By Maya Wilkinson and Jody-Ann White


All video uses some sort of lighting, whether it be natural light (from the sun) or artificial lights. The goal of video lighting is to choose the best source(s) to achieve your goals.
First and foremost you need enough light. You must ensure that your camera is able to record an acceptable picture in the conditions. With modern cameras this is seldom a problem except in very low light or strong contrast.
Assuming you have enough light, you must then consider the quality of the light and how the various light sources combine to produce the image.
If you have clashing light sources (e.g. artificial interior lights with sunlight coming through the windows), you may find the colours in your image appear unnatural. It's best to control the light sources yourself if possible (e.g. turn off the lights or close the curtains).
When moving between locations, think about what light source you are using. If you move from an outside setting to an inside one with artificial lights, the amount of light may seem the same but the colour temperature will change according to the type of lights. In this case you need to white balance your camera for the new light source.


Contrast Ratio
Contrast ratio is the difference in brightness between the brightest and darkest parts of the picture. Video does not cope with extreme contrast as well as film, and nowhere near as well as the human eye. The result of over-contrast is that some parts of the picture will be too bright or too dark to see any detail. For this reason you need to ensure that there is not too much contrast in your shot. See Camera Contrast Ratio for more details.

By Tsahai Thomas


Today we'll be looking at shot angles. The different angles from which you take a picture, or film a video can give an audience various meaning and interpretation of a scene. So for all our young photographers and film makers out there, be sure to choose your camera angles well before producing, it could make the world of difference.


There are several types of angles one can use to take a picture or film a video, so sit tight as we go through each one.


Birds Eye View

This is taken from directly overhead. Images taken from this angle can look very unnatural at first such as houses that look like match box or umbrellas that look like dots. This is the angle we would normally see the earth from in an airplane. This shot helps to put the audience in a god-like position, looking down at the action. Objects and people can be made to look insignificant or simply apart of the wider scheme of things.


High Angle


This shot angle although taken from an elevated angle, is not as extreme as the bird's eye view. The camera is elevated above the action giving a general view of what is going on. High angle shots  such as the one shown can help the audience feel apart of the action. At times, however, it simply makes objects seem smaller, such as the cheerleaders on the ground, and thus they become less significant. When using high angle shots, the characters tend to get swallowed up by their settings as they become apart of the wider picture.








Eye Level


As the name suggests, the audience gets to view the action on a face to face level. This shot can be used especially with conversations among characters or simply to get a personal view of a scene. The camera is usually placed five to six feet from the ground. (Yes this picture is one of me and some friends).










Low Angle



Low angle shots are used to increase the height of characters or objects. This is used especially in cinema to at height to short actors. This type of angle helps to create a sense of confusion within a scene, and audiences feel a sense of powerlessness and confusion as the action speeds along. The added height of the subject assists in inspiring awe, respect and sometimes fear in audiences.
















Canted/Oblique Shot


The camera is sometimes tilted to get what is called a canted shot angle.  This can create a sense of imbalance, transition or instability. This is mainly found in horror movies (but I did not want to scare any of you bloggers with one of those pictures). The technique is used to suggest point of view i.e. when the camera becomes the 'eye' of a character by seeing what they see. A hand held camera is usually used. 















These are the basic camera/shot angles. I also added a video from YouTube demonstrating the basic shot angles. Please check it out.

By Reneece Francis

Hi guys, I'm just putting up a few of my articles form my tech page in the Observer TEENage paper. My tech page consists of games and gadgets, do enjoy.


Super Mario Galaxy 2- Release date-May 23, 2010

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is an upcoming platforming video game in development for the Nintendo Wii. It is the sequel to Super Mario Galaxy. The game's levels are galaxies filled with minor planets and worlds, while its game play is based on that of its predecessor, updated with gravity effects and new power-ups. Old mechanics will be returning from Super Mario Galaxy, such as blue Pull Stars, sections restricted to a 2D axis, balance ball levels, Lumas, and gravity-reversing background arrows. Also, new items and game play mechanics have been showcased. These include a drill that allows Mario to dig through dirt into new areas and in some cases explore the interior of planets. Players can also collect Comet Metals hidden in the stages to unlock harder levels with tougher challenges.

