SETTING UP EQUIPMENT
Meaning and PurposeIt is very important to have a photo shoot run smoothly, as a lot of my equipment was the same equipment used to film the project this print based media is based on below I have shown the equipment's use and a corresponding image from either my shoot or the film the shoot was for to give an idea of its usage.
Canon 7D
I used a Canon 7D Mark 1 to shoot the whole of my film, I have experience with this camera and was able to use its versatility to capture every planned shot as well as inserts and the unplanned opening shots in my film. The camera also performs well in low-light conditions such as my dialogue scene in the shed which I was able to shoot due to the camera's ISO abilities.
Canon EF-S 18-55mm Lens
My 18-55mm lens featured heavily in the film being the most versatile lens I had it gave me a good wide angle when needed which was useful for my opening scene-establishing shots. Being a Canon made lens I found it also paired well with my Canon 7D Camera Body and was very functional. The idea of having a kit lens that can act as a wide angle lens as well as a zoom lens is very useful, it gives a good range of angles and allowed me to get closer to my actors while keeping the correct frame, the only trouble with this lense is pulling focus, with this lens focus pulling is very clunky and makes a slight mechanical sound when being done, I would highly suggest never using the auto focus feature on this lense for that reason as the sound will affect the film's audio too much to be worth it. All-in-all however this lens was very useful and as I said I used it throughout the film due to its functionality and versatility in terms of the angles it provides.
Kit:
Tripod
My old tripod was used frequently due to my hands not being the most steady. The tripod gave me far more use than simple steadiness however, it also allowed me to Dutch Tilt which is featured in one of my ending shots in the kitchen as well as panning which is seen in the shot connected to the image of the tripod. I really like getting slider shots on the tripod as I think the steady image is very professional and allows me to express a sense of movement, for example in my film all of the opening slider shots were from left to right, the correct linear movement - showing and foreshadowing that my film was going to be linear, which is was. This was changed however when I used the title card, the frame went from right to left to show the confusion and mystery of the story and the entrance into the unexpected.
Props and Costume
USE OF PRE-PRODUCTION MATERIALS
SAFE-WORKING PRACTICES
PRODUCTION PROCESSES
Meaning & Purpose
In order to complete and fulfill my creative vision there were a number of things I needed to do to keep the quality of the pictures high while hinting the theme of the story well. This included colour, shadows, all of which directly connected to lighting. As such, lighting was incredibly important in the process of shooting my film. This included relevant photography techniques which are important to follow as they can ensure not only a better looking image, but an image with meaning and purpose behind it. The pre-production materials I gathered previous to the shoot helped me greatly in the coordination and execution of the final products, by giving me a clear schedule as well .
Assessment of Risk
To ensure I followed the safest working practices possible I had my risk assessment form on me at all times during the shoot, this was then checked regularly. This was relevant when we began shooting within the shed where I had to notify the actors of the dangerous conditions within. This form can be seen below:
Placement of Shadows & Aperture
One of the techniques I used was the placement of shadows, in my shoot I tried to get a dark sense of the characters where the shadows were surrounding them, I did this by having the majority of my shots show a smaller lightening in the middle of the frame which was then vignetted by the surrounding sections of the picture. This can be seen below in one of the pictures taken of 'the man in the shed'. To ensure I had these shadows correctly exposed I ensured my camera was in the best setting possible, using an automatic shutter speed I set the f.stop value (aperture) to the lowest highest setting on that lens which was f/4 this allowed me to blur the background which assisted with the dark shadows, I also angled my actor to face the open door which was providing the main light source into the shot, this lit his face much more than the background which made it possible to get the shot below.
Set Design
For the shoot I also planned out my angles and actors positions through drawing the layout of the rooms I would be shooting in, this made the shoot more efficient and allowed me to plan the exact shots I would be taking. During this phase I became more aware of certain risks that we prevalent such as the lawnmower inside the shed, which acted as a potential trip hazard for the actors or myself. I overcame this potentially risky situation by bringing the lawnmower out of the shed when shooting. This layout design made it easier for me to navigate the space when it came time to shoot the photographs. This can be seen below:
Catching Movement
During the shot in the shed I wanted the shots to look very natural, as such I simply took the pictures alongside the filming of the actual scenes, I had the actors run their lines while I took pictures and then recorded them for the full on scene, this not only gave them time to rehearse the scenes but also myself to ensure framing was correct as well as the shutter speed. As I had placed the shutter speed on automatic it adjusted itself during different pictures and as such I cannot give a final speed I picked for the shed shoot. However I felt no need to change the shutter speed as due to the wide open aperture the camera automatically countered the effect of harsh light by increasing the shutter speed, this meant that while my actors were still running line I could take pictures with ease and very little motion blur. This is shown in the picture above of the man in the shed.
