FILMING EQUIPMENT- REVIEW AND JUSTIFICATIONBy Hannah Hopgood

Lighting equipmentFrom my personal studio session with friends I found that the lighting in the studio was too synthetic and would make the music video look unrealistic and therefore unrelabablt to audiences. Also this lighting would be more appealable to a performance based narrative as it would pinpoint the band as well as this lighting is a common convention fro performance aspects.

Camera Lighting EquipmentFor filming outside I feel this type of lighting would be the best as the lighting can be fixed directly onto the camera so there is less things to carry around as well as for a follow shot the lighting wouldn’t have to be moved all the time as it already follows the camera as it is connected to it. For filming at night I can softness the brightness of the camera by applying frosted sheets to cover the lighting, dimming the overall brightness to make the lighting more realistic rather than synthetic.

Shoulder RigThe shoulder rig is part of the equipment that would be used in industry for location filming and movement filming. The shoulder rig acts a support structure, holding the camera in a comfortable position on the camera operator, it allows shots to be more steady and positioned well rather than canted angles and distorted handheld shots. As these shots wouldn’t fit with the genre I am representing as they are a convention of the horror, rock genre. The images to the side are ones I have taken of my friend holding the shoulder rig how you would use it professional. For this one of the safety features is a padded shoulder press as when holding the camera using this equipment is can put pressure downwards and to the front of the camera operator so this feature helps to make filming more comfortable, there is also a mini tracking dolly on this shoulder rig to help the distance of the camera, allowing movement to be steady. The camera can create unlimited movement it can come in handle when filming as the camera operator has total control.

Shoulder Rig Diagram of support structure

Pink showing the field of view of the camera operator

Green arrow showing the distance from camera to the camera operator to make sure that the camera’s screen when recording can be seen so see what the footage is being taken of.

Blue arrow showing the pressure point of the shoulder rig on the shoulder, the pressure will be coming from downwards and left, to help keep the positioning of the camera in a secure position

Yellow circle showing were to grab the shoulder rig, using two handle bars.

Tracking DollyA tracking dolly is used within the film and media industry on a regular basis, used mostly for TV shows but could come in helpfully when filming on location. This equipment helps to create professional panning shots, which can help when creating establishing shots and smooth transitions from each scene. The images to the side were taken by a friend of me using the tracking dolly in the studio, experimenting with height that it can be set to as, movement and shots types it can link with. Although the tracking dolly has limit movement, restricted to a basic movement of left to right.

Rotational DollyA rotational dolly is much like a tracking dolly but with more access for movement which has less restrictions. The tripod of a camera is put onto a stand which have wheels on, the wheels help the camera to make smooth movement when filming. This is helpful as it has less restrictions so the camera movement can be changed easily, helps to steady and smooth the cinematography increasing he quality of filming.

TripodA tripod is a basic camera equipment used in photography, film and media both in industry and by consumers. This will help me to steady shots therefore improving the quality of filming and photographs. The structure is a three point pyramid base on which the camera is screwed onto to secure it and make sure that it is safe to use. The tripod is adjustable in height through the extension sections. The top section can also move in a 360 degrees rotation fro it’s axis.

Pictures from left to right; Mount for camera showing the securing screw which links to the camera, movemnet of camera when fitted to the mount, basic tripod

Jib ArmThe jib arm is used mainly for high angled shots as to bring the focus down to a subject within the scene, it also helps to establishing the location. I used this when in the studio and found it to be very useful in the shots it can create but I feel this would not be needed for my music video as the majority of my shots are close ups and mid shots to bring the attention to the protagonist whereas I feel if I were to use this it would make the shots unreal as its an unrealistic viewpoint. This is mainly used in action films and drama, to show the location and character within the location.

Testing Out Cameras

Professional Industry CameraI chose to do a comparison, looking into the industry cameras and the DSLR pro camera we have at college. I found that the industry camera was hard to use as there was a lot to understand and learn about it in order to create perfect shots and sound. I felt some of the features we good such as the microphone as positioned on top of the camera has a feature which allows you to see how high the volume in, which can help in control diegetic noise when filming. I also thought the focus rings helped to create professional shots such as deep and selective focus within a composition, which could help the positioning of the audience by pinpoint items within the frame.

DSLR Nikon Pro CameraOver the last couple of weeks I have learnt more about the DSLR camera as I have been using it on a regular basis for my media. I feel from already having pre-exsisiting knowledge of the camera it will save me time in learning it’s features I also know the quality of photographs and shots I can create from this. I aim to use this when filming and taking photographs as I am use to it and am comfortable with it. I feel the filming quality is a little less than the industry cameras but I feel I could improve upon this by taking my time to learn more about the camera and how to use it professional. I also found this camera less complex as the mic is an internal feature which records when filming which will allow me less room for error. The images to the side and below are shots I took when photographing my friend in the studio, to show the quality of shots it can create.