Undertake The Photographic Assignment.
1.1-1.9
Identify the types and purpose of photography required
During the shooting of our short movie 'The Farm' we spent a lot of time on set, away from the main company building. We spent time taking a number of photographic shots each, using Adams Canon 1200 D As well as Johns Canon 550 D, and my personal phone camera. We documented the filming process, showing the full extent of our chosen location, using a variety of camera angles and techniques. We used a great deal of standard wide shots, low angles, and establishing shots, just to give information about the place we were located at. Primarily the documentation process used a type of photography, known as landscaping. Landscaping gave us the chance to really show off the location, and show just how we used our time there. There are many types of photography, each with it's own uses, and it comes down to how the photographer wishes to display his images, and or themes. Some of these include, but are not limited to:-
*Aerial Photography - High Shorts, usually taken from Aerial vehicles.
*Night Photography - This can be any shots taken at night time, and often includes infrared photography.
*Infrared Photography - As the name implies, these is focused on capturing infrared images, outside of the visible light spectrum
*Large Format Photography - This is commonly used for advertisement purposes, I.E Billboards, posters, ect.
Justify The Selection of a Conventional or Digital Approach.
Since we were dealing with time and equipment restraints, we stuck to using digital mediums to take our project photo's. The reason behind this, was that we could edit quickly, as well as produce the images easily. This meant we could take many all at once, and then figure out which were taken best, and then move onto selecting, and compiling them. This was also wise, as it made it easier to upload these images to our blogs, and was just an easier decision to make in the long run. Many photographers say that older film based pictures have their benefits as well, such as being more forgiving to over exposure, thriving in natural light, the richness in the colour, and the hazy grain effects it can make. This was all considered when we were shooting, but it just wasn't as practical as digital means were.
Identify File Formats for Digital Images, the differences between them and the reasons for using them.
1.1-1.9
Identify the types and purpose of photography required
During the shooting of our short movie 'The Farm' we spent a lot of time on set, away from the main company building. We spent time taking a number of photographic shots each, using Adams Canon 1200 D As well as Johns Canon 550 D, and my personal phone camera. We documented the filming process, showing the full extent of our chosen location, using a variety of camera angles and techniques. We used a great deal of standard wide shots, low angles, and establishing shots, just to give information about the place we were located at. Primarily the documentation process used a type of photography, known as landscaping. Landscaping gave us the chance to really show off the location, and show just how we used our time there. There are many types of photography, each with it's own uses, and it comes down to how the photographer wishes to display his images, and or themes. Some of these include, but are not limited to:-
*Aerial Photography - High Shorts, usually taken from Aerial vehicles.
*Night Photography - This can be any shots taken at night time, and often includes infrared photography.
*Infrared Photography - As the name implies, these is focused on capturing infrared images, outside of the visible light spectrum
*Large Format Photography - This is commonly used for advertisement purposes, I.E Billboards, posters, ect.
 |
| The Farm, our chosen location. |
Since we were dealing with time and equipment restraints, we stuck to using digital mediums to take our project photo's. The reason behind this, was that we could edit quickly, as well as produce the images easily. This meant we could take many all at once, and then figure out which were taken best, and then move onto selecting, and compiling them. This was also wise, as it made it easier to upload these images to our blogs, and was just an easier decision to make in the long run. Many photographers say that older film based pictures have their benefits as well, such as being more forgiving to over exposure, thriving in natural light, the richness in the colour, and the hazy grain effects it can make. This was all considered when we were shooting, but it just wasn't as practical as digital means were.
 |
| Canon 1200 D |
 |
| Canon 550 D |
Identify File Formats for Digital Images, the differences between them and the reasons for using them.
There are many types of file formats, and ways to distinguish them. Commonly used file types, can be referred to as Raster types. These tend to have loss-less compression written into algorithms, with the intention of shrinking the file sizes to more practical with space, whilst still retaining a quality image. A good example with be Gif, Jpeg, and Bitmaps, these commonly degrade over time, each time you open the file. The difference can be very noticeable to the eye, as typically Raster types use less data, less colour, and try to save space. The counterpart to this is raw. Raw holds all the information the lens captures, every piece of colour and light is saved into this image types, and commonly raw is used for very heavy visuals. This does mean that Raw often requires a great deal more space. There are two Raw file formats commonly used, CIFF, and DNG.
