Order of Production

In the media industry, when making films, there is a certain order that things tend to be made in.

A Screenplay comes first, this is a general idea of how the creators of the movie want it to look and how they think it should look in general this is of course changed and altered throughout production and is almost never the exact same as the film when it's finished.

Around the same time as the screenplay, a storyboard should be drawn up, this is a set of frames for the entire film which is used during filming as a guideline that is stuck to quite closely. A storyboard features sketched versions of how the producers want the film to look as well as how they want the camera to move and when they want it to move.

After the storyboard and the screenplay is finished, the production of the film can start, this includes making props and costumes, and then moving on to actually filming the video. this is the second most time consuming part of the entire production, however that is only if it is done efficiently and the storyboard and screenplay are used effectively, otherwise it is the most time consuming part, which usually costs more money and can even force a production over budget, which is even worse a thing as it can then do a lot of damage to the production costs that already exist and make them even higher.

 

Finally, once all filming is wrapped and over, the post production and editing can start. editing should take up the most time in film production as there are many things to consider such as match on action and continuity. not only this but a trailer and other adverts need to be made for the production (this only usually applies to films and TV productions- Music Videos don't usually have trailers).

 

When all of the above is finished and the final film is ready, it can be released to the public.

Lighting Tests

In order to understand how lighting can help during filming, and how different types of lighting can portray a character's persona,  we took a piece of lighting equipment and a camera and tried to see how we could portray a person using lighting.
 
In most of the photos, my expression is neutral, however the angle of the lighting and colour of it can still change the feeling or connotations of the shot.

In this first shot, for example, the under lighting on my face could connote that a character is untrustworthy. Lighting like this is commonly used in films where the main character has to go to another character for something that they need in order to complete their goals within the film.

In this second shot, the lighting casts a shadow over my face, this hides some of my features. When characters have features of their faces hidden they are usually an important character in the film that is "pulling the strings" and making things happen to the main character. A plot like this is usually found in superhero films or Spy films such as Spectre, the James Bond film. This type of lighting creates intrigue about the character, which can be useful for building suspense in a thriller film. Moreover, the lighting is quite intense, like a spotlight, this is often seen in crime dramas where a light is moved onto someone's face.



In this photo, only half of my face is visible, creating a mysterious air about the character or a sense of intrigue. Shots like this are commonly also used on characters that are quite sinister and deceptive, this is linked as some of the face is hidden, connoting that not everything is known about the character yet.

 

A shot with lighting like this is often used in scenes where someone is moving around in a partially lit room, for example a horror scene where a character is moving around a house with a killer in there with them. this shot does cover part of the face, as well as drawing the audience's attention to the character's face. Moreover, it reveals enough to show the detail of emotion on the character's face.

Moving on, in this shot the light is quite intense and is pointing almost directly at my face. This can connote that a character is in a vulnerable position, for example a criminal may have just been caught by the police after being on the run in a chase scene. Another time that this shot is used could be in a theatrical reveal. For example, when a character that has been kept mysterious throughout the film is finally shown, it may be that they have a spotlight move to their face.

In the final shot, the light is quite weak as well as at an angle. This resembles a light that could be coming from another room and shining through into the place where the character is (possibly outside but most likely another room). This connotes that the character is listening in or spying on someone.