In class this week, we started with going over setting up the cameras to shoot. This was important because there were a few things in there that I had not learnt before, or solidified. This includes setting up gain levels and how to properly manage the picture profile, and knowing when to use the presets and when to turn them off. I think I will need quiz myself on all of these principles and terms so to not forget…
In the impromptu exercise of replicating the sunlight artificially, I thought the artificially lit shot looked better. This is because it was warmer, bringing more life into the scene. This was opposed to the naturally lit shot, which was a bit greyer and less bright. I assume that if it were my scene, in the editing process I could colour grade and liven it up. But for the purpose of reflection, I prefer the artificial light. I do not think it was too bright, I believed that it could be sunlight. I think it also had more dimension to the naturally lit shot, which seemed quite flat.
Even though the initial purpose of the exercise was to replicate the lighting, I have learnt that it is useful to experiment with the lighting in differing ways (e.g. full sunlight and full artificial light), especially if something seems a little uninteresting, because better results can be achieved. Of course I may not always have this chance in class, but I will try to pursue this in my own projects.
On Thursday we had a very educational lesson on constructing a crew and set. I was the Assistant Director, which at first I must admit I was not too interested, but now that I know what the role entails I think it would be quite a rewarding job. I like learning about the many roles that are involved in a film crew, and this is reassuring because it gives way more scope to what I am interested in pursuing in the future. In terms of an AD, I like that the role is extremely involved in the whole process, from producing to filming. There is also great responsibility and control over the crew and set. I am glad that I could get a little insight into the role this class.
Reflecting from last week (in the Emmaline exercise), I noted that it was frustrating that we were setting up for almost the whole hour, and only shot in one hour (with little experimentation). It happened again this week! I was not frustrated however, I found the class really interesting to learn about each of the roles. I am excited to introduce the equipment we did not get to use today in future classes (the boom mic being one example). I think in this case as well there was not as much experimentation needed, we were somewhat limited in our set up of the room. Also the director had a vision which meant that all we needed to do was follow, and work on any difficulties (such as the reflection in the window) on the way. I am keen for future classes where we will now have more of an idea of what our roles are, and how we can make the most of it to create a really good scene.