Video & Sound Production - Exercises

22/4/2024 -  / Week 1 - 
Cindy Clarissa Leslie / 0367677
Video & Sound Production / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Exercises



INSTRUCTIONS




Week 1: Exercise 1 [Doritos Ad]

Mints

First, to familiarize ourselves with Adobe Premiere Pro, we were given the task to combine clips of an ad to form a proper commercial. 

Figure 1.1 Process of combining the clips in Premiere Pro

We started of with mints, where the clips were already set in order. Following the instructions that the lecturer gave, I dragged each clips from the folder provided into the sequences in the right order and proceeded to export it into a H264 file.

Figure 1.2 Final compiled video for Mints


Doritos

Figure 1.3 Compiling doritos clips into one

In the doritos ad, the order was randomized so we had to figure it out ourselves. I first previewed each of the clips to get a sense of the proper order. Before arranging the clips properly, I set them on different layers in the sequence before compiling them in the main layer. The audio in these clips serve as a good indicator of which order goes onto each. In the end, I had the same process of exporting it into a H264 format.

Figure 1.4 Final compiled video for Doritos


Quiz Results

Figure 1.5 Results for 1st week's quiz

What shot size is typically used to establish a scene or location?
Wide shot

Which camera angle makes the subject appear dominant and powerful?
Low angle

In the rule of thirds, how is the frame divided?
3x3 grid

Which camera angle is considered neutral and realistic?
Eye level

Which shot size focuses on a specific part of the subject, such as their face or hands?
Close-up

What composition technique uses natural or artificial elements to draw attention to the subject?
Leading lines

Which shot size captures minute details of the subject, often used for dramatic effect?
Extreme close-up

What composition principle involves arranging elements evenly or unevenly to create symmetry
Balance

Which shot size frames the subject from roughly the waist up?
Medium shot

Which composition technique creates a sense of three-dimensional space within the frame?
Depth

Which camera angle is often used to create a sense of disorientation or unease?
Dutch angle

What shot size shows the subject from a distance, providing context and showcasing their surroundings?
Wide shot

What composition technique uses foreground, middle ground, and background elements to create a sense of depth?
Depth

Which camera angle makes the subject appear vulnerable, powerless, or insignificant?
High angle

What composition principle involves placing the subject or key elements along grid lines or at their intersections?
Rule of thirds



Week 2: Exercise 2 [Shooting Practice]

Shooting Different Shots

Working together in two, we were told to shoot videos outside of class and exercise video framing. Me and my partner took turns in shooting the different frames to which I eventually edited the captions on based on the instructions given in the video.

Figure 2.1 Editing captions onto the videos

Not only did we learn about the frames in shooting videos, I was also able to learn about editing in Premiere Pro as not only was I compiling the clips, but I also had to insert in captions with transitions on. This process was pretty fast as all I had to do was copy paste the same aspect onto the different clips.


Figure 2.2 Final compiled video for shooting exercise


Lalin Editing Exercise

Figure 3.1 Process of editing Lalin clips

In this exercise, I had to compile clips and add in some small transitions in some of them. We were given a tutorial to follow, where I followed the steps and first trimmed the videos in the times that I only want to insert into the sequence before placing them in. After trimming them and figuring out the order one by one, I inserted the clips that required editing and placed cross dissolve between them. At the end, I added dip to black in the beginning of the compilation and at the end for a smooth finish.

Figure 3.2 Final compiled video for Lalin


Quiz Results

Lalin

1. Which part is act 1, act 2, act 3 respectively? Describe each act with ONE paragraph only. 

Act 1:
The movie introduces Lalin, a net idol who wears a mask everywhere she goes. The film depicts her as a rather mysterious woman who seems to hold a secret even the audiences does not know about the lower half of her face. She shares her struggle of being a net idol, along with her own insecurities and her desire to be liked by other people. The first part shows the process of her moving from Thailand to Japan and how she started her life as a net idol by posting edited selfies of herself online.

Act 2:
The film shows the internal conflict within herself, where she has self-esteem issues to the point where she is paranoid that strangers would judge her based on how she looks. She continues to feel incomplete and rather alone despite the attention she receives online, where she created a whole different persona. Lalin continues to be unhappy with how she is until a man called Nut texted her, introducing himself through the internet. Lalin and the man proceed to bond with each other through texting, forming a long distance relationship. Lalin would bring the man through dates by video calling him, however would still have the mask on despite the amount of time they spent with each other, the man asks Lalin to take her mask off to which she still refused to do so until suddenly, the man arrives in Japan to meet her face to face.

Act 3:
For the climax, Lalin felt conflicted as she continues to hide from him, unwilling to meet him as she thought that he would hate her when she reveals the truth surrounding her face. The man eventually complied with her wishes of him leaving, leaving a letter for her. As she read the letter, he reveals that he actually knew her before fame, when he was still obese and fell in love as Lalin first conversed with him. The man proceed to exercise and transform into someone unrecognizable to pursue Lalin. Lalin eventually revealed her face, to which she had acne and chased after the man, where they eventually met as the resolution.

2. What is the inciting incident in the movie?

The inciting incident is when Lalin, the main character, decided to post pictures of herself on social medias which eventually made her a famous net celebrity. This incident itself creates a plot point where Lalin seems more confident in her online persona in comparison to real life.

3. What is the midpoint scene in the movie?

The midpoint scene is when Lalin develops a relationship online with another man called Nut, where the obstacle she faces is her unwillingness to show him her full face. This can be seen in the scenes where Nut asked to see her face without the mask to which however she refused every time.

4. What is the Climax scene in the movie?

The climax scene is when Nut surprised Lalin by travelling to Japan with the intentions of meeting her in person, this is where Lalin faced the hugest obstacle on debating whether or not to meet him while revealing her true face.

5.What is the theme of the movie?

The theme of the movie revolves around love, issues such as self-esteem, beauty standards and body image.


Everything Everywhere All At Once

1. Which part is act 1, act 2, act 3 respectively? Describe each act with ONE paragraph only. 

Act 1:
The movie starts with the main character, Evelyn as she manages her coin laundry business. The movie reveals that her own daughter, Joy is dating another girl. It is portrayed how both her business and family life is all over the place. Along with the strained relationship with her own daughter, the main problem starts in the movie when she was applying for her business license.

Act 2:
The midpoint of her film starts while she was confronting the woman for her business license, where her supposed husband, Waymond, reveals that the whole universe is being threatened by 'Jobu Tupaki'. Waymond had figured out how to jump universes to which he chose Evelyn in this universe as she is 'bad at everything' that she is capable of everything that the other Evelyns could do as she learned how to jump in different universes. In the next scenes, both Waymond and Evelyn fight their way through as people try to kill them. At this act, there's a lot of action and Evelyn learns more about herself in the other existing universes.

Act 3:
 It is then revealed that 'Jobu Tupaki' is her own daughter that has created a doughnut whole that will eat everything. At the climax, Evelyn finally confronts Joy directly. As the doughnuts start sucking everything in the universe, Joy tries to get sucked it too before she gets saved by Evelyn in every universe through empathy. Evelyn has a sudden self realization of how she views her daughter and her life overall, to which she has finally learn to accept that she is okay with the way Joy is. They eventually fix their strained relationship and Evelyn's life goes back to normal, to which the ending shows that she reattempts in getting her business license.

2. What is the inciting incident in the movie?

The inciting incident happens when Evelyn was confronted with the alternate version of her husband during her process of getting her business license. Waymond informed the existence of alternate universes and reveals that everything is in danger while she was the only one that can save it.

3. What is the midpoint scene in the movie?

The midpoint scene is when Evelyn eventually learns more about herself and her potential from the alternate versions of her in every other universe. Evelyn eventually learned quickly about her different skills and used them to fight dangers off. This was a turning point for Evelyn as it empowered her and her willingness to save the whole universes.

4. What is the Climax scene in the movie?

The climax scene was when Evelyn finally confronts Jobu Tupaki directly, which was her daughter. Instead of using violence, Evelyn was able to get to her in every universes through empathy, understanding that she had placed unnecessary expectations on her instead of accepting Joy of who she is.

