Style techniques and Convertions

Animation

Animation is a process that gave illusion of movement that is creating by drawings, objects and computer images. A good example is Radiohead "Paranoid Android"




They made this into animation because they wanted do stuff that they cant do in real life at the time when it was released, for an example; the flying naked angels. Also they made this into an animation due to surreal realism lyrics in the song.

Impressionist

Impressionist is when a music video is showing something experimental to try to create mood and or a sense and having the narrative straight. Here’s an example of Radiohead's Street sprit.



This is impressionist music video because it is not narrative, shot black and white that, the way it was shot gives the music video a cold atmosphere and that makes it sad and depressing. It’s also in slow motion to give it a weird effect for the audience. This is good makes us want to watch the music vide more instead of listening to the track.

Homage and referencing

Homage is a type of music video tributes a TV show, music video, film that recreates elements. For a here's a music video of Weezer's "Buddy holly". This is good example homage and refencing because is recreating elements of TV show "Happy Days" with having the original characters using digital effects and also having the same set that happy days had. It also kind pastige because it shows it has a 50s theme in it. This video works as homage/ pasitge because it is kind of relating to the song "Buddy Holly" who was huge music superstar in 1950s. This is a good homage because having the orginal characters is gives the audience a clear decription on who the homage is directly to.



In concert or live

"In concert or live" is a type of music video that the artist perform live or in concert. This is perfect example of music video because this not a recording of the album track, it is live performance of the band. They are not miming, but in the video they added the track vocals in post production.



Narrative

Narrative music video is when a video that show a story is. This is a good example of narrative music video because it shows two different stories. This is good narrative because all the stories all based on the lyrics, so it’s really like visual representation of the song.



Parody

Parody is type of music video that takes a mickey out of something or someone. Here's a good example of a parody "Weird Al" Yankovic - Fat".



It is the same video from the original one "bad", but it has funnier elements. For an example in the original one you see Michael Jackson being a criminal, but in this video you see him being fat, so basically his taking mick out of the original video. There’s reference in it because he dance like Michael Jackson and dress like Michael Jackson. This parody works well because it shows how camp Michael Jackson is. There is an issue if this is homage in a way because of the similarities from the original video.

Split screen

Split screen is a technique that makes the screen or images split into two parts or more. Here an example of Destiny's child's Emotion that has split screen throughout the music video.



In this music video have three split screens that show three stories. It works because it creates tension and its creating some sort of irony because the main characters unaware what's currently happening right now

Chroma Key

Chroma key is when shooting something against the green or blue screen, so that in post production they will put a background, for an example; weather forecast. Here's a good example of a music video using a chroma key.



In this video, you see the band performing front of the green screen and see them performing into a virtual world using post production. I think they done this take sort mickey out of CGI/ digital effects etc. I think this is good because it will allow the audience to get a little insight on how they used CGI in music videos.

Cutting to the beat

Cutting to the beat is when a clip is cutting to the beat, so whenever there’s a beat, the cut move to the next cut. Here’s a good example of cutting to the beat, “Lethal Bizzle – Fire”.



This video is a good example of it because it is up tempo and its face paced and that allows creates excitement for the audience.

Camera movement and angle

A good example of music video using a lot of camera movement is “keane’s Is It Any Wonder”. In this video it has of tracking shots in a train way that can make tension for the audience. It allows the audience to intense relationship that can lead to emotional distance. What is good about the video, is that the tracking is very fast which can effect the viewer’ mood and make it exciting.



Miming

In General, music videos have got miming in it. Here's a example of a miming in music video. " Alica Keys' Fallin"



Miming in music videos is essential in terms of promoting the track, without miming it will make the music video look cheap, and lose interest of the track.

Hip Hop conventions

the conventions in hip hop video music video are nice looking grls (to portray themselves as whores), they have expensive cars, rappers all wear jewellery, which is term known as "Bling-Bling" and they always flash money. Here's an hip hop video that has the typicial conventions.



In the 80s, (when Hip hop was not popular) their music videos are all about coming from neighourhood and not forgeeting where you come from etc. where as today in music videos is all making money and showing off their jewellery.

In concert or live

"In concert or live" is a type of music video that the artist perform live or in concert. This is perfect example of music video because this not a recording of the album track, it is live performance of the band. They are not miming, but in the video they added the track vocals in post production, so that it will help to prmote the single. I think this good because it will promote the band as a live band and that could lead to ticket sales.

Sources

http://www.gildasattic.com/dwgriffith.html
http://www.bookrags.com/research/griffith-d-w-1875-1948-sjpc-02
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAgriffith.htm
http://www.tech-notes.tv/Dig-Cine/Digitalcinema.html
http://www.filmsite.org/visualeffects1.html
http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/short/gramtv.html
http://www.filmsite.org/pre20sintro2.html http://design.osu.edu/carlson/history/timeline.html
http://www.stikkymedia.com/articles/a-history-of-cgi-in-movies
http://www.beanblossom.in.us/larryy/cgi.html
http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/1930-1959.html
http://www.high-techproductions.com/historyoftelevision.htm

Camera editing is when you are filming your shots without using any postproduction. In order to have good camera editing, you have to plan ahead the shots you are going to shoot. Camera editing was used by the Lumaise brothers in the 1880s. They invented Cinematographe, which was a device that had a camera, printer and projector in one. They used this device for their first film and what it does is shoot and live editing.