Identify appropriate Camera Settings and Colour Space.
Colour spaces define colours in general, the most common is RGB, and this governs every colour from reg, green, and blue, and every one in between. Most colour spaces have their own uses, but typically most devices display in RGB, there are other spaces, such as CMYK, which is mostly used in printing colours. Since we were only really trying to show the location and it's hazards and behind the scenes of the shooting, we mostly stuck to common wide shots. We did make sure to Aperture was in balance, as we wanted to be able to get the depth of field to show the buildings and the nature of the location with as little blur as we could. With it being in the day, and the weather being bright and sunny, we kept the ISO set to low-auto, so we would cancel out any over exposure.
This made things relatively easy to film, as we shot mostly in one direction with the exception of a few establishing shots and close ups. The natural ambient light required little manipulation, illuminating the characters and cast perfectly, as well as not over shadowing the environment, or making the glare to much that we had to block any out with reflectors or light blocks.
Check that permissions or permits have been acquired in advance, as necessary
Since the are we had chosen for this set was desolate and unowned, we never had to ask for any relevant permission to be there or to film on the grounds. Obviously we had to make our employers aware of where we were going, what we were taking with us, and how long we were going to be approximately in case anything had happened.
Amend the agreed approach to take account of the circumstances of the assignment as required
We had chosen a day that was best suited to the story we had written out. For this we needed clear skies and lots of natural sun light, so some days we attempted to shoot we had to cancel, as the weather conditions deteriorated. We had many complex angle set, some from high angle shots above the characters, and some from corner angles, to use shadows of the building cast by the suns light. Many long shots were used to show characters far off or approaching, or one scene where a character ran off set. Most of these problems were fixed with coming back at a later date, or altering some of our less appealing shots and angles. We documented natural health and safety risks, and took in to account that we had limited equipment. We used the previously mentioned cameras, one equipped with an extended battery. We had a long shot lens, as well as two standard wide lenses to complete the task.
Comply with the relevant organisation’s dress code, behaviour and language
With this being a narrative driven plot, it was relevant to dress as the appropriate characters, but still keeping in mind that it was outdoors. We kept interactions with the public out of the way, and made certain that we highlighted all of the points needed to meet the criteria of filming our movie, and documenting the goings on behind it. We stuck to trousers and jackets, since it was windy and the sound gave it away, our characters wore shoes, and looked relatively smart, as their characters were students, or school children.
Maintain a professional manner when undertaking photographic assignments
We spent two or three hours at a time travelling back and forth to our determined location. While we were there, we spent weeks documenting the area, taking pictures of the surrounding buildings, writing up health and safety examinations. Then we proceeded to test out the shot lists we had constructed, checking to make sure our visions of the set and the story matched our technical capability. We moved on to establishing the surroundings, our characters, and their motivations. This was a hard thing to organise, as we each had to balance the project around each others own needs, and find a common ground in terms of time, equipment, and collective decision making. Each of us respected our set, made sure we left no debris or damage, and that there were no causes for concern while we were there.
2.1-2.10
Assemble, secure, position and set up the equipment safely
We used two tripods through out the filming, and we had two types of lens during the process. We had two standard wide angle lenses, and one long shot lens. We also had an extended battery piece, to make sure the camera lasted long enough for us to shoot what we needed to. Assembling the equipment was easy, as we all know how to attach lenses, charge batteries and plug them in, and arrange the settings on the camera the way we wished.
Connect lights correctly to their power sources as required
We never used any external lighting, so this is irrelevant.
Adjust camera settings and lighting to meet the requirements of the assignment
Since the purpose of our photographic assignment was to document rather than show the process of filming and how we went about it, we stuck to mostly default settings. We used standard ISO settings, and we left the white balance on default as it perfectly perceived the natural light in the tone we wished. We made sure to keep focus on the scenes and characters we wished to keep the attention on.
Resolve identified problems with equipment where possible
We never had any major technical issues. I did mention that one of our tripods was to thin, and struggled to support the camera without tipping or swaying side to side, so to stop any accidents we waited until we swapped tripods. We made sure the sensors, the lenses, and the camera were cleaned, functional, and operating correctly long before we set off to shoot.
