Contextual - New Wave Film

New Wave Film

 

New Wave Film Brief 

In my New Wave film I want to illustrate my understanding of the French New Wave conducted from the research I undertook for my contextual studies unit. I have decided that since I focused on the Godard aesthetic for the French New Wave, that I would try and reproduce some of the conventions he demonstrates through his films. In particular I have taken a lot of inspiration from the film A Bout de Souffle (1960) in terms of style and sound whilst also incorporating features from other Godard films in an attempt to make it representative of the French New Wave from Godard's perspective. 

The main thing that I want to keep consistent throughout is the sense of realism as this is a key convention that Godard maintains throughout his New Wave films. To do this I will be shooting with just a handheld camera without the use of tripod to give it a documentary style feel which will maintain the verisimilitude that I am trying to achieve. I will also being using ambient lighting to keep the filming more simple and to give it the "off the cuff" appearance but I would like to play around with colour when it comes to editing such as changing some clips to black and white to replicate the stark contrasts in Godard films which appear almost random in selection. 

I think I can be quite creative with the direction I have chosen because I'm not restricted with the sorts of things I film because of the versatility of the mise-en-scene within Godard films. For instance things such as filming in different locations and with different subjects would appear amateurish to most because it affects the continuity of a film but because this was applauded in the French New Wave it means that I can be more flexible with where and what I choose to shoot. 

I would also like to incorporate diegetic and non-diegetic sound to my film as this another favoured feature of New Wave cinema. 

Planning

I will be using a DSLR camera to shoot my New Wave film to maintain a sense of verisimilitude which can be achieved through the use of a camera alone as it gives the idea of the camera being to a director what a pen is to an author - Auteur theory. 

I have decided that I don't want their to be necessarily be a narrative for my film as I think it will be interesting to attempt storytelling through the use of images alone which relates to the Godard aesthetic as his main focus was on the mode of storytelling rather than complexity of the plot. Despite this, I may include quotations to overlay certain clips if I find them to be effective as Godard often includes themes of existentialism and he was heavily influenced by poetry and literature therefore this would be a successful way of incorporating this aspect in to my film. 

Quote ideas:

Existentialism quotes - 
"Seeking what is true is not seeking what is desirable."   
"I rebel; therefore I exist." by Albert Camus - ties in well to Godard rebelling against mainstream cinema 

Godard quotes - 
“He who jumps into the void owes no explanation to those who stand and watch.” 
"Every edit is a lie." 
"Cinema is the most beautiful fraud in the world." 
"Art attracts us only by what it reveals of our most secret self." 

Before shooting I have researched the weather forecast for Coventry which is where I will be shooting for my New Wave film. As it was very likely that it was going to rain during my visit to Coventry I made sure that I was dressed appropriately for being outside in the rain as well as thinking about how I can ensure that the camera stays dry and doesn't get any water damage. I will carry the camera bag around with me and when I'm not using the camera I will replace the lens cap and keep it in the bag so it stays dry. When I am shooting I will be cautious of any rain getting on the lens as it can cause permanent water damage and staining on the lens therefore I will keep it covered as much as possible and be wary of surroundings so if the rain suddenly gets really heavy it will become unsuitable to shoot until it gets lighter and more manageable. This means that I may keep having to take breaks to allow the rain to get lighter throughout the day therefore I need to make sure I am making good use of the time that I am shooting to ensure I get all the footage that I need for my New Wave film.  

Evaluation of New Wave film 

A strength of my new wave film is that I think I definitely stuck to the conventions of the French New Wave quite well in terms of the appearance of the film. For example I began my film with a long shot which places the camera right in the midst of the "action" rather than starting with an establishing shot such as birds eye view which establishes the setting of the film. This is similar to A Bout de Souffle by Jean-Luc Godard as his film begins with an extreme close up which was seen as breaking the conventions of cinema as films usually began with an opening sequence. I think this long shot also establishes the camera as being the observer which is similar to the documentary style of Godard and captures "off the cuff" moments that demonstrate the verisimilitude of the French New Wave. I think this shot also establishes a sense of distance between the viewer and and what they are seeing as it's almost like they are observing from somewhere relatively nearby but not in the centre of the shot. 

