In this post I am going to be talking about my short film pitch and the idea for my short film.
For this part of the A2 Media course we had to come up with an idea for a short film and present it to the rest of the class as our film pitch. The quality of our film pitches would determine the groups we would be in for our A2 Media course.
I also made a short presentation to help me during my film pitch, here is my presentation and my film pitch;
Short Film Idea
That is my presentation and now here is my film pitch;
My next post will be the production team introduction.
Monday, 26 September 2016
Monday, 19 September 2016
DSLR Training
In this post I am going to be talking about the DSLR cameras, I am going to be showing my understanding of what DSLR cameras do and how they are different to the cameras we used in last years course.
The similarities from last years cameras to this years cameras are that the DSLR cameras have 24 frames per second, like last years cameras.The video is not too jerky and not too smooth either which wasn't possible with last years cameras we used.
The shutter speed is the amount of time that the camera shutter is open, i.e. how long the cameras sensor is exposed to light through the lens.
A shorter shutter speed will reduce the amount of time that the shutter is open, and allows you to freeze motion, due to the image being exposed for a much shorter amount of time. A longer shutter speed allows you to capture motion, because the image is being exposed for a longer period of time. So any moving objects will have moved during the time the shutter was open. Using longer shutter speeds can be a problem if you are hand-holding the camera, as you cannot hold the camera still during the duration of the exposure and this will cause the image to blur due to the movement of the camera. Here is an example of different shutter speeds;
Below is an image with a low shutter speed of 1/200 seconds. This captures the rotation of the propeller, providing a sense of movement.
The image below has a much higher shutter speed of 1/2000 seconds. This freezes the movement of the propeller.
The new cameras also have shallow depth of field, which allows the audience to draw their attention to a particular object, to signify its importance. For example, the actor could be in focus and the background could be blurry and out of focus. The new cameras allow us to create a high contrast and a more flat look without losing too much detail.
It is also much easier to turn night into day, due to the wide range of lenses, I can catch more light when shooting with a wide open aperture. This isn't possible with the regular cameras we used last year.
The aperture is also different in the new DSLR camera. The aperture is the size of the iris in the camera lens and controls the amount of external light that enters the lens. The smaller the aperture, the less light that can get in and the bigger the aperture the more light that can get in.
An aperture of F/1.4 gives a shallow depth of field and a aperture of F/16 gives an image where more objects are in focus. Here is an example of these 2 images below;
The ISO measures the sensitivity of the image sensor. The lower the number the less sensitive your camera is to light. The higher the number the more sensitive your camera is to light. Higher ISO settings are generally used in darker situations to get faster shutter speeds. The ISO starts at 100 and then ends at 1600 depending on the camera you are using, some cameras have an ISO of up to 3200.
Below is an image with a high ISO and a low ISO;
The image on the left has a ISO of 100 which means the camera is less sensitive to light and therefore creates a more defined image because the image gets the signal it needs and shows little to no noise. The image on the right has an ISO of 3200 which means the camera is more sensitive to light and therefore creates a less defined image because the background noise in the image is intensified.
The three things that I have talked about above; shutter speed, aperture and ISO, all contribute to maintaining exposure when taking an image.
Exposure is the amount of light per unit area reaching a photographic film or electronic image sensor as determined by the shutter speed, lens aperture and ISO sensor sensitivity.
I am now going to be talking about how to set up a canon 600D in preparation for filming.
Here is a video of how to set up a canon 600D camera using the settings;
Here is a video of how you focus using a canon 600D camera;
Here I am going to be telling you how to control selective focus (depth of field) on a canon 600D. The camera bases focus on the center focus point, the cameras auto-focusing system looks at all 9 auto focus points when trying to establish focus. Typically the camera sets focus on the point that falls over the object closest to the lens.
There are two modes that you can set your camera to in order to carry out selective focus. The first one is M (manual) and the second one is AF (auto-focus). Manual focus is where you zoom in on the object you want to focus on, click the button half way down as if you are going to take a photo and then when it has focused zoom back out. Auto-focus is when the camera focuses on the on the image automatically without having to zoom in, focus and then zoom out again.
Here is a video that I have embedded about controlling selective focus (depth of field) on the DSLR cameras;
There are many different lenses that are used for a DSLR camera. The first lens I am going to be talking about is the standard lens. This lens is in the 50mm range. There is also the telephoto lens. This lens has a longer focal length than standard, giving a narrow field of view and a magnified image. For more information on the different types of lenses that can be used with the DSLR cameras I have embedded a video below that explains them.
I am now going to be talking about the cokin filter system. This filter is placed in front of the camera lens to control the quantity of light that reaches the sensor in order to modify colours, contrast, saturation, shutter-speed, depth of field etc. Filters are used during filming for instant results instead of doing it in post-production. The cokin filter system contains three main components; a filter holder, adapter ring and a filter.
Here is how the cokin filter system works;
Here is a video of how to use the cokin filter system;
I can use all of this knowledge to film a piece of footage successfully. We practiced using the DSLR cameras in our Media lessons. We practiced taking photos, changing the shutter speed, changing the aperture and changing the IOS. We took some good photos which I am going to embed below;
This practice with the DSLR cameras will hopefully help me in creating my very own short film during the A2 Media course in year 13.
