Avant Garde Film Project

Avant Garde Film Project

The aspect ratio of an image describes the proportional relationship between its width and its height. It is commonly expressed as two numbers separated by a colon, as in 16:9. For an x:y aspect ratio, no matter how big or small the image is, if the width is divided into x units of equal length and the height is measured using this same length unit, the height will be measured to be y units. The most common aspect ratios used today in the presentation of films in cinemas are 1.85:1 and 2.39:1.  Resolution depends upon the size of the pixel. 

Image resolution is the detail an image holds. Higher resolution means more image detail.

As for the overall project, I really liked how the shots turned out that we did in the tech ed room. I felt like the machinery images grounded the film and provided good contrast to the more abstract shots. I particularly like the worm's eye view of the drill because it is such a dramatic angle. If I were to complete the project again, I would develop Reilly's character further and attempt to create a slightly more linear plot line. For the avant garde genre, the nonlinear nature of the montage works, but if I were to want to develop the film to expand to other genres and a wider audience.  

Homage to Silent Film

Montage Summary

Embedded Above is a montage clip from the film Psycho.
Montage theory is reliant upon the principle of Yin and Yang, which varies greatly from typical Western tradition. Because of the reliance on opposites, montage theory is often nonlinear, instead based on the idea of the thesis and antithesis coming together to produce a synthesis. In this way, there is an order to montage, it is just not the linear plot line to which we are accustomed. Montage also plays with the idea of mediated reality. The purpose of montage is to convey and then build upon an idea. Many times, the sequence of scenes effects the audience in drastically different ways as they project and draw parallels between scenes. Sequence, in the case of montage, is not a matter of spatial composition, but of the arrangement of shots. Montage editing encompasses the idea of transcending space and time. The film is not truly born until the editing phase. 

Production Roles

I completed the flowchart on Prezi which can be viewed here: https://prezi.com/yyev8me26tmo/untitled-prezi/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy.

Resolution Map

Aperture Blog Post

How To Create Rack Focus: 
-Set camera to a very low aperture in Manual Mode
-Use Manual Focus, Zoom In
-Shift the focus from the foreground to the background, effectively shifting the focus
How Rack Focus is Used in Film:
-Rack Focus is used often when two characters are engaged in conversation, shifting from one character to the other, depending on the speaker

How To Create Bokeh:
-Set your camera to the lowest Aperture
-Zoom in on the lights
-Shift the focus until it is extremely unfocused.
-You can then slowly focus in on the source of light
How Bokeh is Used in Film:
-Bokeh is used in establishing shots, especially cityscapes that include a lot of lights.
-It is an effect that creates a sense of warmth

How to Create In and Out of Focus:
-Put Camera in Manual Mode
-Start Out of Focus and then focus in on the scene quickly by twisting the Manual Focus
How In and Out of Focus is used in Film:
-It is used to draw attention to the subject and to provide clarity for the audience.

German Expressionism

M (1931)

DIRECTED BY FRITZ LANG This film was created during the decline of the Expressionist movement. Expressionist elements include the experimentation of sound, bizarre camera angles, and fascinating imagery. This film inspired a sequel, The Testament of Doctor Mabuse.

Pandora's Box (1929) Directed By: Georg Wilhelm Pabst

 

This film was created during a period of transition away from German Expressionism, but still contains many of its elements. It is a morality tale in which the moral is elusive and obscure.
Expressionist Elements:

1. moved away from mass market storytelling and focused on delving into more psychological issues/ stories
2. urban setting
3. Anti-heroic main characters
4. illustrates that that realism should not be taken as a given. 

This film has since been rediscovered and is regarded as a classic of Weimar Germany's cinema. The expressionist values presented in this film are still present in modern media as the act of film-making itself is a form of expressionism. 

The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (1920)

Directed by: Robert Wiene

 

This film does not merely fit into the expressionist movement: it encapsulates it. It recounts the story of a traveling magician named Doctor Caligari and his sleepwalking assistant, Cesare, is an examination of mental instability and again probes at the strict box of realism. 
Expressionist elements include:
-Madness, paranoia, obsession
-moved away from mass market storytelling and focused on delving into more psychological issues/ stories
The influence of this film had a clear effect on Tim Burton and its influence is visible in his work, such as Edward Scissorhands.