Technology (In General)

A lot of technology was and is necessary for out title sequence to come together. And I mean, A LOT. Beware, this is probably going to be a long read.

Filming Devices:

IPhones

Three of our group members, Katelyn, Ben and I, have IPhones. I have an IPhone 6S+, Ben has an IPhone 7S and Katelyn has one of the newest models, the IPhone X. This IPhone will most likely be used the most as it has the most impressive and advanced specs out of all of the IPhones so far. This IPhone camera contains dual optical image stabilization, autofocus and ‘tap to focus’ capabilities as well as exposure control and 12 megapixel wide angle and telephoto cameras.

A wide angle camera/lens is any lens with a short focal length and a wide field of view. This lens allows the camera to capture much more of the scene than a normal lens can, making it great for architectural and landscape photography (ALC).

A telephoto camera/lens is like a telescope, it magnifies distant objects. Distant football players, small birds sitting in trees, and other similar subjects are all much easier to capture with a telephoto lens (How to Geek).

This IPhone can also video record at 1080p HD quality at 30 fps (frames per second) and 60 fps, as well as record at 4K quality in 24 fps, 30 fps and 60 fps.

This camera should allow us to still capture quality footage while also being able to capture unconventional shots, such as high angle shots or close ups, which may have been more awkward or difficult with the professional Canon cameras that we also plan to use.

Canon T3i and Canon T4i

Fully named the Canon Rebel EOS T3i and the Canon Rebel EOS T4i, these advanced cameras were used during filming to capture the best possible footage for our opening. The T4i was rented to the group by our teacher, Mr. Engle, and the T3i belonged to our cinematographer and actor, Katelyn Wagner.

The cameras both have impressive specs: both camera are capable of 1080p HD video recording, have an ISO range of 100 – 6400 and a 9 point autofocus system to aid with focusing pictures.

I was tasked with researching the Canon T4i and it has even more advanced specs than the T3i, also capable of 5 fps (frames per second) continuous shooting, containing an LCD, touch screen viewfinder as well as a built in stereo microphone. However, we don’t plan to use the microphone as we hope to capture the sound for the film on the condenser microphone, also rented to us by our teacher.

Audio Recording Devices:

Condenser Microphone

This piece of technology was entrusted in the hands of our group partner, Bianca. She was tasked with researching this technology, so there is more information on this on her blog. However, I will briefly cover this microphone’s capabilities here, as well.

The condenser mic that we rented is the “CAD U37 USB Studio Condenser Recording Microphone.” This microphone allows the user to garner quality audio due to its ability to capture sounds very well. So well that it also needs a pop filter – a noise protection filter for microphones, which serves to reduce or eliminate popping sounds caused by the mechanical impact of fast-moving air on the microphone.

The sound also has a switch that allows it a 10 dB (decibel) overload protection to minimize the distortion of loud sounds that may interfere with the main sound source and a switch for bass reduction to reduce room noise. This will most likely help us to record rich sounds to enhance out title sequence, especially since sound is a crucial factor of films in the thriller genre.

Voice Memos:

On the IPhone, there is an application that allows the user to record audio named “Voice Memos.” This app uses the phone’s built-in microphone to record audio that can then be played back.

This is also a tool that we will probably use in recording audio as the condenser mic presents the same issues as the Canon cameras, it is large and rather heavy. Should we need to record sounds in an unconventional area, like high up close to an air conditioner, it would be simpler to record that sound on our phone. It would also be a more comfortable experience as the condenser mic is not our own and it is also very expensive. Dropping or damaging this expensive item would not be desirable, so recording on the phone might also present an ease of mind.

In terms of the IPhones, we will most likely be using the IPhone X to record the audio in Voice Memos as it has the most advanced specs out of all of the IPhones. Although I could not find the specific, technical capabilities of the phone, my group tested the audio quality of the three versions of IPhone we possess – the IPhone 6S+, 7S, and X. After evaluating the quality of the sound acquired on each device (albeit with our own ears), we decided that Katelyn’s IPhone X had the best audio quality.

We will probably use this feature to record ambient sound and other sound within our opening sequence.

Other Technology:

We will also be bringing different light sources to the motel just in case we need any artificial light to brighten the scene. As previously posted in “Upcoming Stress,” we will be bringing a fluorescent, LED light and two industrial yard lights to the motel just in case. We will also most likely utilize out camera flashlights and any other handheld lights that we can find around our homes.

Additionally, the editing technology that our editor, Ben, will use is Sony Vegas Pro 13, which is a video editing software package for non-linear editing – an editing method that allows you to access any frame in a digital video clip regardless of sequence in the clip. It is specifically a video editing suite that is aimed at professionals that need to produce high-quality HD videos. Sony Vegas Pro offers the ability to import media from multiple devices as well as the ability to apply more than 300 filters and special effects and optimize image quality. This software also gives the user a very high degree of control over sound settings, being very powerful when it comes to audio editing and is an industry standard video editor. It also allows one to easily organize various audio and video tracks with its “timeline interface.”

This technology will no doubt help our project to be the best it can possibly be.

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