Intro to video camera (brief account)

In this lesson we learnt how to use a tripod correctly, how to set up a video camera and the basics about them and hot to make primitive shots.

We took the camera and tripod out of their cases, and learnt how to turn on the camera and open up the tripod and put on the safety latches needed to adjust height.

We used a simple sony camera, that is easy to use and good for filming, making it perfect to learn how to film on.

Before we began filming we had to make sure the tripod was correctly put up and safely attached to the camera. We then had to bubble the camera, so that it would be level when filming and not all wobbly when playing back our film. Once turned on we had to check that there was enough battery for us to film with. After this we had to check the light gain (DB) on the mini screen.

We learnt that we had to change the type of lighting to match what we were filming; non natural light and natural light and day time or night time.

Before use we had to check the colour bar at the very beginning.

After all the general use we had to learn the terminology when filming;

"standbye camera"

"camera standing by"

"roll camera"

"rolling camera"

"Action"

Intro to stills camera (brief account of our lesson)

In this lesson we leanrt that to take a still picture we need to use a still camera. When taking a good picture when using a still camera, you have to think about hotspots, zoom, light, focus and angle. To make the hotspots in your photo you have to use the rule of thirds. This is where a imaginary grid helps show the chronological order of the eyesight when looking at the photo. Lighting is used to create mood, a softer lighting can be used to make someone look more beautiful. Harder lighting on someones face makes them look harsher and meaner, can be used to make someone look not very nice (perhaps the bad guy). Focus is used to the main object of the photo in focus so that it draws the viewers eyeline to the subject of the photograph. Angle can be used in many ways, one is to show who has the dominant power, this is done using a low angle, making the other seem more superior. This can be done to make a guy evil. However it can be used to show a character as heroic, again using low angle. In reverse a high angle frame can make someone either week/victim or the baddie.

The picture demonstrates the rule of thirds.

Prelim Post Production

Accessing footage from the final cut server, by checking out edit proxy. Which is a digital copy of the raw material.

Continuity Editing:

Continuity editing makes the selected shots put together in an order that will make sense to the audience. This means that they can then follow the story as clearly as possible. It can manipulate the time and space in the narrative. It also can make the audience understand the characters role. Without it, it would brake up the look of the image, but by doing it it flows and doesn't look like it has been edited.

Logging your shots:

We started by looking through a the footage of a certain shot e.g. all the takes of the wide shot. Decided which shot we liked best then pressed i (i for in)where we wanted the footage to start and then pressed o (o for out) for when we wanted it cut (marking in and marking out). We then modified it, then named it e.g. wide shot. Then we dragged and dropped into the log bin. We made sure that the shot we chose was best, becuase of best lighting, where the actors had made least mistakes and said correct lines and lastly that they had made little unecessary movement.

Organising your shots:

We wanted the audience to be on the woman's side. We showed this by having majority of the close ups on her. To show his exist is a good thing, we had a close up on the door handle shot of him going out the door.

Shot order:

We followed the story board first, cutting all our shots together exactly as the storyboard had told us to. This made the story exactly the same as the storyboardThen we went back and added in our own shots making sure that the story didn't change.

Editing in Final Cut:

When cut correctly all together from following the story board, we saw that the montage was too fast. To slow it down we added in our spare shots that we took that weren't on the story board.

We had a extreme close up of the womans eyes and then tilting the angle down as if we are looking at what she looks at when she looks down, which draws down to the gun on the table in the correct eye-line.

Prelim Task Evaluation

We filmed in the deadit suit. This worked as a good location because it looked run down, there were lots of wires, the brickwork was showing in places, it was dirty, cobwebs. It worked becuase it was a room with a door for the actor to enter through. I took on the roles of watching the set and actors, to see if everything was perfect. I checked that there were no shadows of any of the camera crew, that the actors stayed roughly in the same position, so that when editing the actors to appear to be moving radomly all over the film. I filmed a very high angle shot, making it almost birdseye view, when doing this I replied using the correct film edicet to the director....."standing by...camera rolling". I also briefly took the role of the director and said "Stand by...camera roll...cut". breathing room --> 5 seconds after camera rolling, lead in, action. Giving it time.
LightingThe lighting we chose was dim but hardly lit up with a key and fill lights casting sharp shadows on the wall behind them making it more intense. This was important to the scene becuase of the content of what was being said. The fact that the guy was trying to force the girl into killing her ... and the fact she didn't want to do it. Because of this we needed the lighting to convey the intensity. It was very effective because the hard shadows of both characters saw the guy over powering her by him being higher, having the shadows in black and white made it bold and scary.
We set up the camera correctly by checking the power battery is in. Tape, timecode, bars and tone and levels, making sure the microphone is in and plugged in making it click. View finder. Focus, Contrast, brightness, peaking, tally lights, zebra. Bars off. cloured bars must all be there becuase they make up the pixels. We checked tha tripod was level before every shot, by bubbling the tripod. This is where we unlocked the tripod by ensuring the spirit bubble is in the center of the circle. We checked the shot was framed correctly each time by reffering to our storyboard. At all times we had someone checking that the lighting and camera equipment was not in the shot. The person also checked for any shadows of anything being casted on the back wall. we chose the appropiate angles for the shots by discussing who we wanted to have the power and look superioir to the other. i.e. we filmed the over the shoulder frame angle going up, to make the man telling the woman she had to do it seem like they have the power. We filmed the whole sequence in a long shot, then again in over the shoulder of one, then again in over the second character. Then filmed the whole sequence as close ups of each character.Once filmed all shots we had to, we then added in a extreme close up of the woman looking down. A tilt of woman going down to the gun on the table. A cutaway of the gun on the table. A cutaway of the door handle being opened and closed. A birdseyes view two shot. We made absolutely sure that we obbeyed the 180 degree rule by first all agreeing where the line was. With a person checking that before each shot, we hadn't crossed it. If we had it would confuse the viewer becuase the person that was on the right, when filming over the line, the person would appear to have moved to the left side.