Directions: Canon 7D Workshop

As part of my preparation for the directions unit I attended a workshop on using the Canon 7D DSLR. I am planning on using this camera for my shoot so it was important that I took a lot from this session.

We started by getting our hands on the cameras and going over the buttons, and what each one did. I found this interesting as, although I own a Canon camera, I still found buttons I had never used before. Ferg took us through the features and showed us how to set up exposure, white balance, ISO & shutter speed. Next he told us about the technical aspects of the camera, for example, the lens, the image sensor & sound setup.

Sound setup is something you need to keep in mind when using a DSLR because they don't have very good microphones. You can plug one in via the mic jack but the audio quality still isn't the best it could be. To get over this issue you have to record sound externally using a Location Sound Kit. Ferg when over the kit and showed us what came in each box. He also showed us a film which allowed you to hear the difference between using the mic jack on the camera and using an external recorder. The external recorder sound much, much better.

Me holding the 7D (credit: Ida Frank)

Next we moved onto a small task. Ferg asked us to go off and produce a short 'music video'. This task is designed to help us develop our skills on the camera. As it was a music video, you didn't really have to think about storytelling & directing. This allowed us to just focus on the camera (no pun intended).

I split into a group with Ida & Sammi. We chose to create a music video for Sorry by Justin Bieber. The song has a good tempo which allowed us to create an upbeat music video with lots of movement. Our initial idea was to mix modern club dancing with ballet. Ida performed the club dances and Sammi ballet, and very well too. We began by recording a master shot of the entire performance. This shot was a steadicam shot where I followed Ida & Sammi around the studio whilst they danced, timing it with the music. We balanced the camera by using a tripod as a counter weight. Next we shot some opening shots that introduced the two dancers. Then Ferg suggested we try out some slow-motion, so we changed the frame rate (from 25fps to 50fps) and shot some dancing. Finally Ida suggested a shot of her and Sammi popping their heads up from off camera and looking at each other. We shot that last and we were done.

Next we edited the video together, which involved sync the video up with the music, something we planned for by having the music playing out of speakers whilst we shot the footage. Once we had synced it up we added some of the cutaways we shot and added some titles. Here is the final product:

I really enjoyed this activity. I allowed me to really get hands on with the camera and test my skills. I had to pull focus a lot whilst moving around which I found very challenging, however I think the video is pretty much in focus at all times. I found the information Ferg shared with us very useful and I'm glad I know a little bit more about the camera now, especially considering that I am planning on using it for my project. Making this video taught me about setting up the camera properly before I press record. Because of the lighting in the studio we had to fiddle with the settings a little to get the image we wanted. I'm glad I know this now, instead of finding it out when I'm trying to shoot my final film. Overall it was a very useful session.

Read More

Camera Workshop 4: Crossing The Line

For our fourth camera workshop we were back in Studio 5. This was our last camera workshop so it was time to use all of our new skills and create one final piece. We were given a script and a brief which said we had to create a sequence about the 180 degree rule. This sequence had to include at least 3 or 4 different shots and of course, we could not break the rule.

Before shooting anything I looked at the script and thought about how it could be shot, then I asked the actors (my classmates) to act out the scene so I could look at how they do it and decide where I could put the camera. After watching them I decided to shoot handheld and use a lav mic and a boom mic to capture audio. I shot from a few angles (over the shoulder, wide, two shot...) and asked them to act out the full scene each time so I had a few takes of the same dialogue to work with. Before each take I asked my boom operator if the sound was good, once she confirmed, I started to film. Once I was happy with the footage I shot one angle of character 1 waiting for character 2 to arrive and one angle of character 1 looked at the 180 degree line (added in post) after character 2 had left. Next it was time to edit.

