Class #5

Filming: multi-cam filming, live audio recording, and syncing

When filming, the normal set-up looks a little something like this:

Or this...

What do you notice?

• There are loooads of cameras

• There are loooads of microphones

• Lighting!

All these different recordings need to be synced up to create one logical and flowing film.

Lets look at how to film each of these elements separately and then see how they all work together to create one bangin' blockbuster film!

Cameras:

When filming, shooting in 4k is generally jumped to as 'the best way to film' because it is most 'professional'. However, lets take a step back and actually look at the pros and cons for both:

• Pros: Produces a higher definition file, which you can crop and still retain a high quality resolution (rather than producing pixilation which you would find with HD or SIM).

• Cons: Takes up a lot of space on your computer and is slower to edit. Therefore, shooting in 4k is only effective if you have a fast computer with lots of space.

Camera shots:

Redundancy shot (fixed roll):

A fixed shot which faces peoples front. If filming one person, the fixed shot will be straight on. If filming two people, their will be two fixed shots. One on the left hand side, facing on person front on; and one on the right hand side, facing on the other person front on.

Panning shot:

A moving shot that is typically used for filming someone moving, playing an instrument or to film different angles.

Framing:

Be mindful of where the persons head is, and how much of their body you want to show.

Newsreader approach: Elbows at the bottom of the frame, up to your head near the top. This is the generic, standard framing.

Movement approach: Sitting at the edge of the shot with your body turned in when presenting. You can give this purpose by walking into the shot.

Serious approach: Shoulders to head, looking straight down the barrel. Use this approach when delivering a serious or important message.

Lighting:

This can be difficult! Here are some Do's and Don'ts about lighting:

Do's:

• Use natural light where you can.

• If not, use beauty lights.

• DYI beauty light: use a desk light with a white sheet 6 INCHES IN FRONT OF IT.

• Put the light in front of you, not behind you.

Don'ts:

• Avoid blaring lights, because it goes too bright and blows out and creates exposure difficulties.

• Avoid light coming straight down from above. This is unflattering.

Microphones:

• Use separate microphones as well as your film cameras built-in microphones

• Do a levels check with all your mics!

• Plug zoom recorders into your microphones

• You could cheat and use a lapel microphone that goes wirelessly through the camera, creating high quality audio in the film as well.

When actually filming:

"Rolling."

This means, you're filming and everything (cameras, angles, shots, lighting, microphones) is good.

My experimentation:

Haha... So I'd never tried this before, and so, expectantly, it was a bit rusty! I filmed a small snippet of a piano piece I'm working on, using three different iPhone cameras. (Yes... iPhone camera AND audio quality... I'm sorry, it's all I have access too haha....) While not ideal devices to film with, it is fine for experimentation! This is what I came up with:

Why did I clap?

WELL... James (our lecturer) made sure we all knew to:

"CLAP AT THE START OF YOUR VIDEO!"

This is so that we know where to sync up all the different audio and camera rolls, and making it a lot easier for us by lining it up with a visually and audibly clear *clap*. So I made a bit of a meme about it here hehe.

Room for Improvement:

Yeah look it is DEFINITELY ROUGH! But I actually did try quite hard. Hopefully with more practise I will get the hang of things and it'll become easier and better each time I try (yes, I'm going to keep trying! So keep an eye on the 'Random Stuff' blog archive to see my future attempts! Maybe I'll even borrow some super high-tech film cameras and audio devices to do this too. :o But areas for improvement are:

• Film consistently in one format: portrait or landscape.

I was swapping between the two and it looks messy and unprofessional!

• Use the DIY beauty lighting hack.

You may be able to notice that the lighting in this video was exactly what I told you NOT to do! Light coming straight down from above... HAHA OOPS!

• Sync up the sound with audio better.

I don't think I managed to sync up all the claps well. I was a bit confused editing in iMovie - however I hear that next weeks lecture will help me figure out how to do this more easily!

• Only cut between camera angles when necessary or effective.

I feel I was cutting between camera angles too often. I think this is a case of: less is more, making the switches more effective.

This video is a clear example of the saying,

"A lot harder said than done."

So all you who are reading this and thinking

"Cool. That makes sense. Sounds easy."

Hm, yeah, well, like, no. Sounds simple, is simple, but a lot harder to play out in the real world. So I encourage you all to give it a go! I myself am going to keep working on these skills, so stay tuned for future videos!! <3