We had 16 attendees including a returning member, Kohsuke. Welcome back!
Apologies from Freddie Lee and Ross
Glenn's film bite this meeting was Cinematography Style: Emmanuel Lubezki from 1m 47s to 4m 53s. Emmanuel's philosophy is not to underexpose his images and adopt a clean look that is not washed out, where the blacks are deep and are representative of real life. He uses minimal extra lighting, instead utilising as much natural lighting as possible so as to not feel artificial. Emmanuel also used long takes rather than short cuts to portray a more immersive experience.
David gave a short update for The Eleven Tomorrows, where Future Network TV is considering a Pay per View model. Stay tuned.
Glenn then took us on a practical demo using his camera to explain What is Frame Rate? — Ultimate Guide to Frames Per Second Explained from 8m 00s to 12m 13s. Variable frame rates when applied in film can be used to create slow motion by over cranking or shooting at higher frame rates per second than normal playback e.g. 120 fps, 300 fps. This allows for higher quality slow motion detail, that makes action shots look more spectacular, or make comedic moments more funny. The higher fps allows spectacular detail to be shown that would otherwise not be visible, and enables speed ramping (deliberately speed up and slow down the footage being played back in a single show) to emphasize the action. Slow motion accentuates the action if used effectively.
Paul then took us back 18 million years in two beautifully narrated mini documentaries of the world heritage listed Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, starting with Barrington Tops on the NSW north coast, which is the most southerly of the fifty reserves in the world heritage listed Gondwana Rainforests of Australia which stretch from northeastern New South Wales to southeast Queensland. These rainforests are home to about a third of the continent's plant and animal species and protect more than 200 rare and threatened species. They are a living remnant and connection with the super-continent known as Gondwana. He then continued his journey through the Dorrigo National Park. It's on Paul's bucket list to film the eight regions of Gondwana Rainforests which are home to some 50 reserves. It should be noted that his videos were shot on an iPhone and a gimbal in a run and gun style. Minimalistic yet impressive.
Nigel gave an abbreviated version of his version of using messaging apps to record interviews. The full version of his notes follow:
Platform
* Windows, Mac, Google or Linux operating system?
* PC, Mac, laptop or Macbook
* No in-built software recording capability, requires a 3rd party screen recording app
Hardware
* Important to have a camera and a mic, not all laptops have a mic and/or camera!
* PC typically requires a separate camera with mic
* Whilst you may have equipment that meets video and sound quality specs, the same may not be true for the other party at the other end
Network quality
* A poor or slow network connection can affect both the sound and video quality. The sound can break up, skip or sound tinny, and the video resolution can change (reduce), freeze or skip.
Recording resolution
* Many built-in laptop cameras capture only at 720p or lower resolution, and mic audio is dependent on the mic that came with the laptop
Portables
* iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Google phone or something else
* No built-in recording apps, typically need a 3rd party screen recording app
Messaging Apps
* Microsoft Teams for Home – Windows & Android operating systems supported, set up and record meetings for free (60 minute limit), built-in call recording capability
* Messenger – no native video call recording capability, requires a screen recorder
* Zoom – set up meetings but there is a 40 minute session limit in the free version, plus recording capability of longer than 2 minutes is only available with the paid version
* WeChat – no native video call recording capability, requires a screen recorder
* WhatsApp - no native video call recording capability, requires a screen recorder
3rd party screen recording apps
* Screen Recorder 4 (also available as a plugin in Power Director), but not available on Mac
* OBS Studio Screen Recorder - Open source, free, and without restrictions but hard for beginners to learn to use and has a complicated and outdated user interface
* Flashback Express is a screen recording software with no time constraints or watermarks. Buying Flashback Pro will give you editing features and the ability to save in any format.
We then took a break, and afterwards convened for an ideation session hosted by Peter for his upcoming project, Together.
The intent was for us to come up with story outlines that could be expanded into potential scripts based on, and that built upon, the theme of togetherness. After being broken up into 4 groups, each group then brainstormed a story idea based on themes that Peter gave us, then a representative presented their idea:
Nursing home, Couple, Indro, Gay, Handicapped, Dancing, Bullying, Single, Environment, Rally , Dying.
Next meeting
Glenn and Nigel will be absent, and Freddie-Lee will take on the reins and run the meeting.
David may have a film bite to share
Freddie will then help plan the upcoming Ugg Competitions for the rest of the year beyond 21 March
Script writing/ next stage of planning for ‘Together’. Peter Waterman.
UGG Competition
UGG Competition theme for 21 March is using motion techniques, Let's bring out the Emmanuel Lubezki in all of us!
Brisbane Movie Makers
Storytelling Through the Lens
