Preliminary Task shooting Evaluation

The task was to film a short sequence involving two people. We had a certain storyboard; so we had to follow the script and the shots used.

We filmed in the media editing studio above the school theatre. There were advantages and disadvantages of this location. The room was quite old and dilapidated, which went along with the crime theme of our film. It was a blank canvas, which was a benefit because we had allot to work with and could experiment and not be limited to the background. However, it was quite a small space so it was hard to keep the lights out of the shot. There were other problems with the lights. We had limited lighting and because there was a white background, there was a large shadow on the wall behind the main focus. This was bad because it would show the audience that there was lighting in the room and would also distract from the scene.

I had quite an active role in the filing of the task. I was in a group of three and I filmed the sequence. T-k was the director, so when she said 'stand by', I replied with 'Standing by'. Then, 'roll camera', 'camera rolling'. I helped set up the tripod and adjust it to suit the angle of filming. I set up the camera, made sure the aspect ratio, shutter speed, exposure, decibels and light were correct on the camera and then finally bubbled the tripod. I then did a sound check to make sure the microphone was picking up sound for the film. I filmed the entire sequence and followed the commands of the director. I also thought of some ideas for different shots to make the piece of film more exciting, for example a low angle shot of the sequence. This would be to make the actor who requested the other to steal a brief case to look more threatening and powerful.
We wanted the lighting to match with the set, so we did not want too much harsh lighting. We wanted it to be slightly low key. We used We used two side lights with a downwards angle, this was two light the set so the actors could be seen clearly but also to make the scene seem slightly mysterious. I think the lighting was effective in the task because, the lighting supported the scene. The lighting probably could have been improved because we noticed a slight shadow on the back wall caused by the lighting, but because of the set and lighting available we could not remove this.

We set the camera up as a group and I think we did it in a correct way. We set up the tripod by unclasping the brackets and pulling the tripod upwards so it was at medium height. We then fixed the camera on the tripod by sliding the camera onto the top of the tripod and making sure it was secure, and then turned on the camera. Finally we made sure that the information on the video camera screen was correct. We understood that we had to look for the aspect ratio which was 16:9 and was correct for the shoot. We then looked out for the shutter speed which was 50, which was correct. The exposure was 1.6, which is too bright and would make the mise-en-scene appear white. Therefore I changed this to 2.4 and made sure I kept this constant throughout so it didn't appear as though the lighting had changed. I made sure the decibels was 0 and there was a light bulb which meant that it was shot with artificial light. We also made sure that there was sound being picked up from the camera by doing a sound check.

We made certain that the tripod was level in each shot. We did this by bubbling the tripod, this involves moving the camera on the tripod until the small circle is in the middle of the large circle. We checked the tripod after every cut and bubbled it again if it was necessary. We checked the shot was framed correctly in every shot by having a practise run before the actual shot. Where the actor stood in the frame, we marked it on the floor. If the actor did not stand in this place we did other takes of the same shot until it looked more correctly framed. We also made sure the lighting equipment, our shadows and any other unwanted obstacles were in the shot.

We chose appropriate angles for the shots, which reinforced the subject of the task. We had to follow the certain shots that were on the storyboard. However we used other shots to make the task more exciting. We shot the scene in a low angle shot of the demanding bully type character. This made her seem more powerful and high status. To do this I laid on the floor and held the camera upwards and made sure the character was correctly positioned in the frame. We then shot the other character with a high angle shot, this made her seem powerless and very low status. To do this, I adjusted the tripod so it was at maximum height and then pushed it together, so the tripod was easy to carry. I then held the tripod up and shot the camera on a downwards angle. We used over the shoulder shots of each character, using different distances. This was so you could see the expressions clearly of each character. We shot a long shot from the front, this was for the establishing shot of the scene. We then used close ups on the door opening and closing and the briefcase being picked up and put down. This was to emphasise the entrance and exit of the characters and to show that the briefcase is the center of the scene.

We conformed to the 180 degree rule. This rule is very important. If you imagine a line across the frame, you have to stay to one side of the line and if you cross the line it makes the shot look as if the characters are the opposite way round. We were effective in sticking to this rule and checked if we were crossing the line before we did a take.

I have learned allot during the filming of the preliminary task. I learned the appropriate terminology and I feel my confidence in filming has increased dramatically. I knew how different shots make people look a certain way but this task has made me understand this clearer because it has put these theories into context for me.

