Location 2
One of the immediate problems we faced was that one of the cameras seemed to have an unusual white balance, the image on the screen seemed to have a slight blueish tint, as you can see from the image below. If we compare it to another screen shot from a clip from one of the other cameras, it will be clear to see the difference.
With these images place next to one another, you can see just how much difference there is in colour between them.
At the time of filming, we noticed the unusual tint and attempted to change the camera's white balance settings. However, it did appear to be correct, we were uncertain of how to fix the problem there and then and so continued with the test and simply used this camera to get an idea of framing and composition, anything that the colour would not directly effect.
After the camera test, we looked into where the problem may lie. As i mentioned, we had already checked the white balance settings so we knew this was not it. So we decided to research a little information about 'white balance', what it is/why we use it/what different settings it has etc. This allowed us to gain some idea of why we may have had problems, after initially thinking that perhaps the software needed resetting, due it not reading the white balance settings probably, we came up with another possible source of the problem.
The image below, shows 4 different white balance settings. You can the image in the bottom corner is also showing a bluish tint on the TUNGSTEN setting. This setting is used, usually indoors, in order to neutralise the yellowish tint of tungsten (incandescent) light, often caused by sources such as light bulbs. This could be where our problem came from, without knowing this before heading out to shoot it we were unable to solve the problem whilst there.
Having found this information out know, we have more knowledge of what may cause such problems, this will mean that if it is to ever happen again we may be able to fix it whilst out on the shoot. However, I feel that this experience has taught us to check the camera settings before leaving, that way if there are any problems, they can be solved before any filming begins and footage gets ruined. Or if it is a more serious problem, it may be possible to take another camera in place of one that isn't working correctly.
MVI 0024 from Sammie Masters-Hopkins on Vimeo.
The piece of footage above, was taken on one of the camera that had the incorrect white balance settings. It is clear to see the blueish tint that the image has due to this. Because of the off colour, we wouldn't be able to use the piece in a final film, however, this does not not render the footage complete useless. The aim of the location scout was to get a good idea of what atmosphere we wanted to convey through the location in our film, to find a place that worked well and kept in with the new wave feel we were trying to created. It also enabled us to experiment and get used to the cameras we were working with, therefore, despite the fact these pieces of footage are not perfect we still achieved what we would have liked to during that shoot.
This piece takes on a new wave feel due to the area it is shot, by shooting in a park such as this, we are able to get a feel of the grittier side of life, which the new wave directors wished to convey in their own films. Also, you will notice that there is children and parents playing in the park, these are not actors and are simply members of the public making use of the facilities. by using members of the public we can get natural reactions to the action within scenes and also natural reactions to cameras and equipment we take out. This is very reflective of the new wave, particularly if we reference the fight scene from Truffaut's Les Quatre Cents Coup. In this scene the actors are having a fight in the street but none of the members of the public were actually informed that this was a staged fight, and so the reaction of the crowd that soon began to form was 1005 natural, offering the perfect realistic feel to the scene. This is definitely an idea we would definitely take into amount when filming the final footage for our piece.
As you can see, if you watch the entirety of the clip above, the filming really isn't perfect at all. The focus goes in and out in the middle of the clip, the camera is hand held and therefore incredibly unsteady. I think the focus problems were simply out of experimentation with the cameras, as a rule the aperture of this shot maintains a narrow setting, going between an f/22 and f/16 (except of course when the focus is completely lost). Due to the blueish tint of the footage, it can be hard to be certain of the exposure of the image. ,are more difficult by lack of certain focus throughout the shot, i personally feel that the piece looks a little under-exposed if anything. With the aperture setting being so narrow, there won't be much light getting through the lens opening, this would mean that the shutter speed or ISO would need altering to compensate. Perhaps the ISO should have been a little higher, (an 800?) so that the little light that can get through is sensed more, brightening the image.
I liked the fact that the footage was taken as a long shot, this allows the camera to just watch, giving a feeling that the world is just going by and nothing is really happening (again this is a new wave technique). I also feel that the composition was fairly well executed, the horizon line is well placed, and the trees in the background give good symmetrical structure to the image.
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