Introduction to Using Cameras

When learning to use the cameras, we learnt to:

• take out the tripod and adjust the height according to the kind of shot you want,
• slide camera onto the slot at the top until a click is heard,
• adjust the angle of the part the camera sits on so that the bubble aligns properly,

and that:

• the barrel nearest the lens adjusts the focus,
• the barrel immediately behind it acts as a zoom (so to focus the image you would zoom in on an object with specific detail in order to get the best possible focus,
• you can set the white balance on the camera.

We were also taught about different kinds of possible shots and the order in which they should be taken. First, you take a wide screen shot of the action so that you always have a back-up shot in case anything goes wrong and so that the crew have a better idea about how the whole scene is going to go. Before taking the next shot, you need to always be aware of continuity. Someone needs to be in charge of making sure that each shot runs smoothly by marking where the actors have to stand about making sure that the position of the objects are always the same to begin with. After the wide screen shot, you can then take a closer shot of each actor throughout the scene, and later cut and used where deemed appropriate. Once you have the most important shots out of the way, you can then experiment with close-ups on actors' faces as well as other quirky shots such as low angle or high angle shots or wherever else imagination takes you.

We then tried to shoot an action using different shots to get better acquainted with the use of a camera so we got two students to meet each other halfway through the shot and acknowledge each other with a gesture. We learnt to automatically check the focus each time we took a different shot. We found it difficult when trying to take a close-up of the gesture one of the students made with their hand because we could never figure out how to mark where the hand should make the gesture. We also however used shots that we normally wouldn't have thought of, such as a shot of the students' feet walking.

Here are some pics: