TECHNICAL DESIGN

 High Definition professional HDV camcorder with 1080/50i acquisition and 25p shooting, ideal for us as we are a small budgeted production company and it can give a cinematic look to our production.  Has two XLR microphone inputs, a timecode link is offered to synchronise time with multiple cameras and HDV/DVCAM/DV recording and playback options. The sony digital master tapes allows us to record 63 minutes in HDV mode. Records in both HD and standard definition. Includes an enhanced imaging processor EIP with these sensors they provide high sensitivity, low noise and wide dynamic range to give a clearer sharper picture. The settings are more in depth and gives us more control of the settings via the menu. 

Although HD TV tapes are quite expensive so we would need to make sure we had enough for the amount of footage we want to capture. Tapes are also sensitive and unpredictable as they can sometimes break, so it is important for us to keep checking the footage we have captured and the condition of the tape before using it.  The camera itself is fairly big therefore we would need to ensure we have enough space to film and place the rest of the equipment. 

 Marantz always needs to be used when filming on the Cannon 550/650d's and in some cases the HD HVR. It improves sound quality dramatically whilst filming. A gun mic is attached to the marantz to pick up the sound and headphones will need to be worn by the member in the group who is responsible for the sound. 

Sound is vital for any filming as it needs to be clear and balanced when in different locations. A gun mic is used to protect the sound from any wind or disruption in the background and enables the sound operator to go closer to the subject.

When recording the sound it is important to make sure the sound is recording and the levels are balanced. This saves time in post production when editing the documentary as the sound levels will already be even. 

The sound is recorded onto an SD which can be easily transferred onto a Mac. Sd cards are also reliable as they have a big memory and the sound is usually saved correctly. However the Marantz settings can be quite complicated to work and adjust as the settings aren't clear. Sometimes sound can be recorded over another piece of sound so the sound operator needs to make sure this does not happen. 

The Marantz should always be checked over and a sound test should take place once taken out of the loan counter. This prevents any problems later on. Spare batteries should be carried around at all times as the Marantz can lose battery quite quickly. The marantz should also be protected if filming outside as water damage can break the equipment easily. 

Placing the camera onto RAW setting gives us a higher quality image and allows us to take more control over developing the image. A RAW file itself is recorded data which is collected by the sensor on the camera. The image has unprocessed data in contrast with JPEG files where the camera produces fully developed pictures.   The raw file contains contrast and saturation information that is already set in the camera by the user. However the image data has not been altered which means we can be more free to set contrast and saturation to our own liking, based on a per-image evaluation instead of using a generalised setting for all images we take.  A raw file has 65,536 levels to work with where as a JPEG file only as an 8 bit space with 256 brightness levels availible. This would be a great advantage to us when editing an image when we are altering the shadows or brightness in a significant way. 

 Image Copyright 

 A glide steady cam is designed to help isolate your bodies movements to get a smoother "floating" video as you lower and raise the camera whilst moving. Glide cams come in different sizes and weights to fit the suitability of the person using the camera. It comes with a forearm support brace to give a more support and a steadier control whilst moving with the camera. 

It is designed for two handed operations, the first is holding the unit with the forearm brace while two fingers and a thumb of the other hand is used to guide the camera through a pan or a tilt. When your other hand is firmly holding the forearm brace it should be kept in front of you at a 45 degree angle from the center. If we want we can attach a LCD monitor on top of the camera to help us with lower shots and can help us view the footage on a bigger screen. 

A body-pod can also be provided with a glide cam to offer extra support and to allow your arms to be more free. It is a waist belt with a shoulder strap that can be attached to the camera and enables the camera operator to control with glide with the movement of their body instead of the strength from their arms. 

However the glide cam is heavy and can tire our arms when holding for a long period, so breaks would be needed if using the glide cam frequently. Experimenting with the glide cam is very important before using to film as the camera operator needs adjust the glide cam to his/her eye level and so it is comfortable to use. 

Here is a link to a video which includes various glide shots: video

A dolly is great to use when shooting a tracking or a glide shot and any other camera movement which you can control by pushing the wheels. You can be more free with the Dolly in terms of movement as it the camera is mounted on a tripod with wheels. The dolly immediately improves the production value as it serves an important purpose to many film-makers during filming. However it does take some time to put together the track where the dolly will travel on and dollys can be expensive to get your hands on. It also best to place the dolly track onto a smooth service as the wheels are sensitive to any bumps or cracks in the ground which can affect the smoothness of your filming.

During out production we will be using a dolly to get smoother tracking shots which adds to the professionalism of our documentary. Thankfully we are able to get this equipment out of the loan counter so we will not be spending any money. 

