ON THE SET

This account is about what I learnt and what equipment we were shown when we were shown how to use the Canon cameras and Manfrotto tripods.

When we handled the cameras we learnt that in order to ensure the camera's safety when being passed, the provider must say 'yours' when ready to pass it, whilst the recipient must say 'mine' once the camera is secure. We also learnt how to properly insert the battery and memory card so that the pieces of equipment do not get damaged.

We looked at White Balance in order to be able to get rid of unwanted colour imbalances. We can do this by selecting the WB button on the camera. This will then prompt several pictures to come up, for different colour correction options.

The 180 degree rule was also explained. The 180 degree rule states that two actors in a scene should stay the left/right relationship from each other. When the camera crosses over the imaginary line between the two actors, this then becomes a reverse angle.

We discussed the on set terminology such as when the director will call 'stand by' to see if everyone is ready to shoot the scene. Once ready, the other crew members will call 'standing by' to notify that they are ready to shoot. The Director will call 'rolling' after this to show that the camera is ready, and shooting, to keep everyone quiet, then will call 'action' to start the actors. When the director calls 'cut' everyone must wait until 'strike the kit' to start packing up the kit. The crew must also put the batteries on charge, and upload all footage recorded.

Lastly, we talked about the software, Final Cut Pro and iMovie, located on the imacs in the media studio. When uploading footage, it must always be placed in a folder. These folders are known as bins and the unedited footage is called rushes.