Camera settings

When planning my short film, I will need to know what type of cameras I am going to use. There are many different types of cameras I could use. However, since I will be in school filming, they have given me the equipment of  using DSLR cameras. 

DSLR stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex. This essentially means that the camera operates with a fixed digital sensor. DSLR are durable and strong so that they can be equipped with different lenses and attachments which will have great battery life. This therefore makes it easier to film. On the DSLR camera there is different modes that I can access. For example there is manual mode. The manual mode is where I can control different features on the DSLR camera to my liking. This will make it easier when I am filming as I can adjust the settings so I can get the type of shot I would need for my short film. 

When looking at the DSLR camera, there are a variety of accessories I can use. For example, with the DSLR camera I can purchase the following: 

• 
  Tripods
• Monopods
• Bags 
  
• Filters
• Memory cards 
• LED panels 
• Flashguns 

Using this type of equipment will help advance and improve my overall quality of filming for my short film. 

When looking at the DSLR camera, it can be used for a variety of purposes especially cinematography and lighting. When looking at how this camera can be used for cinematography, I can use it to change up the settings due to the manual mode that is available on the camera. This means that I can change the settings if I needed to help improve the cinematography. In regards to how I can use the DSLR camera to help with lighting. I can use it to activate the torch that is on the camera. This will help me as in my short film, I will be filming in a small room that is going to be in the dark. This means that I will be using the torch in the camera so that I can improve the lighting in the room. 

Manual mode controls

When using a DSLR camera, there are modes that you can use when you film or take shots. When looking at the manual mode controls, this mode is about the person who is using the camera to be able to change settings on the camera to be able to get a specific requirements they are looking for.  

• Aperture and f-stops - The aperture is an opening that light travels through. However F-stops are known for the aperture size. This means that I can use manual mode to regulate the amount of light that can pass through the lens. 
• Pull focus techniques - Focus pull is allowing a certain object to have been focused on and the rest of the surroundings are being blurred out. This allows the audience to focus on the specific object that is being focussed on. 
• Depth of field - Depth of field is the distance between the closest and farthest objects in a photo that appears sharp.

Types of camera lenses and their use 

When looking at the DSLR camera, there are different lenses that I can use while I am going to filming. This is because each lenses serve their own purpose. There are different lenses such as:

• Standard - This is used to get the interpretation of a human seeing what they can with their eyes. This is used in majority of movies and series. 
• Wide angle - This lens is used to cover a large angle/area of view. This allows the audience to see more than the eye can see.
• Telephoto - This lens is used for a long-focus. This allows an object to be captured at a distance and gives an improved image. This can be useful to use as it might be hard to take other varieties of shots. 
• Macro - This lens is used for the zoom up of a small object. This allows the audience to see the entire clear image of a typical small object. 
• Fish-eye - This lens purpose is to use an ultra wide angle lens that produces strong distortion. This is to help create panoramic images for the audience. 

Use of exposure control for effect

When filming I will be using manual mode majority of the time. This is because I am going to control the exposure for the best effect possible. There are different types of settings I can use to control the exposure. They are:

• Shutter speed - This is the length of time the camera is exposed to the light. This will be useful as I will be able to control how long I want the camera to be exposed to the shot by. 
• ISO - It controls how much lights gets in the camera. This allows me to chose how much light gets in my filming and makes it easier to control the amount of exposure I want. 
• Creating light trails - This is a technique to capture the path of moving images. I won't be using this in my short film but is a handy tool to have. 

Frame rates for different effect 

Frame rates are the rate of images that are being captured or displayed. For example, 

• 25 fps - This means that 25 images are being captured. This allows the effect to be different in each image. 
• Higher fps - If I have higher fps the more visual information is being presented on a clearer basis. 
• Lower fps - If I have lower fps the more visual information is being presented on a clearer basis. 

Before making my short film, I had to ensure that I had to understand how to use the camera and know what features there are. When using the DSLR camera, I used a variety of settings and took various pictures which are attached below:

When making videos using the camera, we used a technique focus pull. Focus pull is allowing a certain object to have been focused on and the rest of the surroundings were blurred out. This allows the audience to focus on the specific object that is being focussed on. Focus pull can be used in a variety of ways, however when we are filming, it will be essential that we use this technique so that the audience can focus on certain items/people instead of focussing on everything else. 

When using the focus pull feature, we had to video it. This will ensure that we understood how to use it properly and see if we were creating that effect. Attached below is a video of me filming my focus pull to show that I have understood what it is and how to do it.