Evaluation

I am happy with the end result of my moving image project, as it includes all of the skills I have learnt up to this point. The camera and lighting techniques section was especially useful, as I was filming in low-key lighting for my final video, and I otherwise would not know how to use lighting in the way that I did in my final project. The ISO section was also useful, as I had learnt that using a higher ISO would create more grainy footage. In my initial shoots for my final project I forgot to configure the ISO properly, but I later configured it so there was a higher aperture and an ISO of around 300 - 400.

Despite this, some shots later on in the film I feel are too dark, and it is difficult to tell what is happening. I was playing the main character in the film, and I wanted to keep my identity hidden throughout the entirety / most of the film.  I wanted to do this because I wanted to create some form of mystery throughout the film. I did this by never having a light source directly shone towards my face, or not having it in shot. A downside of this was that I would often blend in with the background, as I was mainly shrouded in shadow, as well as the background. This isn’t so much of a problem earlier in the film, but in the later shots the lighting was significantly worse. I could have fixed this by having the background well lit to contrast with myself, which was in shadow.

From my artist research I had learnt about using long-winded shots in order to build tension. This use of cinematography and editing builds tension. However, on reflection, I feel like I could have used this technique more, as I often didn’t leave the shot long enough on screen for tension to build, and I would usually cut to another angle. Upon watching it again I felt like the pace of editing did not suit the style of film I was aiming for – which was horror and suspense. I also think I could have designed shots to be more unsettling and uncomfortable. While I am very happy with the shots I managed to execute for the film, I feel as if the shots were not specific enough to the horror genre.

Overall, I am pleased with my final film and the project as a whole – though I could have made the cinematography apply more to the conventions of the horror genre, as well as improve the lighting to increase visibility of the shots.

Post-Production Techniques & Final Video

Post-Production Techniques:

While editing this video i had to make atleast one change to every shot. I most commomly used the 3-Way colour correction tall, to decrease the abundance off yellow lighting and help it to look more realistic. I also had to use the brightness and contrast tool for the later shots in the film, as i had filmed them in an environment that was too dark. The contrast helped to make the image look less flat when I added brightness. I also used the Warp Stabilizer tool to get rid of minor camera shakes in some shots.

Project Timeline

Three-Way Colour Corrector

 

Brightness & Contrast

Warp Stabilizer

Final Video

Evaluation

My initial aim was to create interesting photographs using water in various ways, for example reflctions in puddles and water droplets on windows. I wanted to use it in ways that they could be seen naturally, rather than manipulating water too much myself. Despite this, in some cases i had to manipulate it as my work depended on the weather. For example, i had to spray water nto a window in order to get the water droplet effect, rather than waiting for it to rain.

I think my photographs were mostly successful in being interesting and relatively unique, although in some cases i feel that they could have been more interesting and unique. I also think i was successful in mostly using water that was placed naturally despite the one case in which i sprayed water.

If i were to reshoot my fnal images i would make sure that the images were more in focus, as there are some areas which were intended to be in focus but weren't, although this is often hard to notice, and in a way makes the photo look slighty more interesting.

One of the issues i ran into was the rain, as rain was required for one of the photos i needed, but it didn't and so i needed to place water manually. Another issue i ran into was the camera lens not focusing on close up objects, which was something needed for these shots. Due to this the photographs were not as close as i originaly wanted them to be.

My shots were inspired by my artist, Alex Saberi, and are similar to two of his bodies of work. Although i feel i have differentiated my work enough from his, for example, where he focused of citied and urban areas, mine were set in moe rural environments, and focussed on trees and puddles in mud, than buildings and pudles on pavement.

Overall, i think my project worked out well, and i accomplished what i set out to do for the most part. Though i feel some areas could have been done better had i managed my time better and also shot in a variety of locations. I could also have produced more visually interesting photographs had i incorporated better use of colour and experimented with different light sources. A variety of lenses could also have allowed me to get the amount of close-up detail i originally wanted.

Final Pieces

Artist Research

For my final film i'd like to take inspiration from the work of Guillermo Del Toro such as The Devil's Backbone and Crimson Peak.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhPayvENCX4

In the scene above, the devil's backbone uses a shot that lasts longer than all other shots in the scene in order to build tension before a jump scare. Close ups are also used during the shots inside the cupboard in order to make the situation feel more claustrophobic. One of the main themes of Del Toro's films, however, are his creature designs (Pans Labyrinth is a good example of this) - which is something i wll not be able to accomplish in my work, and so it will be based around only using shots to create tension & horror.

Due to this, Guillermo Del Toro may not be the best artists to look at, seeing as his creature and monser designs are so important in his films.

 Another director i looked at was James Wan, who has directed the Insidious films aswell as The Conjuring. These films also use shots which are long and build tension, which can bee seen in the clip below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOgC_YUyTYs

The camera tends to linger on something that is not in the foregound, gining the feeling that they're not safe where they are and the camera is hinting at what is putting them in danger. Rather than cange the shot it will zoom or pan. In this scene there are only 5 shots, the initial one lasting almost 50 seconds. The shots tend to decrease in length as the charcaters realise they may be in danger and the atmosphere becomes more intense.

 Unline Guillermo Del Toro, James Wan focuses more on the cinematography to create horror and tension, meaning he would be a better source of inspiration and reference for the film i have decided to make.

Planning for final project

- Horror.

- Slow panning / zooming shots.

- Long lasting shots to add suspense.

- Low key lighting.

- Electronic humming when near light source.

- Close up and long shots.

- Camera glitch effect.

My final film is to be focused on building atmosphere through the use of long shots and low key lighting. I plan to use low key and high contrast lighting, creating shadows. Characters will be absent for most of the film, and it will focus more so on the environment.

The film is to be more subtle, with the horror coming from the cinematography and lighting rather than monsters or gore. I have not yet decided whether sound will be an important part of the film, as i may make the film silent, or i could have sound be essential to the atmosphere.

I may also use a song as a backing track, making the film more akin to a music video, though this depends on the footage and how i feel it would be best edited. If i were to do this i would use a mostly ambient and slow paced song.

Post 3rd shoot:

-Closed eye

-Cooker flame lights

-Eye opens

-Leaving room

-Turns off flame + looks around

I am still unsue as to whether i will show any other being in the house or keep it
 in mystery. Showing something could break thetension i have built throughout the film.

Unsuccessful Shoots

While shooting my final film I had various issues. The first major issue i had was with the camera lens. Due to me wanting to use low key lighting, it meant i had to alter the cameras settings to accommodate for that environment. My first attempt filming resulted in the footage being too dark, and due to the aperture not being able to go any wider than it was, i had to increase the ISO. While this resulted in the right lighting, the footage was very grainy, with the whole film having an orange hue. This was using the Canon 600D's default lens, so i had to instead use another lens which had a high enough aperture that it could film in the environment.

The second lens i used was a 50mil, and while able to shoot in low key lighting, it's default zoom was too tight that i couldn't get the required shots. Due to me filming inside a house with relatively small rooms this made filming difficult. Another issue was its size. I didn't have access to a tripod at the time. and i was finding it difficult to execute steady shots hand held. These factors resulted in the footage being too zoomed in and also shaky.