Sight Sound and Motion Notes 3
10/29/09
Ch.11- Building Screen Space: Visualization
Visualization: Thinking in pictures/sounds, converting words/ideas into a series of
images and sounds
Purposes: to clarify,
to intensify } the message for the audience
to interpret
In theory, visualization is limited only by your imagination
In reality, visualization can be limited/inhibited by:
1. Production time available
2. Restrictions (space, rules, etc)
3. Money/technology available
4. Unwillingness to change as opportunity arises
Deductive Visual Approach: from general to specific, viewer is lead into the scene
through a logical progression of images sometimes called “classic” or “invisible”
style of visualization. Simple and easily followed.
Typical deductive sequence: WS-MS-CU1-CU2-MS WS
Inductive Visual Approach: from specific to general. Begins with small detail and
works its way out until the obvious. More impressionistic and relies on audience
understanding and (maybe) patience.
Zettl’s 4 Basic Visualization Factors
1. Ways of looking (visualizing):
a. Looking at: objectively observing
b. Looking into: revealing insights or emotions not possible by simply
looking at
c. Creating: using the medium to create something not possible in
reality
2. Field of view (perspective): how “far” is the audience from the action? Range
is from XLS to XCU. Nature of the story and cultural factors affect the choices
here
3. Point of view: has 2 meanings:
a. Physical: camera in place of character so we see the story or event
through their eyes (ex: Good fellas)
b. Emotional: using POV to give the audience insight into the feelings of a
character or event (ex: Spike Jonze IKEA ad)
4. Angles: distinctive viewpoints or visualizations
a. Continuity: to create the illusion of a continuous event. Placement of
objects or people, movement from shot to shot and maintaining
vectors are examples
b. Multiple viewpoints: moving the viewer around in the story “space” is
what makes TV & film different from the theater audiences
c. Event intensification: Bourne chase
d. Style (traditional vs. non-traditional)
11/10/09
Time Objective (real) vs. subjective (screen or story)
In narrative storytelling, real time is constantly manipulated and turned into
screen/story time by:
1. By commercial constraints (22 min sitcom, 100 min film)
2. By eliminating elements unnecessary to the story
3. By the conventions and nature of drama
4. By “generational” changes in filmmaking and audiences
Example: editing an episode of “Friends” (VHS)
Other events (live news coverage and sports) are much closer to objective time,
Time manipulation techniques:
1. Shooting & replaying (slow & fast motion, instant replay)
-more frames per second shot & used =slower motion playback. Slow motion
-fewer frames per second shot & used =faster motion playback. Time lapse
2. Techniques of editing (jump cuts, flashing forward/back, cutaways, shot
repetition etc.)
Time manipulation examples:
Compressing Time: All that Jazz audition
Extending time: Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
Flashback: Casablanca
“Event Density”: packing a lot of visual information into a short space of screen
time:
Ex: 1. Car chase 2.moment after a touchdown
“Experience intensity”: adding emotion
Example: 1. Homecoming 2. “It’s Showtime folks!”
Combining all: Raging Bull fight scene
11/12/09
Because of the persistence of vision phenomenon, film & video provide the illusion
of motion by projecting a series of still images in quick succession
1. Standard film: 24 frames per second (fps)
2. Standard video: 30 fps
The conventional wisdom is motion slower than normal enhances:
1. Power/heroism
2. Grace/beauty (NFL commercial)
3. Suspense/fear/horror
4. Freedom from reality
Motion faster than normal enhances:
1. Comedy
2. Out-of-control feeling/frantic
3. Passage of time (i.e. time lapse)
--Zettl’s analysis of the film vs. video look:
1. Film look is “softer” because creation & projection processes different.
2. “Video Starkness”: Film=colors subtracted from film stock
Video=colors added to create final image
3. Film has no more subtle brightness and grayscale values
4. Film look more “polished”: to meet audiences expectations, the production
crafts of film have been more highly developed
5. Video too “sharp”: The “picture window” effect makes it more suited for
“live” events rather than drama
6. Video has the “in your face” feeling live events need
NOTE: “Digital artifacts” not present in film also contribute to the video look.
(Pixilation, motion blur, smearing, etc)
The brain judges the speed of something moving or by comparing it to non-moving
objects in the frame or the frame edges…
This gives image-makers tools to “play” with the perceived speed of something:
1. Lens choice: shorter lens= slower perceiver speed (ex: from cd-rom)
2. Perspective: wider shot= slower perceived speed (ex: from cd-rom)
3. Moving frame: race car POV (stationary camera/moving camera)
(Ex: Apollo 13 Launch Sequence)
3 Types of Motion:
1. Primary: movement of actors or objects
2. Secondary: Movement of camera and zooming
3. Tertiary: motion created by shot transitions
a. Cuts
b. Dissolves
c. Fades
d. Wipes and digital transitions
Rhythm: the subjective feeling of the “flow” of the film
The “dramatic curve” illustrates narrative rhythm
Climax
“Rising action” points
(Action will rise and then slow down and then rise and then slow down again before rising to
the climax)
Pacing: the feeling of “fast” or “slow” within an event controlled by
1. The number & length of shots
2. The transitions between shots
High density events “feel” faster than “low density”
1. Zoom: pulls/pushes action towards/away from the camera; decreases depth
of field
2. Dolly; takes the camera to the action. DOF stays the same or increases
3. Combo creates “vertigo effect”
Optical vs. digital zoom: Optical zoom moves lens elements; digital zoom magnifies
pixels
Type of story, the emotion that is needed to tell the story & the personal style of
director (& editor) influence editing rhythm and pace.
EXAM #3
Book Chapters 11, 12, 13, 14. Glossary of Terms in the back of book.
Video: “The Cutting Edge”
Lecture notes: “Some notes on editing” (posted on D2L)
