ENT 3290 Digital Video Camera
A City Tech OpenLab Course Site
The OpenLab is an open-source, digital platform designed to support teaching and learning at City Tech (New York City College of Technology), and to promote student and faculty engagement in the intellectual and social life of the college community.
Group Stunning consists of Chris Bauer, Dayo, Ellington, Jonathan, Kim, Negesti, TJ, Tonio
Quiz 3:
The take home quiz is available at BB. You need to submit it via e-mail before the next session.
Project II:
You will start filming Project II in the next session, May 11th, and will continue filming it in the following session after the final.
Once you read the requirements of Project II (see below), you need to start communicating with each other here. As you know, your participation in the online discussion will be a part of your grade. These are the threads:
Project II Requirements:
It will be good to think of creating some short scenes/situations to adopt these required techniques.
CRITERIA
HPX 170 on Steadicam
These are the required techniques, which were also included in the instructional Steadicam DVD. We screened them in class.
– Film as you switch from Missionary (operator facing the subject & walking backwards) to Don Juan
– Wait for an actor to walk by. Instead of tilting up, do booming up and down, and keep filming the actor walking away
– Panoramic shot (in the instructional DVD, the operator went around flowers. It is one way to do a “panoramic shot” for this project).
– Going around the corner (You must have a corner of a building. This is one of the stylistic techniques)
– Stairs (do missionary, going forward)
– Walk along your actor, and film trees, posts, and column or even people between the camera and the actor.
HPX-170 on Tripod
– Shutter speeds (on this camera, you can set it as slow as 1/15 of a second, and as fast as 1/2000 of a second. You must compensate the exposure accordingly. If the shutter speed is slow, you may need to close down the F-stop, and if the shutter speed is high, you may need to open up the F-stop).
– If your storylines require any dialogue, we should bring a boom and a shotgun. Please inform me if that is the case.
DSLRs (most likely 7Ds)
– Effective use of polarizer (e.g. reduce reflections on a window etc.)
– Effective use of ND (Make the sky darker blue, for example. ND is usually used for exterior settings)
– When you use most filters, you need to open up the F-stop a little.
– In terms of content, think about a scene. Don’t just film anything with the filters. They are used to tell stories. It could be a scene that is as simple as someone is waiting for someone else.
Pull focus
– CU or MS of Actor 1 facing the camera (this person is in focus), in the background Actor 2 enters the frame, Actor 1 turns around, and Actor 2 is in focus. Actor 1 turns back to the camera, and the focus is on actor 1 again. These are some examples from this past session:
Hui & Andrew:
http://youtu.be/mSyyNYUW0DU
Gary & Chris B.:
http://youtu.be/T7JuZfdwZxY
Still Photography
– With the DSLRs, take photos at various low shutter speeds. Think of a good story in still images.
All the best,
Ryoya
I like all of your ideas, ill bring my skateboard as a prop it can make for an interestifng chase scene? I think a good somewhat chase scene would meet most of the needed criteria?
You need to comment on your group’s thread. Then, you are welcome to comment on the other group’s thread as well.
Okay, this is a lot of stuff we gotta do… We need to come up with a coherent story that incorporates Steadicam shots (following actor from behind and from the side while walking past trees, etc., a panoramic shot around an object, walking on stairs, and going around a corner), HPX 170 on tripod with varying shutter speeds, and the 7D with filters and a rack focus.
Let’s come up with a story first that can utilize these shots.
I was also thinking then we can maybe split into smaller teams and each team can shoot a different scene using a different camera technique so it can get done faster, but that might get a little unorganized and messy so I’m not sure about that.
Yes, there is a lot to do. That is why you will spend two long sessions. But you do need to have a detailed plan to work on this project.
You don’t need to come up with one long story to incorporate all the shots. Instead, you can come up with some short scenes (they can be totally unrelated from each other).
Dividing your group into two sections can be tricky unless you are confident that both sections will be well organized. And, of course, there is only one Steadicam for the whole class. The two groups must communicate with each other to determine when to use Steadicam. Planning, planning, and planning.
Okay, we don’t need a long story, that should make things easier.
We should do our Stedicam shots first since those will take the longest for sure.
I wanted to try the Stedicam out since I never got a chance to. But if I take to long to get the shots to come out correctly, we’ll hand it over to whoever else wants to try. I know TJ has been using it the most out of all of us so he’ll be the most experienced.
>We should do our Stedicam shots first since those will take the longest for sure.
You need to communicate with the other group. Once you have a tentative schedule, talk to the other group, and determine from when to when who will have the Steadicam. I would against one group to have it for one session, and the other group to have it in the next session. It didn’t work well last year. I think it is good for both groups to have the Steadicam on both days, so that you will have the option to re-shoot some of the requires shots.
