Sean



1. When reading a film script, what do the following acronyms stand for and what do they mean?

LS - Long Shot

MS - Medium Shot

MCU - Medium Close Up

CU - Close Up

XCU - Extreme Close-Up

EXT - Exterior setting

INT - Interior setting

VO - Voice over

POV – Point of View or particular actor

OS – Over the shoulder shot or off screen

SFX – Special effects

2. What do the following terms mean?

CUT – This refers to different camera shots used during editing. The director will make different cuts during the scene to mix up the perspective of the camera.

DISSOLVE- this is another type of scene switching technique. The viewer will see the scene dissolve directly into another scene.

FADE-IN and FADE-OUT – These are cuts that separate a scene. Fade in starts with black and fades in to the scene. Fade out starts with scene and fades to blackness.

CUTAWAY - is a related shot that is "away" from the basic scene. This simply means mixing shots related to same scene. Like in the film “Rudy”, many cutaway shots were used to show the crowds reaction to Rudy tackling the runner.

ZOOM – This a built in camera effect that allows the camera viewer to focus in very closely to whatever is being filmed. This zoom happens without the need to physically move the camera.

DOLLY – When a camera is physically moved toward or away from the subject. No zoom but rather actual camera movement.

3. How long is the average feature film script? Average script is between 100 to 120 pages. The reading says that each page usually represent about a minute of screen time. media type="file" key="comedy edit.flv" width="360" height="270" media type="file" key="Comedy 2 mariachi.flv" width="360" height="270"
 * composed w/ loops**
 * Borrowed Music**

Music can definitely be humorous and funny. It doesn't even have to be paired with images or dialogue. Here's a great video series from 1959 that explains why/how music can be funny: Leonard Bernstein Young People's Orchestra
 * Can music by itself be humorous or funny?**

I don't think music by itself can be funny. I believe music can enhance the comedy of a scene or story. Without lyrics, dialog or a scene to look at, I would be a little confused as to what the composer wanted me to listen for. I think that music by itself can be lighthearted or feel spontaneous, but as a humorous piece I think music needs to be accompanied by something else in order to be humorous or funny.

Music can be very funny, solely, if not for any other reason, because of our imaginations. One would envision, because of common sounds and events that would make one laugh, a scene in their heads to the music.


 * What techniques are used to make a humorous or funny piece of music?**
 * Sporadic crescendos and decrescendos of the melody
 * Staggered chordal structures
 * Unusual accents in certain parts of the songs.
 * A short pause in the music. Unexpected pauses
 * High pitched crescendos
 * Unruly low-pitched sounds
 * Usually the music is played quite fast.
 * Instead of using sound effects Instruments are played to add comedic relief to something that might be scary to children. (For example: Flutes are played very fast from a hi to low pitch which renders the event of falling down a ladder funny.)
 * The tempo is often up beat and faced paced. The use of silly sound effects.
 * Staccato notes and fast tempos
 * Shocking noises and sounds can also add to a piece's humor.
 * Sounds that are unexpected are always funny.
 * Contrasting sounds
 * Iincorporating cliches.

3. What kind of instruments and sounds are used to make a piece of music humorous or funny? Make a list. Brass: Trombones, Tubas Strings: Violin, Bass Flutes, Trombones, Tubas Percussion: Slapsticks, Tympani, Chimes, Xylophone, Cymbals Reeds: Bassoon, Oboe, Saxophones, Kazoo Making vocal sounds with instruments media type="file" key="Happy Chappy Quirky Instrumental Music (Jon Brooks).flv" width="360" height="270"

media type="file" key="emotional ruskie montage.flv" width="360" height="270" Emotional Ruskie Montage media type="file" key="Rhythmic Ruskie Montage.flv" width="360" height="270" Rhythmic Ruskie Montage media type="file" key="Montage_Intelectual.flv" width="360" height="270" Intellectual Montage

A Montage is a technique in film editing in which a series of short shots are edited into a sequence to condense space, time, and information.

In French film practice, "montage" has its literal French meaning (assembly, installation) and simply identifies editing. In __ Soviet filmmaking __ of the 1920s, "montage" was a method of juxtaposing shots to derive new meaning that did not exist in either shot alone. In classical Hollywood cinema, a " montage sequence " is a short segment in a film in which narrative information is presented in a condensed fashion.

Rocky, the godfather, Karate kid media type="file" key="Karate Kid Montage - Youre the Best.flv" width="360" height="270"

Intellectual: uses shots which, combined, elicit an intellectual meaning.
 * Metric: the editing follows a specific number of frames (based purely on the physical nature of time), cutting to the next shot no matter what is happening within the image. This montage is used to elicit the most basal and emotional of reactions in the audience.
 * Rhythmic: includes cutting based on time, but using the visual composition of the shots -- along with a change in the speed of the metric cuts -- to induce more complex meanings than what is possible with metric montage. Once sound was introduced, rhythmic montage also included audial elements (music, dialogue, sounds).
 * Tonal: a tonal montage uses the emotional meaning of the shots -- not just manipulating the temporal length of the cuts or its rhythmical characteristics -- to elicit a reaction from the audience even more complex than from the metric or rhythmic montage. For example, a sleeping baby would emote calmness and relaxation.
 * Overtonal/Associational: the overtonal montage is the cumulation of metric, rhythmic, and tonal montage to synthesize its effect on the audience for an even more abstract and complicated effect.

A montage could totally become cliche, featuring cheesy rock 80's music, a husky male voice, and a female vocal with the chorus and fading out at the end of the montage sequence. This has been done over and over again, and a good example of a cliche is this clip from Team America World Police. media type="file" key="We are gonna need a montage!.flv" width="360" height="270" 6. How might you approach choosing or composing music for a montage sequence? What would you want to know about the sequence? I would take a look at the time period in the movie, and the overall feel of the film, and then determine how long I need to compose music for to fit the montage scene. I would pretty much go way over the top and make it as cliche as possible.

media type="file" key="leitmotif_Victory.mp3" width="240" height="20" media type="file" key="leitmotif_Investigation.mp3" width="240" height="20" media type="file" key="leitmotif_Chase.mp3" width="240" height="20"

media type="file" key="leitmotif_inner struggle.mp3" width="240" height="20"

A recognizable melody that a part or all of a composition is based upon. An overall "feel" of the film/production. Gives the audience a sense of how they should feel watching the film. "Guides" emotion. A musical theme is an overall theme that’s fits a scene or place. These themes continue throughout a film or opera when a place or particular mood is revisited.
 * What is a musical theme?**

A recurring musical theme that is associated with a particular person, place, or idea. A leitmotif is a symbol or theme within the overall theme. A leitmotif is more descriptive, and is set to a particular character typically. So when a main character enters the screen or stage, that character is given a theme that signifies him/her. Usually the most important characters are given a theme, but a leitmotif is also used to pronounce what is happening in stage or screen.
 * What is a leitmotif?**

A theme is more encompassing than a leitmotif, in other words, a leitmotif is a character's theme or a place's theme as opposed to the theme of the whole movie or composition. Leitmotifs are more specific in that they relate directly to a person or place whereas a theme encompasses the entire production. The main difference is that a leitmotif is used in conjunction with a theme. In other words a leitmotif changes or adapts depending on what is happening. So a main character may have a theme dedicated to them, but if they were to die, the leitmotif would still be there, but morphed into something more sorrowful. So it’s still that characters theme, but changes to affect the audience’s mood. In contrast to an "idea" or "Motif", a theme is usually a complete phrase or period.
 * What difference is there, if any, between a theme and a leitmotif?**

A formal technique that repeats the same material but in an altered form. This is music that has been repeated, but in a different form. A leitmotif uses musical variations to show the adaptation of characters and places. The changes may involve harmony, melody, counterpoint, rhythm, timbre, orchestration or any combination of these.
 * What is meant by a musical variation?**

In the film Gladiator, whenever something positive happens to the main character (kills opponent, wins major battle), a certain theme is played. It is very dramatic, but it’s also uplifting.
 * Name/identify some uses of leitmotif you've heard in movies, TV, or video games**

In the television show Lost, every main character has his/her own leitmotif. The score is only played when something of major significance happens to one of those characters.

media type="file" key="SMcElroy_underscore.flv" width="360" height="270" media type="file" key="Sad Dog.mp3" width="240" height="20" Sad dog media type="file" key="Flower stalker.mp3" width="240" height="20" Stalker beats media type="file" key="Bombed out.mp3" width="240" height="20" Bombed out

In film production, underscoring is the playing of [|music] quietly under [|dialogue] or a visual scene. It is usually done to establish a mood or theme. In a play, sometimes [|incidental music] is used for this purpose. Tonality, melody, rhythm, harmony, and timbre are all very important in music, especially when it comes to underscoring. If you have harsh tones or a melody that doesn’t fit the scene it could ruin your film. media type="file" key="McElroy_Lost in translation McElroy.flv" width="360" height="270" media type="file" key="McElroy_roger rabbit 2.flv" width="360" height="270"


 * Diagetic Music:**

Sound whose source is visible on the screen or whose source is implied to be present by the action of the film: Diegetic sound is any sound presented as originated from source within the film's world Diegetic sound can be either on screen or off screen depending on whatever its source is within the frame or outside the frame. Another term for diegetic sound is actual sound**Shot** - a recording of a single take.
 * voices of characters
 * sounds made by objects in the story
 * music represented as coming from instruments in the story space ( = source music)