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22.03.18 Week 1 Induction to the brief at the Tate Modern London  

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22.03.18 Week 1 Induction to the brief at the Tate Modern London  

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•Know: What activity helped your knowledge and developed your skills further? What do you know that you didn't know before?

Going to the Tate Modern in London allowed me to analyse non-film products better. It made me think about physical photographs, paintings and drawings and then manage to convert it in to a video format. This is useful because it means that I can more successfully gain inspiration when thinking about it directly and actively trying to find it.

•Do: What new skills did you apply, how did you complete the task, were there any barriers and evidence your successful outcomes? What did you do that you are proud of?

I wandered around the Tate Modern and examined each piece of art including those which I didn't particularly like. I did that because you can still gain inspiration from something you don't like. Also, although I may have not liked it so much, I could still respect the artist who painted/scuplted/drew the piece. One of the skills which I haven't used so much is the pure examination of objects, thinking differently in order to gain something out of it. Most of my inspiration comes from videos such as films, music videos, television programs or historical events.

•Improve: What improvements do you need to work on? What skills have you used/learnt that you plan to apply into your work next session?

Next time I would have to say that I should spend a little longer on the pieces of art I found somewhat less interesting, thought I thought I did pretty well on that day though as I got some ideas.

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26.03.18 - 17.04.18  Week 2+3: Introduction to resarch & discussion

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26.03.18 - 17.04.18  Week 2+3: Introduction to resarch & discussion

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•Know: What activity helped your knowledge and developed your skills further? What do you know that you didn’t know before?

When looking for songs to implement in to my final major project (I have chosen to create a Music Video); I had to think of tunes which mix and flow together with their instruments such as the baseline, drum snare and non-vocals, this will make it much better and with more fluid transitions.

We also went in to the University building to spectate a Daniel Johnson presentation and Mr. Beezy doing an inspirational speech. I thought that the Daniel Johnson presentation was extremely helpful because he explained to us how he has learnt a living out of media production and that you should constantly be making stuff in your spare time even if you work full time.

I thought the Mr. Beezy speech was less helpful for me because it was trying to touch on more personal topics rather than the actual work or specific media. Though I can see what he was trying to say and I can understand that many people may find it useful.

•Do: What new skills did you apply, how did you complete the task, were there any barriers and evidence your successful outcomes? What did you do that you are proud of?

Also when listening to Mr. Beezy's motivational presentation, I had to focus more on some of his presentations because a lot of the time he continued to repeat himself several times which made it difficult to believe what he said. Whereas in the Daniel Johnson presentation I thought that it was very easy to remain focused because he spoke more specific.

•Improve: What improvements do you need to work on? What skills have you used/learnt that you plan to apply into your work next session?

I would like to of asked Daniel Johnson a few more questions about university because I found out that he joined for 2 weeks and then dropped out. I should have asked him more questions about that and how he initially got in to the media industry. I would of also been interested in knowing how he got his contacts with people already working in the film industry as opposed to those trying to get in (university/college peers and friends).

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24.04.18 Week 4: Discussion and confirmation of project with tutor 

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24.04.18 Week 4: Discussion and confirmation of project with tutor 

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•Know: What activity helped your knowledge and developed your skills further? What do you know that you didn't’t know before?

When completing task 1a and 1b, I found that a lot of the content was useful to actually write up because it caused me to think about it whilst writing. I also practiced on my writing skills which is good practice for when I want to go to University. I didn't learn something new because this is normal pre-production work which has been done before.

•Do: What new skills did you apply, how did you complete the task, were there any barriers and evidence your successful outcomes? What did you do that you are proud of?

I used the internet to view the YouTube music videos which allowed me to think of how our one would be made, through looking at different techniques of transitions. I would say that one of the barriers today

•Improve: What improvements do you need to work on? What skills have you used/learnt that you plan to apply into your work next session?

Last week I said that I'd like to of focused more and that it would be beneficial for my work and time-management. I personally believe that I have improved on my concentration, and that I was easily able to get my work done to a high standard. If I were to continue improving this way, it would be extremely efficient and helpful for me and my production teams.

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01.05.18 Week 5: Research /Pre-production  

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01.05.18 Week 5: Research /Pre-production  

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•Know: What activity helped your knowledge and developed your skills further? What do you know that you didn’t know before?