Static camera filmmaking is when you shoot the whole scene with an establish shot; leaving the camera stationary in one position. Static camera filmmaking was first used in the 1890s. It was introduced by French director, George Mellies. His film “A Trip to the Moon” had one camera stationed in one position for all the scenes; it had early example of fade in/fade outs, narrative storyline, stop motion, slow-motion, dissolve and double exposure and trick photography which was early special effects.



Like George Melles, other director that pioneer film editing was Edwin v Porter, he made films such as “The Life of an American Fireman” in 1903, which his editing technique was using inter cutting or jump cutting between the scenes of the burning house with the camera set up sitting outside the building to be able to dramatise the scene. That film’s narrative is not linear because of the repeat narrative action and it had first examples of close ups e.g. hand pulling a fire alarm.



Later that year, Porter's film “The Great Train Robbery” was proved to be one of the most influential films because of his editing. It was one of the first films to have a chronological sequence and it had innovative techniques such as an early attempt at the parallel edit, e.g. when the young girl untied the guy and people having a dance at the same time, even though he didn’t intentionally do it. Porter used close-up shots of the bandit shot toward the audience as it was done to make a dramatic effect. He also used camera panning e.g. the scene where the bandits escape with the money.



In the same time period, DW Griffith, unlike Porter, experimented with camera positions and shot sizes like close ups, e.g. his dramatic use of close up of the flower that he used in the birth of the nation, establishing shots, and mid shots. He also experimented with lighting such as low key, backlight etc. He developed Porter‘s camera techniques (e.g. pans, tilts) into parallel editing - cross – cutting, and close ups. He used parallel editing- cross cutting for most of his films such as, “The Girl in her trust” e.g. the two tramps looking through the window of the house cuts inside the house as they are looking; it intercuts between them and the man and the girl in the house.



He used parallel editing to create excitement, suspense and some sort of simultaneous action. As well as being famous for parallel editing etc. he was also known for his continuity editing. He was often called “creator of continuity editing” for his films such as “The Birth of the nation" and "the sunbeam". For an example; between 13:07 and 13:14, there was the continuity edit, when the guy went out of the shot and smiling back to the people and then next cut is of him coming into the shot still smiling at the people.




Over the years (after 1920s), the emergence of television changed the editing developed. Instead of using one camera, film- and TV makers began to use more then one camera. Here is an example of a clip  of "The Queen Messenger" made 1925, it was the first world first televised play.



They used two cameras in this, the first camera was an establishing shot and the second one was a mid shot of the man and the woman sitting on the table. In the 1950's, before the invention of videotapes, live television was filmed in Kinescope (which is when you record a tv program using an video monitor). There were problems with Kinescope such as picture degradation, image control and loss of contrast, and that led to the invention of videotapes. Videotapes in those days were intended as a short term plan, but after years of development videotape became reliable producton tool for video editing.

CGI had a forerunner about 100 years ago in experimental filmmakers (e.g. George Melies), who used trick photography to create special effects. Here's a one of the example of the first special effects.



In this short film, George Melis made the camera stop (using a jump cut or a stop effect), allowing the trick to look realistic. During the 20th century, technology in editing was developing as the industry wanted more things than cutting the film or using stop motion. That was to change in the digitial age, when computers were invented and allowed for the advancement of effects, such as CGI(Computer Generated Imagery), that can do so much in a film.

Here's an example of Indiana Jones and the Raider of the Lost Ark, whuich was one of the last films (before cumputers was involved) to used trick photography



What they done in the scene, is that they used time lapsed of melting wax heads and double exposed the film in order to create an illusion.

In the past 30 years, CGI was developing from stop motion to digitial effects with films such as; Terminator 2 (1991) had the first use of human movements for a computer-generated character and "Jurassic Park" that had the first use of photorealistic characters. Here an example of "Jurassic Park"



3D computer graphics is most recent development in CGI, with films such as "Avatar" that used 3D photorealistic characters in 3D world




3D has changed on how the audience viewed films in cinema with wearing 3d glasses or going to watch it in IMAX Cinama. The reason is that lots of films are releasing in 3D such as Saw, Alice in Wonderland and Toy Story 3D.

Transitisons e.g Dissolve, fade, wipe

Dissolve is a transition two images which one fades out and then other fades up. Usaully see Dissolves in films that has dream squences or a flashback because it has a hallucinate effect. Fade is a transition is when picture suddenly appears (fade in) and (Fade out) is when the picture suddenly disappear. Wipe is a transition that goes across the frame like a bar to remove a shot to make way for an another shot. Here's a clip from the film "Psycho"



In this scene, At 2:50 there's a close shot of drainhole and then fade in with a close shot of the eye to juxapose both of them.