Compose the images to fulfil the assignment
The project went as well as expected, we managed to obtain a large number of shots centered around the filming project and the environment we were using. We managed to center many of the shots around the building and the characters involved in the scenarios. This made our exposure rather well done, as we mostly filmed during the mid day time period. We had no technical issues that were immediately threatening to our filming process. The natural light and weather conditions were as good as we could have asked. We did have to take into the account that we had to block the scenes around the shooting process in order to avoid getting into the shot of the actual filming its self, making sure we had the freedom to take the pictures required without disturbing the set with over cast shadows, or noise from the camera taking the photographs.
Take appropriate and sufficient photographs
The photographs that have been displayed so far have been the ones we had chosen to keep. The reason for this is that they are the most clear, well lit, and in focus shots we have taken. This helps with understanding what is happening in the photos, and gives you a clearer example of what went on during the filming process.
Unload film safely or download digital images, as appropriate
Once these images were taken, we returned to the offices and imported the whole set onto the T drive, so that we had infinite access, the ability to edit the photos, as well as so through the ones we were keeping, and the ones that we weren't.
Store images safely and securely
These images show the files and their names, above you can see how I named them, to keep track of which photo showed what, without having to scroll through them all every time I look for a specific one. To the left, you can see the root folder, where I copied all of the picture sfrom, and the right, the photo's I decided to use and label.
Record supporting information for the photographs as required
We took turns using the equipment, using it to document a piece of the filming process at a time. (This helped, as some of us had to be in scenes.) The photographic process was done by my self, Adam Cooper, Sophie Walker, Lewis Jenkins, and John Stockton. We had spent many days through early April going back and forth to the shooting location to film, but we didn't start documenting behind the scenes until the 17th of April, the shooting location was an abandoned farm not far from a local supermarket near the North Tees Hospital. My self, Adam Cooper, and Lewis Jenkins all performed in the film, so we had to alternate who took photos one at a time since we were all in scenes. While we were shooting, we took time to go over a health and safety assessment, as well as a location release form, but since we are all apprentices on the same project, we felt that a talent consent sheet was pointless. The most important issue was how we managed the camera equipment to get the angles we needed, with the two tripods that we had. This project was clientless (As well as profitless) Unless you consider John Stockton as our client, since he set a lot of the examples and premises we followed. In terms of copyrighting issues, we used only shots that we had taken, and no music was added, the location is also public domain, so we were free to shoot comfortably without copyright restraints.
Dismantle the
equipment safely
In prior units to this one we have explored how to correctly assemble/disassemble camera equipment, pressing the catch release, carefully twisting the lens to take it off. It's best to cap both the camera (to stop things entering the sensor.) and the top of the lens.(preventing smears and possible damage.) The tripod just needs loosening, and collapsing down completely, making sure the legs are in, and the head is tightened, and then simply tightening it up again will stop it from flicking out unexpectedly. No studio lights were used in this, but it is a case of disconnecting the power supply, waiting for the bulbs to cool down, and collapsing it carefully in a similar manner to the tripod, but making sure the cases are thick and protective enough that the lights don't damage. As with all this, the equipment will have its own place in your cases/bags, simply being responsible enough for your equipment will make all of the difference in its safety.
3.1-3.2
Obtain feedback from the client about the product and services
Once we had sufficiently documented the process, we all sat down and went through our material, talking about shots that were to blurry or out of focus, or the lighting was to bright/too dark. We each spent time listening to feedback regarding our techniques handling the equipment, and how we processed the information given to us before hand, to relate to the process it's self.
Identify relevant sources of information to update knowledge and skills relevant to own work
After the process was finished, I went online to compare the 'behind the scenes' shots, with other behind the scenes documentation of popular programmes, and some photography projects that documented aspects of the photographers techniques and mental images to put the notion across. I compared a number of our shots to some more popular portrait type pictures, land scape photographs, and general set establishment, to see if you can truly gather that there is a filming process going on, and that the viewer of the image can clearly see the process, as it happens. I took a look into images taken by BBC wildlife photographers (The comparison is far apart.) The reason I did this, is they have similar restraints, and settings. With most of them being taken outdoors, tracking animals or plant life development, there is little time to establish lights and professional shooting to a lot of degrees, this made it easy to compare how we took out landscapes, portraits, and general technique, to people who similarly have little external lighting, equipment, and have to shoot on the move. Working with John Stockton has shown me how to handle the equipment, and shoot at a semi professional/Amateur level, and has taught me a great deal regarding photography and filming alike.
4.1-4.3
Identify key aspects of legislation relevant to undertaking photographic assignments
Our location was chosen, since it's practically public property, it hasn't been owned in many years, and for a couple of hours of shooting, it was ideal to hop in and set up. This, coupled with the fact that the area is an unused farm field, meant that public interruption (And us interrupting the public.) Was not an issue to worry over, the only people involved were the people filming the movie, being filmed in it, and those taking documentation photographs.
Identify aspects of codes of ethics/conduct relevant to completing the photographic assignment
Since this was overall a private project, we only adhered to rules and guidelines set by John, though we adhered to common sense in terms of behaviour, making sure we used our equipment with morality and good intentions, intending only on shooting our film, and photographing the progress.
Comply with own organisation’s business requirements
This was a relatively straight forward thing to do, our restraints were mostly time related, as obviously the music service required us to help them around the office and with other varying tasks. This meant we could only really take the time out to shoot a few hours at a time, meaning we spent a lot of time travelling back and forth whenever we got the opportunity.
5.1-5.2
Identify aspects of health and safety legislation and regulations relevant to work
I have already covered health and safety over the project in earlier points and earlier units, but the main issues were sharp pieces of debris (Smashed glass, old metal) Some loose bricks, and a few holes in the ground we were careful of. We were also careful about where we had left the car and the equipment as well, just on the off chance that people came by.
Take appropriate action to minimise potential risks and hazards involved in the assignments
To do this, we removed a lot of large pieces of debris, as well as marked out where the largest most concealed holes we could fall down were. Once completing that, we started to block our where we would put the camera and tripod, making certain to keep away from the corners and sides of the house that had loose bricks and walls.
Identify appropriate Camera Settings and Colour Space.
Colour spaces define colours in general, the most common is RGB, and this governs every colour from reg, green, and blue, and every one in between. Most colour spaces have their own uses, but typically most devices display in RGB, there are other spaces, such as CMYK, which is mostly used in printing colours. Since we were only really trying to show the location and it's hazards and behind the scenes of the shooting, we mostly stuck to common wide shots. We did make sure to Aperture was in balance, as we wanted to be able to get the depth of field to show the buildings and the nature of the location with as little blur as we could. With it being in the day, and the weather being bright and sunny, we kept the ISO set to low-auto, so we would cancel out any over exposure.
Identify the Subject, Composition and lighting requirements.
The subject of these pictures were to show where we had picked to film, and to show us filming in the present, to document the process. The lighting was very easy, as it was a perfectly bright day, which allowed us to do as we pleased.
This made things relatively easy to film, as we shot mostly in one direction with the exception of a few establishing shots and close ups. The natural ambient light required little manipulation, illuminating the characters and cast perfectly, as well as not over shadowing the environment, or making the glare to much that we had to block any out with reflectors or light blocks.
Check that permissions or permits have been acquired in advance, as necessary
Since the are we had chosen for this set was desolate and unowned, we never had to ask for any relevant permission to be there or to film on the grounds. Obviously we had to make our employers aware of where we were going, what we were taking with us, and how long we were going to be approximately in case anything had happened.
Amend the agreed approach to take account of the circumstances of the assignment as required
We had chosen a day that was best suited to the story we had written out. For this we needed clear skies and lots of natural sun light, so some days we attempted to shoot we had to cancel, as the weather conditions deteriorated. We had many complex angle set, some from high angle shots above the characters, and some from corner angles, to use shadows of the building cast by the suns light. Many long shots were used to show characters far off or approaching, or one scene where a character ran off set. Most of these problems were fixed with coming back at a later date, or altering some of our less appealing shots and angles. We documented natural health and safety risks, and took in to account that we had limited equipment. We used the previously mentioned cameras, one equipped with an extended battery. We had a long shot lens, as well as two standard wide lenses to complete the task.
