Video

SINGLE CAMERA DRAMA PRODUCTION

What is a single camera production?

Single camera production is when a camera is used to take multiple shots rather than having more cameras to take each angle. This technique is used a lot within tv dramas now a days and even in short films. This is used because of either the production have a short script or a low budget so the usage of one camera would be cheaper rather than multiple cameras.

For example Hollyoaks and My name is Earl all consist with the usage of single camera production. By using more cameras to take each angle would benefit the editor as it would be easier to edit having everything there for him to work from.  Examples of shows that use multiple camera production are East enders or Coronation street. This is done so that it is easier for the editors to piece together so that they can air them on tv as soon as possible. 

With a single camera their is more work involved for example the editor must piece each scene with camera angels to build up tension or to let the audience know what the character is feeling during that time. This needs to be structure and planned out before hand otherwise it would be a mess. When structuring its planning ahead so that the editor knows what hes doing and can follow a script with each camera angle as a guidance to make everything fit piece by piece.

There are different formats of genres for example a serial, drama and so on. It would be difficult to be able to tell the difference between each genre with how it may be a single camera or multi-camera as it is pieced together very well.

What is format?

Format is a form of program that has been made with a single camera or multi camera production. The format is a type of style that portrayed within a shot. The most important feature about format is how the scene and area of the shoot is set up and the format of what the recording will be in, this can even relate to High key lighting or Low key Lighting.

What is a Narrative structure?

Narrative is a type of frame work that helps structure a story easier for the viewer or reader to understand. It consists of a plot and a summary with different situations. These situations are, the exposition (starting of the story), Complication (the dramatic turn to change the outcome), Climax (After the situation and what will happen after) and the resolution (how everything becomes better or how the situation becomes better).

Here is an example from My Name Is Earl:

The opening shot starts off with a close up of a scratch card and then a straight cut to a close up of Earls reaction which helps viewers understand the emotion he is going through, then a long shot of him running into the road helps the audience establish where he is and the technique of showing how the exposition of the start suddenly turns into a complication as he gets hit by a car. The climax is how he is hit then him in hospital. The resolution is how after learning from his bad mistakes he is going to correct his ways making a list of all the negative actions he has made and to correct each and everyone using this list. 

At the start of this clip a camera pan has been used, this is a technique used because it helps the camera get to points A to B within the same shot. This makes it easier for the editor to edit because of the feature of having the different angles within that one shot. Another shot they used within this clip was a slow zoom in to a close up of the character. This has been done to show the feelings and reactions of the character. This slow zoom technique helps build up tension for the viewers because of the slow pan to zoom. A pan even helps viewers establish the scene for the viewers and where they are within that situation.

The narrative of my name is earl is non linear. This is because of how the story within each episode doesn't relate to the next for example all the situations that are shown in the episodes consists of new characters or flash backs which helps make the structure non linear because of all the different techniques used to help expand the story of My Name Is Earl.

What is the 180 degree rule?

The 180 degree rule is a basic guideline between one character to another or object within that scene. An imaginary line called the axis connects the characters by keeping the camera on one side of the axis for every shot in the scene, the first character will always be in frame left of the first. If the camera passes over the axis, it is called jumping the line or crossing the line of action.

Here are the different uses of camera angles used within My Name Is Earl:

 Here is a close up shot of earl as he wins on the scratch card. This has been used because it shows the expresion of the character. This technique has been used to help get the audience more involved within the characters situation and the feelings he or she is going through. 

 Here a high angle shot has been used of Earl pointing the scratch card in the air, reason for this is to show more of his emotion as he raises it in the air, this suggests to us he is very thrilled to have won. This technique is mainly used to show an object or character and make him seem small or insignificant as if the viewer is looking down on him.

 In this shot after Earl gets hit a long shot is used to show the viewers of were the character is and the scene layout of when the incident happened. This is a good technique to use to help viewers understand and a good usage of variety of shots help with more visualisation for the viewers.

 Over the shoulder shot is used in a lot of dramas and sitcoms to show a conversation of two characters and also shows the emotion of the character. The main purpose is to show the subject from someone else.

This is a medium of of the subject this mainly consists of the subject being head down to his or her torso. This technique has been used in this shot to show the characters face and the way his body position is, to either show reactions or feelings he is going through.

Point of view shot at the beginning of the shot has been used to give the audience a point of view feel meaning it shows what the character sees or helps get the viewers involved like they were doing the scratch card. This helps to interact with the audience and to show the usage of different camera angles.

Low key and High key lighting

The term high key lighting and low key lighting is known through out video and photography  The term High key lighting means an object or character within a video or photo is light up well showing all aspects of that person or object.

Low key lighting means the lighting on the character or object is dark with minimal lighting and rich black tones with a lot of show areas.

For example:

In this shot as Earl is at the air port with his brother, the lighting is bright, this has been done to show full lighting on the main character to make the character stand out more and have more of a dominance within that shot. This is High key lighting.