My next post will be my documentary and evaluation (training task).
The similarities from last years cameras to this years cameras are that the DSLR cameras have 24 frames per second, like last years cameras.The video is not too jerky and not too smooth either which wasn't possible with last years cameras we used.
The shutter speed is the amount of time that the camera shutter is open, i.e. how long the cameras sensor is exposed to light through the lens.
A shorter shutter speed will reduce the amount of time that the shutter is open, and allows you to freeze motion, due to the image being exposed for a much shorter amount of time. A longer shutter speed allows you to capture motion, because the image is being exposed for a longer period of time. So any moving objects will have moved during the time the shutter was open. Using longer shutter speeds can be a problem if you are hand-holding the camera, as you cannot hold the camera still during the duration of the exposure and this will cause the image to blur due to the movement of the camera. Here is an example of different shutter speeds;
Below is an image with a low shutter speed of 1/200 seconds. This captures the rotation of the propeller, providing a sense of movement.
The image below has a much higher shutter speed of 1/2000 seconds. This freezes the movement of the propeller.
The new cameras also have shallow depth of field, which allows the audience to draw their attention to a particular object, to signify its importance. For example, the actor could be in focus and the background could be blurry and out of focus. The new cameras allow us to create a high contrast and a more flat look without losing too much detail.
It is also much easier to turn night into day, due to the wide range of lenses, I can catch more light when shooting with a wide open aperture. This isn't possible with the regular cameras we used last year.
The aperture is also different in the new DSLR camera. The aperture is the size of the iris in the camera lens and controls the amount of external light that enters the lens. The smaller the aperture, the less light that can get in and the bigger the aperture the more light that can get in.
An aperture of F/1.4 gives a shallow depth of field and a aperture of F/16 gives an image where more objects are in focus. Here is an example of these 2 images below;
The ISO measures the sensitivity of the image sensor. The lower the number the less sensitive your camera is to light. The higher the number the more sensitive your camera is to light. Higher ISO settings are generally used in darker situations to get faster shutter speeds. The ISO starts at 100 and then ends at 1600 depending on the camera you are using, some cameras have an ISO of up to 3200.
Below is an image with a high ISO and a low ISO;
The image on the left has a ISO of 100 which means the camera is less sensitive to light and therefore creates a more defined image because the image gets the signal it needs and shows little to no noise. The image on the right has an ISO of 3200 which means the camera is more sensitive to light and therefore creates a less defined image because the background noise in the image is intensified.
The three things that I have talked about above; shutter speed, aperture and ISO, all contribute to maintaining exposure when taking an image.
Exposure is the amount of light per unit area reaching a photographic film or electronic image sensor as determined by the shutter speed, lens aperture and ISO sensor sensitivity.
I am now going to be talking about how to set up a canon 600D in preparation for filming.
Here is a video of how to set up a canon 600D camera using the settings;
Here is a video of how you focus using a canon 600D camera;
Here I am going to be telling you how to control selective focus (depth of field) on a canon 600D. The camera bases focus on the center focus point, the cameras auto-focusing system looks at all 9 auto focus points when trying to establish focus. Typically the camera sets focus on the point that falls over the object closest to the lens.
There are two modes that you can set your camera to in order to carry out selective focus. The first one is M (manual) and the second one is AF (auto-focus). Manual focus is where you zoom in on the object you want to focus on, click the button half way down as if you are going to take a photo and then when it has focused zoom back out. Auto-focus is when the camera focuses on the on the image automatically without having to zoom in, focus and then zoom out again.
Here is a video that I have embedded about controlling selective focus (depth of field) on the DSLR cameras;
There are many different lenses that are used for a DSLR camera. The first lens I am going to be talking about is the standard lens. This lens is in the 50mm range. There is also the telephoto lens. This lens has a longer focal length than standard, giving a narrow field of view and a magnified image. For more information on the different types of lenses that can be used with the DSLR cameras I have embedded a video below that explains them.
I am now going to be talking about the cokin filter system. This filter is placed in front of the camera lens to control the quantity of light that reaches the sensor in order to modify colours, contrast, saturation, shutter-speed, depth of field etc. Filters are used during filming for instant results instead of doing it in post-production. The cokin filter system contains three main components; a filter holder, adapter ring and a filter.
Here is how the cokin filter system works;
- Screw the adapter ring onto the lens.
- Slide the filter holder on the adapter ring until it snaps in place.
- Slide the filter into one of the filter holder slots.
Here is a video of how to use the cokin filter system;
I can use all of this knowledge to film a piece of footage successfully. We practiced using the DSLR cameras in our Media lessons. We practiced taking photos, changing the shutter speed, changing the aperture and changing the IOS. We took some good photos which I am going to embed below;
This practice with the DSLR cameras will hopefully help me in creating my very own short film during the A2 Media course in year 13.
My next post will be my documentary and evaluation (training task).
