TUT Society of Cinematographers

That's right - The Internet is too blame for the current dodgy looking layout on this blog.
Yes - That sexy black & red lay-out will be back soon - if not I'll change the layout tomorrow.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The aim of the course is to develop technical skills building towards a holistic practical understanding of the craft of cinematography. The course introduces the students to a number of aspects in filmmaking and enables the students to more precise and understanding film analysis, proper planning and management of the cinematographer’s department. The students are taken through the whole production process and should be able to produce their own work at the end of the course/

The course outline offers practice in the fields of camerawork, composition, colour, lighting, and the use of the principle of contrast & affinity in cinematography. It also offers an insight into the difference between working in a studio environment and on location.

Much of the students learning process is based on hands on workshops and guided application teaching where students experiment various techniques under the supervision of teachers.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

The CINEMATOGRAPHY 300 students need to have a thorough understanding of the entire production process and to gain the ability to take all aspects of film work in notice in order to produce their own work. The course is aimed to give a practical understanding of the path from idea to execution.

COURSE OUTCOMES

The course outcomes are:

1. 10min MOS(Minus Optical Sound) show reel from each student that is are aimed to train a specific skill of film making. The student will be marked on concept, craftsmanship and execution. The format HDTV, 16mm or 35mm. Final product of Dv cam and well packaged DVD with labeling.

2. Pick a cinematographer and their work, using the talent pool of South African cinematographers interview them toward writing an essay about their work in relation to your choice of cinematographer. Compare their work to that of your choice and give an outcome of their approach to LIGHTING, COMPOSITION, MOVEMENT and AESTHETIC.

FINAL FILM
“VISUAL POETRY “

The students are to produce a 10min short film that uses the following FIVE elements: WATER, FIRE, AIR, EARTH & SPIRIT. The film should be about the environment and saving the planet. Use visual metaphor portraying the above elements by using action scenes and characterization. The main character should be one of the elements though you can use all five. But have one specific element that resonates in all scenes. Each film can use music or narration to drive the story. Identify a THEME AND EXECUTE IT. YOU WILL MARKED according to your LIGHTING, COMPOSITION, MOVEMENT, & AESTHETIC. Create a menu in you DVD giving us an interview of yourself telling us how you and your team arrived at the final product: FROM CONCEPT TO SCREEN.

You may choose to collaborate with other students on editing, production design, sound design, scriptwriting, producing, cinematography and directing
Length of film 10 minutes.

FINAL VIEWING FRIDAY 16th MAY

MARK ALLOCATION:

Attendance and participation 20 %
5 page Essay 25 %
Final Film 30 %
Exam 25%

DP REQUIREMENTS & RULES:
1. Attendance at all lectures and sessions is obligatory.
2. Submission of all written assignments and practical projects (where applicable).
3. Students will be expected to submit all essays/assignments and projects by the given deadline.
4. For late essays/assignments the rule is – 5% for the first two days and then 1% for the rest and no acceptance of essays after 14 days, including weekends.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

Plagiarism is a serious academic offence and will not be tolerated by WSOA Film & TV. All work submitted, as part of the requirements for any examination or assessment of WSOA Film & TV, must be expressed in your own words and incorporate your own ideas and judgments. Plagiarism is the presentation of another person’s thoughts, words, judgments, ideas, etc., as your own. Direct quotations from the published or unpublished work of others, including work published electronically, must always be identified as such by being placed inside quotation marks (if less than four lines long) or receiving a block quotation (if more than four lines long), and a full reference to their source must be provided in a recognized academic referencing style (MLA format recommended). A series of short quotations from several different sources, if not clearly identified as such, constitutes plagiarism just as much as does a single unacknowledged long quotation from a single source. Equally, if you paraphrase another person's ideas or judgments, you must refer to that person in your text, and include the work referred to in your bibliography. Plagiarism is the “failure to acknowledge the ideas of another” or “presentation of the ideas of another as one’s own” and should be read to cover intentional and unintentional failure to acknowledge the ideas of others.
An allegation of plagiarism can result in action being taken by the Head, Faculty and finally the Registrar’s Office. It is a reasonable working assumption that work for which plagiarism is proved will be awarded a mark of zero. As well, a proven allegation of plagiarism can result in a range of other penalties depending on the seriousness of the case. You should therefore consult your course coordinator if you are in any doubt about what is permissible.

10-02-'09

What is cinematography about?

• Putting the script into moving pictures.
• Turning the Director’s vision into images = Visual Auteur.
• It is a means of creating a picture using lighting, composition and movement.
• Motion and visual communication.
• It is all about MOOD. What mood does this light give you? Happy? Sad?
• Cinematography involves psychology.
• “In the beginning there was Cinematography” – before directing, script, etc.
• NB. “If we have beautiful pictures and yet the audience does not understand the story, we have FAILED!”

What does a cinematographer do?

• He assists with the shot list.
• He interprets to screen what is written.
• He interprets the script in such a way that the audience can interpret it visually. (Visual Language)
• Cinematographers must be Cool.
• He mainly does the visual part.
• He translates objects into moving images.
• He is a CRUCIAL PART of the production process.
• He is a visionary.
• He is a visual artist painting with light that what is in the director’s mind.
• He determines the look and the feel of the story.
• Cinematographers are after EMOTIONS.

- Emotions become beats.
= She cries – Beat
= He laughs - Beat

• Cinematographers show the beats without saying “She cries”.
• He determines what the audience sees, how they experience events happening on the screen and how they (audience) interpret the story.
• He inputs and collaborates with the other creative team members.
• He captures moments constructed by the director.
• He creates the medium – the film itself = the message
  - The medium is the message (Visual Language).

Extra

• Movement gives meaning = you need to see the image before and after to understand the meaning of the picture.
• When we watch a film we bring our past to the experience of the film.
• We bring our emotions to the film.

Apologies for one of the longest blog names ever....Blogger did not accept ANY abbreviations as they all belonged to some american school kids who made 1 post back in 2000...Sucks to be them I guess...