Digital Video - S2 Week 3

21/07/2020

I took another look at the booking form and included the times that I would be filming and so on.

I spoke to James about the URSA and it turns out that it will be need by his classes fr this semester, so I will have to use the Sony FS5 for shooting the documentary and have to discuss with Nick at SIT Productions about using that. He isn't in at the moment.

I caught up with Doug and he'll see if any audio students are keen. 

The press kit is important because this is what film festivals will want from you when submitting your film.

I caught up with Nick and he is fine with me using the FS5 camera until the weekend and I can just get it when I need it. I might try out using it tomorrow, especially how a shotgun mic works on it and hopefully better than the URSA.

50fps for close ups and b-roll at Queenspark to magnify the natural look of a green environment. The rest (especially the interviews) would be in 24fps. All of it would be in the industry standard 1080p.

Bradley from first year film is fine with being an AC and grip for my documentary.

Ashleigh is fine with the B-roll planned for Queenspark and has got climate strike placards that can used for the documentary. She also would be available the following Sunday after the shoot weekend if the weather is not good enough in the shoot weekend to film at Queenspark.

I now just have to submit my booking form to Parks and Reserves tomorrow.

I have figured out a pot for Guyton's interview, which will be in the business seminar room on campus by the old desk. The provided lighting and desk would suit the subject.




22/07/2020

Business as usual for my birthday today. I managed to email my form and supporting documents to ICC Parks and Reserves and got a start on my invoice

I spent some time familiarizing myself with FS5 today. Myself and a couple of guys from SIT Pro tried to get connect the camera with a Panasonic monitor, but it would only receive it as an unsupported signal. I may have to let Chris know about this.

Getting the equipment down was a challenge and got Gayle's help to get the trolley full of equipment into and out of the lift to downstairs. It was a simple challenge to figure out the Miller tripod that came with the FS5, plus what I learned from the last interview shoot helped.

I had to also sign a waiver for SIT Pro as part of hiring the FS5, its batteries, charger, tripod, and other kit.

An audio student asked to have a look at the audio gear ahead of the shoot to understand how it works. I'm too worn out to think or do something about this at the moment, so I look into it later.


23/07/2020

I did the lighting tests with Tyler and it didn't take as long as expected, only up to 45 minutes. We used Lowel lights and flags on c-stands to achieve the lighting that I had envisioned. At one point it looked satisfactory to me, but I wanted to if it was achievable to get a more soft strobe of light. This lighting style was inspired by a image included in my mood board.

Tyler also reckons we could bring along the Aladdin if need be for the Queenspark shoot.

Me and Tyler also figured out what was wrong with the Panasonic monitor. Apparently it's not compatible to view in 1080p, only as high as 720p or 1080i. SIT Pro recommended 720p.

SIT Pro also informed that it's not possible for me to get out the FS5 on the shoot weekend because they will be using it for the TED talk at CentreStage. I will need to let James know. Maybe I could use one of the BMCC cameras instead.


24/07/2020

I made myself a big list of things to do and managed to have a productive day

  • I updated what I could in my pre-production paperwork - scene breakdown, call sheets, filming schedule, and the invoice after revising the budget last night
  • I spoke to Kathryn about getting access to the business seminar room and Upstage for my documentary. I would only need to tell her about a week in advance.
  • I managed to get Leigh (first year film student) onboard to work as second assistant cameras and Oisin to work as the sound recordist
  • I managed to teach myself how to use the Sennheiser EW100 G4 lapel mic through a YouTube tutorial. It took an hour until I got the lapel mic working through the Zoom H6 sound recorder. The lapel mic's transmitter and receiver sure needed a lot of batteries.
  • I tried out shooting on the FS5 with the provided shotgun and the camera's internal mic. I then tried out ingesting the footage to see if it could be done through an SD card reader. It worked out fine, only to discover to find the footage overexposed and grainy, which would explain why the camera's focus peaking could detect the ISO grain. James' advice is to zoom magnify with the viewfinder and to rely more on the camera's ND filter.
  • Luqman has suggested that I set up the URSA before going to the shoot location, which may not be effective because the mounts are bound to change between some shots.

New Slate Films. (2019, July 8). How to setup Sennheiser G4 wireless Lavalier - Complete tutorial [Video file]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHkD4EAtNjM

How to Setup Sennheiser G4 Wireless Lavalier - Complete Tutorial ...

26/07/2020

VICE. (2019, May 24). Make the world Greta again (Full documentary) - Time's 2019 person of the year [Video file]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCVQdr9QFwY&vl=en

Steve Mnuchin Just Adult-splained Economics to Greta Thunberg

Conflict - Ignorance from older generations and right-wing politicians.

It's remarkable to think that a documentary like this fell through the cracks during my research. This documentary can afford and offer insights at different spots around Europe leading up to the first international school climate strike in March 2019, includes Greta Thunberg and her story, and amazing VFX and animation for a documentary.

In my case, I may not be able to afford to have animation, VFX, or location shooting to this scale, but what I can offer that is different is showing the world the movement in a Pacific country and the effect that covid-19 has made on the New Zealand climate strikes.

This is essentially the documentary I would had made if covid-19 didn't happen or have any effect on my production.

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