Another way that I stuck to the conventions of the French New Wave is with the use of sound and colour. For instance the film begins with the cheerful French song "La Madrague" by Brigitte Bardot and the pace maintains a steady pace until the song changes when the shot of the train is reversed and the following clip is sped up to match the increasing pace/tone of the new song "Theme d'amour" by Martial Solal which is used the A Bout de Souffle. By using a song from Breathless it reinforces the idea of the film being inspired by Godard and the viewer is more likely to be aware of what they are viewing in relation to what they know about Godard and his style of filmmaking within the New Wave.

Throughout the film the images change from colour to black and white almost at random much like in a Godard film to engage the viewer in responding to what they are seeing. I also included Godard quotes to flash on to the screen in some clips to add a poetic element to the film because of Godard's influence of poetry and literature. I wanted the quotes to appear as quickly as they vanish because it's almost like if you blinked your eye you would miss it therefore informing the viewer to be active in responding to the film and paying attention to every single detail to understand their purpose. 

I also think I tried to use a range of shot types such as canted angle, tracking,  pan, close up, medium, long etc. I also included an example of breaking the fourth wall when one of the characters turns to the camera and gestures for them to come closer and then points at something they are looking at, this breaks the conventions of mainstream cinema as there are clear boundaries between the roles of actor and director and there isn't always much room for experimentation with this. 

The disadvantages of my New Wave film are that some of the shots don't always fit the pace of the song which can give it a jagged appearance. For instance the long shot of the two characters walking which has been reversed doesn't appear like it has worked properly or perhaps I could have changed the speed/duration of the shot so that it fits the pace of the song at the time it appears. Also the two shot towards the end of the film make the film appear jagged because of the jump cuts and I don't think it necessarily fits well again with the audio however this could be argued as another demonstration of the French New Wave as jump cuts were very commonly used and especially by Godard. Another disadvantage is that some shots appear quite shaky due to the fact that I shot everything handheld. Although I tried to fix this by using the "warp stabilizer" tool, it didn't always correct it, therefore some shots don't appear as smooth in transition whereas others ones do which affects the overall appearance of the film. 

Summer Task Two

How & Why lighting affects camera techniques for moving image:

Lighting has the power to influence and manipulate mood in film. The use of low key lighting has become a mainstream convention of the horror genre to exert a feeling of unease through the use of shadows and contrast. It is almost impossible to watch any horror film without seeing this demonstrated therefore it is clear that this use of lighting is not only much loved by both directors and audiences alike but is also widely successful in achieving its aim of creating an emotional response from its viewers. The amount and direction of light source can also give meaning to the viewer. For instance, as shown in the image (above text) taken from the film Insidious we see a two shot which uses the lantern as its singular source of light therefore demanding the viewers focus to be on the faces of the two people alone and not on the surrounding background of the shot. This is effective because it both manipulates and disorientates the viewer by making it difficult for them to interpret any other details about the scene other than what is expressed by the characters; thus creating a feeling of unease within the audience because of the unknown limits of what is to come. This is a direct contrast to a film that uses natural lighting because then the meaning may change to becoming a form of communication to the audience about the time of day that the scene is taking place which could be of high importance to the overall meaning that the director is trying to convey. Although we can associate certain types of lighting with particular genres it does not however mean that films are restricted with the form of lighting that they use as a combination of a variety of lighting is important to convey the preferred meaning to the viewer. This is reinforced by Blain Brown (2012) in his text "Cinematography Theory and Practice" in which he states "Lighting has nearly infinite permutations and variations. There is certainly no one "right way to light a scene." 

B) Lighting equipment and setups that you would use for the following scenarios:

• A small documentary where portability is paramount
• 
  
• 'Talking Head' style interviews

When conducting an interview it is important to try and capture the interviewee at their most natural and authentic therefore ensuring that they have a brief understanding of how the interview is going to be structured could be useful so they be more at ease as they have an idea of what is to come without having an affect on their answers by allowing them to have a head start on any questions that may be asked of them. 

A suitable background is also essential to communicate information to the viewer about the interviewee that isn't necessarily communicated by them. For instance, if you were conducting an interview with the CEO of a company then a suitable background would be one that is professional and also gives the viewer subliminal information that is relevant to the overall interview. Therefore, in this instance the interview could take place in their office space or a meeting room which would reinforce the professionalism aspect.  

