GRAD SHOW: CREWING FOR TJ

I sure have been busy these last two terms, and when TJ asked me to gaffer for his grad film I had to say yes. We had many meetings as a crew to discuss the upcoming shoot and looked through all the pre production. It was super thorough, and so instantly I knew what TJ wanted me to do. Myself and TJ had meetings to talk lighting, gels, colour, equipment and pre lights so I was all up to speed with everything that was needed of me. We arranged a pre light and I felt that helped a lot and reassured us both that we could do it. We had four shoot days which seemed like a lot, but they were super crammed on the day, yet still a lot of fun. I feel it went well the whole shoot, despite the fact that lots of the equipment was faulty or broken, but we managed to resolve it all. I feel that I did my job well as a gaffer and gave TJ what he wanted, he seemed pleased with the lighting outcome so that was reassuring. I tried my best to keep the lighting as similar as possible when I had to change the lights around. There were a few difficulties as the space on the third and fourth day was super cramped, so some of the lighting doesn't match up as nicely as I wanted. But it isn't unfix able in post production colour grading. 

After the shoot was over, TJ asked me if I would like to edit and I said yes of course because it was a great opportunity and felt like I was up to the task. However I got a week into it and had to go to hospital with heart problems relating to stress and felt that maybe I had taken on too much in one term. So after discussion TJ handed the edit over to Nina and Rufaro. I am dissapointed in myself that I couldn't see the edit the whole way through but if I had continued then I know I would have made myself more ill. Overall I enjoyed working on this shoot so much and love helping others and getting stuck in doing what I love, and I can't wait to see the final piece. Below are only a few images I took, there will be some more BTS coming as Preston took those pictures. 

I hope you enjoy. Thank you.

DANCE FILM: CREWING FOR GRACE AND JOE

I was fortunate enough for Grace and Joe to ask me to light for their film. I wasn't too sure on the concept as I feel they may still have been forming it but when they said gels I said yes instantly! Joe told me what gels they would be using, what shots and lights they were having too so I was fully prepared to work with my equipment when I got it. Unfortunately I was really ill the day of the pre light, and was very apologetic for it, but I feel this did not stunt my performance. We had two shoot days from 9:30 until 6/7 ish. The first day was a little tricky as Grace and Joe were of course stressed and everyone was getting into the swing of their roles, but once we were all settled the day went really smooth. We managed to shoot all the white lighting and the blue gels. I sadly didn't get any pictures of the white lighting. I feel this day was a big success as we filmed a lot, Joe and Grace were really happy with the lighting and positioning of all the lights. I had a lot of fun as I had to re adjust every light after a shot and kept me busy and on my toes. 

The second day there were a few people missing in the morning due to illness but as we had a lot to film and wanted to get the equipment back before stores closed we got stuck into it. I stepped up to the first AD role, nervous at first as I have always wanted to do it but was a little scared I couldn't. But Grace and Joe were happy with me as first AD and said I did really well. We had to change a few shots around but that was all ok and easy. It was a lot of fun as I was telling them what shot was next and lens and then running to go help adjust the lights so it was really fun being super busy. I managed to keep us on track, and even ahead of schedule so we managed to film all of orange and orange B roll before lunch. Then I re set the lights and put the red gels on. I feel that I excelled at my job on this shoot, I was attentive to the lights and constantly checking if they were in shot, as there were a lot of mirrors, and making sure that Grace and Joe were happy. I even got to step up to first AD for the day which was so fun and feel I did well at as we managed to finish the day 3 hours ahead of schedule.  As I hadn't worked with Grace or Joe before it was a great opportunity and I really enjoyed it. Below are some pictures I took from the shoot days. 

I hope you enjoy. Thank you.

DANCE FILM; CREWING FOR NINA

Due to doing research and working with lights a lot Nina asked me to help on her shoot with lighting. We had a meeting and this would be a 4 day shoot in the evenings and we would be filming a different scene every day. Nina discussed with me colour palettes and gels that she wanted so that when it came round to the shoot I was prepared. As this was a piece about stereotyping, culture and heritage I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get the certain look Nina wanted but she reassured me that it would be ok.

