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At the CVP workshop, we took a significant amount of time to discuss camera rigs and set ups. The workshop leader had three significantly different camera set ups in order to demonstrate which type may best suit different shoots.
After the talk / presentation, we were given time to explore and play around with each camera and test the rigs. I took some photos of this below.

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two of my friends using the ARRI and adjusting the focus

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Personally, my specialism within DFP is screenwriting / directing. I have very limited knowledge on cinematography and camera rigs as this isn't a position that I am currently learning about in class. Therefore, I really wanted to use R&D week to explore more aspects related to my course that I haven't delved into.

After the CVP workshop, I decided to focus my research into the importance of renting equipment within the industry.

CVP are the "leading broadcast and professional video solution providers in the UK." When we asked the CVP presenter to total up the amount the equipment in the room costed, he told us it was around 400,000 pounds worth. In conjunction with the workshop given, I researched that the main reasons for using rental houses and groups such as CVP are numerous:
- saves a lot of money
- caters to short-term equipment need
- provides specialty performance
-fills in when regular machines need maintenance

When researching about equipment rentals, the reason for doing so on a production seemed to make a lot of sense.

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During my RISO printing session, I was briefed on the basics needed to operate the RISO printer, as well as the technicalities with ink and opacity.
We were shown how to set up our desired print on the computer and how to correlate this to the ink within the printer.
We also explored how the number of times a design is printed can effect its opacity and boldness as a design.
I've included some pictures from the session below.

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The computer set up in order to print on the RISO

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Being shown how to change the ink trays 

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After this session, I was most interested in researching the wide variety or reasons that someone would want to use RISO printing instead of a form of more traditional printing.

As part of my research, I found out a big factor that would make people want to use RISO printing is the fact that it is much more sustainable and better for our environment. RISO printers use soy ink, which is very low in chemical compounds in comparison to petroleum based ink (which causes air pollution), therefore it is great for reducing waste in relation to recycling ink.

Another reason why RISO printing is used, it because it is suited to high volume printing or copying. A downside of using the RISO, however is the fact that the printers can only print maximum two inks at a time. This means that if you want a more complex design, you have to wait for one piece to dry entirely before lining it up and using the machine again with different inks.

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Within the workshop, our presenter gave an in-depth talk on the pros and cons of different Sony cameras- as well as how to best utilise the features of each camera. The difference between cameras best suited for film vs. photography was also explored here.
After the presentation, we were allowed free-roam and to explore the different cameras and lenses. I've included some photos of this below.

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After the workshop, I decided to conduct research on what is currently the best SONY camera available for the film work that I am passionate about doing.

After comparing and reading about different models, I found that the SONY FX6 would be an ideal model for these reasons:
SONY FX6 INFO - found on Tech Comparison Site
SPECS:
Sensor size: Full frame

Sensor resolution: 10.2MP

Card slots: 2x CFexpress Type A or SD/SDHC/SDXC card slots

Lens mount: Sony FE

Max shooting resolution: 4K

Display size: 3.5-inch touchscreen

EVF: No

REASONS TO BUY

+
Cheapest full-frame cinema camera ever

+
Advanced Alpha hybrid AF

+
10-bit 4:2:2 4K/120p and 240fps HD!

REASONS TO AVOID

-
No internal Raw recording or EVF

-
No built-in image stabilisation

"The Sony FX6 is one of the best value for money cinema cameras you can buy and it doesn't skimp on sought-after features either. It has the same sensor as in the long-awaited Sony A7S III only it's even better. With improved low-light capabilities, the ability to shoot at DCI 17:9 CRK rather than just 4K, an XLR audio input, built-in ND filters and the handling benefits of a cine camera is a top-end buy without the high price tag. It can shoot stunning 4K, even at high ISO's, the video AF is incredibly fast and it can shoot 10-bit video internally. It may not have the portability of the A7S III but depending on what you're shooting and where you need to take it, it has a lot of other things going for it."

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The talk was delivered predominantly through the lens of documentary filmmaking- we were asked to consider and explore the truth and integrity when producing content of this nature.
Our speaker also emphasised the importance between construction of truth vs. what is actually true, as well as symbolism and semiotics.

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"documentary is a creative treatment of actuality" - John Grierson

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As a site visit, I decided to go to the Tate Modern and view the numerous exhibitions they have on show.
One I really enjoyed viewing was the media and communications exhibition. I've included some photos below.

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installation: 'Babel' (2001) by Cildo Meireles

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When evaluating my experience with CVP, I was able to better understand different light and heavy load rigs. More importantly for me, I could understand the key difference between owning my own equipment vs. renting expensive equipment on set.

Before this experience, I wouldn't have been able to suggest much in these discussions with a DOP or Producer, however now as an aspiring Director, this knowledge and ability to evaluate the pros and cons of rental will aid me with more skills going forward in my career.

I believe this insight has informed me and helped me understand the best equipment to use for the needs of different shoots, as well as how renting this equipment will be cheaper and easier than using owned equipment in many possible future filming scenarios.

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Despite being a film student, I have lots of interest in art and fine arts- and have also explored screen-printing in my studies at a different institution.