Radioisotope Battery

Tired of the short lifespan and battery life of your laptop and cellular phone? Tired of having to walk around with your charger in search of an outlet? How about a change? Scientists have recently found that nuclear-powered batteries can solve our problems. The new radioisotope battery is the size of a penny and provides much more power than the traditional ones because, according to the researches, its capacity is very superior. The new nuclear battery would bring a solution based on a liquid semiconductor (rather than a solid semiconductor) that will produce a much longer lifetime for the battery. The reason is that the solid semiconductors are attacked constantly by some radioactive elements used by other types of batteries, while the liquid semiconductor is quite resistant to these attacks. Wow, how awesome would that be?

i4 Universal Charger

IDAFT, a Spain-based technological company has created a four-way portable charger that can charge up to 4000 different kinds of mobile phones and technological devices and gadgets, with its interchangeable tips. It was designed with three charging stations and an additional USB charging point that allows users to charge their electronic gadgets without the jumble of tangled cords or the need to have more than one outlet.

2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa - April 27, 2010

2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa will feature all 199 national teams that took part in the qualification round, the 10 official stadiums to be used in South Africa and stadiums from each qualifying region. Gamers will be able to play as their home nation from the qualification round right through to the FIFA World Cup Final and feel what it is like to score the goal that inspires national pride. Everything fans love about the World Cup will come to life in spectacular detail, including confetti rain, streamers and fireworks, just like the official tournament. For fans of nations that failed to qualify for South Africa, this is the chance to rewrite history. Plus, game play innovations capture the journey from qualification to the final tournament with home-and-away strategies for every nation, situational tactics in-game, and altitude effects that fatigue players faster and even impact the flight of the ball.

Lighting is the deliberate application of light to achieve some aesthetic or practical effect. Lighting includes use of both artificial light sources such as lamps and natural illumination of interiors from daylight. Day lighting (through windows, skylights) is often used as the main source of light during daytime in buildings given its low cost. Artificial lighting represents a major component of energy consumption, accounting for a significant part of all energy consumed worldwide. Artificial lighting is most commonly provided today by electric lights, but gas lighting, candles, or oil lamps were used in the past, and still are used in certain situations. Proper lighting can enhance task performance or aesthetics, while there can be energy wastage and adverse health effects of poorly designed lighting. Indoor lighting is a form of fixture or furnishing, and a key part of interior design. Lighting can also be an intrinsic component of landscaping.

• What is Cinematography?
• Why is Cinematography important?
• What is interesting about Cinematography i.e. Why should i care?

• Cinematography is the art or technique of movie photography, including both the shooting and development of the film.
• It is an important art of expression and many times serve as our entertainment, information source and educators.
• EVERYTHING about Cinematography is important. Every aspect of a picture adds to the final effect.

By Reneece Francis

Shot size, also known as camera distance or social distance is how far the photographer is to be, to the people or objects in the frame.That is to say, the distance at which he or she is, in order to take the photograph or to take a video. As such, this process allows for a relationship between the viewer and the individual or object in the photograph or video.
There are three main shot sizes; long shot, medium shot or mid shot and close-up or intimate distance. However, with respect to long shot and close-up, there are variations to such.

Long shot
a. Long shot, LS, also known as wide shot, WD, in film, shows the entire picture. That means, if there is an individual or some sort of landscaping in the shot, the entire individual or landscape will be highlighted. This shot is seen as public type of distance or objectivity.

b. Extreme long shot- this is where the entire individual is shown, however, from a very far distance, so he or she is barely visible.

c. Medium long shot- there is a great amount of detail and information that can be gathered from this shot, with regards to the individual and settings. Basically everything is seen clearly enough to be able to come to a conclusion about the photograph.



Medium Shot/Mid-shot
Medium shot or mid-shot, MS, usually cuts of people from the waist or cut out the background only highlighting specific areas. That is to say, a person's expression or movements will dominate the frame or the screen, with regards to film. This shot is seen as a more social shot.








Close-up/Intimate Distance
The close-up or intimate distance directs the viewer's attention to what the individual is doing, saying or feeling. It may also highlight an object which may be of significance to the narrative. In this shot, the person's head and sometimes shoulders are shown.
a. Medium close-up- this is where the individual's head and shoulders rest comfortably in the frame.

b. Big close-up- this is just before the individual's chin, to the middle of his or her forehead.

c. Extreme close-up- this is dramatic focus on a particular part of the body or the object, for instance, the individual's eyes.