Life of Kyle

Awesome article…nice spot Jason.

http://churchesferry.blogspot.com/2009/04/neat-christian-guy-vs-godly-man.html

How The West Was Won - 2.90:1 Aspect Ratio

By: Kyle Prohaska

Choosing an aspect ratio can be an interesting task. The amateur takes a look at something that is framed in 2.40 and says “wow it looks like a movie, I should crop my video to that!” They fail to understand the reasons for Aspect Ratios (I’ll abbreviate it as AR in this article), and when you should use which size.

There are a few standards that are used way more than the others, and with good reason. I wont go explaining what Aspect Ratios are and the standards used because you can find that information anywhere. Look here to read all about Aspect Ratios and their different standards.

This article will focus on the importance of choosing an AR for your film, and what kinds of things you need to have in mind. Why is this important? Well the AR you choose determines the window your viewer will watch your film in. It also gives you the power to use certain framing and camera techniques to compose your film. What happens if you choose the WRONG framing?

How The West Was Won - Pan & Scan Crop

Well for one you could be setting yourself up for major problems on set. Choosing an anamorphic sized aspect ratio like 2.40:1 could really mess things up for you in a family drama if you aren’t sure how to use it. The common mistake is people like to choose aspect ratios that don’t fit their story. There is no set aspect you should use based on what kind of story you have, only

the way in which you want to tell it. That is the difference. We chose 2.35:1 (Basically 2.40) for Standing Firm because we wanted a bigger budget feeling. However we didn’t just choose it and go for it, we made sure it would suit our needs and fit with the story we had to tell.

What about your environment? Large landscapes look fantastic in anamorphic and super wide aspects. Old westerns years ago were shot in aspects that aren’t even touched anymore. How The West Was Won (1962) was shot in 2.90:1 which is a really wide format. The film however shines and looks amazing, beautifully capturing the landscapes of the west. If it was shot in simple 16:9 things would look great as the landscapes are beautiful no matter what, but the actual scope of the landscapes would not be seen without moving the camera or panning it horizontally. Imagine the exact same film in 4:3 to fit a standard TV? You begin the see my point. The film itself would still look the same but the way in which you watch it is changed significantly.

This is easier to see when your favorite film is shown on television in a Pan and Scan format. Most films that are shown on TV now are broadcast in 16:9 but for years it was cropped to 4:3. Fullscreen DVD’s do the same thing. You can’t really even find a fullscreen DVD anymore, 16:9 is the new 4:3. If you saw your favorite film a million times, then saw it on TV in 4:3 you would see a huge difference. It completely changes the original vision of each shot. What your supposed to see, what your not, and when your supposed to see it…all changes. It ruins the original intent of the cinematographer.

Standing Firm (2009) - 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio

Analyze your films story, which format would benefit your film the most? Besides the more epic feeling, we chose 2.35 for Standing Firm because of the house we shot in. The entire downstairs is open, without doors. Just hallways and a very open layout. This means that everywhere you look you can see deeper into the house, your not looking at a wall. This made 2.35 a great choice because you could really see the design of the home and see deep inside it. Also because of that layout the format allows nice camera movement and dolly moves with more talent participation. Being able to do extreme close-ups and still show the environment is also a plus, including over the shoulder movement. Others argue that 16:9 and greater is similar to how we see the real world with our eyes, so it’s simply better as a standard.

Choosing the incorrect aspect can hurt your film if your camera work isn’t up to par. You might choose a more epic styled standard like 2.35 just to find out you can’t make the framing interesting with what you have to work with. Films that would benefit from an epic aspect and don’t get one aren’t necessarily hurt, but they could be shortchanged in the end. You want the maximum impact from your story.

Good acting, lighting, sound design, production design, etc. all factor into making your film great…and what aspect you choose to view all that in is just as important if not more so. The point of the matter is if you can’t figure out a beneficial reason to use a wide aspect then don’t use it. Besides wide aspect simply looking “cool,” make sure you don’t make the mistake that others make…choosing an aspect without realizing their story to tell can’t use it properly.

By: Kyle Prohaska

So you want to use a 35mm adapter? You’ve heard of these incredible pieces of equipment that give you that shallow DOF everyone raves about. You want to look professional, you want to have high production values, you want someone to watchyour film and go “ok…who made that.” Hold the phone, there is much that needs to be known before you venture into the complicated and EXPENSIVE world of 35mm Adapters…What Do 35mm Adapters Give Me? (that I want) - If you didn’t know that, I’m not sure you would be reading this, but it seems relevant to answer it anyways. 35mm Adapters allow you to place lenses that aren’t standard to your video camera, on that camera. The DOF is just the result of that, but the main idea is to use lenses that your camera wouldn’t normally be able to use. This allows you to get a “look” and DOF that your camera on its own could never give you. Something positive about GG’s in adapters (Ground Glass is explained in the next section) that I should mention is that they add a certain texture to the image. It’s extremely subtle but some people are very good at spotting what footage was shot with what adapter, they often have a flavor of their own. I personaly like the texture my adapter gives me, it gives the footage a film texture without that texture coming from the result of digital noise or digital grain.

Don’t forget about your lenses as well. Lenses don’t just get you closer or farther away from the target subject, they give you different looks between each of them. The relationship between what is far away and what is close, is altered with each different lens you use. Even if its a slight shift, the difference can be seen. Keep that in mind when you go and buy lenses, what are you looking to achieve?

So…you get:
- Shallow DOF
- Different Lens Options

What Do 35mm Adapters Give Me? (that I don’t really want) - You’ll find the disadvantages of an adapter are in greater abundance than the advantages. Along with the advantages of using an adapter, ie. the “look,” comes the wonderful world of Ground Glass (or GG). It’s a fine glass that resides inside the Adapters housing. There are different kinds of 35mm Adaptersthat use the glass in different ways. The GG is visible to your camera, something you obviously don’t want. So each Adapter has its own way of “hiding” that. Some spin the GG, some vibrate.

Along with having a GG comes light loss, some adapters losing more light than others. Keep that in mind when you purchase, as each kinds of Adapters lose different amounts of light. The Letus Extreme is what we used on our film (Standing Firm) and it looses the least light of any adapter currently on the market, 0.5 stops. HOWEVER, put it on the camera, and you have to zoom in on the ground glass to the proper position. That means I gotta take the F1.6 20x Lens on my Canon XHA1 and zoom into the proper place causing my lens to stop down to about 2.8-3.2. Your already at 1.5 stops…but no that’s not all. You haven’t added a lense yet. Add the lens and pick the widest setting it has and your probably adding another stop if not 2 easily. That means bare minimum…2.5 stops of light loss, in most cases with the lenses you’ll use you’ll be at 2.8 or more so that means even more light lost. This is why the GG in an adapter is so important, the manufacturing of the GG itself is extremely important to the adapters eventual image and how easy or hard it is to get the image to where you want.

Adapters also make noise, some more than others. They all involve motors, and they all make some sort of noise. They don’t sound like a power drill, but they aren’t necessarily silent. Some being released now are, but I’m just stating it so your not surprised if you can hear yours. Odds are any well manufactured one is no louder than the tape drive in your camera(assuming that’s what your using, not Hard Drives or P2 Cards).

Don’t forget about weight, adding an adapter…adds weight to the camera setup. “Well duh Kyle! I’m not an idiot! Of course adding any mass to anything means more mass! I’m as buff as Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime, I can handle it.” Take it easy killer, let me explain. Using an adapter means you need to support the adapter. Adapters are DELICATE, expensive machines, and should be treated as such. If you have a decked out Adapter setup with all the thing you really should have (in my opinion) your talking about a big monstrosity. Some people have really figured out ways to mainstream the setups but no matter what, it ain’t no homemovie camera your gonna be swinging around during the family party, or sneaking onto your favorite roller coaster (although…eh nevermind). Just be aware that you need much more than an adapter to use one, and overall useability becomes more difficult. NOT IMPOSSIBLE! If you want the advantages of using an adapter, you better get used to the disadvantages.

Don’t forget what else using adapters gives you, a shrinking bank account. These things are expensive. What expensive means is different to many but as I said, using an adapter doesn’t just warrent an adapter purchase, but purchasing of other things as well by default. (I’ll talk about that later)

So…you get:
- Light Loss (The power must be out, I can’t see)
- Noise (Minimal)
- Weight (Oh! My Back!)
- A Lower Account Balence (yippie)

Something I will say…DO NOT LET THE DISADVANTAGES DISCOURAGE YOU! With the proper preparation and tools, 35mm Adapters will give you something incredible. The hills to climb to use them properly (and the money spent), are well worth it in the end.

O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000) - First Feature to use DI Process

By: Kyle Prohaska

Color is a powerful tool in creating your films and videos. Lots of beginners just assume that having a certain look in your film means success and that simply isn’t the case. Color can make or break a film. If implemented poorly, your viewer (regardless of the other factors quality) can become distracted. I have a very sensitive eye when it comes to those things. For the average joe I think the effects of color on the brain is unknown to them. They don’t know why certain scenes or looks in films make them feel things. It goes over their head. Regardless it does its job when done properly, subconsciously or not it means a great deal for your film.

The ability to push color in post is so much easier than it used to be. Film used to be chemically altered to achieve certain looks, and some people prefer this method still. A DI (Digital Intermediate) is much more common and used almost all the time now. This allows the film (or if you shot digitally your already in the digital world) to be altered in the computer using software to change colors. It might be as simple as a saturation boost, but the fact you can pick a slider and instantly alter your footage for the better or worse means you have a powerful tool in your hand. Just a tweak here or there can mean big things for your footage.

If you shot flat on you camera then there are some things that are common to change. Shooting flat means shooting your footage with lowered contrast and color, more in a neutral setting. Normally flat footage isn’t the most beautiful stuff to look at and looks bland. However it allows a lot more control in post to adjust your values.

What can you do to instantly make your footage look better? This is a tough call because it depends on what your looking for but if your just looking for nice rich looking shots your best bet is to optimize the contrast in the image, crushing blacks if necessary…and adjusting saturation to your liking. If your white balance and other things are correct this really gets you a long ways in terms of making the footage more beautiful. In my opinion there is nothing worse than flat, milky looking footage with no contrast and grey looking blacks. I like deep, rich color.

As the title of this article states, color is visual music. Remember the last time a sunset made you all fuzzy inside? It looks beautiful because the mixes of oranges, reds, and yellows gives your brain something to respond to. The same goes for your film/video. Just like a film score fits the story and sets a mood, the color does the same. A film set in the wild west probably wouldn’t look right if it was given the “Saving Private Ryan” look with tinted grey scales, adding slight desaturated and green to the image. It might fit but odds are it doesn’t. Pick a color scheme in your film that fits the story and the movement of the story.

Pleasantville (1998) - One of the first films to use selective CC using Rotoscoping & other advanced computer techniques.

Lighting is a big part of making this successful but that’s a different article. Use the power of color to create contrast in your story. If your hero is being beaten up by the enemy only to die and end up in heaven, wouldn’t it be very effective to light/color your footage gritty and darker only to present the audience with well balanced, brightly lit, rich and saturated visuals afterwards? It would be like a punch in the face. Tell the story with color, present what you need to say just like you do with actors and with camera movement, but use color. Factor it all in, and don’t leave anything to chance.

Do your film a favor and consider what kind of color the film should have. Don’t just assume you’ll figure it out later, bring it in beforehand. Your lighting and color will go hand in hand towards the end. Make sure you decide what is best for your film and stick to it. Only so much can be done in post. Color correction can fix images but only in certain circumstances. Color-correction won’t really fix bad lighting or lighting that doesn’t gel with the kind of correction you want to add later.

Don’t forget to consider the format you are shooting in. This will depend on the kind of camera you have and the settings you choose. Some codecs are limited in their ability to be corrected. Sooner or later, some codecs fall apart and show digital chunks and other exciting anomalies. Keep this in mind as well. The Canon XHA1 (used to shoot Standing Firm) had a custom preset applied that was to my liking. This way the footage turned out almost 100% like I wanted before it hit the tape and became compressed with the HDV codec. This was the ideal way to go since correction on the film is minimal. Using the preset also saved time in post that would be spent color timing the entire film. For those of you that are on a tight schedule or are spending more money on films, saved time = saved money.

Other factors that can affect the color in your film is your environments, production design, and clothing. It’s interesting how film brings in all other forms of art into a sort of community. Every factor hangs on another. Where you shoot will determine a lot in the end for your film. Keep in mind the texture and atmosphere your sets/locations give away in terms of their color (shape as well and structure). What people where will be a big deal. Does it work well with the locations you’ll be putting them in? Would it be wise to put your male lead in a green shirt among the jungle leaves? Unless you want a floating head bobbing about I suggest not. Create contrast within the frame as much as you can before you hit the editing suite. Being a tech geek will only get you so far.

Color is just another tool a filmmaker has in his arsenal to tell his story, so take advantage of it. With the many different tools available in your editing packages already there is no excuse. Approach the color used in your film just like you would any other aspect of it, with purpose, intelligence, heavy thought, and with strong ties to your story.