Preliminary Exercise 7: Storyboarding Camerawork Day 2 Blog Post

Introduction

In the previous post, sheet one and two were documented, but there was still much more to unpack in understanding other aspects included in the storyboarding process. 

The most famous, and effective example of strategies and methods of storyboarding still used to this day are by none other than the well-renowned, Walt Disney. According to, “https://sourceofinsight.com, Storyboarding the Disney Way, Walt Disney used storyboarding to quickly show and share progress on the walls of his studio.” The article further broke down Walt Disney’s storyboarding process in eight steps: Topic (pinning his idea on the wall), Purpose (the purposes for his film), Headers (primary points, plots, and attributes), Miscellaneous (a header that contains a random or unrelated idea to add to the film), Brainstorming (generating thoughts of possible solutions to the main conflict of the story), Hitchhiking (considering all of these previous steps into mind, and combining them), Flexibility (ensuring the storyline is flexible, and is cohesive of all the related ideas previously brainstormed), and lastly Incubating (which continues to add more ideas into perspective until the plan for the story is clear and complete.

In storyboarding, skills such as effectively planning, using proper time management, aesthetic, and artistic skills must all be combined to create the final product. With these skills that we put into practice, we were able to organize the rest of the plot for sheets three and four using shot size, camera angles, framing and composition.

                                    

Sheet 3- The climax, or peak, of the story is explained in these scenes.

Sheet 4- Here, the falling action of the story occurs, but then is abruptly followed with the story's epilogue (the ending).

 REFLECTION

        To conclude, the objective of this task was meant to helped students build of experience in planning, and developing a storyboard, which maintains all of our ideas into one cohesive storyline.

         Our experience of collaborating on this assignment has been an eye-opening experience that has exercised our creativity, and increased our hopes for our film. Our creative process began with thinking of an idea, doing research and learning about camerawork techniques, such as ones used by Walt Disney explained in the first paragraph and in our media studies class. Then, using time management skills, we ceased the time we were given and went straight to writing which shot techniques we would use. Next, our group drew visual adaptations of the action lines and techniques we previously wrote, to then add final details such as color, and cleaner sketches for our final product.

         During this second, and final day to work on this task, we became confident in the new skills that we developed from this exercise. After, we finalized our ideas in the last shots, we were honored to have been able to work together on this creative process journey of unifying all our ideas into one, final masterpiece! Putting the skills and knowledge we acquired from this activity had overall made completing this assignment much easier.

         As stated in the last post, our team members each worked on separate roles to contribute to the finished product of this assignment. Marley B contributed insightful annotations and in-depth research of camerawork, which we took reference to on both days we did this activity, Peyton P created the first sheet, Lexi M designed the second sheet, and I worked on the third and fourth sheet.  The technology Marley B used for all of her research was with the options of resources we were given such as school provided laptops, personal laptops, and phones, and due to her familiarity with working with these appliances, she was able to skillfully execute her part at an expert level.

WORK CITED:

 

-Anon, (n.d.). Storyboarding the Disney Way. [online] Available at: https://sourcesofinsight.com/storyboarding-the-disney-way/ [Accessed 4 Apr. 2024].

Preliminary Exercise 6: Storyboarding, Camerawork- Shot Sizes, Camera Angles, Framing and Composition Day One

Introduction

When thinking of storyboarding, there are two quotes that come to mind, delivered by American actor and filmmaker, seen in countless movies such as “The Wolf of Wall-Street,” Martin Scorsese:

   © “These storyboards are not only the means of communication for what I imagine, but they are the point where I begin.”

   -“The storyboard for me is the way to visualize the entire movie in advance.” 

       Now, you may be wondering, what is a storyboard? A storyboard is defined by the online Oxford Dictionary as, “A sequence of drawings or other images, typically with some directions and dialogue, representing the shots planned for a film, television program.” Think of storyboarding as brainstorming for writing an essay or a new business idea. Similarly, storyboarding in the film industry is done with the intent of preparing for an upcoming movie by writing, planning, and visualizing camera shots, and to get a clearer idea of previously thought-out story ideas. According to, “barkingsquirrelmedia.com, Why Using Storyboards Are Important, the whole point of storyboarding a video is setting up a production plan. That involves every single shot needed (the shot list, basically), how they’ll be laid out and how the visuals are able to come together with the script. Planning your video coverage, or video storyboard, makes it easier to shoot.”

