practical media production

Introduction to studio

we began our studio work in the first lesson, when we used the space to simulate an interview. Several people took on the roles of camera person, lighting and interviewer. The rest of us were being interviewed. We were given specific questions and we had some time to think about our answers. The studio space was dark and fairly small, making it more intimate so that the viewers would feel more involved. A three light set-up was used, with two lights shining on from behind the interviewer and person being interviewed and one bright light at the front, shining in their faces. The purpose of this lighting was so that the focus (the people) could be seen clearly. A BB170 camera was used and the film was taken in wide-shot, so that the viewer could see everything in the mise-en-scene. The chairs of the people were positioned slightly tilting towards each other. This excercise gave us a flavour of what it would be like to be a celebrity.

Introduction to photoshop

Our first photoshop lesson was rather challenging as we learnt many different skills which we were asked to put into practice. The first fundamental lesson we learnt was how to copy and paste using the lassoo tool. In order to do this, we outlined the object we wanted to paste with the lassoo and then pressed Copy-Edit-Edit-Paste and then using the move tool to move it. This enables you to copy and move the image you selected.

Another tool which we learnt how to use was the Dodge, Burn and Sponge tool. With the Dodge tool, you can make your image darker; with the burn tool you can make the image lighter. This includes the use of highlights which can be used to give the image a glowing or burning effect. Another useful tool which we learned how to use was the Spot Healing Brush. This takes away any unpleasant spots, marks or any part of an image you do not want in the picture. You can use the history brush to undo any mistakes you have made. There are other tools such as the Smudge tool and the Liquifier which distort and elongate images.

Introduction to camera & tripod

We were also taught how to use a camera and tripod, which is one of the most important aspects of media. After assembling our camera on the tripod and making sure that the microphone was correctly inserted, we learnt how to bubble the camera, which is when you have to make sure that the small circle/bubble by the head of the tripod is within it's larger circle. This is important because if the camera is not bubbled, the image on the mise-en-scene will be slightly slanted at an angle, instead of straight. Once we had switched on the camera (by pressing the small red button and twisting upwards to unlock) we learnt about the Time Code, which is displayed in the top corner of the camera. This shows the duration of the shot. You can find the width of the camera in the middle left of the camera, which (for a PD170 camera) is 16:9 cm.

the shutterspeed controls the speed at which the images move. For example, the lower the shutterspeed, the slower and more blurry the imagery would be. The higher you set the shutterspeed, the faster and sharper the movements of the images become. The normal shutterspeed on a PD170 camera is 50. You can also change the exposure of the camera by pressing a black button on the side of the camera. The ideal focus for this camera is F.56. The higher the focus number, the darker the screen will be.

We also learnt about the gain on a camera, which is something which you don't need. Gain is unnecessary synthetic light which reduces the quality. It is represented by the symbol dB. The aim is to have 0 dBs. You can do this by pressing the gain button repeatedly.

Another important aspect of the camera is the white balance. You can choose between artificial light and natural sunlight.

<-white balance bubble->

Introduction to Blogs

Something else which we learnt how to do in media was to set up our own hurtwood blogs.In order to do this we accessed the blog website (www.blogger.com) typed in username (hurtwoodhousemedia09) and the password (hollywood) and clicked on our name on the dashboard. The first thing we did was to choose a new template/background for our blog, in order to make it look more attractive to the reader. To do this, you click on Customize (top right hand corner), then New Template, where you can choose from a variety of backgrounds.

After doing this, we learnt how to post things onto our blog, simply by clicking on New Post. The first post that we did was a written introduction about ourselves. We were encouraged to try and make these entertaining and I experimented with different fonts and colours. You post a blog by pressing Save Now and then Publish Post. We learnt how to upload images onto our blogs by clicking on the small picture next to the ABC sign and choosing the image you want.

You can also access other people's blogs by clicking on their names which are displayed on the dash board. The idea of this blogging is to display our media work at Hurtwood.