It just doesnt come to mind that black and white films were some of the most dramatic movies ever made. Yet the "Film Noir", period of film making still remains one of the most idealized and talked about of the early film styles.
The use of extreme contrast between the black and the white of the images created some of the finest art the film industry ever presented.
What is the point here - well for this lesson - we all have a different type of camcorder to work with in this class. (vhs - svhs - 8mm - hi8 - mini dv) and we are going to make all the footage seem it was produced with one camera.
We will remove all the chroma ( color ) in editing and produce a black and white video.
We will choose a script cast and produce it on location where ever we can in the city - streets - apartments - and so on.
or we will ask the troupe of a play to perform their play - for us film style - which we will shoot on location.
1. we wish to shoot the entire film quickly
2. We will divide the actors and the camera crews into teams
and shoot all of the individual shots seperately
3. we will start with one shots - move to the two shots and then finally group shots. individuals and crews will join and continue to add footage.
Use a slate to indicate the following information before each shot
1. page
2. line
3. actor
4. take
be sure to have the actor(s) produce the best delivery in every case.
5. Maintain a log sheet which matches your slate - indicate the best take number.
In the editing process of this program the entire class will join and discuss the use of the footage we have taken
If necessary we will re-shoot specific scenes -- however the entire point of this project is to get it all done as quickly as possible. The camera crews should keep in mind that it will save time to do it over right then rather than have to take a second day.