5.What is the theme of the movie?

The theme of the movie revolves around identity, familial relationships, generational trauma and Asian-American identity/family dynamics.



Week 3 [Storyboard]

Quiz Results

Figure 4.1 Result for 3rd week's quiz

What is the primary purpose of a storyboard in filmmaking?
To visualize the sequence of scenes

Who typically creates a storyboard for a film?
The storyboard artist

What is NOT commonly included in a storyboard?
Costume designs

In which stage of film production is a storyboard usually created?
Pre-production

What can a storyboard help a filmmaker avoid?
Continuity errors

What is a common tool used in creating digital storyboards?
Storyboard software like Storyboarder or Toon Boom

What is a shot list in relation to a storyboard?
A detailed list of all the shots needed in each scene

How can a storyboard help with the editing process?
It provides a clear plan for how scenes should be assembled

What is one advantage of using a storyboard over simply writing out a scene?
It allows for better visualization of action and camera movement

How is a storyboard typically used on a film set?
It is used as a reference and guide, but the director and crew may make adjustments as needed based on conditions on set



Week 4 [Production]

Quiz Results

Figure 4.1 Result for 4th week's quiz

Who is responsible for the visual aesthetic of a film?
Cinematographer

Who is responsible for the overall logistical and financial management of a film production? 
Producer

Who is responsible for recording and editing dialogue, sound effects, and music in a film? 
Sound Designer

What is one of the key responsibilities of a film director? 
Directing the actors' performances and blocking out scenes

Who is responsible for assembling the footage into a coherent and compelling story? 
Editor



REFLECTION

Week 1

In our first week, I learned the basics of using Adobe Premiere Pro through the exercises the lecturer had given us. The exercise was overall simple and easy to follow along as it was just compiling clips together and exporting them into one full video. Not only did we have an exercise but there are class materials regarding basic cinematography that would be useful when we start our projects. For the first class material, we learned about shot size, camera angle and composition.

There are different types of shot size we have learned how to differentiate, which were: Extreme wide shot, Wide shot, Medium wide shot, Medium shot, Medium close-up shot, Close-up shot and Extreme close-up shot, additionally over the shoulder shot which shows the pov of the character itself.

Through the quiz and the lecture, I learned a lot about the different shots and why they are used in a certain way where they serve different functions. The material was overall easy to understand and the exercise given was a good way for students to familiarize themselves with the editing program. Overall, I was able to follow the first week well without a hitch.


Week 3

In this week, the material revolves around storyboards. Storyboard refers to a visual representation of a film that has been broken down into single panels of actions usually created during the pre-production stage. To make a storyboard it has to include: visual references (drawings, photographs etc.) for each frame, additional information regarding the panels, shot specs and arrows to show connection between panels. It is important to create a storyboard before starting production as it helps give a visual image of how the sequence of the scenes should go.

The whole concept of storyboarding was overall easy to grasp, the quiz was also simple. I learned about the importance of proper planning before a production, not only will this help prevent continuity errors but gives an image of how the scenes should look and be arranged in. During the exercise, I also found how handy storyboards are as I referenced it while I arranged the clips given by the lecturer.


Week 4

The material for this week revolves around the different stages of production that can be found in the process of creating a film. This process is divided into 5 different stages: development, pre-production, production, post-production and distribution. In the development stage, the producer and the screenwriter starts with creating ideas, a screenplay is then created where it would give an idea of the movie's budget, schedule, actors, dialogues, costumes etc. Next is pre-production, where a storyboard will be created, actors are hired and budgets are decided. Production is when the actual filming of the movie takes place. Post-production consists of assembling the whole movie together clip by clip by the editors. Lastly, distribution is when the film finally reaches the audience, where marketing is the most important aspect in helping the movie's success.

In the quiz, I mostly learned about the different roles in filmmaking and their responsibilities in contributing to the creation. During class, we had a practical session where the students were split into different groups and told to try to reenact one scene. I was assigned to be the camera assistant and helped with managing the angles. Overall, the practical session helped me get a view of how to work together in filmmaking and help us do our projects.

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