Category: Media Production Skills

Long exposure

Depth of field

Silhouette

Reflection

Frame within a frame

Forced Perspective

The photography artefact includes six individually produced images demonstrating all 6 techniques from the brief which includes; long exposure, silhouette, reflection, frame within a frame, forced perspective and shallow depth of field. All fitting within my overall theme of ‘black & white’.

For this artefact we had to work in pairs and we only had a 5 hour timetabled slot to capture our six photographs each in our pairs so preparation was key to ensure that we were productive. I decided to produce a storyboard of the six shots that I wanted to capture. When I was capturing the photos, I took as many photographs as possible to ensure that I had quantity and quality when I reached the editing stage. Due to forward planning and careful consideration of location, it made it easier to get the photos I wanted for the artefact (Bamford 2012). This places emphasis on the importance of pre-production as planning ensures that you are taking time and consideration to plan ahead of production.

When creating my depth of field image I ensured I used a wide aperture so that it concentrates the interest on the chosen subject which in my shot was a drink bottle. I also took upon Langford skills (1986 p.41), as he suggests that to demonstrate depth of field you should use a variety of items at various distances from the lens. The lens aperture was also considered important and it was controlled for dimming and brightening the images.

Creating a silhouette shot was the most challenging aspect of the artefact as I don’t have much camera skills. I decided to research the camera techniques on Improve Photography to ensure I has the right settings. It took time to adjust to the perfect setting but I managed to create a stunning silhouette shot and I would feel confident in doing this again.

When I reached the post-production stage I used Adobe Premier to edit my images. This software was easy to use and this was the stage where the development of my theme began. I transformed all my images to black and white and adjusted the light and exposure to so that more definition was made within the images. Apart from adjusting the images colour there was not too much editing that was needed as a lot of the techniques has been demonstrated through the camera skills rather than editing.

I’ve learnt that health and safety in production environment is important (Verrall, 2006) which is why a risk assessments was made for each location of filming so me and my partner were not at risks. During our shoot on location, which was in York city centre, the main risk was the public with our equipment and them not being aware. The risk management we incorporated was to not set our cameras in busy areas, narrow walk ways and ensure that there was no trailing of wires across the pavement. We also had a production schedule which was the glue that held the production together as without the schedule we wouldn’t have been able to get the images I had in mind (Brown, L. Duthie, L 2016).

Bibliography:

Bamford, N (2012) Directing television, a professional survival guide. London, Bloomsbury.
Brown, L. Duthie, L (2016). The TV Studio Production Handbook. I.B Touris
Langford, M. (1986) Basic Photography 5th Glasgow, Eagle Colourbooks Ltd.

14 Tips for Shooting Stunning Silhouettes

https://www.instagram.com/bethysjmedia/

For this artefact I have produced a seasonal greeting video and include 4 BTS (behind the scenes) stills from the planning phase and during the production phase. I have presented my finished video and stills on Instagram while ensuring that these have met the technical requirements for the content on the platform.

My Instagram video had to be engaging for 18-24 year olds and also has to be intended to be shareable. Therefore with this in mind I decided to research other existing Instagram video and see what was most popular/trending. In conclusion to this research I discovered that young adult like watching food and drink tutorials. Therefore I developed my researched and decided to produce a video of a Christmas cocktail making tutorial.

Filming was undertaken in pairs therefore on person was operating the equipment whilst the other is the subject of the video. This meant that preparation and planning was essential to fill for this task (Bamford 2012). Also this artefact had to be done in a 3-hour timetabled slot for both members to shoot their task. Therefore I decided to produce a story board to ensure that I knew exactly what shots I needed when it came to the production. Resulting in me taking full advantage of the time slot. Story boards should include frames, shots, location, cast, set and props (Schenk 2015 p.116). Taking this on board, I included these on my storyboard and this preparation allowed me to create the artefact that I had planned. Also it was very useful to present my storyboard to the crew members when arrived on set to shoot as it made them aware of my vision and how I wanted the sequence to look.

