THE ART OF TECHNIQUE An Aesthetic Approach to Film
and Video Production
John S. Douglass
Glenn P. Harnden
School of Communication The American University
Allyn and Bacon Boston • London • Toronto • Sydney • Tokyo • Singapore
CONTENTS
Preface xiii
1 Interpretation and Treatment 1 Interpretation 1 Treatment of the Subject 1
Determining Purpose 2 Discovering Theme 3 Employing Technique 5 Exercising Imagination and Originality 5
Virtual Reality 6 Treating Reality in Documentary 6
Intention 7 The Written Treatment 7 Interpreting the Script 8
Personal Style 7 0
2 Ideas 15 The Storytellers 15
Conflict and Mood 15 lack the Giant Killer 16 Prince and the Pauper 16 Clash of the Titans 16 The Peacemaker 17 Triumph of Courage 17 Tempting Fate 17 Role Reversals 17 Fish Out of Water 18 Strange Bedfellows 18 Buddy Pictures and Love Stories 18 Ship of Fools 18 The Quest 19 Portraiture 19
Stories 20 Your Experiences 20 Other Sources for Story Ideas 22
vii
viii Contents
Stories for Episodic Television 22 Inspiration 23 Lack of Inspiration 23
Research 24 Story Research 24
Location Research 25 Library Research 25 Interviewing 25 Synthesizing Research 27
Visualization 28 Motif and Symbols 28
3 Point of View 31 The Points of View 31
POV Shots 31 Perspective of the Storyteller 32
First Person 32 Second Person 34 Third Person 35 Character Point of View 36 Attitude 39
The Audience's Point of View 43 Defining the Audience 44
4 Story Structures 47 The Rules of the Came 47
Beginning, Middle, and End 48 The Beginning 48 The Middle 49 The End 50
Rising Action 50 The Inciting Incident 50 The Crisis 51 The Point of No Return 51 The Climax 52 A-Story and B-Story (Plots and Subplots) S3
Other Formats 53 Skits S3 A Day in the Life 54 Portraiture 54 A Special Place 54
Constructing the Structure 54 Structuring an Idea 55
Log Lines: The TV Guide Version 55 Beats: The Story Steps 56 Structuring the Production 62
A Real-Time Medium 62 Pauses 63 Creating Expectation 63 Pacing 66 Reminders 66
Sequences: The String of Pearls 67
5 Mood 71 Treatment of Mood 73
Location and Setting 73
Contents ix
Color, Texture, and Design 75 Lighting 76 Camera Framing, Angles, and Movement 79 Lens Focal Length 83 Editing 84
Montage 85 Sound 86
Sound Effects 88 Voice 88 Performance: Talent and Direction 89 Putting It All Together 89 Harmony of Mood 93
6 Characterization and Portraiture 95 A Question of Balance 95 The Quest for Personality 97
Physical Features 97 Sociological Situations 99 Psychological Profile 103 Vitality and Power 104 Lasting Relationships 104 Secondary Characters 106 Making Vital Characters 107
The Treatment of Character in Production 107 Preproduction: Casting 107 Production 108
Setting/Arena 109 Props 110 Other Characters, Narration, and Commentary 111 First Action 112 Lighting 114 Image Size and Camera Movement 115
Portraying Characters 177
7 Mise en Scene and Design 119 The Philosophy of Mise en Scene 7 7 9
The Material Content of Shots 119 The Production Elements of Mise en Scene 720
Evocative Locations and Photographic Opportunities 120 Creating a Catalog of Visuals 123
Visual Storytelling 124 The "Look" of the Production 125 Designing the Frame 126
Shooting Mise en Scene 727 Day Exteriors 127 Night Exteriors 128 Interiors 129 Set Dressings and Props 131
x Contents
Costumes 134 Lighting 135
Contrast Ratio 138 Lighting Ratio 138 Hard and Soft Lighting 141
Design 145
Techniques for Interpretation 149
8 Using the Camera for Interpretation 151 Leasing the Image 151
The Rye of the Beholder 151 Inside the Fourth Wall 152 Visual Variety 152
Camera Placement 153 Framing 153
Wide, Medium, and Close-Up Shots 153 Angles 159
Frontal Angles 160 High and Low Angles 162 Focal Length 165
Short Focal Length 166 Normal Focal Length 170 Long Focal Length 172
Focal Length and Portraiture 175 Camera Movement 177
The Moving Point of View 178 Specific Compositions 178 Motivating the Move 179
Executing the Move 180 Complex Moves 181
Camera Mountings 182 The Hand-Held Camera 182 Tripods 183 Dollies 184
Composition 185 Dynamic Composition 185 Rule of Thirds 188 The Compositional Triangle 188
Point of View 192
9 Editing for Interpretation 195 Salvaging the Production 195 Creating Materials to Edit 196
Shooting for Continuity Editing 196 Jump-Cuts 197 Off-Screen and On-Screen Action 198 Cutawaysand Cross-Cutting 201 Cut-Ins or Inserts 207 The Match-Cut 209 Intentional Jump-Cuts 214 Orchestrating Continuity 214
Shooting Strategies for Editing 215 Master Scene 215 By-Threes 216 Multiple Camera 217 A Marriage of Styles 217
Contents xi
Shooting for Montage Editing 217 Montage Theory 218 Montage Editing 218 American Montage 219
Rhythm 221 Patterns of Three 222
POV and Other Setups 222 Confusion Versus Mystery 223
10 Lighting for Interpretation 225 Lighting Designs Versus Lighting Setups 226
High-Key and Low-Key Lighting Designs 226 Lighting Instruments and Shading Devices 227
Hard Light and Soft Light 229 Lighting and Contrast 230
Contrast Ratios 230 Lighting Ratios 232 Lighting Setups 234
Narrow Lighting Setups 234 Broad Lighting Setups 236 Cross-Lighting Setups 237 Backlighting 238 Eyelights 240 Set Lighting 240
Lighting for Movement 241 Exterior Lighting 242
Scene Duplication Exercise 243
11 Symbols 249 Film as Symbolic Expression 250
Semiotics 250 Symbolic Communication 251
Symbolic Expression 251 Significant Detail 253
Denotative and Connotative Symbolism 254 Cultural Icons 254
External and Internal Symbolism 257 Creating Internal Symbolism 259
The Surreal Landscape 262
12 Significance 267 Significant Events 267
Gut Reaction 267 Events That Arouse Passion 268
Audience Conflict 268 Meaning in Events 270
Portents and Importance 270 The Mirror of Production 271
xii Contents
Entertainment 271 The Dark Side 272 The Lighter Side 272 So What? 273 Creative Vision and Coherent Productions 273
The Power of Performance 274 Plastic Reality 274
Responsibility 274 Production as Artifact 275 The Role of Dialogue 275 Coherency 277
Once Is Enough 277 Making Moving Pictures 278
Appendix A Electricity 281 The Formula 281
Volts 281 Amps 282 Watts 282
Circuits 283 The Procedure 284
Appendix В Measuring Light 287 Reflected Light Reading 287 Reflected Reading from a Gray Card 287 Incident Light Reading 288 Measuring Contrast by Foot-candles 288 Measuring Contrast with Reflected Readings 288 Latitude 289
Measuring Latitude 289
Index 293
