Video and Sound Production - Exercises

21/04/2025 -05/05/2025 (Week 1 - Week 3)

Chang Wing / 0367807 

Video and Sound Production / Bachelors of Design (Honours) in Creative Media / Taylor's University

Video and Sound Production - Exercises

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Lectures

2. Instructions
3. Exercises

4. Reflection

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LECTURES

Week 1 

Briefing Slides

Figure 1.1 Briefing Slides

Basics of Cinematograph

Mr. Martin provided readings and videos that introduces key cinematography concepts: shot size, camera angle, and composition. These elements shape visual storytelling by guiding viewer focus, conveying emotion, and creating meaning.

1. Shot Size

Refers to how much of the subject and surroundings are visible within the frame. It helps determine the viewer's emotional proximity to the subject and can convey different narrative purposes. Wide shots establish setting, while close-ups reveal emotions etc.

Figure 1.2 Shot Sizes

Figure 1.3 Shot Sizes (Movie Scenes)

2. Framing

After deciding shot size, framing is the way subjects and objects are positioned within the boundaries of the shot. It influences how viewers perceive the scene, drawing attention to specific elements, creating focus, or suggesting relationships between characters and their surroundings.

Figure 1.4 Framings

Figure 1.5 Framings (Movie Scenes)

3. Camera Angle

Refers to the position from which the camera views the subject. Different angles can influence perception. Low angles can suggest power, while high angles can imply vulnerability and etc.

Figure 1.6 Camera Angles

Figure 1.7 Camera Angles (Movie Scenes)

4. Composition

The arrangement and relationship of elements within a frame. Effective composition directs the viewer’s eye, enhances visual interest, and reinforces storytelling. 

Placing objects around the intersection points of the lines of Thirds ensures visual balance and emphasis simultaneously (Figure 1.8). 

Figure 1.8 Rule of Thirds

Blocking can be used to reveal the relationship between subjects and guide viewers' eye. (Figure 1.9). 

Figure 1.9 Blocking

Bokeh is the circular blurring produced from out of focus images. It helps distance subject from the environment around, evoking a sense of isolation (Figure 1.10).

Figure 1.10 Bokeh

There are also other composition techniques such as the Rack Focus, depth of field, balance and symmetry, leading lines and more (Figure 1.11 and 1.12).

Figure 1.11 Balance and Symmetry

Figure 1.12 Leading Lines

Week 2

The 3-Act Story Structure

The 3-act structure is a common storytelling framework in film and literature that breaks a story into 3 key parts: setup, confrontation, and resolution.

1. Act One - Setup

Introduces Protagonist, their background, and the current situation. Typically ends with an inciting incident that can be either positive or negative, but one that that disrupts the norm and presents a problem the protagonist must confront.

2. Act Two - Confrontation

The longest act among the structure, often divided into two parts: the first half, the phase where protagonist makes progress towards their goal, and the second half, where they encounter the challenges. The midpoint: the turning point between the first and second halves of Act Two.

3. Act three - Resolution

Where climax of the story occurs, the protagonist must confront with the final challenges in order to achieve their goal. It serves as the most intense and dramatic part of the story, with the highest stakes riding on the protagonist's success. The resolution: the denouement that concludes the protagonist's journey.

Figure 1.13 Three act structure chart

Week 3

Storyboard

A storyboard serves as a visual script for films/animations/games that outlines scenes in sequence to plan shots, narrative, and communicate creative direction to the production team. It includes key elements like camera angles, character movements, dialogue, and notes on effects/sound, enabling filmmakers to refine these vision and address potential challenges before production begins.

Figure 1.14 Storyboard

Figure 1.15 The Coen Brothers, directors of Blood Simple (1984) talking about storyboard

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INSTRUCTIONS

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EXERCISES

Week 1 Exercises

Lecture Quiz

Figure 2.1 Week 1 Quiz result

Instruction: 

1. Finish “mints” and “Doritos” editing exercise and post it in blog under “Exercises”
2. Study Week 1 Asynchronous material and Do the Quiz to prepare for week 2 shooting.
3. Watch 2022 film Everything Everywhere All at Once
4. Purchase Tripod.

 

Video Sequencing Exercise 01

Figure 2.2 Video sequencing process in Adobe Premiere Pro (Sped up snippet)

Figure 2.3 Video Sequencing Exercise 01 (Final Outcome)

Video Sequencing Exercise 02

Figure 2.4 Video sequencing process in Adobe Premiere Pro (Sped up snippet)

Figure 2.5 Video Sequencing Exercise 02 (Final Outcome)

Through this week's exercises, I've learnt how to import footages and utilise the "assembly" workspace in Adobe Premiere Pro as well as using the selection tool to rearrange the sequences of the footages. Rearranging the shuffled up footages of Doritos' ad has helped me to understand the importance of closely analysing audio to determine the correct sequence and how sound guides storytelling.

Week 2 Exercises

Lecture Quiz

Figure 2.6 Week 2 Quiz result

Instruction: 

Based on each of the movies, Lalin (Short 2015) and Everything, Everywhere, All At Once (2022), answer each question:

1. Which part is act 1, act 2, act 3 respectively? Describe each act with ONE paragraph only. 

Lalin

Act 1: Begin with introduction of the main protagonist named "Lalin", a net idol who keeps her face hidden behind a mask in real life, moves to Sapporo, Japan, hoping to escape her past and start fresh.

Act 2: While maintaining her masked identity online, Lalin connects with Nut, a graphic novelist whose work resonates with her. They start chatting, and their conversations grow deeper, making Lalin feel seen and valued, but only as her curated self. One day, Nut expresses interest in meeting her. The thought of being exposed terrifies Lalin, she faces a dilemma between hiding her true self or risking the possibility of being rejected as her real self.

