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Terminology

Lesson 3 from: From Photo to Film

Andrew Scrivani

Terminology

Lesson 3 from: From Photo to Film

Andrew Scrivani

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Lesson Info

3. Terminology

Some concepts mean the same thing, but have different terms, like using iris instead of aperture, shutter angle instead of shutter speed, and waveform instead of a histogram. Adjust your photo terminology to the filmmaking process.
Next Lesson: Concepts

Lesson Info

Terminology

So I told you that we're going to talk about terminology on this isn't all of the terminology, but it's definitely some of the things that make you feel more confident in going in and diving a little deeper into it Before I get into this. Do you have any questions for me before we move into the terminology? Ok, terrific. So Ah, whole new language for the same idea, right? So in photography, we talk about our aperture. And in film we use the word iris. Same concept, different work, shutter speed. We also talk about shutter speed, but traditionally we talk about a shutter angle. And I don't know that that because of DSL ours and because the cameras have become so married to one another we still talk about. We talk about shutter speed in film as well. But traditionally the shutter speed is considered the shutter angle. In photo, we use a hist, a gram, turn a history, graham on its side, it becomes away form. That's really that's really what it iss okay, because you know, you reading a his...

t a gram from left to right, but you're reading away form from top to bottom blacks to whites. How how those colors work. And honestly, I use as a you know, in photo Now, because of my experiences in film is I don't even look at the back of the camera anymore. I just Look, I just look at the history because I got so used to looking at a way for him because when you looking at log video, which I'll tell you, we'll talk about what that means. In a little while, it's you can't really tell on a monitor. So you better off looking at the way for I s So we're very comfortable. We know I s o I s O is also a part of film terminology, but we talk a lot about native I eso whose native I eso means what is the camera most comfortable? That camera system, Where is the I s. So that's going to give you the best results. So it's just another kind of word that we're familiar with, but it has a little bit of a different context. We obviously have to focus our camera, but we never talk about pulling focus. And in photography, the person operating the camera is the person focusing the camera. But in film, very often the person who is operating camera there is someone else focusing it. So then you have what's called a first a C first assistant camera, and that person is the focus puller very often, and it's a very distinct job, and it's really hard to do now. Clearly, there are times when it's a smaller project, and if you're operating the camera, you're also having to focus the camera yourself. It's a harder thing to do, for sure, but it's also something that you know, pulling focus because there is no auto focus in filmmaking. So that's one of those big surprises and photographers, and they're like, Wait a second. I have to hand focus this thing while someone's walking across the room. Yeah, that's not that's not I need to practice that. So pulling focus is definitely something that is familiar but new. We use a tripod. We also used tripods. But when you are honest film set and you're around film people, they don't call him tripod. They call it sticks. And honestly, these a silly things that were laughing and giggling about because if you've been in that situation, and somebody said, Hey, can you Can you put this camera on sticks? And you're like, What's that? Because they're not going to call it a tripod. And the conversations with those other photographers I was talking about earlier What we're all about those things because, you know, you build up a set language as a photographer over many years and you become very comfortable in it. And then all of a sudden you're in someone else's world and you don't know how to speak the language. It's like getting off the plane in a foreign country. You're like, I don't know what that person is saying And now I am embarrassed because I don't want to ask. Well, that's why you're here today, so Well, um, so So we got something newish terminology. So these air concepts that you already understand, but you may not necessarily know how it applies to film, so we have a neutral density which we use right when we but it is much more prevalent in film because when you go outside, especially when we're using much slower shutter speeds, we have two nd the camera, so it's much more important when you're doing it. Uh, the word slate comes to play a lot, A lot of different ways in film making, because we understand the slate as that thing that you clip, you know, on the top. But also, when you talk about a slate at terms of, ah, movie executive like we have a three film slate, that's how many films we are making in this particular round of ah, filmmaking. And then when you're in a casting room, you will ask somebody to sleep to camera, which will tell, tells them that they need to tell you their name and whatever they want to say to the camera to identify themselves. So like it's a word that you're familiar with. But it also has many different uses in filmmaking. Um, we are very familiar with the idea of getting footage and coverage on then something like in a documentary filmmaking. We talk about beer O so that is in terms of these or things like getting our footage. Clearly, it's pretty self explanatory when he comes to people who are capturing visuals, getting coverage, which we've talked about in photography. But it also again, there are different rules of coverage in filmmaking, which we're going to go over in depth later on. And then, of course, something like B roll or in feature filmmaking we call inserts or something like that. Those are all non character on camera moments, and then we know about time codes because we've watched movies. We understand. But they understand the importance of time codes and making sure that in the editing process, these things are done properly. Because when you're going through hours and hours and hours of footage trying to find your place and be able to cut at appropriate times, you need to understand your time codes. So we have also heard about green screen, and sometimes we shoot photography against green screen. But in filmmaking, green screen is much more prevalent. So again, a little newish, but something you're familiar with. You've heard about it. Watch movies, all of that. It's not super complicated for your editor, and once you understand, if your gaffer right lights a green screen properly and you capture what you need to capture on it, then the rest is in pope postproduction. So C g. I clearly we understand we want will watch Star Wars movies so we know what c g I is. Um, and here we are standing around watching magic, being made all of these people After this, all this work is done way. Stand there and we watch. But it's also the idea of, you know, being collaborative being part of a team. I think growing out your network, you know, a lot of the people you you spend time with on sets become like family in that in that moment. And you understand that the bond that's formed in these situations, it leads you to understand being collaborative more often and being very positive in those collaborations and how all of a sudden all these people are in your life all the time, even after it's over.

Ratings and Reviews

Nev Steer
 

A very well explained class on starting in film production from the viewpoint of a person with a successful photography background. Thanks Andrew.

Nutmeg
 

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