>I wanted to try the Stedicam out since I never got a chance to. But if I take to long to get the shots to come out correctly, we’ll hand it over to whoever else wants to try. I know TJ has been using it the most out of all of us so he’ll be the most experienced.
I didn’t know that you have not tried it yet. In almost every session, I asked who had not operated the Steadicam, and who would like to try it.
For the project (to be graded), I recommend no one should try to operate it for the first time. During the last session, I asked who wishes to operate the Steadicam for Project II. Four people raised their hands, and so each group has two of the operators. In this group, they are TJ and Ellington.
Jonathan, there will be some opportunities in the future. For example, this semester, the video production crew in Tech has been practicing to operate the Steadicam from time to time. They have not seen any of the tutorial videos or slide shows. THey have not “met” Garrett Brown, either. You have more knowledge than them, and so you just need to have time to operate it.
I was thinking for the stedicam shot, we could have two people walking to a rest area and have the stedicam operator follow their movements.
And then? Think of the next setting.
Good morning!!! just got finished with Quiz 3 and now need to focus on the Content of our project any cool ideas…? considering the setting we can definately come up with Great work!! im thinking too hard right now on the technicalities so Im going to get back with some ideas later in the afternoon. The sooner we agree on the script or shot list we can get organized.
Negesti, my recommendation is that you think of some simple storylines, and then, often you can incorporate the criteria. If you watch some scenes in different films even on youtube, they will give you some hints. Have fun!
Phew, thanks for reminding me about the Quiz!
Hey guys! I have an idea:
We should just run around Borough Hall as agents.
Pretend like we’re looking for someone/something while utilizing the shots.
We can use sunglasses as props or y’all can dress up for the part if y’all want.
BOOM.
I’ll draw up a couple of shot lists using this idea and bring it in tomorrow.
I think dressing up as agents is a bit much, but we can all def bring shades.
We got this.
Borough Hall’s steps are photogenic. With Steadicam, I wonder whether anyone would be suspicious?
This group must develop ideas a lot more before tomorrow!
If we do decide to split up, I have an idea.
Two characters could start on opposite sides of the campus.
We could knock out a few of those “shot-styles” we need.
The two characters would make their way towards each other,
with cameras following.
and when the two characters walked passed each other, the cameras could switch,
and follow the opposite actor.
Even if it was done on a small scale,
it could make an interesting transition.
Lets do TJ’s idea combined with Tonios. Agents trying to catch a guy on a skateboard. Also it will be cool because of a the gov buildings around borough hall in the background.
Got the Storyboard done for the remaining shots we need.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1GGWwAvzAndfDQKglhPGxrBm2EhJJgLzrfzJ0pAGmw6o/edit?usp=sharing
Thanks for the storyboard. Well done! on BB, I suggested that different people should operate the camera in the second session as some people were standing around last week. But I understand that the actors need to be consistent in this group’s story.
Great storyboard!
There are some new announcements on BB concerning tomorrow, the last session. You all need to check read them.
For the stedicam shot, i was thinking that we should do a shot where negesti is throwing me the orange and i catch it, then we can have the stedi-cam follow our movements.
I just wrote this in the other group’s thread. This applies to your group as well:
Continuity is not so important in the project. I would rather see different people operating the camera. In addition, today’s weather is tricky. We may need to film indoor. Some floors inside the Atrium are quite photogenic. Think of some good spots. In film/video production, you will constantly deal with weather related issues. You need to learn to be flexible and creative facing Mother Nature.
One clip from the last session,
“Dayo is in Danger!”
http://youtu.be/eNneOprmyEY
HI guys. Sorry, had to cut out, I’m sick as a dog.
Looks like it may rain, I had some ideas for indoor shots.
THere’s a new gym by the front entrance, might be good for some super sayan training.
Also, we could pull up some dragon ballz footage on a CPU. For instance, bulma’s device that uses radar to find the dragon balls. The agents could be filmed, watching that on a cpu. It would seem like they were communicating with headquarters.
Oh yeah, check this out:
The agents hang by a fax machine,
and get “Man Wanted” letter from their agency.
The letter could have a photo of the actor,
or simply text regarding their mission.
Okay guys, thanks for your help with the projects.
Hope everyone did well on the final,
and enjoys the summer of 2015!
This was what I meant to upload, “Dayo is in Danger 2”. The clip is from the day one of filming Project II:
http://youtu.be/0unl-SDVrww
What a casting job for the man in the foreground and the gangsters in the background!
Lol! Came out great, even though Dayo keeps looking at the camera as always!