1. If you are cover, for instance, a dialogue scene between two people, using a shot/reverse shot strategy on each actor, how is it best to ‘cover’ the scene when shooting?

Answer: Cover the entire scene from both camera Angles

2. What does the term matching eyelines mean?

Answer: Creating the illusion across an edit two characters are looking at one another

3. When you are recording several shots of two or more people talking to each other the convention is not to cross the line (the ‘axis of action’). The line is:

Answer: The line through the people talking

4. If you are shooting a mid shot (MS) where should the bottom of the frame be?

Answer: The waist

5. When talking about shot construction “crossing the line” means?

Answer: The producer is directing the actors

6. The scenario: You have two scenes to shoot in one day. One indoors, and the other outdoors. The Question: When you’re scheduling your shots when is it best to schedule the outdoor scene. And why?

Answer: Shoot if first as it could rain later in the day.

7. Please outline some points that you took away from the lighting lecture. Points that excite you, something that was completely new to you, perplexes you or even one you take issues with.

Answer:

The primary reason why lighting is needed in a film is because of the technical requirement for proper exposure of every shot in the film. Just like with photography, shooting a scene without enough light makes the shot underexposed. In such case, the shot looks too dark, and there are only a few details that can appear on screen. In worst cases, what you see is almost a black screen that even the actor’s faces and the props and sets around are not recognizable anymore. On the other hand, shooting with too much light makes the shot overexposed. In such case, the shot looks too bright and the entire scene looks annoyingly washed out, even to the point of looking blindingly white with almost no details to make the scene recognizable.

For a film to be properly exposed, the cinematographer and the lighting team must utilize a wide array of production equipment, according to specifications required by each scene. Every shot must not be too dark nor too bright so that the elements it contains register properly on screen.

8. List the things you learnt from Lenny – this could be things that went well or not so well.

During the Lenny exercise, we had to get it done under bad weather conditions. Finding a suitable location was tough, so we decided to film outdoors anyway. There was raindrops on the camera lens and sound boom was always affected from the wind. The gloomy weather seemed to fit the theme for the Lenny script so it was great but because of the bad weather and short of manpower we had a hard time. I was recording the shots and papers were flying everywhere so at a point we were all chasing for it. Also, we were new as a group and had to adjust to each other as a group. So this proved to be quite a challenge for us. However, despite the fact that we didn’t get external actors for Lenny ( 2 of our group members acted) and the fact that the remaining 4 of us were struggling to get the shots filmed with that weather condition and short amount of time, we were the first group to return back to class and complete our scene. Feeling rather accomplished only to find out that our SD card was lost (we checked with the techs) and we were  unable to show it to the class or even edit it.  I think we worked really well as a team and did a good job. We had a good location at the back of rmit and managed to avoid the raindrops on the camera with one of us holding an umbrella over it (it was funny but it did the job). Though we lost the SD card, we owe the success of our small Lenny project to each other!