Working the Camera

       This step of film production, or the process of planning, arranging, shooting, and creating a film, is fundamental to filmmaking. Our production team is coming together to produce a film, but before we start, we created a storyboarded that mapped our ideas into sixteen shots of the camerawork we have been taught so far in our moviemaking research. The intention behind organizing and merging our ideas into camerawork techniques and drawings was to help us envision our story.

       For those who may be wondering, Camerawork is a blanket term that incorporates all camera shot techniques. These techniques are broken down into four categories such as shot size, camera angles, framing, and composition, which were the methods we applied to planning each shot shown below.

Sheet 1- Introduces the story's context, exposition (introduction) and rising action.

Sheet 2- The rising action is developed in these shots.

REFLECTION

        To sum up, our team’s objective in this activity was to research filmmaking techniques we learned about and noted in our media studies class and take advantage of the suggestions given to us to piece together the storyboard above as our final product. We are grateful to have been able to achieve our goal, which was to develop a film idea and plot our storyline in our beginning shots. We worked together as a team to ensure that our storyboard provided a coherent vision of what we had in mind for our film.

      Preliminary Exercise 5 helped us to have a general idea of our film, in which it our ideas in this activity gave a more defined and narrower understanding of what we will soon produce. Through taking notes in class, combined with further personal research it was simpler to do this task, which was a continuation of all the information we have retained in this media studies class so far.

 Day One- Creative Process

To explain, day one of planning our sheets above was majorly influenced by the different ideas we have previously pondered. Therefore, because we had an established purpose of the genre we would convey, I wrote a thorough plot of a story idea we could consider, and as a result of my teammates support, help, and agreement on the story, we decided to use that as our storyline.

Our production team of four girls: Peyton P, Marley B, Lexi M, and I worked as a team, which made this assignment much quicker, and easier to complete. 

For example, Peyton P and Marley B worked and shared ideas on the first sheet, Lexi M and Marley B worked on the second sheet, and I worked on the third and fourth sheet with the help of Peyton P for recommendation and innovative ideas.

The research and annotating of the skills mentioned in this assignment were all made possible with the assistance of the internet on our personal computers, phones, and computers from our school.

WORK CITED: 

-Oed.com. (2023). storyboard - Quick search results | Oxford English Dictionary. [online] Available at: https://www.oed.com/search/dictionary/?scope=Entries&q=storyboard.

-Anon, (2022). Why Using Storyboards Are Important | Barking Squirrel Media. [online] Available at: https://barkingsquirrelmedia.com/video-production-blog/what-to-know-about-why-using-storyboards-are-so-important/#:~:text=Storyboarding%20Helps%20Production%20Go%20Much%20Easier&text=That%20involves%20every%20single%20shot.

Preliminary Exercise 5: Analyzing Film Genre

Introduction

·      Today, the objective of this post is to analyze genre in film and to identify aspects of MISE-EN-SCENE associated with said genre. 

Genres are categories based on similarities in plot, aesthetics, or intended emotional responses in film. These classifications are made from analyzing the general mood, and certain elements of MISE-EN-SCENE included in film, which will be discussed shortly in this blog post. Genre was created for the purpose of allowing filmmakers to have a foundational idea of what they intend to express in their film, while also building the audience’s expectations as they watch a film. 

Examples of genre include, but are not limited to, comedy, horror, drama, and romance.

What is sub-genre?

      While genre is generally used for broad overviews of a film, sub-genres are more defined, and specific classifications. Using sub-genre in the filmmaking process has proven to be beneficial for film directors and writers to have a clearer vision of the type of content they want to produce, as well as it serves as pinpoint for audiences to be conscious on a narrower level of what they consuming. In, “What is Genre and How is it Determined, https://milnepublishing.geneseo.edu/,” sub-genre is applied to the Comedy genre, “The complicated part of the comedy genre is that there are different types or sub-genres of comedy; depending upon how outrageous and impossible the characters and story are in the movie. The sub-genres of comedy are slapstick, farce, satire, and dark. Any other genres are a variation of these four types. Comedy is actually a variation of physical action and ridicule.”

A Personal Favorite from the Raconteur

       With a world filled with numerous, wide-varieties of entertaining genres, two film genres that I enjoy watching the most is comedy and horror. More specifically, comedic, psychological-horror films such as “Get Out,” and “They Cloned Tyrone.” Those genres are particularly engaging to me because they can strategically maintain a humorous atmosphere, while also containing bone-chilling elements, that at times raise awareness to the absurdities of different phenomena in the world. What that means is comedy, which can sometimes combine with horror, can open the mind to daily horrific issues in society, that can be effectively discussed in film in an amusing manner. 

