Fall Semester Summary

As our semester draws to a close, take some time to reflect on what you've learned.  Write down three things that you've learned and how they will improve your video projects in the future.  For those who are continuing into next semester, also list three things that you are looking forward to learning in the Spring.  Why do you want to learn these things?  What do you want to concentrate on doing better?  What could you improve?  What kind of projects are you looking forward to?

    Three things that I've learned this semester are visual storytelling, story structures, and character writing. The different elements of visual storytelling that I've learned include color and composition, which can massively improve my future film projects as it can deepen the meaning behind my images, creating a more interesting and meaningful film. This can make the film connect better with the audience because of the different ideas that will be conveyed by the different visual techniques. Knowing and understanding how story structures can be used is able to improve my films as it can work as an effective tool that can improve the story and plot of my film, making it more cohesive and potentially more interesting for the audience. One of the biggest parts of a narrative film are the characters, and learning ways to write stronger characters can make my future films much more engaging and connect better with the audience.

    Three things that I'm looking forward to learning in the Spring are how to use lighting, how lighting can impact the visual storytelling, and additional technical skills and equipment. I hope to learn lighting as it can massively improve the production value of my films.

    Next semester, I want to concentrate on learning more technical skills. This semester, I worked less on the technical side of filmmaking as I was acting for most of our projects and assignments. I could also improve on my professionalism and productivity as I missed a lot of assignments. I'm looking forward to the Noir project as I believe that I can learn a lot from it and produce an interesting film.

Deep Focus

How does deep depth of field affect the audience's film experience?  Why would a filmmaker want to use shallow vs. deep depth of field?

    Deep depth of field affects the audience's film experience as it allows them to see more in the frame and gives them more autonomy in what they decide to focus on. It can also allow the filmmaker to take on a more painting-like approach to the image by having details and meaning packed in a single shot. A filmmaker may want to use shallow depth of field because it allows them more control over the audience's attention and it produces a more "cinematic" aesthetic. A filmmaker may wish to use a deep depth of field because of the previously mentioned technique, but it can also be used to show off detailed sets, extreme long shots, a large number of people, etc.

Focus Tools

What is the peaking function on your camera?  How does it work?  What are the four different tools you can use right now to improve your focus that the presenter brings up in this video?  How can you put these to use right away?

    The peaking function on cameras helps show whether your image is in focus. It works by highlighting sharp edges seen on camera; thus, when your subject is in focus, it will have sharp edges which the peaking will highlight using high contrast colors. Four different tools that I can use right now to improve my focus mentioned in the video are peaking, magnification, eyes, and a flashlight. As previously mentioned, peaking allows me to more clearly see what is in focus as it highlights sharp edges in the image. Another tool that I can put to use is magnification, which can allow me to more accurately see what is in focus by magnifying the image into the spot I want to focus on. Using eyes as a focus tool is a good rule of thumb as eyes are generally what you want to have in focus when filming people. The fourth tool is using a flashlight, which can be a tremendous help when trying to focus an image that has low lighting. I already use most of these tools when determining focus, but the next time I need to focus an image that has dim lighting, I will prepare a flashlight in order to help.

Setting Marks for Actors

What are the rules for setting marks that this video mentions?  How can you begin using these suggestions immediately in your productions?

    Marks are a useful tool that can help improve how smooth a shoot can run regarding talent and actors. You are able to use them to show where an actor should be in a shot so that the framing and focus is maintained. The rules for setting marks are to use different colors for each actor in the scene, use a separate and dedicated color for focus or camera department marks, and ensure that your marks aren't visible in a shot. The options for what can be used as marks are tape, sandbag marks, and t-brackets. I can begin using these suggestions in my productions by preparing tape or designated marks for my next project and utilizing them for the actors.

High Tea Reflection

Live shoots can be a whole different animal in video production. They present their own unique challenges.  Reflect on your High Tea shoot yesterday.  How did the shoot go?  What were some challenges?  How did you overcome them?  What would you keep in mind for your next live shoot?

    The shoot went generally well. We set up in advanced and were ready by the time the event went into gear. From what I heard, we had a good line of communication with the teachers and planned accordingly. We shot a lot of good footage and b-roll from the day prior to, before, and during the event. My role was sound recording and mixing and there were a few issues that arose. We had connected to their sound system; however, it was coming in and out throughout the event and wasn't very usable. Fortunately, we had also set up a shotgun mic on a stand that was pointed to the speaker and we had connected that directly to the mixer using an XLR cable. This worked well, just the sound was less crisp that it would've been if the connection to the system wasn't spotty. In the future, I can take additional precautions by recording sounds via additional methods. Another thing I can try and do is position myself closer to the transmitter so that the connection isn't so spotty.

