L01: Describe how to use camera equipment

To create cinematic footage on the 4K camera (AX33 4K Handycam) we placed the camera onto a tripod outside in the daytime as the sun was shining, we placed the camera towards the sun so we had natural lighting while also causing slight lens flare, as seen in movies. After we had the tripod set up along with the camera, we set the camera to manual, this allowed us to get a finer and crispier looking shot, almost as we can see from the eye, this also allows us to work with the sunlight that the camera absorbs without constantly focusing in and out on the built in auto setting. This camera also comes with a wide-angle lens, this allowed us to capture wide landscape shots of the city as the traffic passed by, just like they do in movies for cinematic shots to fill gaps between important transitions.

We also used a studio HD camera (HXR-MC2500). This was a step up from the 4K camera as these would more likely be used in making films for their capabilities. This camera came equipped with a wide-angle lens for wide cinematic shots and a high contrast view finder, this helped as we shot footage facing mid-day sunlight, the lens and camera absorbed this light and used it to create more crisp in the footage and a brighter effect. This camera is also capable of creating DVD or Blu-ray footage. We also used manual focus on this camera so that we could use the light absorbing lens/camera perfectly with our own adjustments, this allowed us to created a finer and more crisp video along with the cameras mode we used.

The final camera that we used was a Canon 750D, the specifications on the canon site instantly share the capabilities of being able to record cinematic movies. The camera came with Hybrid CMOS AF III to track movement an focus smoothly between objects, this helps create cinematic as we shot in the sunlight next to a main road so we need the smooth running footage to create a finer looking video. This camera also captures movies at 1080p with 30fps, this allowed the recording of the cars driving past to run smoothly without and problems. The camera also comes with a sensor, exposure compensation and iso sensitivity, this means that the footage we shot facing the sun allowed the camera to absorb the harsh sunlight hitting direct into the lens and create a smooth/crisp shot.

L01: Describe the settings for different camera types to achieve cinematic quality footage

DSLR cameras were the next step up in photography after film, being digital cameras that save the expenses and time of film, there was no need to develop photos as they would save digitally via an SD Card. DSLR stands for digital single lens reflex, they also allow the photographer to change the lens with options such as a wide angle used for landscape shots, standard lenses for general use, medium telephoto lenses used for sports/action, short telephotos used for portraits and macro lenses for extreme close ups. These lenses also allowed you to created new effects and have a better feel for the camera, allowing you to have your own choices on the aperture and shutter speed. The two most well known DSLR cameras are made by Canon and Nikon for their endless capabilities. These lenses used on cameras were picked up to eventually shoot short films/movies, these cameras allowed you to achieve cinematic footage through the use of lenses capturing key shots and allowing you to adjust the aperture etc for the specific shot you would like, however these cameras aren't oftenly used by film crews, more so used for home made movies as they are cheap, reliable and easy to get hold of.

HD Cameras are a type of megapixel camera. However, not all megapixel cameras are HD. HD stands for High Definition, HD cameras are used to capture a higher resolution image or video, these analog cameras result in a 720p or 1080p HD resolution. These cameras are also commonly used as CCTV cameras as their footage is low in size but high quality, these means that the compression of the footage doesn't take up too much space and allows the cameras to record 24/7 as they rarely take up the full storage while recoding in HD. Some HD cameras are GoPros that are used to attach to an object or human during action, Panasonics that are used for film and PS Pro cameras that are used as high quality CCTV cameras. These cameras allow you to capture cinematic quality footage through recording in 1080p, which once was the highest quality in which footage could be captured for a long duration of time, this is how many films were shot that were released in cinemas at the time as they were the highest resolution video cameras for their time.

4K Cameras are one of the newest high quality cameras, these specific cameras are used to shoot most things you see on the TV and in cinemas as they have the highest resolution in video recording. The cameras before this were the HD Cameras that shot at 1080p, however the 4K cameras shoot at a 4,096 by 2,160 resolution, they also display at leat 8 million active pixels. These cameras allow you to shoot cinematic quality footage as they are cameras used in the media industry as they achieve the highest resolution to this date, they come with a big price tag however they are reassuring and reliable as the footage we see are shot on these cameras. Some 4K cameras are made by Panasonic, Sony and Canon.

