PaulGilchristCamera

Day 7 was a day of nerves but not due to complicated set ups or difficult scenes. I had approached my uncle to appear in the project, this might not seem too bad but when you combine working with a family member for the first time with the fact he is a professional actor it adds that little extra dose of nerves. The set ups could not have been easier, only two set ups one of which was a static web cam POV which dominated the scene so it was one of our easier days. From a camera point of view the only thing i took from the day was a slight negative of the PMW-350 however its an issue more to do with the lens when shooting at closer range the focal range doesn’t really allow you to focus without having to dive into macro. This is not something that is an issue in a large space but in a constricted area it can cause a problem. The performances both from my uncle and from our lead female worked well i will say though in summary that as a camera person i work hard to make something that looks good but you cannot underestimate the impact of an experienced professional actor and that is with no disrespect to anyone i have worked with previous but it really adds to the production value (i am aware i may be a tiny bit byist).

Today was the start of Fade, a three part sci-fi drama. The shoot today was all on location at Cammo Estate in Edinburgh so i was prepared for a day of rolling in the mud. The best thing about today (although i certainly didnt think it at the start of the shoot) was my chance of using the Sony PMW-350. The camera itself is an impressive piece of kit but i was suprised to see a Canon lens being used, the lens itself is quite impressive however it is not the largest. For the purpose of this project though a large lens is not everything. Intially i found using the viewfinder tricky with it being difficult to gauge sharpness and colour however taking the mirror out of the equation helped. With everything working well i was impressed with the camera i found the controls a bit tricky at times but the quality is fantastic. I used my Canon 550D for the close ups and focus pull just because with the Sigma 75-300mm lens i have for it really is simple and effective. The focus today was on some of the more arty shots which gave me a good chance to shine as a camera person, hopefully i took that chance. So one day down 8 more to go, fingers crossed for the rest of the shoot.

Paul