CIN105Y1 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Set Decorator, Lowkey, Set Dresser

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June 2016
CIN105Y1: MIDTERM TEXTBOOK NOTES
1) Preproduction, Production, Postproduction: (Form, pg. 19-31)
The physical process of commercial filmmaking
a) PREPRODUCTION
the director plays a crucial part in this beginning process, as they are
responsible for the final product (look and sound)
i. Shots are made “out of continuity” (in most convenient order
for production), and edited together to regain continuity
ii. This process also involves scheduling actors, getting the
hardest scenes out of the way, and the screenplay is usually still
being revised
iii. Roles that aid in this process are production design unit, art
director, set decorator, set dresser, costume designer, graphic
artist (makes the storyboard to aid in the
PREVISUALIZATION process/previs)
b) PRODUCTION (Shooting)
the entire process of making a film, also referred to as PRINCIPAL
PHOTOGRAPHY
i. The DIRECTOR’S CREW script supervisor (maintains
script continuity), first assistant director (plans shooting
schedule), second assistant director (liaison between first AD
and the crew), third assistant director (messenger for director
and staff), dialogue coach (feeds actors lines), and second unit
director (films stunts/action scenes)
ii. The CINEMATOGRAPHER’S CREW camera operator,
key grip (carry and arrange props/elements of setting), gaffer
(electrician)
iii. The SOUND UNIT production recordist (sound mixer,
records dialogue during a shoot), boom operator (manipulates
boom mics), third man (controls ambient sound), sound
designer (sonic style)
iv. The VISUAL EFFECTS UNIT visual effects supervisor
(oversees graphic and technical shots)
c) POSTPRODUCTION (Assembly Phase)
Doesn’t begin until after shooting is finished, predominantly the
editing process (a.k.a. PICTURE EDITING)
i. Postproduction often happens behind the scenes throughout the
entire shooting process, the editor works with the director to
bring it to life
2) Filmic Convention: (Form, pg. 56)
Film expectations are built on prior experience
No artistic form is purely isolated from other experiences
Artworks are human creations, and the artist lives in history and society; therefore,
the artwork will relate to some other works and aspects of the world
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June 2016
Such elements will be common to several different artworksthese are called
CONVENTIONS
1. Ex. Narrative Convention in film the first few scenes of a film often explain
background information about the characters and action
2. Ex. Genres also depend on conventions (such as the Urban Thriller “Collateral”)
3) In Media Res: (Narrative, pg. 85)
Concerned with film opening
The first quarter or so of a film’s plot is sometimes referred to as the SETUP
Sometimes, the plot may seek to arouse curiosity by bringing us into a series of
actions that has already startedthis is called IN MEDIA RES (Latin phrase meaning
“in the middle of things”)
This type of opening grabs the audience’s interest; however, at some point the
filmmaker will have to explain what led up to these events
4) Exposition: (Narrative, pg. 85)
The portion of the plot that took place before the on-screen plot started is called the
BACKSTORY
The backstory is stated or suggested so that the audience can understand what is
coming later (it lays out the initial situation)this is the EXPOSITION
The Exposition usually takes place early in the film, but the filmmaker may postpone
chunks of exposition for the sake of suspense or more immediate impact
5) Symmetrical, Balanced, Unbalanced Composition: (Mise-En-Scène, pg. 143)
Mise-En-Scène offers many cues for guiding the audience’s attention and
emphasizing elements within a frame
Screen Space is either BALANCED or UNBANANCED
a) BALANCED
Filmmakers often try to distribute various points of interest evenly around the
frame; they assume that viewers will concentrate more on the upper half of the
frame, most likely because that is where characters’ faces are
Film frame is a horizontal rectangle, so they often try to balance left and right
halves (this is more extreme balancing, known as BILATERAL
SYMMETRY)
More common than Bilateral (near-perfect) Symmetry is a loose balancing of
the shot’s left and right regions by centering the frame on the human body
(done by placing a single figure at the centre of the frame and minimizing
distracting elements at sides)
b) UNBALANCED
Although Balanced Composition is the norm, Unbalanced shots can also
create strong effects
Sometimes the filmmaker will leave the shots a little unbalanced in order
to prime the audience’s expectation that something will change position in
the frame
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June 2016
Very common in the cinema of the 1910’s (a doorway at the back of the
set allowed for character changes on and off screen)
6) Shallow-Space & Deep-Space Composition: (Mise-En-Scène, pg. 148)
Screen Space contains many different types of Depth Cues
SHALLOW-SPACE and DEEP-SPACE are compositions of depth that are often
utilized by filmmakers
Shallow-Space and Deep-Space are relative concepts; most compositions present a
moderately Deep-Space, falling between these two extremes
a) SHALLOW-SPACE
In such shots, Mise-En-Scène suggests comparatively little depth
The closest and most distant planes seem only slightly separated
b) DEEP-SPACE
Complete opposite of Shallow-Space
A significant distance seems to separate planes
Often a director creates Deep-Space Composition by making the
foreground plane quite large and the background plane quite distant
7) Frontality: (Mise-En-Scène, pg. 152)
The viewer expects that more story information comes will come from a character’s
front than a character’s back
The viewer’s attention will usually pass over figures that are turned away and fasten
on figures that are positioned frontally
A more distant view can also exploit Frontality
Frontality is a concept that comes from the theatre
Frontality can change over time to guide the audience’s attention to various parts of
the shot
A flash of Frontality can be very powerful if it is integrated into the scene’s unfolding
drama
1. Ex. When actors are in dialogue, a director may allow Frontality to highlight
one moment of the actor’s performance and then give another performer more
prominence
2. Ex. Used prominently in the film “L’Aventura”
8) High-Contrast & Low-Contrast Cinematography: (Cinematography, pg. 160)
CONTRAST is an area of tonal control that refers to the comparative difference
between the darkest areas of the frame
Contrasts in the image help the filmmakers to guide the viewer’s eye to important
parts of the frame and to give the shot an emotionally expressive quality
Most professional cinematographers strive for a middle range of contrast (pure
blacks, pure whites, with a range of either grays or colour hues in between)
HIGH-CONTRAST images display bright white highlights, stark black areas, and a
narrow range of shades in between
LOW-CONTRAST IMAGES display many intermediate grays or colour shades with
no true white or black areas
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Document Summary

Cin105y1: midterm textbook notes: preproduction, production, postproduction: (form, pg. 19-31: the physical process of commercial filmmaking, preproduction. The entire process of making a film, also referred to as principal. Doesn"t begin until after shooting is finished, predominantly the editing process (a. k. a. Postproduction often happens behind the scenes throughout the entire shooting process, the editor works with the director to bring it to life: filmic convention: (form, pg. June 2016: such elements will be common to several different artworks these are called. Narrative convention in film the first few scenes of a film often explain background information about the characters and action: ex. Genres also depend on conventions (such as the urban thriller collateral : in media res: (narrative, pg. In the middle of things : this type of opening grabs the audience"s interest; however, at some point the filmmaker will have to explain what led up to these events, exposition: (narrative, pg.

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