2. Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K
The Pocket Cinema Camera is a camera made by Black Magic Design
and is the best cinema when on a budget. I am using this camera for
its 4K capabilities, Pro Res recording and low light performance. It
was either this or my canon 600d which is only 1080p, has no RAW
recording and the image is unusable over ISO 1600.
• I am going to use this camera mainly for its RAW recording,
specifically that Blackmagic RAW that is integrated into the
BMPCC. It allows me to fix my mistakes on set and still have a
high quality image. BRAW allows for the quality, dynamic range
and controls as regular RAW but with smaller file sizes. To also
save space I will be using an 8:1 or 12:1 compression ratio as it
still has a higher enough quality for what I need and will allow me
to capture more as the file sizes are smaller. At 12:1, 305 mins of
recoding is available on my 500gb drive.
• I am also going to rig it up too add weight. This will increase the
handheld stability and add some protection to it. I am getting a
modular cage for it so I can mount a top handle and SSD to it. I
will also be putting it on rails so I can add a lens support as my
24-105 L lens is very heavy and because of the MFT lens mount
on the BMPCC I have to get an adapter. The rails will let me easily
mount the audio recorder and mic onto the camera for ease of
use. The rails will also let me mount a V lock battery and a follow
focus should I ever get one in the future
24-105 Canon Lens
Viltrox Speed Booster
BMPCC 4K
SmallRig Cage
Handle
SSDMicrophone
3. Sound Recording
Sound is one on the most important things when it comes to film. I will be using the
Tascam DR-60 for my sound recoding. I have used all of colleges sound recorders
and found this one to be the best. I will pair it with the Sennheiser microphone to
produce the best sound available to me.
• Boom Mics
• Boom mics are used on set to capture audio as close the actor as possible. They work
really well in close ups and medium shots but not on wides.
• I am hoping to employ a boom mic on my shoot if I can find someone to do it for me.
• On camera mics
• Camera mounted mics work great when shooting alone as it can be placed and left
mounted. This also works well in the close ups and the camera is locked off near the
actor anyway
• I will use this if I cant get a boom operator.
• Using a recorder
• Using an external recorder means that I don’t have to record audio into the camera
and it usually gives me more options in terms of adjusting the volume and gain on
each mics
• The Tascam DR-60 has 2 mounting points meaning it can be stuck on the camera or a
tripod allowing me to run the shoot as one man if it came to that.
• Syncing in post
• From researching the best ways to sync audio I discovered that DaVinci Resolve has a
built in auto-sync that works really well.
• Premier Pro has an auto-sync but its hidden at the bottom of a menu and only works
with multi-camera shots.
• I will be using a slate on set to keep track of everything which creates an audio and
visual sync point, so depending what software I edit in it may be a case of using that
slate noise as my syncing method.
5. Editing BRAW
I plan to shoot my film in Blackmagic
RAW (BRAW) as BRAW allows for the
same quality, dynamic range and
controls as regular RAW but with
smaller file sizes
• To edit BRAW I will need to install
the Blackmagic plugin for Premier
Pro as it doesn't work natively. This
isn’t a big deal as it is free and low
in file size
• To maximise the look of the film I
will be using a LUT as my main
colour driver. These fit nicely into a
RAW file as it can boost the
contrast and add style to shots
6. Editing for Thriller
Thrillers are characterized and defined by the moods they elicit,
giving viewers heightened feelings of suspense, excitement,
surprise, anticipation and anxiety. I want to elicit this emotional
response not only through my story and visuals but through the
edit too as they all work to build the film. These editing
techniques are:
• Jump Cuts
• A jump cut is an abrupt transition between shots that usually break scene
continuity.
• I will use them to show the backwards and forwards between my main character
and the character in the car
• Elliptical Cut
• An elliptical cut is when time is cut out of the film. It is usually used to cut boring
bits of time out the story as too keep the audience interested.
• I may use these types of cuts to move my character from locations and show the
time move with a caption or a clock
• Shot Reverse Shot
• A shot reverse shot cut is used when a character is interacting with usually
another person. It is a way of show dynamics in a conversation by placing the
camera at low and high angles.
• I am going to use this to show the interaction between the main character and
the Chinese hacker group on the phone by using the same idea of dynamics in a
conversation.
• Fast Paced Cuts
• Fast editing is used during the action and conveys the energy and sometimes
anger in a scene
• I will use fast editing during the main scene to show the energy and frustration
that the character is feelings
• Slower Cuts
• Slower cuts are used in thrillers to build up suspension are usually found before a
big scene comes up to build the anticipation and anxiety
• I be editing to a slower pace up until the main action scene of the film and for the
reason stated above
7. Aspect Ratio
Aspect ratios play a big roll in creating the aesthetic of a shot
and film. It can be as simple as using aspect ratio to convey a
time period or using it to show claustrophobia with a more
1.33:1 cramped frame or add context to scene with an
anamorphic looking 2.35:1 widescreen frame.
• Choosing an aspect ratio
• In my film I want to convey the sense that the character is trapped
in his own mind so I will be using an aspect ratio close to that used
on A Ghost Story by A24.
• Telling a story with aspect ratio
• In the film my character slowly feels more confined and
claustrophobic in the space. I will do this by having the sides of the
screen slowly move in from a 2.35:1 to a 1.33:1
• Mixing Aspect ratios
• Another idea I had was to mix aspect aspect ratios to show
different states of mind. I feel like this will work nicely as I am
mixing up cinematography styles to show this so they will play into
each other nicely.
• Mixing aspect ratios can show a number of things. One being
showing the emotions of the character. It can also and most
commonly used to show the time period of a film, this is used in
The Grand Budapest Hotel to help differentiate stories.
8. Bibliography
• Anon. (2019). Blackmagic RAW. Available:
https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/uk/products/blackmagicraw. Last accessed
28 Jan 2020.
• Film Riot (2018) Editing with Proxies. [YouTube video] Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CsxOTvF7mk [Accessed 20/02/2020]
• Gooderham. (2016). Technical Conventions of Thriller Films. Available:
https://www.slideshare.net/RGooderham/technical-conventions-of-thriller-films.
Last accessed 28th Jan 2020.
• Eccles, R. (2016). Editing in Thriller films. Available:
https://prezi.com/mog_rlfxl0gt/editing-in-thriller-films/. Last accessed 28 Jan
2020.
• Hellerman, J. (2019). An Aspect Ratio Guide for Every Filmmaker.Available:
https://nofilmschool.com/Aspect-Ratio-Examples-For-Filmmakers. Last accessed
28 Jan 2020.
• Studiobinder. (2019). The Definitive Guide to Aspect Ratio. Available:
https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/aspect-ratio/. Last accessed 28 Jan 2020.
10. Researched Products Posters Tear Down – Mr. Robot
Red
Hacking code
Glitch effect
NYC Skyline
Distinctive Font
Blue
Black
Contrast Colour
Dark clothing
Single Character
Face Partially Covered
Glitch text effect
11. Distinctive Font
Future Tech
Masked Character
LA Skyline
Defining Landmark
Multiple Characters
Researched Products Posters Tear Down – Watch Dogs 2
Recognisable Logo
Glitch Effect
Lines of code
Looking over the city
Blue
12. Analysis
• What they have in common
• One thing the posters have in common is the use of the city skyline that each story is set in. They are both silhouetted out
and used as a background. It helps break up the background gradient and foreground image adding layers to each poster
• The colour blue is used throughout each poster. More so in the watch dogs poster as the main character wears blue. The Mr.
Robot poster uses it do add contrast to the blacked out character and red text. It is also a light blue colour reflecting the
colour of a compute screen.
• Each poster has a very distinctive font that is used across all the posters and marketing materials. The Watch Dogs font is
very pixeled and block-y, this works with the cyber theme of the game. The Mr. Robot font is taken from a fan made SAGA
font. It works nicely as a reference to the name being used by the shop front in the show from the 90s
• What are the differences
• The character representation in each poster is very different. The watch dogs posters contain a masked character wearing
glasses to cover his identity. This relates to the secretive actions of the group that he is associated with. It works really well in
creating the mystery and intrigue making people wanting to play the game. This is very different to the Mr. Robot poster that
features the character very prominently. This is because they want to emphasise the main actors role in the in the show. The
show also explores the themes of mental health and being on the border of a mental breakdown which is shown nicely
through the hood blocking half the face in the bottom poster and the shading on the face on the other bottom poster.
• The two posters do colour very different. The Mr. Robot poster uses very basic colours, Red, blue and black, to convey the
themes of the show through the poster. With the black showing power, evil and fear surrounding the character and show’s
story. The watch dogs poster has less in terms of colour meaning as its set in real world San Francisco so the colours in the
photo reflect the colours of SF. This does work well to show how colourful the game is and true to life the graphics are.
13. My initial ideas
Projection Photography
My initial idea is to photograph the main actor with projections of code across their face with it spilling into the background. I
think this will work well to add the mystery and technological look the the film will have
15. What is one
A zine is a small-circulation self-published work of original or
appropriated texts and images, usually reproduced via photocopier.
Zines are the product of either a single person or of a very small
group, and are printed in limited numbers
• They are used to show off creative expression without needing a
publisher/professional printer. The general consensus is that zines
are good for everything especially photography. I want to create one
to show off the production of my short. It will include big stills from
the film with all the information such as ISO, SS, WB, timecode etc
labelled as if taken from the camera monitor. As I am shooting raw
this information can be taken from the shot metadata that can be
accessed form premier pro.
• I also want to create pages for the different aspects of production
• Images of shooting the film.
• Images at work creating the music.
• Images of the editing suite at action.
• Images from the test screening I want to conduct.
• I will be styling it with the same font as the poster and same style of
the poster to keep everything constant.
17. Questionnaire
The goal for this questionnaire was to fill in the gaps that my previous
audience research didn’t fill and get personal opinions on minor details
that can affect the script massively
• As I am marketing this towards towards fans of Watch Dogs and Mr. Robot I
will post the survey in their sub reddit to get feedback from that angel.
• I also wanted to get some non-demographic answers in the mix so I asked my
family group chats and friends
• All this data really helped me to finalise my research especially coming from
different backgrounds and having interests
• Overall I got 100 responses from many different income streams so I feel as if
this is enough to gain a proper understanding of what I need
18. Question 1
I asked this question so I could get
peoples opinion on what they think
about technical realism. I wanted
people to say yes as I know that
technical accuracy would help make it
more believable. I didn’t want to have
to fill my script with techno-babble
like an old episode of star trek as it
takes away from the realism.
From the 100 responses 93% said yes
so that’s really gone in my favour. I feel
like I can effectively convey realism
into the script through the righting
19. Question 2
I know that the general consensus is
that big companies don’t deal with
user data responsibly and people
don’t trust them. I wanted a
percentage so I can maybe reference it
in my script and use it in my script
research.
With 73% of people saying they don’t
trust big companies it means I can
work it into my script nicely.
20. Question 3/4
These questions worked together to
give me an understating of peoples
opinions of smart speakers and how
trustworthy the customers are. I
wanted to know this because an idea
for the set is too have the character
built his own voice AI.
With 54% of people owning a voice
smart device and 90% saying they
don’t trust the companies who make
them it would make sense to make
your own
21. Question 5
I asked this question so I could
find out a percentage of how
many people consider themselves
technologically knowledgably. I
wanted to know if I made the
tech talk overly complicated it
would pass over peoples heads
but with 71% of people saying yes
it leads me to believe I can make
it sound complex and people
would still understand it
22. Films & TV Shows
Hush (2016) [dir. M, Flanagan]
Mr Robot (2015) [dir. S, Esmail]
Watch Dog (2016) [stu. Ubisoft]
Drive (2011) [dir. N, Refn]
Se7en (1996) [dir. D, Fincher]
Quantum of Solace (2008) [dir. M, Foster]
Get Out (2017) [dir. J, Peele]
The Grand Budapest (2014) [dir. W, Anderson]
Maria (2019) [dir. P, Lopez]
Bandersnatch (2018) [dir. D, Slade]
CSI: Cyber (2015-2016) [created by A,
Donahue. C, Mendelsohn. A, Zuiker.]
Hackers (1995) [dir. I, Softley]
• Anon. (Unkown). Blackmagic Pocket Cinema
Camera. Available:
https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/uk/products
/blackmagicpocketcinemacamera. Last accessed
9th Feb 2020.
• Beutler, W. (2015). No Logo: The Fictional
Brands of Mr. Robot.Available:
https://www.beutlerink.com/blog/no-logo-the-
fictional-brands-of-mr-robot. Last accessed 13th
Feb 2020.
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