What are Mise-en-Scene elements in Horror/Comedic Horror?

        The goal of this post is meant to analyze genre and identify aspects of MISE-EN-SCENE commonly associated with horror, and apply it to film. As a result, it will help our production team better understand genre and strategies we can use to communicate the genre of our film to our audience.

        Without further ado, I will explain how our group completed this assignment! First, my partner and I chose a genre we both enjoy, which in this case is horror, and documented its sub-genre, comedic horror (another personal favorite). Due to horror being a genre we are familiar with; it made this task much simpler because we already had a few mise-en-scène elements in mind even before our research.

       To whom may be confused, horror is described best by the 1970, sensational, Italian film director and producer, Dario Argento, “Horror by definition is the emotion of pure revulsion. Terror of the same standard, is that of fearful anticipation.” To add, horror’s subgenre, comedic horror is characterized as a combination of both separate genres, which uses humor to contrast with horror in film. 

     One way to effectively discuss and research genre, one must consider its iconography. Iconography, or symbols, are visual imagery and symbolic representation that holds significant connotative meaning. Observing familiar icons associated with a genre can help distinguish it from other genres. Below, is a bubble diagram that illustrates elements of mise-en-scène in horror, specifically comedic horror. 

• As shown, one commonly attributed icon of this genre, and sub-genre, are archetypical character conventions such as the “nerd,” the “couple,” the “jock,” the stereotypical, simpleminded “blonde girl,” the antagonist, etc. 

• Another symbol found in comedic horror is the use of humorous masks, worn by the film’s adversary, which usually contains a goofy facial expression. 

• Third, the costumes of the main cast are conventional, casual daily wear, which is contrary to the film’s antagonist, typically seen in abnormally colored, or patterned clothing, or otherwise seen complete dark colors that only highlight certain features of their appearance. 

• To add to that, hair and makeup artists still intend to incorporate and preserve horror elements when styling actors and actresses, by incorporating fake blood for gore/ shock value, pale, sickly foundation shades contrasting with heavy, dark, ombres eye makeup, which signifies danger and death. The use of prosthetics to create deformities and mutations in the antagonists contributes to their disturbing, unsettling aura. Furthermore, cosmetics can be used to create the illusion of cuts, bruises, and wrinkles on characters, while including tissues and Band-Aids for a more authentic appearance.

What are Conceptual Themes in Genre?

       The question above hints at the next topic I will explain, which are narrative themes. Narrative themes, or theme, are defined in the official Britannica Dictionary website as, “the main subject that is being discussed or described in a piece of writing, a movie, etc.” Additionally, frequent themes found in horror genre are paranormal beings, monsters, vampires, and zombies.

       Specifically, themes in the comedic horror sub-genre are comical antagonists such as slashers, as well as communicating serious, adverse issues in modern society, teasing at horror film character archetypes, and containing fake blood, for gore. 

REFLECTION

        All in all, the bubble diagram above was meant to present to our group a new perspective lens to look at when examining the horror genre. The process of creating this project was a team effort, and I contributed illustrations and in writing details that my partner researched. My partner and I used laptops provided by the school to gather information and research included in our poster. It was overall simple to use laptops, and our phones occasionally, due to those appliances being ones frequently used by our group, and we functioned at an intermediate level utilizing the resources provided for us. This way, we were able to thoroughly research setting, acting, composition, color, lighting, hair, makeup, and costumes conventionally found in the horror genre, and comedic horror sub-genre.

      Breaking down the horror genre into elements of Mise-en-Scene has been a learning experience that taught our group specific attributes, which help both out team of producers and the audience to have a general vision of what we intend to convey in our film.

WORK CITED: 

-Reich, J. (2017). 2. What Is Genre and How Is It Determined? milnepublishing.geneseo.edu. [online] Available at: https://milnepublishing.geneseo.edu/exploring-movie-construction-and-production/chapter/2-what-is-genre-and-how-is-it-determined/#:~:text=Categorizing%20a%20movie%20indirectly%20assists.

-The Los Angeles Film School (2021). Subgenres of Horror Films Explained. [online] The Los Angeles Film School. Available at: https://www.lafilm.edu/blog/subgenres-of-horror-films-explained/.

-Scripts, I. (2022). The Comedy Horror Movie: The KEYS to Both Laughs and Scares. [online] Industrial Scripts®. Available at: https://industrialscripts.com/comedy-horror-movie/.