Month: August 2016

The most important issue and aspect I will need to take into account when I begin filming is the transportation of equipment, because of this I made the choice to use my Panasonic Lumix GH4 with an 18-25mm lens, I’ve used this camera many times before, both for volunteer and paid work I know it’s functions and settings quite well and it allows you to control almost all manual functions. I’ve also noted that I will be taking both a Video Rode Mic and a Zoom it’s always important I believe to have some sort of backed up audio just in case one of the two gathers an issue, in saying this I have also noted that the Zoom has a much better quality and manual control. Planning is working quite well, it hasn’t been too hard to plan how I’ll film Justines hanging as she has set a date and time where I am able to come.

The studio interview and her studio filming have yet to be locked in but I have put out dates where I hope she is available and once they are confirmed I will lock in a location and also hopefully a few crew members who will be able to help with audio. I think my main concerns linger with my confidence, I want to appear as professional as possible for Justine and to make sure I am in my best mindset when filming, I would rather overshoot on footage then undershoot for sure just so that I know when I’m editing I have a lot of choice to cut and manipulate everything I’ve shot in order to make the best piece.

I have an idea of the sort of tone I want, I’m quite interested in making a short biographical montage, this will ultimately have jump cuts from her hanging and studio overlays whilst she is talking to camera (eye line will be towards and interviewer but details on that have yet to be confirmed). I know editing is one of my strongest point so I am definitely not afraid for the post production, I have a monitor and laptop which would allow me to interchange between the two (which is really good for watching playbacks) and obviously having a larger screen will allow you to have a better outlook of what the piece would look like one a projector or at a screening. 

My pre-production research has been quite easy as Justine has given me a lot to work with and alongside that there is a lot of online content, I’m really thankful for that as it makes the process easier for me. Nothing isn’t ‘not working’ at the moment but as a I previously stated I really need to lock down rooms and studios for booking so that I am not left without a space to film in, this has me a little anxious as I’m generally one to plan in advanced but I’ve told myself I can’t really do much until my artists confirms when she’s available for filming.

Overall I’m ready for filming the hanging but will need to knuckle down in communication to make sure both studio shoots are ready within the following couple of weeks.

Lighting was the focus of Mondays class during Week 6, a demonstration on a three point set up was shown by Louise who gave us notes on how to match daylight (natural light) to studio lights as well as the different types of lighting there was (tungsten, LED, fluorescent, ect). Lighting is extremely important, it can add a dramatic effect or simply makes a subject appear clear and professional.

The most important reminder is for the crew (camera operator) to remember to white balance once they have set up. You also want to take into account if you would like a contrast between the studio lights in the foreground and the natural light in the background or if you would rather keep them similar and stick to a natural format (which would not include using the tungsten diffuses).

Wednesday was used as a reflection on our pitches, feedback was given by a professional who helped nail down any errors or sentences we may have left out that would ultimately make our pitches better and more likely to reach a higher level of standards.

My own pitch is coming along quite well, it has been easy to make contact with Justine which has made the process more enjoyable, we have now come to a point where I will soon need to reflect what I’ve learnt so far throughout this process which will be interesting, I feel as though I have planned quite a bit but still need to put in more effort to make sure everything goes to plan and that I am not left with only half a piece or a project that is below the standard that I would like.

Week five was again used to prompt practice by filming more for the street art vox pops, our group changed location to inside the RMIT cafeteria in order to create variation in the outcome of responses. Monday consisted more of a drill to nail in what we had learnt the previous week so that we would not forget it for the upcoming filming. It did make me change my mind for my audio source and I have now thought about hiring a proper mixer in order to gain the best possible audio. I believe I should book equipment soon as it will be tedious it items book out at the same time. Another focus is building a shooting schedule and planning for production for what I aim to shoot. A lot of class discussion centers around the ‘how‘ of what we will be shooting, I aim to use a Panasonic LUMIX GH4 (18-25mm wide lens) with both a VideoRodeMic and a separate Zoom. I also think I will shoot with 25fps and will be editing on Adobe Premier Pro CC. The first date I have locked in to shoot is Justine Khamaras hanging on the 29th of August which is approaching fast. There is not yet much time for reflection in this time of production unfortunately as much thought is going into pre-production and planning, I am however thinking about how what I will choose and how I choose to film will affect the overall outcome which I think is very important.

The week focused on Street Art Vox Pops as an introduction into film and editing with the RMIT equipment, this again meant being placed into groups to work the equipment. The Vox pops included having discussions with individuals on the street in order to gain their opinions on street art.

The question that our group reflected on in particular was weather street art was as valuable as the art placed within galleries. It was interesting to see the responses from subjects especially those who were less certain when speaking and those who had confidence.

We learnt that the type of response you will gain will be determined on how you approach an individual.
Tone is very important when asking someone to participate.
Meanwhile thoughts also lingered on our artists and our upcoming pitch, overall this week was quite laid back and more focused on us doing our own research for our documentaries.

Week 3 Studio classes focused upon the underappreciated artist as well as contemporary forms of art including street art.
It can be noted that many pieces of work we value now have only become noteworthy once the artist has passed away.
A famous painter mentioned was Van Gough, an example of why is because his work was not valued during his lifetime.
This was partly due to the fact his style was not recognised or appreciated, only once his demise did his pieces became renowned for their contemporary art form and later iconic. Our second class as a demonstration on the usage of camera and audio.
Cinematography was a key factor mentioned as well as lighting, mise-en-scene and shot sizes. We have been told by our tutor Louise Turley that we should be thinking ‘outside the box and our comfort zones’ when it comes to using new equipment. After all we are undertaking a Media course in order to learn new information as well as complete different types of challenges.
It was nice to have a refreshment on audio, most of what I had learnt from my Diploma came into play using RMIT’s cameras.
Notes would be to check the camera is on mic not line, also levels and finally playback audio before actually filming to make sure everything is working accordingly.