Intro to video camera

We were introduced to the cameras that are used on the course, these are the Sony PD170. We learned about the different parts of the camera, how to assemble the camera and what to look for on the screen. We learned that you have to look for on the screen:

--:--:--:-- this is the time code which shows how many frames there are
the number means how many frames there are per second
16:9 means the aspect ratio
50 is the shutter speed (50 times a second)
F1.6 is the exposure / iris this would be light and F11 would be dark
db is short for decibels which should be 0
the light bulb on the screen means indoor/artificial light
the sun on the screen means outdoors/natural light
48K is the sound quality

We then tested the knowledge we had gained by filming a 20 second clip of our choice. We chose to film it in the school car park, with the subject a girl waving at another and her ignoring the girl. We did a long shot of the scene, a mid shot and a close up all from different angles. This was to show the different emotions and personalities of the two people in the scene. We did many cuts because we wanted to get the shots just right so that the mise-en-scene was the same in the frame every time. For example, we did not want the girl to be waving with her right hand in the long shot and her left hand in the mid shot because then it would be confusing and not look real. We then watched the clips again on the computer and we realised that we had accidentally set the exposure to 1.6 which is very light. We didn't realise this at the time because we were in limited time and didn't think about looking at the footage straight after it had been filmed. If I was to do this exercises again I would know to turn the exposure up to a more convenient setting and check back that the lighting was not too bright or too dark.

Inroduction to photoshop

We were given an introduction to the CS2 photoshop. I really enjoyed this lesson because I have only really used photoshop for art and using the spot healing tool. We learned how to use certain tools that could be useful for our horror posters.

I experimented with different tools to create this photo. I took a picture of Chaz outside the main school. I thought this photo was good to experiment with because you can see his face clearly. I first used the spot healing tool. I zoomed into the photograph and proceeded to make the skin look completely clear with no imperfections. To cover blemishes on photoshop, I used the spot healing tool. A circle appeared and I adjusted the circumference of the circle by decreasing the number on the brush tool. I then clicked on a spot i wanted to cover and it adjusted it to fit in with the skin around it. I then used the healing brush tool and the dodge tool to highlight the areas around his eyes to make his skin seem brighter. I then used the clone stamp tool. This makes objects appear many times on the page. This gave the effect of Chaz's head on the post box. I clicked Alt on the keyboard and clicked on the point I wanted to clone. I then placed the mouse over where i wanted to clone the image to. By holding down and moving the mouse it clones the image where ever the arrow is on the page. I then gave the face a ghostly image by decreasing the opacity to make it only slightly visible. I did this by clicking on the layer of the cloned image and adjusting the opacity to get a correct image with the tool bar at the top of the page. To make his real face look smudged and stretched, I used the liquefy tool. I did this by clicking on filter then liquefy. I then adjusted the circumference of the circle so that I could work on the smaller facial features. To make the features look stretched I clicked on the facial feature and moved the mouse outwards.

Intoduction to stills camera

We were taught how to use the cameras in an appropriate way in order to take exciting and interesting photographs. We first learned how to work the cameras, for example how to zoom in and keep it in focus. We learned about the rule of thirds. This is a rule that applies to all visual art. It is the theory that all images should be divided into nine equal parts with three horizontal lines and three vertical lines. The most important parts of the photograph should run along these lines.

We also learnt about the four hotspots. This is the theory that because westerners read from left to right, they also read an image in this way. So therefore the most important part of the photograph should be in the top left hand corner, with the top right second, the bottom left third and the bottom right fourth. We also learned about head space and how you shouldn't have much or any head space in the photograph because it draws your eyes of the actual image.
We then got into groups and took pictures using these theories around the school. I took this picture of T-k and Davina who were in my group. I am proud of this picture because it uses the rule of thirds and the four hotpots in the correct way. T-k is standing up in the left hand corner and to give the photograph depth and difference Davina is crouching in the fourth hotspot. This photo doesn't have hardly any head space over T-k's head which is another important element.

Intoduction to studio

We were introduced to the television studio in the school. It is a large area with a grey interior. For the task it was laid out in an interview format. The task was to pretend we were being interviewed for the channel T4. Two people were chosen to be the interviewee's, two for the camera and two for the lighting. The rest were chosen to be interviewed. The room was set up with three lights and one camera on a tripod. I was chosen to be interviewed. We were given a sheet with questions to awns er for example; what type of music are you into? This practical exercise gave me the opportunity to experience an interview set up, have a first glance at what the camera and lights look like and how they work.