Camera techniques; Shutter Speed

Shutter speed is the measurement of time that light is allowed into the camera's shutter. This means that it effects the length of time that the camera is seeing the image it is picturing. Shutter speed, also known as “exposure time”, stands for the length of time a camera shutter is open to expose light into the camera sensor. If the shutter speed is fast, it can help to freeze action completely, as seen in the above photo of the dolphin. If the shutter speed is slow, it can create an effect called “motion blur”, where moving objects appear blurred along the direction of the motion. This effect is used quite a bit in advertisements of cars and motorbikes, where a sense of speed and motion is communicated to the viewer by intentionally blurring the moving wheels.








My own example;



Shutter speed - 1/30


 Shutter speed - 1/250


Usually when filming the shutter speed it is better to shoot on 1/50 as 50 is two times the frames per second. Which means you should be shooting on 24 or 25 frames per second.

Although this is not the case depending on what you are shooting.

For example - shooting an athlete training or during a competition it is also better shooting on a fasted shutter speed. This will prevent the motion blur in which you can clearly see in my 1/30 shutter speed example.

Although if you wanted motion blur of a light source, such as; sparklers or cars the motion blur can make a really nice effect and look on your photograph or in your video.

Camera Techniques; Pull focus

Pull focus is when you see the foreground in focus then after a couple of seconds the foreground blurs and the background focuses. This can also work when the background is in focus first then the foreground comes into focus.

Film Example of pull focus - 10 Years a slave


My own examples;

1.

foreground focus    background focus


This was an experimentation of pull focus and my first go but instead of it changing focal points, the whole shot goes out of focus instead.
As you can also see near the top middle of the shot there is some lens flare. Lens flare can be quite usual is some shots although not quite so much in my example.


2.










background focus    foreground focus


This example of pull focus is a lot better than the first as you see the clear transition of the pull.

New wave film

Draft one

This is a very rough cut of my new wave film which was filmed down in Bristol. There is no non diegetic sound as of yet but it is soon to be added however, there are small bits of diegetic sound which consists of Joe talking to the camera. In typical French new wave fashion.
There is also clear use of on location recording with a hand held camera, also a typical new wave feature.

Health & Safety

It's a three step process

• Identify all the hazards
• Evaluate the risks
• Identify measures to control the risks

Weather

If you are filming outside all day, it is essential to make sure the crew are dressed appropriately. A lot of the time you may be standing around and people will get cold very quickly even in what seems quite mild weather. Layers of clothes are best, and get everyone to bring a waterproof and a woolly hat - they keep out wind as well as rain and are invaluable.

Sunburn and heatstroke are other outdoor hazards. Always have high protection sunscreen on hand. Try to get the crew to wear some kind of sun hat or stay in the shade when possible and make sure lots of water is available to drink. The other reason for sunscreen is to stop the actors' appearance changing drastically and messing up the continuity of the film. 

Time pressure

Rushing to finish in time is when hazards get missed, or people start taking risks. If this starts to happen, take a moment to calm everyone down and remind them: this is only a film. If you feel really pressured try to think of how to lighten the work-load: can you cut out some shots or set ups to give you the time to get the most essential stuff for the film without a panic? Or can you come back tomorrow to finish?

Tripping hazards

Move or gaffa tape down cables and objects that could be tripped over.

Lifting hazards

Go carefully when moving or lifting heavy or dangerous things, ask someone to help you.

Camera risks

When a camera operator or cast member is walking during a shot, make sure they are comfortable with their route and there is nothing that could cause problems (a camera operator who needs to walk backwards for a shot should have an assistant to guide them and/or check their route).

Water

Shots that involve water.

Precarious

Shots from high up or near the edge of something.

Shots that look illegal

Shots might look illegal if you didn't know a camera was there. This could cause distress to members of the public and/or cause a police call out.

Release forms

Before commencing film making with young people you should obtain signed release forms from parents/guardians for everyone involved; this should also release them for photographs (and get it for animation films too, in case you use faces in the credits or the like). And remember you might want clearance to go on a school website (or vimeo - think festivals) so these should be covered too.

A letter with the release form, detailing the benefits of the project will encourage parents to say yes to their child being involved

Disclosure forms

Disclosure Scotland should be contacted if you are enlisting the help and practical support of others on the film project to work alongside young people. Enhanced Disclosure forms will certainly be held by most professional filmmakers and project facilitators. 

Food

Feeding your crew, and keeping everyone hydrated makes everyone work better. If you organise food at a set time (aka catering), it is a good break for everyone. Food doesn't have to be fancy, a simple pizza delivery can boost flagging energy levels and raise morale.

New Wave Bristol brief

I plan to use short and long clips in my new wave film.
I'm also going to film Joe Casey recording stuff for the Bristol promotional video and whilst he's doing this, I am going to get him to talk to the camera. (Like in typical French New Wave).

I will also edit the film with reference to how Jean-Luc Godard would jump between different narrative times, as he does in his films. Although in my film it will show Joe and Caitlin walking to Cabot Tower then being at Cabot Tower.

You will be able to see clear use of a hand held camera and on location shooting.

Scenarios and Setups

Summer Task: Part B

A. A small documentary where portability is paramount; 

Equipment -

1. Middle ranged SLR + Lense (18-55mm) 
2. Tripod
3. (Microphone)
4. Subject Matter
5. Spare Battery 
6. Slider
7. Barn door portable light
8. GoPro
9. Reflector

The setup for this documentary would be to follow a chosen student throughout their day to capture how much time they must spend doing work, revising and/or just messing with their friends. The day would start "early" morning where natural lighting will be used to capture the morning in all its glory. The only time a barn light may need to be used is towards the evening if the student is still with their friends or studying at home indoors.

Advantages of this set up would be that very little equipment is needed and natural lighting would be a great as my theme is very much the 'real life' of an athlete. Disadvantages would be that the film might look a little armature as I would not be able to carry around a lot of equipment as I follow a person through their day. 

B. 'Talking Head' style interview 

The setup for this should be be fairly straight forward with the camera set up eye level to the subject who would be sat in front of a blank background with a two lights pointed towards them. Advantages of this setup is the clarity and stability, there is nothing complex going on and so less room for error meaning filming should go smoothly.

Equipment - 

1. SLR camera + lense (18-55mm)
2. Tripod kit 
3. Plain backdrop 
4. 3 point lighting soft box
5. Spare battery 
6. Mircophone

Setup - 

1. Eye level camera 
2. 3 point lighting 
3. Subject in front of plain backdrop 
4. Subject central to camera and backdrop 

Pros;

• Clear speech/video
• Focused only on one 
• Operated by one person (plain backdrop ensures that the focus point will not change) 
• Eye level - more interactive 

C. Night time Shoot

Equipment - 

1. DSLR
2. Spare battery and memory card
3. Tripod
4. 18-55mm lens
5. Portable barn light 
6. Microphone

A disadvantage to shooting in the dark is the risk of grainy footage which may not be fixable in editing, this is why you need to ensure that the set up is done correctly. The video above highlights tips that can be used to enhance the clarity of your image even in very dark settings.

A formula to success:

Your project and images need to be -

• Ambitious 
• Meaningful 
• Technically appropriate 
• Contextually aware
• Creative and imaginative 
• Refined 

Your work needs to demonstrate - 

• Breadth and depth
• Honest and meaningful reflection 
• Your thought processes and decisions 
• Inspiration yet creativity 
• High quality presentation 

Some visual characteristics - 

• Lighting 
• Camera Techniques
• Mise - en - scene 
• Body image / facial expression 
• Textures 
• Colour palette