Hardware used when creating our

final product:

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1. The Lighting Kit The lighting kit proved vital to our video, particularly when filming outside in the dark. The lighting kit consisted of three lamps and aids such as a reflector. We did multiple research into the best lighting strategies and found we was able to achieve this through the high quality of the lighting kit. Our first lamp acted as a key light and was placed at a 45 degree angle to the camera with a lower intensity fill light held at 45 degrees on the opposite side. To ensure the light surface was consistent, we added a back light which held the lowest intensity behind the action and this lamp used the reflector. The lighting kit really ensured that our nighttime shots were illuminated consistently as were the brighter shots. We did not use a lighting kit last year and feel that our attention to lighting really emphasizes our progression as film makers.

This pictures portray us setting up the lighting kit before filming. We used three lamps to achieve our three-point lighting strategy.

2. The Steadicam When filming our video, we used a Fly 3000 Steadicam which had previously not been available to us during our AS year. The steadicam was incredibly beneficial to us as a group as it really emphasized the importance of keeping shots still in order to increase the professionalism of our video. We received tutorials on how to use the equipment effectively. Using a combination of the tripod and steadicam when filming worked well as it allowed us to achieve a balance of movement within the video. We used the steadicam to incorporate moving shots such as pans into our music video as we felt this contributed to the energy of the song whilst the shots we still incredibly steady.

As the steadicam hardware was new to us, we received a demonstration from our media teacher explaining how to use it effectively.

3. The Tripod A tripod was something which was an integral part of our film opening at AS level and thus we believed it was essential to continue using the tripod when filming our music video. Ultimately, the tripod enabled us to achieve certain shots which were completely still. We were incredibly confident using the tripod and were able to adjust the height / tilt of it in order to add a variety of shot types to our sequence. We particularly used the tripod when filming initial videos such as our animatic as it enabled the camera to be held steady whilst we filmed the shot types. Our combination of the tripod and steadicam in our final video we felt was successful.

This image portrays our use of tripod when filming certain shots in order to keep them still. We attached the SLR camera to the tripod and was able to film from there.

4. iMac Using the iMac was essential in our group’s development and was used for a multitude of projects. For example, we used the “vlogging” app in order to give and receive feedback from our peers and teachers. For instance, we produced a vlog discussing the concept of our digipak and then received a further vlog from our peers containing their opinions which was beneficial to us in terms of moving forward with our ideas. We also used the iMovie software within the iMac hardware in order to produce initial rough cut videos and our animatic. We chose to use iMovie at the initial stage of the project as we believe it to be a simple software, enabling us to produce our animatic efficiently.

5. SLR Camera We used a SLR camera to film our music video. The quality in terms of the clarity of our footage was incredibly high due to using this professional piece of hardware which we felt added an element of professionalism to our final music video. The SLR camera enabled us to take stills when filming in order to evaluate lighting. We also slowed down the shutter speed of the camera as it meant the camera would receive more light, thus aiding us in illuminating our outdoor shots. The SLR camera was also beneficial to us a group because of its reputation as being successful in filming in low-light situations. We had to adapt quickly to the workings of the camera such as adjusting the lens to ensure our shots were in focus. This is something we struggled with initially however after a few test shots, we confident in filming the footage efficently and to the highest

6. SD CardUsing a SD card in combination with the SLR camera was vital. It enabled us to save all of our footage and transfer it onto the computer successfully and efficiently. We experienced two different types of SD card when filming and one of the SD card’s, due to its quality, would only let us film for 8 seconds at a time which was not ideal. Thus we decided to postpone the filming until we had access to a higher quality SD card. We were also very careful in ensuring that our footage was fully saved to a computer before deleting it from the SD card. We used an SD card during our AS coursework task and understood how vital it was in transferring footage from one piece of hardware to another. (SLR camera -> computer)