Music Video
Skills Audit
Demo Work
Demo Work
Demo Work
Contents
Demo Work
Contents
> Theoretical exploration of the purpose
and application of research
> Secondary research into
music video genres, codes, conventions,
techniques, and theories
> Primary research with the
client to inform ideas development
> Focus group presentation of ideas for
feedback and review via questionnaire
survey
Moving Demo
Editor
(Unit 03 LO1 1.1)
Chris Lebenzon
Lebenzon began his career editing independent movies. Afterwards he graduated to bigger budget studio films.
He was lucky enough to find contacts within the business, working with director Tony Scott and producer Jerry Bruckheimer multiple times.Lebenzon edited over 15 films with Bruckheimer. And since editing Batman returns he's been apart of every Tim Burton film since.
Lebenzon has won several awards including, Academy award for best film editing, and an ACE Eddie three separate times.
The films he’s edited have grossed over 10 billion dollars worldwide.
Qualifications:
Analyse films- Note the styles of other film editors. Find films that have won editing awards, and understand what the editors have done to make that particular film stand out. Gaining inspiration can be a good way to create your own style of editing.
Get a degree- You can try and gain a bachelor’s degree in fields such as video production, film making or broadcasting. A degree can get you good experience in a variety of skills such as script writing, editing or production.
Networking- Meet other people within your same field of work and try to gain as many contacts as possible. Contacts will be the easiest way to secure jobs, which will then provide you with experience. The more people you know and are friendly with, the more likely you’ll be recommended for a job.
Apprenticeship/ intern- Having an apprenticeship/ being an intern can be a good way to gain experience, even if it’s only on an independent film. If you’re an intern it can also be a good way to observe and absorb any information from your superior who will have most likely been in this job for longer than you have.
Practice- Practicing will improve your skills. The more impressive you perform on one job, the more likely you will be offered more jobs in the future.
Build a portfolio- If you’ve worked on projects before, compile all your previous work into a portfolio. This is a good way of marketing yourself to any potential employers. The more work you do the larger and more impressive your portfolio will become.
Daily Responsibilities:
An editor's main job is to turn the rough cuts from a production into a finished cohesive narrative. Within this there are steps:
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You will receive a brief with an outline of the narrative or order of the shots.
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You will need to assemble all the raw shots together after being logged, in preparation for uploading them.
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Storing the files on your computer in a structured and organised way.
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Digitally cutting files to order the correct sequence and discover which shots are actually useful.
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Create a rough cut for the production.
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Re-ordering and fine tuning the rough cut to improve for the finished product.
An editor may also need to:
1.Edit the audio of the piece including voice overs, selecting music and ensuring the audio quality is kept well.
2.Adjust colour correction or colour grading
3.Add in any needed SFX
Practical Skills:
Communication skills- with people within the team to make sure the process runs smoothly, as well as people such as the producers and directors to make sure the finished product is the desired outcome. Editors need to be good listeners especially when talking to the producers and directors.
Computer Skills- Editors must have a good knowledge of editing software.
Creativity- Editors must be able to visualise the desired outcome while editing in order to understand what they’re making and how it will be viewed by an audience.
Eye for detail- Editors must have a good eye for detail, especially when looking for any mistakes or inaccuracies within shots.
Creativity and passion- The more creative and passionate the editor is, the better the eventual outcome will be.
Time management- commonly editors will have a deadline for when a project needs to be finished. Understanding this and managing time wisely is essential. A deadline will also bring stress and pressure, which an editor needs to work well under.
Understanding the process behind editing and how to actually become an editor is super useful. I’ve been really enjoying editing so far and by doing more research into it, via the skills audit, I’ll be able to improve my skills as well as seeing if i would want to continue doing it after college.
Links
Chris Lebenzon
Qualifications
Responsibilities
Skills
Cinematographer
(Unit 03 LO1 1.1)
Hoyte Van Hoytema
Hoytema has collaborated with director Christopher Nolan on several projects. Earned one academy award nomination and three BAFTA award nominations for cinematography. Hoytema studied at the national film school in Lodz. He left the film school early without a degree but with many credentials. He then worked on documentaries to begin with before being invited to help on a low-budget film in Norway. There was a very active Swedish producer who then kept hiring Hoytema for a lot of films in Norway. This started his career and led him to becoming a notable film maker in Sweden.
Qualifications:
Gain a film degree- Film school can be a key pathway to gaining the skills needed for cinematography. A degree can also help in networking as you will meet many other people hoping to go into the same field as you.Getting a degree or studying photography can also be useful as cinematography contains a lot of the same or similar technical skills.
Become familiar with the equipment- Understanding and learning how to use the key equipment such as camera and lighting is essential in becoming a cinematographer. You must learn how to use the equipment in order to create the director or producer’s vision as well as creating your own style in order to make yourself stand out.
Build a portfolio- Building a portfolio is a good way to advertise you to potential employers. Putting all of your best work/shots together could also be a good way to show off your signature style or moves. Having a well made portfolio can be a good way to make you stand out and gain more jobs.
Make Connections- making connections can be the easiest way to gain jobs in the media. If you went to film school, that is a good place to make lots of connections. Alternatively, you can use any past jobs or projects as a way to make connections. Being friendly with people and doing your job well is the best way to make connections. The more connections you obtain, the more likely you are to be recommended for a future job opportunity.
Take on entry level jobs- Starting on smaller projects and working your way up is a common way for people to become cinematographers. Working on lots of jobs on your way up is also a good way to build up evidence for your portfolio. Alternatively, you can take on similar jobs such as camera operator, grip technician or production assistant. Doing smaller jobs and working your way up can be a good way of gaining experience as well as helping to make a name for yourself.
Daily Responsibilities:
Chooses a visual style for the film- A cinematographer determines the visual style and approach of the film. This can vary from what camera shots to use to the colour aesthetic of the film.
Establishes camera setup- A cinematographer decides which camera, lens, angle and technique to use to best bring the scene to life. They may also work with the script supervisor and locations manager in order to best visualise each scene and design it to their liking.
Determines the lighting- The cinematographer will manipulate the scenes lighting in order to get the mood and emotion correct for the scene. They can use lighting to enhance the depth, contrast or contour of a scene.
Explores the locations- A cinematographer should have an image of each scene in their mind and be able to assess whether the location is suitable or not.
Attend rehearsals- A cinematographer will attend rehearsals to see how the blocking for each scene may change. During rehearsals, the cinematographer will adjust the camera in response to the actors.
Elevates the vision of the director- A good cinematographer will take the vision of the director and improve it while still keeping it true to the original idea.
Practical Skills:
Eye Detail- A cinematographer needs to be able to view everything in the scene, in order to make it the best it could be.
Strong Knowledge- A good use of equipment such as lighting and cameras is vital for cinematography. A cinematographer needs to know how to put them to good use.
Communication skills- Cinematographers work closely with the director to bring their vision to life, so good listening skills are important. Additionally, they may have to instruct camera or lighting crew so clear and good communication is also vital.
Team management skills- Most likely, a cinematographer will lead teams so being able to communicate and take control of a team is useful.
Flexible- Problems will always occur so being flexible and able to adapt and create solutions on the spot is a good talent to have.
Creativity- understanding composition and knowing how to tell a story is super important when trying to make a film. A cinematographer must know how to tell the story through shot types and lighting.
Cinematography as a job was something I had never really considered before. Thanks to the skills audit, I've been able to open my eyes to some new possibilities. Looking deeper into it has really interested me and this research will help to fuel any future career that I may want to pursue.
Links
Hoyte Van Hoytema
Qualifications
Responsibilities
Skills
Editor
(Unit 03 LO2 2.1)
Skills I currently have:
Written Communication:
I believe that my written communication skills are quite strong. During my previous projects such as “Self Portrait” all my pre-production work was graded highly and I believe it was able to correctly portray the ideas that I wanted to convey. I find writing ideas down an easy way to lay out the thoughts in my head. I learnt my written communication skills from GCSE English where I was able to achieve a 7 and an 8 as my final grades. These written communication skills would help me as an editor as, an editor would be working in groups and properly conveying ideas is really useful so that when the different parts of the edit come together, they all fit together perfectly.
Verbal Communication:
I have worked in many different groups while doing demo work so far. In all these tasks, I have been able to work well in the group and come out the other side with a good completed project. When in these groups I have been able to put my own ideas across, which have then contributed to the final product. I’ve also been able to interpret the information that our lecturers have given us during our different projects. Once they have told us what we’re doing and a bit of how to do it, I have been able to take their words and absorb the information in order to complete the task they had set for us. These skills would transfer well to editing, as an editor has to take the vision of the director or producer and make it real. Being able to take information and interpret it correctly, would be extremely useful.
Practical Production:
I have a good foundation of knowledge for editing. I’ve used software, such as Premiere Pro and Adobe Audition, in previous projects and achieved success. I have good knowledge of a variety of skills, such as cutting, trimming, key-frames, colour grading and audio manipulation. Many of these skills I developed while working on my “Self Portrait” project. In demo works I have also experimented with stop motion as well as green screen; helping to broaden my depth of knowledge and editing skills. Obviously, all these practical skills will be very useful when it comes to being an editor. A good foundation of editing will transfer well when it comes to deepening my knowledge and skills.
Creativity:
I believe I’m good at problem solving. For instance, when I was working on my “Self Portrait” project I really struggled with understanding how to use keyframes to adjust the scale. Initially, I was using the timeline to adjust it and I simply didn’t have enough control over it. I then independently did research into it, as well as experimenting, and I was able to figure out how to more accurately control scale keyframes by using the effects tab.
I also believe my editing ideas are quite creative. Once again, in my “Self Portrait” project but also in my One word demo work, I was able to picture using opacity and layering in the editing process, before even shooting the production. I am able to visualise what I would like to do in the editing process while I’m doing my pre-production phase. Editing is all about ideas and understanding what I can do with the footage I will have is really useful.
Skills I need:
(Unit 03 LO2 2.1)
Practical Knowledge:
I could definitely benefit from more practice and experience in editing, especially editing more of a variety of things. For instance, I sometimes feel my transitions are not as smooth as they could be, so just more practice with a bunch of different transitions would help me improve.
Audio editing is also a huge thing that I need to improve upon. I feel as if I know the very basics of audio editing, and so developing my knowledge but also skills of audio editing is vital.
My technical language could also be worked upon. I have a good knowledge of it, but I simply don’t use it as much as I should. Understanding the language and using it regularly would be a good way to improve my understanding of editing as a technical skill.
Communication:
I feel that the larger the group is that I’m working in, the harder I find it to input my thoughts and ideas. I feel more of a pressure when there are more people, especially when it comes to contributing ideas. I am still able to think of ideas in these scenarios, but struggle to then get those ideas across to the rest of the group.
I could also develop my verbal communication skills as a whole. I’m good at developing ideas and narratives, especially in my head. But when it comes to verbally communicating those ideas, I struggle to find the right words to properly give the idea justice. I can write the idea down because then I have time to think and find the right words, but saying it out loud without preparation I feel as if I never do the ideas proper justice. Good communication is vital when editing, especially as you’re commonly in a team. There is no point in me creating good ideas for editing if I’m not sharing them as they will not be used. So, being able to communicate better will improve my editing as sharing my ideas will mean I can actually experiment with them and discover if they actually work.
Interpersonal:
As said in the communication section, I feel as if I struggle in larger groups. I especially find it hard when the group is sharing an important project and work as I like to be able to see and know everything that is going on in the project. This is a skill that really needs to be improved when it comes to editing as working in large groups would essentially be happening almost all of the time. However, I find if my teammates communicate well with each other then I do not worry as much about this problem.
Related to the last problem I also feel as if sometimes I struggle to share the work. I usually feel that I would prefer to burden myself with more work, if it means that I know when it will be done and to what standard it will be completed. This is a problem that needs to be fixed as trusting your team and knowing they care about it as much as you is vital to good teamwork, especially as editing in a team is extremely common.
Organisation:
The organisational problem that I believe I struggle with the most is pacing. I usually like to just work for a long period of time and get lots of work completed if it means I can then relax and have everything completed. This isn’t always a good way to manage work, especially when it comes to editing as it can lead to burnout. Additionally, it is good to have a break and step away from editing for times, so that when you come back, you have a fresh set of eyes. Doing too much at a time can lead to an editor easily beginning to not notice details that they easily would if they were more alert.
On the other end of the spectrum I sometimes feel as if I struggle with procrastination. If I believe that I will really struggle with the work I tend to try to put it off. Eventually, I always do the work and it's never as difficult or exhausting as I initially think it will be, but I still continue to have this problem in future projects. Fixing this problem will be quite difficult but it will be extremely useful if I can overcome it.
Creativity:
During the editing process, I feel I could improve from thinking on my feet more. In other areas of production I feel I think on my feet well, but during editing there is so much planning into it beforehand, that I sometimes struggle to think of otherwise I can adapt it if my initial plan for a certain edit falls through. Overcoming this problem would help with streamlining the editing process more.
I also believe I should try to go over my ideas with another person before finalising them. I sometimes feel as if I block myself into a set number of ideas when planning, and often feel as though I limit myself to certain editing techniques rather than trying to expand and try new things. Obviously, trying and experimenting is one of the best ways to improve my editing, so fixing this skill is vital.
Cinematographer
(Unit 03 LO2 2.1)
Skills I currently have:
Written Communication:
Being able to plan every scene so that it’s as good as it can be is a significant skill in cinematography. This is part of the job that I feel I would be able to do well. I find writing my ideas down is a good way for me to communicate my ideas. I’ve discovered this from the multiple Proposals that I’ve written as well as planning for scenes that I have done for pre-production in previous projects.
I can also understand written communication and interpret well, as I have had to do this when looking at project briefs as well as work assignments. In all these examples I’ve been able to create good work based off of the written information that I had been given. Having this as a skill for Cinematography is important as a cinematographer works closely with the director and has to understand their vision to be able to enhance it.
Verbal Communication:
Similarly to written communication a Cinematographer has to be a good listener, especially when the director is telling them about what they will want to happen in a scene. I believe I’m a good listener, especially when people are sharing ideas, and I then believe I’m able to build upon the ideas people give me. This is how my group developed our Music Video ideas. By working together and listening we built upon each other's ideas and created an idea that was much better than the original idea that one person had come up with. This is a good skill to already have, especially when it comes to cinematography.
Practical Production:
I feel as if I have a good foundation of knowledge when it comes to cinematography. I have a good understanding of cameras and how they work as I did photography for a GCSE and then coming into this course broadened my knowledge. The camera is one of the most important pieces of kit for cinematography, so my previous knowledge will come in really useful.
I also have a basic knowledge of lighting and how it works. I know the theory of three point lighting and also I believe I know how colour and brightness can be used in order to convey emotions within a scene. This is a good way to start when looking into cinematography as lighting, just as cameras, is one of the most important tools to a cinematographer and using my basic knowledge will be a great way to start.
Creativity:
Creativity is the most important feature of a cinematographer. Enhancing a scene is the whole job. I believe I’m quite a creative person. I did drama for GCSE and achieved an 8. Studying drama has given me a good insight into the performance side of production and has provided me with more of a knowledge of how it feels to actually be performing in the scene. I’ve then been able to use this previous experience in some of my previous work such as my “Self Portrait” project. Understanding how the actors feel can help me to better portray a scene as it can lead me to altering the way I shoot in order to get a better performance.
Additionally, I believe I’m good at taking an initial idea and building upon it. That is exactly what I did for my “Self Portrait” project. I knew I wanted to use masks and so I built my entire idea upon this initial spark. And I was super pleased with the final product, that had all come from the initial mask idea. Improving and refining ideas is essential to cinematography and already having a way to do that myself is great as it means I can continue to build upon it in the future.
Skills I need:
(Unit 03 LO2 2.1)
Practical Knowledge:
Practical knowledge is probably the section where I need to improve the most. Although I have a basic understanding of lighting and how to use it, building upon this foundational knowledge would be a great way to enhance my cinematography skills. The emotion within a scene is in my opinion the most important feature within a scene, so getting a better understanding of how to use lighting to enhance the feeling I want would be super useful.
Studying the scene as a whole and finalsing every single detail about it before I film is also something I would like to improve deeply upon. I often feel as though I forget about the small details within a scene, such as how the characters' clothes may be affected by the environment they’re in. It’s these super minor details that cinematography is all about, so developing this skill would really put me on the track to improving my cinematography skills.
Communication:
The largest communication skill that I feel I need to improve upon, is my way of conveying ideas. Cinematographers are often in control of teams, within pre-production and actual production, so being able to convey ideas easily and accurately is a vital skill. I sometimes struggle with finding the right words to explain my ideas and I feel as if I don’t do my ideas justice when I’m trying to explain them. Improving this skill would not only be useful for cinematography but for any job within the media.
Interpersonal:
As said in the communication section, a cinematographer is commonly in control of a large team. This means they need to be able to manage everyone within this team and make sure everyone is doing what needs to be done. This is where I would begin to struggle. I’m good at taking leadership of a smaller group as I can deal with each person and control the direction of the project easier. However, I feel I would struggle if I was in control of larger groups as I believe I would struggle to stay in control, and understand everything that's going on. This is a problem as in any cinematography job I would be in control of a large group. I believe this is one of my biggest weaknesses so overcoming it would be extremely useful.
Additionally, if I was in control of a large group of people, then I would have to trust each person to be able to execute each of their jobs correctly. I think I would struggle with this as I like to which point people are at within a project and so with so many people under my control, I wouldn’t be able to constantly know what is happening. Letting go a bit more and trusting the people to do their job correctly would help improve my job performance as well as probably improve the overall teamwork and trust within the team.
Organisation:
Being properly organised and having each shot planned out to perfection is one of the primary roles for cinematography. Each shot needs to be planned properly beforehand so that on the day, production can be as quick and easy as possible. I feel as if I would struggle with the organisation of having to plan each shot to perfection. I believe that I would never think that the shots were perfect so when it came to shooting, I wouldn’t believe the shots were as good as they could be which could lead to filming taking longer than it needs to. Additionally, it means my pre-production work would take longer than it needs as I would never believe that the shots were finished, and I would want to continue working on them. Trusting in myself more, would be a good way to get around this problem and help to streamline the process a bit more.
Once again, the control and organisation of such a large group is something I believe I would struggle with. I believe I’m good at organising myself, when I know what I need to complete and when it needs to be completed by. But having to organise other people and to be constantly aware of what needs to be done and when it needs to be done by for everyone is something I think I would find really challenging. But this is one of the tasks a cinematographer must constantly overcome and so to be a good cinematographer I would also need to be able to cope with this task.
Creativity:
I feel if I want to improve my cinematography skills then I need to learn to be more confident in myself. When planning storyboards and scenes, I often doubt myself and whether the scenes will actually work out properly. If I were to overcome this then I could be more confident in my planning. Which would then translate into better and more professional scenes. Cinematographers have to be sure of themselves, they have so much going on and don’t have time to doubt themselves. By believing in myself, I can overcome the waste of time that comes with self doubt.
Additionally, I believe I’m lacking in experience. It’s very easy to look at the theory side of cinematography, but actually taking the process through and having to deal with the challenges that arise is a thing that you can’t get from anything but experience. Furthermore, gaining more experience would help with my confidence in cinematography skills as well as then being able to be more experimental in future cinematography work.
Editor
(Unit 03 LO2 2.1)
Tuesday 30th November
During lesson we started our action plan for the Skills Audit and then I finished it up at home. This is all the work that is required for the skills audit so its good to get it done now before its deadline at the end of the week. The action plan covers our weaknesses and what we need to do in order to fix them. Even after this project it will be useful as I can look back on it and see how much I’ve improved.
Cinematographer
(Unit 03 LO2 2.1)
