This module has given me the opportunity to experiment with multi cameras as this is an element of multimedia which I haven’t touched before. We were asked to produce a show of our choice; this was to be produced in learning teams. After much debating within our learning teams we agreed on 10 minute student meals. The reasoning behind this is because we wanted to produce a show that was distinctive and we wanted a task which would enable us to push our skills further.
At the start of this module I had no film experience, during lectures we was able to get the grasp of the multi cameras. I found this refreshing and inspiring; this was a turning point for me. From this stage I was very excited about what this module would bring. We used the multi cameras; this was a piece of equipment I hadn't used before. I thought it would be quite difficult to use, but I was surprised. My only issues were getting the right shots whilst working in camera, this was harder than expected. However throughout this module I was able to develop my skills which were the camera movements and the thought process of a production team. These were both technical and physical. The main factor in film making is the planning, as our group didn't do much planning in the first starting tasks. These tasks taught me how to use the camera to a standard level, and made me think about how each shot would look in the final outcome, because at first some of the shots I was unsure of. These were the skills which I knew I needed to take forward for the final brief. I made sure in the final production that our group was planned and ready before we went out and filmed any shots.
The history of multi camera is a broad subject and has developed throughout the years. “Paul Gottlieb Nipkow proposed a rotating disc scanning system in 1884, which was capable, in theory, of scanning a scene and creating a signal that could be sent electrically.” This proves how early the development of television and cameras came about which began in this case in the late 1880’s. Even though this was in its first stages, you start to understand how camera technology began to develop before this new found technology. “In 1884, the world of photography was changed forever through the invention of film. The bulky, cumbersome photographic plates which had been the standard in photography up until this point became a thing of the past as they were replaced by the much more practical film roll technology.” As cameras began to advance, using film instead of photographic plates, this opened up opportunities to take more pictures and in the future record for longer. The idea of film comes from the idea of still drawn images such as cartoon strips which were produced by a numerous artists. By 1827 the first moving image had been invented. “The original zoopraxiscope for 16 inch discs had a set of removable shutters with different numbers of slots, for producing various motion effects.” This is a piece of equipment which rotates and gives the illusion of a moving image, and the basis behind motion cameras today. It is also known as the wheel of life. Television began to merge in the late 1920’s; this was discovered by a Scottish man called John Logie Baird. “The demonstration was made by the Baird Television Development Company of London, using short-wave radio sets for transmission of the “vision sound” and the televisor invented by John L.Baird – who has also invented an instrument for seeing in the dark – for turning this sound back into vision after its ocean hop.” At this point L.Baird was able to transmit a shaky image across a few feet. He used a collection of telephone line to demonstrate his images to a range of scientists in London. When television first came about it was aimed at a very small audience and many couldn't afford a television set, hence the reason why the audience was small. Camera’s development expanded with the growth and technology of television. The first motion camera was available before World War II. “An extremely compact 35 mm movie camera Kinamo was designed by Emanuel Goldberg for amateur and semi-professional movies in 1921. A spring motor attte 1920s and early 1930 sachment were added in 1923 to allow flexible handheld filming. The Kinamo was used by Joris Ivens and other avant-garde and documentary filmmakers in the late 1920s and early 1930s.” After this had been invented camera steadily became enhanced throughout the coming years. The first broadcast which was available to the nation was the queens Christmas speech. “In 1957 the speech was televised for the first time. From 1960 the radio and TV broadcasts were pre-recorded instead of being transmitted live.” This began a new era for the television and cameras and this was a huge event which is still remembered today. From then on T.V expanded slowly over a series of years to what you see today. The future of multi camera I feel will be taken over by internet based software which enables you to stream live footage easily and affectedly. “Live multi-camera production is the last bastion of the old base-band waves. However with recent technology enhancements it looks like Ethernet may be able to deliver reliable, truly live video production. The future of live multi-camera production will see engineers plugging in less cable but building more powerful and cheaper facilities than today.” The amount of money and time it takes to produce a live show is amazing compared to on line software. Nevertheless live cameras do produce smoother outcomes, bearing this in mind I believe on line software will be improved in the next few years and we will be able to produce clean crisp footage.
Our final production was a ten minute film called 10 minute student meals. When we first started this production I was unsure of how we could realistically produce this given the time we had, I was very anxious. As I'm currently taking another film module, I knew planning was a huge element within the pre production. The director gave us all different job roles, personally mine was storyboarding, music and to operate a camera. I kept to the deadlines as this would hinder others in my group. These areas I felt content with so I began developing my ideas and thoughts throughout the rest of the module. We kept to a schedule which didn't fail us during the module. As we were removing the cameras from the studio we had more of a incite than other groups as we learnt how to pack and unpack a whole studio area. I personally liked this factor as I'm a very hand’s on learner, this was easy to comprehend and I soon got to grasps with the equipment.
We had an issue with one camera however we had our lecturer and a technician to help us with any technical difficulties, so this was soon rectified. The shoot itself went according to plan; I didn't feel like we had any issues during this process. We went through a few rehearsals to make sure our actors were confident with the script. Bearing that in mind however when we had finished we found out that it had recorded in black and white, even though we was assured it was feeding through in colour. I was personally truly disappointed as I feel it now looks like a 1920’s footage. Seems as we were aiming this program at students, colour for me was a huge issue. The reasoning behind this is because colour would have made it more appealing and clearer to watch. It has also filmed rather grainy and this was another issue we tried to sort out in Final Cut Pro. However we was told we couldn't edit any of these issues I still feel disappointed as we should of made sure the equipment was in proper working order before filming. Our original idea was to have a purple backdrop as we would put this program on E4 so we could show the type of program it was to our target audience however we couldn't get our hands on any purple gels this was a shame but not essential. During the editing process none of us had any Final Cut Pro experience which was another issue. Nevertheless we worked together as a group and we was able to edit and add the graphics as our graphic person wasn't available during this time. Me and Amelia produced the graphics in Adobe Illustrator, we kept to the E4 purple theme but we found the text wasn't legible on a dark purple background so we had to change the opacity. The rest of the group was happy with our final graphics so we placed them inside the film itself. This was the final stage in our film production. The module has been a tremendous learning curve for me and this has given me the opportunity to expand my skills and thought process to the next level. I feel I could produce my own personal film with great confidence in the future.
References
http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/technology/technology1.html (by Richard G. Elen)
http://www.bairdtelevision.com/1928.html (The New York Times, February 9th 1928)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQoeJbP6JH4 (The race for television)
http://www.teletronic.co.uk/tvera.htm
http://www.pixiq.com/article/film-photography-history (Haje Jan Kamps)
http://www.kingston.gov.uk/browse/leisure/museum/museum_exhibitions/muybridge/machinery_and_equipment/zoopraxiscope.htm (Eadweard J. Muybridge)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oTPFjOobDM (Eadweard J. Muybridge - Pioneer of Motion Photography)
http://www.vanalphenav.nl/VAAV/Kinamo.html ( Kinamo Ica)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/25/newsid_3053000/3053271.stm (Queens christmas speech 1957)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBRP-o6Q85s (Queens Christmas speech 1957)
http://www.globaltv.com.au/announcements/the-future-of-live-multi-camera-production (the future of live multi camera production)
