Q6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Here is the list of equipment we used:
When using the video camera we always made sure we had a spare battery with us, just in case, so we were prepared.
The first thing I learnt when setting up the camera, was to always set the white balance correctly before shooting. Setting the white balance meant that the light of the shot was natural and wasn't affected by any artifcial light.
To do this we held a white piece of paper in front of the camera so it would recognize that as what white is meant to be, we then clicked on the white balance option in the settings menu.
- HD video camera
- Tripod
- Reflector
- 2x LED lights
- Coloured Gels (Blue and Orange)
- Diffuser
Click here to see our lighting blog post to see what the lighting equipment lo0ks like and how we experimented; http://foundationportfolio1422.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/lighting-experiment.html
I previously has no knowledge on how to use HD video camera. However I had used tripods before in photography so I knew how to set this up. However, this did mean that I then learnt how to use the equipment properly and then I could develop my skills.
After the camera settings were set up, we needed to make sure the camera wouldn't fall off of he tripod, but not screwed on too tight to break the camera, as well as making sure the camera was level and at eye line match height.
When starting the process of actually producing our thriller film opening, I hadn't used many of the equipment of software before. And so in creating our film opening I was learning new techniques that are very useful to know in the future.
Thanks to my college I was provided with all the equipment and software I needed, so I could create a professional looking film opening even though I was a beginner.
And here's the list of the software we used:
When starting to record with the camera, we recorded a 'sandwich' before shooting. This is done by shouting "rolling" (to remind that the camera is now recording), "speed" (meaning to be quiet and stop all other sound), and "action". Doing this meant that there was time onto the shot we were shooting, so that when editing, there was enough in the shot before it got cut down in editing, so we wouldn't lose footage.
- Blogger.com - to record all processes whilst we created our thriller opening
- Final Cut Pro - the editing sotware
- GarageBand - to edit sound and add in out soundtrack
All of this was available to us on the Apple Macs in the editing suite at college.
I had, however, used GarageBand before, but I only knew the basics, however after a class exercise I picked up what I needed to know to add and edit the soundtrack to our thriller opening.
Before this course, I hadn't previously used Final Cut Pro, and I was new to this software. However, when learning how to use it, I picked it up pretty quickly and I then didn't find it difficult to use, and as I played around with the different effects, I also learnt as I went along.
I learnt how to cut clips, render the sound and video, edit the colour of shots, edit sounds, add in different cut techniques such as dissolve and face, and add in our titles. I think the end result is very good, and I am pleased with it, considering we were all beginners.