Chase Film Reflection

Think back to when you pitched your chase film.  How close is your final product to what you envisioned? Write an in-depth reflection on what went well and what challenges you had while making it.  Dig deep!  How did you perform on the project?

    When my group initially pitched the sequence, our idea was a little bit bigger than what we ended up doing as a few of the beats had issues with them. The biggest changes we made during pre production was removing the party scene entirely and changing the twist from the box being empty to it having been a confetti prank. A few smaller changes we made before we started shooting was following the suggestion to add a person carrying a ton of boxes for one of our characters to run into and adding an end scene of the thief driving home dejected. During production, Liia came up with the idea to make a cowboy scene and we decided against having her throw her shoe at the park. Ultimately, my teammates' cuts of the film are much closer to what we envisioned and, besides those pivots, we followed closely to our original plan and pitch. Some things that went pretty well was the entire first shooting day that was on Sunday as everyone got there on time, the shooting process went smoothly, and no major issues came up. On the otherhand, the biggest challenge we faced was scheduling as for the subsequent shoots, we had to fight the clock to all get to location which was problematic as both Nicole and I had school that was 20+ minute drive without traffic, and on Monday was over an hour for me. This gave us very little time to shoot before the sun went too far down and the lighting got too dark. During the project, everyone did a pretty good amount of work. I was the primary camera operator and, whenever the others had the chance, they would shoot for whatever scene they weren't in.

How a TV Show Gets Made

What are three ways that television production is different than feature film production?  What did you find interesting about this process?

    Three ways that television production differs from the production process of a feature film are the amount of directors working on the show, the scale of the production, and the timing. It is very common for there to be multiple directors working on different episode of a tv show because it can allow for the production of both to occur simultaneously. This is something that is rarely seen in the production process of a film--the closest thing to this are secondary units during big productions, but the difference is that these are often for less important scenes rather than for full on episodes. Another difference I noticed is the scale. As each episode can vary in length from 20-45 minutes, maybe even the length of an entire movie, and there can be a lot of episodes to a show. The example given in the video said that the entire script was 600 pages long, which, is 10 hours long. For comparison, a feature film is two hours long on average. Another difference is the timing for both the production. As said before, episodes are often shot simultaneously in order to be able to get them out sooner rather than months apart.

Set Chain of Command

What are 3 key pieces of advice this presenter gives about the chain of command?  Why is it so important?

    Three pieces of advice that this presenter gives about the chain of command are having the DP and the head audio engineer in conversation, the DP with any crew members that they need, and the Director with the producer and Scripty. It's important for these roles to be in conversation with each other in order to spot, report, and solve any issues and keep communication efficient without having chaos on set. The DP and audio engineer can identify issues and report them, the DP may need different crew members to do specific things for the visuals, and having the producer and scripty in conversation with the director ensures that they know that the correct notes are being taken and for them to report problems to the director.

    

Director of Photography

Why is the director of photography role so important in a film?  What are some of their responsibilities on a film?

    The role of the director of photography is so important in a film because the DoP (or cinematographer) is responsible for the images and visual look of the film. Some of their responsibilities on a film are managing the lighting setups, the camera, and what can be seen on the cameras. As the DoP is the person in charge of creating the look of the film, this is primarily done via lighting. The DoP needs to research what is needed, i.e., their kit and crew, in order to achieve a desired look with their lighting. They also oversee the setup, telling the gaffer and grip about lighting requirements for the setup. The next thing that the director of photography is responsible for is the camera. They figure out what camera movements might be desired for the film and are in charge of the camera department. They discuss and work with the camera operator and focus puller in order to get the shot that they're aiming for. The DoP is also responsible for what can be seen by the cameras. This includes the framing and the blocking of actors. Additionally, on smaller productions, the DoP may also work as the camera operator.

Producer

Why is the producer's role so important in a film?  What are some of their responsibilities on the movie crew?

    The producer's role is so important in a film because they're often the first involved and are the driving force throughout production. Some of their responsibilities on the movie crew include managing the budget and finances, the creative aspects, locations, problem solving, and hiring the crew. One of the most important part of the film is the budget and the producer is the one who decides it, approves costs, and secure money from investors. The creative aspects of a film start with the producer, who either hires a writer for their idea or secures the rights to a script (optioning a script). The producer is also in charge of finding locations to shoot and predicting, identifying, and solving problems that may arise during production. The producer hires the crew for the production and is legally responsible for the health and safety of everybody on set.

Who's Who on a Film Crew

Why are there so many different jobs on a movie crew?  What is one job that you learned about in this video that you'd never heard of.  Why might it seem interesting?

    There are so many different jobs on a movie crew because there are so many different things that need to be done that require vastly different skillsets in order to run smoothly. For instance, the director is handling all the creative decisions on set whilst the assistant director handles the logistics on set. Although one can possibly do both, it is a tremendous amount of work, which is why roles like the assistant director exists. These jobs focus in one area so that each person on the crew isn't going to be doing more than they can handle and can actually do their jobs efficiently. One job that I learned about in this video is the gaffer. A gaffer creates the lighting designs and oversees its setup which I knew was a role but never knew the title. It seems interesting as I haven't learned that much about lighting and I hope to learn more.

The Final Cut

What is the role of the final edit in the post-production process?  How is it different from the assembly and rough cuts?

