introduction to video production and the film industry

The film industry consists of the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking: i.e. film production companies, film studios, cinematography, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post production, film festivals, distribution; and actors, film directors and other film personnel.
Though the expense involved in making movies almost immediately led film production to concentrate under the auspices of standing production companies, advances in affordable film making equipment, and expansion of opportunities to acquire investment from outside the film industry itself, have allowed independent film production to grow.
The major business centers of film making are concentrated in the United States, India, Hong Kong and Nigeria.
Distinct from the centers are the locations where movies are filmed. Because of labor and infrastructure costs, many films are produced in countries other than the one in which the company which pays for the film is located.

Post-production
Post-production is part of the filmmaking process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, videos, audio recordings, photography and digital art. It is the general term for all stages of production occurring after the actual end of shooting or recording the completed work.
Post-production is, many different processes grouped under one name. These include:

• Video editing suite Editing the picture/television program Writing, recording, and editing the soundtrack.


• Adding visual special effects - mainly computer-generated imagery (CGI) and digital copy from which release prints will be made (although this may be made obsolete by digital-cinema technologies).


• Transfer of film to Video or Data with a telecine and Color grading.
  

Typically, the post-production phase of creating a film takes longer than the actual shooting of the film, and can take several months to complete.

Pre-production
In the film industry, pre-production usually only commences once a project has been developed and is greenlit. At this stage a project will generally be fully financed and have most of the key elements such as cast, director and cinematographer in place, as well as a screenplay which is satisfactory to all the financiers. It can also mean the actors of the movie are about to shoot the movie.
During pre-production, the script is broken down into individual scenes and all the locations, props, cast members, costumes, special effects and visual effects are identified. An extremely detailed schedule is produced and arrangements are made for the necessary elements to be available to the film-makers at the appropriate times. Sets are constructed, the crew are hired, financial arrangements are put in place and a start date for the beginning of principal photography is set. At some point in pre-production there will be a read-through of the script which is usually attended by all cast members with speaking parts, all heads of departments, financiers, producers, publicists, and of course the director.

8 shot journey
For a first assessment i was asked to make an 8 shot journey. The first thing i did was to plan the 8 camera shots that i was going to use, on a storyboard. Storyboards are graphic organizers such as a series of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. when i made my storyboard, i made sure i used a range of interesting camera angles and shot sizes to add a variety and impact to my finished production. All the shots i took were still shots, i used a tripod make sure i kept them steady. in my 8 shot journey i had to include a begining, a middle and an end, and i planned this in my storyboard. The basic plot of my journey was a character standing in the corrider and then suddenly needing the toilet, i then film 8 different shots to show the journey.
storyboard contents
my 1st shot show the character entering the shot, walking a few paces away from the camera and then turning and running out of shot towards the camera. i drew this as accurately as possible on my storyboard. my 2nd shot was then of the character (in a wideshot) running towards the camera and exiting the shot. i made sure that my character entered and exited each of my 8 shots so that i could edited them together smoothly and easier. my 3rd shot is a medium-wideshot of the character from the rear, running past the camera accessing a door with a card, going through and exiting the shot. i tryed to position the camera at a lower angle with my 3rd shot in oreder to make the shot more dramatic as the character passes the camera. my 4th shot shows the character then entering the shot running up the stairs, passed the camera and out of shot. i used directional arrows on my storyboard to indicate the direction in which my character was heading. my 5th and 6th shots are of the character entering the shot through a door, stepping into a close-up and then exiting shot and the character is then shown running across the corridor and through the toilet door to victory. my 7th shot is of the character exiting the toilet into the corridor with relief and walking of shot. my final 8th shot is then of the character walking away towards the exit with a smile on his face.

i used a logsheet to log the time codes of the 'ins' and 'outs' of each of my shots, this way it would be easier for me to find the shots i recorded on my videotape. also using a log sheet helped me find the start and finished of each shot when it came to the post-production. overall using a logsheet made the post-production process a lot easier

final 8 shot journey after editing




when i reached the post-production stage of my 8 shot journey, i used final cut pro to edit my shots together. i did this by cropping, rearanging and adding transitions to my film. i found the software easy to use once i got the hang of it, and i think my 8 shot journey shows this. some of my shots took more than one take, so when editing i used the software to delete the shots i didnt want. i had to be aware of any background distractions while i was filming , so i waited untill the hallways were clear before i set up the shot.

Introduction to radio

Radio broadcasting is an audio broadcasting service, broadcast through the air as radio waves from a transmitter to an antenna and to a receiving device. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast common programming, either in syndication, simulcast or both. Audio broadcasting also can be done via cable FM, local wire networks, satellite and the Internet.

The best known type of radiostation are the ones that broadcast via radiowaves. These include foremost AM and FM stations. There are several subtypes, namely commercial, public and nonprofit varieties as well as student-run campus radio stations and hospital radio stations.