Documentary and Evaluation (Training Task)
In this post I am going to embed the video of our groups documentary. We created this documentary as a training task on how to use the DSLR cameras to make an effective short. It was kind of like a practice session making a short documentary so we could see how well we used the DSLR cameras ready for our short film. I am going to embed the video of our short film 'ofsted ordeal' below and then evaluate what we did well and what we could do to improve;
Right at the start of our short documentary we used the ken burns effect during the post production. We used this to address and draw the audiences attention to the Great Wyrley High School logo. This was so that we could emphasise to the audience watching that we were talking about a high school and so they knew which high school. Straight after this we added another ken burns effect to zoom in on the sixth form sign, this was also to emphasise to the audience watching that our sole focus was on the sixth form students at Great Wyrley High School.
We chose the title 'ofsted ordeal' to point out to the audience that this documentary was all about how the ofsted report effected the sixth form in particular.
We then had a head shot of Marc a sixth form student from Great Wyrley High School. This was so that the audience could hear first hand how the ofsted report effected the sixth form students in particular. We couldn't have used a random person from the school because they wouldn't have first hand knowledge of what sixth form is like and how they are effected which is why we though it would be a good idea to get a sixth form student to interview and give his opinion on how the ofsted report has effected sixth form and his personal experience.
We then had some B-Roll footage of Sara another sixth form student who as you can see is going about her business, this is to just give the audience watching an idea of what sixth form students get up to in their lessons and what their lessons are like. We then had some more B-Roll footage which was a pan of the sixth form area. This is to show the audience again what the sixth formers' get up to in their spare time and just to look into the life of a sixth former. The fact the the sixth form area is bare and there is 2 sixth form students playing table tennis is to signify how the ofsted report has effected the sixth form students and sixth form as a whole.
In the next part of our short documentary we shot some footage of Ben another sixth form student on the computer doing his work. In this piece of footage we wanted to do a focus pull so that first we would focus on Ben and then we would do a focus pull from Ben on to the computer. This was so that the audience would focus on him doing his work and then the focus pull would signify the importance of sixth formers' and their school work. However, the focus pull didn't work, none of use could get a very good or effective focus pull so in the end we didn't have one so it didn't have the same overall effect as we would have liked it to. To improve this we would practice shooting little bits of footage just to practce our focus pulls to perfect it for next time.
We then shot some footage of a sixth form Business Studies teacher Mrs Moore. We decided to interview a teacher because we thought it would give a different perspective to look at it and hear how the sixth form ofsted report has effected the teaching as well as the students. Then we had two points of view one from a student and one from a teacher.
Finally we had a voice over explaining some things that the ofsted report said and the impacts on the ofsted report on sixth form, we included some facts and statistics in the voice over to hopefully persuade the audience to pay more attention.
My next post will be the production team introductions.
Right at the start of our short documentary we used the ken burns effect during the post production. We used this to address and draw the audiences attention to the Great Wyrley High School logo. This was so that we could emphasise to the audience watching that we were talking about a high school and so they knew which high school. Straight after this we added another ken burns effect to zoom in on the sixth form sign, this was also to emphasise to the audience watching that our sole focus was on the sixth form students at Great Wyrley High School.
We chose the title 'ofsted ordeal' to point out to the audience that this documentary was all about how the ofsted report effected the sixth form in particular.
We then had a head shot of Marc a sixth form student from Great Wyrley High School. This was so that the audience could hear first hand how the ofsted report effected the sixth form students in particular. We couldn't have used a random person from the school because they wouldn't have first hand knowledge of what sixth form is like and how they are effected which is why we though it would be a good idea to get a sixth form student to interview and give his opinion on how the ofsted report has effected sixth form and his personal experience.
We then had some B-Roll footage of Sara another sixth form student who as you can see is going about her business, this is to just give the audience watching an idea of what sixth form students get up to in their lessons and what their lessons are like. We then had some more B-Roll footage which was a pan of the sixth form area. This is to show the audience again what the sixth formers' get up to in their spare time and just to look into the life of a sixth former. The fact the the sixth form area is bare and there is 2 sixth form students playing table tennis is to signify how the ofsted report has effected the sixth form students and sixth form as a whole.
In the next part of our short documentary we shot some footage of Ben another sixth form student on the computer doing his work. In this piece of footage we wanted to do a focus pull so that first we would focus on Ben and then we would do a focus pull from Ben on to the computer. This was so that the audience would focus on him doing his work and then the focus pull would signify the importance of sixth formers' and their school work. However, the focus pull didn't work, none of use could get a very good or effective focus pull so in the end we didn't have one so it didn't have the same overall effect as we would have liked it to. To improve this we would practice shooting little bits of footage just to practce our focus pulls to perfect it for next time.
We then shot some footage of a sixth form Business Studies teacher Mrs Moore. We decided to interview a teacher because we thought it would give a different perspective to look at it and hear how the sixth form ofsted report has effected the teaching as well as the students. Then we had two points of view one from a student and one from a teacher.
Finally we had a voice over explaining some things that the ofsted report said and the impacts on the ofsted report on sixth form, we included some facts and statistics in the voice over to hopefully persuade the audience to pay more attention.
My next post will be the production team introductions.
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