Lecture Outline & Test Terms for 2013 Book (Cinema 1 / Exam #1)
Page numbers are from: The Filmmaker's Handbook 2013 Edition. You will need to bring a Scantron (#882) form to class (for sale in the LACC Bookstore an ASG) and a #2 pencil. This is NOT an open book test, but use of an English/foreign language dictionary is allowed.
Chapter 1: Introduction to Digital & Film Systems (pp. 1-52)
- Single Camera [lecture only]:
- Edited after the shoot
- Movies/TV Drama/Commercials
- Multi-camera (3 or more cameras) [lecture only]:
- Edited live OR after the shoot
- Talk/Game/Magazine/Sports/SitCom.
- SD (Standard Definition) [lecture only]:
- DV; NTSC; One resolution: 720X480
- Aspect ratio: 4:3; 30 frames per second
- PAL (Europe + Asia TV: analog)
- HD (High Definition) [lecture only]:
- ATSC-Multiple Resolutions/Frame Rates
- Resolutions: 1920x1080, 1280x720
- Aspect ratio: 16:9
- Frames Per Second: 24-30-48-60
- Scan: Interlace or Progressive
- Digital 2K and 4 K
- Quad HD & UHDTV
- Video [lecture only]:
- Magnetic/Multi-record/Instant Playback
- Nonlinear Editing
- Telecine (film TO video) / Scan (video TO film)
- Film [lecture only]:
- Super-8, 16mm & S-16mm, 35 & 65mm, IMAX
- Chemical/ Processing Delay/ Single-record
- Contrast Ratio (40:1 older video 1000:1 Film)
- Resolution 4000x3000
- Analog/physical editing
- Shoot in Film / Edit in Video
- Feature films, Some 1-hour TV dramas
- Filmmaking 5 stages (p. 2):
- Development/Pre/Production/Post/Distribution
- Video Format/Digital Connections (pp. 8-21, 237-8)
- Codec (compression) (5:1, 40:1, etc.)
- Mbps (Megabits per second)
- Composite or Component (HDMI) (RGB)
- Data Connectors (USB, Firewire, Thunderbolt, SDI)
- Film Systems (pp. 4, 39-40)
- Intermittent Movement (camera or projector)
- Shutter/Claw/Aperture/Frame (p. 40)
- Camera Capture Speed (pp. 4, 82-3)
- Slow Motion (Over-cranking) more than 24 fps
- Fast Motion (Under-cranking) less than 24 fps
- Intervalometer (Time-Lapse) = camera "clock"
- High-Speed Cameras (Special Slow Motion)
- Blurring (Wide Shutter) Baraka
- Strobing (Narrow Shutter) Drumline
- Film Formats; (width+size+shape) (pp. 41-7)
- Larger format = better quality (resolution)
- 35mm (1890s) = current theatrical films
- 4-perf & 3-perf (holes per frame)
- 16mm (1920s) & 8mm (1930s)
- Film Stock (pp. 42-3)
- Negative (not positive) /Reversal (positive)
- Speed: Sensitivity to light (fast or slow)
- Film, Sensor, Shutter, Lens
- Editing Film On Video (p. 49)
- NLE (computer editor), Dailies or Rushes
- Video Out (Blu-ray, DVDs, TV)
- Film Out: (DI) Digital Intermediate
- Comparing Video Formats (pp. 21-31)
- Analog (VHS)
- Digital Standard Definition (Mini-DV)
- Digital High Definition
- HDV (prosumer) (tape only)
- AVCHD (Advanced Video Coding) (non-tape)
- Digital Cinematography:
- Arri Alexa™, Red™, Sony F, SI-2K, Genesis™
Chapter 2: Before You Begin Production (pp. 53–101)
- Before Production (pp. 53-60)
- How to start production/Who is audience?
- How much will it cost? (how to pay)
- Work Backwards from the Budget
- Work Backwards from the Distribution: Length
- Acquisition/Capture (p. 60)
- Video:cost benefits / Film: “look & feel”
- Postproduction (How to edit?)
