New Website

Hello,

Sorry for the lack of updates on this blog. Please head over to my new website for more information.

www.dopkrm.co.uk

Kit

Two Weeks Gone!

Hello once again my faithful followers!

Again I must apologize for this blogs lateness. My original plan was weekly although over the last month it seems to have become a fortnightly occurrence. This fortnight's time has been taken up with various things but this blog has also been put on hold due to a sinus infection I had recently and a Graphics folio due before we broke up – which was yesterday. I feel the Journal style of the last blog worked well so this will be the style I'll follow for this one.

Monday 23^rd March

The main event of this day was filming the final part of the Eco Schools Anti Litter video. It was quite a stress free afternoon as all that needed filming was the video for the rap so we didn't have to worry about audio meaning that we could give directions off camera and communicate with each other on how to move the jib and frame the shot etc – more on the jib later! Felt like we were some form of silent movie directors, but without the loud hailers!

I took along all my different DIY camera supports in order to get as wide a range shoot as possible. This included:
- A tripod (actually not DIY but used the old rubber band trick for a "fluid head" style shot).
- A DIY steadicam made out of wood, pvc couplings and based on a gimbal system.
- A DIY jib, my favorite support. Made mostly out of 8ft lengths of pine and attached to a tripod via a countersunk tripod plate.

The plan now is to first install a dedicated RAID drive (from my brother's old broken PC!), capture all the camera footage (1hr30mins worth) to it. Edit it into a rough cut. Show this to the group for them to make any changes then work on sound and colour timing. Then export in as many formats as necessary, hi quality, web optimized, ipod etc.

My plan is to work on it over the Easter holiday and try and at least "cut the crap" for what of a better word hopefully giving me an idea of the rough timing for it.

Pictures all together of jib etc at end and more info to follow both here and on Twitter! (http://www.twitter.com/dopkrm).

Once we'd finished filming we had to run home with jib in arms, drop off equipment and I had to go and set up technical stuff for my drama exam which was happening the following day!

Tuesday 24^th March

The day of the drama exam… Also a year since – ahh, I digress!

Got into school relatively early to put finishing touches to setup. As I was operating lighting AND sound the setup was as follow.

Lighting
- Strand 200 Series 12/24 two preset LX board. Fully programmable subs and fx chases but annoyingly no theatre stack for the running of cues. Instead just had sub page and number written down on script.
- 14 lanters, 4 profiles (Front of House) and 10 Fresnels (2 FOH, 6 on side bars and two back lights). The two FOH ones were gelled @ LEE Filters 117 giving a sky blue and the back light ones @ LEE Filters 026 being a flame red.

Sound
- An old spirit 4 channel sound board (although not many inputs for the board it has full frequency and AUX sends which I could use with…)
- Behringer "Virtualizer Pro" 2 channel FX processor. As with many FX processors a large amount of the FX are overkill and unusable but most have around 8 different editable functions so you really can optimize the sound. Also allows the storage of 100 user presets so all in all a good processor. I set it up in mono using one cable from a AUX send then outputting in stereo from processor.
- Using a standard CD player with separate speakers as the desk amp using a 2 ¼" to 3.5mm cable from the stereo outputs (post FX return.)
- 3 microphones each in different positions for live SFX. Two cheap, one for ting sound and one for clang. I also had a Shure SM58 (obviously! They re-issued the box for it quite recently, looks impressive – I'll put a pic in!) attached to a mic stand so I myself could make the live gunshot sounds. Put it through a pitch shifter and reverb and it sounds okay!

I also had to run LX for three other plays, one of which I hadn't even received a script from so that wasn't the best fun! All in all though it was a good day, everything got put away in time and according to our drama teacher everyone passed so now it's just the written exam I have to pass in May!

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Apart from these days the week was quite uneventful. On Thursday 26^th Daniel and I were asked if we could produce and present a monthly podcast for the Eco Schools group – the group for which we are making the video. We accepted to do this for the following selfish reasons! :
- Any money from the sponsoring of the podcast me and daniel get to keep ourselves therefore there is the possibility of us making some type of profit from doing this podcast.
- If we did complete this then we wouldn't have to do anything else for the group!

