About The Author

Micah Rodney has been teaching film productions for a year, and has been a film producer for two years. With college coming up, he will retire as head producer of Wicked Panda Productions on April 13, 2005.

Textbook- Chapter 4

Chapter Four:
Post-Production

NOTE: Diagram Missing. Click on the IMOVIE DIAGRAM link on the sidebar.

To understand iMovie, you must understand this diagram. This is EXACTLY what iMovie looks like. Use the below list for reference:

SCREEN This is the large blue area, where you will view your footage, and footage that you are importing.

SHELF This is the area to the side of the screen where your movie will be broken into “clips” and arranged neatly.

CLIP VIEWER This is where you will organize the clips into your movie. You can also view “TimeLine Viewer” which will allow you to view audio.


MORE BUTTONS!

VIDEO OPTIONS These buttons are the same as your VCR. You can play, rewind, fast-forward and pause your movie.

EDIT/IMPORT TOGGLE This button will allow you to switch between importing footage and editing existing footage.

SPECIAL BUTTONS Using these buttons you can do the following things:


AUDIO Insert audio effects from iMovie’s library, iTune’s library and an audio cd (or other music media device).

TITLES Insert a variety of special title effects, including credits.

TRANS Insert a variety of transition effects or effects that connect two clips.

EFFECTS Insert a variety of special effects or effects that take place in one clip.

THAT’S NICE. HOW DO I USE IT?

Okay first you will need to import footage:

1. Use the Edit/Import toggle switch, and switch to the camera(import).
2. Use the Video Options to get to the right place on your tape.
3. When you are ready, press the import button and then the play button (sometimes it will do it for you).
4. Note: Importing occurs in real time, so the computer will have to “watch” your entire movie while importing. No fast-forwarding.


Depending on your Preferences the clips will either go to your shelf or directly to your clip viewer. If you are copying an already finished movie (chronologically speaking) then it’s better just to import the movie into your clip viewer. If you are still putting it together, then you should put them in the shelf.






You can drag-and-drop clips in any order that you want. But you will want to cut out some parts (for instance the Action and Cut calls). Here is how you do that:

1. Play the clip and stop it before or after the part where you want to cut.
2. Go to Edit and select Split Video Clip at playhead.
3. Highlight the undesired clip and delete it.
4. Note: If you aren’t sure, you can put it back in your shelf for future reference.

That being done, you’ll want some title effects, no doubt?

1. Click on Titles in the Special Options Panel.
2. Choose the font, color and size of your text and place it in the text box.
3. Choose an effect.
4. When you have an effect that you like, highlight the effect name and drag-and-drop it down into the clip viewer.


Now you’ll want some audio effects, this is a little trickier.

1. Click on Audio in the Special Options Panel.
2. If you want to use sound effects that are in iMovie, then they will appear here automatically.
3. If you want to use music effects from a CD or other media, you will have to select it.
4. Note: If you are using music from an audio CD, you will not be able to eject the CD until you close out iMovie for some reason.
5. Place the audio effect in the clip viewer by doing one of the following.
a. Get your “playhead” over the place where you want to insert the music and then click Insert at Playhead.
b. Drag-and-drop it into the timeline viewer.
6. Note: You MUST be in timeline viewer to drag-and-drop, and after an audio effect goes into your movie it will automatically shift to timeline viewer.

Transition effects are kinda tricky too.

1. Click on Trans in the Special Options Panel.
2. Select an effect and it’s length of time (This must be shorter than the bridge between your two clips. Usually 1 to 2 seconds will suffice)
3. Drag it down between two clips.







Special effects are fun, but difficult.

1. Click on Effects in the Special Options Panel.
2. Choose an effect that you want (you can position some, and change the direction of others. Try experimenting with them to create totally new effects).
3. Highlight the clip you want to add the effect onto and select Apply
4. Note: Special effects are cool, but they take a LOOONG time to render.


Well, that’s about it for post-production. Now just sit back, and enjoy your movie. Your hard work has finally paid off.

Textbook- Chapter 3

Chapter Three:
Let’s Film!


WHAT? YOU WANT US TO FILM? Well, yeah. You can’t make movies without camcorders! You need to learn how to operate them. Now I couldn’t find a diagram, so you’ll need to pay close attention to my instructions.


HOW YOUR CAMCORDER WORKS

The camcorder usually has three modes.

CAMERA/TAPE MODE- is the mode where you copy an image onto your tape. In other words, where you do you filming.

MEMORY/ MEMORY STICK MODE- is the mode where you copy an image onto the camcorder memory. Sometimes this requires a Memory StickTM .

PLAYBACK/VCR/VTR MODE- is the mode where you view footage on your tape or memory (each camcorder has a different way of doing this).

We aren’t going to work with Memory Mode in this class, but it’s nice to have.

BUTTONS, BUTTONS, EVERYWHERE!

