Health and Safety

Despite the majority of filming taking place on the college site, there are various subjects that mean extra safety precautions must be made:

- When filming in a classroom we must ensure that there are not any items that can be tripped over, for example ensure that things such as wires and students bags are moved out the way of where we are filming.

-When using different pieces of equipment we must ensure that they are secure, this mainly refers to tripods. When using a tripod ensure that it is set up efficiently so that it does not fall over as it could hurt someone. Also make sure that when placing a camera on the tripod that it is secure and will not fall off, as this could result in damaging the camera.

-Whilst in the photography studio, as it is a rather confined space, we must ensure that wires are kept out of the way and are taped down to the floor. By doing this it minimalises the threat of tripping over the wire and injuring the subject. Also when dealing with studio lights they must be switched off at the wall and left to cool down before being handled by anyone as the bulbs become very hot and could burn someone.

- We also have to be aware of the dangers of different locations where we film. For example when filming outside of college on the road for example there are cars about. Also by filming outside we need to ensure that we are extra careful with equipment as if dropped it will most likely break. Also we have to ensure whilst filming we keep an eye on equipment as in busy places such as a town centre there may be thieves.

Aperture Experiment

F8 Wide lense


F8 Standard Lense


Experimenting in F.2


Experimenting in F16

Throughout this experiment I was experimenting with aperture and a range of different camera lenses. By doing this I was able to discover and learn about aperture. My strengths throughout this experiment were ensuring a range of lenses were used in order to effectively test the change in aperture when each lens was put onto the camera. By doing this it helps my overall knowledge of camera work as I now know how to adjust the aperture in order to have an effect on an image.

 A weakness however in this experiment is that in some of the footage shot, specifically when shooting at F.2 the image was over exposed, meaning that parts of the image seemed white and overall too bright. Some of the technical challenges that I faced was struggling to get to grips with different lenses, I struggled with focusing the image and it took me some time to focus the shot. Some shots were also overly exposed which can be seen in the clip "experimenting in F.2".

 Overall all of the above footage was filmed in order to further my understanding of Aperture, which I feel has been a success as I know feel more confident in what Aperture is and what it does to an image when altered. In order to improve my videos I would ensure that I deal with the exposure better so that videos are not overly exposed and perhaps use a tripod in all videos rather than in just a few as my camera work in 2 videos out of the 4 is rather shaky, with a tripod it would be steadied.

Shutter Speed Experiment

Both videos are effective as they clearly show the difference between a shot with High shutter speed in comparison to a shot with low shutter speed. My strengths were experimenting whilst filming these examples, as I used a spinning chair to highlight the difference in shutter speed, I felt this was a clever and different way of showing what shutter speed is. A weakness within these 2 videos would be the fact that I am spinning at different speeds in both videos, meaning that the comparison between the videos may not be completely accurate.

 A specific technical challenge I faced during this experiment was that the images at first were over exposed due to the fact that I was shooting by windows which were allowing a large amount of light into the room. I overcame this issue however by lowering the ISO and adjusting the Aperture. I have made 2 videos highlighting the difference between a video filmed with a high shutter speed and a video filmed with low shutter speed. I have made these videos in order to help show my understanding of what effect changing the shutter speed has on moving image. I would improve my video by ensuring a film in a different location so the lighting isn't so much of an issue. I would also make sure that I spin on my chair at the same speed so the 2 video's are more accurate.

Lighting

Reflectors



Rembrandt



Butterfly



3 point lighting set up

For this experiment I had to use a range of lighting set ups including '3 point lighting set up', 'The Butterfly', 'The Rembrandt', and we also used 'reflectors'. Using reflectors was a key strength of mine as it was easy to do, it showed that you can light up the object without using a direct light source. The rembrandt was also a strength as I was able to create a perfect shadow of a triangle to the right of the subjects nose, which was the aim of the task. The three point lighting set up also went very well as the set up was correct and by doing so it lit the subject in a well lit and texturised manner.

However a weakness of mine was creating 'the butterfly' as it was much harder to create. Although the set up was correct, the 'the butterfly' you're supposed to be able to see is not evident. All footage was filmed in order to help further my understanding of lighting techniques and set up, which I feel was a success as I am know more confident in the way I use lighting to shoot film with. In order to improve my video's I would focus on improving the butterfly and make the shadow on the subject's face much more prominent.

Health and Safety- Here as we were filming in the photography studio we had to ensure that all wires were out of the way and or taped onto the floor to ensure that nobody tripped over and injured themselves. We also ensured that all lights were cool before using them to avoid burning to skin and when we had finished using the studio we turned all forms of lighting off. Also as the studio is quite a small area we ensured that all belongings such as coats and bags were moved out of the way and put onto a table to ensure nobody tripped over them.

Bonnie and Clyde

For linking sex with violence, glamorizing its protago- nists through beauty and fashion, and addressing itself to the anti-authoritarian feelings of young audiences, Bonnie and Clyde is among the most important U.S. films of the 1960s. Together with other countercultural milestones such as The Graduate (1967) and Easy Rider (1969), it heralded the end of studio-style production and the beginning of a new youth-oriented film market, one that revisited film genres of the past with a modern sensibility. However, as we have seen, it was not only the film’s content that was innovative; Bonnie and Clyde’s editing and the climactic linkage of gunshots with camera shots also influenced viewers—ranging from French New Wave filmmakers to the American public. 

