While filming the SU Interview, communication is very important within a group. This is one of the struggles we had before the filming took place, as the person we were meant to be interviewing dropped out the night before however we were not told. This meant that we had to interview Paul Murtough the student voice coordinator. We had to think of new questions while interviewing him as the previously planned questions wouldn’t have worked in this scenario.

While conducting the interview we had to use three point lighting which is the “traditional lighting set-up using a key light, fill light and back lights” (Fitt, 1999). This is to illuminate the subject we are interview and create depth within the background. We had a tech do a tech demo to demonstrate the proper use of the lights, particularly to use gloves when handling the lights as they can get hot. By wearing gloves, it prevents burns, from handling lights.

In the studio task we had to make a 4-5 minute fictional video in a group of 7. Communication within the group was an issue even within pre- production stages. This was due to people not keeping to their specific roles. This resulted in confusion between individuals due to responsibilities being taken over by other people. We also had to use some blurry footage within the film due to people taking over others roles. We couldn’t reuse the location as it was being used by the hotel itself which meant that we had to use the footage we got. From this we learnt to have several shots from the same angle to allow for these situations as ‘having a number of options can mean better decision’ (Drew and Bingham, 1988) so this could have been avoided.

When using the studio in the compulsory scene we forgot to check if the DR60 was on the right settings as we had been told it was already set up which meant that we had limited time to record within the studio, however if we were to do this again we would check to see if the sound and other kit worked before recording so we could avoid this issue.

Another issue that we potentially faced was in the post-production stages. This is due to creative differences, however we decided to go with what the majority wanted for the piece. This was to ensure that everybody was happy with the final piece.

The theme I chose for the photography task was Nature for all 6 photo techniques which are, shallow depth of field, Long exposure, silhouette, frame within a frame and forced perspective. Within pre- production I planned out my shots so I knew all my locations of where I will take the photos to plan and it wouldn’t be a rush. Most accidents happen when there has been no planning and its being rushed which is why it’s a good idea to plan and to complete a risk assessment. (Bamford, 2012).

My main difficulty was taking the silhouette photo as my theme is nature I had to rely on the time of day and think more about the location. To take a silhouette photo in nature the only light source to use is the sun and therefore I needed the sun to be the back lighting behind what I was taking a photo of. To achieve this, I ensured to take the picture either early or late in the day. This meant that the sun would be rising or setting, allowing for it to be used as a source of light for a silhouette. This is demonstrated by the image because the sun is setting.

Additionally, the long exposure photo was difficult as I wanted to shoot geese however due to people’s involvement and the unpredictability of geese, I found it hard to achieve the shot that I wanted. To overcome this, I took several shots, so I had a good range of images to choose from when editing. I also waited for the best moment to take the photos, which were when there were less people around.

For the Instagram Task we worked in a group of 5 to make a 60-80 second video that would work on social media stories about hobbies.  Within production it is very important that risk assessments are completed to make sure that health and safety precautions are put in place when doing the task. “As the person in charge of the shoot you are responsible for the safety of everyone on it, and if an accident of any kind befalls anyone as a result of where or what  you’ve chosen to film or asked someone to do then you are personally liable and could be prosecuted.”  (Bamford, 2012). This means that the risk of anything happening is minimised, so the task is done safely and if anything went wrong, we know what to do when it happens.

Within this task the mains risks were physical exertion and slipping, tripping and falling because the video was about cheerleading so there were chances of this happening. To make sure this did not happen we made sure all the cables were out of that way so you couldn’t trip over them and took breaks in between the shoots to allow her to rest before shooting again especially as she had hurt her leg while cheerleading beforehand. At the time we did not take weather in consideration when we were filming outside when it rained which could cause harm to the camera equipment and we had to change location last minute, so this didn’t happen. 

Bibliography 

Bamford, N. (2012). Directing television a professional survival guide. New York: Bloomsbury, p.60.

Drew, S and Bingham, R. (1988). The Student Skills Guide. Hampshire: Gower Publishing Limited

Fitt, B. (1999.). A-Z of lighting terms. 1st ed. Oxford: Focal Press, p.71.