Video & Sound Production / Exercises
Daphne Lai Yu Cheng / 0366380
VSP 60104 / Video & Sound Production / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media / Taylors' University
Lecture Notes & Weekly Exercises
1) Shot Size
-
Series of frames that are shot uninterrupted from the moment the
camera starts rolling until it stops.
- By combining different types of shots, angles and camera movements to emphasise specific emotions, ideas and movement for each scene.
- Extreme Wide Shot (ELS): Subjects appear small against their location, making your subject feel distant or unfamiliar and feel overwhelmed by its location to emphasise the location or isolation.
- Long Shot (LS) / Wide Shot (WS): A little closer compared to Extreme Wide Shot (ELS). It keeps the subject in plain view amidst grander surroundings and lets us see the beautiful background imagery, as well as the onlookers which will make any big moment more cinematic. It also gives a better idea of the scene setting how the character fits into the area.
- Full Shot (FS): Lets the subject fill the frame while emphasising on scenery.
- Medium Long Shot (MLS) / Medium Wide Shot (MWS): Frames the subject from roughly the knees up.
- Cowboy Shot: Frames the subject from roughly mid-thighs up.
- Medium Shot (MS): Reveals the subject in more detail and frames from roughly the waist up and through the torso so it emphasises more of the subject while keeping their surroundings visible.
- Medium Close Up (MCU): Frames your subject from roughly the chest up. Typically favours the face, but still keeps the subject somewhat distant.
- Close Up (CU): To reveal a subject’s emotions and reactions. Fills the frame with a part of your subject, perfect for important moments. If your subject is a person, it is often their face.
- Extreme Close Up (ECU): the most you can fill a frame with your subject. Smaller objects get great detail and are the focal point. To emphasise a specific feature of your subject.
- Establishing Shot: Used at the beginning of a scene to provide context for the audience, specifically the location, time and sometimes the overall tone of the scene to help viewers understand where and when the action is taking place.
2) Framing
- The art and science of placing subjects in shots. Rather than pointing the camera at the subject, you need to compose an image.
- Single Shot: Captures one subject, only one character featured within the frame.
- Two Shot: Two characters featured in the frame, useful for allowing performances to play out in a single take which can be especially useful for comedy.
- Three Shot: Features three characters in the frame. Important in adventure films, or really any film that has a group of characters because it is an enormous time drain to shoot three singles just to show every character,
- Over the Shoulder Shot (OTS): Shows the subject from behind the shoulder of another character. Common in conversation scenes, helps to provide orientation and connect the characters on an emotional level.
- Over the Hip Shot (OTH): Placed with a character's hip in the foreground and the focus subject in the plane of acceptable focus.
- Point of View Shot (POV): Shows the viewer exactly what that character sees. POV shots can also invoke horror.
3) Camera Angle
- Used to specify the location where the camera is placed to take a shot.
- Position of the camera in relation to the subjects can affect the way the viewer perceives the scene.
- A scene may be shot simultaneously from multiple camera angles to amplify the cinematic effect and the emotions.
- Eye level shot: Most common height. A neutral perspective (not superior or inferior).
- Low Angle Shot: Frames the subject from a low camera height looking up at them, often emphasise power dynamics between characters.
- High Level shot: Camera points down at the subject, creates a feeling of inferiority or “looking down” on your subject.
- Hip Level Shot: Roughly waist high.
- Knee Level Shot: As low as the subject’s knees, can emphasise a character’s superiority, if paired with a low angle.
- Ground Level Shot: Camera’s height is on ground level with the subject. Captures what’s going on the ground your subject stands on.
- Shoulder Level Shot: Roughly as high as the subject’s shoulders which can make your actor look shorter than reality.
- Dutch Angle/Dutch Tilt Shot: The camera is slanted to one side. It create a sense of disorientation with the horizon lines tilted in this way.