Whilst editing I started with the two shot and worked around that. I put together a radio edit first to ensure all the dialogue lined up and worked, and then I went back through and fixed the visuals with the ripple edit and rolling edit tools. Next I used After Effects to add in my 180 degree line for the final shot. And then finally I fixed the audio levels and added some music. I had some issues with audio because some of my clips had a lot of background noise. I had to just work around this and do my best to cover it up and hide the transitions between different takes of audio. Before exporting I decided to change the opening of the clip and remove the arrival of character 2. Instead I started it from the line of dialogue "So I think we should talk about crossing the line". I did this because I felt the arrival wasn't shot very well (my own fault) and so didn't fit nicely into the edit. This change did take me under the 1min minimum for the project but it's a choice I had to make for it to work. Here is the final version:

I am very pleased with the final version and happy with the decisions I made in terms of angles and shot types, and cuts in the edit. I think this was a successful and fun workshop.

Read More

Camera Workshop 3: Sound & Shooting on Location

For our third camera workshop we looked at sound and shooting on location. We began by going back over the kit and what comes in the bag just to double check everyone knows. Ferg then showed us some of the sound equipment that is available to us, this includes:

• Rode NTG Mics
• Lavalier Mics (Clip-on mics)
• Blimps (boom mic housing)
• Dead Cats & Dead Wombats (wind protection)
• Boom poles

There is a lot of sound equipment which means we have a good selection to choose from when it comes to deciding how to record audio on a shoot. We continued with the session by splitting into pairs and setting up an interview like situation to help us look at using the boom mics. For my shoot I asked my partner, Cheyenne, some questions. I started but asking her to speak whilst I worked on the audio controls, adjusting them to a good level (so the levels hit about -12db). Once that was complete I started my interview. Here is some of the final product:

Looking back at it I think the audio is okay but I may have had the levels up too high as there is a lot of background noise. Next time I think I will spend a little more time working on the controls (maybe looking in the on screen menus) to ensure there is less background noise (if possible).

Next we moved onto shooting on location. This meant we had to think about health and safety and think about how to shoot audio on location. For my shoot I chose to use a clip on mic instead of a boom mic because it gave my actor (me) the ability to move more and stand quite far away from the camera (something I am thinking about utilising in my story-telling project).  Before starting I patrolled the area and looked for any hazards. I spotted one, a hole in the group, and maybe everyone on my crew aware of it. I also covered it up for safety. Once potential hazards were identified and the audio and camera where set up, we began shooting. Whilst shooting I did stray into areas I had not done health and safety checks on and unfortunately it did mean I almost tripped up. I should have thought more about where I was filming whilst I completed my checks to ensure this potential accident never occurred. Unfortunately, due to a low battery in the mic receiver, a lot of my sound was not recored so I had to scrap the footage. This is something I will have to think about to ensure it doesn't happen again.

Overall I enjoyed the session and I learnt a few things about what I should and shouldn't do next time.

Read More

Camera Workshop 2: Creating a Sequence

We recently spent the day on the set of Later with Jools Holland (Studio 5 @ Maidstone Studios) carrying out our second camera workshop. For this workshop we were asked to create a sequence based around someone walking to a chair and sitting on it. We used the Sony XDCAM PMW-200 to shoot our footage. I then took my footage and edited it in Premiere Pro. This was the end result:

This task helped me work on my directing skills because I had to direct my partner and tell them how I wanted them to act the scene out and how I was going shoot it. It also helped me work on my camera skills because I had to frame each shot before pressing the record button. And finally it let me learn more about Premiere Pro as it is a program I am not too familiar with.

Some photos from my time in Studio 5:

Read More

Camera Workshop 1: Rack Focus & Framing

For this session we spent the day in studio 2 learning how to use the Sony cameras. The cameras we used were the Sony XDCAM PMW-100 and the Sony XDCAM PMW-200.

Sony XDCAM PMW-100

Sony XDCAM PMW-200

For the first activity we practiced setting up focus. We used a "Rack Focus", which is when the focus switches between two subjects in the same frame. This involved us setting up the camera, framing the shot and then using the focus ring to switch focus between the two subjects. For a greater depth of field we could also use the zoom ring or zoom lever. This is the result of that task:

For the next activity we practiced framing. To do this we had to create a short piece about a bag. We were given a list of shot types we could use and we had to incorporate at least 5. Once we had shot all the footage we edited it together. This is the result of that task:

The session was very useful and helped me develop my camera and teamwork skills. I think the work I produced from this session was of a good standard and demonstrated that I had learnt something.

Read More