So far on our course

So Far In Media

Over the past four weeks, there has been a far amount to learn in media. From analysing a clip from a TV Drama, to an introduction to Photoshop. It has been a lot of information to retain, and there is still more to come.

One of the first things we learnt in the first week was camera techniques, there is the EWS- extreme wide shot, WS- wide shot, ELS- establishing long shot, MS- mid long shot, LS- long shot, MS- mid shot (head and shoulders), CU- close up, ECU- extreme close up. These are essential things to know, as you need them for analysing an extract. We then went on to learn about another camera technique angles. Low angle, eye-level, high angle, worm’s eye, canted and bird’s eye.

The angle of shot is the direction and height from which the camera takes the scene. The view point is the apparent distance and angle from which the camera views and records the subject. POV- point of view is a shot made from a camera position close to the line of sight of a performer. A two-shot is a shot that has two people in it together.

We then went on to learn about another form of camera technique, movement. You have, pan left and right ( where the camera swivels and the base stays in the same position), crab left and right (the camera moves left or right) , track in and out (the camera itself moves smoothly towards or away from the subject) , zoom in and out (the camera does not move, the lense is simply focused in and out), ped up and down (the camera moves up and down the shot) and tilt up and tilt down ( a vertical movement of the camera, while the camera is in a fixed position).

Editing techniques were the next thing on out list to learn. The main eight that we were advised to learn well were, jump cut, cross0cut, cutaway shot, reaction shot, insert shot, buffer shot and fade/dissolve mix. These are all forms of a cut; cuts are used to change the scene, compress time, and carry the point of view or to build up an image or idea.

All of these different camera movements and editing, were then all used in various lessons, to practice our analysing skills, when analysing an extract I find it helpful to make a table with the following headings, ‘camera shot, camera angle, camera movement and edits.

We then had an introduction lesson into Photoshop, where we learnt all the basic tools, and then some that our teacher thought would be useful to know. We then went out took some photos of ourselves in our group, and had a practice editing the photos using the new tools we had just learnt.

Our next practical lesson was learning about the camera and tripods we would be using over the next year. I was not here for this lesson, but I was given a sheet with some information as to how the tripod functions, and some tips on the camera. We then went on to using them in our next practical, in our groups, shooting a 20 second clip of our choice. This was to practice basically everything we had learnt already, and to make mistakes so we didn’t make them when it comes to the really important filming.

We have briefly been introduced into sound, for the purpose of analysing a film extract. There is background sound, sound effects, diagetic, non diagetic, ambient sound, dialogue, monologue and soundtrack.

The final thing that has been introduced to us in media is our blog. We have learnt what a blog is what it does and how it works, I will be using this blog for the next two years to record everything that I do in media.

Two main key words I have learnt and need to remember are:

Juxtaposition- making something out to be something it is not later going to be.
And
Mise-en-scene- is an expression used in theatre and film to describe the design aspects of a production (the clip in the frame of the shot).