Cheyenne Joseph // UCA Television blog

Understanding the Fujinon Lens and the Black Magic Pocket Camera M y Camera man (Sam creamer) has recommended the Fujinon MK 2.9 18-55mm lens and had expressed how much he wanted to use that for the film. I decided it would be a good idea to see the lens in action. I was really pleased with the clean and crisp images it created. but most importantly its ability to create really nice outer bokeh effects - Illustrated below;  As you can see the lens has given the center of the subject to be really focused whilst creating a soft defocus around it. I think this look would be very nice if applied with my film because it could really allow the viewers to be connected to the characters emotions. Similarly to Moonlight, I first noticed the effects of having an outer bokeh around the subject. (illustrated below)  It was used throughout the film and I wanted to incorporate that look into my film. So at this point, I was confident that renting this lens would be a g...

Since I am the DOP and Camera woman for Rosie's production, it was important for me to understand her plans and what would be required of me from the test shoot. She also needed me to give her assistance on how to film the test shoot.  The crash scene   Since her production will include a crash scene, it was important for me to understand how to film this. I drew up a diagram to further understand how this scene will be shot;  We decided that we will have  Long shots for the exterior and close ups for the interior shots with the characters. The main concern that I explained to Rosie was that we have to be careful to not break the 180 degree rule when filming from front to back. She notified me that she imagined the conversation shots in the car between the two main characters being over the shoulder shots where I would be in the back seat. This could work but I worry that the logistics of this may be tricky if we are trying to avoid the 180 degree rule. E...

Finding a Sound Op After having a very important meeting with my DOP, He alerted how important it is to get a good, confident sound operator, that way I won't need to worry about it on the day. At first I was going to use one of the students but I think I would still end up having doubts on the day so I want to look for a real industry professional.  I decided to use Mandy.com because of its wide database. I love the fact you can search for crew as well so I made sure to make use of this feature by posting an advert. In the advert I wanted to give as much details as possible because I want the sound op to understand the working conditions and how many actors are involved because this would let them know what equipment they would need.  The advert : I made sure to add the script so they could review this as well. Surprisingly I have received 8 responses so far and they all seem very professional and have their own kit. The applicants;  I was over...

FINDING CAST AND CREW My next task was to find an actress that was appropriate for the role of Mariette (Isaiah's Mum). I decided to use Mandy.Com as I really enjoy using this website.  I didn't want to create a new listing because I would then have to wait for it to be accepted. I wanted to take control on who would fit the part better so I decided to use the "actor search" feature to generate suitable candidates.  I then created a shortlist on people I thought fit the part, lived locally and was interested in short films (based on their profile interests). Below is a list of 5 women who I shortlisted and eventually messaged regarding the role.  When contacting the actresses I wanted to clearly lay out the requirements of the role as well as the rate of pay. This is the message that I sent out to all candidates;  I even attached the script for their review, thus making it easier for them to make a decision. Below are the responses I receiv...

Second meeting with the DOP/ Camera man - Sam Creamer  After providing my camera man with the pre production package and script for him to review over the Christmas holidays, we re grouped to go over our options regarding the equipment choices. After our first meeting I was advised to look at the Black Magic Ursa because of the cinematic imagery that can be created. With it's 4K capability, images would be really clear and would leave a great room for possibilities in the editing stage as well.   Black magic video;  Pros - Great 4k imagery -  XLR ports for sound - Would be able to operate sound mixing kit.  - EF mount, this means I would be able to make use of canon lenses Cons - Not good in low light (maximum ISO is 800)  - need a fast lens   However, there were many limitations that come with using this camera. First of all the cost. To rent this camera I would be set back by about £200 to £400 once renting from Fa...

Evaluation This unit was probably the most challenging one because it really required me to multi task and take on new roles.  Researching This was the first part of the pre production package but was also the most important in my opinion as this allowed me to further understand the depths of what I already had in mind.Through researching mental health, I was able to stumble upon lots of facts that eventually led my story in a different approach. I learnt the importance of letting the facts speak for themselves instead of only sticking to what you initially wanted to put out because it might not be a correct representation. I initially wanted to show how black parents' tough love can be the downfall of their children's self esteem and I initially took a harsh approach. It took me 3 drafts to realise there are other ways of getting my message across and this was all because of continuous research as well as sharing my idea with my peers.  Casting T...

Preliminary Test Shoot 1:  This was my first test shoot where my aim was to get an initial idea about the lenses I can use as well as how this will effect the depth of field. I wanted to see if I would be able to capture the emotion of the main character by being within his personal space. How could I make it look as if we are really up close to the character without actually being super close? This is where I made use of my 50 mm lens as I knew it would allow me to get great shots. I also wanted to see where else I could place my character as I realised he spends a lot of time in rural/ areas of greenery. I wanted to see what places I could evoke the same emotion and if it could work better in areas that were more public or generally quite bland.  I wanted to experiment with placing my character in areas that could have a somewhat aesthetically pleasing element about them. For example, The yellow staircase adds a pop of colour yet the main...