The first two weeks of classes have basically been a revision of the basics of camera and audio recording operations. While this isn’t my first time handling such equipments, it was definitely a good revision. I especially liked the mini “checklist” that Paul provided.

The first exercise we did was to head out and film a short 10 second footage. I was too busy focusing on what I should take due to the lack of time. However when we were reviewing the footage in class, I realised that everything we shot were considered “bad footage”. This was due to the fact that we didn’t do our checks properly beforehand, thus white balance and exposure were not set correctly.

Another exercise we did was to head out and grab abstract footages. This was particularly hard for me as I’ve always followed a set of instructions. However, I realised that this gave me time to correct my settings before taking any shots.

Looking back at both exercises, I realised the importance of ensuring that there is a proper procedure, especially for myself. There is nothing much you can do with “bad footage” during post production. There are a lot of factors that can contribute to a good shot as discussed in the classes. However, without the appropriate technical skills, there is nothing much I can do.

In the film industry, there is no room for such simple mistakes. Forming such habits of checking the settings before any shoot will definitely help my career in the long term. I’ve experienced within the first two weeks of classes that taking time out before any shoot will largely determine how everything goes on.