Final Cut Pro

On the 23rd of September 2008 we were introduced to a new program called Final Cut Pro. This program is used for editing and is a good program to use, along with the fact that it has many varying uses. As many people were only aware of iMovie (as an editing program) in our class, it was a useful change which involved us practicing on the program to get a feel for it. I am interested in learning more about the program and its uses, so that i can broaden my knowledge in the industry. The four main windows in Final Cut Pro are called the Browser, Viewer, Timeline and Canvas.

In this lesson i learnt how to cut between different video clips along with being able to use many types of video effects such as fades. If you want to split a video or audio clip in two or remove a segment of a clip (such as eliminating a sound gap in your audio), you can use the Razor Blade Tool to slice out the segment of the track. To do these cuts in Final Cut Pro, in the tool palette click on the Razor Blade tool, which is an icon that looks like a little razor blade (or press the B Key for "blade" on the keyboard). The cursor will then change to a small razor icon. Now the different clips can be cut and separated by clicking on the clip which is intended to be cut.

To use the different types of effects in Final Cut Pro, click on the browser and look for the tag Effects which should be next to the project. A list of effects will appear in a column and then the effects can be added to the clips.

To write text on the different clips in Final Cut Pro, click on the little text icon on the viewers window and a list of all the different types of text that can be put onto the clips will appear. Click on the different types of text and play around with them.

Video work

In my media lesson on 16th September 2008, we were set a task which involved using the cameras. This task involved us being able to shoot different shot sequences in a a continuous sequence. Firstly we had to decide on what to base our films on. After a short but overall unanimous vote, our class decided to do 'Receiving our exam results'. We were put into groups of three in which one person acted whilst the other two directed and filmed the sequence. Our group of three was Kwame, Katie and me; Kwame acting, Katie directing and me filming. We were hen given a camera to start our filming. We went to the common room to film the scene where Kwame receives his results from the office. For this shot we used a close-up of his face and a medium shot above his waist. We tried to do a close up of Kwame opening the results but the camera was very hard to position and was very hard to adjust the zoom just right. We had little time left so we did one final shot of Kwame coming out of the office and opening the results. We then headed back to class. In class, we decided to show the final scene to the whole class. Overall the activity in which we filmed was very successful due to our determination and immense courage!

The Rule Of Thirds

The rule of thirds is the perfect way for taking camera shots. The eye line is usually around the top horizontal line while the rest of the body is below in the remaining six squares. There are a lot of different ways of taking camera shots. For example there is the 'over the shoulder shot' and the 'head straight on'. The focus point of the shot is normally where, the crossing of two lines are.

The photograph to the right demonstrates the application of the rule of thirds. The hand and face sit at the horizontal line dividing the lower third of the photo from the upper two-thirds. The persons torso sits at the intersection of two lines, sometimes called a power point. Points of interest in the photo don't have to actually touch one of these lines to take advantage of the rule of thirds.

The application of the rule of thirds to photographs is considered by many to make them more pleasing and professional-looking. The rule of thirds can be applied by lining up subjects with the guiding lines, placing the horizon on the top or bottom line instead of the center, or allowing features in the photograph to flow from section to section.