BLOG QUESTION ADV: CAMERA SENSORS

1. What are the pros and cons of a CCD sensor?

2. What are the pros and cons of a CMOS sensor?
3. What are CCD sensors better at? What are CMOS sensors better at?

Some pros of a CCD sensor are that it's relatively noise free. Some cons of it is that each time an electron is shifted, some amount of charge is lost which is a problem for higher resolution images. The serial readout is also slow and the sensors require a higher voltage. Some pros of a CMOS sensor are that is requires much less power, the voltage is read in parallel meaning that the sensors are capable of reading the data faster. Some cons of it is that it produces more noise and it has rolling shutter. CCD sensors are better at producing high quality images with less noise and shooting in low light. CMOS sensors require less power which makes it ideal for both consumer and professional cameras.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: CONTROLLING DEPTH OF FIELD

What are the different factors that you can use to control depth of field that this video mentions? What is one of the primary ways to control depth of field?

There are three ways to control your depth of field . You can adjust your aperture, change the distance of the camera from the subject, or changing the focal length of your lens. Usually, you first want to start by adjusting your aperture. Shooting at a lower f-stop decreases your depth of field, and shooting at a higher f-atop increases it. Adjusting the aperture will effect the exposure of the image, but you can increase or decrease exposure using other methods (adjusting light level, ND filters, iso/gain, or shutter speed/angle). You can increase or decrease your focal length by either switching lenses, or by zooming in/out of your image. Having a longer lens or zooming in (makes image more compressed and distance between objects smaller) will make your DoF shallower, and having a shorter and zoomed out image (makes objects in image appear further apart) will make it deeper. Lastly, the closer you get to your subject the shallower your DoF will become (you can also put more distance between your subject and the background, but it will affect the composition), and the further you are the deeper it'll be. 

BLOG QUESTION ADV: DEPTH OF FIELD P. 3

1. What is the crop factor?

2. What is lens equivalency?
3. If you had a full-frame sensor and your cousin had an APS-C-sized sensor, how would you explain the differences between the cameras and lenses to your cousin?

Crop factor is the concept of a smaller sensor resulting in a more zoomed in image given the identical focal length. Lens equivalency is when you take the crop factor and multiply it by the focal length of a lens. An ASP-C sensor with a crop factor of 1.6, shooting a 50 mm lens, would give the same angle of view of an 80mm lens on a full frame sensor. The full frame has a wider field of view with the same focal length, so if you wanted to capture the same look as an APS-C without changing the distance, you would have to use a longer lens on the full frame.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: DEPTH OF FIELD P. 2

1. What is the circle of confusion?

2. How does this affect what the viewer of the image perceives overall?
3. How does the camera's sensor come into play with the circle of confusion? Why?

The circle of confusion is how big a spot of light caused by imperfect focus is before it's noticeable as "out of focus". This affects how the viewer perceives the image by determining what appears to be sharp or not. If the circle is larger, the image appears blurrier or out of focus. If it's too small, the image will appear too sharp. Even if you have identical lenses and apertures, the smaller the camera's sensor, the shallower depth of field you'll have. This is because there is less amount of light being let into the camera. The size of the circle of confusion is related to the sensor size since a larger sensor captures a larger image. The larger the image, the larger the circle of confusion has to be.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: DEPTH OF FIELD P. 1

1. In your own words, explain what depth of field is.

2. What is deep depth of field? What is shallow depth of field? What might you use it for in a video?

Depth of field is the distance between the closest and farthest objects in a photo that is in focus. Deep depth of field is the large distance between near and far focus. Shallow depth of field is the short distance between near far focus. Deep depth of field is best for capturing wider shots that require more things to be in focused. Shallow depth of field is best when you're trying to focus on a singular subject.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: SNORRICAM

What is the snorricam used for? What is the intended effect on the audience? What could you use this tool for coming up?

The snorricam is used to amplify the emotions of a character during a movie by placing the audience in a unique position that forces them to observe the emotions of the character and their surroundings. The intended effect that the snorricam has on the audience is disorientation. It creates an uncomfortable feeling for the audience as it stabilizes the camera and keeps it focused on the person, while the background behind them changes as they move. It's usually used to convey a character's dizziness from drunkness, injury, or emotional injury. It portrays the subjective experience of a character by showing their emotions and placing the audience in their shoes. I can use this for upcoming projects in order to enhance the emotion of a scene. Since it doesn't require too much equipment, it's a pretty easy solution if you want to get a dynamic shot.