- Bird’s Eye View Shot or Overhead Shot: From way up high, looking down on your subject and a good amount of the scenery surrounding the subject. Creates a great sense of scale and movement.
- Aerial Shot: Taken from a helicopter or drone, this is a shot from way up high. It establishes a large expanse of scenery.
4) Composition
- How elements of a scene are arranged in a camera frame.
- Shot composition refers to the arrangement of visual elements to convey an intended message.
- Rule of thirds: Positioning a character to show their relation to other elements in the scene. As the camera frames your shot, keep the image on the intersecting lines.
- Balance and symmetry: Direct the viewer’s eye to a specific place and leading the eye to the center of the screen might end up serving the story better and garner more emotion.
- Leading lines: Actual lines (or sometimes imaginary ones) in a shot that lead the eye to key elements in the scene, also used to connect the character to essential objects, situations, or secondary subjects.
- Eye level framing: Positions the audience at eye-level with the characters
- Depth of field: The size of the area in your image where objects appear acceptably sharp.
- Deep space composition: Used when significant elements in a scene are positioned both near and far from the camera.
Week 2 (28/4/2025)
Three Act Structure:
- Keeps your beginning separate from your middle and your middle separate from your end.
- A narrative model that divides stories into three parts, Act One, Act Two, and Act Three, or rather, a beginning, middle and end.
- Act One (Setup) sets up the world, characters, the character’s goal, as well as the conflicts or obstacles that are preventing them from achieving their goal. Exposition, inciting action, turning point into act two.
- Act Two (Confrontation or Build) raises the stakes for the character to achieve the goal, escalating the conflict. Rising action, midpoint, turning point into act three (often a “dark night of the soul”).
- Act Three (Resolution or Payoff) resolves the story with either an achievement of that goal or a failure. Pre-climax, climax, denouement.
- The Inciting Event
- First Plot Point
- The First Pinch Point
- The Midpoint
- Second Pinch Point
- Third Plot Point
- Climax
- Resolution
Week 3 (5/5/2025)
Figure 1.6 Storyboard
- Storyboard in filmmaking is a visual representation of a film, animation, or video game, much like a comic strip. It's made up of a series of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence.
- Storyboards are used to plan shots, understand the narrative flow, and to communicate ideas to the production team. They can include details such as camera angles, character movements, dialogue, and even notes about special effects or sound. This helps the director, cinematographer, and other crew members visualise the scenes and prepare for the shooting process.
- Storyboarding is a crucial part of the pre-production process because it allows filmmakers to experiment with different visual approaches, identify potential problems, and make necessary adjustments before the actual filming begins, saving time and resources.
- A visual representation of a film sequence and breaks down the action into individual panels. It is a series of ordered drawings, with camera direction, dialogue, or other pertinent details. It sketches out how a video will unfold, shot by shot.
- Traditional: basic pencil sketches that include detailed information like arrows for camera movement, characters, props, etc.
- Thumbnail: Do not have any writing. Not used as often as detailed ones.
- Can use photography, animation, notes to highlight key characters and scenes then easily go back and make edits.
- Identify key scenes in the script.
- Map out the key scenes.
- Add images and sketches.
- Describe what happens in each frame.
- Share it with your team.
- Reference it on the day.
Week 4 (12/5/2025)
1) Production
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Production stages: Broken down into three main phases: pre-production, production, and post-production.
1. Pre-production: This is the planning stage of filmmaking, where all the necessary preparations are made before filming begins. This includes tasks such as writing the script, creating storyboards, casting actors, scouting locations, designing sets and costumes, and hiring crew members.
2. Production: This is the stage where the actual filming takes place. The production team will work together to capture all the footage needed for the film, using the plans and preparations made during pre-production as a guide. This stage can be physically and logistically challenging, as it involves coordinating a large team of people and managing a complex schedule.
3. Post production: This is the stage where the footage is edited and assembled into a final product. This includes tasks such as cutting and arranging scenes, adding music and sound effects, colour grading, and visual effects. Post-production can be a time-consuming process, as it requires careful attention to detail and a keen eye for storytelling.
Stages of Film Production:
1) Development
- The Package
- Financing
- Budgeting
- Getting the team together
- Pre Visualising
- The Call Sheet
- The Set Up
- Shooting
- Picture Editing
- Sound Editing
- Additional Visuals
- Marketing
- Securing Distribution
2) Production Crew:
The production crew is a team of professionals who work together to create a film or video. Each member of the crew has a specific role and set of responsibilities, which are essential to the overall success of the production.
1. Director: The director is responsible for overseeing the entire production and ensuring that the creative vision for the project is realised. They work closely with the cast and crew to block out scenes, direct the actors' performances, and make creative decisions about the look and feel of the film.
2. Producer: The producer is responsible for the logistical and financial aspects of the production. They secure funding, hire the crew, coordinate the schedule and locations, and ensure that the project is completed on time and within budget.
3. Cinematographer: The cinematographer, also known as the director of photography (DP), is responsible for the visual aesthetic of the film. They work closely with the director to choose the right camera, lenses, and lighting to achieve the desired look and mood for each scene.
4. Production Designer: The production designer is responsible for the overall visual design of the film, including the sets, costumes, and props. They work closely with the director and cinematographer to create a cohesive and immersive visual world for the story.
5. Sound Designer: The sound designer is responsible for the audio aspects of the film, including recording and editing dialogue, sound effects, and music. They work closely with the director and editor to ensure that the sound and picture are seamlessly integrated.
6. Editor: The editor is responsible for assembling the footage into a coherent and compelling story. They work closely with the director and sound designer to shape the pacing, tone, and structure of the film.
Additional notes:
2nd Assistant Camera
Best Boy
Camera Operator
Dolly Grip
Director of Photography
Generator Operator
Electrician
Key Grip
Film Loader
Gaffer
Grip
Film Crew Members
1st Assistant Director
2nd Assistant Director
2nd 2nd Assistant Director
Cast
Casting Director
Intimacy Coordinator
Director
Set PA
Makeup Artist
Costume Designer
Hair Stylist
SPFX Makeup Designer
Prosthetics Designer
Boom Operator
Sound Assistant
Sound Mixer
Production Sound Mixer
Choreographer
Stunt Coordinater
Stunt Performer
Set Medic
Special Effects Coordinator
VFX Supervisor
VFX Coordinator
Location Scout
COVID Compliance Officer
Caterer
Craft Services
Associate Producer
Producer
Executive Producer
Financer
Line Producer
Office PA
Production Assistant
Production Accountant
Production Coordinator
Unit Production Manager
Entertainment Lawyer
Art Director
Production Designer
Week 5 (19/5/2025)
1) Mise en Scène
- Refers to the visuals of a film.
- Pronounced meez on senn.
- Physical Space: The environment where the action takes place, whether it's a realistic setting like a living room or an abstract, symbolic space.
- Time Period: The era in which the story is set, influencing costumes, props, and set design.
Spatial Relationships: The distance and arrangement between characters and objects, which can indicate intimacy, conflict, or hierarchy.
Week 6 (26/5/2025)
Figure 1.9 Colour Theory
Colour theory:
- A scientific principle that explains how colour hues and saturations are created.
- A creative discipline that examines how colour is used to achieve emotional effect in visual art.
- Colour wheel, Colour context & Colour harmony.
- Colours were divded into 2 categories by Newton: original and compounded.
- Original colours: Red, orange, yellow, green , blue, indigo and violet. Acronym: ROYGBIV.
- Compounded colours: By compounding original colours, blue and green compounded in equal measure make teal.
- Monochrome - varying tones of just one colour (usually grey).
- Analogous - colours that are next to each other on the colour wheel.
- Complementary - colours that are colours opposite to one another one a colour wheel.
