Analysing The Lion King

In today's theory lesson, we watched The Lion King and analysed the various camera shots/angles, movements, the editing, sound and mise en scene. Here is a example of each section and what I interpreted from it while watching the film:

Camera shots: There was a birds eye view of the location/setting at the beginning, this was an establishing shot which sets the scene. One other interesting shot I learnt was the 360 degrees panorama shot which was shown when Simba and Scar were circling each other, this creates confusion and tension for the audience.
Editing: At one part, there were several transitions of the background changing as the characters walked through the jungle, this portrayed that time had passed; this type of edit is called shrinking time.
Sound: Non-diegetic music was used in the opening of the film, which means we can hear it but not the characters in the film, this created a positive mood to the start of the movie as it was very upbeat and had a catchy rhythm to it.
Mise En Scene: I think colour played a major role in the movie, as there is a strong theme of nature which expresses bright colours such as green, connoting a happy tone, in the beginning there is also a constant tone of orange/yellow which connotes positive feelings and the vegetation (trees and grass) connote life.

Preliminary Task: Evaluation

When given the brief of the task, I learnt about the 3 particular types of shots that we had to use: match on action (which means the shots are continuous and flow), shot/reverse shot (this shot is usually used during a conversation between 2 people) and the 180-degree rule (where you have to keep on one side to film the scene and not cross at 180 degrees). I think our group could have been more organised in terms of planning everything out. However, we did start brainstorming our ideas down to paper and linking them together to picture it more efficiently. In addition, we did start to draw out a storyboard, but it was never finished to an extend that we followed off of it; we finally had it done in the last week before filming. When we had a clear visual idea of what our theme/genre would be, we started making a script for the 2 people who will have dialogue in the scene.

Our storyboard was not of any help to us when filming for the first time, as it was uncompleted and didn't have any note of what kind of shot would be used in the frame. However, when it was completed we made sure we noted down all the details next to the illustrations such as the type of shot (long shot) to make it clearer to us as a group; as we had to re-film some scenes, i think it helped us effectively. In addition, in our group, we were very keen on how to use the camera and we also tried using the tripod to give us a more stable shots. 

Personally, I learnt how to attach the microphone onto the camera and also how you add the gorilla tripod with the camera, enabling us to shoot in a vary of angles from above or below. For a given example, when we filmed a character walking up the stairs, we used a low angle shot using the gorilla stand to make the shot steady. On the other hand, on some days, some members of the group were absent so we had to reschedule when we needed to film or plan any additional changes. However, we could have used time more effectively when a problem came our way instead of stalling and dragging time away.We also faced the problem of not having the storyboard completed, as we needed it to guide us when filming the scenes. I think to overcome this problem in the future task, I will make a copy of my own storyboard for me to refer to, rather then relying on a member. Initially, I think as a group it took us time to get to grips with using the apple macs and the software on there. Our only concern was converting the movie files into Apple Pro Res files, but in the end we overcome this problem and knew how to do it. I learnt how to use the tools on Final Cut Pro to cut and delete footage using the razor tool and add transitions if needed. Additionally, I learnt that the editing process, takes a long period of time to make it right and perfect to an extent.

Overall, I am happy with the finished product and I give it a rating of 8 on a scale out of 10. In particular, I think the shot that was most effective was the shot/reverse shot, where we had the dialogue between the two characters because it shows both perspectives from each character clearly and we didn't cross the 180 degree in the final cut. If we had the opportunity to do this task again, I would want to do a different theme, where we could include transitions for suspense; however this was only the preliminary task and we had to keep it simple. I would also think of getting to grips with using the tripod so I can ensure the shots are steady and effective; which makes it look more professional. Moreover, I think our group worked well together, except for when we had absent people which often delayed us in terms of moving forward with the task. In the team, I shared the role of filming the task with another member and we brought out our ideas of what type of shots to use e.g. a low angle shot when the person walks up the stairs and how we would position the characters when they share dialogue. 

Preliminary Task: Final Cut

This is our final cut video of our preliminary task. 