BLOG QUESTION: THE CAMERA JIB

What kind of movements can you do with a camera jib? What kind of shot does it communicate to the audience? Reflect on the concept of "production value," which we've talked about in the past. How can the jib enhance this?

Jibs allow you to pan, but they also allow you to do crane shots, which are shots where you're able to boom up and down. Jibs are good to use for establishing shots as they add a little bit of motion, and they allow you to boom up to show a greater amount of the scenery. It's also great to get smoother overhead shots. The person in the video suggests having an element in the foreground (such as a fence or a person walking by) to enhance the movement of the crane shot. A jib enhances the production value by adding movement to a film. 

BLOG QUESTION ADV: BALANCING THE RONIN-S

 What are the key points in this video on how to balance a camera on the Ronin-S?  What challenges might be presented when balancing the Sony FS5 on the Ronin?

Begin by removing the quick release plate. You can utilize the markings. Male sure the lens support area is facing the front (where the arrow points). You can start by mounting it in the center of the camera and tightening it with a tool. After that, you slip it into the quick release system from the back of the plate. If you need to recenter it, you can repeat the process and adjust the position of the quick release plate on the camera. If the camera is tilting one side or another, adjust the position of the plate by bringing the camera more forward or back. Once balanced, lock off the quick release plate. Always use two hands when balancing. To fix the roll motor, you want to use micro adjustments by loosing up the adjustment and slightly pushing the camera opposite to wherever its tilting until its perfectly centered, then lock it up. Next, you want to check the arm. If you tilt the camera up and it feels like its falling forward, it's set too high. Adjust this by sliding the arm up, until the camera stays pointing up. Throughout this process, you want to make adjustments to the previous parts as you go along. Lastly, you want to adjust the pan axis by sliding the camera forward or back until you're able to tilt the pan and have the camera stay upright.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: USING A SLIDER

What are 3 key tips you learned in this video that you can put to work in your videos going forward this year? Why do you think they are useful?

The video gives numerous tips on how to use motion to keep your shots more dynamic. One tip it gives you is to focus on your subject at the end position of your movement, so when you move towards it from another position, it'll ultimately end up correctly focused and framed. Another tip he gives helps with the shakiness and sudden movement at the end of your shots. He suggests that you lock off the tilt in your tripod if the shot doesn't require tilt, to tighten or adjust any parts of the tripod, and to adjust your grip to lightly guide the camera on the tripod, by having a slight grip on the base of the slider head and a slight grip on the tripod handle. Lastly, if you're having trouble with the slider getting into your shot, he suggests having multiple lenses with longer focal lengths to help with this issue.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: KUROSAWA AND COMPOSING MOVEMENT

What were the three types of movement that Kurosawa used in his films? How did he use these techniques in his films? What did they communicate to the audience? Please explain each in detail.

The first movement he utilizes is the movement of nature. That includes weather, water, wind, fire, smoke, and snow. This adds visual interest when people are still. He also uses the movement of groups, whether that be large groups of people who band together or groups of people who split. Larger crowds = bigger emotion. Lastly, he uses the movement of individuals. His blocking style is unrealistic/exaggerated. He has characters pace back and forth, stand taller, or kneel to the ground to exaggerate their emotions. He also likes to have actors choose a gesture to repeat throughout the film in order to help audiences differentiate characters and know how they're feeling. He pairs this with fluid camera movements, which have clear beginnings, middles, and endings, as well as cutting on action to give his films smoother transitions. When a scene ends, he likes to end on a static shot and then have the next shot be in motion, in order to keep the audience on their toes.

BLOG QUESTION BEG/ADV: SAN FRANCISCO STATE FIELD TRIP/COLLEGE PLANS

After touring California State University, San Francisco's film production facilities, what aspects of their program or resources stood out to you, and how do you think these could influence your approach to future film projects?

I was really impressed by the film facilities at SFSU, and I'm glad that I applied there because it's definitely in my top 3 schools now. I thought it was really impressive that they offer hands-on classes that actually teach students how to use equipment, and I like how they provide students with resources such as sound recording booths, sound stages, and free Adobe programs. I didn't know that they were known for post-production, and I also didn't realize that a lot of their alumni went into sound after graduating. While sound isn't my favorite part of filmmaking, I definitely want to know more about the art of editing sound since post-production is something I want to pursue as a career. I also found it interesting that they don't have students focus on one area of study, but rather encourage them to explore all aspects of filmmaking. It sounds similar to how our class functions, so I can imagine going there.