2.8.18 - Lab 2 Agenda - Intro to the Camera and Shooting Exercise

Watch two film excerpts for Define a Place Inspiration:

Nostalgia de la Luz by Patricio Guzman
What kind of feeling do you get from this scene?  How does the cinematographer achieve that?
Demo of the camera you’ll be using, the Sony Alpha 3000 + tripod

a mirrorless camera (not a DSLR with a mirror but it does have interchangeable lenses and can operate as a still camera too)
There’s also a quick guide on our blog

And the full manual here: https://www.manualslib.com/products/Sony-Alpha-3000-3654404.html
Getting Ready to shoot list:
  1. Check your battery, if it’s not 100% full, get a new battery
  1. Format memory card: go into the menu>Setup>Format
  1. Set recording codec to AVCHD: menu>image size>record format>AVCHD (AVCHD is the package or container with codec, somewhat similar to a zip file, that holds the individual MTS video files)
  1. Set camera to 24fps (we’ll use 24fps. 30fps is more for news because there’s usually action)
  1. Set camera to 24p (learn why later)
  1. Set shutter speed to 1/50th (remember always use 1/60th for 30fps and 1/50th for 24fps)
  1. Start with ISO 400, but you will probably have to go up to 640 if you’re indoors and down to 100 if you’re outside. Try not to go over 400 if you can help it. (remember higher iso, 1600 or 3200 = more light sensitivity but more grain. Lower iso, like 50 or 100, = less light let onto the sensor, but less, virtually no noise.)

  1. Manual focus: Turn on peaking for focus (stripes clear when it’s in focus)
  1. Auto White Balance: menu>brightness and color>white balance>AWB  (you’ll learn about white balance in a few weeks, for now, put it on auto)
  1. Light meter measuring style set to matrix, which means it’s measuring the light for the whole scene and averaging it. If you have a contrasty or backlit scene, you’ll want to switch to spot metering
  1. You can check your exposure on the back of the camera (the plus and minus buttons. If it says +1, you’re one f/stops overexposed and you need to let in less light. If it says -2, you’re two f/stops underexposed and you need to let in more light. Underexposed means you need to let in more light to get to the sensor. Overexposed means you’re letting in too much light to the sensor)
  1. How can you let in more light? Either increase your iso or “open up” your aperture/f-stop. (A wide aperture/f-stop is counterintuitive because a wide aperture is a low number, like 2.8. A small aperture/f-stop is a high number, like f/22)
  1. This camera has a zoom lens (not a prime lens) but do not use the zoom feature.  Move your body to compose, not the zoom!  Choose either 18mm, 35mm or 50mm for the whole exercise.  

Camera Exercise

Do the following exercises in pairs, and then we’ll review the footage together

Shoot everything on tripod, no camera movement, fixed lens length, 10-15 seconds per shot.  Share the shooting, maybe switch every other shot.  We’ll start indoors then go outside halfway through so you can work in two exposure settings.
Most important things for today are to check the corners of your frame, (Is everything you want in the frame?  Is anything in the frame that you do not want?  Compose first, then hit record), get the correct exposure, and make sure it’s in focus
  1. Find a detail (water bottle, phone, pen, whatever) and film it with the highest f/stop possible (closed down) and the lowest f/stop possible (opened up)
  1. Film that same detail, but make it a wide shot.  Re-focus and film it using those same two f-stops so we can compare
  1. Overhead detail shot/close-up of someone’s hands or feet
  1. Detail shot from ground level
  1. Wide shot from ground level
  1. Another wide shot, this time compose the scene and let someone walk into the frame
  1. A video portrait: medium shot, standing height
  1. A reflection without you in it
  1. Wide shot looking up
  1. A medium shot of angles and lines
  1. Fill the frame with one color
  1. A high contrast scene

  1. A completely out-of-focus shot that still works because of the shape or movement
Downloading/Dumping footage

Start with your folder structure.  On your hard drive, build the following folder structure:
Hunter>160>180208-CameraExercise>Video
Open the card on the computer through the finder and click on the “private” folder, then drag the AVCHD package into the video folder
Assignment for Next Week: Define a Place Preparation
Decide on a location with your partner and discuss what you want to communicate about the space
Visit the space (together or individually)

On your own, come up with 10 shots.  Post these shots and a 5-sentence write-up about what you want to communicate on your blog by next Wednesday night


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