4 hour film challenge

Lighting - Shadows

Creating Shadows in an experimental set up.



Reflecting light



Using low key lighting 



Using high key lighting


My video's were very effective in using light in an experimental set up. My strengths in this task were definitely the creating of shadows in the video's as I used lighting very well in videos 1 and 3 to create shadows in different ways, in video 1 I was able to create and move shadows on the wall and in video 3 I was able to create a shadow across the face of the lego character, giving it a mysterious noire feel. My video's area of weakness is that some of them are more like pictures as toy's have been used for footage rather than people. This therefore means that the videos can seem quite boring as there isn't much going on in them.

The main technical challenge which I faced was with lighting. I struggled to get the lighting correct for sometime as videos at first were either over exposed or under exposed. I overcame this by constantly changing my lighting set up, whether that was drawing or opening blinds to allow more or less light into the room or using LED lights to adjust lighting. 

I have made a range of video's using lego characters in order to experiment with lighting and create shadow effects in an experimental set up. By doing this it has helped to further my understanding of lighting and how it can be altered. To improve my videos I would use people rather than toys to make them more interesting and to allow more movement.

Contextual Study - Bibliography

Bibliography- http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/new%20wave (1)
http://www.newwavefilm.com/international/american-new-wave-1.shtml (2,3)
http://www.mortaljourney.com/2011/03/1960-trends/hippie-counter-culture-movement (4) (5) (6)
Easy Rider Raging Bulls Documentary (7) (8)
Easy Rider York Film Notes (9) (10)
http://www.filmsite.org/easy.html (11)
movementmovementhttp://digital.lib.lehigh.edu/trial/reel_new/films/list/0_63_9 (12)
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/oct/17/bonnie-clyde-crime-shoot-out (13
Easy Rider Raging Bulls - Peter Biskind (14), (15)
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/aug/26/thriller.romance (16), (17)
http://www.film.com/movies/whats-the-big-deal-bonnie-and-clyde-1967
http://www.newwavefilm.com/international/new-hollywood.shtml (18)
Easy Rider (19)
http://www.film.com/movies/whats-the-big-deal-easy-rider-1969 (20)
Easy Rider film (21)
http://www.biography.com/news/andy-warhol-and-the-factory-20750995 (22)
Bonnie and Clyde (23)
Midnight Cowboy (24)

Easy Rider

Easy Rider Social Representations - From book 'Easy Rider - York Film Notes

Drugs - "An alarmed reaction was merited. Not because acid meant madness and breakdown, but because the underground pleasures of it and other drugs broke a major taboo"

"Many more like Billy and Wyatt made cannabis a more comfortable part of their way of life; dope as an enhancement of everyday living, not a pathway to nirvana. The smoking scenes in Easy rider provide some of its happiest moments."

Gender - " Easy Rider demonstrates a lack of interest in women and feminism more than misogyny, and indeed a minimal interest in sex, which appears much less of a lure to Billy and Wyatt than drugs and rock 'n' roll."

    A contextual study of the American New Wave between 1967-1970  

I will be studying the American Wave from 1967 through to 1970. I will be focusing my research around on Arthur Penn's 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde,  John Schlesingers's 1969 film Midnight Cowboy and finally Dennis Hoppers 1969 film Easy Rider. I have chosen these films in particular as they were so important in the change of American cinema, each offering a very new, fresh and interesting style of narrative. I will be looking at the social conditions of the production of the film and study its cultural impact.

Audio Recordings

Audio on the inbuilt camera.



Audio recored on the Zoom H1, recorded on the camera.



Audio recored by the Boom Microphone, plugged into the recorder, plugged into the camera.


This experiment was conducted within the photography studio due to that being the correct environment to help record sound. This experiment was carried out to highlight the difference in each microphones recording quality. By recording sound using the audio recorder on the camera itself, the 'Zoom H1 microphone' and on the 'Boom Microphone' I was able to discover which microphone is best for recording audio and which microphone has the least background noise (The Boom Microphone). Recording audio on the inbuilt camera is the worst for recording sound as it picks up a lot of background noise and is of poor quality. This was a successful experiment as it helped to further my knowledge of audio recording using microphones.

"In 1967, two movies, Bonnie and Clyde and The Graduate sent tremors through the industry. Before anyone realised it, there was a movement - instantly dubbed the New Hollywood by the press - led by a new generation of directors." (Easy Riders Raging Bulls - Peter Biskind.)

Bonnie and Clyde - "Disregard for time-honored pieties of plot, chronology, and motivation; a promiscuous jumbling together of comedy and tragedy; ditto heroes and villains; sexual boldness; and a new, ironic distance that withholds obvious moral judgements." 

(Stefan Kanfar on the characteristics of the New Cinema, from the book "Easy Rider Raging Bulls" by Peter Biskind.)

"Warners released the movie in 340 theatres. In September, it had grossed $2600 for a week at one theatre in Cleveland; it played the same theatre in February and grossed $26000."" Still, the numbers were dramatic. By the end of 1967, the picture had netted $2.5 million in rentals. In 1968, when it was re-released, it netted $16.5 million in rentals, the making it one of the top 20 grossing pictures of all time" 

(On the success of the re-release of Bonnie and Clyde - Easy Rider Raging Bulls - Peter Biskind.)

Screen Ages - A survey of American Cinema
Author - John Alberti