In this camera workshop we were given a small tutorial on how to use the white balance and other filters to create a certain image. This could be done manually or by choosing a certain filter from the menu on the camera.
Doing this enables the recorded digital film to retain a certain style or 'look' to its image.
For example, at one particular time when we were recording, the image being captured from the camera had a green tint to it due to the lack of lighting in the room we were filming in. We targeted a white piece of paper and set the white balance switch to give the image a more natural look without the green tint.
We were also given a tutorial on how to increase and decrease the brightness or darkness of the image using the different shutter speeds. The lower the shutter speed, the darker the image.
I found this segment of the session particularly helpful as I now know how to confidently change the look of my recorded films for better quality.
The second part of this session included recording footage for ourselves using what we have learnt. The scenario we were given was 'someone sitting on a chair'.
When creating this scenario on film, I tried to use several different creative shots. One which I thought worked well was a low-angled shot of a chair in the foreground and a person in the background staring at the chair. I used focus to switch focus between the person and the chair to symbolize that the chair is the person's goal.
Other creative shots I included were a shot of the person's fist clenching. I positioned the camera so that the chair was perceptively in his hand as he clenched it, emphasizing his goal of getting to the chair.
The entire scene was directed as a comedy (although I fear it may not come across as so when the film has been edited together, plus comedy is subjective) with the protagonist conveying a serious expression on his face during his journey towards the chair, showing that he has some serious intent, but then sits down calmly as if nothing happened. In hindsight I do not think this was the best choice of genre to film because it didn't really make much sense in the context of what little story there was.
A particular shot which I had trouble with was a zoom on the protagonist's face once they had sat down on the chair. My first idea was to shoot it from a mid shot and then zoom in on the protagonist's face using the zoom button on the camera. However, I had trouble with the focus on the camera as, whenever I zoom in, I had to also control the focus so that I don't get a blurred image which I unfortunately kept getting wrong.
In time, though, I was given advice on not trying to achieve this shot at all. Because I was filming the shot handheld, zooming in on a handheld camera would increase and highlight how shaky the image will be and would not look very good at all. I was given advice on using a movement where I swoop the camera up to the protagonist's face but only if I felt confident enough to do this. I tried the shot a couple of times but didn't think I got the right effect due to my inexperience with this type of shot. I later decided on just using a separate close-up on the protagonist's face from a different angle to which the protagonist turns towards the camera, smiles and nod's their head.
Although I had trouble with certain shots, I believe that I was successful in my experimentation of shots and lighting to create a certain style.
An edited version of the footage will be on another blog soon.
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