Evaluation

Over the summer I had a lot of time to think about what approach I wanted to take when it came to my Minor Project. From the very beginning I had decided I wanted to work on camera, so I could explore and improve my camera skills overall. I was pleased when I found out that our project would be more experimental based because I knew it would give me the opportunity to develop my skills. One thing which I was unsure of though, was what form this would take from a marking standpoint. At first I thought it would be interesting to look into some of the most well known camera rules and techniques and then try and flip them on their head. I pitched this by describing a short simple scene using the 180 degree rule and then another, where it is ignored to see their effect. 

When I came to the planning stage I instantly hit a road block, I just couldn’t seem to get my head round a scene where I would be able to break the rule effectively. I pondered on this, until I decided to just take the camera out and have a mess around, maybe that would get me thinking. I hadn’t decided which camera I was going to use, but I thought if the Black Magic was available I would take that. I was surprised to find no one was really using the Black Magic to my knowledge. I found this bizarre as this was an experimental module, so it is a perfect opportunity to get to know a new camera. Lee explained to me that I would need a Tech Demo on the Black Magic before I would be able to rent it. Luckily for me, Lee wasn't busy and offered to give me one then. 

Once I had the Tech demo, I took the camera out the very next day. At first like I said earlier I wasn't 100% sure what to do with it. I set up a few simple shots and did a little bit of recording, I went walking up Carlton Bank and got some nice stuff with the camera, but nothing I could really use as a test. I felt myself being dragged away from the 180 degree idea because I felt I already knew the answer to the questions I had and the research I did only backed that up. Overall, my first weekend with the camera was a bit of a bust, but now that I look back upon it, I realise that the time I spent that weekend was vital in getting me familiar with the Black Magic and that helped me ten fold when I rented the equipment for a second time. 

I returned the equipment on a Monday morning and got to talking to Lee about different types of Lenses. He mentioned the Anamorphic look, with lens flares and distortion creating that thin Hollywood look. 

Over the next week, I studied up on Anamorphic Lens and there effects. I soon realised that it would be way out of my price range to try and get my hands on one of these, with an anamorphic Lens going anywhere from £200+. So I shifted my focus towards Anamorphic Filters, they're usually in the price range of around £80, still a lot of money but they give you many of the similar effects or a true anamorphic lens, apart from the lack of true widescreen format. When researching the filter I felt the basic design was fairly simple and I had seen online forums discussing making your own for less than £5. This seemed more in my price range. 

The filter itself was fairly easy to make, with the most difficult element being cutting out the oval from the centre of the filter. I found it hard to make sure the oval was in the centre and enough space was being left either side of the oval but yet not too much that it would cover the lens. This was a lot of trial and error, which led to an uneven cut line, but once I had the shape down, I could recreate the filter as many times as I needed. When shooting with the Filter, there was very few set backs really. I felt the image the filter gave you was vastly improved and added a real sense of depth to the image, which to me was very important when shooting. I found that it was easy to manipulate the direction of the flares by simply turning the orientation of the fishing wire. 

The major criticism of the filter would be that it only really works with 35mm lenses and above, because when testing with the 18mm I realised that the lens wasn't powerful enough to see past the filter so you were able to see the outline of the oval over the Lens. Obviously as well covering around 60% of the lens left the image a little darker than it would have been otherwise. However saying that I think that the filter gives the image a more cinematic wash picking up on some of the more subtle details. 

With a module this small it is hard to not wish for more time, after I had finished my Presentation, John had asked me about multiple wires on the front of the lenses. In an Ideal world if I had more time I would have experimented with these things a little more and instead of just touching the surface, I would have pushed the boundaries a little more, by added more wire to the filter and seeing its effects, or by manipulating the shape of the filter to try and see what effect that has on an image. Overall, I am very happy with the work I have done on Minor, instead of answering a question which had already been answered, I feel like I have genuinely learnt a new skill which I will 100% implement within my Final Major Project. 

Anamorphic Filter Tests

Once I had crafted my Anamorphic filter it was time to put it through a series of tests, to see there effectiveness. To begin I just laid out a very simple test, with a BB8 figure I had in focus then I used my flash light into the lens of the camera to see the effects. I first shot the scene with no filter on the camera so I has a control test to compare.

