Question 1: Colour Correction Examples

Using the method of duplicating the same clip three times and testing different colour correction techniques has been very helpful in correcting overexposure and washed out colours in our documentary Bluestone. By using a combination of the three-way colour corrector, and the brightness & contrast functions, we have been able to create more vivid looking clips. Below are a couple of examples:

This is a screenshot of the original clip showing the outside of Pentridge Village facing Murray Road where the bluestone wall has been significantly lowered to show the housing estate behind. The clip is overexposed and washed out, the colours aren’t vivid at all.

This screenshot shows the result of bringing the brightness down and bringing the contrast up, which made a slight difference in the washed out tone of the clip. However the contrast on the wall towards the right has given it a fake blue tone that doesn’t look natural.

This colour correction experiment shows the contrast has been brought up more significantly and yellow has been added to the highlights to make the sky look less of a fake blue tone (as our white balancing for this shot was not right) and to make it look more realistic. However, the significant contrast on the wall to the right of frame looks more fake than previous attempts and doesn’t blend with the rest of the image so we are more likely to go with the previous attempt.

This is a screenshot of the original clip that is a bit overexposed and washed out. Our goal would be to make the sky have more definition and have the colours pop more.

This screenshot shows that we have decreased the brightness which has made the sky less white and overexposed, as well as increased the contrast of the clip to make the dark tones in the wall and grass more visible. While this is an improvement, an experiment with the three-way colour corrector wheel could make the colours stand out more.

This screenshot shows our use of the brightness and contrast functions (as before) as well as the three-way colour corrector wheel. The increase of yellow in the highlights make it appear as though the sun is somewhere behind the clouds and breaks through the overall blue and grey tone of the rest of the clip. This is the version we would use in our final cut.

Question 2: Review your response from the beginning of the semester of your expectations. Has it delivered what you expected?

“This semester I would like to continue to learn and practice the technical side of production by engaging more with the equipment and not being afraid to try new camera and sound kits. I would also like to be creative and lateral in the way I approach my documentary project, so rather than implementing traditional interview techniques, I want to think outside the box. I want to use complex and interesting soundscapes and music which often add a depth to documentary films and to think more about how sound can contribute to the audience’s feelings and perceptions. Being creative with the camera will also be something I strive to do this semester by thinking about the many different ways a particular shot can be covered. I also want to gain more confidence in using the camera as I was a bit reluctant to get involved last semester as others were more confident to use it. I also want to not only improve my editing skills but have a more positive attitude towards it, rather than getting overwhelmed by the problems that may occur. Overall, I would like to be involved in a project that interests me whole-heartedly and to develop a documentary in which passion and creativity is demonstrated.”

Working on our documentary this semester has been an absolute joy, even through all of the trials and the tribulations we have developed a documentary that we are all proud of. I was extremely lucky to have been in such a hard-working, passionate, and funny group which made the whole process so much easier and enjoyable. My goal was to have more self-confidence in taking the reins of the technical side rather than letting others step forward and I can say I definitely did that this semester during our many shoots. While I still struggle with the sound recording (I need to practice this more), my confidence in using the EX3 and Z7 cameras grew the more I pushed myself to have a go. While we weren’t as creative as I expected to be in the beginning of semester, I feel that we utilised many different techniques to create a rounded documentary. The soundscape is something I regrettably didn’t follow through with. It is a really integral part to a fantastic documentary and we really struggled in this department in trying to find the right music and tones. The benefit of having a library collection of free music now really does seem important to me (a bit too late!). I believe that I developed more editing confidence and a better attitude towards the process the more I attempted it. However, while I enjoy putting a rough cut together and colour correcting, the minute editing details of dropping out audio and fading it in, etc, still does my head in, which is why I was lucky to have people like Mia, Miguel and Monika to help in that department. I really enjoyed this semester more than last semester, and I believe that not only does it have to do with my fantastic group, but also the freedom we had to go out and explore whatever topic suited us, go out and film, see what we had and assess it and continue the process. Compared to last semester where there was a lot of pre-production planning, I found that going out and filming a dozen times was actually so beneficial for us and made it more enjoyable as I felt that we were actually achieving something rather than waiting around for the shooting date. This semester completely changed my mind about working on documentaries as I was never interested in this area of filmmaking beforehand and now I just want to make another one as I found it so rewarding.