Learning Entry

Recently in filmmaking, we have learned a lot about sound design, mainly microphones, settings, clippings, etc, and quite a bit about lighting, different ways to get lighting on a person and what they are typically used for. Through working on making our groups PSA itself, I learned a lot about all the preparation and work before shooting generally the type of stuff you don’t think about until you realize you need a plan. 

First of all, we learned about different mics and what each of them can potentially be used for in a filming situation. Namely, a shotgun mic, is great for getting audio from a source while being able to block out quite a bit of excess sound produced by the surroundings, like wind or cars. Next a lav mic, which can be clipped on to clothes and used to easily pick up sound from a person speaking. Typically it is hidden underneath clothing or other objects, but sometimes is difficult to use because it can be seen. Condenser mics require external power which dynamic mics do not. Camera mics are also very ineffective because of how much the sound and others sounds mix and bounce around the room before reaching it. We also learned in class how to use an audio recorder, which was difficult at first but then became easy the more we tested each mic and setting to record. 

Lighting is a much different type of set up and is actually much more complex then I had originally expected. Shots contain many types of lighting with low or high ratios based on hard light and fill. Hard light is a shot in which the lighting is very bright from the front of the subject which is very revealing and typically is used to reveal imperfections and give the person a less attractive look. Soft light is the opposite: it used a little amount of light which can hide imperfections and make the subject much more attractive. Lighting from beneath the subject is very unnatural, thus giving the subject a very scary or unnerving look. Fill is used in shots to bring less shadow to the subject which can make the difference between a scene from a horror and a comedy stand out. 

When I worked on the PSA with my group, we worked a lot on the script for it and the shot list before we thought of any of the set up or actual filming. We had meetings just to work on preparing and have actors who will be in the PSA so we can work on the filming and audio. My job is on the audio side, figuring out where to put the book poll and how to get the best audio. Thanks to in class work I know how to operate the audio recorder and the mics, so it should be much easier to work when we start filming. All of the things we learned in class have definitely surfaced and will surface in the making of the project and it’s very good that I now have a better understanding.