These reasons were enough for us so we will be gathering information from the various sub-groups once we go back to school and then putting together a show.
I am currently in the process of trying to get apple to sponsor us, what with them currently trying to portray a green image etc. No luck yet, if anyone reading this is interested in sponsoring then let me know in the comments!

The structure of the show will be as follows:
- Headlines
- Topics
- Future plans
- Viewer feedback
- Closing

We plan to release it in many different formats, an enhanced AAC one for itunes and ipods with links and pictures etc, a standard mp3 version for other devices and a cut down version to be broadcast on our school tanoy system over lunch. Friday night saw me experimenting with different podcast setups, most simple is two mics, one two left channel one two right through a mixer into a computer then mixed separately. Pictures at end!

I then came down with a sinus infection which is why this post is late. Easter will be a time of revision but I am also hoping to begin editing eco film.

Once again apologizes for the lateness, with myself being on holiday there won't be a blog next week unless something major happens but I will be twittering @ http://www.twitter.com/dopkrm

Now pictures!

How the lighting ground plan looks for blood brothers play

FX processor, not a necessity for podcasting but good fun for skype!

Podcast setup, yes those are socks and elastic bands as pop filters!

Behringer Mixer

Screenshot of all the LX cue sheets, a total of 99 cues (number not intentional!)

Zero 88 Jester LX board, for other performances!

Strand 200 LX board with subs!

The lengths some people go to to get a good high shot! Scary.

Nice to have a production assistant who thinks it's better to take pictures than help you carry an 8ft jib around!

Close up of steadicam gimbal system

Me with jib on hill for extra height!

I Don't Just Do Video!

Hello, First off I must apologize for not updating this sooner! I did state in the previous post that I would post again on Thursday. Well today is Sunday! Many things have stopped me being able to post earlier, a number of which I will cover in this blog. This will most likely be a long post so I will lay it out in a journal kind of format.

Monday 9th

Filmed the first part of a video myself and a friend have been asked to make for our neighbouring primary school. The gist of it is that they are unhappy with the amount of litter that is being dropped in the community and want others to see their views. The video is going to be structured as follows.

1. Artistic shots of litter blowing using Schindler's List style colour on de-saturated background.
2. A bin that the pupils of the school made especially to show their feelings and concerning talking about the problem along with facts and statistics
3. Secret filming of secondary school pupils dropping litter during the lunch hour - faces blurred/pixelated etc. Lead sound into...
4. Interviews shot on greenscreen of the pupils giving their feelings. Idea being for emotional impact as many students are young.
5. A litter rap, shot around many places of the school about their problem and what people can do to help. Filmed in the same way as a music video with audio first then synced in multi camera editor.

There is only a crew of 2 for this "epic". Myself and a friend named Daniel. I am obviously putting my own job primarily as the DP but with there only being two of us roles are pretty much split even. Anyway, on Monday our plan was to film both the interviews, various angles of the bin and record the audio for the rap. We only managed two of the three. We are planning to record rap audio tomorrow (Mon 16th) as on Monday the pupils weren't that sure of the words which is of course understandable but annoying none the less! I'm generally happy with the interview footage. We shot on greenscreen with a wired tie mic to allow the best quality sound. Annoyingly, a fresnel that I was planning to use to backlight the greenscreen fused before filming meaning we had to make the most of strip lighting and natural light sources. Looks like it is going to be a long day of close garbage matting for myself in After Effects! For recording the rap audio I'm planning on just using a Stage Line wide range shotgun mic which goes through a 4 track mixer and records onto a laptop running Adobe Audition. I'll try and nab a few productions shots on Monday if I have a moment, but now Tuesday!


Tuesday 10th

I had a normally school day but after school I had a rehearsal for my practical Drama exam. I have chosen to to lighting for it and on this day I finished programming the board so the whole thing is ready to go for the rehearsal tomorrow (Monday). The rig is only small (14 lanterns with 12DMX channels of control) but it works fine. The board itself is a Strand 200 which is very nice and actually overkill for what I need to do for the exam. It's only let down is the fact that it doesn't have a theatre stack (I'm just running cues from subs) and can only save shows onto 32MB compact flash cards. Do you know how hard it is nowadays to find a 32MD card! Minimum is a GB or so! I'm just hoping someone from the other class won't erase it from the board, already had someone alter my patch! Ahhh... For the exam itself I have to have rigged and focused the lanterns, written up a lighting plot and done cue sheets or programmed the board. Rigging isn't the most fun as the studio is very badly earthed and the risk of powerful static shocks is always around. I'll try and get some shots of various states to post up next week.


