003258-100 Stanley Leung

Course: IB Film Studies Higher Level

The Ascension

Commentary South Island School Center number: 003258 Candidate number: 003258-100 Candidate name: Stanley Leung

003258-100 Stanley Leung

The Ascension - Rationale Film The narrative of The Ascension was inspired by the bible. The lm explored the idea of greed in relation to power while reecting the cruelty of society. It employed generic conventions of magical realism where characters interact with the magical artifact, the box, as if it was real. Tracks, jibs and hand held camera techniques were used during lming which provided more versatile camera movements. This meant that we had a wider range of camera angles to choose from for different purposes. This made the lm more visual appealing, increasing its level of professionalism. Word count: 94 Trailer The trailer aimed to foreshadow the narrative of the protagonist. The idea was to reveal the cruel reality and betrayal that the protagonist would face after he gains power, which was symbolised by the box. The trailer used compelling scenes from the lm to intrigue audiences as well as featuring the box, which was the key element of the lm. At the same time, the trailer deliberately missed out scenes that featured the interior or the power of the box. This created an enigma for audiences to uncover by watching the lm. Word count: 92

003258-100 Stanley Leung

The Ascension - Commentary The Ascension is a parable inspired by Judas betrayal of Jesus in the bible, the lm attempts to use this context to explore the idea of greed and cruelty of the real world. The box is a catalyst for betrayal and symbolises power, making it a crucial part of the lm. I chose to be the cinematographer because I was condent in composing aesthetically pleasing shots, contributing to the professionalism of the lm. Along with my familiarity with cameras and related equipments (e.g. dolly and tracks), I could increase the efciency while lming. Understanding the equipment also meant that I allowed myself more opportunities to compose individual shots carefully, taking care of the mise en scene as well as the meaning communicated. We aimed to target audiences from a relatively broad demographic group, especially people with religious beliefs because they can identify with the religious connotations in the lm. The broad target market makes it obvious to adapt hollywood conventions, as they too have a wide range of targeted audience. In terms of cinematography, subtle camera movements, e.g. slow panning or tracking shots are commonly used to make the visuals more interesting as well as conveying meaning and intensifying the scene. The TV series Leverage was our rst source of inspiration. The director and I both agreed that the distinctive zoom shots (e.g. Fig 1.1) would be a useful reference for our opening sequence. At one level of reading, the opening sequence was intended to show the box as a piece of mythical artifact that Fig 1.1 - A digital composite zoom shot from Leverage. descended magically to the isolated beggar. For general audiences, the fast paced

opening provided visceral thrill at the start of the lm which would hopefully intrigue them. During the rst informal script conference, I was briefed by the director and scriptwriter about the story underpinning our lm. The director had specic visions, shots and execution method for certain important scenes (Fig 1.2 and 3).
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Fig 1.2 - Image that inspired an intended shot for the lm.

Fig 1.3 - Shot mentioned in the initial shot list.

The initial script was incredibly ambitious and I felt some of the shots were not possible. For instance the shot composition (Fig 1.2 and 3) was not used in the lm because the location chose had inappropriate lighting and environment to provide the level of contrast needed. Some of which I cannot visualise at all. A shot list was developed based upon my impression of the script (Fig 1.4). Since this was a silent lm, the shot list was quite detailed because the ideas and the narrative would both need to be communicated through the mise en scene.

Fig 1.4 - Annotated initial shot list and photo of the director (right) and I (left) and in a script conference.

003258-100 Stanley Leung

We then had a location scouting session, aiming to nd an isolated area away from city. This is because the location needed to symbolise the protagonists high moral value (lack of clutter, isolation, why no one helped), that he lives away from the cruelty of society. Out of all the possible locations, we chose the one that match our criteria most (Fig 2.2).

Fig 2.1 - Locations that were not isolated enough. (photos taken while location scouting).

Fig 2.2 - Editor (left) and director (right) on the location that matched our criteria.

Fig 2.3 - Location (isolated setting) used in the lm.

A storyboard of what I had in mind was then developed based upon the chosen location after the scouting session. This acted as a loose guide during the production process due to spontaneous changes to the script during lming. Some of the shots the director and I had in mind after location scouting required special equipment e.g. a mini jib which we had to rent. The jib was used during the overnight shoot so that I could move the track around on the road without blocking trafc. Also, a problem was encountered when lming the opening and ending sequence of the lm. Fig 3.1 and 2 shows the intended crop of the camera and the actual crop. The jib was not tall enough for the intended crop to work. After discussion, the director removed this shot from the opening sequence.

003258-100 Stanley Leung

Fig 3.1 - Storyboard visualisation

Fig 3.2 - Actual footage

Subsequently, a new opening and ending sequence was made with stock photos and still frames from the lm in Adobe After Effects. I felt this was part of my remit as the cinematographer as it still dealt primarily with the image. Fig 4.1 shows the layering of different images used (Fig 4.2 and 3) in perspective to achieve the descending and ascending effects. It was done with 3D layering and synthetic camera motions. Camera projection was used to simulate the perspective changes that were needed in the lm to give the impression that the camera was actually descending.

