Parts of a Camera

November 24, 2009

A camera consists of seven basic components: a viewfinder, a focusing mechanism, a

shutter, an adjustable aperture, a lens, a body, and devices for controlling film alignment
and advancement. In the example below we are using a Single Lens Reflex type camera
to demonstrate the different components that make up a camera.

One uses the film advance lever to advance to the next frame on his or her roll of film.
When this lever is pulled, film is pulled from the film case into the film take-up spool.

When the shutter release button is pressed, after the film has been advanced, the shutter
is opened allowing for light to strike the film.
At the exact moment the shutter release button is pressed, the shutter remains open for a
period of time. This period of time is determined by the shutter speed dial. Most cameras
will have several different shutter speed settings. These are usually fractions of a second;
ie. 1/60th sec. This fraction of time is what allows the light to strike the film.

If one chooses to use a flash and their camera supports it, one may attach a flash to the
accessory shoe usually located above the viewfinder.

When one exposes their entire roll of film and they are ready to remove that exposed roll
from their camera, they must first use the film rewind knob, to return all the exposed
frames back into their casing. Some newer cameras automatically do this for you when
you expose the last frame. If you forget to rewind your film, it will be ruined when you
open the camera casing.

Besides needing to know your cameras settings, you will always need to check the
ISO/ISA indicator. International Standards Organization is an index for film speeds. This
must be set to the recommended setting whenever film is being shot. If you forget to set
this dial, your images will come out too dark or too light.

If one wishes to be in the picture or have a delayed response to the firing of the camera,
they may do so by using the self-timer button.

All the internal mechanical and optical parts are all held together by a camera body.

The film is stored behind the camera back in the film cavity. It is locked into place by
sliding the film rewind shaft into the film casing.

When the shutter release button is depressed, the shutter curtains move across and expose
the film. Depending on the type of camera, you may have curtain shutters or spring leaf
shutters.
When you are preparing to take a picture and you have your subject or scene ready, you
must look through the viewfinder to ensure everything is as you want it to appear.

The film is guided and pulled in by the film sprockets.

The film that is exposed is rolled by the film take-up spool.

The film is enclosed with by a light-tight seal by the camera back. Always make sure
your camera back is secured before shooting. If it is not you may get dark spots on your
negatives.

The film is kept flat by the pressure plate. Without the pressure plate your negative may
be warped and exposed improperly.

When you are looking through your viewfinder, one uses the focusing ring to bring the
scene into focus.

Almost all lenses have printed on them a depth-of-field scale. This provides you with
information regarding focusing distances with certain f-stops.

The aperture ring controls the diaphragm or size of the opening between your lens and
film which passes light. This also stipulates the depth-of-field scale.

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How to hold a camera?

November 24, 2009

Practice holding your camera securely in your hands with fingers grasping both sides.
This provides stability and helps prevent accidental dropping of the camera.
When using the viewfinder, brace the camera firmly against your face. Prior to taking the
first shot, make sure your fingers are not covering the lens. Whether using the viewfinder
or the LCD, hold your elbows firmly against your body.

Holding a digital camera

1. The more you steady your arms, the less chance the camera will move. Lean
against a wall, a tree, anything to gain extra support.
2. When standing, spread your legs slightly apart to improve the stability of your
stance. Also take a deep breath and hold it in while pressing the shutter-release
button.
3. Another useful method to steady a digital camera is to hold it on a level, flat area
as you frame and take the shot.
4. When holding a digital camera horizontally using a viewfinder, press the camera
firmly against your face. Don’t cover the lens with your fingers.
5. For vertical shots, hold the camera in your left hand and support it with your right.
Don’t cover the flash when using it.
6. Prop both elbows against your knees when sitting.
7. When crouching, hold the camera firmly, and brace an elbow on a knee.

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Assignment: Personal Presentation

November 24, 2009

(for Multimedia Presentation Students Only)

Design a PowerPoint Presentation having the following requirements:

1. Minimum of five (5) slides and maximum of ten (10) slides.

2. No audio, video and photo. Use plain text and shapes only.

3. Animations, transitions and backgrounds are allowed.

Deadline: November 25, 2009

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Assignment: Desktop Wallpaper

November 24, 2009

(For Multimedia Development Classes only)

One unique desktop wallpaper designs required.

Must be of your own work and required for the following sizes
1024px x 768px.

Deadline of Submissions:

MWF Classes – November 25, 2009

TTH Classes – Novermber 26, 2009

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Assignment: Self-Portrait Photography

November 19, 2009

For Multimedia Systems and Eleit03 Students

Create a compilation of your self portraits portraying at least four (4) emotions or
actions.

• Image must be a maximum of 600px x 600px at 72dpi in JPEG format.

• You may edit your photo in any way using photo editing software, such as Photoshop

• No Black and White/Grayscale phots

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12 Principles of Animation
November 19, 2009

1. SQUASH AND STRETCH

This action gives the illusion of weight and volume to a character as it moves. Also
squash and stretch is useful in animating dialogue and doing facial expressions. How
extreme the use of squash and stretch is, depends on what is required in animating the
scene. Usually it’s broader in a short style of picture and subtler in a feature. It is used in
all forms of character animation from a bouncing ball to the body weight of a person
walking. This is the most important element you will be required to master and will be
used often.

2. ANTICIPATION

This movement prepares the audience for a major action the character is about to
perform, such as, starting to run, jump or change expression. A dancer does not just leap
off the floor. A backwards motion occurs before the forward action is executed. The
backward motion is the anticipation. A comic effect can be done by not using anticipation
after a series of gags that used anticipation. Almost all real action has major or minor
anticipation such as a pitcher’s wind-up or a golfers’ back swing. Feature animation is
often less broad than short animation unless a scene requires it to develop a characters
personality.

3. STAGING

A pose or action should clearly communicate to the audience the attitude, mood, reaction
or idea of the character as it relates to the story and continuity of the story line. The
effective use of long, medium, or close up shots, as well as camera angles also helps in
telling the story. There is a limited amount of time in a film, so each sequence, scene and
frame of film must relate to the overall story. Do not confuse the audience with too many
actions at once. Use one action clearly stated to get the idea across, unless you are
animating a scene that is to depict clutter and confusion. Staging directs the audience’s
attention to the story or idea being told. Care must be taken in background design so it
isn’t obscuring the animation or competing with it due to excess detail behind the
animation. Background and animation should work together as a pictorial unit in a scene.

4. STRAIGHT AHEAD AND POSE TO POSE ANIMATION

Straight ahead animation starts at the first drawing and works drawing to drawing to the
end of a scene. You can lose size, volume, and proportions with this method, but it does
have spontaneity and freshness. Fast, wild action scenes are done this way. Pose to Pose
is more planned out and charted with key drawings done at intervals throughout the
scene. Size, volumes, and proportions are controlled better this way, as is the action. The
lead animator will turn charting and keys over to his assistant. An assistant can be better
used with this method so that the animator doesn’t have to draw every drawing in a
scene. An animator can do more scenes this way and concentrate on the planning of the
animation. Many scenes use a bit of both methods of animation.

5. FOLLOW THROUGH AND OVERLAPPING ACTION

When the main body of the character stops all other parts continue to catch up to the main
mass of the character, such as arms, long hair, clothing, coat tails or a dress, floppy ears
or a long tail (these follow the path of action). Nothing stops all at once. This is follow
through. Overlapping action is when the character changes direction while his clothes or
hair continues forward. The character is going in a new direction, to be followed, a
number of frames later, by his clothes in the new direction. “DRAG,” in animation, for
example, would be when Goofy starts to run, but his head, ears, upper body, and clothes
do not keep up with his legs. In features, this type of action is done more subtly.
Example: When Snow White starts to dance, her dress does not begin to move with her
immediately but catches up a few frames later. Long hair and animal tail will also be
handled in the same manner. Timing becomes critical to the effectiveness of drag and the
overlapping action.

6. SLOW-OUT AND SLOW-IN

As action starts, we have more drawings near the starting pose, one or two in the middle,
and more drawings near the next pose. Fewer drawings make the action faster and more
drawings make the action slower. Slow-ins and slow-outs soften the action, making it
more life-like. For a gag action, we may omit some slow-out or slow-ins for shock appeal
or the surprise element. This will give more snap to the scene.

7. ARCS

All actions, with few exceptions (such as the animation of a mechanical device), follow
an arc or slightly circular path. This is especially true of the human figure and the action
of animals. Arcs give animation a more natural action and better flow. Think of natural
movements in the terms of a pendulum swinging. All arm movement, head turns and
even eye movements are executed on an arcs.

8. SECONDARY ACTION

This action adds to and enriches the main action and adds more dimension to the
character animation, supplementing and/or re-enforcing the main action. Example: A
character is angrily walking toward another character. The walk is forceful, aggressive,
and forward leaning. The leg action is just short of a stomping walk. The secondary
action is a few strong gestures of the arms working with the walk. Also, the possibility of
dialogue being delivered at the same time with tilts and turns of the head to accentuate
the walk and dialogue, but not so much as to distract from the walk action. All of these
actions should work together in support of one another. Think of the walk as the primary
action and arm swings, head bounce and all other actions of the body as secondary or
supporting action.

