Glossary of Technical Terms
Concept Art: It is a form of illustration which is used to covey ideas or concepts within films, video games, animation or comic books before it is created or put into the final product. It is also known as visual development or concept design.Storyboard: A sequence of drawings that represent shots planned for a film or a television production or an animation. It usually has directions for camera or the movement of the actor or 'character' and maybe dialogue.
Character Design: It is the process which comes after the characterisation of a character. This consists of defining the character via its physical appearance. Essentially designing the appearance of the character. it aims are to please its creator and the public.
CGI: Also known as Computer Generated Imagery is the application of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in films, video games, television programs, art, printed media, commercials, videos and simulators. The visual scenes made by the CGI can be either dynamic or static or 2D. GCI is commonly referred to 3D computer graphics used for creating special effects or scenes in filmas and television. They can be used by a home user and edited together on movie and effect editing programs.
Script/Screenplay: It is written work done by screenwriters that are written for films, video games or television program (called a teleplay). Screenplays can be original or adaptation of existing pieces. Screenplays usually tell you the movement, actions, expressions and dialogues of the characters which are also narrated.
Video editing: The process of editing segments of video footage, special effects and sound. It is done in the post-production process.
Camcorder: It is a single unit which consists of a video camera and a recording unit.
Cinematographer: Person responsible for capturing the film image as required by the script and is under the supervision of the director. They are also referred to as the director of photography.
DV: Acronym for Digital Video.
Dry Run: Rehearsal without recording or transmitting.
Audio Dub: Process where audio is added to a video recording without disturbing the pictures. The original audio may be either replaced, kept or combined with the new audio.
Fade: A transition to or from nothing. For audio it is to or from silence. In video it is to or from a colour such as black or white. For example fading out to black or white.
Filter: A transparent or translucent optical element which alters the properties of light passing through a lens.
FPS: Also known as Frame Per Second is the number of video or film frames which are displayed each second.
Frame Rate: Number of video or film frames that are displayed each second (fps [frames per second]). PAL frame rate is 25 fps, NTSC is 30 fps, film is 24 fps.
Jump Cut: Video transition which one shot appears to jump to another shot with very similar framing. Usually used for dramatic effect.
Lens: Transparent structure made of glass or other material with a curved surface which causes the light rays passing through it to converge or diverge in a controlled fashion.
Three Point Lighting: It is a technique and method used in visual media (video, film, still photography and computer generated imagery). It forms the basis of most lighting. It consists of using three lights: key light, fill light and back light.
Direct Sound: This is sound that is captured and recorded during filming. It refers to films that do not add components in post production such as sound effect or dialogue. This creates a more documentary style atmosphere to the film as it can record ambient or wild, unpredictable sounds. It also sounds more natural and real which works well for a documentary style film.
Reverse-Angle Shot: It is a shot that is taken by a camera positioned opposite from where the previous shot was taken. Shot/Counter-shot or Short Reverse-Shot sequences are called this when reverse angles are alternated for dialogue sequences.
Slowing In and Slowing Out: This is where in the animation sequence, certain actions are either slowed or speeded up which highlights the entertainment value of the scene. The fewer drawings there are in a sequence, the faster the animation will appear. The more drawings there are in the sequence, the slower the action will appear.
Character Designs: This is when characters for an animated from are drawn from multiple different angles in a poster style format which is known as a model sheet. This is then used as a reference for the animators.
Metal Gear Solid. IV
Assassin's Creed: Revelations
Saturation: It is the attribute of a perceived colour or the percentage of hue in a colour. Colours that are saturated are called vivid, strong or deep and colours that are desaturated are called dull, weak or washed out.
Retouching: It is the alteration of a print or negative effect after development by the use of dyes or pencils to alter the tones of highlights, shadow and other details or to remove blemishes in the picture.
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The TOOLkit
- All the skills, know how and can - do stuff that I know already have in my toolKIT:
- Draw and Sketch
- Microsoft Paint
- Adobe Photoshop (Still learning)
- Adobe Illustrator (Still learning)
- Edit videos with Windows Live Movie Maker fluently
- Make collages
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Powerpoint
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Publisher
- Macromedia Fireworks
- Able to install software and operate hardware well
- Fruity Loops Studio 10 make music and beats
- Digital Camera
- Phone
- Film scratching
- Improve Adobe Photoshop skills
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe Premier
- Adobe After Effects
- Adobe Flash
- Adobe In Design
- Other skills:
- Play the drums
- Play Xbox 360
- Kung-Fu (Just started Karate)
- Do Parkour
- Speak Cantonese
- All the skills, know-how and can-do stuff that I don't yet have in my toolKIT:
- Making Models
- Prosthetics/Special Effects
- Photography: Use dark room and different techniques
- Painting (Acrylic, Oil etc)
- Use colouring pencils better
- Edit pictures well/retouching
- Different areas of photography
- Film/35mm cameras
- Film 16mm cameras
- Super 8 Cameras
- Different lenses
- Image resoloution
- Shutter speed
- Exposure
- 3D modelling
- Using 3D modelling software such as 3DSMax or Maya
- CGI
- Learn more about DSLR Cameras
- Developing film
- Using celluloid
- Improve overall drawing ability especially for concept art and figurative drawing
- Life Drawing
- Observational Drawing
- Traditional cel animation
- Rotoscoping
- Computer Coding
- Screen writing
- Character Development
- Storyboarding
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Building a Character
Three parts that build up a character whether it be in film or animation are:
- Psychology: (Mental): Motivations
- Physiology: (Physical): Appearance/Habits
- Sociology: (Social): Interactions
Digital Single-Lens Reflex (DSLR) Workshop
Digital Single-Lens Reflex cameras takes light into the lens and uses shutter and mirror.
Parallax viewfinder - point of convergence.
Stereoscopic vision.
Light hits mirror, shutter goes off sends light into your eye.
Insert image here
Exposure Triangle
Exposure of the picture is a affected by these three factors:
- Aperture
- Shutter Speed
- ISO
This diagram represents and explains this:
Below are notes on the aperture and lenses of DSLR cameras.
With this workshop I learnt many useful and informative things about the different functions of the DSLR camera and how these functions can affect the quality of the image. I learnt about the shutter speed, ISO and aperture settings, how they function and that altering them and their settings can affect an image. I have also learned about the process behind depth of field and how the focus of the image can change. I've also learned about the Parallax effect and different camera techniques that can make a scene interesting such as contra zoom.
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The three lights are the:
Key Light: Key Lighting is the main light which is the brightest and has the most influence on how the shot looks. This light is usually aimed onto the model's face.
Fill Light: The fill light is the secondary light which is usually placed opposite the key light. It is used to fill or soften any shadows created by the key light. It is usually less brighter than the key light.
Back Light: Finally the back light is usually placed behind the model and it's purpose is to provide definition and subtle highlights around the model's outlines which then helps to separate the model from the background giving a more three dimensional look to the model helping them stand out.
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