LO5: How Post production edits have helped create meaning

Before recording and editing my short film I decided to appreciate some short films/documentaries that were made on a cheap budget, even some full length films made on a bigger budget but still cheaper than a standard full film budget.. For example some short films and full length films I looked at and have taken inspiration from were 'A New Place 2 Drown' shot by Topsafe, this follows a young artist around his comfort zone and shows what he gets up to while also involving a short interview with the artist, Archy Marshall. Parts of this film were shot on a VHS compact camera for the cheap aesthetic they were holding onto. I then took inspiration from the film 'Permanent Vacation' shot by Jim Jarmusch, an American director. In this film they follow a young man that lives in New York with his girlfriend,  he is shown as a young man in his adolescence that struggles to come to terms with real life and the real world once it becomes his time to grow up, it was shot on a low budget of 12,000 USD and the film was shot on film. I instantly formed a relationship with these two productions, both cheap production and low quality films but so aesthetically beautiful in their own right.

I shot a short film/documentary following an artist from Sheffield that goes by the name 'Yusuf Yellow' and in this film I wanted to capture how he felt in the industry as a young artist, what he wants from music as he progresses and how he copes with the grind while also needing money to live. In order to do this I had to follow him around his apartment and the atmosphere he lives in when I went over to document him. While recording I flipped between capturing scenes on a camera on some on my phone, down to needing to access something quickly to be able to record but also having a lower quality camera helped with the cheap production low quality aesthetic I was aiming for. Once I had my footage of the artist and all my ideas ready for the post-production I knew exactly how I wanted to edit the short film/documentary to create meaning. I took all my footage into Adobe Premiere Pro and laid out the film start to end over a few days, having clips in-between the interview sections to keep the viewers attention, using clips such as skating, previews of the artists songs, the artist doing his own thing and a few other entertaining clips. This gave me the layout and bare bones of the short film/documentary to work around, I had the basics laid out at this point. I then went on to use 'Colour Balance' to change the film to a soft yellow colour throughout the duration. This helped me portray the artist as a happy artist, a musician that wants to spread positivity not only through his work but through colours that connote sunflowers, summer and happiness.

This then took me on to having a better view on where I could take the short film/documentary towards its final video, I applied a VHS effect I downloaded from YouTube that was free of use. This effect was a green screen effect which I had to loop from start to end and use the 'Ultra Key' to remove the green screen to be left with the isolated effect. This instantly progressed the films aesthetic of cheap production, I made it look as if I had shot this film on a compact VHS camera through the editing I had used. This was all possible by the use of Adobe Premiere Pro, a software used in the media industry, the capabilities were endless. At this point 'The Yellow Tape' was getting closer towards the cheap production aesthetic I was aiming for, I wanted to show the artist at this moment in time as he was, rather than showing off as an up and coming artist with money and flashy cars I wanted to show the grit of the working class he had behind him, the grind he is putting in towards becoming successful to show he hadn't been handed his career. The VHS effect helped massively as it showed we didn't really have money for a high budget production, we had enough to make something out of what we had, just like the artist being working class with enough money to make music no matter the production behind it, purely down to the love of it all. I also added a 'Tape Warping' effect to go with the VHS effect as this didn't come with it. This is a simple looking line that warps while running down the video, this also helped make the VHS effect look realistic rather than only having half of the effect that looked purposely edited.

Once I had the film laid out along with the colour balance and the VHS effect it was time to add the music into 'The Yellow Tape' the soundtrack I used were a few songs from the artists new mini album 'The Yellow Tape' which fit perfectly as they were songs made by the artist and I could link it with the title to also promote the release. I added the songs with some of the short clips I used in the video to break up the space between the interviews, I edited the clips to cut from one to the other in the same time as the rhythm of the song, be that the kick drum or the snare. This helped the artist entertained by the video with also getting an insight to the artists music, I created a meaning through doing this from using skating clips, the artist and his friends joking about and a few of where he lives by almost creating a short music video inside the show film/documentary, it portrayed the artist as a laid back individual that still has hobbies outside of music and is a social individual that enjoys spending time with his friends. This links to the love and positivity he wants to spread through his music and the yellow colour balance I used throughout the duration of the film.

