PRELIMINARY TASK: THE KULESHOV EFFECT

For our first preliminary task, we had to remake the Kuleshov Effect where we had to use our cinematography, editing and directing skills. The Kuleshov Effect is a film editing technique that was first introduced by the Soviet filmmaker– Lev Kuleshov in the year 1910. It is a psychological effect by which the audience are able to attach a specific meaning or emotion by the way the interaction of two sequential shots are assembled. To aid us in following a certain sequence, I had made a storyboard beforehand– and in doing so, it was much simpler for us to understand the different types of shots and where it would fall in the timeline. To shoot the short video, I had used my Canon 5D Mark II without a tripod so that it could give a subtle handheld, shaky movement to the film.

For editing, I used the Premiere Pro CC 2017 software– which allowed me to get a more professional editing experience. I was also able to experiment with the various tools available on the software, such as the Essential Graphics panel. In this panel, I could add motion to my title by adding key frames, moving and changing the colour of some of the letters. To add to the scene of the Kuleshov effect, I wanted to use a monochrome palette along with a film grain overlayed on top of my original shots. This gave the dark and classic vibe that I wanted for this pre-lim task because I will be using certain aspects of this short video for my own opening sequence (such as the LUT and film grain).

Film grain from: https://pixabay.com/en/videos/film-cinema-projection-count-9615/

In order to engage the audience, I have used various different editing techniques. A technique that stood out to me while experimenting was the jump cut. This is when two sequential shots of the same subject are taken from camera positions that vary slightly. This gives the effect of jumping forward in time. Keeping this in mind, I wanted to use the jump cut without changing the camera position. It still did give the similar effect of moving forward in time with noticeable cuts. I applied this jump cut in the scene where the subject slices the penguin soft toy. Apart from the jump cuts, I have added a slow zoom to certain scenes so that it could give a cinematic and dramatic feel to the sequence.

BREAKING DOWN THE SCENES

    

     Here we can see the subject with a neutral expression on his

     face. He is also looking directly at the audience to give a 

     feeling of discomfort and uneasiness. This also makes the

     audience wonder what the actor might be looking at.

 He grabs the plushie from the shelf and places it on the table. 

 I used a close-up to emphasize and dramatise this scene as it

 signifies that the soft toy plays an important role in the scenes 

 to come.

     

     Here the actor is seen smiling down at something, in this case

     the audience knows that he is smiling at the toy since there is

     a hint of an eyeline match. 

   

     In this scene, the scenario completely changes as the actor

     cuts open the toy repeatedly. The meaning of the whole 

     sequence changes. 

 

 The scene ends with him smiling down at the ripped up toy.

 This gives an entire new meaning and feeling towards the 

 actor's character. 

Overall, I found the preliminary task successful because we were able to practice filming a popular effect in filmmaking industry. I also worked on my editing and cinematography skills during this task and I definitely know that I have learnt something new while doing so. Although I would improve the storyline to make the audience feel more engaged while watching the video.