Screen Play

Below is the current screen play for the production of the film, this is the copy we will give to the actors, when I was writing it I made sure it was full of more novel type description so the actors have more to work from, further creating a better performance from the on screen subjects.

"Him" Screenplay

Location Scout

Camden

The main character Vit is forced into a human trafficking ring we will use this location for the exterior of the house he is taken to. It is currently up for sale so we can cut the clips together to look like they are entering the house, then film the interior in a different location. We will film from the side as they enter the house to make as it look as if their going in.

Sheppard's Bush 

This is the more pleasant setting will be used when the character escapes the house and heads for the city. It tells the audience that the narrative will be calmer it is useful as it looks like both a rural and industrial location. I plan to also film at the golden hour which would make the tones in the image much stronger, the water will also look golden also which will add to the sense that he is now free and the world around him is far more full of happiness.

Southbank

For our latest film production I thought of using this location for the section of the film when the main character is lost in London. As the buildings are relatively modern they look aesthetically pleasing in the shots, this is done through such compositional techniques as symmetry, the rule of thirds and flat face on angles. 

Production Role Evaluation

As cinematographer, I will have to plan what will be on screen and in frame and decide what shooting formats and camera lenses to use. In doing this I will have to use my own creativity as well as working with the Director and fulfilling their ideas.

Camera: Nikon D5300
We will be using a mixture of a 18-55mm and a Prime Lens, the 18-55mm lens has a short zoom range but most of the shots in this film won't be from long distance. Added to this it has a fairly large depth of field length which enables for more focus pulling within the drama to divert the audiences gaze. The Prime lens has no zoom function but it is better for crisper images, which means we can get different perspectives moreover it can get wider shots which will be good for such elements as establishing shots.

Lighting:
We will mostly be using natural lighting but
for the interior scenes we will use portable LED Lights
that can be attached to the camera which can recreate
natural light for a more noir lit sequence. We will also shoot one scene at night for that the location has street lighting but we will also be using the LED Lights for a lighting boost
if the shot is to dark.

Camera Specifications - Exterior Long Shot:
Resolution: 1080p
ISO: 100
Focal Length: 27mm
Max Aperture: 4

Interior Shots:
Resolution: 1080p
ISO: 800
Focal Length: 12mm
Max Aperture: 5.3

Influence From Other Cinematographers

I have taken influence from my style of cinematography from various places, but in this blog post I will explore individual cinematographers that I am inspired by and particular ways I will adapt their styles so they are unique to me so I can input their use in my final picture

1. Ole Bratt Birkeland

The main cinematographer I am inspired by is Ole Bratt Birkeland, he has worked on the television programmes that have got me into wanting to work film the most over the past few years, these shows include Utopia (2013), Dirk Gently (2012) and The Missing (2015). The way he films using the natural landscape but creating symmetry and colour is incredible, this creates the sense that it is set in our world but it is completely unique to the show. As seen in the shots from Utopia colour is a very strong feature of the cinematography is the use of colored lighting determines the mood of the scene in a visual scenes rather than explaining everything in the script. This subtle form of story telling is something that I really enjoy and will employ in my film making in the future.

Utopia                                                                                                       Dirk Gently

2. John Alcott

His fame stems from his collaboration with Stanley Kubrick on such films as Clockwork Orange (1971) and The Shining (1980) amongst others, the complete symmetry and well thought out planning of each shot can is what makes their films stand out. In these films we are presented with a world that looks like ours but there is always one major difference. This is created by the ridged composition that is used, as in the real world things aren't always symmetrical and feature patterns that work from the width of our vision. Camera movements is another element that I am particularly inspired by, such as the use of Steadicam. This camera technique creates the sense that we are in the environment  as well as making it clear that the characters are being watched by some kind of force. This is used to great affect in The Shining, which works its way back into the narrative as the characters are being tormented by spirits.

3. Danny Cohen

Danny Cohen was worked as the Director of Photography on many films such as The Kings Speech, Les Miserables 2012 and The Boat That Rocked 2009 but the film(s) I want to refer to in terms of his use of cinematography is This Is England 2006-2015. In the first film the footage was clearly shot on film by doing this it meant that the tone of the shots look like they filmed when the story was set, in 1984. By doing this the quality of the mise en scene seams much more characteristically to that period. The other technique that particularly stands out from his work is the use of depth of field, this is created by the use of a short focal length lens which blurs out the characters background and makes the audience pay attention the subjects in the foreground. As the action in This Is England is highly engaging both these elements work hand in hand.

  

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Notable Mentions:

John Mathieson, The Man From Uncle 2015

Rob Hardy, Ex_ Machina 2015

Robert Yeoman, The Grand Budapest Hotel 2014

Robert Richardson, Django Unchained 2012

Assignment: Homeless Film - "Vit" Individual Scene Synopsis

Below is a short scene synopsis of our production groups film, from this we will then expand this into a full script. From doing this it has helped the group understand what plot we have agreed on, as well as helping us write the final script in which we will base a film on.

Scene Synopsis by David Jeffery-Hughes

Research Documentary

As part of our research into our film subject, we had to find someone to interview which we could then base our plot from. We needed to find a homeless person who lived in London, after some searching we found a man called Vit in Lester Square, he was happy to talk to us and tell us about his life. We then made a documentary style video on this, unfortunately the sound didn't turn out to well but some parts are audible and quite interesting.

Museum Visit

The National Portrait Gallery features some of the most famous pieces of artwork ever made, which is why I decided to explore this museum to see if it would inspire me to improve my cinematography skills. I am currently in production for the first Assignment for Digital Film Production as part of my BA in Film Production. For this we have to make a human interest drama that can't be based around internal disabilities or issues. Everyone in my production group have noticed the homelessness issue more since we have moved to London, and we were interested as to what lead these people to become homeless and what stories they had to tell. Now the reason I am linking these to things together is because aspects of the paintings by Rembrandt and Turner could attributed effectively to shots within our final production.

This first picture by Rembrandt is a self portrait at the age of 63 and was painted in 1669, the thing that stands out most to me about this picture is the lighting. The way that there is a slight vignette around the subjects head shifts our focus to his face is very effective. I also noticed that there was more detail applied to the face than the rest of the image as it begins to fade away as you reach his hands. If this was a photograph this would be done with depth of field which is relatively easy to achieve, but doing this with a paint and a brush is somewhat more outstanding. If this were a shot in a film I can imagine holding this shot for a long period of time and slowly tacking in closer to the subjects face. This would create more meaning to the character and establish more about them, as if there is a deeper meaning, that will be revealed by seeing what expression the subject has.

The next picture is by William Turner and is entitled "Rain Steam and Speed - The Great Western Railway" which was made in 1844. As soon as I saw this I instantly tried to imagine what that painting would look like if it was done in the present day. For example it could be a tube train going over London one sunny morning. By doing this I could see this being an establishing shot in our production. It has been painted in a very loose way which means that you can see the brush strokes as smog or wind and the golden colours make the presentation of the Great Western railway as glorious which could well have been the view at the time as it was a recent piece of modern technology. This would contrast with the picture in a modern setting as we are totally used to seeing trains as part of out daily life. It could be used as an interesting graphic match to show the passing of time like the bone and the space ship at the begging of Stanley Kubrick's "2001 Space Odyssey". 

From doing this I have explored how I can get different influences for my cinematography skills, rather than just taking elements from preexisting films and television. This is benifical as older mediums of expression generally contain stronger examples of composition and framing that can teach me good practice when constructing a shot. It has told me that you can be just as expressive with film as you can with paintings.

Environmental Portrait of People at Work

We were set the task the approach members of the public and photograph them in their place of work. I decided to go to Sheppard's Bush in London as it has lots of rich and vibrant street scenes, and more particularly people who work on the streets. I came across an area that had people of many different religions trying to convert the passers by. I found on group of people that said they were happy for me to take photos and this is the result. I added a "filmic" editing style to the pictures in Photoshop to convey how they were separate from the public, almost as if the divide was visible to the eye.

Film Evaluation

The Experiment 2001

Is a film based on an experiment in the 1970s where they hired a group people decided them in half and told one half they had be guards and the other had to be prisoners. They then proceeded to put them in a fake prison, to see how humans responded to authority. This film is very loosely based around this event, I think there is a certain point in the film where you start realize this.This being when the guards start to believe it's a real prison and attack the scientists controlling the experiment. But nevertheless the director managed to keep me interested and seeing as I was having to follow the subtitles this is interesting.

Amadeus 1984

Is a drama based of the life of Mozart directed by Milos Forman, the thing that struck me most about this film was how fresh the cinematography was. I couldn't believe that it was shot in 1984 as it looks new. The use of depth of field and wide screen aspect ratios is largely different from most films of the 1980s. I can also see where modern costume dramas get their influences from these elements.

Planet of The Apes 1968

Is a film based on the book by Pierre Boulle from 1963, it tells the story of a group of astronauts who end up traveling into the future and arrive on a planet populated where Apes are the dominant species and humans and seen as underdeveloped. As it was filmed in the 1960s I was unsure how they would make the apes look believable, but I was impressed with what they did. Every now and then the lips wouldn't move when they were speaking but generally it was quite convincing. The mise en scene in general in this film was impressive and still stands up today proving that it doesn't all have to be created with CGI.