NARRATIVE STRUCTURE

These are the narrative structures that are used in different single camera productions.

A linear narrative structure is a story line that runs from start to end in chronological order including no flashbacks or flash forwards , and is not broken up in anyway, the most popular linear story lines  are included in soaps such as hollyoaks.
 
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgS8xwy5kHY
This is an episode from Hollyoaks, that show that the storyline is pretty linear , as is set in real time.


Non-linear narratives can be made in anyway possible including flashbacks. this type  of narrative structure can be effective when making a film, as you may want to reveal the end of the story before you begin to tell the start. A lot of films done by 'Tarantino' are non-linear. A TV series perspective I would consider a show like 'arrow' as non-linear because it includes flashbacks on each episode.
 Flashbacks are points in narrative story line were it goes back in time to show something that has happened in the past. There are several ways that the director can enter a flashback.such as bright flash, or zooming right into the eyes or face. the flashbacks usually exit the some way as they entered although this isn't necessary sometimes.


A scene from 'Arrow' season 1 episode 14, this shows the transitions of flashback to real time.
also showing an effect of a flashback by changing the hue colours of the scenes.



Flash-forwards are the opposites of flashbacks; they are used to show the audience a section of the future that is important to the storyline. these are very similar to the flashbacks in a way that they are presented, however flash-fowards are frequently used to open a film/TV. an example an flash.



These scenes show how flash-forward could work, through showing the future first then returning back to the present. unfortunately it was difficult to find a scene from a TV program that displays Future-forward, however i have got a scene from the opening of 'final destination' the film which shows this effectively.

Single stand narrative is a story focused on a single character, like in 'Smallville' is heavily focused on the character 'Tom welling portrays'
   

Multi-strand is telling a story from more than one person's point of view. or two stories of two different people that intervene.(like the TV series one tree hill 2003-2012).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-DVkBF3kWw (one tree hill trailer season 4)
This shows a trailer from one tree hill which pretty much shows that the plot is about two brothers.



Realist narratives are story lines that are believable by that audience because they appear real, or are based on a true story that has happened in the past, or a talent show this is used to good effect in shows like 'greys anatomy','ER' or 'The bill'.
 
 The cast from the show 'ER'





Anti-Realism is a narrative is a narrative that is blatantly not realistically filmed , and used a lot of after effects. providing the movie involves good quality effects and actor's anti-realism can be used to create good films in all different genres by applying suitable effects. 'Battle-star Galactica' is most popular example of an Anti-Realism narrative.

  
Endings

An Open Narrative structure is usually found in television series, in particular, ongoing soap operas such as hollyoaks. In these narratives, the story has no apparent beginning, middle or end, in terms of the actual events. A familiar device in open narratives, especially soap operas, is a cliffhanger ending to each episode, from which the next episode can follow on. As a result, these stories can last a long time, and the program itself can continue for years. 
TV particularly use Open narrative structures, An example of an open TV narrative would be 'LOST' season 1 ending, which leaves the characters in an blurred ending, leaving the audience with questions that can be answered in a season sequel sequel.

 
showing an example(on top) of what an open ending can be 

A Closed Narrative structure is most commonly found in TV. As mentioned before, TV generally exist as one unique story, and contain a beginning, middle and an ending. A story is unraveled before an audience, and then ultimately brought to a conclusion. A closed narrative in a TV does not necessarily mean no sequels can be made. There can be prequels, set before the chronology of the first TV, or a sequel that can create an all-new story, with the same characters. But strictly speaking, they can still be TV in their own right. Sherlock the TV series is a good example of this.

 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj7ZSUkTTVI (season 1 trailer)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vydmN9pzDzg  (season 2 trailer)

Showing an example of the Sherlock box set, indicating that it is a closed narrative on each season but sequels can be made. To tell a new storyline on each season

Show the office

Using this image on top to give you an idea of the characters in the show, also suggesting that its a Multi-strand because it focuses on more than one characters the most.

For example 'the office'

is a linear storyline because it follows the process of a start beginning and end,
it is Multi-strand because its telling a story from more than one persons point of view, or two stories
 of different people that intervene. however episode one focused heavily on a character called 'Michael Scott' portrayed by Steve Carroll.

