ENT 3290 Digital Video Camera
A City Tech OpenLab Course Site
The OpenLab is an open-source, digital platform designed to support teaching and learning at City Tech (New York City College of Technology), and to promote student and faculty engagement in the intellectual and social life of the college community.
Group A: Chris B., Tim, Kimarly, Leonel, Adedayo, Neil, Ellington, and Negesti
The criteria were already announced on BB, but here is the list again:
1. Pre-Production: Your Participation on Open Lab
2. Lighting: Rembrandt
3. Lighting: Split
4. Lighting: Butterfly in b/w & color
5. Contra Zoom
6. Effective Use of Jib-Arm
7. Outfit/Props
8. Your Production Participation/Attitude
9. Your Contribution to crew
10. Your Individual Achievements
Here is the youtube link (unlisted) of some of the Project I footage from last year. It is unedited. It is not required to have a clear storyline, but this group did. I think they did a good job:
Part 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RrdaXr7Wv0
Part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-Rd1XMALHQ
Even if not everyone in your group participates in the online discussion, do not worry. Then you will score very well in the category 1.
In the past, there were some students stating that they didn’t post anything because their groups already had good ideas, and there was nothing to add. Well, there is no 100% perfect pre-production no matter how experienced one can be. Your participation matters. Every voice counts. If there are more than one ideas, that’s fine. Just prepared to do them all. At the beginning of the session, I will make some suggestions then.
Enjoy the project! This is a fun opportunity for you to express your creativity!
Ryoya
Does anyone have any good ideas for this project
No ideas yet for this group?
FYI:
This is one of the comments, which I just made for the other group:
>Andrew,
You mentioned a plot. There is no need to write a short story, however. As long as you have a short āsituationā for each required shots, it should be fine.
The group from last year (which you can watch on youtube) did more, and they had a lot of fun in pre-production and production. But again, you donāt have to have a short story.
>
Have fun!
I put together storyboards for a couple of shot ideas, one using the jib-arm and one using contra zoom:
http://www.mr1234.com/tmp/JibShot.jpg
http://www.mr1234.com/tmp/Contra-ZoomShot.jpg
I was thinking if our group worked in front of the green room,
that might open things up. We could add depth to the plot and scenery
by switching up that backgrounds. For instance, the guy sitting on the chair in Tim’s illustrations could have a background showing a restaurant. Making it seem like he’s
in an outdoor seating area, like the sidewalk seating you see at cafes around NYC.
You have some interesting thoughts, Chris.
Some issues: If you have a green screen in the background, it will be difficult to move the camera around. Why? It is because then, the background would have to move along with the camerawork. It would be a bit complicated. Keep it simple for this project. Besides, editing would be involved with a green screen.
How about the lighting aspects? How would you accomplish all the different techniques with a green screen?
Best,
Ryoya
I think the Story Board is Great and definately works for Pre-production GREAT JOB!
Great storyboards, Tim!
Your group has the shots for the jib-arm and contra zoom. There still should be scenarios for lighting.
If anyone is missing in your group and if you know how to contact them, inform them to join this OpenLab group. Otherwise, they will not get any point in the online participation (pre-production).
Ooo i really like to see a fusion of tim and christian’s ideas. I really want to work on a contra zoom, maybe make them into a one-shot??? Too risky? Especially the storyboard with the man sitting down and looking at the statue. We can do it in a one-shot contra zoom, simple in content but complex in execution. Just throwing an idea here
This group is beginning to discuss these two elements:
5. Contra Zoom
6. Effective Use of Jib-Arm
But about the other ones, including these as follows?:
2. Lighting: Rembrandt
3. Lighting: Split
4. Lighting: Butterfly in b/w & color
7. Outfit/Props
I like the Christian’s ideas. They are creative. I think we should try some today.
I like the contra zoom idea, I think we could do some cool lighting with the menacing person in the background.
I think it would be fun if we did some of those ideas that were written above.
In order to get great Lighting Effects we need to balance one light maybe behind the Talent to give off the effects needed…
Here is the youtube link of this group’s footage (this is unlisted, not for public viewing):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezp4zmiIoYc
These are some of my comments on your footage as follows:
Group A
Good set up and colors (of chairs) at the studentsā lounge for the jib arm shots, Chris B. playing guitar, find the trees & sculpture, booming down, many takes (operated by different people?), now I wish someone had been standing by the sculpture outside watching Chris playing guitar, or two people being engaged in a very different activity. But I donāt know how we can have access to the area.
Around the 8th minute (the ātimeā refers to when I play a copy of the video clip on my laptop on the airplane. On Youtube, the time code may be slightly different), the beginning of the shot gets better and better. However, the middle and ending of it needs to be more planned. I see some zooming sometimes. When you zoom in this kind of setup, combine with the movement of the jib arm, so that zooming would be less noticeable, and would be more aesthetically pleasing! For example, when the camera booms down slowly towards Chris B. playing the guitar, zoom at the same speed. What I see is a faster zooming speed compared to the movement of the camera.
Around the 10th minute, you changed the opening of the shot to the sky and the window. It is a good variation. To film at the same location, you can change your story completely depending on the opening shot.
Around the 11th minute, you are at AG38. . I believe you combined the split lighting and contra zoom here. I think the left side of Ellingtonās face needs to be lit more. It is fine for the rest of the frame to be dark. A small part of the face can be even a little overexposed to give it an āaccentā. The light is in the shot on the right side sometimesā¦
Concerning the contra zoom, some of the shots are better than the others. It is good to see this group trying this for many takes. This technique requires weeks/months/years of practice to master. The problem of this setup may that the two actors are too close to each other. Therefore, it is difficult to emphasize the size change in the background.
Then, I see Dayo, Neil, Ellington, and Negesti to pose for a butterfly lighting in color as well as black & white. Why do you zoom???
The black & white lighting on Ellington seems to be nicely exposed. You may not have changed the lighting, but for lighting him, this was set appropriately. This shows us that we must adjust lighting and/or ISO according to who the subject is always. It is great to have this diversity on our campus, so that you get to practice lighting different people. There are some focusing issuesā¦be careful. Negestiās lighting in color is also exposed well except at the very end.
It will be good for you to examine this sequence of lighting the four very different people. Then, you need to think of how you can light everyone the best.
This group shot a lot of footage!
All the best!
Ryoya
wow, looks great !