Radio Production Blog

http://snc0910-nd1bradio-gemmagrayston.blogspot.com/

The Jingles.

For our first project, using Sound Booth, we had to produce radio jingles suitable for the college radio station, SNC. At first I found the software pretty hard to work with, but after experimenting around I mostly got the hang of it.

SNC Rock Hour Jingle

For my own show, I decided to do a 'Rock Hour', as I think it would appeal to a lot of people in the college. I brought in some CDs from home, and edited 3 newly released rock songs (All Time Low - Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don't), Papa Roach - I Almost Told You That I Loved You and Linkin Park - New Divide) to 10 second clips, which I then used in my jingle. I also found fast paced fill in music on the software, which I also included. I thought this was effective as it fit in well with the theme of the jingle and target audience. Due to my stammer, Victoria kindly "leant me her voice" and recorded the voice overs for me. I think the jingle was successful but if I were to improve it, I would definitely try to make the song clips flow into each other better for a more clean sound and the volume levels to be equalised.

Script:

Fill in music begins.
"SNC, Rock Hour."
-Pause-
"Released this week."
"All Time Low."
ATL music clip.
-Pause-
"Papa Roach."
PR music clip.
-Pause-
"And, Linkin Park."
LP music clip.
-Pause-
"Everyday, 12 'til 1."
-Pause-
"SNC Rock Hour."

Fill in music fades out.

News Jingle

For the news jingle, I downloaded a piece of music which sounded relevant to the theme of news, and then edited it so it was shorter. Next, I added in a voice over (again, donated by Victoria) at the beginning saying "SNC News" and then at the end, "your stories, your world", which explains that the show is made up of relevant information for the students of Suffolk New College. The jingle is rather short, but still fits the required criteria.

Radio Jingles.

A radio jingle is constructed to advertise media products. Whether it be a radio show, station, event, a TV show, an upcoming movie, or an actual commercial product. For example, a station ident is used to give that station recognisability.

All jingles vary, as they all serve a different purpose and target audience. For example, a BBC Radio 1 jingle which is aimed at a younger audience, contains lots of sound effects, non-diegetic sounds with a fast pace. Sometimes parts of songs are also added to give an idea as to what music will appear on the station, or one of its specific shows. Whereas in contrast, a jingle for BBC Radio 4, which is aimed at the older generation contains soft mellow music, which could be associated with the show's presenter. Also, the voice-over is clear and easily understandable.

Codes and Conventions of a Radio Jingle:

• Always contain speech in the form of a voice over that provides clear and relevant information.
• They always have music that is also relevant to the target audience.
• Station idents occur frequently and are always the same sounding.
• Show promotions always give the name of the show and who presenting along with the time of day the show is on.

8-Shot Journey & Evaluation.

My journey is made up of a student appearing to have come out of class, using the lift, and then travelling across the Atrium until reaching the Learning Curve. I used a mix of close ups, mid-shots and long shots to add range to the sequence. I also used a high angled shot to emphasise the way in which my subject doesn't look happy with having to go the library. I then put these shots onto a storyboard to help me during the filming process.

Before going out to film, I had to stripe my tape to prevent me from accidentally recording over footage in the future. I then went on location to start to record my shots. I was happy with how filming went as Victoria, who I was paired up with on the project, was easy to work with and helpful. However, as I filmed the majority of the sequence in the college during the day, it was extremely busy and people kept purposely jumping in front of the camera. When I had gathered all of my footage I then used Adobe Final Cut Pro to edit my sequence. ‘Set in’ and ‘set out’ points had to be put into place which divided up my footage into clips, making it easier to put together.

Overall, bearing in mind this was my first Video Production assessment, I think it was a reasonably good attempt. However I think that the editing isn't as smooth as it could be, and shots could flow better, therefore in future projects I will focus on this aspect more.

Log Sheet.

Storyboard.

8-Shot Journey Overview.

In the 2nd week, our project was about video production. We were asked to produce a simple 8-shot journey of a person starting at a location, travelling, and then arriving at a destination. It was advised that our shots were static, as the main focus was to get us used to the process of planning a film, using the equipment to shoot it, and then finally editing the sequence with the Industry used program, Final Cut Pro.

Camerawork Basics.

Building Blocks of Cinematography

A frame is a single cell of film. In film-making 24 frames make up one second. So real time film is 24 frames per second (fps). In video, if you wish to shoot real time you will need to shoot 25 fps.

In film and video, a shot is a continuous strip of motion picture film, created by a series of frames that run for an uninterrupted period of time.