Editing rhythm

Edting rhythm is a progressively process in a scene that is trying to increase tension or slown down the tension and then putting back the tension again or have it in slow pace at first and then the pace would increase. The editor uses rhythm to create exicitement for the the viewer and it also creates uncertain element for the scene. here's a clip from "The Quick and the Dead"



In this scene, the two gun fighters are having a showdown. The camera pans out and then quick close shots of gunfighters faces before they shoot, it increase the editing rate that made tension for the audience.

shot reverse shot

shot reverse shot is a form of editing that you cut between shots on two characters (characters A and B), for example; you will cut between charater A's face from the shoulder or back of the head of character B and then it goes reverse. Editors mostly use SRS for conversion scenes. the limitations is that you cant use theose shots because the audience will get tired of it .

From the 3:15, you see a pefect example of Shot reverse shot with Robin Williams as character A and Matt Damon as character B, and they got the same eyeline.

180 degree rule

Is a rule that the camera should be placed somewhere inside 180 degrees on a particular side of the invisible line of a shot that* has two people filmed in sequence. If the camera crosses the line, it will confuse the audience, because it makes it look like the people are switching places as one watches the film.



Here's a clip from "reggie perrin" from 07:23-08:36, it has perfect example of 180 degree. As you can see the eyeline matches, they are both between the line and the camera stays within the semi circle.

Motivated editing

Motivated editing is a form of editing that movitates what you see or what you hear, so it basincally means when something is not frame, you will see that something appear or hear it in the next cut. They used this kind of editing in horror films, you see a shot of a woman or man walking through the forest in the night a, and then the next thing you hear a crack of a wood, suggesting that there is something in the woods and then it cuts to the place where the sound is. Here's a clip from "Freedy vs Jason" that has motivated editing between 02:54 - 04:03



In this scene, you see the girl whose about to swim in the lake and then there's was a noise in the woods and it cuts to a POV shot , it illudes the audience thinking that the killer or someone in the woods.

Parallel editing

Paraell editing is a form of editing that allows more than or two actions or events that are happening at the same time. here's a scene from "24" they used spit screen. they used paraell editing in films and television to create some sort of tension for the audience,when the characters are unaware of events that currently happening right now away from the main action.



For having spit screen in "24" it adds tension and effect to dramatic action.

continuity editing

Continuity editing is important in films in general without it, and then films would be over the place. Where the editors have to make sure the narrative structure flows in the film correctly. So basincally actions have to matched such as dialongue, background, lighting etc For an example; there's a person with a cut lip sitting on the table and then there's a different shot of him but without a cut lip, that’s a continuity error and that could confuse the audience. Here's a clip of continuity mistakes of star wars.

Sometimes in films, you can get away with conitinuty mistakes, like in Star wars. The audience sometimes might not notice the errors or maybe they do, but they dont really mind along as it doesnt affect the films.

Editing to soundtrack

Editing to soundtrack is a form of editing that conjoins the action and the music. Here's the film "Jaws"



In this film, every time you hear theme song, the audience anticipate that the shark is coming kill the person. The more the beats gets louder, the more the shark gets more closer for its kill.

Point-of-view shot (POV).

Point-of-view shot is a when a subject or person is representing the camera as their eyes. They used this shot to be able to allow the the audience identify with the main character. It also allows the audience to be in the main position of the character. Here's a clip from "The Terminator"



Between 35:00 to 36:00 they used POV shot of the Terminator while it is pursuing sarah connor and man;it cuts between the pursuit and POV. it allows the audience look at the the Terminator's robot nature.

Providing and witholding information

Providing and witholding information is when you get a dramatic question in narrative structure of a film, by having dramatic question in beginning of the film. here's a clip from Mission impossible 3. By having Providing and withholding information, it will create supense for the audience. it will get the audience to watch the film throughout to work the answer.

Cutaway

Cutaway is a shot that cuts from the current action, Its like a secendary activity that is happening at the same for an example; when woman and man having a fight in the living room and then it cuts with someone walking with the dog. Sometimes they use cutawaays to get rid of unwanted frames or covering a cut.

here's a clip from Panroma about BP oil drill. In this clip, you will see cutaways especially in the interviews when its cutaway to reconstruction etc. They use cutaways to try illustate on what they are talking about

Montage

Montage is a form of editing that has serious of edit shots that are combing togther to have sort of juxapostion or a element of meaning. Here's a montage from the film "Citizan Kane"



There's an introduction montage with a third person; like it was a news report. The montage is juxaposing clips of what look-like archive footage of the life of Orson Wellis' charcter, they used this technique to give information to the audience about the background of the main character.

Jump cut

Jump cut- Jump cut is a form of editing of having a cut in one shot, that is a similar frame within the footage, without moving the camera out of its postion, For an example; here's a scene from the french film "Breathless" which was directed by Jean-Luc Godard, who was one of french wave directors that invented jump cuts.

In this scene, a lot of jump cuts especially when they are driving the car. According to goodard he used  jump cuts to make the action move little faster and also he wanted to make audience viewed the film in a weird complicated way .