Act 3: After reading the handmade book from Nut, Lalin resonates deeply with the content inside. The book mirrors her own struggles, making her confront the gap between her digital persona and her real identity. Moved by Nut’s words, she decides to finally reach out Nut mask-freely and choose to reveal herself as she truly is despite the risk of rejection.

Everything, Everywhere, All At Once

Act 1: The story begins with a shot of the protagonist, Evelyn in the midst of chaos, overwhelmed by the laundromat’s lien issue and her strained relationship with her husband Waymond, whom she sees as someone who blindly acts kind and is mostly helpless to her burden. The scene then shifts to Evelyn and Waymond discussing her father’s arrival, highlighting the traditional expectations in Evelyn’s family. The focus then moves to Evelyn’s daughter, Joy, who is seen flirting with her girlfriend Becky. Joy and Becky seek Evelyn and Gong Gong’s approval of their relationship, but Evelyn dismisses Becky as just a “very good friend,” reflecting her disapproval. This act establishes the key characters of the story, Evelyn’s current struggles, and the underlying conflict between her and Joy.

Act 2: Evelyn meets Alpha-Waymond, who reveals the existence of the multiverse and the threat posed by Jobu Tupaki. Evelyn learns to “verse-jump,” accessing the skills and abilities of her alternate selves. She eventually encounters Jobu Tupaki and discovers that the antagonist is actually her daughter Joy, who is trapped in a state of existential nihilism. As Evelyn navigates different universes, she begins to uncover multiple possibilities of her and Waymond's relationship. Meanwhile, Jobu reveals that her intention is not to destroy Evelyn but to find someone who understands her. She brings Evelyn to the “Everything Bagel,” explaining that it’s a way to end her suffering, inviting Evelyn to join her. Suddenly, Evelyn is pulled back into another universe where she's with Waymond.

Act 3: Inspired by Waymond’s words, his acts of kindness and unconditional love towards her across universes, Evelyn comes to a realisation about what truly matters. She decides to turn away from the bagel and attempts to pull Joy back from the edge. However, Joy is still drawn to the bagel, Evelyn desperately tries to prevent Joy from entering the bagel, torn between letting her daughter go as a release from her existential suffering or fighting to keep her daughter connected to her and Waymond. In the end, Joy decides to stay, though her reasons are left somewhat ambiguous, perhaps it’s the connection she feels with her mother or the glimmer of hope that life, despite its chaos, still holds meaning.

2. What is the inciting incident in the movie?

Lalin

Lalin's online persona begins to gain popularity, people in real life started to ask if she's ready to show her face. These creates These forces Lalin to confront whether she can keep hiding behind her mask or face the world as her true self.

Everything, Everywhere, All At Once

When Alpha-Waymond takes over the current Waymond’s body in the elevator and tells Evelyn about the threat of Jobu Tupaki, suggesting that Evelyn may be the key to stopping her, setting the story’s main conflict and creates a problem that must be solved by the protagonist.

3. What is the midpoint scene in the movie?

Lalin

Nut suggests meeting up in person. Lalin’s forced to confront the reality that her online facade can’t last forever. It’s a moment where the stakes are raised, and her fear of being exposed intensifies.

Everything, Everywhere, All At Once

When Joy, as Jobu Tupaki appears in the building and Evelyn realises that the powerful threat she’s been warned about is actually her daughter, shifting the conflict from a multiverse battle to a personal, emotional struggle.

4. What is the Climax scene in the movie?

Lalin

After reading the handmade book from Nut, Lalin resonates deeply with the content inside. Moved by Nut’s words, she decides to finally reach out Nut mask-freely and choose to reveal herself as she truly is despite the risk of rejection.

Everything, Everywhere, All At Once

When Evelyn confronts Joy at the bagel, trying to convince her not to give in to nihilism and torn between letting her daughter go as a release from her existential suffering or fighting to keep her daughter connected to her and Waymond.

5.What is the theme of the movie?

Lalin

Explores the impact of verbal and cyberbullying, the pressures of beauty standards, and the anxiety surrounding self image in the digital age.

Everything, Everywhere, All At Once

The film addresses themes such as cultural dissonance, generational conflict, and LGBTQ+ acceptance while also exploring existentialism and the search for meaning in a chaotic, paradoxical multiverse. It seems to raise questions about how one finds purpose amidst life’s uncertainties and the impact of human connection in a seemingly meaningless universe.

Exercise: Shooting & Editing Practice

We practiced capturing the 8 shot sizes and camera angles around campus using our phone cameras in groups of three. Afterward, we compiled the footage and added captions identifying each shot type in Adobe Premiere Pro. It was a fun hands-on exercise that helped us get more familiar with the different shot sizes and camera angles.

Figure 2.7 List of shot sizes & camera angles

Figure 2.8 Shooting practice, Shoot & Editing (Final Outcome)

Week 3 Exercises

Lecture Quiz

Figure 2.9 Week 3 Quiz result

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REFLECTION

Through this task, I’ve come to understand how cinematography shapes storytelling, not just through techniques like shot size, angle, and composition, but also through narrative structures like the 3-act framework.

 The hands-on sequencing and shooting exercises helped me better observe how different shot sizes and angles guide viewer focus and shift perspective. Analysing films like Lalin and Everything Everywhere All At Once has deepened my grasp of story arcs and character development, and how visual and narrative decisions work together to build meaning.

Overall, this beginning task of the module has introduced me to foundational technical skills in Adobe Premiere Pro and gave me a clearer sense of how video production works.