 
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcK3qGqeqm8
 the link on top shows how its an example of how Multi-strand is done
also showing that it has some elements of the 'realist' movement, because its set in believable places.

Ibelieve its a 'Realist'(some elements) that it is a faithful representation of reality,and shows what happens everyday at the work place. even though its overly dramatic on each scene, it is also a open series because its shown within every week therefore it is a continuation series, because there is a cliff hanger at the end of each episode.




biolography 
http://stramsbottom.edublogs.org/narrative-structures/

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_single_strand_narrative
www.google.com/images

TECHNICAL ELEMENTS part 1

Crane shot
Is a shot taken from a crane, a device resembling the "Cherrypickers" used by the telephone company to repair lines.

 A 'Cherrypicker' using a camera to produce the crane shot and job shot effectively 


  This shows partly what a crane/jib shot do
 The most known uses are to view the actors from above or to move up and away from them (a common way of ending an scene with people meeting up).

Tracking shot,Dolly shot,Trucking shot,crab shot 
It is generally any shot in which the camera moves from one point to another either sideways, in , or out. The camera can be mounted on a set of wheels that move on tracks or on a rubber-tired dolly, or it can be hand-held.

 what is used for dolly/tracking/trucking shot/crab shot                                          how it works

camera operator moves along side
the action. This shot adds excitement
and helps the audience see what
happens as it travels next to the
actors. 


Track -moving the camera forwards or backwards using the dolly

 For track/dolly/trucking shot, professionals often use tracks to ensure smooth and straight movements if using the dolly, mark the floor with masking tape and have at least one other person to move the camera. you can also use a pram or any other device with wheels. provided that you make a solid base for your camera.
For a tracking shot it gives a insight of the area  in a sideways view, and in that 'area' there could be people, vehicle's and surroundings.


Pan and panning shot
Short for panorama, this is a revolving horizontal movement of a camera from left to right or Permit.


showing an example of a camera  moving left to right using the pan

 Pan turning the camera to the left or right whilst mounted on a tripod.

 
Showing an example of what a pan does, were it rotates the surrounding area or character,
A pan is an easier way of showing the character get to area 'A and B' without using multiple camera shots. also helps keep the action movements of a subject concentrated in that one scene as it is being moved around or followed.

 swish pan, flash pan, zip pan
A horizontal movement of the camera at such a rapid rate that the subject photographed blurs on the screen

What a swish pan does which is basically moving from one end to another fast.

Flash pan(like a swish pan but with the effect of lights

An example of what the zip pan does.

 Zip pan on top(camera gets closer as it performs its swish pan).

Similar to a normal pan, these pans work as an effect to automatically move from a scene A and B but faster, and helps to move a storyline faster, a zip pan(in this shit shown on top) however gives a focus on a person or object, with different distant camera shots.
From one subject to another a zip pan occurs very quickly and is used to emphasize the second subject. I would like to think it would be used in areas such as documentary or reality shows.

Steadicam
The invention of cameraman Garrett brown this is a system that excesses hand-held filming with an image steadiness comparable to the tracking shot. A assign redistributes the weight of the camera to the hips of the cameraman; a video monitor frees the cameraman from the eyepiece. it was first used by Haskell Wexler on 'bound for glory' done on 1975.

The architecture of a steady cam
the Steadicam helps the camera look  professionally balanced when creating a scene so viewers can just focus on the images in the film created instead of the shaky camera.

Tilt

 Tilting the camera up and down while on a tripod.

Tilt could be used to get a view of a the areas or people from a high ground, low ground and sideways(to show the mass amount of subjects on areas).

Zoom 

Using the zoom lens(enlarges subject on screen).

 how Zooming is done

Zooming focuses on the subject mater that is displayed on screen and enlarges that subject
so when it is shown in screen, you get the feeling of importance of that particular subject.

Editing

The process by which shots are put together into sequences or scenes. usually described according according to rhythm or pace.