A sequence is a series of scenes which form a distinct narrative unit, usually connected either by a location, unit, or a passage of time. They can also follow a narrative and usually have a beginning, middle and an end of some description.

A movie (film) or programme, are entire bodies of work. They are created through frames, shots, scenes and sequences. They also have some form of a beginning, middle and end.


Shot Sizes: Communicating Meaning

There are a variety of shot sizes, from extreme close ups (ECU) to a very long shot (VLS)/ wide shot. Different shots serve a different purpose and they communicate information, emotion and details of the intended meaning of the Director.
Generally when filming you start away from the action (LS) and gradually move closer (CU) drawing the viewer into the scene and the action.

To establish a location or setting it is best to use a wide shot so the viewer can drink in all of the general information. And as there is a lot of it, it needs to be onscreen for a while.

If the Director wants to communicate or highlight something of interest to the viewer, such as an important prop or character emotion, they are likely to use a close up. These need less time onscreen as there is less information to take in.


Composition: Rule of 1/3rds

The rule of thirds is a fundamental rule of composition that objects placed off centre are more interesting to look at.

A grid is imagined over the fame (like noughts & crosses) and generally the eyes are on the top line (eye line), the horizon on the bottom (horizon line) and the subject on either of the two vertical lines.

The sweet spots are where the lines intersect and where you want to place the subject, considering looking/moving space.




180º Line Rule: Line of Action

The line of action is and imaginary line you must not cross, or the action will be inconsistent when you cut together during the editing process.

• Position 1: Camera below the line, action is moving from right to left in the shot.
• Position 2: Camera above the line, action is moving from left to right in the shot.

You must always film the action from one side of the 180º line or your action will not edit properly and the movement in the shot will simply not work. The only exception is if you cross the line during a shot by moving the camera across the line during a tracking type shot.


Camera Angle

• High angle shots make the subject of the shot seem weak and inferior.
• Low angle shots make the subject seem strong and powerful.
• Canted angle or Dutch tilt shots make the frame seem awkward and mysterious as we do not see the world this way.

Camera Height

As human beings we generally see the world at eye level standing up or sitting down. If we shoot the camera at eye level it is how we are used to seeing the world, so it is comfortable.


Use of Line and Diagonals

Using lines within your composition can add drama and make your shots more dynamic and lead the viewer’s eye within the shot.
Diagonal lines add interest and energy to your shots.
Curved lines can be graceful and very easy on the eye.


Camera Depth of Field and Action Planes

Shallow focus is when certain subjects are in focus and other elements are not and you have a small depth of field. It draws attention to what is in focus.

Deep focus is when everything in the shot is in focus and you have a large depth of field. It makes everything in frame seem important as it is all in focus and sharp.

Action planes are the foreground, middle ground, and background. The best and most interesting shots incorporate all of these or at least two.


Film/ TV Conventions

Continuity of travel: If your subject enters the shot camera left and exits camera right, this must continue. Only if your subject changes direction in shot and enters camera left and leaves camera left. This works both ways.

Edit points: When shooting, consider your edit points in your head. A good way to go is to let your subject completely leave the frame and then completely enter again in the next shot.

Cut ins and cutaways: These are shots that can help with continuity and also adds to the action. For instance, cutting away from a LS of someone lighting a cigarette to a CU back to the LS. They add interest and can cover up mistakes.

Compression of Time: Film editing is all compression and manipulation of time generally to compress (montage) but can also elongate (slo-mo).

Health & Safety.

As with everything, care and caution needs to be taken during the process of taking photos, and then when developing them. The following rules and tips should help prevent any accidents from happening.

In the studio:

• Cables - As the studio may be dark, care needs to be taken regarding wires and cables, as you may trip over them.
• Lights - Flashes get really hot and very bright, so you must avoid staring into them.
• Backdrops - Very heavy and expensive.
• Coats/bags - Need to be put somewhere safe, so people don't trip over them.
• Food/drink - Are not allowed, to avoid any spillages and mess.

In the dark room:

• Coats/bags - Don't take them in.
• Food/drink - Same as above, do not take any in. As they could potentially ruin pieces of work if spilled.
• Wet and dry areas - Keep separate from one another.
• Chemical spills - If one occurs, inform the tutor immediately.
• Clothing - The dark room can get quite hot, so it is advised to wear loose clothing. Also, either bring a set of old clothes or wear them initially, as chemicals may spill on them.

And of course, sensible behaviour at all times.

Pin-hole Camera Photos.

Here are 3 examples of some of the shots I managed to get (the original negative, then an inverted image):

Exposure time: 30 minutes.
Location: The atrium.

