3rd Outing: Reflector Testing

One thing that was new during this attempt at filming was the use of a light reflector which we had never used before, We attempted to use it to add light to our subjects face while filming, to create a highlight effect which when edited would make a high contrast image. It took us a few attempts to get used to using the reflector since it was a new technique to us, we decided to assign the task of operating the reflector to one of our group. The use of the reflector seemed to help our shots, as during the time the weather was very overcast so there was limited natural light and the reflector helped amplify that, we found that it created a nice highlight effect on our subjects facial features when filming a close up shot, this made it look of a higher quality shot than without the use of the reflector.

These are just a few shots of our group using the reflector during filming, we hadn't used it before so we needed to attempt each shot a few times as well as adjusting its position before we began filming. It proved to be quite useful in improving the look of our shots and brings up the possibility of it creating a high contrast image during editing, which would fit with the style of New Wave.

New Wave
The use of a reflector during a film shoot is considered a new wave technique as it is a low budget form of lighting that can be provided without cost, the reflector makes use of natural light that can enhance or diffuse the lighting within a shot. The reflector is small and highly portable and can be easily manipulated to create different light conditions in both exterior and interior light. Another way the reflector is a New Wave technique is that a reflector can be homemade from simple materials as a way to light a scene for almost no cost and still create high quality lighting effects.



Reflector Tracking Shot Test from Lewis Mercer on Vimeo.

This footage shows the reflector in use, we used the gold side of side of the reflector to diffuse the natural light of the surroundings to create a soft light effect on the subject during the shot, as well as this we also used a wide aperture of f/2.6 to ensure the subject in the foreground is in focus and it absorbed enough light to show the effects of the reflector since it was an overcast day when we performed this shot.

3rd Outing: Locations

 For this attempt at filming we decided that we would need a wider variety of locations so we thought that we should expand on where it was that we would go to film, one group travelled around the local streets and roads by car gathering tracking shots and would later film in some back alleys and streets to give a variety of situations, while the other group would film in a specified area to perform sequences of shots that could provide some sense of narrative, while also experimenting with camera angles and light techniques.

These are a few of the locations that the 1st group in charge of gathering vehicle tracking shots filmed in to provide various shot types, this was to provide a sense of "realism" to the shots.

The group that focused on camera shot types, angles, sequencing and lighting was centred mainly on one street in the local area, Queens Road, Nuneaton where we gathered various shots and angles that could be used or sequencing. We later moved to the previously visited location of Abbey Theatre near High Street, where we chose to perform some sequencing shots and experiment with the light reflector to try and determine if it would improve our footage, we used the location for a number of shots such as the chance for close ups, long shots and cutaways of a subject. This location proved useful in previous shoots so we believed it would be a decent place to perform further experiments.

New Wave
The locations we visited during this shoot are relevant to a new wave film as they are local areas that add a sense of social realism to the film, and these locations show the type of area that we were filming in and can even show some problems that affect the area. New Wave films often use locations that reflect political or social issues that are either apparent or at leads hinted at in the film and we tried to do this by using locations that were in a local area, easily accessible and reflected some sort of social issue that could be highlighted in our films.

OH&S: Occupational Health and Safety
During this shoot we visited many areas of the local town which included some location seeing down back alleys and in isolated areas, there are many risks involved with areas such as these and before shooting we needed to assess the risks involved with the location.

• Risk of falling and causing injury to self or others
• Risk of damaging equipment
• Risk of harmful/unsanitary objects in the area e.g. broken glass
• Risk of being attacked/mugged
• Risk of equipment being stolen

These risks involving these areas could however be avoided by following simple measures against these risks including:

• Making sure that all equipment is carried properly and is kept in sight at all times
• Ensure that there are no objects/obstacles that could trip someone whilst filming
• Ensure that the crew stays in a drop and no member is on their own 
• Ensuring that the area is surveyed before actually visiting the location to check area reputation, obstacles and how to travel through the area.

