Technology

PREPARATION FOR FILMING:

Google with its maps and image searching facilities proved invaluable to me when planning my piece. They allowed for me to search for locations in which to film, using streetview and also for potential shots and angles using image searching. The search function on google also allowed me to find answers to queries on the software and filming    techniques I was employing which again proved invaluable.

Youtube provided the platform in which I could view other music videos and subsequently determine genre, and category characteristics.

Aside from being a research tool Youtube was also a teaching tool when it came to the stages of post production. Youtube meant that I could recieve expert guidance whenever I was lost as to what to do.

Blogger was useful in the pre-production and post-production stage as it enabled me to collate my ideas. Having everything in one place in a chronological log meant that I could keep on track as to what I still had to do and alternate routes i could explore.

USED FOR FILMING: 

I decided to  to use my Kodak PlayTouch camera for this project, given how well it had performed during my AS year. Its intuitive interface meant it was easy to instruct others using it for shots and the ability to shoot in HD was a plus. However, there were still two downsides. One being the fact that it contains a accelerometer making it easy to film in portrait which makes film hard to edit and the other being the fact that it has no optical zoom. Both these problems are relatively easy to overcome, to get close ups I just had to physically position the camera close to the subject and to remain in portrait I had to remain vigilant of the camera operators actions. Not remaining vigilant initially, meant that I had to reshoot footage from the church but it taught me an important lesson, about double checking and forward planning.

Whilst filming I utilized a tripod in order to get wide shoots of the performance and to maintain stability at all times. Halfway through filming I had to switch to a sturdier tripod like the one pictured left as my initial tripod did not withstand the rigorous demands of outdoor filming and being dragged on a dolly.

During the process of filming I also had to utilize a Dolly, this was to ensure that there was smooth stabilized motion when I was filming moving shots such as down by the river. There were problems with muddy ground that had to be solved and this was down by waiting for dry days to film as well as filming in many locations to ensure that despite the inclement weather I could guarantee I'd have usable footage. In the end this involved Original filming in Beddington Park, with unsuccessful results, then secondary filming in Morden Hall park, again unsuccessful, before a return to Beddington Park where I rethought a few concepts and based many of the park shots around the old terracotta bridge in the park.