As my first attempt, I was quite proud of this. However, due to it being quite dark, it was evident that the exposure time was too long. Nevertheless I still like the way in which you can still faintly make out different shapes of the atrium.

Exposure time: 5 seconds.
Location: Part of the old college building.

Even though the initial estimate was 1 minute exposure time, I was advised by others who were also using Pringle tubes for their pin-hole cameras that 5 seconds was sufficient.
After developing the image, my tutor and I noticed that there were 'spots', which we decided had been caused by pieces of paint flaking off onto the photo paper. I then took more care when reloading the tube for later images, to avoid this problem from occurring again. Apart from this, I am pleased with the overall outcome as I find the arc shape above the top of building interesting.

Exposure time: 12 minutes.
Location: The Learning Curve.

As my first indoor shot turned out to be quite dark, for this one I decided to reduce the exposure time by half. This was the result which I am quite happy with due to the subject of the photo (bookshelves) being reasonably clear.

Pin-Hole Camera.

For this project, we had to make a pin-hole camera. A pin-hole camera is a light-proof box/object with a small hole that when light passes through, an inverted image is projected onto the opposite side.

A pin-hole photograph taken by Jon Grepstad
(http://home.online.no/~gjon/)

Other examples of pin-hole photography are shown on the following websites:

• http://www.flickr.com/groups/pinholers
• http://www.pinholeformat.com/groups/pinholers
• http://www.lenoxlaser.com/pinholephotos
  

After being told by my tutor that they were effective pin-hole cameras, I decided to produce mine using a Pringles tube. Firstly, I painted the inside of the tube and the lid black to make it light tight. I then cut a hole in the side and placed a piece of foil over it to act as a lens, using gaffer tape to firmly attach it. Next, I used a pin to create a small hole in the foil, which would be the aperture. Finally, I made a shutter out of cardboard which would cover the hole in between capturing images, preventing over-exposure of light to the photo paper, which would ruin any images.

To work out an approximate estimate of my camera's exposure time, I measured its focal length (72mm), and then divided it by the aperture (0.8mm). This resulted in an F-stop of F90, which resulted in my Tutor suggesting 30 minutes exposure for indoor shots, and 1 minute for outdoor.

I was then ready to begin taking images. In a dark room, I attached light sensitive paper to the inside of my tube using masking tape. I then covered the lens with the cardboard shutter, only releasing it again when I had found the spot/subject I wanted to capture.

Later, after experimenting with different time exposures (as I discovered the initial estimates were too long) I found that roughly 15 minutes for indoor images, and 5 seconds for outdoor, were successful.

Photography.

Photography is the process, activity and art of creating still or moving pictures by recording radiation on a sensitive medium, such as photographic film, or an electronic sensor. Light patterns reflected or emitted from objects activate a sensitive chemical or electronic sensor during a timed exposure, usually through a photographic lens in a device known as a camera that also stores the resulting information chemically or electronically. Photography has many uses for business, science, art and pleasure.

Genres of Photography:
Aerial, Black and White, Commercial, Documentary, Fashion, Fine Art, Forensic, Glamour, High Speed, Illustration, Landscape, Nature, Paparazzi, Photojournalism, Portrait, Still Life, Stock, Underwater and Wedding.

Example of Fashion Photography.
We know this because with a plain background, the main focus of the photo is the model and the clothing that she is wearing. Photos like this attempt to attract the target audience, in this instance women, by suggesting that if they purchased the clothing pictured, they would look as glamorous as the model.

Camera: Is a device that records images, either as a still photograph or as moving images known as videos or movies. The term comes from the 'camera obscura' (Latin for “dark chamber”), and early mechanism of projecting images where an entire room functioned as a real-time imaging system; the modern camera evolved from the camera obscura.

Shutter: In photography, a shutter is a device that allows light to pass for a determined period of time, for the purpose of exposing photographic film or a light-sensitive electronic sensor to light to capture a permanent image of a scene.

Aperture: In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. In photography, this can be measured in increments called f-stops.

Lens: The lens of a camera captures the light from the subject and brings it to a focus on the film or detector.

Exposure Control: The size of the aperture and the brightness of the scene control the amount of light that enters the camera during a period of time, and the shutter controls the length of time that the light hits the recording surface. Equivalent exposures can be made with a larger aperture and a faster shutter speed or a corresponding smaller aperture and with the shutter speed slowed down.

New Blog.

Hey, this page is going to be used to display my Initial Skills work that I have produced over the first few weeks of my National Diploma in Media Production college course. The work includes Radio Jingles, a simple 8-Shot Journey and pin-hole camera photography.