LO1: Features and settings of camera equipment

 

Changing settings on  DSLR:

Shutter speed: Shutter speed is how quickly the shutter closes. A fast shutter speed lets less light into the camera, whereas a slow shutter speed lets in more. Fast shutter speed captures clear images with no motion, whereas slow shutter speed creates blur. 

This is photo evidence of how shutter speed affects the image; (fast vs slow)

ISO: This setting helps to control the exposure of what you're capturing. It adjusts the light sensitivity to help capture the desired exposure. The lower the ISO setting, the less light is let in.

Here is evidence of how ISO affects the image: low vs high 

Aperture: This setting also controls the levels of light the camera lets in. Small aperture lets in less light, larger ones let in more. This effects depth of field to create a variety of effects.  Aperture is measured in 'f-stops' and is displayed using an 'f-number'. A larger aperture (a wider opening) has a smaller f-number.   

Here is image evidence of how aperture affects an image: (high vs low)

Here is how to control each of the settings on a camera: 

Here is evidence of me using the camera and changing the settings. 

Lenses/effects:

Ultra-wideangle: One example of a lens i could use is the 'ultra-wideangle' lens. This lens offers a much wider angle than the standard zoom lens and gives you a curved distortion effect at the edge of the frame.   

Here is an example of a shot created with an ultra-wide angle lens:

Fisheye: This lens creates a similar effect to the ultra-wideangle lens but much more extreme, often covering up to 180 degrees and creating a spherical image. This would be the circular type, the full frame fish eye only captures a 180 degree angle across its diagonal. This creates an effect that isn't as extreme as the circular fisheye meaning there is no black border around the resulting image.

Here is an example of a shot created with a fisheye lens:

Telephoto: The telephoto lens is a long focus lens which allows for magnification of distant objects as well as emphasize the blur in the background of shots. Although i am filming in enclosed areas, this would be helpful in blurring the background of shots to create more cinematic scenes and convey emotion.

Here is an example of a shot created with a telephoto lens:

Kit Lens: the kit lens is known as the starter lens and is often bundled in with the camera. They are inexpensive, lightweight and compact, making them suitable for a variety of photography/filming genres and really useful for me to help me get a handle of the technicality of a camera before moving on to using more technical lenses to give my short film a distinct style. 

Here is an example of a shot created with a kit lens:

Features of a SONY 4K Camera:

Depth Of Field (DOF): DOF is the distance between the nearest and furthest objects that are in sharp focus. It determines how much of the image is in focus, a shallow depth of field means not much of the image is in focus, and is blurred. A deep depth of field refers to much of the image being in focus. This can be controlled by how close to a subject you are, the aperture and the focal length. This is useful to me as it lets me control where the audience should be looking.

White Balance: White balance controls the 'whiteness' of the image. By default, the camera should automatically be using the AWB (Auto White Balance) setting to make scenes look natural. There are other settings as well, allowing you to change the colour of your image to get the tone you require. 

Setting Up Equipment:

Ways i can set up my filming equipment include using Shoulder mounts, tri-pods and dolly's. These help to get smooth steady shots that don't shake as the camera man holds them. 

Shoulder mounts: This is a piece of filming equipment that connects the rest of the camera to the shoulder, where it rests. It's used to capture dynamic movement, such as tracking shots, whilst keeping the camera stable and shot smooth or when operating on a dolly. 

Here is evidence of me using a shoulder mount:

Here is a video with the type of shot you can create using a shoulder mount:

Dolly: A camera Dolly is a wheeled cart that runs on tracks, often following, moving alongside or away from the subject. It's great for following actors through scenes but requires a large amount of set up. A dolly is not useful in my media product as i will be filming in the tight corridors of a house, where a dolly would be unsuitable. 

Here is a video of the type of shot a dolly creates: 

Jib: A jib arm is a type of camera support that attaches to a tripod or stand. The front of a jib holds a camera and the rear holds a counter balance. This allows you to create smooth camera turns, pans or tilts as you follow a subject around a frame. They work both horizontally and vertically, allowing the user to create Birdseye angles as well. This could be useful in my media product as i will use the camera to often follow the subject as they explore their house environment.

Here is an example of me using a Jib to create smooth movements:

This allows you to create a shot like this: 

Drone: One piece of equipment I could use for creating more cinematic filming is a drone. Drones are effective and useful in productions as they allow directors and cinematographers to get shots and angles that wouldn't be possible by a handheld camera. For example drones are often used to get sweeping landscape shots that give exposition to the audience on location which wouldn't be doable with a standard camera due to the height, and sometimes speed, of the recorded shot. These are often used in nature documentaries as they can show off a variety of rich and interesting landscapes. 

Here is an example of a drone shot:

Tri-pod: Tri-pod's are an essential to all cinematography as they allow the photographer to hold a camera still. They use 3 legs that can be adjusted in height/stance so that the perfect image can be taken. In filming they are often used to connote security and stability and are used for static shots, dialogue and calm scenes. They also allow for smooth panning shots using the handle. 

Here is evidence of me adjusting the settings on a trip-pod:

Tripods allow you to create controlled shots like this: