Faculty of Creative Technology organizes a specialized course on “Digital Media” for students

On August 2, 2023, the Faculty of Creative Technology organized a “Digital Media” session to help students majoring in Film and Television Technology and Media Technology get access to modern digital media equipment and enhance their professional skills in photography and filming.

Host of the program, Journalist and Director Le Minh Vuong, working at Dong Nai Radio - Television Station, introduced fundamental information about color systems, sharpness, basic scene division categories, shooting styles, animations, camera movement, white balance, lighting, and framing.

Regarding color systems, the PAL (Phase Alternate Line) system is a widely used one around the world. Currently, all Vietnam Televisions use the PAL system to broadcast with a frame size of 720x576 (352x288 for VCD discs). As for the NTSC (National Television System Committee) system which is commonly used in the Americas, Japan, South Korea, and many other countries with a frame size of 720x480 (352x240 for VCD discs). 

After learning about color systems, attendees continue to deep dive into I/P. I/P purpose is to display the frame twice in succession, with the resolution of 1920 x 540 for both the balanced scan lines first, then the odd scan lines right after. Finally, fundamental television techniques include two aspect ratios: 4:3 and 16:9.

For basic filming, students were introduced to Basic Shot Types. The first one is the long shot/wide shot (LS/WS), which is used a lot in filming. In a long shot, the frame shows where the characters are and what they are doing. Human appearance occupies a very small proportion of the frame. If there are any movements, it will show the general movements of humans such as running, drawing, walking, or sitting.

The second type is extreme long shot (XLS/ELS), which is used for outdoor shooting, and depicts large scenes and spaces such as urban areas, suburban areas, countrysides, and mountains. When shooting such wide shots, it is essential for the camera to be set at a significantly higher place or to use a specialized equipment like a flycam. People's appearance is often unclear, only participatory, and unrecognizable, or even no human appearances at all.

The third one, the very long shot (VLS), is often used in filming and shooting in studios, stages, or workshops. In a very long shot, the characters seem rather small in comparison to the entire frame and the surroundings or landscape become the main focus.

After 3 types of long shots mentioned above, Mr. Le Minh Vuong also talks about medium, medium close-up, and medium long shots. In medium shots (MS), humans occupy a bigger proportion and are the main focus of the scene, their actions are clearly seen. Viewers will distinctively see the character's face, how they dress, what they are doing, and where they are, as well as part of their personalities, attitudes, and expressions. In a medium long shot, the picture of character will often be cropped above the knees. Viewers can properly see space, context, and objects. Next, the medium close-up shot will be used to show character’s facial expressions, enhancing their gaze, emotions, hairstyle, hair color, if they wear makeup or not. It is the shot type that is used regularly in filming.

Additionally, Mr. Vuong guided attendees to close up, very close up, and extreme close up shots. When the cameraman uses a close up shot, we can have a bare view of the face and some of the facial and hair details. It will show precisely the character’s facial expression through the eyes, mouth, and actions when they talk, hear, or express an attitude.

And the last one, over the shoulder shot, a popular shot that shoots from behind another character, with the subject ranging from medium to close-up. The subject's shoulders, neck, and back of the head are pointed away from the camera but still visible, making the camera angle useful for depicting reactions during the conversation. This shot emphasizes the relation between two persons that are having a conversation, instead of the feeling of separation or confrontation when shooting as a single scene.

Once the cameraman has a better understanding of basic filming styles, camera movements in filming are indispensable. Mr. Vuong categorized camera movement in filming into 7 types:

• Pan: Usually used to depict a wide space or following an object moving horizontally.
• Tilt: Used to show height.
• Zoom in and zoom out: Helps to shift the subject’s size in the frame.
• Dolly: Usually used on a track to move the camera away from or closer to the subject.
• Tracking: Moving the camera following the subject throughout the shot and for an extended amount of time.
• Crane shot: Used when the cameraman shoots at a very high scene with the help of a crane.
• Arc shot/ 360 tracking shot: Helps to move the camera around the character or subject.
• Random movement: Used to increase the drama of the scene or to establish a subjective look.

To make a beautiful video, the cameraman needs to know about white balance. White balance provides images with correct colors as reality. In different lighting conditions, the properties of light are also different, so when changing the lighting, the cameraman must white balance to keep the video image in the correct color, providing more emotions and harmony in all situations. Mr. Vuong, moreover, said that there are two types of lighting, natural and artificial.

To keep images and videos from looking confusing, the frame layout matters. There are many rules about composition, but we need to clearly understand the three most basic rules: horizon rule, 1/3 rule, and view rule.

Once we have determined the composition, the camera angle will best delineate the scene we want. For high angle, we will set the camera above the subject’s eye level, offering a sense of deadlock and helplessness, as well as showing narrowness and extremes. For the horizontal angle set at the subject’s eye level, it is usually recommended for filming in cinematography, television, and photography, demonstrating equality, closeness, and friendliness. Finally, the low camera angle is set lower than the subject's sight. The low camera angle brings a sense of respect for the subject's majesty and grandeur.

With this helpful information, Film and Television Technology along with Media Technology students, and those who are passionate about multimedia, film, and television can skillfully apply techniques to their products, benefiting their learning journey and the process of developing professional skills.

News: Thanh Lich
Photos: Dac Khanh