Fig 4.1 - 3D layers in Adobe After Effects

003258-100 Stanley Leung

Fig 4.2 - First frame (extended with Photoshop)

Fig 4.3 - Clouds (inverted colours for purpose of commentary)

The jib also acted as a replacement for the tracks we originally had because some tracking shots were not achievable using them. For example the shot below (Fig 5.1) where the camera is required to track over the box. To achieve this the tracks needed to be out of frame and the camera above the box. The only possible way to achieve this was to set up the tracks on the side, push the jib to its lowest point then mount the camera so that nothing would obstruct either the tracking, the frame or the box.

Fig 5.1 - Using the jib as a replacement for the tracks.

003258-100 Stanley Leung

Fig 5.2 - Editor (left), director (middle) and me (right) planning how to solve the problem of tracking over the box. There were various motifs containing symbolic meaning in the lm which needed to be communicated through my choice of cinematography. The box as a symbol of power was conveyed using low angle shots. In Fig 6.2, the protagonist is shown to be powerful because he is in possession of the box as is communicated through the low angle shot used. Also, other antagonists were sitting down looking up at the protagonist, emphasizing his power. This was one of the shots that I had in mind early on in the pre-production process.

Fig 6.1 - Storyboard of the shot.

Fig 6.2 - Low angle shot of the protagonist.

The importance of the box within the narrative was signied through the subtle tracking-in movements (Fig 7.1 and 2). Inwards tracking towards the box directs the audiences attention to it through the leading lines (red lines). This puts emphasis upon its importance, as well as intensifying the mood. The director and I discussed and agreed on repeating the track-in movement every time the box displayed its power, thereby emphasizing its role as a magical artifact.
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Fig 7.1 - Tracking-in to the box.

Fig 7.2 - Tracking-in to the box.

I chose the shot in Fig 7.2 for my trailer because of the intensity that was expressed through the shot. The beggar looks inside the box and simultaneously I hoped to use enigma as the audience would be intrigued to know what laid inside. The apple (eaten by the protagonist) was another important symbol of the lm. It symbolises his realisation of power, similar to how Adam in Genesis (The Bible) gains knowledge after eating the apple, an intertextual reference. As the protagonist ate the apple, I deliberately chose to have the camera track outwards revealing his surroundings. Note that he looks upwards and around him as if he is seeing more. This shot uses both the apple as a symbol and the camera movement to represent his realisation of the power of the box. I chose to place the protagonist in the center of the frame to show his importance.

Fig 8 - Camera slowly tracks outwards.

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The shift of control and dominance is a crucial turning point in the lm. This was communicated through the grading, brightness and contrast of the footage. The antagonist rebels against the protagonist at night because the religious connotations of darkness suggested evil and temptation. I made use of the ickering lights at the park as a temporal transition as well as a visualisation of the shift of power (Fig 9). Binary opposition between the protagonists and the antagonists costume emphasizes the juxtaposition between morality and immorality.

Fig 9 - Flickering street lamp. Colour and grading was also used in the trailer to convey meaning. I colour graded the footage (see difference between g 10.1 and 2) again so that the opening and ending was more saturated than the rest of the trailer. This was done to suggest that the opening of the box coincides with the cruel reality represented by temptation as the antagonists are jealous and want to own this new power. Equally, the text in the opening and ending of the trailer was black on white, whilst being inverted in the rest of the trailer. This enhances the effect of the juxtaposition, showing the opposing moral values that the box and the protagonist/antagonist represents.

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Fig 10.1 - Ending shot of the trailer.

Fig 10.2 - Other shot from the trailer demonstrating desaturated look.

The mise en scene and the continuity of the set design was as crucial as other aspects of production. The set beggars home was designed while drawing the rst storyboard. The set was built from cardboard boxes, newspaper and most importantly a plastic cup that the director and I both agreed on. The plastic cup is iconic, representing the act of begging (Fig 11.3).

Fig 11.1 - Storyboard, establishing shot of the beggars home.

Fig 11.2 - Set of the beggars home in the lm.

Fig 11.3 - Beggars plastic cup is circled. Coins were put inside it, showing authenticity and realism.

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The set required that we clean up every time we nished lming. For continuity, I took photos and kept the same pieces of newspaper and cardboard to make sure the set would look the same in post-production (Fig 11.4). The make-up of the talents also caused med concern as it needed to be consistent throughout the multiple shooting sessions. A photo was taken of the initial make-up so that the make-up artist could recreate the look each time required (Fig 11.5). The continuity made the lm seamless in terms of editing, which is important because it helps suspend disbelief.

Fig 11.4 - Resetting set according to photo.

Fig 11.5 - Make-up according to photo (on computer, circled).

I adapted the uses of hand held camera movement from hollywood lms to convey action and disorientation in the chase sequence,. This increased the intensity of the sequence. Close ups of both the antagonists and protagonist were used, especially focusing on the eyes, legs and arm movements. These shots were useful as footage for intercutting in post production to speed up the pace of the sequence. Word count: 1568

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