THE PRINCIPLES OF EDITING
To us humans, we see one shot that is followed by another; it is within our nature to relate the shots and the events happening within in either time, space, or both.  This is where Editing Theory happens. But in order to understand its theory, you need to be known of the major hallmarks of editing's history. The first years of film/TV series, editing wasn't used as it is today. When film first came about, people mostly used films to make short films. For example, ‘a ship is pulling into the harbour or a train passing by’. These films/TV series didn’t have much of a story. However, it wasn't long before films made by the Lumiere Brothers, and the Edison Company, contained a plot. These filmmakers would set up a camera, and plainly have a short story take place in front of the lens. They didn't move the camera at all, or take shots from different angles.  The idea of editing was out the picture as well.

THE PURPOSE OF EDITING
At the most major level, editing form determines meaning in a film in the same way that the rhyme form helps determine meaning in a poem. In most Hollywood films/TV series, editing helps determine at least four dimensions of film narrative: in what order you receive information about the plot, how much information you are supposed to receive about the story, how you are supposed to feel about events and characters at any given time, and how you are supposed to experience the pace of the story. In total, as the idea of montage suggests, editing can serve a brain function, often making visual, political, or idea assertions about the activities you are seeing, as well as emotional appeals. This latter activity tends to belong more to the world of advanced and experimental films.

HOW EDITING HAS CHANGED OVER TIME
Before the widespread use of non-linear editing systems, editing of all films was done with a positive copy of the film, it’s called a film work print. Were it was developed in the 1890s by France Britain and USA.
 They did this by physically cutting and pasting together pieces of film, they did this on a machine with a viewer called a Moviola or Steenbeck rollers. Today most films are edited digitally and avoid the film positive work print altogether. In the past, the use of a film positive film allowed the editor to do as much experimenting as the filmer wished, without the risk of damaging the original. And this was the process they went through at that period.

How editing is being done through print


How editing is done through software(this is an example through final cut pro).

Editing is usually used to keep film/TV as exciting as possible, so the viewer isn't bored with just one scene.

Montage
 
 An example what you could do with a montage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7QhUL8NUK4&list=PLE2A4A347E96A308B&index=2
(for the PlayStation 4 reveal)
Montage is a technique in film editing in which a series of short shots are edited into a sequence or put together into a sequence. it is mainly used to show the audiences the best bits of something and combine them as a whole.from the 1930s to the 1950s, montage sequences often combined numerous shorts with special optical effects such as 'fades,dissolves,split screens,double and triple exposures', dance and music.they were usually assembled by someone other than the director or the editor of the movie.

Continuity editing/realist editing
 



 Example of continuity editing

The purpose of continuity editing is to smooth over the inherent discontinuity of the editing process and to establish a logical coherence between shots, and maintains continuous in scenes(people,objects,places etc).

Fast Cutting Editing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRM1nRLCOLs
Fast cutting is a film editing technique which refers to several consecutive shots of a brief duration of 3 seconds or less. It can be used to convey a lot of information very quickly, or to imply either energy or chaos in a scenes.
this is commonly used in trailers and action scenes

Cross-cutting


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wbjylCEJLw
An example of cross cutting in the TV series 'fringe'.
Cross-cutting is an editing technique to establish action occurring at the same time in two different locations.
so for example a range  people are doing something  in different locations at the same time both which show talking scenes of 2 people discussing at one and another and the camera cuts to both of them 1, but it help shows how they are all doing this in the time period. 

Transition

 Film transition is a technique used in the post production process of film editing and video editing by which scenes or shots are combined. Most commonly this is through a normal cut  to the next scene. Most films will also include selective use of other transitions, usually to convey a tone or mood, suggest the passage of time, or separate parts of the story.

 Dissolve/lap dissolve and Fade




 
An example of what a lap dissolve and fade does.
A dissolve is a gradual transition from one image to another,The terms fade-out and fade-in are used to describe a transition to and from a blank image. This is in contrast to a cut where there is no such transition. A dissolve overlaps two shots for the duration of the effect, usually at the end of one scene and the beginning of the next scene. this could also help tell the passing of time when there are characters in a scene.

Wipe

An example of one on top
A 'wipe' is a type of film transitions where one shot replaces another by travelling from one side of the frame to another or with a special shape, this is used for inviting the cast, title and credits of anything media related.

Flashback

Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached.Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events, or to fill in back-stories. for the characters in the flashback it tells of there 'Past' lifetime or life.

Jump-cut

A jump cut is a cut in film editing in which two sequential shots of the same subject are taken from camera positions that vary only slightly. This type of edit gives the effect of jumping forwards in time.
jump cuts are considered a violation of classical continuity editing, which aims to give the appearance of continuous time and space in the story-world by DE-emphasizing editing like in this scene of someone driving a vehicle.


Slow-motion


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71nURVXXeaM ( example of slow motion)

An example of 'slow motion', It is an effect in film-making whereby time appears to be slowed down by half its speed. typically this is achieved when each film frame is captured at a rate much faster than it will be played back. when replaying at normal speed, time appears to be moving more slowly. the technical term for slow motion is 'over cranking' which refers to the concept of cranking a 'hand cranked' camera at a faster rate than normal.

  Fast-motion time lapse
 
Time-lapse is a technique whereby the frequency at which film frames are captured  is  lower than that used to view the sequence. When played at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster and thus lapsing. For example, a scene may be captured once every second, then played back at 30 frames per second. The result is an apparent 30-times speed increase in a scene.in terms of showing a scene. This also shows an example of how time can be gone quicker in TV scenes to suggest that a 'day' has passed.

 biography
http://beatricethrillerblog.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/camera-angles-and-shots.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_transition
http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=729663911895840176#editor/target=post;postID=7385839243253534841;onPublishedMenu=overview;onClosedMenu=overview;postNum=12;src=postname
www.youtube.com
 http://financial-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Zip+Pans

TECHNICAL ELEMENTS Part 2

Lighting

The main purpose of lighting is to make sure that the camera can see the subject. it is also valuable to give information about: Characters,Setting and mood.

There are basically six types of lighting used in film and television

An example of high key lighting being mostly light colours
High-Key lighting- A style of lighting highlights bright, even illumination,with few obvious shadows. Uses primarily soft light.

An example of low-key lighting being mostly dark colours
Low-Key lighting - A style of lighting that highlights diffused shadows and atnospheric pools of light. Sometimes called chiaroscuro.Italian for light(chiaro) and dark(oscuro). Uses primarily hard light.


This shows how light from an unrelatable source can be effective if its behind an important subject(like green arrow in this scene who is clearly dark but the light helps you see him properly). 
Back-lighting - When the lights for a shot derive from the rear of the set, thus throwing the foreground figures into semi-darkness or silhouette.


This shows an example of available light, with light sources in different areas of the human hand.
Available light- light sources already available in a location e.g. the sun or street lamps. Film and Television crews will use Reflectors to enhance available light.

An example showing how three-point lighting works

Three- point lighting - normally used in the studio set-up  is as follows
In a studio , the lighting is usually from three main sources(as shown on top image)
1) The key light, as the name suggests, is usually the brightest and the most influential
2) The back light, helps counteract the effect of the key light, also making the characters or objects look more rounded.
3)the filler light helps to soften the harsh shadows that the use of key and back lights create(could be more than one filler light).


The line of action

For understanding the net effect of multiple forces applied to a body

Composition people



Composition: The arrangement of elements within the frame
Framing: the choice of where to put the camera in an given environment
Rule of thirds: dividing the frames into equal proportions can be dull but if you use the thirds of divide into 2:3 or 3:5 ratios you can achieve a far more pleasing balance.

The 180 rule/line of action

This schematic(ON TOP) shows the axis between two characters and the 180° arc on which cameras may be positioned (green). When cutting from the green arc to the red arc, the characters switch places on the screen.

Shot types


This shows all the different types of camera shots Types that ate done in filming which are used for filming different shots out.

Sound

sound has been used to enhance visual experience of film and the lesser extent of television.
Silent cinema ( 1890 - 1927 ) used live music (piano ,organ , full orchestra)
1927 Warner brothers released first film with soundtrack the jazz singer.
2001 Digital synchronized soundtrack combining the elements of dialogue, music and SFX

Diegetic

  An example of diegetic sound in this scene at 0:13 were you hear (bar music) used as part of the film.
Refers to elements of a film that originate directly from within the TV narrative. For example, a popular song that is being played on the soundtrack would be diegetic if it was clear that it was coming from a source within the world of film, such as car radio.

Non-Diegetic



  This shows one of the examples of  non-diegetic sound, which can be used in credits with music(shown on top)

It refers to any elements that remain outside the world of the TV , such as voice over, credits and mood setting music that does not directly originate from the world of the TV.
soundtracks are equally 'sound images', constructed and selected much the same way as the visual images created.


Overlapping dialogue

From this clip overlapping dialogue is used in 0:23 to 0:26,(were someone else is talking  but the filmmaker doesn't show his face).
Can be ending a scene by including dialogue from the next scene, then dissolving into that conversation, is a decision for the TV editor and the director . 

Voice over


An image showing partly how actors create there voice overs with a microphone

While seemingly a useful device to accelerate storytelling, to comment on the action, and to admit us into the thoughts of the protagonist in a way novelist or a narrator are rarely used in TV series.

music

This is one ending scene of hollyoaks, which combines dramatic music to convey danger

Primarily used to inform the audience of appropriate emotional responses, or having established a response , to enhance it. For example . stirring strings during a heterosexual embrace. music is often seen as the final track as a way of anchoring meaning, eliminating ambiguities of spectator response.
 It can be used at the editing stage as a rhythmic device to inform the pace of cutting.
Music appears to give us a direct access to the emotions of the characters.


sound effects

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbDFAaPfl28
This movie clip shows a range of sound effects from living things to objects.

Normally perceived as part of narrative realism ,authenticating the images and informing the narrative attention, this is used to evoke mood of scenery or characters.

biolography 
http://samjonesmediaexam.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/shot-types.html
http://www.storymastery.com/misdemeanors/105-overlapping-dialogue
www.youtube.com
www.moodle2.com

FORMAT

 24 the TV series shown below of box set.

 
A series is, informally speaking, the sum of the terms of a sequences. limited sequences and series have defined first and last terms, whereas infinite sequences and series  continue Open-endedly. -->

 so in terms of TV shows, Series-means a progression/succession/cycle of something, so in terms of TV , you could watch a TV show you could expect more episodes because it is progressing from that story line.


Boy A the single drama


A single drama is the opposite of a series, because it doesn't progress the story line more than once, compared to a series, its a like a short film version of it, because everything is compacted into one




The show 'the office'

The show 'the office' is Formatted as a Series Drama, it consist of genres such as Comedy. (sitcom, satire, mockumentary and parody).

Comedy

• In the contemporary meaning of the term, is any discourse or work generally intended to be humorous or to amuse by inducing laughter, especially in television

 One of my shows called the 'office is a 'series' due to the fact it is done weekly per season,basically a program is broadcasted regularly, usually once a week where the same characters and basic situation will be used to tell a different story on each episode, 'The Office' has an average of 22 episodes per season excluding the first season which had 6 episodes in 2005(out of all the 9 seasons),


An example showing 'the office' being a TV series
I am just showing an example of how you could tell if something is a TV series(the office), and this promo shows just that, especially when they talk about 'season' which hints as a continuation .



A good example of a series format are series such as '24', which have an episode each week until a season ends.



Example of two single drama films
A single drama which are designed as a 'one-off' story for television, an example of that would be 'a short stay in Switzerland'(2009) which lasted for 90 minutes and 'Boy A'(2008) which lasted for 100 minutes.



This is showing(below) an example of 'the office' being both contemporary(modern) and humorous(for the characters).

I would consider the 'Office' as a comedy-drama, in  a Contemporary  genre because its based on modern times of people working in offices, and it creates humor most of the time with the actors being theatrical they say funny material.

Biolography 

http://www.broadcastawards.co.uk/428395

https://www.google.co.uk/#gs_rn=12&gs_ri=psy-ab&tok=AaCL5huQxpQsHmV9BmWmCQ&pq=the%20office%20us&cp=15&gs_id=f&xhr=t&q=the+office+genre&es_nrs=true&pf=p&sclient=psy-ab&oq=the+office+genr&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&fp=d3d85859a5844b3f&biw=1680&bih=935

.www.youtube.com