This week I learnt a lot during the practical workshop with Dave. I thought that the 180 degree rule was extremely useful not only for this music video project, but also for my own productions outside of college. It was explained that using this rule keeps everything in co-ordination and understanding, so when this rule is broken it makes the audience more confused which can effect the feelings of the viewer.

The other helpful piece of information was about the shutter speed, as I didn't think it affected video as opposed to photographs. In video it changes the amount of light it lets in to the camera, similar to the Aperture. I will definitely be using these new skills when filming my music video to enhance the cinematography.

•Do: What new skills did you apply, how did you complete the task, were there any barriers and evidence your successful outcomes? What did you do that you are proud of?

When in Dave's camera workshop I used the camera practically, going through the settings and buttons to determine what changes what, how things work and more. Before the workshop I knew most of the settings on a camera but the new ones were really helpful to know about especially if I am the camera operator of the final major project.

•Improve: What improvements do you need to work on? What skills have you used/learnt that you plan to apply into your work next session?

Last week I said I'd like to improve my focus and concentration and I think that it hasn't really improved much, it's more of a long-term goal. I think that if we had the opportunity to work as soon as we get in rather than have a presentation for an hour, I really think that my concentration would be much better and I would be able to get more work completed.

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Week 6 & 7: Pre-Production & Harry Potter 

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Week 6 & 7: Pre-Production & Harry Potter 

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•Know: What activity helped your knowledge and developed your skills further? What do you know that you didn't know before?

For my crew profile, I had to do a little bit of research online to further my understanding of what an camera operator does during the pre-production and post-production. I found out which of these will be required in order to make the production go smoother and of a higher quality.

I thought that travelling to Watford and going to Harry Potter world was extremely enjoyable and helpful because it enabled me to see what a high-budget film set really looks like and how they set up the green-screens to achieve maximum quality and realism. Having watched Harry Potter since I was a young child it also finally answered some of the questions I had based on how they would film something, for example the enchanted car was used with a green-screen and CGI.

•Do: What new skills did you apply, how did you complete the task, were there any barriers and evidence your successful outcomes? What did you do that you are proud of?

Because camera operators don't extreme amounts of pre-production documents to complete, I took it in to my own initiative to learn more about the technical side of a camera whilst also looking at industry professionals such as Sergio Leone to compare and contrast against my own camera work for example I noticed how often he does long shots and extreme close ups, which was very successful. It compared to mine because I also like using extreme close ups, however I don't like using long shots as often. Doing this allowed me to develop my skills and practice with the camera tools and features. Additionally, I would be able to increase the quality of my final major project and hopefully increase my grade.

•Improve: What improvements do you need to work on? What skills have you used/learnt that you plan to apply into your work next session?

One of the things I would like to improve on is the use of my time-management during college times, because my computer has been playing up at home I would like to try and remain more focused / concentrated on the task while keeping my morale up also.

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•Know: What activity helped your knowledge and developed your skills further? What do you know that you didn't know before?

Before filming this week, I hadn't had much experience with the use of a ronin, so I used it quite often in order to practice and become more acute with it. I thought I managed to take some quite good shots though next time I'd like to test or have a workshop on it to enhance my skills so I can learn more about how to set it up.

The ISO of the camera was 100 and 200 which greatly reduced the grain in each shot, and there wasn't much need for light until later on when it got a little bit darker, we used a light reflector to make it appear more natural and to conserve the battery life of the LEDs whilst outside. When filming inside however, we used both natural and artificial lighting which gave it a very sharp and high definition quality.

•Do: What new skills did you apply, how did you complete the task, were there any barriers and evidence your successful outcomes? What did you do that you are proud of?

Because it was my first time using the ronin, I had to manage the camera settings whilst still holding it which deemed to be quite difficult. But I found a way where I can hold it with one hand whilst altering the aperture, ISO and focusing to ensure the quality of the shots. A solution to this problem would be to get a second crew member to hold it or alter the cameras settings or use automatic, though as all people were being used on set and the shot looked strange whilst on auto. I did get Charlie to hold the ronin whilst I altered the settings one time, however, which was quite useful.

