Camera Workshops - Continued

The Chair
For the second camera workshop, we were able to go into studio 5 which is being used currently for the Jools Holland set. It is the largest studio space in the studios for filming. We were given a simple task to experiment with the cameras a bit more and focus on looking at different shots and angles. The brief was to shoot a person walking towards a chair and sitting down. We were told to be as creative as possible and use a variety of shots. I decided to do some shots standing still with the camera catching the movement as well as tracking the movement and following Saskia with the camera. I also experimented with height by holding the camera at different angles in order to cover a wider amount of shots and make each cut look different. I wanted it to be a series of very quick shots to make it seem quite dramatic even though the concept is very simple and straight forward. I used iMovie to edit the video as this is the editing software I am most used to. It is very straightforward and you can edit the clips on the timeline quite simply with smooth cuts. I then paired some simple background music to create a bit of drama as well as a short sound right at the end of the video to finalise the journey she took to get to the chair.

Audio

In the next workshop, we looked at audio which is an incredibly important aspect when making a film as bad volume or wind disruption can make a video seem of poor quality and make it less enjoyable to watch. When shooting on a large scale such as outside, film makers will usually use a boom which is a huge microphone on a pole. Accompanying the end of the microphone is what is called a 'dead wombat' or 'dead cat' depending on the size. This is a furry cover for the microphone which helps to cancel out any background noise which could interfere with the audio in the video.  We were given a small task to go outside to the car park and grounds of the studios to experiment with the boom and the audio, using some of the tools on the camera as well as trying out different angles and stances for the boom. Saskia and I took it in turn to film each other and hold the boom at different angles. We also filmed a short conversation with Troy and Saskia to see how the audio would turn out for each of the voices. I learnt quite a bit about the sound controls on the camera and how to use the 'dead cat' as a way of keeping wind sound to a minimum. However, depending on how everything is set up, there can still be issues with sound which are tricky to work around. 

180 Degree Arc

For the last workshop we looked at the idea of the 180 Degree Arc. This is a general rule in filming which suggests that you should not cross the invisible line and enter the other side of the shot. If you switch to the other side of the arc then the positions of the people in the shot will switch sides, which will confuse the audience as everything will look distorted and disorientated. For the task we were given a script to read and take it in turns to film each other saying the lines whilst keeping the rule in mind. It had to be done in 4-5 shots to get a variety of angles and distances and experiment more with the camera. As well as this rule, Fergus told us about how characters should enter and leave a scene. For example if they enter from the right then they should exit to the left in order to get the impression that they are getting somewhere and progressing. I found these workshops all very beneficial for learning about the cameras and the rules of filming. I feel much more confident about shooting with the cameras in future, using some of the tools and methods I have experimented with.