On the first day we set out to complete the filming for the white lighting. I met the dancer, and she was super lovely and setting up the lights to Nina's standard I felt I did well and made sure she was super happy with them. The shoot went really smoothly and everything was done within the time given as a lot of time and work had gone into the call sheets that Nina had made, and we also had an incredible crew too. The second day was also a success and I felt the lighting was to a high standard and was making sure it looked ok on the monitor and if I needed to move any lights for any shot if it was in frame or too strong on the dancers face.The third and fourth days went amazing too, as well as shooting everything Nina needed she made sure we were having a good time, and were hydrated and with snacks. I really enjoyed working with Nina and her beautiful film.

Personally I feel that I completed my role to a high level as a gaffer, I made sure the lighting was just to Nina's taste and standard and was constantly seeking to improve or push my work further in any way. I feel since studio shoot I have really grown in my lighting and gaffer abilities. Of course there is a lot more for me to learn, but I feel I am on the right track, I am passionate, people are pleased with my lighting and continue to use me as a gaffer. I feel this is a field of work I would love to explore more. Luckily I had a lot more opportunities this term to broaden my portfolio for gaffer work which kept me super busy. Below are some pictures from the shoot.

I hope you enjoy. Thank you.

DANCE FILM:UPDATE

After proposing our idea for our idea, myself and Danielle got to work trying to source dancers and get our pre production together. However, due to us both being very ill during the Easter break, we were unable to get everything together in time as we were unwell and we had to take care of ourselves. This was a massive shame as we had big ambitions with this dance film but illness lead to being delayed. Although, I had a quick chat with Rosie and she said that due to us crewing on so many shoots that we would be able to make up our grade from our contributions to people's projects.

I hope you enjoy. Thank you.

ADVANCED PHOTOG (INKJET PRINTS)

For one of the tasks we were asked to print out two images on A3 photo paper of our choice. We had recently been inducted into these printers and the monitors and I was looking forward to printing. There was a lot more to remember than I thought and it took a long time to print. But firstly I went and got some photo paper from the print bureau, I decided to do some test prints too to male sure I was happy with how the image was printed and it was on the paper I felt suit it the best. So I switched the printer on, I did a nozzle check to make sure all the inks were topped up and ready to use. Then I opened the images, gave them a final tweak as we were allowed to use the expensive monitors for editing the pictures. The monitors allowed you to take in the light of the room and create a preset for you to edit in, based on the sunlight around you. We were asked to print one studio shoot image and one light source of our choice. I decided to print my light source first and got to work with setting the computer up ready for printing. You had to first select the size and orientation of the paper, then the type of paper you were printing on so that it could adjust the inks to the paper. Then chose if you wanted it colour metric or perspective. I chose for both images colour metric as I felt in my test prints that they came out the best in terms of colour. I put my paper in carefully, and decided to try and print on matte paper first. When it was finished, I had a look at the print and firstly it was far too dark, and secondly I wasn't as happy with the paper choice as I thought in the beginning. So I decided to go back into Photoshop, adjust the brightness so it would print more clearly, and I went and got some satin paper. I had to change the settings again in the printer view to ensure it knew what paper the image was being printed on. I was a lot happier with this result and pleased with the outcome so now it was time to print my studio shoot image.

I thought with my studio shoot image that I would like to print on glossy to give the image a glow and shine to the image. I got the printer all set up again, but making sure to change the type of paper the image was being printed on. I then set to work loading the printer to make sure the paper was the right orientation and going to print on the right side instead of the back of the paper. I then went for it and printed my image. I again chose colour metric because I felt the colours worked best for the images I was printing. It came out and I was actually super happy. The exposure was just right and I really like the way it looked on the paper. I was really happy with the image and because it came out perfect the first time I didn't feel like it needed another print on some different paper.

I hope you enjoy. Thank you.

ADVANCED PHOTOG (LIGHT SOURCES)

For one of the tasks we were asked to take photos of five different light sources. At first I was a little stuck as I couldn't think of five, but after having a talk with some friends I realised that there were loads. I wrote down what I wanted my five to be. I knew I wanted candlelight, as I have a lot of candles and felt I could compose the shot nicely. I felt also that maybe not everyone would take a picture of candlelight so it might be a bit refreshing to see. I am happy with this image as I feel the composition is executed well, as is the exposure. Luckily none of the images had to be portraits so that made things a little easier. My second image was daylight. I had taken this picture a while back when I was in my living room drinking tea, so I felt like this was a good one to use. I have edited it a little bit to get rid of some spots on the lenses and make it look a bit cleaner. But know I am happy with the result.The third image I took last winter when I went to a funfair. I feel funfairs at night are always great photo opportunities and am very happy with the result, for a shoot and go sort of shoot I was doing that day, I feel that the composition, exposure and lighting a really well done. My fourth image is a test shot I did in the studio of my friend Nina. We were playing around before any of our models came in and took a few pictures with Nina in the fur. I find this image very beautiful, mainly because of the model but also I feel the lighting, focus and exposure are spot on and I am actually very proud of the photo. Finally, my sunset picture. I took this when I went away last summer to Bristol, we were about to leave the apartment we were staying in when I turned round and saw the way the light hit the sheets and the bed and had to take a photo. This was also the image I chose to print as I felt it would look lovely and textual when printed on satin paper. I am really happy with all these images even if they needed a little work done on them. But having to do some editing on them has expanded my knowledge in Photoshop.

