Mamma Mia 2!

On Thursday, I was lucky enough to go to the set of Mamma Mia 2 which is being filmed in Shepperton Studios. I was invited to go on set as my dad is currently working on the film as camera operator and he wanted me to see the scene he was filming which was a dance and musical scene. This was so interesting and the set and costumes were amazing. I got to meet the director named Ol Parker who was very nice and let me sit in his directors chair and watch the pre trainer for the film called the sizzler. I also meet the main actress on the film who plays the young Donner called Lilly James known for staring in Cinderella and Baby Driver.
This was a great opportunity as it gave me an insight of what it would be like to be working in the film industry and what it would be like to spend the day on set. I was surprise at the amount of times one shot would take and how they had to redo it multiple times just to get the right take. I also was taken back at the amount of people involved and the different jobs everyone has, such as lighting, focus puller, hair and makeup, extras, dancers, doubles, runners, camera assistance, dance choreographers, producers and directors. This did not only help with my media but also my interest in dance as I could see first hand experience of what it would be like to work on a film as a dancer.

Sound recording experience

On Sunday 29th October, my mum and I travelled to Cheltenham to spend a day in a recording studio called Yellow Shark. My mum had a day recording an audio book for The Robin of Sherwood series. This was really interesting as I spent the time in the recording studio, seeing how the studios operate in a professional environment.

Here are some pictures I took of the studio and the recording equipment.

My First Lesson

In our first lesson of A2 coursework we looked at different clips from past students for their coursework. This gave me ideas for next years coursework and I have decided that I am interested in either a music video, short film or a film opening. It was very useful looking at past students work as it gave me an insight in what I am expected to do and it showed me the different ideas you can take. For example in a music video, different coloured light, studio space and background dancers.

Year 6 Induction Day

Yesterday, year 6's came into senior house for a year 7 induction day. There was lots of girls who came and they all each had a media class. They filmed themselves talking about their favourite hobbies, interests and about their selves. We then edited them all on IMovie with their chosen music and background. This was very good practise for me as we had a limited amount of time to do complete them. I also learnt new skills such as downloading music onto iTunes using a website converter. We did have some challenges on the way as the computer kept crashing and wouldn't upload, but in the end we manage to film off the computer and upload it. Even though it was time consuming at times it was very useful and fun.

Knole House Trip

Last Friday, the media class went to visit Knole House in Kent, a National Trust house with a large scale of grounds. This was a very interesting trip as the whole trip was a performance including our tour guide and we were taken through time through each room. It gave us a chance to learn about the heritage of the house and woman rights at the time. The house was owned by a women called Vita Sackville- West and her lover was a women named Virginia Woolf. After the tour and the performance we watched a film which was about Orlando who was the character in the book that Virginia Wolf wrote, which was a film was about gender identity. Overall, this was a very interesting and beautiful place to visit and at the same time we learned so much about the history behind the house, gender equality and the meaning behind gender as well as the media side with the film in the afternoon.

Work Experience

June 21, 2017

On the 12th June, I went to Pinewood Studios for a week for work experience. I worked with a company called Movietech which provides all camera equipment for commercials and big films such as Star Wars. In the week I was there I learnt valuable information about the different cameras, lens and how to test them and how to set them up. I made sure that I took pictures and recorded information about the different equipment so that I could look back on it. This week was especially useful for me as it ties in very well with my media A-level. I know that I feel more comfortable with cameras and I know the different cameras and lens used for different work. For example the phantom camera is used for very slow moving objects as this camera can slow a picture down by 1000 shot per second. This camera is very popular for adverts such as M&S, where milk is slowly poured. The Phantom is also used in documentaries such as Planet Earth where a shot of a cheetah running is slowed down.

These are a few pictures of some of the cameras and lens I used during the week.