There are a lot of buttons on your camcorder. There are three important buttons that you must know!

RECORD BUTTON- Usually bright red, this button will begin and stop recording. When used in Playback mode, it has no function.

MODE TOGGLE SWITCH- This will switch between modes.

ZOOM TOGGLE- Usually on top, and accessed with your index finger, this will zoom in and out.

MENU OPTIONS

There are a couple of Menu Options but there is only one that you need to know.

PICTURE/DIGITAL EFFECTS- These are used to give your picture special effects, but I wouldn’t use them unless you were absolutely sure that’s what you want, because you can edit them in post-production.


SO, HOP TO IT!

Filming itself is not something that can be written about in books so well that it is better than actually doing it yourself!

Textbook- Chapter 2

NOTE: DUE TO WEB DIFFICULTY THIS CHAPTER HAS NOT BEEN DISPLAYED IN IT'S ORIGINAL FORMAT.

Chapter Two:
Making Films For YOU

STEVEN SPIELBERG:
THE MOVIE MAN

Below is an except from a biography about Steven Spielberg

“In the fickle world of cinema, there are very few names you can splash across a billboard to ensure a film's financial success… but there's only one sure-fire guarantee - Steven Spielberg. As a director, he's the most successful of all time. His films have been so popular, so consistently entertaining, that people rush to see anything tagged as A Steven Spielberg Production, even movies he merely financed. No one else has muscle like that. No one else ever has. “

And what is it that makes Steven Spielberg such a well-known Writer/Producer/Director?

WAR OF THE WORLDS
JURASSIC PARK
E.T.
MEN IN BLACK
THE HAUNTING
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
BACK TO THE FUTURE

Or in other words, the big names, big special effects and big stories. But Spielberg wasn’t always the great filmmaker he is today. He started out in pretty much the same way as you are. And the most important area of filmmaking is something that he excels in:






HEY, MR. PRODUCER!

If you want to get to the big times, there is only one way to do it. Movies are not as competitive as they used to be, so you need to strive to be the best!

You should start, as most films do, with a story. Whether you are adapting a story already written or writing one yourself, the story is the basis for your film.




A good story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. If you need to, draw a plot line, a “road map” to your story. Write down what happens at the beginning of your story, the events that build up to the climax, or the critical turning point, and the end. Here is a plot line diagram:

TRY IT!
Write your own story down on a plot line! Be sure to at least include a beginning, a middle and an end.




Now that we have our story, we need to write a film script, which is a script for the position of the camera as well as the actors. There are two parts to a film script:

MISE-EN-SCENE Which is the total area of the scene.
MISE-EN-SHOT Which is what actually appears on the camera in each shot.


LET’S MAKE MOVIES

Using our film-script, we can divide our movie into shots—pieces of a movie. What happens in between shots is the most important part of a moving. This includes changing camera angles and positioning and preparing a special effect for the next scene.




Take a look at this sample film script:

A small wooden door opens, and out comes TANNER who walks down the path. The camera pans over to see KATY, sitting on the walk.

TANNER
Been waiting long?

KATY
Long enough.

KATY gets up and starts to stumble around. She falls into TANNER’s arms.

CUT TO:

HEAD SHOT- TANNER

TANNER
Are you alright?

CUT TO:

A WIDE SHOT, TANNER is still holding KATY.

KATY
Ugh. I’m doing the sleep deprivation tango.

CUT TO:

WIDE SHOT-BEHIND. KATY stands up and sits down again. TANNER turns TOWARDS the camera.

TANNER
Up all night again?

KATY
Talking on the phone.

TANNER
With?

KATY
Yes, with (TANNER starts to smirk) and wipe that look off of your face, it wasn’t anybody you know.

TANNER
Well, I don’t mean to pry-

And we
CUT TO:

HEAD SHOT- TANNER. He most definitely IS going to pry.

TANNER
-it seems to me that if you were up that late it must be something important.

KATY
(smirking) And how late was I?

TANNER
4:30 AM, I called.

KATY
Ooh, that makes it clearer now.

TANNER
So what was it?

DISSOLVE TO:

HEAD SHOT- KATY

KATY
I’m going to be going to college!

TRY IT!
Before you read below, try to guess what each part of the script means. Why is it formatted like this? How could it be changed? What if you only wanted to change the camera angle?


LET’S ANALYZE!

1. The italicized text is part of both the mise-en-scene and mise-en-shot. When it says “Scene Change” it means the mise-en-scene will be different, but the mise-en-shot changes every time you see…
2. CUT TO: or DISSOLVE TO:. These are cues to change the shot. CUT TO: is a very quick, barely noticeable change, whereas DISSOLVE TO: merges the shot before and after the command together for a gradual transition.
3. Text is centered below the name of the person speaking and is in normal font.
4. WIDE SHOT- generally means the entire mise-en-scene can be viewed.
5. HEAD SHOT- generally means that you only see the person’s head.
6. EYES SHOT- generally means that you can only see the person’s eyes.
7. Remember that each film script is different, and these are only generalities.