Natural lighting may be used for a 'Talking Heads' style interview as it is the most authentic and flattering lighting for the type of shot. There are a variety of cons that may make filming in natural lighting difficult such as if there are windows behind the subject or in the shot as this may give a reflection of the camera and equipment or the light shining in may create a silhouette which can prove tricky to eliminate. The same may be found if the window is directly in front of the subject as the varying levels of light throughout the day, especially if there appears to be cloud, can cause significant jumps in the level of light which may alter the overall continuity and clarity of the shot. Alternatively, three point lighting would be ideal for this scenario as it is easier to manipulate the light. A three point lighting setup involves a key light as the main source of light facing the subject and a fill light can also be added to balance out the amount of light on one side and a back light makes the subject appear to stand out from the background which makes them the focus of the shot. 

Three Point Lighting Diagram

• Night time shoot 

Use a tripod - a slower shutter speed would be needed to capture an image at night to allow more light in to the lense therefore this increases the risk of camera shake which would be eliminated with the use of a tripod to keep the camera steady at all times and produce a clearer image. 

Night shoot demonstrating the effect of a slow shutter speed

External lighting could also be used to enhance the image as it will make the subject appear more lit which will again be reflected in the clarity of the shot. LED lighting would be ideal for a night time shoot as it would make the subject well lit and paired with reflectors could really increase the quality of the shot. Alternatively, water could be used as a form of reflector and add an interesting aspect to the shot.

4 Hour Film Challenge

Planning

• brief - narrative of a door, match on action
• follows the conventions of horror 
• use of ambient sound to build tension
• walking through doors until the individual reaches the end of the corridor/room
• opening and closing doors 
• equipment - camera & tripod 

Evaluation:

 A strength of our film "Behind The Door" is that we were successful in demonstrating a range of camera and lighting techniques. Some of the shot types we included were medium, close up, canted angle, point of view and long shot. Our range of shot types ensured that we had good match on action throughout the film so each shot transitioned smoothly to the next and it gives the appearance of a real film as it follows the conventions of continuity. 

An element that we struggled with during filming was the lighting because the location that we chose to shoot in was very dark and it had an affect on the overall clarity and effectiveness of some of the shots. For instance the shot where the individual walks up to the first room and looks inside, the use of low key lighting is too dark here therefore we should have used additional lighting such as an LED light to make sure both the subject and room are lit to a suitable level. In spite of this, I do believe that this is also works in our favour because it makes the film appear more disorientating which is a common convention with the horror genre in achieving a reaction from the viewer. Disorientating the viewer means that they are s less likely to be able to guess what it is to come next as it becomes more difficult to keep up with the events that are taking place on screen therefore this adds a scare element. 

In our final shot of the film the individual opens another door and goes in to a room at the end of the corridor and the room is well lit due to the use of natural lighting coming through a large window in the room. This is effective in terms of demonstrating camera and lighting techniques because it gives our film a contrast between the extremes of low key lighting to high key lighting at the end of the film when the film takes a lighter note than what the audience may have expected. 

Camera and Lighting Techniques

When controlling a camera it is important to consider the amount of light you want to enter the lens and also the method that it does so, this is referred to as exposure. There are three elements that affect the exposure: ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed. 

The ISO controls how sensitive the camera is to light, the Aperture controls the size of the hole therefore affecting how much light enters the camera at a given time and the Shutter Speed refers to the amount of time the lens is open for when capturing film. 

These three variables are easily adaptable to suit the environment of which you are shooting and are incredibly fundamental to the overall quality of the image produced. For instance, if you are shooting something outside where it is over exposed it is essential to choose a very low ISO of either 200 or 100 to ensure that the image captured isn't too bright and that you capture the depth and shadow produced. This would the opposite however for shooting something inside as the lighting wouldn't be as bright therefore you may need to increase the ISO to the maximum amount to ensure that the image is exposed enough to produce a clear image. 

Understanding of ISO

For this long/pan shot I used ISO 100 to ensure that the lighting wasn't over exposed and to minimise the appearance of noise that a high ISO could produce. I faced some difficulties with the exposure when the sun was more prominent as it affected the clarity of the shot, therefore this shot required numerous takes before this was achieved. To improve my shot I would adjust the focus on the lens as the image produced isn't perfectly clear therefore I need to ensure that I have a point of focus to work with before I begin shooting to be in control of this for the duration of the shot.