Health and safety was a small issue with this task. Although we was working in a studio situation all the low hazards was took into account and the risks was reduce such as placing rubber mats over wires to reduce the risk of crew and clients tripping. The other risk management we incorporated was to set our camera in a spacious area so that no drinks could be spilt compared to a tight area also we had a towel on standby in case any spillages was made to prevent getting on equipment.Me and my partner also had a production schedule which was the glue that held the production together as without the schedule we wouldn’t have been able to get the images I had in mind (Brown, L. Duthie, L 2016).

When it came to the editing stage I decided organise my footage by labelling them by shot names and also placing them in chronological order. Therefore it made it easier to find the footage throughout the editing stage and no time was wasted, struggling to find certain footage. There was not many challenges that came with editing the video due to experience in other tasks. The only main struggle was finding a seasonal song to match the mood of my video, while considering it being a copyright song. I managed to find a track off https://www.bensound.com/ which fitted perfectly with my video and I don’t have to worry about any legal obligations.

Overall I am pleased with the final outcome of this artefact, as I believe that my visual style has demonstrated a clear rationale and understanding of my intended audience.

Bibliography:
Brown, L. Duthie, L (2016). The TV Studio Production Handbook. I.B Touris
Bamford, N (2012) Directing television, a professional survival guide. London, Bloomsbury.
Schenk, S and Long, B (2015) The Digital Filmmaking Handbook 5thed. Boston, Cengage.
 

The short interview artefact brief was to interview on of the representatives candidates at the Student Union election. The questions asked was all fixed questions set by the clients and theses needed to be asked in the running time of a minute including an intro and an animated graphics including their name, the video also must be subtitled.

For this task I worked in a group of five and each member of the group had different roles. As the task was a live brief there was not much time for planning. That being so, as a group we had 30 minutes to look over our candidates manifesto and what they were running for. As a group we worked collaboratively and decided that three people would be charge of camera, sound and lighting and the other members took care of interviewing the candidate.

My role for this project was to set up three point lighting with the lighting kits for the set-up. Which includes key light, fill light and hair light. All lights were flooded to diffuse light which helped decrease intensity and harshness (Kindem 2009) to give the set a bright but not harsh light. In conclusion, the candidate was properly illuminated in an effective way so that it was pleasing to the eyes due to correct use of 3-point lighting. This resulted in a more professional artefact rather than an unpleasant piece which lacked creativity and professionalism.

Health and safety never came as an issue for this task. Although we was working in a studio situation all the low hazards was took into account and the risks was reduce such as placing rubber mats over wires to reduce the risk of crew and clients tripping.

Editing the interviews was the most challenging aspect of the artefact. The reason for this was we had a lot of footage of the client talking and it was difficult to choose what the most vital of the interview was. Also another difficult aspect of editing was creating a graphic as this aspect was very new to me therefore it was challenging learning new skills. However after successfully creating one with a little bit of help, I now feel confident in creating my own graphics for any future projects.

Overall, this artefact has been selected because it was a good group project that shows collaborative work as well as showing a good understanding of media production skills.

Bibliography:
Kindem, G (2009). Introduction to media production: the path to digital media production. 4th ed. London: Focal Press-M.U.A. pg’s 241, 225.

The main concepts of planning, organisation, collaboration and communication were crucial in making sure we created a studio magazine show totalling 10 minutes as stated by the brief. The brief of the studio task was to include a live interview during the show and two VT’s. The show must be suitable for a primetime and pre-watershed audience. As this was a live task there would be no chance to edit the show after the studio filming.

‘In the studio, teamwork is essential as each person plays an important role in making sure the production goes smoothly’ (Johnson 2016). Therefore teamwork was key for this artefact, we collaborated on the creative decisions such as what to have for our VT’s, Logos and colour scheme while ensuring that they are suitable to the theme of a magazine show, we found that by having team discussions we was all able to express our ideas and develop them into the show. Social media groups chats was made in order to ensure that all members of the production team was up to date with any changes that may have been made and also available for those who had any enquires. However, being in large groups for this artefact it didn’t come without problems such as some roles had to be covered when it came to final production day due to some members been absent.