    The role of the final edit in the post-production process is to account for feedback and to create a clearer, more interesting, and more dramatic story. A primary way to achieve this is by cutting out redundancies in the film. Having redundant aspects of your film can bore the audience and often should be avoided. This can take the form of cutting out dialogue that only repeats information and doesn't add anything to the story or by cutting out dialogue when the actor is exhibiting behavior that conveys the same info, adding subtext and making them feel more interesting and relatable.

    The final edit is different from the assembly and the rough cut because in the final edit is when you add the finishing touches to the film and are ready to exhibit the film. The final edit is the step where you add all transitions, the finalized music, and titles to the cut. Once the final edit is done, the film is ready to be shown to audiences and you can exhibit it.

Script Supervisor

What is the role of the script supervisor in a film production?  What are their responsibilities?

    In a film production, the role of a script supervisor is to maintain the continuity of a scene between takes and shots and take notes. The responsibilities of a script supervisor (or scripty) is to take notes on everything that is in a scene, i.e., props, costuming, actors and their body language,  and everything that can be heard. This is important as they can identify any continuity errors and correct them, preventing them from appearing in the final project. They also take notes on which take of a shot is the one that the director likes and if an actor who's speaking is visible on camera.

What to Call Out

In your own words, write a paragraph on what needs to be called on set before what and explain why it is so important.  Refer to the Production Process slides if needed.

    There are multiple things that need to be called out and what is needed is dependent on the crew. It's incredibly important to make these call-outs as it ensures every department is on the same page and gives the actors time to settle, which will overall improve the efficiency and organization on set. Being more organized means more time saved and more money saved. The first thing that is said is "lock it up" by the AD, which tells every department to be ready for a take. Next, they call out "picture is up," which means that the next run through of the scene will be filmed, and the PA's call it out as well. They then say "roll sound," which is also repeated by the PAs. This is followed by "sound speed" by the sound mixer after they roll sound. The AD then calls out "roll camera" which is followed by the camera operating rolling the camera and responding with "camera speed." After this, the 2nd AC is positioned and calls out the roll, shot, and take before calling "marker" and clapping the slate. The camera operator refocuses the camera before calling set and finally the director calls out "action!"

How to Read a Call Sheet

After watching the video, how can understanding and effectively using a call sheet contribute to better communication and organization on a film set?

    Understanding and effectively using a call sheet contributes to better communication and organization on a film set because it provides important information in an easier to read document. Call sheets include locations, who's needed when, weather, what's being shot, and important instructions and reminders. This covers most everything you need to know for each day by day schedule and by providing a call sheet, the cast and crew are able to go into a shoot knowing what they need to know without much hassle. By including locations, it ensures that people know where to go and, in an emergency, where the nearest hospital is. It includes a call time so people know where and when they need to be present. And by having a list of the shots for the day, it gives everyone an idea and plan for how the shoot will go. Call sheets make sure people know what's happening which will prevent confusion and miscommunications that may cost a lot of time.

Shots vs Setups

What is the main difference between a shot vs. a setup?   What is the most important thing to keep in mind when you're going to shoot a scene?

    A shot is an uninterrupted group of frames for any period of time. Each cut moves from one shot to another one. A setup is the placement and angles of the lights and camera on set and each setup takes time to adjust everything. The main difference between a shot and a setup is that a setup can remain the same over multiple shots, maybe with minimal changes. The most important thing to keep in mind when shooting a scene is to shoot the shots by order of setup rather than the by order of shots. This is because there can be multiple shots that have the same setup but aren't in order. Thus, to save time, you should shoot all of those shots consecutively even though they aren't chronological as that means you'll have to move your setup less. Additionally, you should shoot similar shot with similar setups after one another as the small changes in setup will be much quicker than going back and forth—which is called a turnaround.

Coverage

In your own words explain what coverage is.  Why is it so important when you are shooting?

    Coverage is essentially getting shots from different angles and of different objects in order to make a more interesting cut. This includes triangle coverage—which is a master shot and two singles—insert shots, and cutaways. Insert shots make an object seen with in the master shot the subject, which can be very important to have when the object has a role or impacts the story of the scene. A cutaway typically shows what a character is seeing and it's something that is off screen. Getting good coverage is so important when you're shooting because it, as the name implies, covers your bases when it comes time to edit. By getting coverage of a scene, it gives the editor much more flexibility and leeway to create an interesting scene that makes sense and conveys what you want it to. Not having enough coverage may lead to vital details being missed, the scene feeling uncomfortable to the audience, or the scene just being boring.

Shot Lists

What is a shot list? Why is it so important?

    A shot list is an extensive plan on every shot that you expect to need for your project. It's essentially a written version of the cut of the film before shooting. In order to create a shot list, you must read through your script scene by scene and write down which shots you think are needed for each scene. This includes the type of shot and angle, which are often abbreviated, e.g., WS for wide shot, CU for close up, and MS for medium shot. Camera movements are also included, that being dollying, trucking, panning, and tilting. Additionally, terms are used to describe other types of compositional elements. For instance, a dirty shot is one with something in the foreground, such as an OTS. The opposite of a dirty shot is a clean shot, which has nothing in the foreground obscuring the subject.

    A shot list is so important because it plans out the entire cut of the movie, which ensures you get every shot you need. This will save time—which is money—as you're less likely to have to revisit scenes to shoot something you missed and you can schedule out for each shot and scene, which will make the process run smoother.