I then did the exact same thing again but only this time the filter was added to the front of the camera.   You can see from the screen grabs that there is a noticeable difference between this one and the control test. Obviously the most recognisable goes to the lens flare across the screen, I didn't think the tests would have this noticeable of an effect from the get go. I thought there would have been a lot more trial and error than there was. I also feel like when comparing the model of BB8 there is a difference, the second image seems to have a wash over the image which I think improves the image in my mind, a more cinematic look if you will. 

Next I experimented with the structure of the lens flares. I wanted to see if the direction of the flares could be changed depending on the angle of the filter and what other effects this would have with the image. You can see in the image below that the lens flares are running horizontally, just like the initial test.

In the image below however, you can see that I have alters the flares direction, so that they run vertically rather than horizontal. This effect was simply achieved by changing the orientation of the filter from running the wire vertically to running it horizontal across the lens. The opposite to how you would first think the flares would respond to the filter.

Finally, I tried to highlight the distortion that the filter was bringing to the image, because the changes are so subtle I was finding it difficult to pinpoint an example of this. I had read online about 'Bokeh' which is basically the part of your image which is out of focus and in the background. So I shot with the Black Magic from outside my bedroom window towards a street lamp pulling the focus from its peak to then an in focus image. Again I did this twice, once without the filter and another with.

It wasn't until I came to view the footage back on the Black Magic and I could compare between the two that I realised the significant difference. You can see that the oval shape of the filter has distorted the shapes of the light. As the focus is pulled, you can see more of the Vignetting forms all around the street lamp.

I also did a few experiement's outside, trying to capture a landscape type shot with the lens. I felt the shots looked nice but it may have been a little too dark when I finally got outside and ready to shoot. However I felt the detail you got with the filter on the tree closest to the camera was really special. The filter is supposed to give you a more cinematic depth of field meaning a lower depth of field and I felt you definitely felt that when using them here. 

Blade Runner

The more I began looking into Anamorphic lenses, I soon became aware that one of my favourite films Blade Runner was shot using Anamorphic. It turns out that Ridley Scott shoots the majority of his films in this format. However Blade Runner to me, is the film that utilised this tool in the best ways possible. 

Blade Runner hit cinemas in the summer of 1982 and received mixed reviews upon its release. I however love the film, I feel just from a filmmaking standpoint the movie is beautiful to look at. I feel like the story is compelling but takes the back seat in comparison to the production design and overall  gorgeous aesthetic of the film. A big part of that to me is the anamorphic format. I feel it gives depth to the film and with all the neon within in the film, it only highlights those design choices. The scene in which Deckard, Harrison Ford character, is chasing the first replicant he finds through the city is a perfect combination of everything which makes a great film. Sound design, Production Design, Direction, Lighting, Cinematography and score. Any of the flying car scenes are a visceral experience, similar to that of Stanley Kubrick's work in 2001. 

One of the things I admire about Blade Runner over everything else, is the score. The science fiction elements within that score are so subtle and a film score is at its best when you can't listen to it without thinking of the images. I feel with Blade Runner, there is a perfect marriage between the score and cinematography. 

However, I am not the biggest fan of Ridley Scotts Library of work but, with this 1982 classic, it calls to me in ways I can't explain. I am hoping to pitch a science fiction style film for my Major project so I will be taking inspiration from this film. 

Anamorphic Lens

Recently Lee had mentioned to me about Anamorphic lens and the look they create. This peaked my interest so I began looking into them. The definition of Anamorphic is: producing, relating to, or marked by intentional distortion. These lenses utilise all of the image, stretching the image into a full format, so that the when you transfer the image into a full widescreen format, the image returns to scale, with the added benefit of giving the image more detail. Another advantage of the Anamorphic lens is the lens flare. The lenses have a thin wire incorporated within the lens which then reflects the light onto your image, giving you these lens flare effects. 
A full Anamorphic lens will go for anything from £300-£2000 plus depending on which one you go for. Obviously I don't have the budget for to go out and purchase an Anamorphic Lens. So I began looking into a cheaper alternative and a way to recreate these types of effects with a low budget. I quickly found that you could purchase a Anamorphic filter for around £80 pounds. The filters give you some of the same effects but not them all. They distort the image somewhat and give you a the lens flares, they do not however give you the true widescreen format compared to the lenses themselves. 
Finally I found it was possible to create an Anamorphic Filter for less than £5 with just a piece of black card and a fishing wire. I'm hoping to get the Black Magic out again some time this week, so I can make some of the filters for the Black Magic lenses.