I believe that learning about RISO printing and its capabilities will be really beneficial to my extra-curricular interests.

In the context of my course, and considering that RISO printing can be used for production printing- I believe the process would be considerably useful especially during third year- specifically in the promotion of my FMP film. Although I can of course use social media and digital means to do this, I would also be able to use the RISO printer to make posters / concept prints related to projects in order to distribute this and spread the word on projects I am actively working on. Overall, this would also be a sustainable way of achieving this, due to the more environmentally friendly design of the RISO printer.

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Evaluating my SONY experience, I believe that it helped significantly in giving me more camera / cinematography knowledge- which I felt I was lacking the most.

It was important for me to be able to learn about upcoming popular cameras- in order for me to be more collaborative in my course studies within DFP- as well as keeping up with new cinematic cameras in my wider career within industry.

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Within the talk, our speaker spoke of his own experiences within documentary filmmaking- including the importance of truth and construction within filming. A filmmaker always has his own biases and internal projections when making a film, therefore it is essential to try and dilute these opinions as much as possible. This is incredibly important when making documentary- as you are often telling an unfamiliar story in relation to the lives of people from different walks of life to yourself.

The speaker also reflected on the 'Plato's Cave' allegory, I did more research to fully understand this concept- best helped by this online explanation:
"The allegory states that there exists prisoners chained together in a cave. Behind the prisoners is a fire, and between the fire and the prisoners are people carrying puppets or other objects. This casts a shadow on the other side of the wall. The prisoners watch these shadows, believing them to be real.

Plato posits that one prisoner could become free. He finally sees the fire and realizes the shadows are fake. This prisoner could escape from the cave and discover there is a whole new world outside that they were previously unaware of."

This perfectly aligns to our own viewership when consuming documentary and other media. I interpreted the Cave Allegory as a call to audiences not to be passive when watching film. We must challenge the viewpoint we are being shown- as the filmmaker's voice could be unreliable.

I also researched the different types of documentary in order to better understand the balance between truth and construction. Upon finding these from a google search, I've listed them here:

Expository. Expository documentary features an omnipresent, omniscient and/or objective presence, typically expressed as narration to organize and present the content.

Poetic.

Essayistic.

Observational.

Participatory.

Performance.

Interview.

Dramatization.

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Overall, I found the talk extremely interesting to listen to- and coupled with my further research, I believe I have gained some valuable knowledge about careful use of imagery and the importance of truth within filmmaking.

Currently, I do aspire to make a documentary film in order to add to my works - however although I understand the principle, it is very hard to deny that it's extremely difficult to remain as impartial and well balanced when creating film. This is because I believe every element can infer something widely different to different viewers. Despite this- the talk and further research has helped me consider how to be as subjective as possible when going forward with producing and directing films.

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I really enjoyed the free media and communications exhibit- as I believe this is most aligned with my interests.

A piece that really stuck out was the installation pictured above titled 'Babel'. I decided to research further into the artist's intentions.

What was so captivating to me was the immersive experience created by this installation. The size of it was impressive, the lighting helped the mood and tone, and the soundscape coming from the radios provided a rich, yet overwhelming soundscape.

I found this description from the TATE's website best describes the piece:
"'Babel' 2001 is a large-scale sculptural installation that takes the form of a circular tower made from hundreds of second-hand analogue radios that the artist has stacked in layers. The radios are tuned to a multitude of different stations and are adjusted to the minimum volume at which they are audible. Nevertheless, they compete with each other and create a cacophony of low, continuous sound, resulting in inaccessible information, voices or music.

In describing this work, Meireles refers to a ‘tower of incomprehension’ (quoted in Tate Modern 2008, p.168). The installation manifests, quite literally, a Tower of Babel, relating it to the biblical story of a tower tall enough to reach the heavens, which, offending God, caused him to make the builders speak in different tongues. Their inability to communicate with one another caused them to become divided and scatter across the earth and, moreover, became the source of all of mankind’s conflicts. The room in which the tower is installed is bathed in an indigo blue light that, together with the sound, gives the whole structure an eerie effect and adds to the sense of phenomenological and perceptual confusion. The radios are all of different dates, the lower layers nearest the floor being composed of older radios, larger in scale and closer in kind to pieces of furniture, while the upper layers are assembled from more recent, mass-produced and smaller radios. This arrangement emphasises the sense of perspectival foreshortening and thus the impression of the tower’s height, which, like its biblical counterpart, might continue into the heavens.

The artist has explained that the work took over ten years to complete from initial conception to its realisation."

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The main take-away that I got considering a course-wide context was the importance of art direction and production design.

Personally, I believe good and effective production design can often be overlooked- especially in an increasingly technical industry. Impactful production design and art direction is so crucial in eliciting a desired response from an audience. Overall, I felt it was importance to view a fast collection of interesting art alone- in order to understand why specific artistic choices are so relevant within the art of film.

Despite the installation being enormous in scale as well as effort- it created an immense atmosphere, and this is expertise in design and attention to detail is something I want to carry forward within my own work.