Sets And Lighting For The Film example essay topic

There are many different people and types of technology needed to make a film. It is a very complicated and time consuming process. Jobs can range from, the Director who has very high status to the guy or girl who holds a light in place so that they get just the right amount of light. A movie could also not be made without the different camera angles, sound effects, lighting and other machinery and equipment. These make the film interesting and fun to watch. Without all of these people the film would not be made, because each person or thing has their own role in the process of film making.

A director is a very important part of film making, he or she is in charge overall. The director's job is as the name suggests; a director directs the actors and calls the shots and the camera angles. The director is the person with the overall vision of how the script is going to transfer to a visual image up there on the big screen and to do that a director has to communicate that vision to everyone else. Each person on a film set plays an essential part in helping achieve that vision and the director is sort of like a conductor of an orchestra, they have to pull everyone together to make sure they are all playing the same tune. However, the director does not do it all alone they also rely on other specialists like cinematographers, lighting directors or set designers to help achieve their vision. Another person who has a large part in Film making is the producer.

The film's producer acts as an manager, communicator, and guide, helping hundreds of people reach a final goal; completing the film on schedule, on budget, and as the director envisioned. The producer administers all the various aspects of film production, from initial concept to script and budget preparation to shooting, post-production, and release. He or she does not have to be able to write, direct, edit, or act to help screenwriters, directors, editors, and actors do their best work. A producer's direct agenda is the budget.

The producer must work within the limitations of the budget, creatively selecting the best possible people and solutions to bring the script from page to big screen. If the project runs out of money, the production can't be completed. The film can't be printed or distributed, and therefore won't ever make it to theaters. Most film investors take out insurance, called a completion bond, to avoid the often terrible financial results of an unfinished film. If there are any questions or complaints the producer hears them all and must be diplomatic in handling these problems. The producer always has his or her eye on the reward: the completed film.

To finish the film and see this dream accomplished there are many other things and elements that must be included, for example background and surroundings which is taken care of by the Production Designer. What a Production Designer does is essentially create the Look for the film. The background is the Production Designer's responsibility and that can range from an empty warehouse, a wheat field or a simple backdrop to a purpose-built, fully functional, incredibly detailed set which could be anything from a mediaeval street or a vast tract of desert. But every single element, every item will have been carefully researched and chosen to help produce the perfect setting. The Production Designer is crucial to the atmosphere of a film. Often the audience rarely, consciously notices them and ironically, that is when the Production Designer has done his or her job right.

When the audience spots the fake, or the wobbly set wall; that's when you know it has all gone wrong. The Production Designer works closely with the Director and the Producer during the planning stages helping find the right locations with the Location Manager, deciding what is for real and what has to be built, and researching the historical period to ensure the props and design are authentic. Once this is done the next step is drawing. The Production Designer has to deliver a floor plan, come up with a working model of the set and more often than not, make up a storyboard. They will also draw up architectural drawings of the sets - sometimes using Computer Aided Design or C.A.D. But that is part of their talent; making something look a million dollars, when in fact it cost fifty dollars (Movie Max 2003). The production designer has ultimate responsibility for the "look" of the picture, in that they are in charge of sets and all the component properties that create the pictures visual landscape.

But these would not be seen or made to look interesting if it were not for the different camera angles and special Effects. Camera angles and special effects are also a very important factor in a film. If you went to see a movie and it was shot in the same camera angle the whole way through and there were no added special effects, you would lose interest in it very quickly. So to stop the viewer's boredom and loss of interest the director puts in different shots and camera movements.

Shots are everything recorded on film from when the camera begins rolling until it stops rolling. The director usually decides how long a shot will be and this can range from a few seconds to a few minutes (The Learning Center). Films are usually made up of thousands of shots which make up the scenes which are placed together through the process of editing. In these shots there are many different camera angles, movements and shots that can be done.

For example, when filming a scene a director could use a Long or wide shot, a medium shot (which cuts the actors off at the waist and allows the viewer to clearly see the characters' expressions. It usually cuts out much of the background), a close up or a POV shot, which enables the audience to see the characters Point Of View. They do not only show various shots they also add in different camera movement and angles. Some of the movements used are Panning when the camera moves from side to side while the tripod remains still they may also use tracking / dallying, the camera and tripod are mounted on a moving platform, usually on rails, and can be smoothly pushed forwards, backwards or sideways so that the camera can stay with and follow the action.

Sound effects, special effects and lighting can also be used in different ways to influence the film. These can help set the mood for the scene and build the strength of the film. Usually in film production, the director works with the Director of Photography (DOP) to make important decisions about the type of light required in each scene such as the intensity of the light and the mood required and the sorts of artificial or natural lights needed to do this. To make this happen, the DOP works with the Gaffer, a person experienced in achieving the lighting effects that the DOP wants for the scene (The Learning Center 2001). The colour of lights is often a consideration when creating atmosphere. For example, blue can create a mood of coldness, loneliness or hostility, whereas colours such as orange or brown can create an atmosphere of warmth or intimacy.

Colour can be created through the use of lens filters and coloured 'gels' on the lights. Just like lighting sound can also add effect to a film, it can help create atmosphere and background. These sounds that we hear such as traffic, doors banging, computers, the wind etc. make the viewing experience that much more convincing. While the noise we hear may sound like natural sound, it can in fact be a dozen or more sound tracks carefully balanced in terms of volume, clarity, sound perspective, selective focus, for example a clock ticking loudly. But not all sounds in film are pre-recorded some Sound effects (FX) are created live to the video / film in a recording studio are called Foley effects, they are named after the person who invented the system. Foley artists watch the film to find out which sounds need to be added, enhanced or replaced (The Learning Center).

The job of the Foley artist is to then add sounds that make the experience more real for the audience. Although sound is not always the most effective, or most powerful, Silence can also be incredibly powerful in a film. It can be used to convey mood and atmosphere, and responses such as shock or suspense. Music or voice overs' are also often added in. The emotion of the music reinforces the mood of the scene and is often used to manipulate the audience's emotion. Music can often change the whole meaning of what actors are saying and it is often thought of as the equivalent of a narrator in a book.

Film making is a very complicated and time consuming process which needs many different people and effects to make it successful. No one person could make an appealing film completely on their own. Producers and Directors are needed to give the film direction and to sell the film, they use their creative side to make it interesting. Whereas others such as Gaffers and Production Designers make the sets and lighting for the film.

But a film would not be interesting or effective if it were all shot at one angle so, things like different camera angles and sound effects add to the strength of the film. If it were not for all of these people, the film would not be produced and the director's vision would not be passed on.