VFX Introduction

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 VFX Introduction

   

For our first VFX lesson, our teacher give us the cameras that we'll be using for the first term already. So, we can get used to how it works and how we can adjust certain settings. The cameras we used are the Nikon D3200

Aperture

Aperture is the hole in the iris of the camera, it is measured in F-Stops.

Small F-Stop is a large opening, which allows more light to enter into the lens. 

Large F-Stops is smaller opening, which allows less light to enter into the camera. 

The Recommended setting for Aperture is F 3.5.


How to set it?

To adjust Aperture you hold he +/- button which is located here (see image below)

 

Then scroll using the command dial to suit your needs. Make sure you aren't in Liveview mode when doing this.

ISO

ISO is how sensitive the sensor inside the camera is to light. It's a good idea to keep the ISO as low as possible. 100-200 is a good ISO setting.

How to set it?

To adjust the ISO, hold the FN button and use the command dial. Furthermore, you can adjust the ISO in Liveview mode. Also, make sure the ISO is at it's lowest setting when filming outside and if, the sky's bright. 

When filming at night, make sure to use & utilise as much lighting as you can. Find some street lamps, additional camera lights & torches to make the scene brighter. However, try not to go over ISO 800, as the shot may look a bit grainy. 

Shutter Speed

Shutter speed is the amount of time that each frame is exposed in the light for. When it comes to filming a video, it's measured in "fraction of a second".

For example, 25fps is 1/50 shutter speed.       60fps is 1/125 shutter speed. 

When using a slow or long shutter speed, you expose the camera sensor for a significant amount of time. One main effect of that is motion blur. If the shutter speed is slow moving objects in a photo or film will seem blurry in the direction of where it's moving. This can be useful when filming a car, as it can make the audience seem the car is moving fast.

How to adjust it?

You can adjust the shutter speed by scrolling the command dial, which is found at the top right corner. If you're shooting at 1080p 25fps, make sure to set the shutter speed at 1/50th of a second. 

Focus

Focus shots can be used to practice adjustments. You can pull off focus pulls where the lenses focuses on one aspect of an object then, slowly focuses on the rest of the aspect. It can be used the other way round too. 





How to adjust focus?

Before hitting record, make sure the shot is in focus. On your Nikon DSLR camera, rotate the focus ring left and right until your subject is in focus.  

Zooming in (& Zooming Out)

To make a zooming in (or out) shot, you can rotate the zoom ring which can change the focal length to 18mm to 55mm. 



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