Introduction to Video Camera blog post

• camera operations and functions - in the past two weeks we have been learning how to use the various features of the camera. We learnt about the timecode which is how long the camera had recorded for. We then went on to learn about how to white-balance the camera and how to focus the camera so that you are able to get a clear shot rather than it being fussy and distorted. After we had learnt all about focussing, timecode, white-balancing and aperture settings, we were shown how to use a tripod and what the benefits of using the tripod while filming are. After placing the camera on the tripod we had to bubble the tripod so that it is completely levelled. The advantages of using the tripod while filming are that you can get a lot more control on the camer and also you can get constant shots at a good position, whereas handheld there is a chance that the camera will be moving around during a shot. However with handheld you can also get amazing shots which make you feel as if you are there with the characters
• using the camera - after learning all about the camera, we moved onto different camera shots, this helped us to understand what shots to use to create what feeling and what setting. We put the rule of thirds into practice and made sure that we did not break the 180 degree rule as we had learnt about it in class. During the first filming session I unfortunately made the mistake of breaking the 180 degree rule and did not use the tripod when it was needed. Both of these mistakes meant that i came away with some poor quality film, this has been a learning curve and showed me what not to do while filming.