Dedo Lights

Dedo lights are light weight and small, usually come in a set of three. Being small and lightweight is very convenient for any filming as they require very little power to operate them and they come in one suitcase so they are easy to carry around. They can be run on a 12 or 24 volt. The dedo lights work sufficiently well as the Redhead and LED lights. Gels can also be attached to the front of the lights to alter the colour of the location or decrease the amount of light coming through.

Reflectors

Reflectors are great to have when ever lighting is used for filming. They have the ability to reduce the light projected from the lighting and can be used to alter the adjust the lighting within the location and to create a certain ambiance or mood. Reflectors come in a range of different colours and materials which can be used for all sorts of shooting. It is also important to use a reflector as we can control natural lighting and make it perform in our own way. Especially in an outdoor location it is hard to create the perfect lighting as natural lighting creates shadows and a distinguishable contrast between brightness and shadows when a person is in front of the camera. 

A white reflect can help lift the shadows on a person.

A gold reflector gives a warm feel and makes our subject glow.

Reflectors also define the face shape making it more 3D as we can control the shadows in our own way. Reflectors also help light bounce off the subject whether that would be within an outside or inside location. They are very handy to have whenever lighting is used within a shooting as they give us more control when changing the light to our own way.

Gels

Gels are always needed when using lighting. The different coloured gels are suited for specific locations and to create a mood/atmosphere with these coloured gels. They come in many different colours and they are very useful when altering the colour of lighting. Whether that would be from the cause of the natural lighting from the location or to own tastes. The gels enable lighting operators to be more in control of the colour of light shown on camera.

Each colour gel used has its own connotation for example, a red gel would connotate/symbolise anger, passion, love and can create a warm feel o the scene, a blue gel would make the scene cold and washed out. Gels can also be mixed together to create different colours as indicated from the table on the right. 

LED'S

Are great to use as they are easy to get around when filming. They are light weight and much smaller compared to the other lighting  equipment and have long lamp life with low power requirements. They do not need heavy batter packs and the running cost is not expensive. The lights are cool when lit so this prevents any hazards and allows you to film in smaller locations without worrying about the risks. 

These lights are already colour temperature stable and the more expensive LED's enables you to alter the colour temperature output without the need for any filters. Even if the location is dimly lit the light output is stable so no re white balance is needed when the intensity of light is adjusted. 

However LED's aren't a strong source of light and will be no good when filming in large locations. LED's are only useful for smaller locations, mainly inside locations as the natural light from outside can be difficult to work with depending on the weather. 

RED HEADS

This piece of equipment is mainly used for any filming as the power and intensity from the lights are perfect for filming in any location. The power rating is 650 - 1000w and the flood large areas but are very good for backlights. Red Heads are a very powerful source of light and can enhance the visuals dramatically by increasing the detail from the subject and location. These lights can be controlled and altered to suit certain subjects and locations by adjusting the intensity of the light and the red heads can be covered with gels. With the gels they can soften the light and alter the colour in terms of the ambiance of a scene. 

These lights do come with some disadvantages. They are a very heavy piece of equipment so would be a struggle to manoeuvre the lights from location to location. The lights are very powerful and can get very hot so a glove would be needed when altering the lights are taking them down after use. The light source itself is very strong so it is important not to look at the lights directly and it is vital to remind actors this. 

The lights can explode when overheated or used for too long but the red heads come with a guard for health and safety and to prevent any glass from shattering out.

Red heads are the most ideal lighting to use as they are so powerful and work well with any subject and location. 

When we are finally happy with the footage we have got we continue onto post production and the editing process. For editing we will be using Adobe software of Premiere Pro, Flash and After Affects. Premiere Pro will be our main editing programme. The programme is sufficient and easy to use when chopping our footage and fitting it into the timeline. The software offers many effects for both visual and sound to help us enhance, control and alter the footage to our own desire. Premiere Pro allows us to easily edit our footage and from our experience of the software it has been relatively stress free and reliable for exporting and saving footage. The software also allows us to select the quality and size of frame when opening up a new project, likewise to when exporting our final edit. However when it comes down it editing and exporting it is very important to leave enough time incase any technical difficulties arise.  

After Affects we will be experimenting more with by watching tutorials provided online. The editing software is used by professionals in the industry and is a great way to create high quality moving animation and surreal footage and designs. We will be mainly using After Affects for our promotional videos and advertisements of our finalised idea to enhance our idea as much as we can visually and to reach to industry standard. Although this software is very complicated to use and we would need a lot of discipline and patience when learning how to use it. 

Adobe Flash is excellent to use for to animate or customise our own moving images, animation, moving titles for example. The software is fairly tricky to use when first starting off however once we began to understand how the frames worked in flash and what they did we could apply the same editing process to all elements we wanted to edit.

During post production it is all about experimenting and being confident with taken risks with editing. I hope as a group we will be able to be confident and have knowledge to each of the editing software so our documentary will be watched in high quality.