ON THE SET

Brief account of learning how to handle a camera, terminology to use on set and good practice in editing. 

Camera and Tripod: In a group, we passed the camera around so we could practice how to handle it, insert the memory card and place it on the tripod. When passing the camera from one person to another, you should say 'yours' and 'mine' to minimise the risk of it being dropped. When using the tripod, you use the spirit level to make sure the camera is level and secure. I learnt how to adjust the focus of the camera, which is done by turning the dial up and down as well as how to zoom in which is done by twisting the lens. 

White Balance (WB) is the process of removing unrealistic colour casts, so that objects which appear white in person are rendered white in the photo. It allows the camera to acknowledge what the colour white look likes (the colour temperature) and therefore display all the other colours correctly resulting in a more realistic effect. To adjust this, you select 'WB' on the camera and it will display the different colour tones that are used in different lights. 

180 Degree Rule: This is a cinematography guideline that states that two people in a scene should maintain the same left/right relationship to each other. There is an invisible axis that connects the two characters and if the camera 'crosses the line', the shot becomes what is referred to as a reverse shot. 

On Set: I learnt about film terminology whilst on set. Once the camera is in focus, the director shouts "Standby" to alert everyone filming is about to start. Once they are ready, they reply with "Standing by". Once the director has said "rolling", everyone on set must stay quiet. Actors wait for the word "action" before they start moving and getting on with the scene. 

Following this, at the end of the filming session, the director will say "strike the kit" which indicates to the film crew, it is time to pack away equipment, take the batteries out of the cameras and put them on charge and ensure that the footage is uploaded. 

Good Practice in Editing: The software we are using are Final Cut Pro and iMovie which are downloaded on the iMacs in the media studio. When uploaded footage, the shots should be saved into a folder. These folders are called bins and the unedited footage from cameras are called rushes.