Continuity Editing

Establishing Shot - City Skyline

These are the common features of continuity editing:

Establishing Shot: Typically used at the beginning of a film or sequence to ensure that the audience knows where and when the action takes place. Examples - buildings, landscape or a city skyline.  

Shot Reverse Shot: Commonly used during conversation, it makes sure that we the audience can see how both people in the conversation respond and deliver specific pieces of information. We use this particular shot in our preliminary task.

180 Degree Rule Diagram

180 Degree Rule: Ensures that the audience can understand the scene in terms of  where things are within filmic space. Example: 2 characters should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. However, if you cross the line, the new shot from the opposite side is knows as a reverse angle. If the editor chooses to break this rule by choice, it is to create confusion and disorientation.

Preliminary Task: Editing

Editing our footage & playing back

Today, as a group we started to edit the footage that we had for the preliminary task, (after re-shooting it). Firstly, we used Final Cut Pro on the macs to convert our files into Apple Pro Res files. Next, we put the footage in order of play on Final Cut Pro and started to edit areas where it needed to flow smoother and show clear continuity. I learnt how to use the razor tool which enabled me to cut footage and delete it where appropriate.


Using the razor tool to delete footage

Noting down the filming time

For example, in one shot the two characters start laughing towards the end and we decided to cut this out. To make sure we cut the right footage accurately, we made note of the filming time. Moreover, we started to put some transitions into our short video and agreed to keep it simple, as this is just the preliminary task.


On the other hand, as we started to edit the footage, i realised that it isn't so easy editing a film even if it's a small amount of time e.g. 1 minute or even in seconds. I discovered that continuity is a vital part of film making as it ensures that the film runs smoothly and links on from each cut that is made. It requires a lot of time to think of all aspects and how you would apply your knowledge to where a cut would be needed and where a transition would be used.

Aspects Of Editing

Today, we learnt about editing and the specific features that come under it. Editing in a film involves selecting and combining shots together, creating footage to watch; the process helps create a filmic world. It is important to take several shots and create enough footage for when the editor has to choose from them, giving him a variety of footage to use. I used my knowledge from this lesson and applied it to the editing of my preliminary task and used it to its effect, as it linked in very well and gave me a clearer vision of how editing is a vital part of film making.

Editor's Task

• To select & reject footage filmed by the director.

• To organize the various shots filmed by the director into a coherent whole.

• To co-ordinate one shot with the following shot in order to produce the desired effect, on the audience & keep a narrative meaning. 

Cut
When the editor is choosing a shot - there is a choice from various different positions or angles. Film editors can connect scenes, the most common transitions you will see are: [The transitions aalso ffect the pace and mood of a film.]

• Straight Cut
• Fade Out
• Dissolve
• Wipe Cut
• Jump Cut

Building Blocks

• Editor looks at various individual shots available to create a particular scene.
• Using the script as a guide - decides how to construct the scene with the shots.
• An entire scene can have 1 shot - long take. 
• Editor adds one scene to another to form a sequence.
• Editing all the sequences together will portray a finished film.

Space, Time, Rhythm
When the editor works on a scene, he thinks about:

• The quality of the shot
• Cinematic Scene
• Cinematic Time 

Preliminary Task: Filming

Tripod

We re-filmed our shots for the preliminary task, as we were not satisfied with the footage we had taken; there was not clear continuity in certain sections and the 180 degree rule had been broken in one shot. Additionally, the mic had not been attached while we were filming the footage which meant our sound quality was not very clear. While re-filming we decided to address the various problems we had as a group and prevented them from happening again. Moreover, we also took lighting into consideration, as we needed quite a bright atmosphere being created in the room.We also re-drew our storyboard making it clear to us as a group of how we were going to plan our filming and to prevent us from making the same mistakes. We noted what type of shot we wanted in each scene, so it didn't waste time when we came to it. We tried using the tripod to make the shots more stable and produce a more professional look. After we had shot our scenes we used the macs to convert the files into Apple Pro Res files, which enabled us to start editing with our clips on Final Cut Pro.