In this class exercise, we experimented with pulling focus within a shot. We started off focusing up on the coffee sign. Because of how bright the light is, it was hard to focus on the sign properly. We did try changing the exposure to let in less light, however that made the rest of the scene look strange and created problems when we panned from the sign to Rosie. However, I do like the effect of pulling the focus on the sign from blurry to clear, even if this particular shot still needs some work.

For the second shot in this clip, we pulled the focus as we moved from the sign to Rosie’s face. We didn’t have tape to mark the focus points before rolling camera, so we still had to adjust the focus a little once we had framed up on Rosie’s face. It also didn’t help that we hadn’t determined the exact action before shooting, and the framing was probably a little closer than I would have liked, and forced some camera movement as we had to follow Rosie’s face in order to keep her in frame.

Watching this exercise back has reinforced the importance of blocking before shooting. Quickly rehearsing the camera movement before rolling, might have resulted in a smoother focus pull as well as cleaner pan. We might have also been able to zoom out slightly at the starting position so that the end position would be a little wider.

We were a little more organised for this shot. We determined where the beginning and end point before we started rolling, resulting in a much smoother movement. The pan was also significantly easier than the previous exercise as the pan was along a straight horizontal line, rather than being combined with a slight tilt.

The biggest difficulty with this shot was making sure the camera pan was at the right pace to keep Louise and Rosie in the frame throughout the take. Too slow and they would have walked out of frame, but too fast and it could have been blurry or been too fast for them to keep up with. It was also important to keep the speed consistent for the pan to look smooth rather than jerky. Potentially, it could have worked better if we started the pan just before or as Louise and Rosie start walking in order to try to and put more space into the frame at the beginning of the shot. Another option could be to start the walk from further back so they walk into the frame, allowing the camera operator to start moving at the perfect point.

Overall, I think this shot came out pretty well. Louise and Rosie move through the frame at good pace, reaching the middle of the screen about half way through the shot. The speed of the pan was consistent and smooth. Given more time, I might have experimented a little more with when to start the pan, but I’m still pretty happy with how it turned out.

For this exercise, we looked at lighting, using both dedos and and a LED lighting panel to light our subject. We lit the offside of the face, using key lights which were placed camera left. We ended up take out the fill light and weren’t using a back light, which really emphasised how key lighting works and why it’s so important. Because we were using two kinds of lights within one shot, we could also clearly see how each of them work and start to consider what kinds of light we watch to use for our projects.

The dedos that lit Louise gave off a cooler light than the lighting panel on Rosie. Particularly when both of them are in the same shot, it’s clear how different each of them look. The dedo appears to look more like natural light, so it might be better for day shoots, either exterior shots or interiors where there is sunlight coming into the room. The lighting panel was warmer, but could also easily be altered with gels. Even without gels, the light was warm and had a feel that is similar to the fluorescent lights at the bowls club where we’re filming, which have a yellow tone to them.

This exercise has given me a greater understanding of the role of key lights, as well as more of an idea where the best place to put them is. It will be interesting on set working out where to place lights during the dancing scenes due to the constant movement, but I now feel more confident setting up lighting for the other, static shots.