Camera Lesson 1

On Friday 16th of September, we took our media lesson into the studio with Matt and Paul to have a hands on look at the camera that we will be using throughout the 2 year course and how to use it best.


We used the Black Magic camera for this lesson and we learned a lot about its functions. There were certain settings we needed to know and make sure were in place in order to use the cameras successfully. We took the tripod from the bag and began to set it up and learn how to tighten and loosen the bolts to make the tripod secure when it is at the height you want it to be. After learning of how to set up the tripod we learned about how to stop it from tilting but how to allow it to pan, this is important because it prevents the camera from falling off the tripod or the whole set up collapsing all together, meaning safety of both the people and the cameras are taken care of. We also learned that when the tripod is set up securely you must adjust the spirit level. A small yellow liquid circle is towards the back of the tripod and it has a small air bubble inside that must be exactly central before the camera can be placed onto the tripod and begin to be used.


We then moved forward and placed the camera securely onto the tripod, there is a small button that must be pushed when gliding the camera into the slot in order to keep it completely stationary. You push it down and slowly push the camera in to the slot and release the button before then locking it into place. There was a large battery which was attached onto the back of the camera that gave a loud and satisfying 'click' when in place, which ensured the camera did not die during our use of it.

We learned many important aspects of the camera, what they are for, and how they work. We first had a look at the SA (Shutter Angle) which indicates how blurry a moving camera shot will be. The shutter speed must remain on 180 when not in use for filming, however, the lower the shutter angle the less blurry the shot becomes and the higher it is the more blurry it becomes. We next looked at the white balance which essentially means making sure the colours look good on camera, when in an outside environment 5600 is the number the white balance should be set to and only 3200 when inside.

We then proceeded to look at the ISO, this is in control of the film speed and specifically how sensitive the camera is to the lighting which moved us swiftly onto learning about camera focus. When choosing a particular part in the room that was a far distance away you must twist the lens to zoom in to the place you wish to film, it will appear as an unrecognisable blur which brings us onto focusing the camera before zooming back out to create the clear shot.

The last piece of information we retrieved was how to adjust the exposure, this means making the shot either lighter or darker to make a clearer image. However I found this a particularly frustrating task because the blue part that adjusted the exposure was directly adjacent to the lens release button which if pressed can cause the lens to fall and break. I learned a lot in this lesson and whish to learn much more.

Connotation, Denatation, Mise-En-Scene

Connotation

A connotation is a subjective cultural and/or emotional coloration in addition to the explicit or denotative meaning of any specific word or phrase in a language.

Within contemporary society, connotation branches into a culmination of different meanings. These could include the contrast of a word or phrase with its primary, literal meaning (known as a denotation), with what that word or phrase specifically denotes. The connotation essentially relates to how anything may be associated with a word or phrase, for example, an implied value judgment or feelings.

Example: The denotation is that this is a red rose with a green stalk, but the connotation is that this symbolises love and passion.

Denotation

Denotation is the first level of analysis: What the audience can visually see on a page. Denotation often refers to something literal, and avoids being a metaphor. A denotation is the strict, literal, definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or colour.

In logic, linguistics, and semiotics, a denotation of a word or phrase is a part of its meaning; however, several parts of meaning may take this name, depending on the contrast being drawn. Denotation can be synonymous with reference, and connotation with sense, in the sense and reference distinction in philosophy of language.

Example: The denotation is that this a cross but the connotation is that it is a symbol of religion, or even more specifically a symbol of Christian religion.

Mise-En-Scene

Mise en scène encompasses the most recognizable attributes of a film – the setting and the actors; it includes costumes and make-up, props, and all the other natural and artificial details that characterize the spaces filmed.  The term is borrowed from a French theatrical expression, meaning roughly “put into the scene”.  In other words, mise-en-scène describes the stuff in the frame and the way it is shown and arranged.  We have organized this page according to four general areas: setting, lighting, costume and staging. 

