Walking back into Building 9 for my first class of the semester, I didn’t know quite what to expect – it was like the beginning of semester 1 (except this time no one waited outside the classroom). With ‘Film 3’ being my first studio subject I wasn’t sure how the sessions would operate. As I entered the room the first thing I noticed was numerous camera cases and tripods – which looked promising.
It was great to be immediately thrown into a practical exercise with little direction and instruction. I largely self-taught myself most of my media skills – so this ‘figure it out yourself’ approach really appealed to my preferred way of learning (through doing). Having mainly used DSLRs in my film and photography projects the Sony cameras were unfamiliar, however once we were allowed to explore the settings and components of the cameras I began to develop an understanding of the camera’s general operation.
Paul introduced us to the basics of working with the equipment, as well as the procedures that allow for the most efficient and safe operation of the gear. In the second half of the practical exercise we were sent outside to film 50 seconds of action in a location of our choosing. I feel that this was a great introduction to the filmmaking process and it allowed all of us the chance to begin thinking of ways to utilise the equipment available to us.
It was good to get back into the process of filming in public and around people as in the past this was something that I found awkward and unnatural. This activity was a good way of refreshing my confidence regarding filming around people – I think the most important thing that I need to focus on when shooting in public is to take my time and not rush my shots. The requirement to shoot with a 12mm focal length was challenging but I think it was a useful restriction and allowed us to practice using a wider angle of view. I think we framed our 2 shots really well, and we were able to capture a good variety of movement in the foreground, mid-ground and background. Some of the parallels between drama & documentary filmmaking became evident during this exercise; while we were only filming undirected actions, we took on directorial roles in other aspects of the shot – for instance camera position, angle, exposure and more. In this way we were able to give this ‘documentary style’ shot a more dramatic feel, and increase the overall detail and effectiveness of the shot.
Hopefully this style of practical teaching will continue as the semester progresses and hopefully by the end of Film 3 I will be able to use the technology available to us in an effective and efficient way. As we were told in Media 1, we should aim to master the operation of our gear – and get to know our cameras, audio devices, software, etc.