Radio Jingles
A radio jingle is a memorable slogan, set to an engaging melody, mainly broadcast on radio to advertise the station, newsfeeds or for promotional purposes. Radio stations use jingles to introduce products within the show, and use them as a uniform thats is recognisable the the listener.

Types of Radio Jingle
the 3 main types of radio jingle that i have been studying and creating are, a news jingle, a station identity jingle and a station promotional jingle. when i was creating my jingles i had to research and concentrate on my target audience.

Radio jingle evaluations

The first thing that I had to think about when I was producing my radio jingles was my target audiences, and so I made sure that when I made my final product, I had a good idea of what music and sound effects to include to make them attractive.
Firstly, with my Station Identity jingle, I used an electronic modern style of music that my student listeners would find appealing, and when I received feedback from the group this proved successful. I used explosions in the introduction of my Station Identity in order to straight away grab the listeners attention. I followed this with exciting modern electronic music and voiceovers to keep the student listeners interest.
I think that I used the software confidently and that this shows in my final product. I found the station identity jingle the easiest to produce because I easily found a good backing track to grab the listeners attention, and i used interesting sound effects appropriately to keep my target audience interested.
I made sure that all of my radio jingles were the correct duration to deliver their messages whilst holding on to the listeners interest.
I think that I used the equipment and software correctly and to its full potential, although the recording equipment we were given did not work, so we had to use the computer’s inbuilt microphones, which certainly effected the quality of the recordings we used in our jingles.
I found editing the music I sampled and the sound effects easy because I have used audio editing software before. Although the range of the sound effects software was limited, and that the computers would sometimes close down unexpectedly, I am satisfied with the jingles I produced.
When I came to produce my News Jingle I made sure that I reached my target audience by using a simple backing track and my recorded voice, to make my jingle informative and interesting. The software helped me in doing this. I think that this proved successful in my final piece because I received positive feedback from the group.
Finally, when I came to producing my Station Promotional Jingle, I used an example of the genre of music that I would play in the show as a backing track, to let my audience know what to expect from the show. Again I used interesting sound effects, editing and recording techniques to appeal to my target audience and keep the student listener interested.
For and over all summary of my three radio jingles, I think I am happy with the way they turned out. If I was to do my jingles again, I would bring a wider range of music from home and take more time when recording voice. I think I could improve on the quality of the voice recordings I used by scripting what I was going to say before recording and finding somewhere quite to record. When I received feedback on my jingles, everyone agreed that they were up to the correct standard to be played on an actual radio show.

these are the hyperlinks that will take you to my three radio jingles.

http://www.zshare.net/audio/6733122670e34528/ <--my station ident

http://www.zshare.net/audio/6733145477630fa6/ <-- my News jingle

http://www.zshare.net/download/6733158863943dad/ <-- my station promo

unfortunately the link to my station promitional jingle does not work, although i will get a working one on here as soon as i can.

Health and Safety

Health and Safety in the Studio

• trailing cables. tripping over them can cause the hot flashlights to fall and cause injury to yourself or others.
• the Lights. the lights in a studio are very bright, staring in to the can damage your eyes. they are also very hot.
• backdrops. the backdrops in a studio are very heavy and expensive.
• do not leave bags or caots on the floor as someone could trip over them.
• no food or drink in the studio.
• there must be sensible behaviour whilst in the studio.
• be aware of wet and dry areas.
• chemical spills.

Health and Safety in the darkroom

• obviously when using the darkroom it is dark, so allow a couple of seconds for your eyes to adjust before running in.
• chemical spills.
• slipppery surfaces.
• other people using the darkroom.

Health and Safety on location

• roads and traffic.
• be aware of people.
• permissions.

Health and Safety in the Digital Suite

• no food or drink.
• dont stare at the screen all day, give yourself breaks.
• other people.

Pinhole photography

A pinhole camera is a very simple camera with no lens and a single very small aperture. Simply explained, it is a light-proof box with a small hole in one side. Light from a scene passes through this single point and projects an inverted image on the opposite side of the box. Cameras using small apertures and the human eye in bright light both act like a pinhole camera.


The smaller the hole, the sharper the image, but the dimmer the projected image. Optimally, the size of the aperture should be 1/100 or less of the distance between it and the screen.
A pinhole camera's shutter is usually manually operated because of the lengthy exposure times, and consists of a flap of some light-proof material to cover and uncover the pinhole. Typical exposures range from 5 seconds to hours and sometimes days.



A common use of the pinhole camera is to capture the movement of the sun over a long period of time. This type of photography is called Solargraphy.
The image may be projected onto a translucent screen for real-time viewing (popular for observing solar eclipses), or can expose film or a charge coupled device (CCD). Pinhole cameras with CCDs are often used for surveillance because they are difficult to detect.



A pinhole camera canbe made from a light-tight can or box with a black interior and a tiny hole in the center of one end. See illustrations below. You can design it to accept roll or sheet film. The two ends of the camera are parallel. The end opposite the pinhole is flat so that the film is held in a flat plane. The pinhole has a cover to prevent light from entering the camera when you aren't taking a picture.



