to PROGRESSIVE SCAN, it then will give you the option for 1/48

TCF has the following filters for SONY HDV cameras:

1. color graduated filter
2. polarizer
3. soft
4. black pro mist 
5. warm black diffusion
6. enhancing
7. gold diffusion
8. ultra contrast

Working in a group of 2-3 students, you are to film well-composed shots, using strong framing and compositional elements to produce visually compelling images, which speak --- think content and form discussion from class.

5 Shot Exercise Using SONY HDV and filters:

1. Enhance the sky of a landscape
2. Reduce glare on glass
3. Reduce glare on water
4. Soften a shot using a filtered effect
5. Enhance a shot w/color or detail using a filter

Rules:

• Record color bars at the head of your tape
• Film a visual slate w/name of camera operator (rotate who operates), and manual settings (iris & shutter speed)
• Film 15-20 seconds of shot w/no filter
• Film 15-20 seconds of shot w/filter
• Make sure you white balance your camera on location (under lighting conditions where you are filming)
• NO GAIN should be used in any shot!

BRING YOUR TAPE TO CLASS ON TUESDAY, SEPT 11! 

We will go over tape capturing in FCP and talk about tape vs. tapeless workflow in class.

* * * * * 

DSLR FILTER BONUS:

Later in the course we'll move to DSLR cinematography. One of the limitations of these cameras is the moire effect. Here's a filter that eliminates it! We don't have one (yet) in TCF, but watch how it works:

Canon 7D Anti-Aliasing Filter Review - Clean! from cinema5D on Vimeo.

Here are some links about it that you should read

1. NoFilmSchool's post with Philip Bloom video about 5D filter fix

2.  Positives and negatives about 7D filter by Cinema5D

Also please note that we NEVER take a screwdriver to the inside of a TCF camera --- John Chisholm will do that for us! ; )

INTERESTING LINK

Shane Hurlburt has some great posts on his blog. You should check him out: http://www.hurlbutvisuals.com

Check out  his blog posts on STORYTELLING THROUGH COMPOSITION

Part I

Part II

They are very much in line w/the content in the filmmaker's eye

Assignment #1

Assignment from Michael Thomas on Vimeo.




Assignment 2 from Michael Thomas on Vimeo.


Group Assignment #1
Michael Thomas, Ted, Kiara

Assignment 1

TCF 312 Assignment #1 from Greg Kubik on Vimeo.

Assignment 1 - "Hollywood" vs. Auteur Styles

TCF 312 (Fall 2012) - Assignment 1 from UA, Telecommunication and Film on Vimeo.

Daniel Barnes, Lauren Jacobs,
Jana Patton

Shot on JVC HMU100

Group Assignment #1

TCF 312 Group Assignment 1 from UA, Telecommunication and Film on Vimeo.

Shot on JCV HMU100
Myranda Bennett, Shayla Garrett, AD Schmidt,  Sam Shelton

TUTORIAL: How to post your GROUP assignments

As a group you need to "edit" your exercises and post to this course blog.

Please type name/# of exercise in title and type of all group member names in body of post. Share any important notes such as type of camera, camera log information, etc.

+ + +

Here are the steps you will need to follow:

1. Set up your project file in FCP

Probably 1080 24P (but this depends on the camera and your setting filmed with

(Instructions on handout)

2. Log & transfer (HD footage) using card reader or with mini-usb connecting camera to workstation

or

Log & capture (for HDV tape) using Canon H40

3. Edit your clips in sequence. Add desired effects and required titles.

4. When your video is finished, you must render and mixdown

a. Sequence > Render All > Both to render video and audio

b. Sequence > Render Only > Mixdown to render all audio

5. To export FULL RESOLUTION Quicktime File:

File > Export > Using Quicktime

Make sure "Make a self contained movie is checked!"

This export will export HIGH RESOLUTION if you are exporting "same as sequence settings".

By cntrl clicking (or right mouse clicking) you can GET INFO (Cmd I) and determine file size. This file is NOT optimized for upload with Vimeo.

6. To export a COMPRESSED (or smaller file) Quicktime File:

Follow the settings noted here (shown as screenshots below)

VIMEO COMPRESSION SETTINGS GUIDE

--> The right side of the window gives you video clips on Exporting with FCP7 & uploading to Vimeo.

1. File > Export Using Quicktime Conversion a. CLick on OPTIONS b. Click on VIDEO SETTINGS:

2

2. Change your video settings as follows: 

a. Make sure H.264 is selected

b. Make sure current FPS (or desired fps) is selected

c. Change Data Rate: from Automatic to RESTRICT to 5000 for HD (or 2000 for SD) 

d. click OK to save your settings

3. Under Video Settings Click on SIZE and select what Vimeo recommends (the shorter the project the larger settings you may use --- typically 1280 by 720, but you can experiment here).

4. Click on SOUND SETTINGS: 

a. Change Format form Linear PCM to AAC

b. Change Rate from 48 to 44.100

c. Change Quality from Normal to Best

d. Change Target Bit Rate to 320

e. Click OK to save your settings

5. SAVE YOUR FILE ---- NOTE on FILE NAME

When you save your file DO NOT use any spaces, dashes, funky characters, or a long name. If you must indicate a space, please use _ such as Group1_Titanic or Group2_Professional. File names that don't follow this will often have errors in Vimeo upload (and will make you crazy!)

TO UPLOAD VIMEO CLIP TO CLASS BLOG:

1. Click SHARE on Vimeo clip

2. Copy the EMBED code

3. Log in to blogger.com account

4. Select TCF 312 CLASS blog in your dashboard list

5. Click NEW POST

6. Click on HTML tab (top right)

7. Paste the Vimeo EMBED code

8. Click on COMPOSE tab (top right next to HTML tab)

9. Type name/# of exercise in title and type of all group member names in body of post. Share any important notes such as type of camera, camera log information, etc.

+ + + +

IF YOU ARE NEW TO FCP7 OR CONFUSED FROM CLASS, YOUTUBE HAS TUTORIAL SUCH AS THESE:

For JVC footage (SD cards), please LOG & TRANSFER into FCP7, such as demonstrated here:

Here's a tutorial for HDV footage (tape media) LOG & CAPTURE, such as demonstrated here: