The Importance of sound

Though we might think of film as an essentially visual experience, we really cannot afford to underestimate the importance of film sound. A meaningful sound track is often as complicated as the image on the screen. The entire sound track is comprised of five essential ingredients: 

• Music
• Atmospheric sound
• Dialogue
• Sound effects
• Foley

These five tracks must be mixed and balanced so as to produce the necessary emphases which in turn create desired effects. 

G - Media Studies - Sound

Case Study - Wes Anderson

Wesley Wales Anderson was born in Houston, Texas. His mother, Texas Ann (Burroughs), is an archaeologist turned real estate agent, and his father, Melver Leonard Anderson, worked in advertising and PR. He has two brothers, Eric and Mel. Anderson's parents divorced when he was a young child, an event that he described as the most crucial event of his brothers and his growing up. During childhood, Anderson also began writing plays and making super-8 movies. He was educated at Westchester High School and then St. John's, a private prep school in Houston, Texas, which was later to prove an inspiration for the film Rushmore (1998).

Anderson attended the University of Texas in Austin, where he majored in philosophy. It was there that he met Owen Wilson. They became friends and began making short films, some of which aired on a local cable-access station. One of their shorts wasBottle Rocket (1994), which starred Owen and his brother Luke Wilson. The short was screened at the Sundance Film Festival, where it was successfully received, so much so that they received funding to make a feature-length version. Bottle Rocket (1996) was not a commercial hit, but it gained a cult audience and high-profile fans, which includedMartin Scorsese.

Success followed with films such as Rushmore (1998), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) and an animated feature, Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009). The latter two films earned Anderson Oscar nominations.

IMBD Biography of Wes Anderson

The Soul of the Plot - Wes Anderson

'I have a way of filming things and staging them and designing sets. There were times when I thought I should change my approach, but in fact, this is what I like to do. It's sort of like my handwriting as a movie director. And somewhere along the way, I think I've made the decision: I'm going to write in my own handwriting.'

Wes Anderson 2015

Cinematography

What is cinematography?

Well, the name comes from combining two Greek words: kinema, which means movement, and graphein, which means to record. In film, cinematography refers to the photographing of the movie itself. The person in charge of this is the cinematographer, also known as the director or photography or the DP. 

Understanding Cinematography

In the hierarchy of a film set, the director's two key creative people in the crew are the art director and the cinematographer. The art director is in charge of the art department and the cinematographer is in charge of the camera, electric and grip departments. The camera department maintains the camera and has it ready for the shot while the grips and electrics handle the lighting. Electrics set the lights and run power to them and grips shape the light by using flags and diffusion. Grips also provide support to camera department when there is camera movement for the scene. An example of this is a dolly shot.

The BFI Film Festival

The 60th BFI London Film Festival announces full 2016 programme

The full programme of films and events for the 60th BFI London Film Festival
has been unveiled.

The programme for the 60th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with
American Express® launched today, with Festival Director Clare Stewart
presenting this year’s diverse selection of films and events.

The BFI London Film Festival is Britain’s leading film event and one of
the world’s best and most established film festivals. In its 60th year the
programme sees Headline Galas presented at the Odeon Leicester Square
on each evening of the 12-day festival. Festival visitors will be able to
enjoy a brand new cinema experience with Competition and Strand
Galas presented at the new Embankment Garden Cinema, in the
beautiful Victoria Embankment Gardens. With 780 cinema-style seats,
Dolby 7.1 surround sound and 4k digital projection, this temporary venue
brings the festival to even more people and connects screenings in the
West End with the BFI’s home cinema at BFI Southbank. This, combined
with the Festival’s Special Presentations, a rich, diverse programme of
international films, insightful events and talks with leading lights of
the international film and creative industries, reaffirms London’s position
as the world’s leading creative city.

• Explore the full programme

Bank, Camera, Action!

Dear Student Filmmaker,

The Bank of England has a brand new film competition 'Bank, Camera, Action' and we are inviting you to get involved by making a short film about "A day in the life of the New Fiver" to coincide with the introduction of our £5 polymer note.

The opportunity is to create a film that communicates the subject in an interesting and imaginative way. Students are free to use dance, music, poetry, rap, animation, graphics, cartoons, interviews, news items or any other fantastic ideas you may have. It's completely up to you, the more creative the better! Taking part will give teams the opportunity to showcase their talents and will appeal to students studying a broad range of subjects.

We look forward to receiving your entries and seeing everyone's creative side.

Kind regards,

Mark Carney
Governor

Entry form to be submitted by Monday 10th October
(click on link and scroll to to find link to the entry form)