Media Studies 2009-11

1) Google Ipad:

a) Tasks such as internet, email, photos (only import), video, access to video (youtube) music (itunes, ipod), all the apps including ibook, maps, notes, calender, contacts, spotlight search.

b) A bigger touch screen for the elderly and impaired, trying to aim at older audiences and make it easier for those less able with modern technology.

2) Playstation 3:

a) A user can

a)

My preliminary exercise matched the brief we were given to a good standard. We used the camera properly, by checking white balance and tried using the tripod. We tried to achieve good quality shots and angles. We used a long shot at the start, followed by mid shots with two important close ups which show the meaning of the sequence. However we did leave out a good standard of sound, which may have hindered our exercise. The software which we used to edit our film, Adobe Premiere, was simple to pick up and we thought carefully about our editing. When I make my next film I think I will film more shots to work with, and take more care in the sound element.

Adobe Premiere is a video editing software package suitable for both amateur enthusiasts and professionals. It can be purchased and used alone, or alongside other applications such as Adobe Photoshop, After Effects, etc.

It works by importing software from a camera, like music from a disk, and editing then being able to put back onto disk. It is a decent piece of software, and can do high quality media and is easy to use for all people.

It can…

• Import video, audio and graphics in a wide variety of formats.
• Edit, manipulate and arrange these elements in a visual timeline.
• Add effects, filters, titles, etc.
• Export your edited video in a variety of formats, including video tape recordings, DV, DVD, and common Internet video formats.

It cannot…

• The built-in title maker is fine for most titles but is not particularly advanced.
• Premiere has some good audio mixing and effects features, but serious sound editing will need a specialist sound application (e.g. Adobe Audition or soundbooth).
• The range of transitions and special effects is only average by professional standards (more are available from third party suppliers).

Some features are absent by design, encouraging you to purchase separate Adobe products such as After Effects (special effects), Encore (DVD authoring) and Audition (audio). The good news is that, if you really need these features, you can purchase multiple Adobe products in various bundles which gives you a very powerful production suite at a very reasonable price.

Overall, Adobe Premiere overview is cost-effective, easy to use, suitable for most software up to a high-quality.

Choosing the right microphone:

• Need to know what characteristics you need
• Dictionality: decide which dictional pattern fits best
• Frequency response: make sure right for intended use
• Low independence is better than high independence
• Handling noise: Most microphones handle all noise the same, so you will need a mic which will help prevent this noise from being picked up. High quality hand-held mics usually attempt to isolate the diaphragm from vibrations using foam padding, suspension, or some other method. Low quality mics tend to transfer vibrations from the casing right into the diaphragm, resulting in a terrible noise.
• Practicaility is important; so if the film maker is on a budget then they must think what they need the mic for and whether they can stretch what they need out of it. Try and compare different mic’s so the person finds the right type.

Positionaning the microphone:

• The film maker has to find the right balance between being too close and too far away, either one can cause problems.
• Be careful using one or more mic, can cause phasing.
• Find the best place, as long as its safe

Microphone stands, mounts and clamps:

• Having a microphone on a stand can be benefitial, as long as safe and responsive
• 3 different types of stands: vertical, boom, small table-top stand
• Always position correctly, and be careful of wires and knots
• Clamps are smaller and easy to carry, but can attract unwanted noise and can be difficult to position
• Clothing clip - small and easy
• Headset - if person needs to talk aswell and do not get distracted
• Boom microphone - used often in television, outside the frame. They can freely absorb sound and easy to put together from other microphones. Must keep a balanced distance, try to avoid being in the frame.
• Hand-held mic - always do a sound check, keep an eye on the on/off switch, keep about 15-20cm away from mouth, always point towards person speaking and never give away during interview.

 Looking after microphones:

• Avoid elements, dust, general dropping
• Don’t tap, blow, put volume up, swing round

1) Extreme wide shot (EWS) So far away from subject, not visible, usually establishing shot at the start of the film.

2) Very wide shot (VWS) Subject is visible berly, but placing the subject in its environment. Also an establishing shot

3) Wide shot (WS)- shot of the subject e.g. main person. Shot of the entire body, with a bit on the top and on the bottom.

4) Mid shot (MS) - shot of the person waist above usually, to show the audience the subject but still have them thinking they are looking at the whole thing.

5) Medium closeup (MC) - half way between a MS and a CU. This shot shows the face more clearly, but not too close.

6) Close up (CU) - Usually of whole face, to show detail and emotion. Makes the viwer drawn to the person.

7) Extreme close up (ECU) - very close for specific reasons, usually of a persons face.

Cutaway (CA) - Shot of something different, usually relevant to main person or action in scene.

9) Cut in (CI) - Similar to Cutaway

10) Two shot - MS of two people, usually above waist, in frame.

11) Over the shoulder shot (OSS) - Shot to show persons point of view.

12) Noddy shot - Nodding shot, usually used in interviews. Shown to show listening and reactions.

13) Point of view shot (POV) - Shows what the subject person is seeing.

14) Weather shots - to show the weather if its relevant, can be a establishing shot.

19/10/09 - 2 different types of editing; Linear and Montage

• Linear - patterneed editing, all shots in order and makes sense of time, events and story telling.
• Non - linear - Out of sequence, no attempt of relationship between shots. Primary shots.
• Montage - distorted, doesn’t really make sense of time. Can be quite random but does mean something.

Most professional cameras, and the ones I will be using are manual. This is because the camera will work better in poorer conditions, as well as me being in complete control over what I want it to do. The ain functions of a manual camera are :

Zoom - this is where the camera moves in and out and where close ups can be created. For long zooms use a tripod, and do not overuse it as the effect is tiring for the viewer.

Focus - Focus is important fo detail, and can be found on a ring on professional cameras. To achieve best focus, zoom right in and adjust for the best picture, then zoom out.

Iris - this is the control on the camera where you can adjust the amount of light going into the shot. The more light, the brighter the shot. Professional cameras have a dial, the one I will be using will problably have a dial or a set of buttons. The rule for exposure is: set the exposure for the subject, it doesn’t matter as much for the other items in the shot.

White balance - This is what the camera needs to know what colours look like. You could put a blank, white sheet of paper in front of the camera so the camera can adjust to it. You do this by adjusting the focus and xposure, then pressing “the white balance” button. This should be done regurly especially if the location has changed.

Audio - The camera should come in with a built in microphone. If not, or your in need of a btter quality one, then another microphone can be attached through the “mic-input” socket if the camera has one. This might be because it is better suited for the type of film, or the angle ofthe mic is better for the film.

Most cameras have an “auto-gain control”, which adjusts the audio level automatically. This is very important, and most cameras have this built in already. A tip for audio is, try to keep background noise at a minimun level, this helps emphasise subject sound and easy to change sound. Avoid background music, and organise speech in the film to a right timing. Also your camera should have a “low-cut filter” or a “wind-noise filter” which helps block out the sound of the wind. This can effect the audio.

Shutter - Rarely used for beginners, it helps some shots appear sharper. However, can ruin some by aking it look jerky.

Effects - Many cameras come with built in effect buttons such as; still, mix, strobe. They can be good if use properly, but like zooming, don’t over use it. Effects can be done better with editing software.

“Poor prior planning leads to particularly poor programs” is the opening sentence for this advice article. It says this is very true in the filming industry.

Planning is very important, as it saves time and money. The first thing the creators need to think about is the purpose of the film, and the audience. For instance, if its a promotional video for a charity, then the shot needs to contain people and situations which what the chairty represents, and some scenes which will persuade the viewer to do what the creators intended. The purpose will also help the creator know what equipment he/she will need, like dollys, amount of cameras etc. The audience will help know how to shoot the film, so for instance a charity video will be aimed at older people who have money, so it would be more slow nd serious. More formal perhaps. This narrows down how to shoot alot.

The location of where the creator is filming is very important aswell. It needs to be chosen carefully, and the obstacles or issues which may occur need to be evaluated. The major things which need to be checked are avaliability of power, space, accessibility, resources, food. Pollutions such as noise or other jobs going in may also effect the filming, The chosen location needs to be throughly checked.

What to put into the shots, is the last step in the creators planning process, and is determined by the script. The creator must decide what sounds and sights they want to in their shots, so they must make a list. This will become a shot list, which will be written with the help of the why and where they are filming. This will then be broken down into order of filming. This will have to be reorgranised into the best and cheapest ways aswell. E.g all locations nearest each other first, and certain weather on which days.

The casting comes after this, and always have a “reserve bench” of actors and other crew members in case of cancellations. Same goes for location in case of bad weather etc. Scheduling is very important for shooting a film too. The creator must go around actors time, time of day, events, equipment and stunts They must remember to organise the renting of equipment aswell. Once the schedule is thought up, a shot list should lastly be created. This will contain angles, lengths and sizes of each shot. The more specific the creator is, the easier it will be.

Overall, the better the planning, the easier the film will be to make.