TV Studio!!

One of the main parts of our course is of course, using cameras and other filming equipment in the studio and on location. We came into the studio and in each corner of the room there was a stack of different equipment used for either lighting, audio or film; we were instructed to go around to have a play and try to discover the basics like turning it on and how to start filming!

One we had had a little go at the cameras, we were given a sheet with lots of questions about how to use the equipment in the best way and we had to fill it out!! We went round to each equipment corner and started marking off our cheat sheet while learning how to record audio and video and how to properly light a room when filming.

Lighting Techniques

Three point lighting is a technique we learned which makes it so the person or object in shot is properly lit from all angles. It is the best technique to use when conducting an interview or you want someone to be the main focus of the shot.

Lighting can have a big effect on how an object or person is shown in a film. A character who is lit from the back is instantly seen as ominous and the scene becomes suspenseful whereas if a character is lit from the side, it has a dramatic effect on the audience or showing the character is feeling some heavy emotions.

Character lit from the back

We also learned how to safely set up the lights in the studio, remembering to tape down all of wires to reduce potential injuries, we set up the cameras in the "three point lighting" formation and took a quick test recording of one our classmates to see this lighting technique in action and it did have the desired effect.

Character lit from the side

Cameras

The camera we were shown to use in the workshop was a Canon Legria, a classic camcorder style camera with good manoeuvrability and 4K video quality. There is an obvious red button below the viewfinder that starts recording and switch on top makes it so you can zoom in and out. It is a camera that is easy to use for a first year student yet still has the quality of a high tech camera that could be used in the future. When in the studio, testing this equipment, we tried a couple shots on our classmate such as a medium long shot in which only the body above the wait is shown and is great for an interview setting. We also had the camera at eye level which is best for this interview like set up as you can see the face of the person who is talking.

As you can see from the picture to the left, we were taught the importance of shot sizes, camera angles and camera movements. All of these shot sizes can have different affects on the fell of the film. If you use an extreme long shot, it gives the emotion of isolation or shows the vastness of the area whereas an extreme close could portray insanity and give a claustrophic feel. My group has taken this inspiration for our short western film and we will be using big close ups and extreme close ups to build tension in the stand off scene.

Audio Equipment

Audio quality and consistency is very important in film. Making sure all the actors are heard properly could be difficult on set, for example, you could be filming in a confined area where they is no space for a boom mic so it would be best to use lapel microphones which can be discreetly placed on the actor and still pick up

good quality audio. Another microphone that you can use is a directional mic, this goes on the top of the camera and only records sound directly in front. It is affected by wind but it good for manoeuvrability. For our short film, we have planned to use a boom mic as it will give us the best quality audio for where we are filming in the outdoors.

Tripods and Camera Equipment

Tripods are used to keep the camera stable when filming, you can get the best angle and hold it there with zero movement, completely steady.

There are other types of equipment you can use when filming such as a shoulder rig. This can be used while moving as it provides a stable axis. It is also used to get close up shots of characters when they are dazed, high on drugs, or they are feeling a crushing emotion. one example of this would be in Lock, stock & two smoking barrels (1998) when Tom, played by Jason Flemyng loses money that he doesn't have to a notorious London gangster 'Hatchet Harry" and he now has a debt to pay. This technique shows his emotions at the time and puts the audience in Tom's shoes so you can empathise easily.

Another piece of equipment we were taught to use is a dolly. It is attached to the bottom and is basically just wheels. It is used simultaneously with the tripod to keep the angle perfect but also be able to move the camera about without having to pick it up to move it. A technique that can be used for the dolly is a dolly-zoom. Like the shoulder rig, it is used to portray the extreme emotions a character is feeling. The way you do it is move the tripod on the dolly forward and zoom in at the same time, you can also zoom out and it has different a different affect but is ultimately the same technique. One example of this is from Jaws (1975) when Chief Brody, played by Roy Schneider, first sees the shark attacking swimmers. This is an example of a zoom out dolly zoom. An example of a zoom in

dolly zoom would be in Squid Game (2021) when 456, played by Lee Jung-Jae, sees that he has to carve an umbrella out of the sugar biscuit. Which was the hardest shape to do in this challenge.

I plan to use a shoulder rig and a tripod in my short film as it will enable us to get the good dramatic shot for our western themed film.

Overall, I enjoyed this workshop as I like to familiarise myself with all the equipment so I can use them to the best of there ability's in the future. I found this workshop easy when I managed to learn all of the equipment techniques. Compared to the other workshops, this one was more fun as it was practical and hands on. This workshop helped me and was relevant to my future ambitions as it taught me how to properly envision a set so it looks good and the right emotions are portrayed.