Warped

Or ‘how to get your students’ work on TV’

‘What is Warped?’
Local Magazine Arts and Culture Show
Under Aegis of BigTV (UoW)
Pilot 2007
Teaching Fellow Summer School SMST-207C
Crewed by students
60 minutes duration

The ‘Warped’ Pilot Featured:

Local artists:
Local Filmmakers:
Mayor Michael Redman
HCAC
Local musicians (Area 07 CD release)
Auteur House

‘Warped’ 2007:
Pilot on AltTV July/August
Monthly show on AltTV
Studio time UoW
Crewed by UoW, Wintec and High School students
Charitable Trust
Wintec and HCC support
Content:
Student work:
High School
UoW student work
Wintec student work
Local artists – exhibitions and openings
Local filmmakers and critics
Local musicians
‘CUT 07’
Work that is produced for CUT07 can be submitted for ‘Warped’

Criteria include:
- Technical polish
- Copyright considerations
 - Release forms completed
Technical competence means that:

Composition is effective – consider framing, angle, balance, depth, line

Focus and exposure are controlled to good effect

Sound is recorded at a good level with minimal noise or background interference

Polish:
Camerawork:
- Composition:
- Framing centres on subject.
- Appropriate shot size, angle.

Camerawork
- Headroom good, rule of thirds observed.

- Complex compositions.

- Balance and depth manipulated.

Or where the lines intersect can be points of interest

Shot sizes

The following illustrations show the standard sizes used in broadcast television.

A fluent understanding of these shot sizes is important and will help you plan your
coverage.

On

Framing

The following are some guidelines to consider when framing your shot.

Head Room

Shots of people are usually framed with a small amount of space about their heads, this
space is called head room.

Shots need to have sufficient head room because when the top of the head is right
against the top of the frame, it can produce a claustrophobic impression.

The most common framing error is to put the person too low in the picture, leaving too
much head room.

This is wasted screen space and can be more productively used.

The eyes
Generally speaking you should aim to put the subjects eyes about two-thirds of the way
up the screen.

The eyes play a very important role in communication. Where the eyes are oriented is
closely linked to culture

Looking/talking room
When a person is framed so they are looking off screen, there should be more space in
front of the face than behind the head. This is called looking room.

Similarly when a person is talking to someone off screen, there should be space in front
of them for their words to flow out of their mouths.

Walking room
When filming a person walking across the screen, they too need room to walk into.

To maintain walking room requires well-timed panning on the part of the camera
operator.

The concept of walking room also applies to other human movements like: skiing,
swimming skating etc.
Cut aways

Crossing the line

In any scene you shoot there is an imaginary 180 degree line called the action axis line

It runs along the path of the dominant action.

This action could be: moving people, vehicles or the eyeline between characters in a
scene.

If the camera shoots the action from one line and then crosses over the line to the other
side for a different shot, the subject will jump from one side of the frame to the other
when the two shots are edited together.
Focus and Camera Movement:
- Focus manipulated for effect at times.

- Minimal wobbles, vibrations.

- Consistently steady or effective motion.

- Movement matches mood/ purpose.

Camera movement is controlled
Tripod shots are wobble-free;

Moving camera shots are well controlled within the limits of the technology used;

Handheld action is of an appropriate ‘feel’ depending on audience/ purpose

Shot coverage
Ensure planning includes: cutaways, inserts and close-ups of important action.

Production design (props, setting, locations) is effective in communicating appropriate

ideas to audience

Performance is convincing

Lighting:
- Consistent exposure control evident.

- Lighting consistently pleasing.

- Minimal;
- Lighting variations
- White balance shifts
- Over/ under exposure.

Sound recording
Sound crisp and audible.

Excellent SNR (signal to noise ratio).

Minimal buzz, hiss, background noise.

No distortion
Music
balanced from shot to shot
SHOOTING:

Dramatic sequences are shot from a number of angles/shot sizes

‘The line’ is not crossed without good reason

Sufficient ‘takes’ are recorded to allow wide choice in editing (4–5 good takes is
reasonable)

SHOOTING:
Heads and tails (spare footage at the beginning and end of each shot) are recorded to
allow the complete action to be shot and make editing easier

EDITING:
Visual:
- Cuts flow very well.
- Cuts motivated and well timed.
- Transitions motivated.
- Pace and rhythm very effective.
- Story/ idea clear.
- Some complex sequences.
EDITING
Editing shows control which might mean variation in pace and shot size

Editing follows continuity style unless jump-cut or ‘MTV’ style is more appropriate for
purpose/ audience

GRAPHICS
Graphics, images, SFX consistently relevant to story/ idea.

Complement style.

Well designed and complex.

Have impact and professional edge.

SOUND EDITING:
Sync maintained.
Sound consistently complements story/ idea/ mood.
Sound mix excellent.
Complex soundscape with multiple tracks - voice, effects, music.
Transitions consistently seamless.
MUSIC
Music polished with impact.

Consistently complements mood/ story/

Copyright considerations
COPYRIGHT
MUSIC:
- LOCAL MUSICIANS
- Royalty-Free Music
- Free Music
- APRA/AMCOS

ROYALTY-FREE CDs FOR PURCHASE

www.musicloops.com
www.soundrangers.com
www.royaltyfree.com
www.musicbakery.com/TabHome01a.htm

FREE MUSIC
www.bitshiftaudio.com/products/bbb/free_bee.html
www.looperman.com
www.breakbeatsonly.com/preview1.htm
www.platinumloops.com/free_loops.html
www.samplearena.com/download.htm
Wav/mp3/aiff/ogg
- Convert to format you need

Free downloadeable SFX and Music

www.a1freesoundeffects.com/

Unsigned/independent musicians/groups who make their music available for free

download (possibly not royalty-free)

Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net) cross platform free audio recording and

editing programme.

Garage Band (OSX) Acid Express (PC)

Free to schools
Music-looping (readymade loops of music)
- Garage Band (OSX) comes with snippets
- Super Duper Music Looper for PC
Computer needs audio input (or USB)
Mixing desks
Microphone quality

Help with making Videos

‘Producing Videos: A Complete Guide’ by Martha Mollison
www.usergroups.net/shareware/
- scroll to ‘Software News from Macworld Expo’ to find Garageband
music software, Imovie, Final Cut Express etc…
CUT07
http://www.wintec.ac.nz/applications/cut/faqs.htm

DOCO

SHORT FILM
DOCUMENTARY
Documents our real world and people in it

Not ‘Reality TV’

Video-makers POV

Ethics
SHORT FILM
Drama
- Narrative
- Fictional
- Characters (inanimate or animate)

EXPERIMENTAL FILM

Abstract
Animation
Combination of traditional storytelling & elements of experimentation
Structure still necessary, however
Not a music video
RELEASE FORMS:
LOCATION

PERSONAL