How to make your own pinhole camera

in order to make your own pinhole camera you will need:

• a light proof container - a tin, cardboard box etc


• some black card/black paint
  
• tin foil
  
• tape
  
• a pin


• photography
  
  My pinhole camera

when i made my own pinhole camera i used an old shoe box, i painted the inside and lid of the box black, making it light proof. i then cut a 2cm hole in the centre of the box, this is the aperture. an aperture is a hole in a camera which allows the light through to shine an inverted image through onto the film or in this case the photograpghic paper. i then made a shutter out of cardboard to cover up the hole when i do not want a photo to be taken, this will make sure that no light is exposed too the paper at inappropriate times.

i then had to measure the focal lenght of my camera, this is the distance between the hole and the photographic paper inside the camera. finding out my focal length helped me get an idea of how long to expose my camera to light. i also took some light readings and using these and my f-stop we estimated how long i wo9uld have to expose my camera to sunlight. for me i had to wait 15mins inside and 20 seconds outside.

i then took my pictures. this involved me loading the photographic paperinto my camera in a dark room, this was so that no sunlight would react with my photographic paper. i then chose suitable locations from taking my pictures. the first picture i took was outside, i placed my pinhole camera in the view of some trees. this photo, i think was the most successful of my three photographs, as it turned out the clearest.

For my second photograph i chose a view of the inside of the atrium. When i loaded the photographic paper for my second photograph, i screwed up two balls of paper and placed them on either side of my box, this would produce a concave effect. i then went to find a suitable location. i placed my camera on one of the tables and pointed it across the hall. i then opened my shutter and waited 15mins for my photo to produce. when the photo was ready, i closed the shutter on my camera and took it back to the dark room where i soaked and dryed my photo.

my final shot was of the inside of the atrium again, this time from the other side of the hall.

once i had taken all of my photographs. i used the scanner to upload them onto the computer and edited them using Adobe Photoshop Cs4. when i was editing my photos i adjusted the contrast and brightness to achieve the clearest images. i was pleased and impressed that all three of my images turned out as clear as they did.

my first image after editing.


















my 2nd image after editing

















my 3rd image after editing

introduction to photography

Introduction to Photography

Photography is the process, activity and art of creating still or moving pictures/images by recording radiation captured on a sensitive medium, such as a photographic film, or an electronic sensor. Light patterns reflected or emitted from objects activate a sensitive chemical or electronic sensor during a timed exposure, usually through a photographic lens in a device known as a camera. That also stores the resulting information chemically or electronically. Photography has many uses for business, science, art and pleasure.


Photography and its genres

Photography falls in to a range of different genres, which can all be identified by their characteristics, for example:
·

• Commercial photography is used advertise. it is probably best defined as any photography for which the photographer is paid for images rather than works of art. In this light money could be paid for the subject of the photograph or the photograph itself. Wholesale, retail, and professional uses of photography would fall under this definition. Commercial photographs are made to illustrate and usually sell a service or product. These images, such as packshots, are generally done with an advertising agency, design firm or with an in-house corporate design team.
  
  
  
  
• Fashion and glamour photography: This type of photography usually incorporates models. Fashion photography emphasizes the clothes or product, glamour emphasizes the model. Glamour photography is popular in advertising and in men's magazines. Models in glamour photography may be nude, but this is not always the case.
  
  
  
• Crime Scene Photography: This type of photography consists of photographing scenes of crime such as robberies and murders. A black and white camera or an infrared camera may be used to capture specific details.
  
• Still life photography usually depicts inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which may be either natural or man-made.
  
• Photojournalism: this can be considered a subset of editorial photography. Photographs made in this context are accepted as a documentation of a news story.
  
• Wedding photography: photographs made and sold directly to the end user of the images.
  
• Landscape photography: photographs of different locations.
  

Wildlife photography that demonstrates life of the animals.




Camera
A camera is a device which records images, either as a still photograph or as moving images known as videos or movies, the term camera comes from the camera obscura, an early mechanism of projecting images where an entire room functioned as a reactive imaging system; the modern camera evolved from the camera obscura.

Shutter
In photography a shutter is a device that allows light to pass for a determined period of time for the purpose of exposing photographic film or a light sensitive electronic server of light to capture a permanent image of a scene.

Aperture
In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. In photography this can be measured in increments called F-stops.

Lens
The lens of a camera captures the light from the subject and brings it to focus on the film or detector.

Exposure Control
The size of the aperture and the brightness of the scene controls the amount of light that enters the camera during a period of time, and the shutter controls the length of time that the light hits the recording surface. Equivalent exposures can be made with larger aperture and a faster shutter speed or a corresponding smaller aperture and with the shutter speed slowed down.

hello and welcome! >.<

hello and congratulations on finding my blog. on this blog you will find all of the work ive done during my first year of ND 1 media at Suffolk New College.