Pulled focus refers to a shot in which the subject of focus changes within the same shot. It is a creative camera technique often used in films to emphasise the focus of a certain subject or object within the shot. It is often used to control the viewer's attention by making other things within mise en scene appear blurry so the focus is on one subject alone. For example if there is more than one person present in the shot one of them may be in complete focus while the other person isn't, we can clearly observe details of the person's face  who is in focus which helps us to form meaning from what we are viewing whereas the person who is out of person now appears unimportant. If the focus then switches within the same shot to the other person and now the roles are reversed, we see them in focus but the other person has now faded in to the background, then our attention again shifts to fit what we are being shown. 

When recreating a pulled focus I had to consider aperture as this is essential to being able to successfully achieve this shot. I used a low aperture and low ISO because I was shooting outside in natural lighting and the sun was particularly overpowering on this day therefore it was more difficult to control the exposure of the shot. I started off by focusing on the tree and then moved the focus to the windows in the background of the shot. To improve this shot I would have liked to attempt this people being the subject of the shot to have more of an emphasis on the affect of the pulled focus or even playing around with different angles and types of lighting to see how this impacts the overall image. 

Lighting Setups 

Rembrandt 

Rembrandt lighting refers to the small triangle of light that appears beneath the subjects eye and on the their cheek and is often used in mainstream media for portraits as it is thought to be one of those most flattering lighting set ups. To achieve this the subject must have their cheek facing the light source.  The correct set up is as shown on the right, the subject sits directly opposite the camera and the key light must be facing the subjects cheek in order for this to be achieved. Below is an example of my attempt of Rembrandt lighting which didn't turn out as well as I would have hoped. I followed the set up as shown in the diagram but the triangle under the eye isn't as striking as it should be. Therefore, if I were to do this again I would adjust the angle of the key light to make it more of a 45 degree angle. 

Butterfly Lighting


Butterfly lighting is also another flattering form of lighting favoured by the mainstream media i.e Hollywood. It creates shadows under the subjects face which should appear most notable underneath the nose so it resembles the form of a butterfly. This style of lighting is achieved by using a key light to face the directly face the subject but also adjusting the height slightly so a shadow is formed. Below is my attempt of Butterfly lighting which was unsuccessful as I did not manage to get much of a shadow beneath the subjects nose. In order to to achieve this if I was to reshoot this I would try increasing the height of the fill lightly slightly more and introducing a reflector below the edge of the frame to spread the light more. 





Edge Lighting 

Edge lighting is achieved by using one light source entirely. The light is placed at a 90 degree angle to the face to illuminate one side and create a strong contrast of shadow on the other half so the face appears "split" in to two different components of light. This style of lighting is often used in film noir because the strong contrast between light and dark can be a symbol of good and bad and shadows are often used throughout film noir as it is a favoured stylistic technique of the genre. My example of edge lighting is demonstrated as below. I believe out of all the lighting set ups this is the one I was able to achieve the best results for because only one light is involved which makes the process easier and there is a definitive contrast between the half of the subject's face that is facing the light and the side that is not. 

Low Key Lighting 
Low key lighting is a type of lighting which aims to create shadows and sharp contrasts. This is achieved by using "hard lights". Low key lighting is often used in film to create a certain tone or mood and can be used to isolate a subject for dramatic effect. It is often used in the horror genre because it can create a feeling of deep unease within the viewer and places emphasis on the subject alone rather than other things within the mise-en-scene. Below is an example of a set up that would be commonly used to achieve the effect of low-key lighting. 

High Key Lighting 

High key lighting produces an image with lighter tones, often times white and with very minimal shadows. It is used in film to create a more lighthearted and positive atmosphere and also can produce a sense of calm depending on the image. High key lighting is the opposite to low key lighting so their effects on image are equally as different. If there are multiple subjects in the frame they are often all evenly lit to achieve the full dramatic effect that high key lighting can achieve given the circumstances for its use. 

Understanding of Aperture 

Aperture refers to the opening of a lens. When you press the shutter on a camera it allows your camera to have a glimpse of the shot you are about to take. The aperture controls how much light will be in the shot, for instance a large aperture is created by a large opening in the lens which allows more light in to the shot and the opposite is said for a small aperture which creates a small opening in the lens therefore allowing less light in to the shot. Depth of field is also affected by aperture as it controls how much of the scene is in focus. For instance when capturing a shot of a landscape you would need to use a higher aperture of around F.22 in order to ensure that most of the image is in shot and would allow for details such as flowers or trees to be in focus which add to the overall quality of the image. Therefore the opposite can be applied to a shot where the focus is small, perhaps a small object on a table, a lower aperture would be needed to create this to distinguish the difference between the subject and the background and make it more prominent. 

Demonstration of Aperture F2.8

Demonstration of Aperture F16 

Understanding of Shutter Speed
Shutter speed is controlled by the shutter and it refers to the amount of time that the camera shutter is open for which control the exposure of light on to the camera sensor. To put it more simply, it's how long a camera takes to produce a photo upon the click of the shutter button. If you use a longer shutter speed your camera lens will be exposed to the image for longer meaning that it is able to capture more detail. A longer shutter speed will produce motion blur if you are capturing a moving object. This is often used in ads for cars because it communicates to the viewer the speed/motion of the car with the motion blur it produces meaning it is too fast for the camera to capture. A slow shutter speed is often used when taking photos of landscapes because the majority of the picture remains in sharp focus whilst maintaining a sense of motion of something such as a river. Photographers may choose to use a fats shutter speed when capturing an animal because it essentially allows them to freeze a second in time and doesn't produce motion blur.

Below is a diagram of what type of motion blur different shutter speed settings would produce.

Examples of shutter speed 

4 Hour Film Challenge

Task Brief and Planning

The criteria we were given for the 4 hour film challenge was as shown above (left). It gave us an outline of the basic features we had to include and from that we developed our ideas in the planning session and came up with our main theme/idea to base our film around. 

In total we spent about 30 minutes planning, 1 hour filming and 1 hour and 30 minutes to edit which brought our total of time spent on the task at around 3 hours/3 hours 3o minutes.  

On the right is the plan we put together to organise our ideas and decide what we wanted to achieve as a group. Our final concept was surrounding the use of windows to portray the theme of isolation and a sense of being trapped inside and observing the world from this perspective. We also played around with the idea that the "individual" behind the camera is a ghost who is stuck in the past, living through nostalgia and cannot move on from this state which will be reflected by our choice of music. 

In order to incorporate a range of camera and lighting techniques we will make sure to include examples of both high key and low key lighting to reflect the highs and lows of the individual as they reflect on their past.

Evaluation 

I think our film was relatively successful in sticking to the plan and reflecting the story we wanted to tell through the shots that we filmed. In particular I think we used good examples of both low key and high key lighting which represent the tone of the film and the themes of entrapment and the ups and downs an individual may experience in their own mind, as we wanted to be able to demonstrate the individual's entrapment both physically and mentally. 

The use of vintage/retro jazz music playing throughout the film a nostalgic feel to the film which could be interpreted in a number of ways such as that the film was filmed in the past or perhaps that the individual is more mature and therefore when they are reflecting on their memories this is the music that they associate it with. I think the vintage/retro feel of the music definitely reinforces the sense of reflection on something in the past whilst also adding an eerie tone because it is not necessarily a comforting sound to someone who isn't familiar with the song because they can't relate to it on a personal level like the individual in the film does. The use of windows is effective in this sense because it acts as a symbol of their inability to interact with the world around them and the isolation that comes with that realisation. 

To improve our film I believe we could have developed even further on the lines of entrapment for instance we could have shown a fist thumping on the window or pushing at the window to actually physically show the individual attempting to escape but being unable to. This would have further developed the reasoning behind why the individual is trapped if we are exposed to the force that is preventing them from being free. We could have even shown the individual through the use of shadows or even playing around with different angles such as low angle which would still keep the identity of the individual anonymous because I think the fact that the identity of the individual is not revealed keeps the film's eerie tone. 

Another thing that we could have improved on is the use of sound because there isn't any other sounds other than the music that is playing throughout the film. I think if we switched between diegetic and non-diegetic sounds it could have added an interesting element to the film through the use of sounds like footsteps or voices it would make it more difficult to distinguish what sounds are real and what sounds are not. 

During editing we did have to use the "warp stabiliser" tool as some of the footage was a bit shaky due to not having  access to a trip-pod on the day of filming. However, I don't think this affected the overall appearance of the film and the effects such as overlaying other clips and playing around with the opacity added a more interesting element to the appearance of the film. In the future we could also further our use of editing techniques to see what different techniques we could use to effectively illustrate camera and lighting techniques.