Use Of Various Cameras In Our Film

During the two year course, we have been able to experiment with various cameras when filming different projects. This has developed our skills immensely, giving us confidence when faced with new challenges; such as having to film on a new camera half way through filming the ending of our film due to inaccessibility of a Sony HD 1,000 camera.   

Panasonic HD Camcorder

When filming our preliminary exorcise in year one, we were using a Panasonic HD Camcorder. This device was simple to operate considering it was hand held, however, ultimately this made our scenes appear very shaky and unprofessional. It also consisted of a light weight considering it did not require a tripod which made it easy to relocate when filming shots, especially if a range of locations were required like in our preliminary exorcise. It was an excellent first device to train and develop our skills.

Sony HD 1,000

For our final AS film in the first year of the course, we upgraded to more professional device: a Sony HD 1,000. The shots we filmed were of a higher quality compared to the Panasonic HD Camcorder which made our film appear more professional. The accompanying tripod ensured all scenes were steady and did not shake; a problem we found when filming with the previous Panasonic camera. 

However, the advantages of a more professional camera came at a price; it was incredibly heavy and required at least two members of the group to carry it around which created risk hazards, especially when operating the camera around stairs or any steep altitudes. It meant we had to rely on one of the group members to drive us to the various locations for filming as we could not travel there on foot with the camera and it's tripod, which was an inconvenience. 

Canon EOS 7D

The extensive price of the Sony HD 1,000 meant that the college facilities regarded it as a very valuable object; only allowing us to gain access to the camera with a tutor present to grant us permission. This caused complications for our filming schedule. Although we were faced with a challenge as a result of being unable to film on our intended camera, we worked around this by making the decision to film the ending scenes with an alternative camera owned by myself: a Canon EOS 7D.

At first, we were spectacle about filming on this camera considering it is actually a device created mainly for photography purposes. However, we were thrilled at how similar the quality of this camera was to the Sony HD 1,000, meaning  that thankfully there were no continuity problems when it came to editing the scenes together in Final Cut Express.

Although I myself am already familiar with this device considering it is my own camera, this was an opportunity for the other members of the group to further develop their skills by filming on a new device. 

This device suited our requirements perfectly as it was light enough to travel with- without causing any inconvenience such as experienced with the weighty Sony HD 1,000- whilst allowing us to attach a tripod or film freehand as the camera itself was not too heavy to hold.

The only downside to filming on the Canon EOS 7D was that we had to 'render' each clip in Final Cut Express after importing them into the software, which slowed down our editing process. You can observe from the image below how each clip imported from the Canon device appeared with a red line above it. When the 'Alt' and 'R' controls on the keypad were pressed down alongside the said clips being highlighted, the box below appeared. It took a few seconds to render each clip. This was another challenge we faced concerning the software's and camera's that we used in the production of our film.