Camera
In productions there are sometimes a multi camera element, multi camera set ups are more often used in studio productions, for example a chat show where you need to see the reactions of both people. On location there's more chance of it being a single camera production where one camera is used for it all. In these cases you may have to film, stop the action and move the camera to a different angle and carry on filming which can be challenging.
Lighting
The basic lighting set up for any production is the standard 3 point lighting.
This is where there are 3 lights to illuminate the frame,
- 1st is the key light which is at the subjects eye level and is the main illuminator
- 2nd is the fill light which is above the subject to light the rest of the frame
- 3rd is the back light which is at the back of the subject to get rid of any shadows or dark edges
Focus
Focussing is important when setting up a shot because it makes the shot clear and it's better for the audience to watch. Focussing is a way to tell the audience what to pay attention to, for example if the depth of focus is in the foreground and the background is blurred, you know to look at what's happening in the foreground.
You can either use auto focus on a camera, although this doesn't give you a lot of control or manual focus where you do it yourself - both buttons can be found on the side of the camera. If you want to focus it yourself, zoom in as far as possible, focus your shot and zoom out.
Mics
There are many different types of microphones from lavier mics, similar to a clip mic which you typically clip on to an item of clothing, most commonly used in interviews and are seen on presenters on live shows.
Another type is a shotgun mic, these are used on film and television sets as well as in small productions. They get mounted to a pole and have a muffler put over the top, they extract background noise when filming outside.
A microphone in a field recorder are also used in productions for voice overs or even interviews if it can be hidden, they can be set to record out of the top rather than via the cable which is connected to a boom mic.
Sound
In sound there's sync and non sync sound. Sync being where the audio and action match up and make sense, and non sync being where they don't match and it's out of place.
To sync sound when filming as well, you have to clap in front of the camera so it's seen and heard before you begin the dialogue.
Editing
There are different types of editing softwares, from Final Cut Pro and iMovie, to Sony Vegas and Adobe Premier with many more made for different purposes.
Final Cut pro
Final Cut Pro is a non linear editing software, this means you don't have to edit in chronological order so you can edit the end first and then the beginning.
When you open final cut pro you will see five windows on the screen, they are;
- The browser, on the far left, this is where you select and import files to use, at this point you can view your clips and delete/keep them accordingly.
- Next to the browser is the viewer where you mark in and out to use sections of clips. You press I to mark in and O to mark out and then drag the clip to your timeline.
- Next to the viewer is the canvas where you view the edit you've formed in the timeline.
- And then along the bottom we have the timeline where you can see how long your project is and also where you drag audio/video and sync it up.