3rd Outing: Summary

Summary

25th September 2012

After our second filming session we decided that the footage we had gained was lacking something so we wanted to either go out and perform re-shoots using different camera settings or take completely different footage. Again we separated into two groups, one travelling by car to obtain tracking shots and the other would perform various other shots and try to capture different camera angles and sequences. We decided that we should also use a wider variety of locations within our footage to distinguish what areas are useful for specific purposes and vantage points. One process which was new to us in this instance was the use of a reflector to add light and shadow to some of our footage, which provided a new experience for us and it did produce some interesting effects on our footage. We chose to also film various long shots, close ups and cutaways to provide a range of different shots and possibilities for editing purposes.

Equipment

After the last filming session we realised that in order to get a higher quality and range of footage we would need more equipment, with the possibility of a multi camera setup to obtain various different shots and angles, so the equipment for this outing is as follows:

• 1 Standard Tripod
• 1 "Fluid-head" Tripod
• 2 5D DSLR Cameras
• 2 550D DSLR Cameras
• 1 Compact digital stills camera
• 1 portable light reflector

This equipment was needed as we would need different types of camera for different shot types, and also because the 5D cameras can take higher quality footage and have the option to change settings such as aperture and shutter speed manually which would give us greater range in terms of how we could use depth of field and camera focus. We also needed the light reflector as it was an overcast day and it would not only improve the look of our shots but also give us some insight into how better to use lighting techniques.

OH&S: Occupational Health and Safety

As with previous locations there is always a risk of hazards and danger occurring so sufficient action must be taken against these hazards to prevent injury to any member of the group you are working with. During this 3rd shoot we were shooting in a previously visited location, we were filming in the small park outside Abbey Theatre in Nuneaton which we used for our first location shoot. As with the first time we shot in this location, we needed to take into account the risks that were involved with this location such as:-

• Harmful/Un-sanitary objects in the environment e.g. needles, broken glass etc
• risk of gangs/violent individuals/criminals in the area
• risk of falling on uneven ground
• Risk of theft/ damage to the equipment or personal belongings
• risk of any objects e.g. tree branches falling on any member of the crew

These risks were taken into consideration and a viable,effective solution was implemented to prevent any risk of these hazards becoming a problem to any member of the crew whilst shooting. These hazards were avoided by following these steps:-

• The area was visited before hand to ensure no suspicious/violent individuals were around
• The area was surveyed to ensure no harmful/un-hygienic items were present in the immediate vicinity
• we moved around the area in groups and kept all unnecessary equipment stored away in a crew members car which was securely locked in a visible open area
• the crew were advised to not move suddenly or quickly around the filming area to avoid risk of falling and/or injury

Contextual Study:Japanese New Wave-Cruel Story of Youth

A theatrical trailer for Japanese New Wave director Nagisa Oshimas "Cruel Story of Youth" (1960)

2nd Outing: Evaluation

Summary

On the 24th September we decided to go out and shoot some more test footage for our New Wave project, we decided that we needed some establishing shots of the townscape and some tracking shots perhaps shot from the inside of a car, so we decided to separate into two groups in order to get as much footage done as possible. What came from the venture was a few interesting tracking shots and a variety of different angled establishing shots, the establishing shots were taken from the roof of a local multi-story car park which was the highest vantage point available which allowed for a variety of wide angle establishing shots and high angle shots. The tracking shots also proved to produce interesting footage, such as a long shot that shows influence from "The 400 Blows", as well as some varying shots from different views, side tracking shots and shots taken at the front of the car also seemed to have been successful, however a few of the shots have problem with camera shake and focus.

Camera Testing Photos

2nd Outing: Summary

24th September 2012

Summary
We decided that a second filming session was required to further test our camera techniques, settings and movements so we chose to focus on establishing shots of the local townscape and tracking shots from a moving vehicle, all for possible use in our New wave project. We decided to split into two groups in order to get as much footage as possible in the limited time frame we were given, one group would travel by car and obtain tracking shots from various angles from within, while the other would go to a high vantage point which in this instance was a local multi-story car park to film establishing shots of the local area.

