Practicing Filming
In order to practice filming for the interview, we had to imagine we were filming a documentary in Island School. This included working in teams of two and filming A-roll footage of an interview and B-roll footage of the school. The shot list and instructions we were given were as follows:
- Check and set the focus, white balance and exposure manually for each shot
- Check the sound recording quality and level before filming the interviews
A-Roll
For the A-Roll interview, we had to interview a teacher with the question of "What do you like about working at Island School?" We chose to do our interview with Daniel in the office.
In order to get an interview of high quality, we had to set up our camera- which was my phone, place it on a tripod to get stable shots and then to use the i-rig mic in a position where it picks up a good quality sound. Moreover, we also had to use our knowledge collected over the past few weeks- framing our shots using the rule of thirds, having sufficient head and lead room, make sure the environment is not noisy visually and audibly.
Here is our interview:
I think this short interview went well because we incorporated the rule of thirds, had clear and audible sound, and basically achieved our goals.
B-Roll
Next, we had to film some B-Roll footage. The shot list was as follows:
- Three 4 second establishing shots of different parts of the school entrance
- Three 4 second interesting long shots of the school architecture at different angles
- Three 4 second interesting close-ups of the school architecture at different angles
- A 4 second long shot of the school office
- Two 4 second establishing long shots of the same classroom
- Two 4 second mid shots of students working
- Two 4 second 2 close-ups of students working
To make sure we had high-quality B-roll footage, we still filmed with a tripod so that the shots would be stable. We also manipulated the exposure whilst filming: for example, when we were in the office, we turned the ISO up a bit and when we were outside, we lowered the ISO to complement the natural lighting we had. We also didn't just film still shots but include techniques like panning, tracking, tilting and zooming in.
Here are the clips:
Three 4 second establishing shots of different parts of the school entrance:
A 4 second long shot of the school office
Three 4 second establishing shots of different parts of the school entrance:
Three 4 second interesting long shots of the school architecture at different angles
Three 4 second interesting close-ups of the school architecture at different angles
Two 4 second establishing long shots of the same classroom
Two 4 second mid shots of students working
Two 4 second 2 close-ups of students working
Overall, I think today was a valuable learning experience because it allowed me to learn and practice using the filming equipment provided by the school. Although I actually have already gone to our interview, we might go to another one and so, I will be able to use the skills I have learnt today.
Here is the final edited video of all the film clips edited together:
Evaluation:
Is your footage steady?
I think some of the B-roll footage isn't extremely steady but the interview footage is 100% steady because I used a tripod whilst filming. Although whilst filming the B-roll, I was also using a tripod but the tripod wasn't still.
Is it well composed of adequate headroom and lead room?
In the interview, it was framed well so therefore, the whole picture did not feel cramped.
Is there a variety of shots?
Yes, I used establishing shots, long shots, close-ups and mid-shots each with different angles (high, low etc.). Furthermore, I did more than still shots but included techniques like panning, tracking and zooming in.
Did you manually set the exposure, white balance and focus to get a good shot?
This was not done in the interview because everything was set to auto. However, whilst filming the B-roll, we did manually set the exposure and focus because this had to be changed each time we changed the setting. For example, when we were in the classroom, we turned the ISO up a bit because there is less natural lighting.
Did you remember to use the rule of thirds sometimes to help you frame the shot?
Yes, this is illustrated in the interview. Our interviewee was placed where the rule of thirds line is and he wasn't looking directly at the camera either. For some of the B-roll, when there was a person present, I also tried to use the rule of thirds but at these instances, they aren't as obvious as the interview.
Can you hear what is being said?
Yes, I think the audio in the interview is of excellent quality because there was close to none background noise. Firstly, this is because we were in a quiet environment and secondly, it is because we used an i-rig microphone that picked up the sound well.
Did you use any interesting camera angles or camera movement? Was the camera movement smooth?
I wouldn't necessary call my camera angles and movement as interesting but I think I quite liked the movement during the shots taken at the front entrance. I also think that my shot of Block 3 that I took from the roof was pretty cool because it gave us a different view/angle to the school. I think that at times, the camera movement wasn't very smooth but mostly, it was quite steady and smooth- there weren't any really stuttery bits that stood out.