My role within the production team was an autocue operator and VT presenter. I wasn’t very confident with this role compared to other areas but it was good to gain a bit more experience and practise. My role as an autocue operator was to sit in the gallery and be in charge of the speed at which the script appears on the camera for presenters to read. It was important that I practice this role during rehearsals so that I could go at the right pace for the presenters. During rehearsals some changes needed to be made to the script and it was my responsibility as an autocue operator to make these changes as quick as possible (Brown, L. Duthie, L 2016).

I’ve learnt that health and safety in production environment is important (Verrall, 2006) which is why a risk assessments was made for each location of filming so crew members were not at risks. During our shoot on location, which was in York city centre, the main risk was the public with our equipment and them not being aware. The risk management we incorporated was to not set our cameras in busy areas, narrow walk ways and ensure that there was no trailing of wires across the pavement. We also had a production schedule which was the glue that held the production together as without the schedule we wouldn’t have been able to go live at the given time. (Brown, L. Duthie, L 2016).

Overall, this artefact has been selected because it was a good group project that shows collaborative work as well as showing a good understanding of media production skills.

Bibliography:

Brown, L. Duthie, L (2016). The TV Studio Production Handbook. I.B Touris.
Johnson, K., 2016. Shoot, Edit, Share: Video Production for Mass Media, Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations. Focal Press.
Verrall, B (2006). Choosing an Angle: Citizenship through Video Production. London: Learning and Skills Development Agency. Pg41.

For the sequence task I had to film a sequence of a maximum duration of one minute. The sequence had to show establishing shots, CU’s, match shots, cutaways and understand of the 180 degree rule. The story for my sequence task is someone is relaxing on a bench reading a book. Suddenly realises they are late for an appointment. Grabs something and dashes off to meet their friend and makes their apologies.

This artefact was done within a group of three and had to be done in a 3-hour timetabled slot for each of us to shoot our task. This meant that preparation and planning was essential to fill for this task (Bamford 2012). Therefore I decided to produce a story board to ensure that I knew exactly what shots I needed when it came to the production. Resulting in me taking full advantage of the time slot. Story boards should include frames, shots, location, cast, set and props (Schenk 2015 p.116). Taking this on board, I included these on my storyboard and this preparation allowed me to create the artefact that I had planned. Also it was very useful to present my storyboard to the crew members when arrived on set to shoot as it made them aware of my vision and how I wanted the sequence to look.

There is a simple sequence to follow when you are designing shots or planning the storyboard (Hughes 2012 p.121). Starting with an establishing shot, in which I established the surroundings before anyone was in the shot. Then I have told the story through shots that I felt was appropriate as well as meeting the brief. Action shots and close-ups was used to show the emotion of the emotion of the character, which portrays the story to the viewer. Cutaways where added which I used as my character was walking while ensuring that the shots were short and fast paced to portray the story, in which the person was late.

Whatever you are filming, wherever and however you are filming it, the vital paperwork is the Risk Assessment form (Bamford 2012, p.60). In regards to health and safety it was considered an important aspect due to being in a public location. My group and I filled out an assessment form specifying the specific risks, such as cables, roads and uneven floor. To prevent/reduce the risks that were listed we ensured that we never went near the roads and filmed in quiet areas with a flat surface and made all crew members aware of any trailing wires.

When it came to the editing stage I decided organise my footage by labelling them by shot names and also placing them in chronological order. Therefore it made it easier to find the footage throughout the editing stage and no time was wasted, struggling to find certain footage. However, at this stage I did notice that I was very limited to the amount of footage and this made it difficult to ensure my sequence product had a beginning and end of story including all the appropriate shots. This artefact has allowed me to be aware that when you are at the production stage you should try and get as much footage as possible, even if you repeat shots and also if you think you have enough.

Bibliography:

Bamford, N (2012) Directing television, a professional survival guide. London, Bloomsbury.
Hughes, M. (2012) Digital Filmmaking for Beginners – A practical guide to video production. USA, McGraw-Hill Companies.
Schenk, S and Long, B (2015) The Digital Filmmaking Handbook 5thed. Boston, Cengage.