Equipment we're using

Since we commenced filming, we have made use of a series of equipment available to us through the school. So far, we have used a Canon Camera DSLR, a tripod, a dolly, and for the first time, a lighting rig, complete with a reflective cover to really make the bulbs "Shine."


We didn't actually use the camera offered to us by the school. Instead, we used Paddy's camera which his older sister gave him upon completing her own Media Studies course with it, as his has a larger lens with a better zoom function that doesn't distort the picture quality during a zoom. It also has a greater resolution than the ones available at school, so it made sense for us to use his instead. DSLR is typically used for taking photographs, but it has a video recording function and it's been working great for us so far. There are numerous other features which we might utilise at some point down the road, such as the ability to reduce the shutter speed. This would increase the light exposed to the shot, and give us Abrams' signature lens flare, so we might use that as a nod to the geek behind The Force Awakens. If we have one concern, it's that the zoom is manually controlled using the lens, rather than an automatic zoom, so it may not be as smooth and become jumpy, though we can find a way to use that to good effect in the vein of the gritty, choppily edited Jason Bourne franchise.




Our tripod was quite basic, with no enhanced features, but it did as required and stabilised the camera during the steadier shots. We can also move the camera with a handle, which depends on the steadiness of the user's hand. This handle can be set tighter or loose for handling, but if the user has shaky hands, the movements aren't going to be smooth.

We used the dolly briefly as a way of increasing the height and manoeuvrability of the tripod. Dollies are very expensive bits of kit, so we couldn't provide our own and had to borrow one from school. The use of the dolly, a platform on wheels, was to help diversify our choice of shots, which it did as it allowed us to do otherwise complicated, smooth tracking shots.




This year has seen the introduction of a new piece of equipment we've never used before, an artificial lighting rig, which allows us to film in the dark and still see the focal point of the shot (in our case Luke's face). So far we've seen huge improvements. The project looks overall much more professional. We had lighting problems in the dark during our previous project last year, as we relied on limited sunlight and the focus of the shot was often missed, causing further complications and a lack of professional appearance to the film. This new project looks a lot better thanks to this lighting rig - as well as this one missing my poor acting skills.