(M1) Explain the use of lighting and camera settings in the context of the plan you have created

In this report I will explain our choices of camera as a group and the settings we will use for this camera. I will also explain our use of lighting to create cinematic quality footage, and to create a distinct style that will suit the purpose of our film.

Camera Choice for our Video:

For our music video, we will be using a DSLR camera. We have chosen this type of camera as the quality, versatility and the ability to change lenses is very useful to gain very distinctive shot types. We are also using a DSLR as it is very high professional grade camera quality which will create stable video for our video.

DSLR cameras are also small, interchangeable and fairly simple to use. The cameras can record in HDR and UHD which is from 1440p (2560x1440) to 4K cinema quality (3840x2160). As long as we keep the footage uncompressed we will hopefully achieve full 4K quality and be able to export the video at this resolution level. The footage will also be filmed in 16:9 as this is standard for screens from monitors to TVs and cinemas.

DSLR cameras also use RGB format for colours which is standard for screen resolution. this is good as it means when we export the video it will be compatible with the colour schemes of other digital devices. Furthermore, the cameras also have auto-stabilisation which will ensure that our video is as smooth as possible ,however, this software is limited so we will have to use tripods and camera mounts to keep the footage physically stable.

The ISO we will be using is undetermined, as we do not know what the lighting environment will be like on the day of shooting. If the lighting is bright, then we will use a lower ISO for better picture quality and to maintain perfect exposure. If the environment is not as bright as usual, we will make the ISO higher as the sensor will capture more light, and bring the level up.

The aperture on the camera will be set according to the lighting that we want, and the depth of field that we are wanting. For example, if we want more light or a higher depth of field we will use a lower f. stop setting. If we wanted less light, or less depth of field, we will make the f stop higher until it matches our needs.

Settings choices:

We will be using manual camera settings to create our footage. This means that we have full control over all applicants to the footage such as aperture, shutter speed, ISO and focal lengths. This also means that we can achieve the style that we want for the footage and trial different settings to see what they achieve. 

Lighting - 

For outdoor scenes, we will use natural lighting. This is because it will look realistic on screen and also because we do not have the budget for tungsten or HMI lighting that would have any effect in daylight. In post production, we will colour grade the video to create a style for the song that we want to achieve. For any practical lighting effects that we do want, however, we can use post production vis and editing to create these effects, such as fire and added light. If we need to adjust the brightness or exposure of any shots, we can manually manipulate the camera for better lighting or we can fix it in post production.