- Distribution: Theatre/TV/DVD/Mobile/3D
- Digital Television (DTV) (pp. 62-3)
- HDTV or ATSC (USA transition 6/12/09)
- 18 format variations
- Lines: 1080 (HD) or 720 (HD) or 480 (SD)
- Interlace (i) & Progressive Scan (p) (pp.11-14)
- 24 (23.98), 30 (29.97), or 60 (59.94) frames/second
- Camera Sensor Size (pp. 66-8)
- Choosing a Camera (pp. 87-9)
- DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex)
- Video camera
- Video tap (video inside film camera) (p. 267)
- Recording Media (pp. 90-94)
- Tape, Hard Drives (HDD or SSD)
- Flash Memory Cards (SDHC: school cameras)
- Aspect Ratio (pp. 74-81)
- The width of the frame divided by the height
- 1.33:1 - (4:3) Nonwidescreen: SD TV, 8&16mm Film (Academy Aperture)
- 1.66:1 – (5:3) Super 16mm- European Features
- 1.78:1 - (16:9) HD TVs & cameras (ATSC)
- 1.85:1 - U.S. movie features: wide-screen
- 2.35:1 - “Scope” - Anamorphic (cinemascope)
- Anamorphic lenses (squeezed on camera, unsqueezed in projection/post)
- Aspect Ratio Conversion: Widescreen (16:9) to Nonwidescreen (4:3):
- Letterbox/EdgeCrop/Horizontal Squeeze
- Aspect Ratio Conversion: Nonwidescreen (4:3) to Widescreen (16:9):
- Sidebar or Pillarbox/Top Crop or Blow Up/Horizontal Stretch
- Importance of Sound (pp. 97-99)
- ADR(Automatic Dialog Replacement) (p. 98)
- Foley (synchronous sound effects made in a studio) (p.635)
- SFX (Sound Effects) all other WILD sound like narration, birds, traffic, guns (p. 644)
- Single System Recording (recording sound in the camera with picture) (p. 35)
- Double System Recording (recording sound separately from the camera) SLATE (p. 36)
Chapter 3: The Video Camcorder (pp. 102–141)
- Video Sensor: light sensitive computer chip (pp. 6, 16, 29, 103, 136-7)
- CCD (Charge Coupled Device)
- Single Chip / Three Chip (Beam Splitter)
- CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor)
- Viewfinder Zebra = Exposure Indicator (p. 107)
- Pixels (picture elements) (p. 6)
- Camera Power (pp. 127-132)
- AC Power Supply (power & charge battery)
- Battery (Ni-Cad, NiMH, Li Ion (best))
- Format/ Frame Rate (pp. 104-5)
- 1080 or 720: usually set by the camera
- 24 or 30 fps; progressive or interlace
- Speed: ISO or Gain setting
- Exposure (AE Shift) (pp. 107-9)
- Focus (auto vs. manual)
- White Balance (auto vs. manual) (pp. 109-113)
- Electronic compensation/different color light
- Preset for indoor light (3200° K)
- Image Stabilization (p. 140)
- Low Light (Infrared) (p. 134)
- In-Camera Effects (NO except: Skin Detail) (p. 140)
- SMPTE Time Code (hours:minutes:seconds:frames)
- Tape School Cameras (Mini-DV) lecture only:
- YES: 16-bit audio, 2 tapes, Label, SP speed
- NO: 12-bit audio, 16x9, Dew, Head Drum
- Recording Media (Chips) (pp. 115-121)
- Formatted, Backup 2 places, Copy all files
- MTS files (editing or conversion software)
Chapter 4: The Lens (pp. 141–184)
- Lens has two jobs (pp. 141-2):
- Focus, Gather & Bend light rays
- Control amount of light into camera (ƒ-stop)
- Elements (several pieces of glass) Barrel
- Flare (antireflective coatings)
- Focal Length in millimeters (pp. 141-2)
- Measures the power of a lens to bend light
- Short (wide), Medium (normal), Long (telephoto)
- Prime Lenses: only one focal length (50mm, etc.)
- Zoom Lenses: variable focal length
- Optical Zoom Range (Canon HF-R300: 2.8–89.6mm)
- Focal Plane (surface of film or sensor)
- Sensor Magnification/Crop Factor (pp. 148-151)
- Camera sensor size affects view of view
- Depth of Field (pp. 153-158)
- To minimize depth of field (p. 156):
- Open up iris/longer focal length/move closer
- To maximize depth of field (p. 156):
- Close down iris/shorter focal length/move farther away
- Focal Length/Perspective (pp. 143-7):
- Dolly - get closer to the object
- Zoom - change focal length
- Zoom vs. Dolly (Perspective) (p. 144)
- Speed (pp. 151-3) Light gathering power
- The faster a lens = more light let through
- The slower a lens = less light let through
- ƒ-Number is the ratio between the focal length of the lens and its diameter
- ƒ-stop (white) - the light gathering power of the lens at any iris diaphragm opening
- t-stop (used in cinema-red) accounts for light loss & always a higher number
- Standard ƒ-stop series (p. 152)
- 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22, 32
- Numbers get smaller = “hole” gets bigger
- Each stop equals halving or doubling of light
- Higher numbers = less light; “stopping down”
- Lower numbers = more light; “opening up”
- Setting the Focus (p. 15, 153-162)
- Tape Measure - measure from focal plane (p. 159)
- Pulling focus: changing focus during a take, usually done by First Assistant Camera
- Video cameras focused “by eye” & tape
- Hyperfocal Distance (focus to infinity) (p. 162)
- Prime Lenses for Special Uses (pp. 168-9)
- Fast (low light); Telephoto (NFL Films™)
- Macro Lenses (focus very close)
- Close-Up / Split Field Diopters (pp. 170-1)
- Lens Quality (Aberrations) (pp. 171-174)
- Vignetting, Chromatic, Sharpness, Flare
- Lens Seating Problems (pp. 180-182):
- Depth of Focus/Back Focus (pp. 180-182)
- Lens Care (wet or brush - no dry cloth) (pp. 183-4)
Chapter 7: The Film Image (pp. 271–303)
- Raw Stock: unexposed film/ “look” (pp. 271-8)
- Emulsion and Base
- Tungsten (indoors) or Daylight (outdoors) balanced
- Chemical Changes: Optional (pp. 277-8)
- Push = brightens
- Pull = darkens
- Flashing = reduces contrast
- Skip bleach (p. 278)
- Contrast (pp. 276-278)
- Separation of light and dark tones
- Characteristic Curve (p. 276-8)
- Gamma (steepness of straight line section)
- Film Speed (sensitivity to light) (pp. 275-6)
- EI (Exposure Index) (motion picture film)
- ASA (American Standard)
- ISO: ASA first, then DIN (i.e., EI 500/28°)
- Graininess: visible particles of chemicals/dyes (p. 279)
- Faster film = larger, more visible grain
- Kodak stocks (pp. 281-5)
- 72_ _ for 16mm; (52_ _ for 35mm)
- Latent Edge Numbers (seen after processing) (p. 283)
- Refrigerate Film Stock
- Avoid X-Rays
- Exposure (p. 286)
- Overexpose (too light)
- Underexpose (too dark)
- Important Elements with sufficient detail
- Light Meters (pp. 286-292)
- Direct (digital); Indirect (analog)
- Incident Light
- hold near subject - point to camera
- Flat Disk Diffuser (individual lights)
- 18% Gray Card
- Spot Meter (1°)
- EXPOSURE = INTENSITY X TIME
- Exposure = amount of light to each frame
- Intensity = light passing through lens (ƒ-Stops)
- Time or duration of the exposure:
- 1/48 second (1/50) = 1/24 x 1/2
- 1/60 second for U.S. video
- Film speed (ASA/EI) set to speed on film box
- DV speed: 325-500 ASA (depends on sensor)
- shutter speed: 1/50 second film (1/60=DV)
- Filter Factor: for light loss w/ filter (p. 311)
- t-stops DO account for lost light
- Four Ways to Control Exposure (p. 298):
- 1) Film Speed (Digital = gain)
- 2) Lens (ƒ-Stops)
- 3) Shutter Speed
- 4) Ambient Light
- Exposure (pp. 296-7)
- Exposure Range = bright/dark/good detail
- Negative film: 10-12 ƒ/stops
- Reversal film & consumer video: 6 ƒ/stops
- High End Digital Video: 14+ ƒ/stops
Chapter 8: Color & Filters (pp. 304–320)
- Additive Primaries (RGB) (video & film) (pp. 304-5)
- Subtractive Primaries (CYM) (printing) (pp. 304-5)
- Color Temperature: Kelvin Scale (pp. 308-11)
- Emotionally:
- Warm light source [3200° K tungsten]
- Cold light source [5600° K daylight]
- Conversion Filters (pp. 280-1, 310)
- #85 (orange) converts Tungsten for Daylight
- #80 (blue) converts Daylight for Tungsten
- Matte Box / Lens Hood (pp. 317-9)
- Special Filters (pp. 311-7)
- UV/1A (ultraviolet)
- Neutral Density (less light: neutral color)
- Grads (half color/half clear)
- Polarizing (reduces reflections glass/water)
- Diffusion (dreamy, soft)
- Low Contrast (ProMist)
- Fog/ Star
- Software filters (plug-in)
There will be a total of 50 questions in the format of Multiple Choice and True/False.
There will also be extra credit questions on the videos that have been shown in class.