9. TIMING

Expertise in timing comes best with experience and personal experimentation, using the
trial and error method in refining technique. The basics are: more drawings between
poses slow and smooth the action. Fewer drawings make the action faster and crisper. A
variety of slow and fast timing within a scene adds texture and interest to the movement.
Most animation is done on twos (one drawing photographed on two frames of film) or on
ones (one drawing photographed on each frame of film). Twos are used most of the time,
and ones are used during camera moves such as trucks, pans and occasionally for subtle
and quick dialogue animation. Also, there is timing in the acting of a character to
establish mood, emotion, and reaction to another character or to a situation. Studying
movement of actors and performers on stage and in films is useful when animating
human or animal characters. This frame by frame examination of film footage will aid
you in understanding timing for animation. This is a great way to learn from the others.

10. EXAGGERATION

Exaggeration is not extreme distortion of a drawing or extremely broad, violent action all
the time. Its like a caricature of facial features, expressions, poses, attitudes and actions.
Action traced from live action film can be accurate, but stiff and mechanical. In feature
animation, a character must move more broadly to look natural. The same is true of facial
expressions, but the action should not be as broad as in a short cartoon style.
Exaggeration in a walk or an eye movement or even a head turn will give your film more
appeal. Use good taste and common sense to keep from becoming too theatrical and
excessively animated.

11. SOLID DRAWING

The basic principles of drawing form, weight, volume solidity and the illusion of three
dimension apply to animation as it does to academic drawing. The way you draw
cartoons, you draw in the classical sense, using pencil sketches and drawings for
reproduction of life. You transform these into color and movement giving the characters
the illusion of three-and four-dimensional life. Three dimensional is movement in space.
The fourth dimension is movement in time.

12. APPEAL

A live performer has charisma. An animated character has appeal. Appealing animation
does not mean just being cute and cuddly. All characters have to have appeal whether
they are heroic, villainous, comic or cute. Appeal, as you will use it, includes an easy to
read design, clear drawing, and personality development that will capture and involve the
audience’s interest. Early cartoons were basically a series of gags strung together on a
main theme. Over the years, the artists have learned that to produce a feature there was a
need for story continuity, character development and a higher quality of artwork
throughout the entire production. Like all forms of story telling, the feature has to appeal
to the mind as well as to the eye.

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Elements and Principles of Design

November 19, 2009

DESIGN AND COLOUR

The elements and principles of design are the building blocks used to create a work of art.
The elements of design can be thought of as the things that make up a painting, drawing,
design etc. Good or bad – all paintings will contain most of if not all, the seven elements
of design.

The Principles of design can be thought of as what we do to the elements of design. How
we apply the Principles of design determines how successful we are in creating a work of
art.

THE ELEMENTS OF DESIGN

LINE
Line can be considered in two ways. The linear marks made with a pen or brush or the
edge created when two shapes meet.

SHAPE
A shape is a self contained defined area of geometric or organic form. A positive shape in
a painting automatically creates a negative shape.

DIRECTION
All lines have direction – Horizontal, Vertical or Oblique. Horizontal suggests calmness,
stability and tranquillity. Vertical gives a feeling of balance, formality and alertness.
Oblique suggests movement and action

SIZE
Size is simply the relationship of the area occupied by one shape to that of another.

TEXTURE
Texture is the surface quality of a shape – rough, smooth, soft hard glossy etc. Texture
can be physical (tactile) or visual.

COLOUR
Also called Hue

VALUE
Value is the lightness or darkness of a colour. Value is also called Tone

THE PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN

BALANCE
Balance in design is similar to balance in physics. A large shape close to the center can be
balanced by a small shape close to the edge. A large light toned shape will be balanced by
a small dark toned shape (the darker the shape the heavier it appears to be)

GRADATION
Gradation of size and direction produce linear perspective. Gradation of of colour from
warm to cool and tone from dark to light produce aerial perspective. Gradation can add
interest and movement to a shape. A gradation from dark to light will cause the eye to
move along a shape.

