Types of Transitions
*Sketchbook has some analysis, this page is about editing (digital stuff)*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAH0MoAv2CI (source of clips/ guide to the breakdown)
Breakdown of cuts and transitions
Cutting on action
A simple way of transition, it can apply to opening doors or just any action, in this case it's a punch. For my video since I'm filming stationary objects, the only motion I can effectively do is by the camera panning around. I realised that the transition need to be at a specific point in time, and not just any after the action has been performed. For example, in this picture the scene cuts right after the punch is delivered, but not when the victim's face starts to move. The next scene we see a lapse in time and the victim is already flying.
Film doesn't have to mimic reality, cuts and transition are there to aid the flow of the plot.
Jump cut
Mostly used in montages to show passage of time. Abrupt cuts mid motion to show a lot has been done. It can also add drama to the scene, like make a portion more urgent and stressful. It's different from cross cut because cross cut is like a 'sandwich' scene where it begins and end at the same place. Jump cut doesn't have to end at the same place, it's normally fast and it doesn't allow us to see inside the heads of the characters (like in cross cut).
Invisible cut
Used to create an illusion of a single take, can happen when everything is blurry or when everything is dark. This is very smooth and can apply for numerous uses. In this case it's to show urgency of the moving character.
Dissolve (transition)
Super obvious scene, because the audience can literally see each scene merging into the next one. Again it's used to tell time progression. When dissolving the same scene you get an emotional feel to it, like when there was a time when it was populated vs deserted, past vs now memory... Dissolving is a transition that is quite versatile transition.
L cut
Cut when the audio trails into the next scene, in this case the scream of this dude can be heard from a distance by others. A transition method, doesn't have to jump from scene to scene, can just be a conversation between characters.
J cut
Opposite of L cut, when the audio from the next shot starts with the current shot. Subtle transition, and often used to contrast past and present.
Individual cuts/transitions are complicated enough, normally directors combine different types to not only transition scenes but for other effects: reveal more about a character, show progression of time, or to pull on the audience's heart strings. For a short video like mine, I will most likely use action cuts and fade in and out; there isn't a plot in the video so simple fluid and stylistic cuts/transitions work well.
Storyboarding Reflections
Reflections:
- Storyboarding exercises
- Tutorial with tutor
- Shooting/editing the final piece
Storyboarding
Long long long time ago back in highschool I learnt about how every plot must have exposition/introduction, rising action, climax, and denouement. It's exactly the same in storyboarding, just that it doesn't have to always start in the beginning.
From a short narrative we needed to create a storyboard, thinking about the scene, camera placement and movement. My first attempt at creating 8 scenes, spending 40 seconds per scene was a challenge, because given the short time I thought the sketches can be rough, but Tim said to everybody it's a vital skill to have to immediately and accurately come up with renditions on-the-go.
After some intense soul searching I mixed the order of the story around, made each sketch more detailed, gave more panning and transition between scene. I have never done any storyboarding in my life before, so I found it hard to imagine and see a frame in my mind as I conjure my narrative. As what Michelle said, storyboarding is materialising what's inside the brain onto the paper for everybody to understand, in a moving image format.
My group's collab storyboard, I realised when a group doesn't talk a lot I assume the role of the 'leader' and get people to contribute. I always get everybody to chip in and make it as democratic as possible, which I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not but then nobody talks.
Tutorial
So after all this intense storyboarding, you would think my film got to have at least some bit of plot to it, right? I came into the tutorial with a plot, then left without one...My original idea was very rigid and I'm glad it got blown to bits by my peers and Tim. It could be a "cinema of attraction" approach where everything is very arty, which was the direction I decided to go. I overcomplicate my plot and often add unnecessary bits inside.
It took an insanely long time to come up with a plot for my video, and I think it's because I have no idea what to say. Often I get paralysed when I start a new project, because I don't know where to start and what to say. Firstly I decided to limit the location, so I listed down locations that I enjoy being in
- V&A's casting court
- Regent's Canal
- Area around Waterloo station
To capture bodily movements why not use the sculptures in V&A? So I combined my interest in sculptures with film. Originally I planned to have a person sketching sculptures and getting more confident from each drawing, after the tutorial that went out the window and became a "duet" with the numerous sculptures. I really liked the idea of intimate idea of a duet because it simply shows my love for sculptures, and I didn't need a proxy like a model drawing them to show it.
Shooting/editing
Insanely difficult and crazy and I did not enjoy a single bit. Here's how it went:
- So since my original storyboard got blown to bits I needed to create a new one
- but I didn't, I rationalised that if I were to have a duet with the sculptures it would be easier if I were to shoot and create it on the spot
- I did shoot on the spot, just without any storyboard
- With a load of disjointed shots I am presented with the impossible task of merging them into something that is comprehensible
- Most of my shots were unsteady and too short
- I shot with the idea that I can pick from a large volume of clips, but it was hard because I had no idea what I was shooting for
- I am stubborn I realised, like I know I needed to create a storyboard and revise it, but I decided to go against it and learnt the hard way
- The editing took very long because I was connecting clips without a storyboard
- It was actually here I researched more about cuts and transitions
- I also never touched Premiere in my life, so it was extra intense that I needed to churn out something nice within a few days
I'm glad I had this experience of film shooting and editing. I'm actually interested in improving my video skills now, by shooting and editing in my free time (yes if I ever get that time). It's cliche but everyday scenes are more interesting now, because I imagine how certain things would look from another angle and how to transition from scene to scene. The actual critique when everybody showed their films was also very informative
- Most films had narrative, and the one that I liked most was without it
- It wasn't particularly interesting, but it reminded me of the early days of cinematography, when the subjects in front of the camera performed and acknowledged the presence of the audience members
- There were humorous films, most were serious though
- Eerie films, extreme closeups, cliche music were factors I picked up that worked with memorable videos