August 2008

So far we had only used small Panasonic cameras to practice shooting so we could get the hang of a simple kit, so I was really looking forward to familiarising myself with the Sony Z1 - the industry standard and the one that we will be shooting our short films on. This week we just learned the basics - focussing, lighting and setting up a shot. Our tutor Ollie, a veteran cameraman who has worked on countless productions, introduced us to the kit and talked to us about the different artistic possibilities that the technical functions could enable. On the second day we practiced on our own with different kinds of shots and I got quite excited at the thought of using the camera on my own shoot. Ollie also talked a lot about the various mistakes and traps that can be made while shooting, and told us lots of anecdotes about his experiences as well as other student films that were really inspiring.

I found the sound class a lot more to take in - and it seemed much more challenging technically. Our sound tutor was keen to make sure we understand the technical basics of how sound is recorded and how all the equipment actually worked. We looked at different types of microphones and mixers and talked about the differences and their appropriateness for different types of recordings. We learned about the various stages of sound recording - what sounds are best to record while filming and what is best added in post-production and how sound can be edited to achieve different effects. On the second day we practiced sound recording with a full kit, taking it in turns operate the boom, camera and mixer. This was my first real taste of the technical side of filmmaking and made me a lot more comfortable with the kit we will be using. This weekend we will be putting our knowledge into practice with two days of integrated exercises.

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Claire Dunn

(One-Year Practical Filmmaking) was working as a runner and researcher in light entertainment TV before starting our one-year programme. She chose to study with us as, "it was the only school I found that let you write, direct and edit your own films and retain the rights to them. I loved my time at the Met, all the staff are helpful"