REPETITION
Repetiton with variation is interesting, without variation repetition can become
monotonous

CONTRAST
Contrast is the juxtaposition of opposing elements eg. opposite colours on the colour
wheel – red / green, blue / orange etc. Contrast in tone or value – light / dark. Contrast in
direction – horizontal / vertical.
The major contrast in a painting should be located at the center of interest. Too much
contrast scattered throughout a painting can destroy unity and make a work difficult to
look at. Unless a feeling of chaos and confusion are what you are seeking, it is a good
idea to carefully consider where to place your areas of maximum contrast.

HARMONY
Harmony in painting is the visually satisfying effect of combining similar, related
elements. eg.adjacent colours on the colour wheel, similar shapes etc.

DOMINANCE
Dominance gives a painting interest, counteracting confusion and monotony. Dominance
can be applied to one or more of the elements to give emphasis

UNITY
Relating the design elements to the the idea being expressed in a painting reinforces the
principal of unity.eg. a painting with an active aggressive subject would work better with
a dominant oblique direction, course, rough texture, angular lines etc. whereas a quiet
passive subject would benefit from horizontal lines, soft texture and less tonal contrast.

Unity in a painting also refers to the visual linking of various elements of the work.

Source: John Lovett

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Self-Portrait Photography
November 19, 2009
SELF PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY

Simply put, a portrait is a representation of a person. They usually focus on a person’s

face, mood and expression. Traditionally portraits were sculptures or paintings however,
in modern times, a photograph is the most recognized way of taking a portrait. In most
cases, the subject looks straight at the camera in order to engage the viewer.

How to Take a Portrait

Capturing quality portraits is an art that’s mastered with time. Many of the most creative
professionals started out by following a simple set of guidelines.

1) Choosing the Right Background

The background will set the mood for your photo, so be extra careful when choosing
yours. The ideal background will guide the viewers’ focus to a specific area that you wish
to draw attention to, for example, the face.

A neutral, soft colored background will work best and is far more effective than one that
is filled with too many details and colors.

You may wish to also blur the background, in order to further emphasize the foreground
elements.

2) Focus on the Eyes

As the saying goes, “the eyes are the window to the soul”.

Different feelings can be conveyed, depending on the direction in which the subject’s
eyes are pointing. Play with this by having your subject look in various directions, until
you are happy with the feeling that is portrayed.

Adding extras such as a smile, frown, or grin is a bonus that amplifies the main focal
point of the photo.

3) Lighting, Lighting and more Lighting

The possibilities for lighting are truly infinite. Lighting is the most important element in
any photo composition and sets the mood, feeling and character of your photo.

Sunlight can be a bit tricky. If you take a portrait in the daytime, make sure that your
photo is not overpowered by the sun.

4) Positioning and Angles

Don’t limit yourself to horizontal and vertical portraits; after all, those aren’t the only two
angles that exist.

Positioning your camera at creative diagonal angles can add a fantastic artistic flare to
your image.

An easy mistake to make is to only slightly position your camera at an angle, which can
leave your viewers wondering if this was intentional or a mistake. If you’re going for an
interesting angle, make it obvious and clear that that’s what you intended to do, as shown
in the example below.

How to Take a Self Portrait

Like most photography techniques, there will be a lot of trial and error involved to get the
best results for a self portrait. You’ll usually have to shoot photos over and over again,
trying to achieve a perfect combination of pose, coverage and focus.

This is because a self portrait is one of the best ways to express oneself and to portray
your personality, which is not easy for most people to do.

For each method below you’ll first set the camera to auto-focus and then change the
setting to manual focus. This prevents the camera from refocusing while you move
around to the front and get ready to take your photo.

1) The Camera

You can start by setting the camera on self-timer mode to shoot your photo however, a
remote will certainly come in handy and will probably be almost essential for self
portraits.

2) Coming to Terms with the Shots

There are times when it’s probably going to be difficult to relax in front of the camera.
This can cause your portraits to end up looking stiff and lifeless.

In this situation, simply do whatever you’d normally do to relax either before or during
the shoot. For example, you may wish to listen to music, sing a favorite song, or think of
something that would relax you and make you feel at ease.

3) Editing your Photo

Once you have a few shots that you think portray what you believe should be your self
portrait, it’s usually a good idea to edit the photos further.

It’s rare that a photo will come out perfectly just like as it is. Most times they require
cropping, resizing, etc…
Experiment with framing, cropping, lighting and saturation until you’re satisfied that the
photo truly represents you in the best possible way. You can use any photo editing
software to do this, such as Photoshop.

Assignment: Create a compilation of your self portraits portraying at least four (4)
emotions.

• Image must be a maximum of 800px x 800px at 72dpi in JPEG format.

• You may edit your photo in any way using photo editing software, such as Photoshop