Tri-PodAt the start of the filming process, we did not use the tri-pod as we wanted to get as much footage as possible during the first few days of filming and we felt if we used the tri pod it would take up a lot of time setting it all up. We regretted this after when we watched all of our footage as most of the footage, which we had recorded on the first few days, was not steady which spoilt the footage and therefore we could not use this, especially when we recorded tilts and pans. I have learnt how to set up a tripod, with different heights by adjusting it and trying to get it level which caused a few problems in the beginning when we were filming at a slight angle, we then were told about the bubble in the circle on the tripod which is used to measure how slanted or straight the tripod, and therefore camera, is. We also found it quite hard as we found the tri pod quite stiff to use, which meant when we moved the tri pod around, it wasn’t easy. We then discovered that we had to adjust it from bellow in order to loosen it to make it move smoothly. Our shots were then much more steady and straight. We also learnt how to pan across a room using the stick to get an even and smooth effect.

CameraThe camera was one of the most difficult aspects of the practical production to learn how to use, as previously, I had only dealt with stills not recording. Half way through the recording weeks, we were given a different camera, which we were not familiar with. This meant when we were recording our vox pops we had difficulty finding where to plug the microphone and the earphones into. This resulted in wasting a lesson as we spent time setting up and then spending a lot of time trying to figure out how to use the camera. Finally, we went to see a technician who showed us where to put all the equipment and we were then able to carry on.Handheld camera was hard as we all had shaky hands as we tried to concentrate and so it didn't come out too well when we had uploaded it onto a bigger screen and watched it, but with the use of tripods and practice, we managed to use handheld camera successfully. We also had to learn about focus and white balance. We found it quite difficult when trying to make use of the focus as we had watched many different documentaries and we found this very effective and aesthetically pleasing, so therefore we wanted to use this in our documentary. We spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to us the focus effectively and finally we discovered how to use it. So therefore this should increase our final mark.

MicrophoneWe did not face any problems with the microphone except when recording our vox pops, we aimed the microphone too high so therefore it was visible on the screen. We had to re do these vox pops due to this. Other than that, the microphone was very easy to use.