LO5: Evidence of Editing

Here in the editing stage I added an adjustment layer so that I could add multiple effects in to one layer so that the file wasn't too big. I adjusted the colour balance to make the short film/documentary yellow, I also turned the whites up and the blacks down and used brightness & contrast to bring the colours in together. This allowed me to have a gritty look but the colours being soft as well as I used practical lighting.

Throughout the duration of the short film I used a basic transition of a simple cut, as I wanted to capture the the effect of a cheap production homemade movie I analysed a lot of films in this style and they all used the same transition. This keeps the short film to a minimal of editing while also keeping a smooth run throughout the duration of 'The Yellow Tape'













During 'The Yellow Tape' I added a few songs from the artists album, during this I played clips of the artist, his friends and them skating. I used the simple transition cuts to my advantage to make the transitions cut in time to the beat of the song, this is a technique that has been used in music videos for years and without the viewer realising it also makes the short film/documentary easier to watch, it is a comfortable way to transition during a song.




During the editing process of 'The Yellow Tape' I only used one other software, being the text on the intro, after I finished the text visual effect I exported the file and added it to the Premiere Pro project for the short film/documentary. I kept the editing to a minimum so that the final film didn't look to professional, hence the relationship I have made with the cheap production aesthetic. I have only used a few layers to build up the short film, music, audio, adjustment layer, play text and the VHS effect. the adjustment layer help a few effects but also kept the file size small when rendering and exporting.

LO4: Codes and Conventions

This is the same style of genre I was aiming to have when the video was finished, not exactly the same throughout but I definitely took inspiration from certain clips like the grittier VHS side of clips in this short film. This short film was made for Archy Marshalls album 'A New Place 2 Drown' that he made in his house with his friends but mainly his brother. This was an electronic, alternative hip-hop album, the visuals sat perfectly with the music and meaning of the short film, having short interviews and clips of the artists surroundings and what he gets up to. It instantly gave me ideas and inspiration towards my short film and how I could take my own turn with it all.

The top clip is part of the short film by Archy Marshall and the bottom is my short film, this was my first part of inspiration while following the conventions of this genre, this footage instantly follows the style of this short film as the artist is being interviewed while not looking directly into the camera, he is constantly focused elsewhere with life, music and art constantly being on the artists mind even while being interviewed about it. This makes the artist look laid back and very cool in a way through not paying much attention.

This is another part of my short film where I have followed the style and conventions of my chosen genre, as simple as basic throwaway footage of nothing, this is just a short part of 'The Yellow Tape' where there is a few seconds of passing traffic which just shows the artists whereabouts and what they're up to in their spare time. Theres nothing to delve too deep into with meanings, its just as simple as having passing cars for a short segment of the film.

LO4: Manipulate the camera settings

Here I am setting up a tripod for the still scenes during the interview section of the shot film/documentary so that there is no shaking while the artist is talking, this will make sure there is nothing else happening during the shot that could cause distraction.
 

For the recording inside the artist apartment building and inside his house I went for 400 ISO so that I could let more light in as the rooms around the building and his house were only lit by either ceiling lights or lamps, I still wanted the shots to look darker but I also had to have a higher ISO so that certain scenes were visible. While I was shooting the artist outside and with his friends I used a 200 ISO setting as it was daytime and the sun was bright, this made the scenes look more cinematic to the viewers and the brighter scenes connote the artist is a happy, colourful individual that wants to bring these vibes to the viewers. As I had the brightness levels right while shooting, it left me with minimal editing during post production, as I wanted a cheep production look I also winged it in certain parts by telling myself 'the shots will do', which also has the aesthetic of cheap homemade films. There were also some scenes where the artist is out of focus but also brought into focus in the same clip, this is seen in many short films for aesthetic.

L04: Applying cinematic lighting techniques

Here I am setting up the tripod and camera so that I can set specific measurements based on the lighting outside when we leave, this allows me to have my settings almost ready for shooting rather than taking more time setting up when meeting up with the artist. I am using a Canon 500D set to manual, this allows me to bring the scene into focus by hand, I also used an aperture of f/1.4 to let more light pass through and an auto iso setting from the camera.

Here are two clips from my short film/documentary where I only used natural lighting produced from sunlight while being outside.

 Here are two clips from my short film/documentary where I used practice lighting from either lamps or the lights from the ceiling.