Visual Storytelling in depth Flashcards
beat sheet
- Most important part
- An outline of the most important narrative beats to your story
- It’s good to aim for 8 to 15 beats in planning for a narrative short film/video
- Question to ask: what are the key moments that need to occur for the story to make sense and fully resonate
Structuring Scenes and Films
- Begin the scene at the latest possible moment;end the scene at the earliest possible moment
- Begin the film at the latest possible moment; end your film at the earliest possible moment
Incongruity
We find things funny when we expect one thing and something else is delivered
Benign Penetration
- We laugh when people push the lines/envelope
- Not too far, but farther than norms or conventions
- Ex: tweets about hurricane sandy
- Timing of seeing the jokes
Mark of Culture and Community
- Humor used as mark of ^
- Social media: something makes you laugh, but outsiders wouldn’t get it
- Exclusion; othering; pushing people away
the humor code
- incongruity
- benign penetration
- Social interaction
- mark of culture and community
How to tell a joke
Set up
Wait for it
Punchline
Tag it (punchline becomes set up for another set up → )
Questions to ask yourself about your comedy and jokes:
- Timing! Can you improve it?
- Pouring glass of water ex.
- Would the joke be funnier if it was more specific?
- Who is the joke on?
- What’s your identity as the joke teller? Are you punching up or punching down?
Continuity system:
taking shots that were taken separately and making them appear as one
The cut:
hide and edit more easily
The dissolve:
“Shift in time”, cross fade
Spatial Continuity
- 180 degree rule
- Want to make it look like things are happening in the same directions
- Conversation (Don’t switch sides)
Establishing Shot
Not necessary
Shot/Reverse Shot
Reaction shots, conversation, 180 line establishment important
Coverage
Want more shots than you need
Giving yourself some options
Match on action
- Trying to make things look like they are happening at the same time
- Trying to fool the audience
- If you call audience’s attention to what’s going on in the right hand they won’t concentrate on what’s going on in the left
Eyeline matches
- Good way to make it seem like the shots pull together
- Making actors seem like they are actually looking into the eyes of the other actors
Pre-Production
Location scouting and approvals Scheduling Casting Call sheet and communication Equipment check-outs and tests Flag any potential problems or safety issues Shot lists and storyboards
What makes performance
Acting, writing directing, editing
Juxtaposition
Conflict
Kuleshov effect
Kuleshov effect
- Influence emotion by choosing next shot specifically
- Accident, assumed emotion shown is concern or shock
- Obama and Gardner example
Sound bridge
- Transition
- Percussion sound bridge (apartment) → elevator → typewriting sound effects
Using audience’s imagination
typewriter , we know that he’s typing because we can hear it but we don’t see it so we fill in with our imagination
Subverting audience’s expectations
Can also make audience think one thing is happening when another is actually happening
“Constructive” editing
Can construct a scene using little fragments and use brain to fill in the holes
Parallel editing
Makes more suspenseful, cutting between scenes in separate locations
Speed of cutting
Rhythm
Holding the shot
Subverting audience expectations
“12-yrs a slave” example