- Triadic - colours that connect together on a colour wheel to form an equilateral triangle.
- Tetradic - colours that connect together on a colour wheel to form a rectangle.
David Fincher: Muted blue gray tone.
Stanley Kubrick: Expressive colour palette (saturation). Relies on saturated reds and blues.
Zack Snyder: Monochrome cross matched with complimentary colours.
Guillermo del Toro: Triadic colours. Yellow/Red/Purple.
Akira Kurosawa: Deep saturated reds and complementary/triadic schemes.
Wes Anderson: Colour style is loud and audacious.
Colour Grading:
The process of grading or editing colours in a video or film as a way to give them a stylistic look.
- Normalise the folate as much as possible.
- Follow the steps to correct your colours.
- Choose desired look and style.
- Make colour adjustments in editing program of choice.
- Double check skin tones and vectorscope.
Colour Correction:
The process of correcting or fixing colours in a video or film to get them back to what they should look like for your project.
- Normalise the footage as much as possible.
- Fix saturation.
- Fix brightness and contrast.
- Set new white balance.
- Double check skin tones.
WEEKLY EXERCISES
Week 1 (21/4/2025)
Week 1 Tasks
- Finish “mints” and “Doritos” editing exercise and post it in blog under “Exercises”
- Study Week 1 Asynchronous material and Do the Quiz to prepare for week 2 shooting.
- Watch Zach King’s videos/Animation short (Animation stream students)
- Watch 2022 film Everything Everywhere All at Once
- Purchase Tripod.
Figure 2.1 Week 1 Lecture Quiz (21/4/2025)
Figure 2.2 Editing Exercise 1: mints (21/4/2025)
Figure 2.3 Editing Exercise 1: mints (Process) (21/4/2025)
Editing Exercise 2: Doritos
Figure 2.4 Editing Exercise 2: Doritos (21/4/2025)
Figure 2.5 Editing Exercise 2: Doritos (Process) (21/4/2025)
Week 2 (28/4/2025)
Week 2 Tasks
- Exercise: Shooting practice, shoot & editing. Add caption for each shot.
- Exercise: Editing Practise 1 (Lalin). Watch editing tutorial video. Edit and trim Lalin to 35 seconds sharp.
- Report week 2 asynchronous class quiz result and learning experience in blog under Exercises section.
Lecture Quiz:
Figure 2.6 Week 2 Lecture Quiz (28/4/2025)
Class Activity:
Figure 2.7 Shooting Exercise: Framing
Figure 2.8 Shooting Exercise 1 (28/4/2025)
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Figure 2.9 Shooting Exercise 1 (Process) (28/4/2025)
Lalin Video Editing
Figure 2.10 Lalin 35s (28/4/2025)
_VSP%20(SEM%202)_PROJECT%202_2A_lalin%20_%2028_6_2025%201_31_58%20AM.png)
Week 3 (5/5/2025)
Week 3 Tasks
- Project 1 Exercise 1, Audio Dubbing (15%). Follow the instruction, prepare the audios (dialogue, hard sound effects, ambient sounds).
- Use Ripple Edit Tool to trim Lalin to exactly 35 seconds sharp.
- Read Week 3 Asynchronous material: Storyboarding, complete the quiz.
- Edit Shooting Exercise 2, document it in in blog under Exercises.
Lecture Quiz:
Figure 2.12 Week 3 Lecture Quiz (5/5/2025)
Class Activity:
Figure 2.13 Shooting Exercise (5/5/2025)
Figure 2.14 Shooting Exercise 2 (5/5/2025)
Figure 2.15 Shooting Exercise 2 (Process) (5/5/2025)
Week 4 (12/5/2025)
*No classes because it was a public holiday*
Week 4 Tasks
- Project 1: Audio Dubbing Exercise (15%) Develop the audio profile (dialogue, sound effects, ambient) for the provided video for week 5 in class review, submission is on week 5.
- Study Week 4 asynchronous materials, do the quiz, report in your blog under Exercises.
Lecture Quiz:
Figure 2.16 Week 4 Lecture Quiz (12/5/2025)
Week 5 (19/5/2025)
Week 5 Tasks
- Submission Please submit Project 1 Exercise 1: Audio Dubbing before 11:59pm, 25th MAY via your Google folder by providing YouTube link, Breakdown spreadsheet link on the slide: Project 1 Exercise 1 Audio Dubbing Submission2024
- Study Week 5 Asynchronous & Quiz, and document it under Exercises section.
- Pre-production: prepare for the week 6 shoot as instructed: Production task list
Lecture Quiz:
Figure 2.17 Week 5 Lecture Quiz (19/5/2025)
Figure 2.18 Shooting Practice (19/5/2025)
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Figure 2.19 Shooting Practice (Behind the Scenes) (19/5/2025)
Week 6 (26/5/2025)
Week 6 Tasks
- Production shoot editing. Colour correction and colour grading in our week 6 class.
- When it comes to the editing, please don't feel constrained by the chronological order of the storyboard. Instead, try something unique and engaging, similar to a trailer or a music video. You can find inspiration in the works of previous students.
- Study week 6 asynchronous class lecture: Colour Theory, Colour Correction V.S. Colour Grading.
Figure 2.20 Week 6 Lecture Quiz (26/5/2025)
*technical issues*
Week 7 (2/6/2025)
Do colour correction and color grading for Lalin (tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmve0PAv24c), colour correction for all shots, color grading ONE adjustment layer on Video track 3.
Do colour grading for Production shoot: trailer as last page of the slides indicates: Colour grade your production shoot with the combination of below: 1. Teal & Orange, 2. Bluish (cold), 3. Greenish (cold), 4. Brownish (warm), 5. Desaturation, 50%-70%, 6. B & W, High Contrast. VSP Premiere Pro Colour Correction 2024
Please finish the colour grading, upload the 2 videos to YouTube, and submit the videos via slides below in your google drive before 23:59pm, 8th June: VSP Project 2 Submission 25
Record 10 seconds of your voice speaking your first language (Malay, Tamil, Dhivehi,Indonesia, Nihongo, Hangugeo, Hokkien, Hakka, 东北话，四川话 etc) for week 8 f2f/online class Project 1: Audio Shaping Exercise (15%). Monday: 10:00am-12:00pm, 9th June; Wednesday: 10:00am-12:00pm, 11th June, via Teams. Please have Adobe Audition installed for the practice, and get a headphone.
Week 8 (9/6/2025)
- Project 1: Sound Shaping. Step-by-step workflow in Adobe Audition is provided in the slides. Record your own voice for 10 seconds for Project 1 Exercise 2 sound shaping.
- Voice of phone call.
- Voice coming from inside of the closet.
- Underground cave.
- Alien/ Orc voice
- Online Class for Week 8
Week 9 (16/6/2025)
Week 9 Tasks
Final Project VFX Proposal: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1R_eZoiWh1A0yPQrFOYgE24soji-2PCpqLlWxEL5GHA0/edit?slide=id.g1ff18b49f31_1_71#slide=id.g1ff18b49f31_1_71
For week 9, we did a trial shoot VFX edit to prepare us for our final project. Below is the edited video:
Figure 2.21 VFX Video Edit (16/6/2025)
Week 10 (23/6/2025)
Week 10 Tasks
Story development: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1NfUinv4gftnQRsG5uiBdYpxc9BaO6qV8vdydEObf1r4/edit?slide=id.g36784c76364_0_213#slide=id.g36784c76364_0_213
For week 10, we did a trial shoot and VFX edit of our selected VFX for our final project. Video is edited by Chang Wing. Below is the edited video:
Exercises Google Drive Link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1u2FCBlciHtZiQB1B9-Tu02oROrg0htL5?usp=sharing
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