Question 6

Question 6- What have you learnt about technologies from the process or constructing this product?

The equipment in which I used in order to make the construction of my film:

• Camera (Canon xha1)        

                   

• Battery ( Portable and charge pack )    

• Tripod (with bag)

• Recording tape

Editing Software

• Adobe Premier- Is the program in which was used to editing the film

Once everything was set, luckily our equipment set was already presentable with on the table in which all we then had to do was set everything out ready for filming.  Luckily we didn’t have to travel far as our set was built in the studio. Although we had originally decided to do our filming in the leisure centre but due to the location being unavailable the TV studio was our back up .We then were given roles individually in the group as director, camera man and continuity scribe in which we assigned in the group. However in the end we did not actually stick to this we kept swapping over to gain experience in how to use the camera and also we were being marked individually so each of us had to participate otherwise we would have been marked down. And resulting that it wouldn’t be fair if one person did all the work and then the rest of us shared the credit. We found that this was a successful method in which we then used for the editing process

Once everything was assigned we then went over to equipment in which we were lectured as a class on safety procedures in which we were told were very important, especially based around the tripod and the camera.
The first step was to set up the tripod in which we then took of the camera bag and released the legs of the tripod. Next had to untwist the grips at the bottom of each leg and extend to the highest length, then tighten the grips securely to prevent it from falling or slipping. We did this because we were given a health and safety talk before filming to ensure all equipment were safe as if any were broken we would have to pay for it. So throughout our project we tried our hardest to follow all of the safety rules as none of us wanted to pay for the damages. Once we knew this was safe we then did for the top half adjusting the height of our first shot. We were always told that if we wanted to change/adjust the tripod then we had to take the camera off in order to prevent any damages etc in which we successfully obeyed our teacher and completed all the shots used to the best of our ability.
We then brought the camera out holding the camera firmly by the handle. We were also told to double check if the shoehorn was loose, we used a coin tighten it  Next the camera was slid onto the tripod, it was then locked and tested as she shaking to see if it would move in then we knew it would be ready to start filming.

All that was needed to be checked the spirit level in which was used to help to make sure that our shots were straight and made it more accurate when it came to the filming. We then checked this by the circle sat within the middle circle making the camera level. All that was needed to be checked the spirit level in which was used to help to make sure that our shots were straight and made it more accurate when it came to the filming. We then checked this by the circle sat within the middle circle making the camera level. The battery was placed in space in camera. I put the tape in and then released the viewfinder and turned on the camera which then automatically turned on. We were ready for filming.

Production (What we learnt)

Use of different shots (Safety)

Shooting the same shots from different angles was one lesson that was essential as it gave us a lot more variety of shots to use when editing. As we used safety shots in which were used if we forgot to film or the shots weren’t good enough we always had a back up shot that we would use of that particular shot or shots. For example in our opening sequence we used 2 safety shots as one was used to run through the whole sequence and the other one was the same shot but from a different angle. This added a variety of shots when it came to editing we could add shots or replace them with the shots which would look more creative and appealing to our audience.

Rule of thirds

The rule of thirds rule is a concept in video and film production in which the frame is divided into nine imaginary sections. This creates reference points which act as guides for framing the image. Therefore we knew from studying that this makes shots look more interesting and effective to use in our film. For example in our film we used the rule of thirds shot as the sister opening the door on the main character. So we used the camera in a way that we used the LCD which is the screen monitor on the camera and did many takes until we got the sister point perfect or near enough to do this shot. Also the rule of thirds were used in our opening shot of the pan shot down to the house where in which caught most of the house in line in the rule of thirds as was displayed to us on the monitor. We were actually surprised that on our first take we got the shot near enough in line in which we were happy with.

Continuity

Continuity is how accurately one shot flows to the next shot when in production and post production. As said before in our group we were assigned different rules roles in the group and one of these roles was to check for continuity. In charge of the role for this was Rachel. Her job was to check if we moved anything in order for the next shot to be exactly the same as if it wasn’t it wouldn’t tell the story and would just look unrealistic. For example especially for the first two shots where they were panning shots of all the objects we had to check for continuity. We solved this by taking a picture on our phones as back up encase we had moved anything we could refer back to this and change it. Also we had continuity sheets gave to us which was a record of what shots were the best and what ones were not in which were really useful in post production the editing process.

Match on action

This is where action is played in a shot and it is then reacted into another shot. For example the most common one is when a person opens a door and the person inside says hello or something. This is match on reaction. Match on action was present in our film in the shot where the sister opened the door on our character. In which we then saw the sister react by smiling. We learnt when editing that it was essential as it decided where the cut was made. We then overlapped the shots and merged it together and on top to shorten the length of the shot.



Weather

While recording the procedure I have to be fully aware of the weather .If the weather was bad it would cause a hazard to the equipment such as the camera as it is electronic. It would also disturb our shot as we see in shot 1 the pan down into the house. We learnt that we had to check the weather forecast in advance if there were any problems to think of a backup plan

Editing (what we learnt)

Transitions/effects

One transition effect that we used the most in post production editing was opacity. This allows us to fade into different shots having in which it merges into different shots or finishes our film .We learnt that it was a very effective way to mix with different shots and also more creative for the audience. Yet again this was present in our film as it was used to mix the opening shots to be seen a transparent in which resulted into a good blend and our shot was very effective. Also we used contrasts to make our film much brighter etc. Moreover as our opening credits we used a fade in effect which quickened up the credits screen and which allowed us to change the starting point in which we dragged to the ending point. We did this for the effect that as the panning shot was moving the credits were also moving in the same direction in which we were told that was a good way to start our film.



Cutting/ Splicing

This was the most important tool we used to edit the sequence in which allowed us to shorten shots that we didn’t need. There are two types cutting and splicing. Cutting is the expansion way whereas we would drag the shot back and forth and either shorten and lengthen it into the next shot. In addition the second type of cutting splicing is using the razor tool and cutting it where to stop. We used splicing when the tape was uploaded onto our Lacie in the very beginning where we need to separate the shots and put them into the correct order. However towards the end we used cutting as it was easier and less time consuming. We used cutting in nearly every shot to pick the best of all the shots that we had. For example when the sister was coming up the stairs we kept on cutting back to show the reaction and also the sudden rush that Emma needed to clear everything away before her sister came in. In which we learnt that cutting is very effective.



Bin

This is where each of our projects where stored and saved the work. This could be visible while we were editing encase if a problem were to encounter we could look back at the previous work been saved and edit the original to make sure it’s correct. We also learnt that all the way through the repetitive pressing the button of ctrl+s was very important from saving our work. It was very fundamental to us as we knew from our preliminary task that adobe premiere was unreliable in which the site kept crashing, so therefore we saved constantly to avoid losing work.

Problems

·        Location of the bedroom -Since our location was set in a media room we had a lot of problem trying to get the shots that didn’t include the things that was needed such as the fire extinguisher, computers, stage lights and other things. Therefore we had to try and get the shots that didn’t include any of these objects which limited our selection. 

·        Staircase-we used the staircase of the media block to try and make it look like an actual staircase of a house .Yet again of shot selection was very limited as we had one bird’s eye view shot which was very good but we had to delete it because the tables we visible underneath. So we had to get the shot of the handle and half of the space of the railings so it doesn’t look real. Luckily the wallpaper was all white and plain in the sense that if it wasn’t it would have been another problem. Also we had to try and move the camera in many positions where it will be suitable to record this shot which was very time consuming as it took us ages to figure it out