Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Going for coffee and spotted a TEDDY BEAR with a red mask dangling above Metropolitan Ave. Could be a cool opening to a short: tilt down from a wire in the air to a teddy bear hanging from it.
(1) Shutter Speed: 1/160
ISO 200
f/5.6
(2) Shutter Speed: 1/100
ISO 200
f/10
Used an 18-55mm. variable prime lens that opens to f/5.6 on my Canon T2i. Would’ve liked to have used a telephoto lens to get an even closer shot.
Source: ilikesthetacosSo this is pretty much how we feel about the news that J.J. Abrams is going to direct the next Star Wars movie.
Here’s the Fresh Air interview with Abrams.
gif via thoughts-of-manetheren
Source: thisisthevergeStar Trek Wars: Into Photoshop
It appears that J.J. Abrams will be “crossing the streams,” so-to-speak, directing both the new Star Trek and Star Wars films. Obviously the inevitable conclusion of this is a weird franchise orgy with Star Destroyers fighting Klingon warbirds.
2013 is the comeback year. I can feel it. Already I’ve begun to force myself to write every night after the rents go to sleep, to work on new ideas for short stories and films — and to expand my knowledge to other areas like painting and science. 
Tonight I combed through my Evernote where I have a notebook titled “Think Tank.” It’s a list of story ideas this rather weird brain of mine has thought up for the last three years or so. I’ve always considered these creative sparks as parts of fictional stories because that’s mostly what I’ve been taught to make. What this means is that when I have an idea, the next logical step in that thought process is to figure out what kind of interesting pair of characters creates the most dynamic story that ultimately plays out well on screen.
Somehow I came to realize that I am stopping myself from being able to film if I continue to think that way. ”Think Tank” contains ephemeral feelings and inclinations. What re-reading the notebook made me think about was how I can develop my repertoire of film as I move forward and how I can use my camera as a tool to actualize those sparks.
The camera is simply a tool for expression, setting aside all other conversations about ISO settings, frame size, speeds, compression rates, etc. at the moment. It is a tool that grants you access to two subsets of storytelling worlds: the real (documentary — although that in-and-of-itself justifies another discussion about the nature of reality in storytelling) and the unreal (fiction). I’m hesitant to compare the two branches to math, but maybe it is exactly like that: real and unreal numbers working together to create one cohesive system.
Anyway, all this philosophical babbling is only a means for me to say that not all thoughts would be worth making into fictional stories. It sounds dumb when I put it that way, honestly. But that realization freed me from thinking in only terms of stories to actualizing all kinds of thoughts and feelings.
This video captures the crux of what I’m getting at tonight. You should watch it (only one minute in length)!
https://vimeo.com/27246366 (won’t let me embed. Do a search on Vimeo for ‘MOVE’.)
This year, I am going to push myself to make videos like those. I guess they are like commercials, or “videos for thought.”
When I wake up, instead of checking my emails and social media streams, I will make myself tea, listen to music & go for a walk.
Inspired by GalleyCat’s six-hour list of the best writing music, tell us: what do you listen to when you write?
This is an awesome writing list.
Source: theparisreview
Erik Alexander Wilson is one of my favorite DP’s. He’s shot a handful of features, shorts and music videos that demonstrate the mastery of visual storytelling through color selection, framing and dynamic composition.
Here’s his website:
I wanted to look at Submarine briefly and comment on what stood out for me after watching it a second time on Netflix. Instinctively I realized that he doesn’t normally indulge in the typical two shot that follows into an over-the-shoulder subjective setup. Instead, he understands the context and requirements of the story scene and determines a two shot from there.
Usually, an entire scene in Submarine will play out in a master two shot.
I think this is how DP’s should approach framing any dramatic scene by first understanding the parameters of the story. It’s strange how much the two shot followed by OTS has become a standard way of visually depicting conversation in film and television… I don’t have anything against OTS shots as they function as strong POV devices, but I do think that there are more creative ways to capture an audience’s attention.
This is a painting by Winslow Homer titled “Boys in a Pasture” that I analyzed at the MFA Boston for my cinematography class. Can you imagine this image as a two shot in a movie? Shooting OTS wouldn’t make much sense here because the boys are having a shared experience. I feel like there’s something almost natural to Homer’s framing, the triangular composition and low angle that makes it seem like the ground is connected to the sky.
I wonder if there’s a way to film two people arguing more like these two shots. In the second Submarine screenshot above from the top, a conversation between Oliver and his schoolteacher plays out in a two shot. They share the space, but the blocking emphasizes Oliver’s teacher on a higher level (sitting on the desk). This type of framing with levels denotes authority and point of view without having to engage OTS — and also reminds me of the way actors are sometimes blocked in theater plays.
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There’s a scene where Oliver and Jordana kiss for the first time. Another tool at the DP’s disposal is the POWER TO CONTROL TIME AND SPACE. Yes, we are time wizards… sort of.
Story time and real world time are two separate concepts. A minute that goes by in the real world can mean seconds or hours on screen.
How do you go about altering time? By either slowing a clip down in production or post… or by shooting all the elements of any given scene:
Do I spot an After Effects lens flare?! :O
Are you looking at these photos? You could say “they kissed,” but that’s not what’s really happening visually (and in the script, I suppose).
In story world:
(1) They connect for a kiss.
(2) A Polaroid photo drops to the ground.
(3) The camera bulb flashes.
(4) Oliver tightens his grip on the suitcase.
(5) His eyes read “holy shit.”
Finally, it’s easy to forget to point out that Jordana’s red jacket instantly draws our attention to her because she wears the brightest color in the frame. It’s a simple choice in production design that allows for some brilliant, dynamic two shots.
