Technology Used in Documentary Production
Cameras
There are three basic types of camera:
* Film camera (35mm, 16mm, 8mm);
* Analogue video camera (Betacam Sp, U-Matic) - these became widely
available in the 1970s;
* Digital video camera CDv, Mini Dv, Digi-Beta)- these became widely
available in 1995 and are now nearly all broadcast quality.
The advantages of the video camera:
Cost:
* The film camera retails from approximately £10,000; the analogue
video camera from £8,000 and broadcast quality digital video
camera from just £1000;
* The average cost of 35mm film stock for a 90-minute documentary
would be around £5,000 while the average cost of digital tape
stock for a 90-minute documentary would be less than £100.
* The film processing and lab fees for a 90-minute documentary would
be around £5,000, while there would be no such fees for digital
tape stock that doesn't need to be processed.
Practicality:
* Film cameras can be heavy and clumsy to use;
* Cheaper film cameras are noisy, causing sound problems; Film stock
needs to be kept at a certain temperature and requires 'warm-up'
time, which is costly when 'time is money' on a production;
* Digital cameras are lightweight and portable.
* 60 minute digital tapes are half the size of a pack of cards;
digital cameras record CD quality sound directly in-synch with the
picture, saving the need for post-synching the sound.
Editing
Non-linear editing has revolutionised the video and filmmaking
industry in general as it gives the programme maker an enormous amount
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... an infinite number of times
before committing the final copy to a tape.
Recent technological developments
Steadicam: developed in the 1970s, this is the trade name for a widely
used device that balances hand-held cameras gyroscopically, allowing
for greater flexibility and fluid movement that is usually used to
provide point-of-view (P.O.V) shots. (The corresponding device made by
Panavision is known as the 'panaglide'.)
Video Assist: this is an adaptor with a video camera inside, which is
fitted onto a film camera. When shooting, the video images are shot
simultaneously with the film images and through the same lens,
allowing the director to review the scenes as soon as they are
completed.
D.A.T. (Digital Audio Tape): this enables crystal clear sound
recording that can be synched to film or video.
The reason why movies are so expensive to produce, market and distribute is that there is a long list of people involved in the process of filmmaking. Producers, writers, directors, actors, technical crews, film crews, set designers, costume designers, hair stylists and makeup artists, are some of the people who need to be paid whose names are seen as the credits roll at the end of any film. Not to mention the overhead costs of a myriad of equipment, props and the costumes themselves required in the production of a film. There are travel, food and shelter expenses if a movie is filmed on location and not in a Hollywood studio (there is a fee to use studio space as well). Once the actual filming of a movie is completed, more people are involved in editing, special effects and sound. These expenses are dependent on the sophistication of the technology and expertise. Additionally, and most costly is the marketing and distribution of a film.
relationships between characters, they also build up the setting so. the viewer can build a context. Documentaries do not leave on cliff hangers, they usually end with a. conclusion or final interpretation to provoke thought on the issue and make the audience become more educated and informed about the subject. “Documentaries often strive to capture a sense of realism, ‘programmes reflect and report on the reality through the use of recorded images and sounds of actuality’.”. The four main camera techniques used to capture images for documentaries are.
Presentational Devices Used in Films In traditional fairy tales, ogres are man-eating beasts. The Prince usually rescues the Princess; they marry and live happily ever after. How do the makers of Shrek use presentational devices to reverse this tradition, to reveal the ogre as good, and the Prince as evil?
First, Anna’s documentary may not require the audience to be actively involved as much as print. It is less demanding, and require less energy. Documentary also give the viewers visual effects which means that we, as viewer, do not have to assume or guess the emotions or actions that are taken place. To add to the advantages, films, especially if they are documentaries, happen at a slower pace. It can take years to create a film and therefore, more information can be gathered. However some disadvantages is manipulation. Content can be edited, erased, or contrived. It could be a gate keep and only show what it wants the audience to see. When using print, we, as readers, have to be active. We are forced to analysis the story and look in-between the lines. We want to understand the story and identify the resolution, and with that, we have to be interested in the topic. I also think that not having video or film with print is an advantage because it is fun trying to imagine the images. We can create our own perspective of the situation instead of relying on someone else’s perception. Sadly, this can also be a disadvantage because, as viewers, we create our own perception, but it could be the wrong perception. Another disadvantage of print is the pace. New is faster is most of the time have a deadline. I am pretty sure Paige, who wrote Cynthia’ story, had a limited amount of
Cameras go way back to the year 1879, and have advanced greatly throughout the years. They used to be huge and bulky with all kinds of attachments and stands. Now they are so small and thin that they are put in everyday items that we use, for instance, cell phones and laptops. Backs then cameras were less than $40 and they were made with glass that was 6.5 by 8.5 inches thick (Patti). Now in this time of age, cameras can go from a few hundred bucks to thousands of dollars depending on the camera, and they are much smaller with clearer pictures now. In 1912 Kodak came out with the Vest Pocket camera, which sold for only six dollars. It had a glass lens of 2 1/4 by 3 1/4 inches thick, which is much
...he audience. Not to mention the structure of film and timing placed in this era of films. Compared to the sound era of movies with less audience imagination and participation so the viewing experience becomes something totally different. Instead of having to imagine you are able to hear the sounds and voices of the characters and things that are going on. Plus the structure is something different than silent era films. With scenes not needing to have dialogue cards, making it so that less time is spent on having to read the plot and more time is spent on being able to let the sound help you visualize the plot. Making it more of a straight forward experience rather than something you have to think about. Syncopation with the soundtrack also creating a new addition on how animators structured the films. It's safe to say there are differences in both eras of animation.
