Cambridge Portfolio Week 2 Post (Technology/Technical Elements)

This week has been quite exciting, as on Tuesday, February 14th, I had a brand new piece of equipment delivered to me. This piece of equipment s called a "Gimbal", and it stabilizes my camera so that shots are more stable. This piece of technology will significantly improve the quality of the film opening as it will allow my partners and me to make sure our shots are void of shaking movement.

The specific Gimbal I purchased is the Weebill S. I have been practicing with it since it arrived and have learned how o function it properly. This will make the filming process easier and will allow shots to be executed much easier. 

I have also discussed with my partners the mood of the film opening and what technical elements we can use to convey our story. A movie that has inspired us is the 2022 analog horror film Skinamarink. This film has been able to do something that so many other movies fall short of, and that is engaging the viewer and feeling as if you are in the setting with the characters. The film is mainly comprised of still shots but has ambient music and sound effects that create a bone-chilling experience. Miguel and Abhiram agreed with me on the idea that we should make many of the scenes dimly lit and somewhat grainy so that we can show and not tell our story directly. This gives our audience enough context clues by immersing them and giving them time to think bout what is taking place.

Another piece of technology we will be using is my Panasonic Lumix G100 camera. This camera allows me to tamper with the ISO and white balance settings. When increasing the ISO in dark spaces it creates digital noise/film grain. This is artificial light made by the camera. The white balance allows me to change the hue of the video recorded, we will be aiming for a warm blue tint in order to convey a darker atmosphere. The digital noise/film grain and the white balance settings are incorporated into the camera, which will save time with editing.

I cannot guarantee we will use these coloration and light settings, it all depends on what we think looks best when recording. I will be sure to update any changes as it relates to this.