At the beginning of the Episode called bad Karma, the lighting is rather dark showing shadows and more darker tones to hide some elements of the character. This is done to show less lighting around Earl and a small light upon his face making it more of a focal point for the viewers.

What is a series? 

A series is a programme with a narrative structure consisting of multi or singular camera production. The series carries on programme by programme either being linear or non linear. For example The Office, Malcome in the middle and Come fly with me all consist of singular camera production. Multi camera production series are East Enders, Prison Break and The Big Bang Theory.

The types of genres that different series consists of is:

Costume is a genre in which costume set's are used to help capture the particular year or history event. here is an example from Cranford. 

Crime is a genre based around a suspect and a victim being killed and how he or she died. Simular to CSI or NCIS.

Comedy is a genre that makes people laugh or find funny, something that is light hearted and helps viewers have a laugh over the series, for example Malcome in the middle.

Medical is a genre that is simular to House or Grays anatomy. This is were the subject of the series is about people in hospitals and the different situations that may occur.

Multi strand is when more than one character is used. An example of this isGame of Thrones. Reason for this is because of how each character has their own story and has more than one subject happening. 

Single strand is when the series is based on the character himself or herself and only what he or she is going through for example Arrow is about the different situations the main character faces and the different obstacles he over comes.

STOP MOTION ANIMATION

What is Stop Motion?

Stop Motion Animation is a type of animation that consists of objects moved in different places, and then captured as a photo at different frame rates to be then played as a continuous sequence to give an illusion that the object is moving depending on the frame rate, for example a slow frame rate 2 frames per second would make the animation run slow compared to 10 frames per second making the animation look fast.

Here are some examples of rules needed in animation as a whole.

History of Animation

The first kind of animation was founded around 5,000 years ago. An Egyptian burial chamber

showed a sequence of images drawn on the walls of wrestlers fighting.  Images like these were found all around the world consisting from being painted onto walls or on pottery to tell storys. For example an Iranianian pottery that was dated around 4th millennium was discovered and on each discovery they had pictures of wild goats jumping. This inspired many people around the world and slowly animation began to evolve to what it is today.  

Stop Motion genrally is a technique that requires patience and to be able to create an animation over a couple of days rather just one day because, stop animation is a very  time consuming and animation that can not be rushed due to the length of motion needed to create a smooth animation. Animations can consist of 300 images all with a sequenced patter that is then sequenced together to give an illusion of movement. 

Stop Motion animation has a every long history in film. It was often used to show as if by magic was appearing through the usage of stop motion and creating the illusion of movement. Stop motion techniques were created by Albert E Smith and J Stuart Blackton for creating the Vitagraph's The Humpty Dumpty Circus and it was created in 1897 in which the a toy circus of acrobats and animals comes to life.

In 1902 the film Fun in a Bakery Shop used the stop trick techniques in the ''lighting sculpting'' sequence. The French trick maestro  Georges Méliès used true stop motion to produce moving title- card letters for one of his short films, but he never used this technique on his other stop motion films.

The Hunted Hotel made in 1907 is another stop motion film by J. Stuart Blackton and this stop motion film was a huge success when it was released to the public.    

Different types of Stop Motion Animation

Clay animation involves sculping and animating a character mainly made out of clay. Here is an example of a clay mation video piece created by Eric Fogel "Celebrity Death Match".

Toy-Mation

Toy-mation uses a toy, such as an action figure or a Lego figure as the model used for animation. Here is a lego animation called Matrix Trinity Help.

2-D Clay Animation

In 2-D clay animation, a flat clay character is laid on a flat surface such as a table and made to look like he is standing. Here's an example from a short Marc Spess made using 2-D claymation.

Paper Animation

Paper animation utilizes the same concept as 2-D clay animation. The only difference is that the animator uses paper cutouts instead of a clay figure. Here is a great animation, made by Megan Brain for a United Airlines commerical during the Summer Olympics.

A well known stop motion effects and director is a man called Ray Harryhausen, Born June 29th 1920-2013. Ray was an American visual effects creator and producer for well know films that consisted of stop motion animation. For example Ray uses skeleton characters within the techniques of stop motion, Then projecting the animation on a back drop and was acted over to produce a layer and a stop motion CGI effect when he created The clash of the Titans. Here is a list of fils that Ray has helped create or produce using the elements of stop motion animation.

Nick Park born in Preston, Lancashire, another stop motion artist born 6th December 1958. Nick is famous for his well known clay mations such as Wallace and grommet. Also well known for Shaun the sheep and his feature film chicken run.  

 

 Tools of Animation

• Zoetrope created by William George Horner 1786-1837. William was a British Mathematician who created the Zoetrope. The Zoetrope is a device that rotates a line of images all with different movements and a black shutter. This gives an illusion of movement as the Zoetrope rotates. Here is an example of a Zoetrope that i came across during my trip to Birmingham at the Sea life Center.

• The Phenakistoscope created by a Belgium Physicist Joseph Plaeau in 1801-1883. Joseph was most know for being the first person to demonstrate the illusion of moving image in small increments of motion that was spaced with slits.

