Monday, 12 January 2009

3.1. What you learnt by doing the preliminary exercise

From my experiences so far in doing the As Media Studies Coursework, I have already come across a few things that I have to be aware of (being the editor) when it comes to producing our own final two minute piece of footage, that will be handed into the exam bored.

Firstly I have learnt that you should take at least one shot, three times. This is because it will allow a variety of shot types that can be used while editing to create a final piece which is to a good standard, due to the variety of different shots but of the same same seen which allows you to more accurate when editing the final piece together. However as part of editing, from what I have learnt, is that you should have actors that can act to a good standard, this is because it reduces the time in which you take to find the actual piece that is needed.

Secondly, the technology that is available to use when it comes to filming and editing is one of the best that is available is schools within the borough of Hackney. This being the reason why once everyone has become familiar with the technology, our final pieces should be something of good quality if all the guidelines and targets are met to insure that we produce something of the highest standard, even though it is only something that is only two minutes long.

From my understanding of the functions of the Video Camera that are used in school, one of the most important things that you have to consider when about to go out on a shoot is whether it is white balance properly. What this does is enable the camera to differentiate from a dark blue and a sky blue for instance. This is done using by placing a white piece of paper in front of the camera (white piece of paper because it has all the colours of the spectrum within it) and then pressing the white balance function, then wait for it to stop flashing. the you know that you have correctly configured the camera. However the camera also involves uploading your footage to the IMacs, which is a tricky task if not done properly. One thing I have learnt from doing this excersise, in terms of the camera and IMacs, is that you have to upload your footage as soon as you have finished to a safe location. Either on a Macs Internal Harddrive or an External Harddrive.

In terms of actaully using Final Cut Pro, there are a lot of basic things that we all have to come to terms with, to even be able to to this preliminary exercise together, for example using the blade tool, Inserting titles and using techniques such match on action, shot/reverse shot and the180-degree rule.

2 comments:

Ms Flavell said...

Well done, you have tried to answer all the areas I outlined in the assignment sheet. I suggest a little bit of tweaking to what you have already done to improve the level of what you have written.

exam board - not bored, though you might be!

I agree, white balance is very important; as well as lighting, which you should also be aware of.

Paragraph 1 and 3 don't say much. You could probably cut them out altogether. As this is a media text, you can also use bullet points and diagrams rather than long paragraphs. Think about the best way to organise your post - a still image might help you to explain it more succinctly and make it easier for me to read.

As you have your own tapes now, it is not essential to upload your footage straight away.

You start to talk about editing but this is the most complex and exciting bit. Did you have 3 versions of each shot to choose from? What editing decisions did you make? Did FCP allow you to do everything you wanted?

Ms Flavell said...

Changes discussed but none made to date.