CANDLE LIGHT

DAYLIGHT

NEON LIGHT

STUDIO LIGHT

SUNSET

I hope you enjoy. Thank you.

ADVANCED PHOTOG (LIGHTROOM CATALOGUE)

As one of the tasks for Advanced Photography we were asked to create a primary and secondary Lightroom catalogue. We spent a whole lesson with Bayton going through step by step what was needed in our catalogues and how to execute it well. We were asked to create collections in our catalogues, give our pictures colour and star ratings, edit them, and give them keywords to search for in the search bar. Below I have taken screenshots of my work flow and pieces of editing I have done along the way.

Above you can see that I opened my image as a smart object therefore any work or editing I did to the photo, it linked back to my Lightroom catalogue, and inserted a new image with all the changes I had made to it.

As you can see above I created my 3 collections, and in my light source collection I had made a start on rating them and colour rating them. One thing Bayton told us in class is that a good work flow is to make all your newly imported pictures coloured red, meaning you haven't edited them, orange if you had made a start, and green when the image is complete.

Above is a screenshot of me demonstrating me opening an image as a smart object into Photoshop. 

Above you can see that when I open the image into the camera RAW view, I have made changes to how the image is imported and displayed. I chose 16bit for my image and changed the present from adobe to Prophoto.

You can see here that I am starting to make changes and edit my images slowly.

Again you can see the changes I am making to my image to make it look better.

Here I have taken a snapshot in Photoshop so that Bayton will be able to see what and how I have edited my pictures.

As you can see here I am showing you the beginning of my light sources collection, where everything is coloured red, and my star rating is how good I deem the image without any editing.

This is my personal collection at the beginning of me editing anything.

Again this is my studio shoot catalogue at the beginning of the editing stage.

Pictured here I am displaying that when you make changes to your image in Photoshop as a smart object it relays any editing back to your catalogue and creates a duplicate. You can also see in the bottom right hand corner the little icons show that I have created key wording for them, colour labelled and star rated them.

Here you can see my workflow as I start to make progress on an image.

I hope you enjoy. Thank you.

ADVANCED PHOTOG (STUDIO PORTRAITS)

Approaching the studio shoot task I was a little nervous, as you have to get the lighting spot on in order to create broad or narrow lighting. In the lesson my test shots were really good, executed well and in focus and sharp. I think this was down to feeling comfortable and relaxed in the environment as Bayton was there. However, when we went to book a studio the week after to take our pictures. I wasn't very clever and left my glasses at home therefore all of my photos were blurry and out of focus. I was upset that these photos weren't to a high standard as my model was very beautiful too. But luckily I had enough time before the hand in just about to get back in the studio and re shoot. Unfortunately my model I had in the first shoot wasn't available, but I found another model that was just as eager. I got to work, but before that, put my glasses on! I brought in a silk dressing gown for my model to wear as I felt the fabric and colour was very feminine and would suit the style of photos. I then set up the lights, I first set up a soft box, but felt the light was a little too soft, so changed the head and went for a harder light. After doing this my photos came out exactly how and what I wanted, all in focus too. I directed my model as to where to stand, look, their posture and what to do with their hands. I feel the relationship between the model and myself was very relaxed and calm so she was easy and compliant when I asked her to change positions. Pictured below are some behind the scenes of the successful shoot.

APOLOGIES FOR THE BLURRY B.T.S PICTURES

PICTURED ABOVE ARE MY UNEDITED VERSIONS OF THE STUDIO SHOOT

Pictured above are the first studio shoot pictures I took. I feel the composition is executed well, however my lighting wasn't as good as it could have been and not all of them were in focus.

I hope you enjoy. Thank you.