Each style of each lesson must be followed exactly from the start of the lesson to the end of shooting.
When you complete Lesson 3 and we review/critique the finished lessons, you will be asked a series of questions, which you will only have learned if you have followed each project to completion.
Lesson one is an exercise in rigidity, Lesson two is one of fluidity, Lesson 3 is one of immagination and strangeness.
You will already have misconceptions and bad habits relating to your shooting of the camera.
For the sake of this exercise, you will not pan, tilt, or zoom. You will shoot from a tripod and the camera will be at the widest setting of your zoom. You may adjust the shutter speed and the iris. In short you will make a pretty picture and the individual scenes will be taken within that frame.
The scene from the play should have a number of people who speak.
You will need to visualize now, just as the director of the play would, where are the entrances and the crosses, how is the furniture arranged, the basics of the scene and the movement. Just how will the camera show the scene well and indicate the movement?
Now look at the Dialogue, on which lines do you want to show the entire picture, a two shot, a close-up, and where will you want to use a cutaway to illustrate the speech? Which is more important the speech or the reaction(s)?
Now consider the visual effects you may want, lightning, fog, smoke etc? The audio effects you will add in editing from pre-recorded or foley (effects you create).
Now then you are going to have to reorder the concept of scenes in your mind - where the play will describe one scene you in reality will have many more, because you must now subdivide the script according to the shot that you are going to take. You probably think the ability to zoom and pan are a plus, yet for the beginner I consider them a liability. Why?
WHY! Because you have not learned to see what you are shooting. For many years all films were shot using the same limitiations which I have set out for you above. Some of the best films which have or ever will be recorded were taken using the above technique.
To practice this exercise - take your camera out and set up on the tripod and shoot - at least 20 different places - the idea that you are going to make 20 still pictures with action going on in the frame.
I realize each of these lessons is weeks in time to compete them Im sorry but you wont learn the lesson untill you walk through the steps. I wish I could get a point accross quickly, but how can I know if you body is has learned, enough to react intuitively? So even though you may think the exercise is (whatever-lol) the lesson has the point of causing your body to learn something, not your mind. The trick to learning what I have/am/are teaching you is to understand I want your body to learn it, not your intelect. I want your mind free to make artistic decisions, If you have to think of what your body needs to do then you will be too slow
1. Names
2. address
3. phone / cellular
4. email
5. duty
6. contribution
On meeting the person make an issue of entering this information in the notebook, You can check the spelling of their name the accuracy of the contact information, and most importantly you will make the person feel a part of the project.
You will list each person in the final credits ( name and contribution/duty)
Each Project you do will have its own set of notebooks. Refer to the lesson on Labeling and recordkeeping in the manual.