•Improve: What improvements do you need to work on? What skills have you used/learnt that you plan to apply into your work next session?

On our next day of filming I would like to vary some of the shots up. Because I was focusing on using the ronin and smoothness of the tracking, I was concentrating less on the variety of shots and I thought it became a bit repetitive. I think that the next time I go out and film, I would like to introduce some filming techniques from some of my favourite music video directors such as Ninian Doff (Director of the song Genghis Khan by the band Miike Snow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_SlAzsXa7E )

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•Know: What activity helped your knowledge and developed your skills further? What do you know that you didn’t know before?

Last week, the ronin was unavailable for filming because it was already taken out by another group. In some ways I think that it was a good thing because it gave me a chance to use a new piece of equipment brought in by Dave, this rig was called the Zhiyun Crane V2, which is a less-expensive version which is good for a newly starting filmmaker. I looked on YouTube to find out how to set it up before use which helped me figure out and understand how I am able to set this piece of equipment up, using different analogs to change the balance. I also tested it prior to filming and instantly found that it was quicker to set up and get the hang of. What I liked most about the V2 Crane was that I could use it all by myself, whereas the ronin requires two people for the rig and the remote control.

During filming, all of our crew (Mitchell, Charlie and Myself) reviewed each of the shots I took just after the shot had been composed. I thought this was helpful for the quality of the production and great feedback for me because that way we can determine whether it's editable and usable whilst everything already set up and the actress is there as opposed to deciding that it's bad once we're at college and we'd have to set everything up again. It also allowed me to reflect on my work to see how I can improve or change depending on what the directior is looking for.

•Do: What new skills did you apply, how did you complete the task, were there any barriers and evidence your successful outcomes? What did you do that you are proud of?

I had to use new skills when using the Zhiyun V2 Crane because the ronin has to be used with two hands as opposed to the crane which can be used with one which means the techniques I previously used had to be altered. In terms of how the rig worked,  it was fairly similar and didn't take too long to come to terms with it.

I thought the footage I gathered for test footage was useful because it gave our crew an idea of how the transitions would be edited together with fluidity. It also allowed me as a camera operator to practice the shots and ensure smoothness and accuracy as I'd already have a good sense of what to expect and how to compose it. Upon speaking with my peers, they told me that the test footage was a little wobbly, however the transitions themselves were good; this is understandable because I wasn't using the v2 crane nor the ronin  for the test shots at this time.

For the short film I did before the final major project even began, I practiced various camera shots ranging from extreme close-ups, tracking shots and more. These shots were composed without the use of a tripod or rig, meaning that I would practice in using natural stability from just the camera itself. Upon doing that and using the rig, I believe that the shot would be of extreme steadiness and will allow me to take a shot of higher quality. Also on the day of filming, I tried to focus on the white-balance and ISO of the camera to further my skill when doing it for the final project. I think that this worked in addition to Dave's workshop because I think I set each of the shots up to have minimal grain and maximum crispness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bStVz1ZIHY&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nL61jhcS4GY

•Improve: What improvements do you need to work on? What skills have you used/learnt that you plan to apply into your work next session?

When filming on those days for our music video, I referenced the storyboard's initial ideas and basic layout in each shot, though due to the change of storyline, cast and locations I was incapable of perfectly replicating the shots, I did however follow them as guidelines with the director to keep on track on what we are meant to be filming. Also, the arrows and directions on the storyboard was helpful because it showed me what was meant to be happening in the shot, for some of the shots such as the transitions we changed completely on the day of filming.

Looking back on my pre-production documents, I would say that my budget was to a high standard as it wouldn't need to be too complex, in the end however we didn't need to use it because on the days of filming we had all the equipment, petrol and good we would need. The tokens I produced were copied and heavily altered from an already created ticket which would mean that they would keep the same level of standard whilst introducing my own ideas and designs which would be reflected upon throughout the creation. When looking back at the contingency plan I don't think our production team looked at it quite as often as we should have because when we lost our actress and had an hour of filming left, it might of given us a better solution than the one we came up with over the weekend we found out she wasn't going to he helping us.

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12.06.18 Week 11: Final Diary Logs (Evaluation)

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12.06.18 Week 11: Final Diary Logs (Evaluation)