Sound in film masterclass

 Sound is very important in film and has a great impact in the storytelling of the film. There is two types of sound in film: Diegetic sound, and non-diegetic sound. Diegetic sound is sound that is involved in the films world, that the characters can hear. It can appear on or off screen, like a dog barking or other forms of sound effects. Non-diegetic sound is sound that is added over the top of film, which we hear not as a part of the world in the film. This includes soundtracks (film scores), and narration.

 

Layers of sound:

 

-   Ambient sound

-   Dialogue (try to limit dialogue, as actors find acting for screen very difficult, and so if we limit the dialogue not only can we tell the story with the imaging and other forms of sound, but we can also make it easier and better for the actors, and therefore make the film better entirely)

-   Music – non diegetic and diegetic (whether its ambient or added over)

-   Foley sound (also known as sound effects)

-   Voice over (again can be non-diegetic or diegetic)

 

In the soundtrack, there is usually a motif (sequence) in which parts of or even the rest of the composition is based off of. For example, in Star Wars, the big jump from the tonic to the dominant in the piece is very recognisable and is used throughout that theme in all of the films. Other examples include the Indiana Jones theme, Avengers, and Pirates of the Caribbean.

 

I am going to try and create a soundtrack for the sequence that I filmed in my previous blog post. I am going to use logic pro to accompany my master shot with a soundtrack and maybe some non-diegetic sound effects too.

Opening scene step-by-step:

 

Maddie, Neave and I (my group for the opening title sequence) did a step-by-step for our opening scene to help visualise it, and to help with our storyboards. We worked together on this.

 

1. A female detective walks into a house (the lodge boarding house at school). She is walking in front of the camera whilst the camera follows her in using a tracking shot.

2. Once inside, the detective hears heavy breathing. We would use a close up on her face, to see her facial expressions.

3. The detective starts to follow the heavy breathing, we would go back to using the tracking shot.

4. The detective finds a young girl/boy heavily breathing, close to death. We would use an extreme long shot to get the detective and the body in the frame.

5. The detective then kneels down to the body – camera height changes so that the camera is at the height of the detective.

6. The girl/boy close to death struggles to say, “He’s still here”. We would use a close up on the girl/boy’s face as they say the line.

7. Extreme close up on detectives face to show her change in emotion through facial expressions.

8.    Then, a point of view angle from the detective’s perspective of the boy/girl fighting for their life, finding it difficult to breathe.

9.    The camera slowly zooms out into an extreme long shot of the detective slowly grabbing her gun in her back pocket.

10.  Detective slowly stands up and turns. We would use a mid-shot.

11.  Detective puts her gun in a position ready to shoot from, still using a mid-shot.

12.  As the detective begins walking around again, the camera goes into a POV angle.

13.  Hand-held camera movements as she is walking around the house cautiously (still holding her gun ready to shoot).

14.  As the detective turns into another room, it goes back into POV angle.

15.  The murderer is standing right in front of her (still POV angle).

16.  The camera changes to an extreme long shot of the murderer walking towards the detective holding a bloody knife.

17.  The detective shoots the man with zero hesitation. Extreme close up.

18.  Shot reverse shot as it happens.

19.  To show the man’s dead body, we would use a long shot.

20.  Cuts back to the female detective, unfazed by the events.

21.  The camera switches to a low angle, as the female detective turns her back away from the body, only to quickly and suddenly turn back and shoot the body again.

22.  Slow zoom in on the dead body using a long shot.

23.  Camera goes into a low angle of the female detective walking away, back towards the door in which she entered. Sound of her boots or heels against the squeaky floorboards is prominent.

          24.  Background goes out of focus as she exits the house, and the sounds of ambulance                    sirens get louder as they slowly approach the crime scene.

Method for shooting a sequence workshop:

 

Master coverage method:

 

-   Master: the first shot we use if using this method is a wide shot of the scene, typically referred to as the master shot (the master part of the master coverage method). We tend to film this shot first so we are able to see the entire scene laid out and therefore see where the action within the scene will be and determine what shot we will use for them.

 

 

-   Coverage: coverage is the close-up shots and mid shots that make the scene more interesting and watchable. The important thing to remember about this technique is to record the entire scene from each position the camera gets in, as it will give you shots you may not have thought of, and it will also give a lot more variables to choose from when editing.

 

 

I am going to attempt filming a scene using this method at home with my phone and basic   I-movie editing software.

What is storyboarding - workshop

 

Why are they important:

 

Before a team begins the process of filming, storyboards organise the scene, and it gives the people filming a chance to consider each section of the scene without spending actual time and/or money doing it on set. It also allows you to visualise each scene and sparks creative input. After filming, it also helps, as the editor can refer back to the storyboard to guide their choice of shots, and order of shots for the scene. For example, in this storyboard, you can see how it will help the director when filming, as it tells him what he camera angle and shot type he wanted for each individual section of the storyboard:

 

 

What’s on a storyboard:

 

         Things to include:

 

-   Shot number (for order)

-   Location (so you don’t have to draw every location, you can just write it)

-   Action (so you know what’s happening in that particular shot)

-   Shot/movement (what the camera does/does it move?)

-   Sound (any dialogue or diegetic/non-diegetic sound)

-   Lighting (any lighting

-   Transition (from shot to shot, thinking about the editing)

-   Timing (how long will the shot last for?)

 

With the template, depending on how good your drawing is, the information on the right varies. If you are a good artist, then less information, as it will be clear from the drawing. If the drawing isn’t as clear, more information on the right to make it clear. This is shown well with these three very different examples of storyboards, one with very clear images, and therefore not as much writing, one with less clear images and more writing, and one with writing in the images drawn to make it very clear later on when filming what they had in mind.

 

 

Alternative approaches to storyboarding if the drawing isn’t up to par:

 

-   Instead of drawing, take pictures of people acting it out roughly, or even action figures placed as characters in the scene (if no one in the media team can draw well)

-   Using software online to help – free animation software is available

-   More information on the right-hand side

Here is an example of an animated storyboard for the opening title sequence of the film 'The Worlds End':

 

 

Tips:

-   Don’t start by drawing, start using a step-by-step outline

-   Remember composition, and how you will frame your shots and draw the composition

-   Don’t number the shots until the end, as you may need to add shots, or remove shots. Average shot number on a storyboard is 35-40 shots

-   You can write on the drawings as well, and use arrows to signify the movements in the shots

-      When a page of boards is finished, take photos so you can back it up and have a photocopy.

I am going to look more into animating my storyboard, but as of now, I think my favourite storyboard is the one where the writing and drawing is equal, making it as clear as possible down the road.

Our opening title sequence pitch

The 180-degree rule workshop:

Also known as crossing the line. It is a technique that film makers use to make sure audience know where everybody is and know where all the action is. It is a line between two subjects in a scene, where from behind that line, in a sort of semi-circle, you can position cameras around to show where the two are, and where they are facing. If the 180-degree rule is broken it doesn’t look or feel right for the audience. The best way to figure out the 180-degree rule is to decide which way your actor is facing and keep them facing in the same direction throughout the duration of the scene.

 

 

I am going to try and demonstrate the 180-degree rule. First, I am going to do a wide shot. I am using two different coloured boxing gloves for my example. The second photo shows the line between the two subjects in the frame, and the semi-circle drawn around it where cameras could be positioned.

 

 

Now I am going to try and demonstrate it with an over the shoulder shot. We can see both the black boxing glove, and the red boxing glove in this demonstration, and although it is coming from a different angle, the 180-degree rule is still in place.

 

 

Finally, I am going to use a close-up shot. Since the subject is still facing the same way, the 180-degree rule is still working, and still in place, and the audience still know where the black boxing glove is.

Elaine Bass joined Saul Bass & Associates in 1955, and a few years later, by the 60s, she was working on much of Saul Bass’s title design in collaboration with him. Some of his, and their work was:

 

-   Not With My Wife, You Don’t!

-   Goodfellas

-   Higher Learning

-   Ocean’s Eleven

-   The Cardinal

-   Vertigo

-   Big

-   Casino

-   Seconds

-   The Seven Year Itch

-   …and many more

Here is a video showcasing some of their work in opening title sequences:

 

 

Saul Bass was born in May of 1920 in New York, and soon came onto to be a graphic designer and an Oscar-winning filmmaker, known primarily for contributing most of his efforts towards title sequences. 

His career spanned 40 years, in which he was able to work for a few of Hollywood’s most prestigious filmmakers of the time (Billy Wilder, Martin Scorsese, Alfred Hitchcock and more). Despite being most well-known for his work in opening title sequences, Bass also designed some iconic logos for corporate company’s in the States, including AT&T and continental airlines.

 

He died at 75 from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1996.

 

Elaine Bass was born in 1927 (also in New York) and married to Saul in 1961. She worked for 40 years beside Saul and was one of the main designers responsible for helping transform title sequences and short films into art forms.

 

 At the beginning of her career, Elaine worked in fashion, drawing up designs for several “fashion houses”. She decided to move from NYC, however, and ended up relocating in Los Angeles in 1947, moving there permanently in 1954.She found work there for Capitol Records, and she recalled: “After about a year I was looking for something more challenging when someone told me that Saul Bass was looking for an assistant. I had enjoyed the credits for ‘The Seven Year Itch’ very much but the name Saul Bass didn’t mean anything to me”. And so Elaine joined his office in 1955, and by 1959, Saul was distributing critical tasks to her. She was able to work on Spartacus (1960) as the co-designer of the title sequence. From here on, her career with Saul took off, taking a step back in the mid 60s-80s to focus on their children.