Stills vs. Cinema Lenses

What are 4 key differences between still lenses for video and cinema lenses?  Why would you use a still lens to shoot video?  What would you need to shoot with proper cinema lenses?

    Four key differences between still lenses for videos and cinema lenses are... I might use a still lens to shoot a video as... Proper cinema lenses would be needed to shoot...

What is Rack Focus

https://www.videomaker.com/shooting/visual-storytelling/what-is-the-rack-focus-shot/#:~:text=What%20is%20rack%20focus%3F,the%20background%20or%20vice%20versa.

How can using a rack focus shot enhance the storytelling and emotional impact of a scene in your own films? Provide an example of a situation where you might use this technique effectively.

    Rack focus is a technique where the focus is changed during a shot in order to direct the audience's attention. This can be used to enhance the storytelling and emotional impact of a scene in my own film as I can use it to reveal specific information to the audience and form connections between different things. For example, I can rack focus to a detail that was in the background to reveal it. Another potential way that I can use this technique is in a similar way that the Kuleshov effect works by creating an idea through an association, such as showing an object then racking focus to a person's face to show their emotion. This can place emphasis and different ideas onto that object and convey a multitude of emotions.

Back Focus

What is back focus?  How does affect the image that you are shooting? How do you check the back focus?  Are our JVC camcorders different than the Sony EX3?  How?  What are the key differences between adjusting the back focus?

    Back focus is the distance between the rear lens element and the camera sensor. It affects the image while shooting as having an issue with the back focus can lead to the image losing clarity when zooming in or out. In order to check the back focus, you must zoom into a hard edge and focus it before zooming out fully. If the image goes out of focus, then there is an issue with the back focus. In order to fix it, you can use a Siemens Star by zooming into the center of the chart, focusing it, zooming out, then adjusting the back focus. You should repeat the process around three times in order to properly set the back focus. The JVC camcorders are different than the Sony EX3 as most lenses allow you to adjust the back focus on it, but the EX3 handles it within the camera.

Depth of Field a Simple Guide

In your own words, what are the three key factors in determining depth of field for your shot?  Explain in detail how each of these three factors affects the depth of field.

    Three key factors in determining depth of field for your shot are distance from subject, the focal length, and the iris. The distance that the camera is from the subject affects the depth of field as the further that the point of focus is from the lens, the deeper that the depth of field is, and closer the point of focus, the shallower the depth of field will be. Similarly, a smaller focal length which has a wider shot creates a deeper depth of field and a longer focal length creates a shallower depth of field. The third and more primary factor for adjusting depth of field is the iris; using a higher f-stop creates a deeper depth of field and using a lower f-stop creates a shallower depth of field.

Sensor Size and Cinematography

How do larger sensors affect the image? How does sensor size affect using lenses? What are the benefits and drawbacks of using a large sensor camera?

    Larger sensors affect the image as... The sensor size affects using lenses as... The benefits of using a large sensor camera are... The drawbacks are...

The Image Sensor's Role in Video

https://www.videomaker.com/article/f6/17249-the-image-sensors-role-in-video 

What is the role of the camera sensor in a video camera? How does the CMOS sensor work? What does having a larger sensor do for the image?

    The role of the camera sensor in a video camera is to... The CMOS sensor works by... Having a larger sensor...

Camera Sensors

What are the pros and cons of a CCD sensor? What are the pros and cons of a CMOS sensor? What are CCD sensors better at?  What are CMOS sensors better at?

    The pros of a CCD (Charged Couple Device) sensor are that they produce clean and relatively noise free video. The cons are that the process was inefficient as some charge was lost as the electrons shifted, the serial read out was slow, and the energy cost was high. The pros of a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensor are that there are low power requirements and faster image capture because of parallel processing. The cons are that is has higher noise and rolling shutter, meaning that the info is read from top to bottom line by line, which can result in a "jello" effect. CCD sensors are better at having a clearer image. CMOS sensors are better at efficiency and speed.

Controlling Depth of Field

What are the different factors that you can use to control depth of field that this video mentions?  What is one of the primary ways to control depth of field?

    The different factors that we can use to control depth of field mentioned in the video are adjusting your aperture, changing your distance from the subject, and/or changing the focal length. Decreasing the aperture create a shallower depth of field and increasing it creates a deeper one. The distance from your subject can also dictate the depth of field as being closer decreases it whilst being further can increase it. Using a longer focal length decreases the depth of field, so when you're more zoomed in, the shallower your depth of field will be. One of the primary ways to control depth of field is through the aperture as your focal length and distance from subject should be dictated by the framing and composition rather than the deepness of your depth of field.