While the United States and the rest of the world focused on commercially pushing out films for profit, Russia used film to create an art form. Russian filmmakers took risks and created camera effects that had never been seen before. The Soviet Union influenced many films coming out of Russia during the 20’s. For example Dziga Vertov produced Man With A Movie Camera (1929). This film was wildly adventurous; Vertov made no effort to hide the fact that it was a film. He used editing techniques and music to create the scene, there was no plot to the film or characters. The film showed a day in the life of a Russian citizen, Vertov filmed Man With A Movie Camera over a span of four years. In the film the audience is introduced to “The man with
The movie “E.T.” has many elements that contribute to making up the emotion throughout this movie. A few of these elements include music, the plot and the many camera angles. The music accomplished an impression of eeriness, spookiness and mystery. The camera angles also helped demonstrate these emotions as well. The plot of this movie was stimulating, suspenseful and heartwarming. It all adds up to create a great movie.
Technology is a central issue surrounding film making from the times of Charlie Chaplin's silent films to today's modern and computer-animated films such as George Lucas's Star Wars. In addition there have been a system of changes in computer, phone and video enhancement which has propelled vast amounts of information knowledge to the public at a rapid rate.
What better way to know which gadget works best for you than to check out what other users has to say? Whether you are buying a mobile phone or camera, it pays to read feedback and comments from people who already have firsthand experience in using a gadget. The same concept should be applied when deciding which camcorder to buy. As what you will discover in this Panasonic AG-AC90 AVCCAM handheld review, it is great value for your money.
Filmmaking is an art like no other. It brings people together to create magnificent stories that people can view either on their television or on the big screen. The creators of film could not have imagined how far filmmaking would go and how much it would impact the world of entertainment. The invention of filmmaking has evolved over a long period of time and will continue to impact the world of entertainment.
Offering the unique ability to visually and audibly convey a story, films remain a cornerstone in modern society. Combined with a viewer’s desire to escape the everyday parameters of life, and the excitement of enthralling themselves deep into another world, many people enjoy what films stand to offer. With the rising popularity of films across the world, the amount of film makers increases every day. Many technological innovations mark the advancement of film making, but the essential process remains the same. Pre-production accounts for everything taken place before any shooting occurs, followed by the actual production of the film, post-production will then consist of piecing the film together, and finally the film must reach an audience. Each step of this process contributes to the final product, and does so in a unique right. The process of film making will now start chronologically, stemming from the idea of the story, producing that story into a film, editing that footage together, and finally delivering that story to its viewers.
Computer technology invades the film industry. The existence of computers have aided in the production of genres of film ranging from action movie special effects, to cartoon animation and claymation. Computer Generated Imagery, better known as CGI, assists filmmakers in many ways. An image can be made two-dimensional from a three-dimensional scene, camera angles can be altered to make a character seem larger and thus more important than its surrounding bodies, and colors can be brightened or neutralized, among other things (Parsons, Oja 1). Without the aid of computers, movies would not have the ability to be what they are today.
The purpose of this research assignment is to put forward a convincing argument in how digital technology in the last four years have completely revolutionised the whole film industry. This thesis will attempt to focus on the main disciplines of film making and the impact that technology has had on each area. Firstly, this article will look at recent changes in the pre-production area of film making followed by what new equipment and storage facilities are being used during film production. Next is arguable the biggest transformation in the film industry as a result of technology, namely the post production stage. New methods of film distribution are explored followed by the negative impact that technology has had on the film industry with the main focus being on the illegal distribution of copyrighted film footage. New ways in post-theatre film distribution is also explored and the impact that continual break-through technologies are having on the education and training of professionals working within the film industry. Finally an examination of the impact of computer generated graphics on the film industry is concluded by a brief discussion on what the future may hold for the film industry.
There are many kinds of cameras available today, but not all cameras are created equal.