Comply with the relevant organisation’s dress code, behaviour and language
With this being a narrative driven plot, it was relevant to dress as the appropriate characters, but still keeping in mind that it was outdoors. We kept interactions with the public out of the way, and made certain that we highlighted all of the points needed to meet the criteria of filming our movie, and documenting the goings on behind it. We stuck to trousers and jackets, since it was windy and the sound gave it away, our characters wore shoes, and looked relatively smart, as their characters were students, or school children.
Maintain a professional manner when undertaking photographic assignments
We spent two or three hours at a time travelling back and forth to our determined location. While we were there, we spent weeks documenting the area, taking pictures of the surrounding buildings, writing up health and safety examinations. Then we proceeded to test out the shot lists we had constructed, checking to make sure our visions of the set and the story matched our technical capability. We moved on to establishing the surroundings, our characters, and their motivations. This was a hard thing to organise, as we each had to balance the project around each others own needs, and find a common ground in terms of time, equipment, and collective decision making. Each of us respected our set, made sure we left no debris or damage, and that there were no causes for concern while we were there.
2.1-2.10
Assemble, secure, position and set up the equipment safely
We used two tripods through out the filming, and we had two types of lens during the process. We had two standard wide angle lenses, and one long shot lens. We also had an extended battery piece, to make sure the camera lasted long enough for us to shoot what we needed to. Assembling the equipment was easy, as we all know how to attach lenses, charge batteries and plug them in, and arrange the settings on the camera the way we wished.
Connect lights correctly to their power sources as required
We never used any external lighting, so this is irrelevant.
Adjust camera settings and lighting to meet the requirements of the assignment
Since the purpose of our photographic assignment was to document rather than show the process of filming and how we went about it, we stuck to mostly default settings. We used standard ISO settings, and we left the white balance on default as it perfectly perceived the natural light in the tone we wished. We made sure to keep focus on the scenes and characters we wished to keep the attention on.
Resolve identified problems with equipment where possible
We never had any major technical issues. I did mention that one of our tripods was to thin, and struggled to support the camera without tipping or swaying side to side, so to stop any accidents we waited until we swapped tripods. We made sure the sensors, the lenses, and the camera were cleaned, functional, and operating correctly long before we set off to shoot.
Compose the images to fulfil the assignment
The project went as well as expected, we managed to obtain a large number of shots centered around the filming project and the environment we were using. We managed to center many of the shots around the building and the characters involved in the scenarios. This made our exposure rather well done, as we mostly filmed during the mid day time period. We had no technical issues that were immediately threatening to our filming process. The natural light and weather conditions were as good as we could have asked. We did have to take into the account that we had to block the scenes around the shooting process in order to avoid getting into the shot of the actual filming its self, making sure we had the freedom to take the pictures required without disturbing the set with over cast shadows, or noise from the camera taking the photographs.
Take appropriate and sufficient photographs
The photographs that have been displayed so far have been the ones we had chosen to keep. The reason for this is that they are the most clear, well lit, and in focus shots we have taken. This helps with understanding what is happening in the photos, and gives you a clearer example of what went on during the filming process.
Unload film safely or download digital images, as appropriate
Once these images were taken, we returned to the offices and imported the whole set onto the T drive, so that we had infinite access, the ability to edit the photos, as well as so through the ones we were keeping, and the ones that we weren't.
Store images safely and securely
These images show the files and their names, above you can see how I named them, to keep track of which photo showed what, without having to scroll through them all every time I look for a specific one. To the left, you can see the root folder, where I copied all of the picture sfrom, and the right, the photo's I decided to use and label.
Record supporting information for the photographs as required
 |
| (Note, I have never been to space, I did not take this photo.) |
We took turns using the equipment, using it to document a piece of the filming process at a time. (This helped, as some of us had to be in scenes.) The photographic process was done by my self, Adam Cooper, Sophie Walker, Lewis Jenkins, and John Stockton. We had spent many days through early April going back and forth to the shooting location to film, but we didn't start documenting behind the scenes until the 17th of April, the shooting location was an abandoned farm not far from a local supermarket near the North Tees Hospital. My self, Adam Cooper, and Lewis Jenkins all performed in the film, so we had to alternate who took photos one at a time since we were all in scenes. While we were shooting, we took time to go over a health and safety assessment, as well as a location release form, but since we are all apprentices on the same project, we felt that a talent consent sheet was pointless. The most important issue was how we managed the camera equipment to get the angles we needed, with the two tripods that we had. This project was clientless (As well as profitless) Unless you consider John Stockton as our client, since he set a lot of the examples and premises we followed. In terms of copyrighting issues, we used only shots that we had taken, and no music was added, the location is also public domain, so we were free to shoot comfortably without copyright restraints.
