Today we got to set up the cameras. We put them on the "sticks," (which is the film term for tripod) and put the viewfinders on, the camera, the matte box (the rectangle box that totally makes a movie camera look like a movie camera), and tried them out. They look awesome! It was really, really fun.
The cameras are Red Epics, and they shoot in 5K, which is extremely high resolution. So, basically, anything we shoot is gonna look incredible by proxy. The lenses are cool, too. I'm excited to use wide angle lenses, because I love wide angle. We aren't allowed to use the telephoto lenses this year, because our professor said that if we use the telephoto lens, nobody learns how to actually use the normal lenses, and how to move the camera, and everything.
It's really cool, because the Director of Photography doesn't actually operate the lenses. He (or she!) will look through the camera, or through the viewfinder, but the 1st Assistant Camera person (1st A.C.) will operate the lenses with a thing called a follow focus, and a knob to turn the follow focus. It's kind of difficult to explain, but it's really cool. The follow focus keeps focus on the actor. It's pretty neat.
The next class I had was Dolly Workshop, which was absolutely amazing! We got the dollies we're going to be using for our tracking shots, smooth shots, high shots, low shots, etc. We learned to put them together and all that, and we learned how to do a "dolly party," which is when four people pick up the dolly and move it onto a track. It was heavy, but not as heavy as I thought it would be, and I felt very accomplished to have taken part in the "dolly party."
After the work in the building, we went outside and laid tracks for the dollies. It's like a metal rail, and when you put the dolly on it, it rolls completely smoothly. This is what most movies use for those smooth tracking shots, walking shots, point of view shots, and more. I had so much fun, and I really wish I could put a million dolly shots in my film. I think my crew would kill me. But we'll see.
When you lay dolly track, you have to make sure it is completely even. So we had to go all down the track with a level, and pieces where it wasn't level, we had to put wood blocks underneath to level it out. It seems a little time consuming, but it was actually fun. I actually felt like I was doing something. I felt accomplished, once again. I should mention, the leveling out is done when the dolly track has been laid on uneven ground. Because sometimes, you will have to film on a hill, or over a mud puddle or something. Who knows.
Oh! And I almost forgot! The director and the first assistant camera guy (or girl) ride on the dolly! There are seats on the side that are really cushiony, and you can go for a little ride.
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