01. Technical Skills Development

1.1       Describe areas for development in your current knowledge, understanding and skills 

I would like to improve on my camera skills such as how to sort out the camera if something has gone wrong because the supervisors may not be around, or they may be helping other people but also I would like to improve on my knowledge about how the sounds and lighting work so that I am aware of how to work on the sound and lighting whilst making a film. My current knowledge of film is that the directors and producers work together to make sure that everyone knows what they are doing but also to make sure that the film is perfect because if they don’t work together and communicate effectively the movie won’t turn out how they imagined it which could affect their careers as producer and director. However, they also have to work with the other members on their team like the cameraman or women, set designer so that the movie can be great if not it won’t be as great as it would have been if they worked together as a team and communicated.

The specific area that I am interested in is how the sounds during the film are so perfect and don’t hear any back ground noise such as cars but also how they get the shots to be so good such as in movies and music videos when they are from an angle. I am really interested in this area because when they video the movie or music video there is background video but after they finish filming and it sounds great and the background sound can’t be heard at all. I would probably be a sound or a lighting person as I am not very confident in my work but also talking to people as I get nervous and shy so for me this would be a great role because I won’t have to speak to a lot of people except the director.

I would like to gain more knowledge about all the different skills about filmmaking such as the roles of the director, producer, cameraman/woman, lighting and sound and how they make the films look real. But I would also like to gain more confidence and more skills and meet new people whilst I attend the BFI academy. I would like to improve my skills and knowledge of film by making sure I know the different angles and shots but also how to focus on a specific object or individual when focusing to show that something is about to happen. This is because angles and shots in film is very important as it makes it more interesting, but it also draws the viewers’ attention.

I do have plans to study and work in film in the future as I want to do filmmaking in university after I do a health and social care course first but I also want to start a YouTube account as will so it would really help me with building confidence using a camera and other parts of filmmaking.

1.2       Take a role in the production of a short film

My role in the short film is Camera women I was very nervous at first, but I have been making a film with an organisation that I volunteer with, so I was as nervous, and I am comfortable with a camera. I like to make sure that I have a good idea on the shots and angles that we need to make the short film more interesting and draw our views attention. But also learn how to use the camera off a tripod as it is very heavy to carry but also to be more comfortable with using the angles and shots in the

right places of the short film. I will make sure that I talk to the director, producer and scriptwriter and talk about the different scenes and how they want them laid out so that they are perfect and don’t have any unwanted objects in the scenes that are or have been filmed so that we don’t waste time as we only have a limited time to film and make it look very professional.

I will need good communication and teamworking skills to be able to talk to the team I’m working with because I will be working with different individuals. I will be using a camera, tripod and headphone to make sure that I am able to listen to what the actors are saying whilst filming to make sure that the sound is working perfectly and not hear unwanted sound in the background because if we do we will have to film the scene all over again which takes more time and make it longer.

I will just need the mind map that has been produced, and a plain white A4 paper to make sure that the camera is focused and there is no other colour that is unwanted. For the short film we will be needing actors, trench coats and a fake gun or knife to make it look realistic

1.3       Gain feedback on how you performed your role

Danait worked quickly and efficiently as a camera operator during the BFI Film Academy Filming Day. Danait was supported by her crew and mentor throughout the process to ensure that all the shots were filmed on time and nothing was missed from the script and storyboard, this displayed a great amount of teamwork and collaborative skills. Having looked at the final footage I am very impressed, there is a large variety of camera angles, shots and material to use for the final edit and all to a very high standard. Danait should be very proud of the work she has done on the film academy so far; the quality of her work will speak for itself once the final film comes together

1.4     Review own technical skills and use of equipment

I would say that I used the equipment that I needed whilst the shoot day, quite well for my first time using professional equipment. But I would need to improve on my camera skills more to be more knowledgeable when I study filmmaking further but also if I make my own films in the future or if I make a YouTube channel to improve my skills more.

What did you do in your role? In my role I had to make sure that I caught all the scenes to make sure that the angles we wanted but also to capture the scenes correctly.

Do you agree with the feedback? Give reasons for your answers. yes I do agree with the feedback I that I received from my mentor because my team members did help me out when I struggled but when it came to filming the different scenes I didn’t miss any scenes from the shot-list that the producer created to keep on schedule.

How well do you think you carried out your role in production? I would say I did quite well but I would also I needed more practice before the shoot day on the camera and how it worked just to get the hang of it but with the help from my mentor and team members I did quite well for my first time using professional equipment.

What were your strengths and what were your challenges? I would say my strengths on the camera was that I learnt quite fast when I was shown how to do something by my mentor put also I made sure that the scenes I captured were perfect so that nothing was cut or see something that wasn’t supposed to be in the scene. My challenges would be I didn’t know to find the buttons, so it took me a while to find them and press the button. For example, to make the colour was white and to make sure that it didn’t change throughout the day

In what ways did your technical filmmaking skills develop over the course of film produc-tion? I developed my camera skills, but I will need to practice more to make sure that they are perfect but also it helped me figure out what I want to do in the film industry. the course also helped me develop my fine motor skills and identify which skills I don’t have to work on them and develop as an individual in the film industry.

How far has your knowledge and understanding of film production developed? (Consider your knowledge of technical equipment, on-set processes, production documents, post-pro-duction) I would say it has improved massively from before I did the course because I only knew a few things for example, I know what the names of the types of mics to use for differ-ent types of programs such as news, movies and when they might have a scene outside and the reasons why they use them. I would also say I know how to use some equipment than I did before, the process of being on set, the different production documents that the direc-tors and producers need to fill out and the process after the production has finished.