PRODUCTION
Since the start of AS Media I have only had a few experiences using the Canon XHAI
camera and i am not as confident with it as I would like to be, however i do enjoy lining up shots and positioning the frame in an interesting way. Before the magic could happen though we set up the camera correctly by first adjusting the tripod to Yasmin's height as she was assigned the camera operator. Using the tripod enabled us to get a variety of shots such as high angle, low angle, tracking shots and panning as well. We then secured the camera to the tripod making sure it was steady and couldn't fall. Yasmin then set the spirit level so that even if we shot on rocky flooring the camera was always level and the shot always came out straight, and if for some reason it didn't we would re-adjust the spirit level. Once the camera was set to go we needed a battery along with the charging pack in case we ran out of battery at one point in the day, as well as a tape! I learned that once the tape is in you must rewind it to the very beginning, record as much footage as possible and NEVER play it back until you digitise later. This is because if you watch your takes and then begin filming more, you increase the chance of recording over some shots.
With the sound equipment, Matthew was in charge however we didn't see it necessary to use due to the fact we were going to use a soundtrack over the entire sequence. We had the equipment on set just in case but we didn't actually need it and this gave us a fresh pair of eyes for opinions on shots instead of using the sound equipment and wasting time moving it with the camera when we re-positioned for another shot.
For the exterior shots of our Toymaker near the house, we needed to use the tracks to follow him walking. We learned that you must always do a practice shot before recording because you need to determine the speed of which you will be tracking. As well as this, we learned that surrounding elements must be taken into account as we were filming down a road; we had to time the shot perfectly so a car did not drive past and ruin the take!
POST PRODUCTION
The first thing you do before you even begin editing is make sure you have the Lacie drive (usb) and the fire wire lead to link the camera to the computer. Once they are both connected and you have opened up a new program in Adobe Premier Pro you have to start capturing shots in a window that basically enables you to cut the bits of a take you need and allows you to see clearer how much useful footage you have. This process is called digitising. I have learned that this, personally, is the simplest stage of post production however so much can go wrong! If you have picked to use the wrong computer on the wrong day it can set you back an hour’s work! Unfortunately, my group had the unlucky pick of technology when we wished to digitise and this meant we had to come after school to hope that we could start editing then. Once you have digitised all of you rushes you then have to assort them onto the timeline and put them in order. In relation to the shooting schedule you would have shot some takes in non-chronological order and this is where you arrange them so the sequence makes sense. We learned from this that it was best to number the digitised shots as they were on the shooting schedule so that they were easily accessible once we had all of our completed rushes. After that you can begin cutting and extending shots, adding effects and titles too. We played around with our editing styles a lot. At first we wanted a fast pace editing with choppy shots that would jump from one to the other, as this could represent the disorientation of the Toymaker’s thoughts. However, once we added the soundtrack (which is a SLOW version of twinkle little star) the editing worked a lot better at a slower pace. We added cross fades in between shots as this slowed the pace of the on screen actions and allowed each shot to gradually flow into the next. All of the editing ideas worked well with the on screen actions proving the sound, editing and content to be parallel. The shots were very detailed and we wanted to reflect this in the editing.
In all honesty, before this main project post production had always been a weakness of mine. I feel that I have progressed a lot since the prelim task and have become a lot more confident in editing shots. Matthew and Yasmin had the exact same amount of experience as I had with editing and they were very confident using the software, and in a way this made me more determined to get more involved. So, I did! I cut shots and lengthened the time of some to give a more detailed impact, as well as adding cross fades and experimenting with other film transitions too. As a group we all kept each other well informed of the stages of our production so we knew, before editing again, how much had already been done.
With all points considered I have learned that every part of editing contributes a great deal to the final product. From something as little as the font you use for your titles could throw the whole sequence off balance and so editing needs to be done with care and detail.
IN HINDSIGHT
Now that I can look back and see all that went right and wrong I have learned that everything works out as long as you do not panic. Every problem we came across, we managed to find an alternative so now looking back there was no reason to panic in the first place. As well I have learned no matter how much you plan, things will be different when on location! For example, we originally planned to be finished in the studio at half past 3 so we can have at least a full hour to work on our exterior shots. However, due to our love and for filming and sheer determination to get the best quality shots, we continued inside for longer than planned. Additionally, because we had the knowledge of tracking shots we made our shot better than what it would have been if the camera was stationary. I have learned that you'll change your mind on a shot and find a way that works better, maybe from a different angle, but in the end it is for your benefit. The more you have to work with the easier post production will be.
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