• The Thaumatrope which was created by a British Physician born 1785-1856. He was well known for his big invention which was used to demonstrate persistance of vision to the Royal College of Physicians. This device worked by an image on either side of an object and has string on either sides. When the Thuamatrope was spun it would create a small illusion of movement/ Animation.

The flip book created by John Barnes Linnet in 1868. A flip book consisted of a book mostly filled with springy pages that had an animated sequance of images printed on each page. The spectator would bend the pages of the book so that each page would pass by and then the image on each page would create a short illusion of animation.

Here is some stop motion terminology

3-2 pulldown: Digital process required to extend 24 'fps' to 30 'fps' when converting from 'PAL' to 'NTSC' for US viewing.

Accent: In timing a scene or shot, the most important action is called the accent. In animating, the most emphatic pose of an action is the accent. Both are often related to the soundtrack, eg. the downbeat of a conductor's baton.

Anticipation: A movement that anticipates a specific action, often in the opposite direction of the intended action. Eg. when a golf player is about to to hit the ball, the backswing anticipates the main action.

Arc: The path of an action. Most movement follows some kind of arc, as opposed to a straight line from A to B.

Aspect Ratio: The relationship of width to height of a film or video frame. Specific examples include: Standard Widescreen cinema format is 1.85:1; High Definition TV and Widescreen TV is 1.77:1 (or 16:9 width to height); Regular Television (aka Standard Academy) is 1.33:1 (or 4:3). For a lot more information about aspect ratios and projection.

Bar Sheet: A chart marked up in frames and seconds on to which the 'track breakdown' can be transferred by the Editor. This is often used by the Director to plan scenes/shots.

Boiling: Movement of lines or fluctuating colour, sometimes a deliberate style but often due to inaccurate inbetweens or uneven application of colour.

Bouncing Ball: A preliminary animation exercise to study weight, timing and the basics of 'Squash and Stretch'.

Breakdown: The middle drawing or pose between two keys.

COSHH: Control of Substances Hazardous to Health. These regulations are very important in Model Making and Stop Frame.

Camera Shake: Vibration created by filming artwork or models with calibrated degrees of camera movement in alternating directions.

Clean up: Cleaning up or re-drawing the rough animation, referring to models sheets to ensure that the animation is 'on model', and preparing artwork for scanning or tracing.

Comp-ing: Compositing or combining various elements to create the final image.

Cycle: Continuous action created by repeating a sequence of drawings or images, typically used for walks and runs. Cycles are also used in Effects Animation, eg. rain, snow, flags, etc.; in fact, anything that is repeated action.

Describe the Curve (aka follow the arc): Follow a path of action. See 'Arc'

Dope Sheet (proper name: Exposure Sheet. aka: X Sheet or Worksheet): Chart used by Director and Animator to time out action, identifying the numbering of the animation and giving all instructions relating to action planning, animation levels, camera moves, exposures, etc. There is one Dope Sheet for each 'shot or scene'.

To Dope: To enter information on to a 'dope sheet'.

Double bounce: In a normal walk cycle, there is only one pose per step in a downward position. For a double bounce, there are two down poses per step which gives a syncopated type of movement. (e.g. Mickey Mouse.)

Extremes (see 'Keys')

Facility House: Post-Production Company

Fettling: Trimming and making seams on models or puppets after the moulding process.

Doubles (aka Twos): Creating one image to be exposed for two frames of film. The standard way of working for good drawn animation. See 'Singles' for examples of when not to use Doubles.

Field: In 2D drawn animation, the area of the drawing to be seen by the camera is referred to as the field size. The format of the field depends on the screen ratio at which the material is being shot.

Field: A very basic explanation for the meaning in video is that there are two fields for each frame of film. One field contains the odd scan lines of the frame, the other contains the even scan lines. When run at the correct speed, a complete image is seen. (UK television runs at 25 fps, i.e 50 fields per second; U.S. television runs at 30 fps, i.e. 60 fields per second).

Animation then and animation now

Animation during 1980s was very old fashioned and during those time animation was very limited because of the technology during those times. An example of animation during those times is a video clip from Clash of the Titans which was created By Ray Harryhausen.

Todays animations consist of a variety of technology and can feature many skills such as CGI to create an illusion of clay motion or the usage of visual 3D effects to bring the animation to life. The two different links between then and now is that we have become more advanced in our technology to create more animation from a variety of skill sets. Here is a latest example of a stop motion animation from Youtube called Iron man vs Bruce lee which consists of stop motion and Green screen CGI.

By using my influences that i had researched in my sketch book i was able to create my own stop motion piece. I was influenced by many Youtubers such as Counter656 and Mike diva.

With these two main influences i was able to structure my own animation. Rather than just creating a stop motion using a DSLR and editing each image frame by frame, I found that i was able to create a stop motion animation by using an application from my phone. From this i was able to export the file from my phone to Final Cut Pro X to create a smooth stop motion. To make the animation more effective i added music (DUBSTEP) to help structure the animation more better. Here is the Stop motion piece i created for my stop motion animation assignment.