Wednesday 11th

This was a busy one! This day is mainly the reason this post is titled as is. It was a very soundy day... For my music exam you choose two instruments. I myself choose music with technology. This means I do one instrument as normal (Drums) and then have to record and mix two different pieces. My first recording is already completed so I just had to do the 2nd today. The plan was to record the instruments (Vocals, Piano, Drums, Saxophone and Bass) onto a Yamaha AW1600 multitrack recorder then transfer to a computer for editing on Pro Tools. Here are some shots of the setup, I apologize for the quality I could only use the webcam on the laptop.

The Yamaha AW1600 Multitrack

Drum Kit set up. 2x AKG instrumentals. 1x SM58 on Bass Drum (Out of Shot)

Piano connected Via D/I box. 2x SM57s for Double Bass and Saxophone. 1x SM58 with pop filter for vocals. Amp set up for monitoring keyboard.

I am now in the process of cleaning up and mixing the files. I hope to have this done by the end of next week. If so I'll upload the mp3 to a file server somewhere and attach a link.

After this though my Wednesday was not over. A friend of mine in my music class is composing a song to submit to the Scottish Qualifications Authority as his composition. This means that it needs to be recorded to be sent to them. The plan is to just record the different parts as they are composed then overlay. On Wednesday vocals and acoustic guitar was recorded with an SM57 and SM58. I am planning to record the bass on Tuesday via a standard D/I box then overlay the drums some time in the future.


Thursday 12th

School was normal apart from a rehearsal after school of another drama classes exam piece for which I been asked to run lighting. This is going to be performed in the Stage which is better for me as it gives me a better board (Zero 88 Jester) and more lanterns plus some floods/blinders. The board itself is very good with a full theatre stack and chase options. I'll try and get some pictures of the board to follow as the lighting itself isn't that creative, just wash, blackout etc. Annoyingly I can't use the lanterns in the stage and board for my exam as the Scottish Qualifications Authority ask that you focus lanterns yourself and due to help and safety I'm not even allowed up a scaffolding tower let alone a ladder and the lanterns in the studio are at a height you can reach standing on the table.


Friday 13th

Again pretty normal, in Edinburgh all the state run schools are fortunate to have half days on Fridays meaning we get out early and have the afternoon to do other things. As part of the initiative run by our eco-schools group (the group for which I am making the litter video) we are creating recycling units for bottles etc. After school on Friday myself and Daniel began assembling the units. We got the first one done and are planning to do the others over the next few weeks. I'll try and snap some pictures of those. I really should try and buy a small compact camera as at the moment I have a good quality Fuji D-SLR type but not one I can easily slip into a bag and carry around.


Saturday 14th

The main highlight of Saturday, as far as things that this blog is related to, was going to a Film Festival ran by a company called "Scottish Kid's Are Making Movies." If I'm honest I did not enjoy it at all. I had been asked along as I had helped to record the score for one of the films. To me the whole event seemed like a lot of over privileged teenagers showing films that had been shot with expensive cameras on fully auto mode. The sound was atrocious for pretty much all of the features. Very un-even. The event annoyed me as I myself know I can do better if I had the equipment. This event did depress me for Saturday as I began to wonder how likely it was that I would make it as a DoP. If I had the money I would love to be able to move to somewhere like L.A. and work up from a PA as I feel I would learn a great amount more this way. Many of the children (and adult tutors) at the event seemed unrealistic about the technical quality of the films. In my opinion I feel that it is more important for people to be told when their work is lacking by friends and people they trust. This way, they can fix their errors quickly, learn from the experience and move on. I would much rather have a friend like Daniel say "Kit, sound for this needs work" Instead of someone from the M.P.S.E telling me I'll never work again!


Sunday 15th

Pretty much a homework day. With my Sound Engineering recordings I have to submit a session log which I worked on on Sunday. Found a service that offers mp3 hosting (podbean) so embedded below is the final mp3 export of Cold Cold Heart.