Dismantle the
equipment safelyIn prior units to this one we have explored how to correctly assemble/disassemble camera equipment, pressing the catch release, carefully twisting the lens to take it off. It's best to cap both the camera (to stop things entering the sensor.) and the top of the lens.(preventing smears and possible damage.) The tripod just needs loosening, and collapsing down completely, making sure the legs are in, and the head is tightened, and then simply tightening it up again will stop it from flicking out unexpectedly. No studio lights were used in this, but it is a case of disconnecting the power supply, waiting for the bulbs to cool down, and collapsing it carefully in a similar manner to the tripod, but making sure the cases are thick and protective enough that the lights don't damage. As with all this, the equipment will have its own place in your cases/bags, simply being responsible enough for your equipment will make all of the difference in its safety.
3.1-3.2
Obtain feedback from the client about the product and services
Once we had sufficiently documented the process, we all sat down and went through our material, talking about shots that were to blurry or out of focus, or the lighting was to bright/too dark. We each spent time listening to feedback regarding our techniques handling the equipment, and how we processed the information given to us before hand, to relate to the process it's self.
Identify relevant sources of information to update knowledge and skills relevant to own work
After the process was finished, I went online to compare the 'behind the scenes' shots, with other behind the scenes documentation of popular programmes, and some photography projects that documented aspects of the photographers techniques and mental images to put the notion across. I compared a number of our shots to some more popular portrait type pictures, land scape photographs, and general set establishment, to see if you can truly gather that there is a filming process going on, and that the viewer of the image can clearly see the process, as it happens. I took a look into images taken by BBC wildlife photographers (The comparison is far apart.) The reason I did this, is they have similar restraints, and settings. With most of them being taken outdoors, tracking animals or plant life development, there is little time to establish lights and professional shooting to a lot of degrees, this made it easy to compare how we took out landscapes, portraits, and general technique, to people who similarly have little external lighting, equipment, and have to shoot on the move. Working with John Stockton has shown me how to handle the equipment, and shoot at a semi professional/Amateur level, and has taught me a great deal regarding photography and filming alike.
4.1-4.3
Identify key aspects of legislation relevant to undertaking photographic assignments
Our location was chosen, since it's practically public property, it hasn't been owned in many years, and for a couple of hours of shooting, it was ideal to hop in and set up. This, coupled with the fact that the area is an unused farm field, meant that public interruption (And us interrupting the public.) Was not an issue to worry over, the only people involved were the people filming the movie, being filmed in it, and those taking documentation photographs.
Identify aspects of codes of ethics/conduct relevant to completing the photographic assignment
Since this was overall a private project, we only adhered to rules and guidelines set by John, though we adhered to common sense in terms of behaviour, making sure we used our equipment with morality and good intentions, intending only on shooting our film, and photographing the progress.
Comply with own organisation’s business requirements
This was a relatively straight forward thing to do, our restraints were mostly time related, as obviously the music service required us to help them around the office and with other varying tasks. This meant we could only really take the time out to shoot a few hours at a time, meaning we spent a lot of time travelling back and forth whenever we got the opportunity.
5.1-5.2
Identify aspects of health and safety legislation and regulations relevant to work
I have already covered health and safety over the project in earlier points and earlier units, but the main issues were sharp pieces of debris (Smashed glass, old metal) Some loose bricks, and a few holes in the ground we were careful of. We were also careful about where we had left the car and the equipment as well, just on the off chance that people came by.
Take appropriate action to minimise potential risks and hazards involved in the assignments
To do this, we removed a lot of large pieces of debris, as well as marked out where the largest most concealed holes we could fall down were. Once completing that, we started to block our where we would put the camera and tripod, making certain to keep away from the corners and sides of the house that had loose bricks and walls.
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