For the second class of this week, we got down to business by shooting footages that we could apply the sounds we recorded earlier the week.

We were assigned into groups and wasted no time heading down to the edit suites where it became our “base” for the rest of the class time. We assume various roles such as, Camera Operator/Director, First AD, Sound man, Grip, and of course, Talent. I volunteered to have a go as the camera operator/director having just completed a semester on something similar that requires a fair bit of shooting.

Being a camera operator/director seemed pretty daunting at first. The whole group’s footages and ideas would revolve around the shots I have taken, not forgetting they should be in the right exposure, as well as properly framed. A balance of technicality as well as creativity has to be struck in order to assume such a role. And quite honestly, throughout the time when I was playing such a role, I had nervy moments, and thoughts of the shot turning out to be over/under exposed, or not properly framed, or worst, I didn’t hit the record button were all running through my head while we were carrying out this exercise. Though it may seem like a simple task where we have to shoot just 3 shots of someone doing something, there are still quite a fair bit that goes into such an activity.

The group and I recorded some footage of our talent walking down a carpeted corridor. The idea was to juxtapose the visuals of barefoot walking on the carpet with the sound of shoes walking on hard floor. We also shot another scene where our talent is walking barefoot on some metal stairs, and likewise, exploring the effect when we layer the sound of rubber soled sneakers instead of the actual sound of human feet on metal steps.

Another challenge I realised while being the camera operator was the camera movement and tracking of subject. It was not easy adjusting and moving with the talent, while maintaining focus and the right framing, especially without the aid of a dolly. Not to mention, to control the amount of light entering the camera while the talent is moving from a brightly lit place to a slightly darker environment, such as from outdoors to indoors. I would assume that would be the role of a camera assistant to ensure such things, however having such a small crew, or if we were on a tight budget, the camera operator would have to be able to control the various parameters on his or her own while maintaining the shot.

Once we were happy with the walking sequence, we decided to rotate roles and moved to a different location to see what else we could shoot. We made our way to a basketball court on campus, just right next to the Alumni Courtyard, and this time I assumed the role of a first AD. A fellow group mate was already taking notes of the previous takes and shots, and it was an easy transition to just recording the takes and shots accordingly. This log sheet would come in handy during post for the editor to refer to in order to tell which are the takes that could be used or totally discard away with. Also, it would be easier when it came to syncing sound since we did not have a slate, or clap, at the beginning of each take. I know, Paul has mentioned Premiere Pro has a very neat function, that could sync the waveforms according to the sound recorded on the onboard microphone from the camera, however, I believe it is still good to practice such “old school” practice, just in case technology fails us or Premiere’s syncing sound feature spoofs up.

Overall, I was contended with the footages we managed to shoot. Looking forward to editing and putting everything together to see one final sequence.