Camera Angles
I choose angles in this shoot that mimicked the film's aesthetic, this to show the audience and those looking at the print based media the style in which the film is shot as well as the the power dynamics between the boy and the man, in one of my planned edits I will be putting a view of both the boy and the man in the frame and the angle from which both are viewed hints towards their dynamic in the actual storyline of the film.
Mise-En-Scene
The style of mise-en-scene for these pictures was meant to be very minimalist and show with vagueness the storyline, this involved images of the shoe polished used in the film, the shed, kettle as well as the actors. This was meant to focus the audience's view to the objecti in the focus of each picture and create a sense of mystery that the audience member will want to satisfy by watching the film.
Realising The Product
When I had taken the pictures I then, after selecting the ones I wanted to use, moved them into photoshop to edit them, this included changing brightness and contrasts of the image as well as cropping and shadow placement. To change the brightness and contrast of pictures I went to the Image menu and found Adjustments > Brightness and Contrast. from there I could adjust the levels to suit the image style I wanted.
To ensure I followed the safest working practices possible I had my risk assessment form on me at all times during the shoot, this was then checked regularly. This was relevant when we began shooting within the shed where I had to notify the actors of the dangerous conditions within. This form can be seen below:
Placement of Shadows & Aperture
One of the techniques I used was the placement of shadows, in my shoot I tried to get a dark sense of the characters where the shadows were surrounding them, I did this by having the majority of my shots show a smaller lightening in the middle of the frame which was then vignetted by the surrounding sections of the picture. This can be seen below in one of the pictures taken of 'the man in the shed'. To ensure I had these shadows correctly exposed I ensured my camera was in the best setting possible, using an automatic shutter speed I set the f.stop value (aperture) to the lowest highest setting on that lens which was f/4 this allowed me to blur the background which assisted with the dark shadows, I also angled my actor to face the open door which was providing the main light source into the shot, this lit his face much more than the background which made it possible to get the shot below.
Set Design
For the shoot I also planned out my angles and actors positions through drawing the layout of the rooms I would be shooting in, this made the shoot more efficient and allowed me to plan the exact shots I would be taking. During this phase I became more aware of certain risks that we prevalent such as the lawnmower inside the shed, which acted as a potential trip hazard for the actors or myself. I overcame this potentially risky situation by bringing the lawnmower out of the shed when shooting. This layout design made it easier for me to navigate the space when it came time to shoot the photographs. This can be seen below:
Catching Movement
During the shot in the shed I wanted the shots to look very natural, as such I simply took the pictures alongside the filming of the actual scenes, I had the actors run their lines while I took pictures and then recorded them for the full on scene, this not only gave them time to rehearse the scenes but also myself to ensure framing was correct as well as the shutter speed. As I had placed the shutter speed on automatic it adjusted itself during different pictures and as such I cannot give a final speed I picked for the shed shoot. However I felt no need to change the shutter speed as due to the wide open aperture the camera automatically countered the effect of harsh light by increasing the shutter speed, this meant that while my actors were still running line I could take pictures with ease and very little motion blur. This is shown in the picture above of the man in the shed.
Camera Angles
I choose angles in this shoot that mimicked the film's aesthetic, this to show the audience and those looking at the print based media the style in which the film is shot as well as the the power dynamics between the boy and the man, in one of my planned edits I will be putting a view of both the boy and the man in the frame and the angle from which both are viewed hints towards their dynamic in the actual storyline of the film.
Mise-En-Scene
The style of mise-en-scene for these pictures was meant to be very minimalist and show with vagueness the storyline, this involved images of the shoe polished used in the film, the shed, kettle as well as the actors. This was meant to focus the audience's view to the objecti in the focus of each picture and create a sense of mystery that the audience member will want to satisfy by watching the film.
Realising The Product
When I had taken the pictures I then, after selecting the ones I wanted to use, moved them into photoshop to edit them, this included changing brightness and contrasts of the image as well as cropping and shadow placement. To change the brightness and contrast of pictures I went to the Image menu and found Adjustments > Brightness and Contrast. from there I could adjust the levels to suit the image style I wanted.
This image was taken from http://www.sketchpad.net/photoshop-levels-1a.htm
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