Tension within thriller

Venetic 2016 analysis (group work)

There were three major features which created tension: timing, sound & light and character

The group used a fade effect to elongate each title increasing the tension by drawing out the beginning and allowing for more tension to be built the pace was also slow to build to the climax of the scene when the monster attacks.

 As well as this the minimal lighting from torches and refection’s made the scene darker causing more tension. And the lighting also focused the audience’s attention to specific parts of the environment and how they are central to the narrative of the scene.

The main aspect that creates tension is how the scene progresses – the group is evidently matriarchal as she has control of the male characters and is constantly reminding them to keep quiet and seems to be in charge – she also looks for fuel whereas the men look for weapons which shows she may have a larger plan than survival – whereas the men are focused on fighting and the man who makes the spear seems older than the boy in the background who doesn’t really do anything but carry the map and examine some nails

In conclusion the scene effectively creates tension because of the acting and characters giving believable performances – the lighting disorientates, with its quick movement, and focuses attention to specific things in the scene such as the door or the map.

Favourite Film Review

I have seen many films across my 16 year life period and in my personal opinion nothing can beat a film from the Saw franchise, particularly the first of the seven film series.

Saw is a franchise of Horror films distributed by Lions Gate Entertainment and produced by Twisted Pictures. The first saw film was released on October 1st 2004 and was directed by James Wan on a 1.2 million USD budget.

The film plot entails a photographer named Adam Stanheight (Leigh Whannell) and oncologist named Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) who both return to consciousness after being kidnapped by the "Jigsaw serial killer" John Cramer (Tobin Bell) to find themselves chained and restrained to each end of a filthy bathroom. The two men reach a realisation that they are infact in the hands of a serial killer and must complete his perverse puzzles in order to survive, however, this means them being played against one another instead of in the help of each other. "How much blood will you shed to survive?". Prior to the story lines occurrence a flashback is used to preview the fate of periods victims. Amanda Young (Shawnee Smith) has her head placed in a reverse bear trap   

 and has to take the life of another in order to save herself giving both a foreshadow and a flashback to prepare the audience for the horror yet to come.

This is my favourite film because of the terror and intensity  that reaches through the screen and grasps all of the attention in the room. Being frightened or disgusted by the gore gives a thrill that only this film can achieve. The director uses a series of jump cuts throughout the film to express the desperation and intensity of the situation which is my favourite camera work aspect. All the music that is used creates great tension and builds the horror through to the final climax, not only that but the complex and genius plot line reveals and twists keep me fully engaged and unable to look away.

About Me

I’m Autumn Mitchell, and this is my media studies coursework blog,

I am 16 years old and I live in Horsley in Surrey, The last school I attended and studied at was Howard Of Effingham School, where I studied French, Business, Dance, Drama, English, Mathematics, Science and RS.

My hobbies mainly revolve around the performing arts meaning I spend a lot of my time doing dance, singing and drama. I love to listen to music as much as possible and I fill up my time with many horror and comedy movies. I have an interest in horrors such as Saw, Insidious and Conjuring with many jump scares to Comedies such as Step -brothers or Shaun of The Dead as they are my favorite types of film. The main genre of music I listen to is rock or pop punk.

I am on many platforms of social media such as Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter and whatsapp, and I also have attended many music concerts in the past and have many more to come in the future.  But, other than that the media is not something I associate with. I do not attend any screenings at cinemas I tend to wait until I can purchase my own copy of the film after its release. I do not read any magazines or newspapers because I find a lot of stories inside to be false or inaccurate and so I don’t lead myself to believe it. I occasionally watch the news when something important has been occurring around me but if it is something that does not concern me.

In this blog I will be keeping track of all my media studies lessons and coursework. I will be working towards producing a short thriller film by the end of my first year. I hope to achieve full marks in my media work. The thing I am most looking forward to over this 2-year period is producing a music video as I think it will be the best time to put all the knowledge I will obtain to good use.