Textbook - Chapter 1

Chapter One:
What is A/V Productions?

AUDIO/VISUAL
A/V is short for Audio/Visual. It refers to any digital media that implements the senses of sight and sound. To put it more simply, A/V refers to films and filmmaking. We are going to making films in this class, so you will soon grow familiar with the workings of film producers.

WHO’S WHO IN A/V TECHNOLOGY?
There are many jobs in filmmaking. Films are an inclusive medium that stems from theatre acting and incorporates a vast variety of fields. Some typical jobs include: Producer, Executive Producer, Director, Assistant Director, Gaffer, Best Boy, Music Composer, Music Programmer, Effects Manager, Sound Effects Manager, CGI Programmer (in modern films), Audiologist, Fashion Designer, Marketer, Publicity, Public Relations, and many more.

TRY IT!
When you get to the end of a movie, look at all the jobs that are listed!


PRODUCER In the strictly literal sense, a Producer is the person who produces a movie. In most cases, however, the Producer is the one who pays for the production of the movie. You can’t make Lord of the Rings without lots of money.

DIRECTOR The Director is in charge of the film as it is filmed. He tells actors what they are supposed to do and how they are supposed to act. He also is partly responsible for casting roles of the actors.

GAFFER Think of the Gaffer as the Technician. He is in charge of electricity, lights, set up and other things involved “behind-the-scenes” of the movie.

BEST BOY More or less, the Best Boy is the Gaffer’s assistant.

CAMERAPERSON The cameraperson is responsible for filming the scenes in the movie. It requires skill to properly position the camera, and most camerapersons who are hired have developed “steady shoulders” for camera work.

TRY IT!
Peter Jackson is a Director. What does he do? How would his job be different if he was a Producer?
THE HISTORY OF AUDIO/ VISUAL

Although records differ, the earliest signs of Theater acting date back to the Greeks. Actors were bandits or vagabonds who would roam the countryside in troupes or groups of other actors. As theater acting developed, large stages and theaters were built all over Greece (a design later copied by the Romans). The image to the left is a sample of Grecian Theater.


Why would theater be relevant to movies? It is because movies are simply plays that are put on television. There is a significant difference, however, between plays and movies. There are several, actually:

1. Take a look at the diagram. If you were watching a play, your view would be limited to the Orchestra and Skene. With movies, the audience is capable of viewing the action from 360 degrees and at various angles, at the whim of the director.
2. Actors in the theatre must memorize their lines and cues or when they are supposed to say something or perform an action. Movie actors can take as many attempts as necessary to get it right.
3. With music in the theatre, there is only one dimension. The orchestra that plays during a musical is foreground music; music that the actors are meant to respond to. In the movies, there is foreground music and background music; music that actors are not meant to respond to.

There are many more reasons, but these are the main ones that we will be dealing with.

TRY IT!
Watch a movie. Try to determine what music is in the foreground and what music is in the background. Be sure to understand the difference between the two.

On December 26th 1894, The Lumiere Brothers (residents of France) began working on an advanced Kinetograph. The Kinetograph was invented by Edison and was the first working design of our modern day camcorder. The result of the Lumiere Brothers research was the Cinematographe. According to the 1895 patent:
“The basic property of this appliance’s mechanism is to act intermittently on a regularly perforated strip to transmit successive displacements to it separated by stationary periods, during which photographic images are either exposed or viewed ”
The Cinematographe movies were soundless and short, but they were a step up from the Kinematograph, which could only hold about twenty seconds of motion . To the left, a picture of the Cinematographe shows that the overall structure was like that of a shoebox on a tripod. It was with this and other “evolved” versions of this that produced films until 1927.

What happened in 1927? 1927 was the year of The Jazz Singer an old Al Jolsen movie. It was the first film ever to have sound and music along with image. It was from this film that Audio/Visual arts were developed.


Try It!
Take a camera and take several pictures of something moving. Take the pictures and make a flip-book out of them. This is similar to the method of the Cinematographe.


SOME OF THE GREATEST MOVIES OF ALL TIME

Some of the greatest movies of all time include:
Citizen Kane (1941)
Casablanca (1942)
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
The Great Escape (1963)
Star Wars (1977)
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Return of The Jedi (1983)
Titanic (1997)
The Lord of The Rings (2001)



TRY IT!
Watch Star Wars. Notice how the special effects don’t seem like much now, but in it’s day it was considered revolutionary. What does this tell us about Audio/Visual productions and it’s growth?

About This Site

Keister Audio/Visual Productions Class

Instructor: Micah Rodney

Information within this site is copyright 2005 Wicked Panda Productions.

To cite this website:

Keister Audio/Visual Productions Class. "name of article"
Rodney, Micah. Wicked Panda Productions.
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