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SAE Magazine 12-2

CAMERA When I first started at 16th Street my job was to work as a camera operator and help film their re- hearsals. The company’s camera was set up on a fluid head tripod and I was to film the actors so that in their own time they were able to watch their per- formance and study themselves for improvements. From this I learnt more about over shoulder shots and eye lines, where best a camera’s position could be and the height. When first a camera is held, it seems most would position it at eye level, how- ever just below it between the cheek and above the shoulder presented a much more cinematic style of shooting, where eye level seemed too high. An inch or two difference in height however the shot differs greatly in making it seem nicer. I had learnt about how tight or loose a shot should be before coming into another, and finding the beat or tim- ing that was appropriate with the scene. This is something you would find an editor would do in regards to cutting, however I believe as someone who wants to become a director, that knowing that beat for shots is just as important - knowing what part of the scene a certain frame or shot would best benefit the storyline. Since these scenes weren’t to be edited, the one shot would push from a wide into a close, out to a two shot and so on, and the beat was learnt. LIGHTING As we drew closer to the production week, I was helping out the shots by setting up lighting, tak- ing on more of a D.O.P role. The sets were dressed by the actors and the shots set up by myself, the others from SAE who’d come on board and the director - which on one day might have been Kim and on another Kerry. The dynamics of lighting a set can be told as key light, fill and back lights or kicks, however once you’re on a set, many things can change the way in which you may use or po- sition a light, and which equipment you may use. I learnt that with light, you can do a lot more to make a shot stand out then simple 3 point lighting. There were scenes where a couch could be used to bounce the light back onto a person who’s face was otherwise too dark, instead of grabbing a reflector. I learnt basically how to use the props and set to play with light, the physics of it and how it can relate to the scene. I understood that Red Heads are best used high up as their light spill is wide and on a down angle can avoid the hazard of shad- ows being cast on walls by pushing the shadows down. To do the same with more of a wide defused spread to aim it at the ceiling to bounce down and around. If positioned right, one behind one actor and another behind the other, one can create a nice halo light, and have lightning both actors - if the scene requires an even coverage. From the use of diffusions and gels I gained a stronger knowledge of colour temperatures and how to achieve certain looks and feels. CALL SHEETS In the first production meeting I was asked to come up with a spreadsheet which the actors could ac- cess electronically via the web to fill out the de- tails of their shoot for production. I found a site that allowed you to make a spreadsheet, and then simply set up an account in the company’s name with a password. The link and instructions on how to use it were sent out to all the actors. Things like “Int/Ext”, “Location”, “Characters” etc. were set to fill out and once all the actors had done so I was asked to start constructing call sheets based on that information. Before we started shooting, alterations were made by the cast, and I learnt how best to rewrite the schedules and casting calls to benefit everyone. Once we went into production, aside from blocking, it was my job to call actors if the schedule had changed, been delayed, or re- quired an earlier call and also to call crew and cast if required by Kim Farrant. The significance of not only call sheets, but contact lists was shown dur- ing production. ➤ 125 production & Know How // Film Index

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