Industry Technology NEW TEMPLATE - Los Angeles Film … · INDUSTRY TECHNOLOGY ... film crews needed to lay heavy dolly ... with less light (“Digital Vs Film”, 2015). Why Shoot

INDUSTRY TECHNOLOGYInventions & Advances That Shaped Today’s Industry

© The Los Angeles Film School

OVERVIEWTechnology has been a catalyst for change in our industry since the very first motion picture. Some technologies were developed specifically for film or television, while others were adopted from other disciplines. This document outlines just a few of the many technologies that have shaped our industry, categorized by camera, sound, lighting and postproduction (the stage of production that occurs after shooting).

Click on a topic in the left column to go directly to that page. Links in blue are required. Links in purple are supplemental viewing (you are not required to view them, but they can be useful resources).

CAMERAS (WEEK 1) VIDEO ASSIST ANAMORPHIC LENS STEADICAM ROBOTIC CAMERAS 3D COLOR FILM & TECHNICOLOR FILM VERSUS DIGITAL

SOUND (WEEK 2) THE HISTORY OF SOUND AT THE MOVIES BOOM POLE & BOOM MIC WIRELESS MICROPHONES

LIGHTING (WEEK 3) FLUORESCENT HMI LED EDISON ROTATING STAGE FRESNEL

POST-PRODUCTION (WEEK 4) MONTAGE THEORY NON-LINEAR EDITING BLUE/GREEN SCREEN CGI


CAMERAS VIDEO ASSISTIn the late 1950s, Jerry Lewis was directing films in which he also starred. Not being able to see himself perform live, he needed a way to review his performance in a timely manner. Since the routine at the time involved a 24-hour time frame to develop film, Lewis needed to come up with something new. In 1960, Lewis pioneered the technique of mounting a video camera next to the film camera. Both would record the action on set and Lewis could easily playback the tape from the video camera while on set. Today, virtually every movie set has this device, known as a video assist. Credit has been given to Lewis for this invention for years, but there is actually no patent in his name. The idea for video assist dates to 1947. The inventor Jim Songer is credited with the development of the modern video assist in the early 1960s (Bohus, 2009).





Image (Unknown, 1960)


What is an anamorphic lens? Why is it important? To understand the answers to these questions, you first need to understand aspect ratio. Watch this video:

The Changing Shape of Cinema: The History of the Aspect Ratio





Image (FilmmakerIQ.com, 2013)

CAMERAS ANAMORPHIC LENS

https://vimeo.com/68830569



It was the 1970s and in order to get a smooth tracking or dolly shot, film crews needed to lay heavy dolly track for the camera and gear to glide across. But this took time and money. Cinematographer Garrett Brown was tired of this process and set out to come up with a better way. The result was the Steadicam. Brown created a demo reel titled 30 Impossible Shots to demonstrate the types of shots he could get with his new invention. The two-minute reel was something that had never been seen before — one camera person getting smooth shots with a trackless device. After seeing the footage, Brown and the Steadicam were booked for the film Rocky (1976). Today the Steadicam is used on big-budget films and independent films alike and in television. It has paved the way for more modern renditions of the handheld stabilizer (Arbour, 2014).





CAMERAS STEADICAM

http://uds.ak.o.brightcove.com/769341148/769341148_3729004841001_GB-30-SHOTS-H264.mp4?pubId=769341148&videoId=3728940297001


Robotic cameras allow the remote operation of multiple cameras — most of the time by a single individual. It’s now easier than ever to produce a multi-camera shoot with minimal crew. Major news stations have adopted the use of robotic cameras, and even smaller television stations have made the switch, as robotic cameras are becoming less expensive. There are essentially three kinds of robotic camera systems:

• Track-based: The cameras move on predetermined tracks installed on the floor or close to the ceiling. The cameras are tied to an automated system.

• Joystick: The cameras are controlled by an operator using a remote joystick, longing control of pan, tilt, zoom and pedestal (camera height).

• Presenter tracking system: This system allows the tracking of a presenter, host or performer using a magnetic or similar tracking device that the individual carries on their person. Cameras and lighting can be programed to accurately track the individual.

Check out a behind the scenes look at the job of a robotic camera operator.





CAMERAS ROBOTIC CAMERAS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1js6w1FSbTM


3D movies have gone in and out of popularity every few decades, with rises in popularity occurring along with advances in technology. • 1920s - Stereoscopic 3D films were projected on two separate screens and required the audience to

view the film through a stereoscope, which merged the two images and created the illusion of 3D. Anaglyph glasses were first used for the film The Power of Love (1922). Viewers wore these glasses with lenses of opposite colors and viewed the film that was projected on a pair of film strips.

• 1950s - Although 3D technology wasn’t quite perfected at the time, the 1950s is considered the golden age of 3D film. During this time, two separate projectors were required to show two film reels in perfect synchronization. Any error in synchronization would cause eye strain or headaches for viewers.

• 1960s - The 1960s saw technological advances with Space-Vision 3D, which worked by overlaying two images on a single reel. This eliminated the need for synchronization, but projected films with less image clarity.

• 1970s - Stereovision’s 3D format used anamorphic film strips to display two images side-by-side on one strip. When projected through a filter, the images combined to create the 3D effect (Wrenn, 2009).

• 1980s - IMAX was the dominant producer of 3D films in the 1980s. They took great care to ensure that reels were kept in sync (Wrenn, 2009).

• 2000s - Director James Cameron had the idea for Avatar (2009) fifteen years before he began filming, but decided to wait until 3D technology improved to begin shooting the film. He co-developed a new version of a stereoscopic camera, combining two cameras together to function the way human eyes do and capture the entire image in three dimensions (Schedeen, 2010). Watch a video explanation here.





CAMERAS 3D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2squ9HDuBeI


The History and Science of Color Film: From Isaac Newton to the Coen Brothers






CAMERAS COLOR FILM & TECHNICOLOR




For the first 50 years, there was only one option for shooting a movie, and that was on motion picture film stock. With advances in technology came analog video and later digital video cameras and recording. The first major studio film shot primarily on digital video was Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) (“Digital Vs Film”, 2015). In this video, George Lucas and his crew talk about the production.

Why Shoot Film • Depth of field: Film makes it easier to create areas of soft focus within the frame. • Dynamic exposure range: Greater variances of exposure are visible on film. More detail can been seen

with less light (“Digital Vs Film”, 2015).

Why Shoot Video • Workflow: Digital video is already digitized and ready to be edited on a computer or viewed after

recording. Film needs to be developed and digitized before editing can begin. • Price: Film is more expensive. • Reproducibility: Digital video can be reproduced without loss in image/sound quality (“Digital Vs Film”,

2015).





You have completed the Industry Technology reading for Week 1.

CAMERAS FILM VERSUS DIGITAL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Byb2cHTMStg


Watch the video linked below.

Topics include: • The idea of synchronized picture & sound (00:42) • Thomas Edison’s Kinetophone (01:59) • Sound-on-disk (03:45) • Sound-on-film (04:45) • Vitaphone (08:52) • The first “talkies” (12:38) • Multichannel/Multitrack Sound (21:13) • Dolby A (25:35) • THX Sound System, Dolby Digital and others (29:24)





The History of Sound at the Movies


SOUND THE HISTORY OF SOUND AT THE MOVIES

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot5IryUt9SM&ebc=ANyPxKqlu-hUtDEyJvnPb3lAoyK8mbIG1vQtFTo88FDC2q318e3OC85FYpLNg3LhbsE-Pfr_Mq8XZBvglq5bP6cMzTOQQJrfWg



Now used on practically every film set, a boom microphone attached to a boom pole and held by the boom operator in order to get a clean audio recording of on-set dialogue and ambient sound without getting the microphone in the shot. The boom pole is a vital piece of sound equipment, but before films were recorded with sound, there was no need for such a device. The boom pole was invented when Paramount Studios produced its first “talkie” The Wild Party (1929). Director Dorothy Arzner thought up the device as a way to keep the microphone out of the way of the camera while allowing her actors to walk freely around the set speaking their lines. Her prototype was a microphone attached to a fishing rod. But Arzner did not patent her invention, and in 1930, E. H. Hansen patented the first boom microphone complete with directional control (Bellis, n.d.). Arzner was also the first female member of the Directors Guild of America (DGA).





Image (McBride, n.d.)

SOUND BOOM POLE & BOOM MIC


A wireless microphone uses frequencies to transmit sound to an amplifier or recording device (receiver) without need of a physical cable, and has become widely used in the entertainment industry. Wireless microphones were first used by television in 1960, when reporters could travel around the floor of the Democratic and Republican National Conventions to interview candidates (Beacham, 2014, para. 7). Wireless microphones offer greater mobility than their cabled counterparts, but with a limited range from the receiver and limited battery life. There are two general types: • Hand-held is held by the speaker. The battery and transmitter are stored within the handle. • Lavalier is clipped to the speaker’s clothing. The battery and transmitter are stored in a pack also

clipped to clothing, but out of sight of the camera. Also known as a lapel mic since it’s commonly clipped to the lapel of a suit jacket.





Hand-held Lavalier


SOUND WIRELESS MICROPHONES


While filming of the movie Barfly (1987), director of photography Robby Müller couldn't fit traditional lights in a cramped space. Coming up with the solution, the film’s gaffer and best boy designed a light with a remote ballast (which regulates power to the lamps), allowing it to be lightweight enough to be taped to a wall. Frieder Hochheim (gaffer) and Gary Swink (best boy) manufactured their invention and created the company Kino Flo to market it to the film industry. The Kino Flo was a quick success and is now standard lighting equipment (Brown, 2013). Fluorescent lights are not only practical, they also emit a soft light that makes them applicable for every sector of the industry. Recent movies that feature Kino Flo lights are the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Harry Potter series and Troy (2004) (Cooper, 2005).





LIGHTING FLUORESCENT


In the late 1960s German television producers hired a company to develop a less expensive alternative to the traditional incandescent lighting used in the film industry. The company, Osram, developed the HMI light as a cheaper and more efficient alternative to incandescent bulbs. HMIs (Hydrargyum Medium Arc-Length Iodides) use a high-voltage arc to create light and require about half the power of an incandescent bulb of similar power output (Orwell, n.d.). HMI fixtures are also a highly efficient source of daylight-balanced light, meaning they are daylight–color-balanced without the need for a filter (“HMI Lighting”, n.d.).





LIGHTING HMI


Although fluorescent and tungsten lights are popular among film lighting crews, LED (light emitting diode) lights are becoming a real option for filmmakers. LEDs offer a wide range of sources as well as being mobile. LEDs run off of battery or house power and are smaller and more light-weight than tungsten lights, making them easier to set up. They also produce less heat, making them easier to handle and adjust. Tungsten lights, the traditional film lighting source for more than 75 years, are still the most competitively priced. But due to their long life and low operating cost, LEDs are taking over on many sets as a less expensive option. The average life of a Tungsten bulb is 1,200 hours while an LED source can last an average of 50,000 hours (Paul, 2015). The long bulb life, higher light output, improved color, minimal heat and power consumption of today’s LED lights makes them a great choice for film crews in need of portable and efficient lighting (Jackman, 2012).





LIGHTING LED


In the early days of motion pictures, the lower sensitivity of the film stocks meant that the sun was the only source powerful enough to get a descent exposure. Therefore, most films were shot outdoors during the day. But in 1893, Thomas Edison unveiled his latest invention which he called “Black Maria.” Also know as the Edison Rotating Stage, the Black Maria (right) was a building that was open to the sky and could rotate on its base in order to maintain orientation with the sun. This first studio was built in New Jersey, and in the years following, studios were built with skylights, using muslin to diffuse the sun light when necessary (Brown, 2012).





Image (Unknown, 1890s)

LIGHTING EDISON ROTATING STAGE


The Fresnel (pronounced Fruh-nell) lens, named for its inventor Augustin Jean Fresnel, dates back to 1819. Originally developed as an improved lighting system for lighthouses, Fresnel lenses are now widely used in film and television (Pepper, 2007). The lens developed by the French inventor was made up of concentric circles, making it much thinner and less prone to breakage than traditional lenses. The Fresnel lens evens out the light and allows it to range from flood light to spotlight by adjusting the distance between the lamp and the lens (Lackey, 2015).





Image (Hausmann, n.d.) Image (Pko, 2006)

Cross-section of a Fresnel Lens (left) and a typical lens of equivalent power (right)


LIGHTING FRESNEL LENS


The Soviet Montage Theory is a theory developed by Russian filmmaker, Sergei Eisenstein in the 1920s. Eisenstein believed that film montage could have meaning beyond the individual images. He proposed that multiple images edited together could create an emotional or intellectual response making the whole greater than the sum of its parts. Watch the video linked below which explains more about montage editing.

Topics include: • The birth of Soviet cinema (00:46) • Founding of The Moscow Film School (01:47) • The Kuleshov Workshop (02:25) • The Kuleshov Effect (04:07) • Montage (06:26) • Sergei Eisenstein & The Theory of Montage (06:48) • Five Methods of Montage (09:22)





The History of Cutting - The Soviet Theory of Montage


POST-PRODUCTION MONTAGE THEORY




In the early days of film, physical strips of film were cut and spliced together to edit the movie. Video engineers developed a system for simulating the film splice by recording bits of video from one tape to another in a linear fashion — from the beginning to end of the video. This is referred to as linear editing, sometimes called tape-to-tape or deck-to-deck editing. Linear editing was the standard for many years, until the advent of computer technology and the introduction of the non-linear editing system, or NLE for short. With non-linear editing a film or video can be edited in any order and changes can be made non-destructively. The three most popular NLE systems today are Avid, Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro.

• 1984 Lucasfilm debuted EditDriod. • 1985 The “Harry” by Quantel is released. It could apply effects to a maximum of 80 seconds of

digital video. • 1987 Avid Technology created the Avid/1 Media Composer. See an Avid demo video from 1989

here. • 1991 Adobe released Premiere 1.0 for the Mac. • 1992 Let’s Kill All the Lawyers was the first feature-length film digitally edited using Avid. • 1994-95 Only three feature-length films had been edited digitally by 1994, but by 1995, there were

hundreds. • 1996 The English Patient was the first digitally edited film to win the Oscar for Best Editing (Walter

Murch on the Avid). • 1999 Apple released Final Cut Pro. See a Final Cut demo video from 1999 here. • 2001 The Rules of Attraction, was the first feature-length film edited using Final Cut Pro (Kennedy,

2011). • 2014 Gone Girl was the first feature-length film edited entirely with Adobe Premiere Pro.





Image (Stein, n.d.)

POST-PRODUCTION NON-LINEAR EDITING

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzy94vWUitE&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS6pjJ4eiVY&feature=youtu.be


Chroma Key, or blue/green screen, although used during production, really comes to life during post-production. Watch the following video for more information:





Movie Making History of Blue and Green Screen Effects

Image (Videomaker, 2008)

POST-PRODUCTION BLUE/GREEN SCREEN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtjlDGIe1lo



CGI (computer generated imagery) has become so widely used in film and television that you may not even notice that what you’re seeing isn't real. Although CGI was first used in the film Westworld (1973) and to some extent in the original Star Wars (1977), it didn’t really take off until 1993 and the production of Jurassic Park. In 1995, Toy Story became the first film entirely animated with computers and proved that CGI had more to offer than just visual effects. Although CGI is costly and takes time, it has become the standard for both effects and animation. CGI is used in film and television and can create incredibly realistic scenes (Nickson, 2013). Watch the video Why GCI Sucks (Except It Doesn’t) for more information.






POST-PRODUCTION CGI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL6hp8BKB24


REFERENCES

Text Arbour, F. (2014, August 18). Impossible Shots: The Invention of the Steadicam. Retrieved May 1, 2016, from http://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/impossible-shots-the-invention-of-the-steadicam/ Beacham, F. (2014, October 14). Wireless Microphones Face an Uncertain Future. Retrieved May 1, 2016, from https://www.thebroadcastbridge.com/content/entry/784/wireless-microphones-face-an-uncertain-future Bellis, M. (n.d.). Dorothy Arzner - Boom Microphone. Retrieved May 1, 2016, from http://inventors.about.com/od/audiowaxrecordstomp3/p/Dorothy-Arzner-Boom-Microphone.htm Bohus. (2009, July 28). Did Jerry Lewis Invent And Patent Video Assist? Retrieved May 1, 2016, from http://www.retrothing.com/2009/07/jerry-lewis-didnt-invent-video-assist.html Brown, B. (2012). Motion Picture and Video Lighting (2nd ed.). Focal Press. Brown, B. (2013). Cinematography: Theory and Practice (2nd ed.). Focal Press. Cooper, N. (2005, October 31). Fluorescent Lighting in Film and Video. Retrieved May 1, 2016, from http://www.dvuser.co.uk/content.php?CID=17 Dickson, C. (2013). Technology & Films. Retrieved May, 1 2016 http://www.atechnologysociety.co.uk/technology-films.html Digital Vs Film. (2015, November 3). Retrieved May 1, 2016, from http://www.crimsonskymedia.com/blog/2015/10/31/digital-vs-film HMI Lighting. (n.d.). Retrieved May 1, 2016, from http://www.cinelight.com/hmi-lighting Jackman, J. (2012.) Lighting for Digital Video and Television. 3rd ed. Focal Press. Kennedy, A. (2011). Fun Facts and Dates in Digital Editing ‘Firsts’. Retrieved May, 1 2016 from http://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/fun-facts-and-dates-in-digital-editing-firsts/ Lackey, R. (2015). Let There Be Light – Four Common Types of Film Lights Retrieved May 1, 2016 from https://www.cinema5d.com/common-types-of-film-lights/ Orwell, M. (n.d.). What is HMI lighting? Retrieved May 1, 2016, from http://www.ehow.com/facts_4896138_what-hmi-lighting.html Paul, J. (2015.) Lighting for Film & Video: LED vs Tungsten. Retrieved May 1, 2016 from http://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/lighting-for-film-video-led-vs-tungsten/ Pepper, T. (2007). The incredible Fresnel lens. Retrieved May 1, 2016 from http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/closeups/illumination/fresnel/fresnel.htm Schedeen, J. (2010, April 23). The History of 3D Movie Tech. Retrieved May 1, 2016, from http://www.ign.com/articles/2010/04/23/the-history-of-3d-movie-tech?page=4 Wrenn, E. (2009, August 26). Avatar: How James Cameron's 3D film could change the face of cinema forever. Retrieved May 1, 2016, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1208038/Avatar-How-James-Camerons-3D-film-change-face-cinema-forever.html

http://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/impossible-shots-the-invention-of-the-steadicam/

http://www.retrothing.com/2009/07/jerry-lewis-didnt-invent-video-assist.html

http://www.crimsonskymedia.com/blog/2015/10/31/digital-vs-film

http://www.cinelight.com/hmi-lighting

http://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/fun-facts-and-dates-in-digital-editing-firsts/

http://www.ehow.com/facts_4896138_what-hmi-lighting.html

http://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/lighting-for-film-video-led-vs-tungsten/

http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/closeups/illumination/fresnel/fresnel.htm

http://www.ign.com/articles/2010/04/23/the-history-of-3d-movie-tech?page=4

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1208038/Avatar-How-James-Camerons-3D-film-change-face-cinema-forever.html


REFERENCES

Images FilmmakerIQ.com. (2013). The Changing Shape of Cinema: The History of Aspect Ratio [Video file]. https://vimeo.com/68830569 FilmmakerIQ.com. (2014). The History and Science of Color Film: From Isaac Newton to the Coen Brothers [Video file]. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/73398486 FilmmakerIQ.com. (2014). The History of Cutting - The Soviet Theory of Montage [Video file]. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/86462452 FilmmakerIQ.com. (2014). The History of Sound at The Movies [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot5IryUt9SM&ebc=ANyPxKqlu-hUtDEyJvnPb3lAoyK8mbIG1vQtFTo88FDC2q318e3OC85FYpLNg3LhbsE-Pfr_Mq8XZBvglq5bP6cMzTOQQJrfWg Hausmann, K. (n.d.). [digital image]. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/en/spot-spots-spotlight-fresnel-lens-950389/ McBride, T. (n.d.). Film crew at lake making movie [digital image]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Film_crew_at_lake_making_movie.jpg O’Shea, P. (Photographer). (2010, August 29). Rescued hedgehog [digital image]. Retrieved from http://flickr.com/photos/peteoshea/5476076002/ Pko. (2006). Fresnel lens [digital image]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fresnel_lens.svg Stein, A. (n.d.) [digital image]. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/en/keyboard-keys-computer-hardware-175614/ Unknown. (1960). Jerry Lewis - 1960s [digital image]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jerry_Lewis_-_1960s.jpg Unknown. (1890s). Black Maria [digital image]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Black_Maria.jpg Videomaker. (2008). Movie Making History of Blue and Green Screen Effects [digital image] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtjlDGIe1lo




https://pixabay.com/en/spot-spots-spotlight-fresnel-lens-950389/

http://flickr.com/photos/peteoshea/5476076002/

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fresnel_lens.svg

fromhttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jerry_Lewis_-_1960s.jpg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Black_Maria.jpg


Documents

Industry Technology NEW TEMPLATE - Los Angeles Film … · INDUSTRY TECHNOLOGY ... film crews needed to lay heavy dolly ... with less light (“Digital Vs Film”, 2015). Why Shoot