Equipment

The equipment we decided to take along with us is as follows:

• 3 500D DLSR Cameras
• 1 Compact digital still camera
• 4 SD cards of 4GB or higher
• 1 Tripod

Once the equipment was shared between the 2 groups for their individual purposes we separated to move to our specified locations, one group travelling by car to obtain the tracking shots, the other going by foot to the local multi-story car park, which once we arrived ascended to the roof in order to get clear establishing shots. We decided that once we had gathered enough footage we would all regroup in order to upload and share the footage to our mac computers in preparation for documentation, labelling and future editing.

OH&S:Occupational Health and Safety

During this second filming session we were going to be visited a new area, which brings up a wide range of new hazards and dangers which will need to be addressed to ensure the safety of crew members. The weather was overcast and rather cold with high wind speeds so that would need to be taken into consideration, the crew was also advised to wear appropriate warm clothing beforehand. The vast array of hazards and risks involved with our location would need to be looked into as we were going to the top of a local multi story car park so certain risks would need to be observed  such as:-

• Risk of injury whilst traversing stairwell(s)
• Risk of damaging equipment whilst traversing stairwell(s)
• Risk of injury on escalators/elevators
• Risk of high wind speeds whilst on roof of location
• Risk of falling off roof of location
• Risk of falling from roof of location due to high wind speeds
• Risk of falling from roof of location due to crew member misconduct e.g. climbing on safety rails
• Risk of dropping equipment from roof of location endangering people below
• Risk of falling whilst carrying equipment
• Risk of injury due to crew misconduct
• Risk of damage to equipment due to crew misconduct/misuse
• Risk of damage to public property due to equipment misuse
• Risk of damage to public property due to crew misconduct
• Risk of harmful/un-hygienic items in the area
• Risk of cars coming up access ramps
• Risk of being hit by cars coming up access ramps
• Risk of fire
• Risk of unfavourable weather postponing filming

All of these are potential risks that the crew face whilst filming in a location such as this and all of them need to be taken into consideration to ensure crew safety whilst shooting in the area, These risks can be easily prevented and the danger reduced with simple codes of conduct and proper preparation and course of action, including:-

• Ensuring crew members traverse stairwells in a calm, cautious manner
• Ensuring whenever possible to use elevators to minimise risk of injury on stairwells
• Ensuring that all equipment is shared equally to each crew member whilst being carried to minimise risk of one member being over encumbered and falling causing damage to equipment and/or injury to themselves
• Ensuring that appropriate clothing is worn to maximise efficiency
• Ensuring that all crew members stay at least 1-2 meters away from edge of location roof behind safety railings
• Ensuring that no crew member performs acts of misconduct or behaves in an inappropriate manner to minimise risk of injury and/or damage to equipment 
• Ensuring that all members move around the filming area in a calm manner e.g. not running or any sudden quick movements 
• Ensuring that all equipment when not in use is kept clear of areas of location likely where crew members would walk
• Ensuring that all equipment is securely operated with at all times e.g. tripods securely locked in place and cameras held with both hands and strap around them to prevent damage
• Ensuring that crew keep clear of access ramps in case cars arrive
• Ensure that there is an easily accessible fire escape route 
• Make sure that there are no harmful items e.g. broken glass in the area
• Making sure that once equipment has fulfilled its use it is properly packed away and carried in a reasonable manner
• Ensuring that all crew members are informed to keep behind safety rails, keep away from car access ramps, no running, behave inappropriately etc. 

Camera Testing 1st Outing: Evaluation

Summary

For this first outing where we tested our camera techniques and experimented with ideas we could utilise for later shoots, it has given us an idea of what type of footage we should be shooting and how to go about it, from the camera setup to the type of shot we will need. I think that this initial prices has given us some time to reflect on how we will carry out later filming sessions and what we should be considering in terms of actors/location and techniques to utilise. Whilst filming these tests we were able to document the processes that we underwent including equipment setup, our use of the camera and equipment, us directing our subjects and our experimentation with the camera and angles.

Camera testing: 1st outing Photos