Powered by Podbean.com

Monday 16th

For those of you are confused as to why the blog is still going on it is because I didn't have time to finish the post of Sunday 15th. It has been saved in Blogger's drafts for days now (today being Friday 20th) so I might as well do up until when I have it finished! Anyway, Monday was another Oxgangs day. For that day we recorded the audio for the rap (which I must clean up and mix tomorrow) and the children dancing to it in various places. Next Monday is a big one. It is more dancing to the rap but this time in front of the school. Finger crossed for a nice day. My plan is to take my DIY steadicam and jib which are both made out of pine and get some call tracking and crane shots. I was told a few days ago that I now have a lot longer to edit it all together than I originally thought which is good news as I originally thought it was going to be a very big rush. I'll defo get some shots of the jib etc and post them up next time I do an entry.

On a side note just got majorly distracted (quarter of an hour I believe) over Google Street view which has now apparently come to the UK! Great, now I can use pictures of the school from the program instead of having to take loads myself!


Tuesday 17th

I don't believe much happened on Tuesday apart from being told that I will be recording my drum pieces to send away next Tuesday, more on that later. I did have a full technical run through of our drama "Blood Brothers" now that the board is planned I pretty much just have to keep up with the script and concentrate on sound.


Wednesday 18th

Again quite uneventful. I was told by my Drama teacher that I was going to be running lights for the other two dramas as well, bring my total up to four. To be honest I do feel overworked by her. I gain no extra credit for working for other groups and I am only marked for one. As the drama exam is on Tuesday and my drum recording is on Tuesday as well I need to talk to her about the possibility of my running lights for all but one exam in which I record my drum pieces. I will be busy! I guess that is the downside of being the only person in the school who knows how to program lighting boards!


Thursday 19th

Pretty uneventful apart from a rehearsal for drama exam (one I'm not being marked for!) after school. Pretty much just running the play from a memory stick via the board. The Jester is very nice especially with an external monitor attached (which I kind of stole from my drama teachers computer :D).


Friday 20th

Rehearsal for Blood Brothers (the one that matters!) after school. The hardest part now seems to be timing the SFX, especially the end gunshots. I decided it would be easier to do live (lucky I'd brought an SM58 with me!) and then run through a Behringer FX processor to add some reverb. The board I'm using is nice. Although it is limited to 4 channels it has full AUX outputs and returns that can be altered from pre to post fader level. I'll try and take some pictures of the system I've built on Tues before the exam! Then I came home, relaxed for a while and finished doing this!

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Again sorry for the late post, hope it's been worth it for you! Remeber, for more recent update check out my twitter here. Please comment with your views on the Cold Cold Heart recording and anything that needs improved! Off to watch Lost now, not sure why I'm still watching but have watched last 4 series and don't want to give up just yet!

Regards,
Kit

A Little Bonus

Hi,

Posting again today for two reasons

1. To check that a free blogging application for my iPod Touch works meaning I'll be able to blog whilst working in spare moments when resetting etc and
2. To post my YouTube page link so you can have a look at my work I've done in the past.

I am hoping to be able to blog again on Thursday with information about current and upcoming projects.

Until then, goodbye
Kit

Link: http://www.youtube.com/Kitus57

Welcome!

Hi

First of all I believe it would be proper for me to introduce myself!
My name is Kit Mackenzie, I'm 15 years old and currently reside in the city of Edinburgh, UK.

The idea behind this blog is to allow others to see the paths I am following in order to become a Director of Photography. For those of you who may be vague on what one of these is, wikipedia provides the following definition of Cinematography, the craft DoPs practice.

Cinematography (from Greek: kinesis κινησις (movement) and grapho γραφω (to record)), is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for the cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography. Many additional issues arise when both the camera and elements of the scene may be in motion, though this also greatly increases the possibilities at the same time.

More found here

I am beginning this blog as I hope others may be interested in what I am doing to get myself noticed and maybe on the off chance that someone in the industry may see this blog and allow me to have my first step on the ladder as it were.

I will try and update this weekly although with school exams and other things this may be difficult. I will try and make up for missed posts by doing 2 the next week.

Please feel free to leave comments with what you think about this blog and any ideas you have that could improve it.

If you use Twitter you can follow me here. You can easily use the RSS feed to keep up with this blog.

Kit