After last semester 1 from ‘The scene in cinema’ studio, the experience of using EX3 shoot scene was so excited and learned lots skills on how use camera. As a filmmaker, the first and important thing is never leaving your camera off your eyes; it’s part of your body. Well, the first class in this semester begins Robin introduce Ex3 to all. Even I am very familiar with this ‘big, heavy machine’, after Robin gives us a very detail introduce, I felt there are some skills that I don’t familiar with, such like on how to measure the distance between lens and the objective.

During the first task that we need shooting with a camera and tripod, document a place, event and/or activity in a single 50 second take. I worked with Xiaochen and Lisha, we don’t have any idea when we get this task. We decided go out and look first and discussed where we can go and shoot some interesting thing. Then, three of us decided to shoot in front of Building 14, where people and trams crossing Swanston street and waiting lights. We set up the camera immediately at a higher level, shoot a full shot of people crossing and trams pass by. After two takes, we think that it’s not good because when we shooting some people more focus on camera and trying to avoid the camera, the framing kind of normally that we can see everyday. Then we think, what’s more can we do? Any interesting idea comes out? Or as an audience when watching this, what do they expect to see? Why not try a lower perspective to shoot? So we changed the tripod level to a very low position and change the camera position near the sidewalk. This time, we think it’s worked. We are more focus on people’s footstep and not care about their facial features. It’s more details to reflect human, nature and mechanical.

In week 1 Friday class, we using H4N audio recorder and microphones, document a location. The task require us the audio need to “describe” the location so Lisha and I as a group decided record some sounds about the lift in RMIT.

Audio Player Audio Player

The first sound clip did not evoke the sense of place because we spend too much time waiting the lift open and the sound of open the door not clearly which causes audience might confuse where we are or what we want to express.

The second sound clip better than the first we record, at the beginning, the sound of door open is clear, follow on the lift come and open, we move into the lift, press the bottom then going down, it’s clear to audience and evoke the sense of place.