Shot types

It is important when taking pictures for productions that yo know the difference between shot types and what they connote. For example, an over the shoulder shot would connote that two or more people are talking to each other. Similarly, a long shot looking out at someone could connote loneliness or helplessness. Shot types need to be considered when storyboarding or planning image or moving image taking, as to not go into a photoshoot disorganised.

Some examples of shot types are shown above, and to elaborate, an establishing shot is where a shot is used to set the scene in a film or as a main image. A long shot (image 2) shows most or all of the subject of the image, giving an impression of their surroundings. Some other examples are close-ups, which show a small part of the scene in detail close up, and a medium long shot, where the feet and ankles are usually cut off.
In terms of newspaper images, medium shots tend to be the most frequently used shots, meaning the editors can pack in enough detail into the shot, without becoming too blurry or far away. I will need to conform to this unwritten rule to meet the conventions of existing media texts.

In terms of camera angles, the angle the shot is taken from can have connotations as well. For example, high angle shots can create tension on a character, whereas eye-level shots can connote dialogue.
Other examples of shot angles are point of view shots, which show what the character/subject is seeing, thus putting yourself in their eyes, and a two-shot; a shot of two people together.

Camera movement, something I do not need to worry about for my newspaper, also has an effect on how the audience view characters and draw emotions towards the film. Some examples of camera movement are zooming, which can reveal more by zooming out and hone in on certain things by zooming in, and crab, where the camera moves left or right.

To connect people with stories and conform to the uses and gratifications theory, I want to be able to give varying shot choices which match the story. For example, if I am reporting on criminals and have a low angle shot looking up at them, they can become to seem imposing, which could be both confusing and alienating for a reader.

Newspaper Synopsis

I have decided about the values I want my newspaper to be based around. It is important to set these out instead of just designing a newspaper then writing articles with no direction or principals.

My newspaper will report in a broadsheet manner, with political stories which will interest the majority of people. The language I will use will need to be more middle-market as to not alienate certain people, including youths. This includes the use of puns and some sensationalised language, which fits my writing style, however I will be careful not to fall into the realms of the Daily Mail's lexical features, which is far more tabloid than I will be hoping to achieve.

My newspaper will be first published on a weekly basis, meeting the conventions of local newspapers. I will not be a daily paper because on a local scale, there is not always enough content to fill a newspaper with from day to day, so I would have more to write about each week.

From a political perspective; like the 'i' and its sister paper the Independent, I aim to be free from political bias, because unlike on a national scale it is difficult to change and adapt to the political views from people on the local scene. With people power, money and a heck of a lot of experience, The Sun amongst others does this by fully supporting the Labour Party and criticising the Tory government at every opportunity. I will merely be giving an 'insight' into the news, hoping to comment on it in unprecedented detail, but not making suggestion readers should follow any political party.

In terms of size, my newspaper will be a compact/tabloid size, as mentioned in a previous post. I will do this to encourage people that there is not extensive amounts of texts to read through; something popular among younger audiences, as shown by the rise in sales of the Independent and Times as they have switched to the smaller format.

In terms of the content of my newspaper, as it is a local newspaper I will need to report on local stories. Despite this, I want to keep my readers up to date with what's going on in the country, and giving those stories a local perspective. In this way, with families struggling to make ends meet, they will need only one regular newspaper where all the information they need is in one place. I want to be one of the only newspapers around that combines local and national news in this way.

To meet a significant target audience for me, I will incorporate Facebook and Twitter to make the reader feel a part of the newspaper, which links in with the Uses and Gratifications theory by Blumler and Katz in a previous post. If readers feel a part of my newspaper, they will feel more obliged to read it, giving them the  impression they are influencing the content of my paper, as well as hoping their comments are published. Also in keeping with my target audience and from looking at conventions, I will emulate the 'news in brief' section that takes up the first inside pages of the 'i' newspaper in a smaller way. Being a proven way of delivering news in bite sized chunks, I will be hoping to give this service to my paper's own followers.

These values will run across all three of my products to avoid continuity errors and upsetting audiences. They will ultimately evolve over time, but for a one-off project, longevity is not necessarily something I am worried about.

Studio photography and Lighting

As I will need to take studio shots for my newspaper and not being a photography student, I have done some research into studio photography and lighting so I can be educated for when it comes to the photo shoot itself. I have already done a post on journalistic photography, but this is a very different slant to that, with all shots set up how the photographer wants them, as opposed to having the chances of a good photo down to pot luck, as in the world of the paparazzi.

The lighting in a photo is what can make your image iconic or poor quality. While natural light is often sufficient when taking photos, the flash which is often built into standard SLR cameras lights up the scene, allowing the camera to pick up that light and create an image of what is in front of it. However, neither of these options are relevant when the photography is taking place in a studio. The obvious advantages of taking photos in studio conditions are that you can control variables such as the weather (there is none inside), and you can adjust the lighting to your image. Darker images can give a sense of warmth within the picture, and brighter images can have a more uplifting effect, and this can be manipulated through what is literally the flick of a switch.

The typical lighting setup would be the 'two light' system, whereby two lights are used, one facing the subject of the photo, and another on the other side of them, creating a 'soft halo of light' around them. The first light is the brightest, so a soft box is often used.

Despite everybody taking a lot of care and attention over lighting; in recent times, lighting has become more editable on image manipulation programs like Photoshop, a tool I will no doubt be using.

When it comes to my studio shoot I will be sure to make good use of the facilities we have at college, with a range of cameras and lighting. I will also use the 'two light' system, as is the convention for studio shoots.

Naming

I have bounced some ideas around a focus group of my closest and most creative friends.
We have come up with:

Bodmin Bouy
C
The Cornish Insight
Onlooker
Bodmin Closet
The Pasty of Information
Moor Information
The Roast (on sunday)
The Spanner

While some of these names are frankly dreadful, I took an interest in 'C,' which has reference to the 'i' newspaper, which is compact and as an abbreviation of 'Cornwall.' Also, I like the Onlooker, because it is reminiscent of 'The Observer,' and infers it does not give a subjective account of information, but more passes it on. Similarly, The Cornish Insight connotes an 'insight' into the week's events, keeping readers in the know. This is the name everybody thought was the best, so I will go with it. I also like The Cornish Insight because it brings back memories of 'The Cornish Guardian' or The Cornish Times,' both of which are prominant newspapers in this region. Moreover, following the conventions set by these newspapers will be a clever idea, to 'fit in with the crowd' and sell newspapers.

Equipment /Budget /Locations /Cast /Crew

Equipment I will use

• Capturing - Canon EOS 600D
• This can be used for still or moving images
• Tripod
• Studio + Lighting
• Editing - Apple Mac
• Adobe Photoshop CS5.5
• Adobe InDesign CS5.5
• Apple iWeb

Budget

I have a budget of next to nothing, as all the equipment I will use can be loaned out for free through college. However, getting to locations will cost me in petrol, so I will set aside £10 for petrol, and also £20 for making my website live, which I will come to in a post further down the line.

Locations

I am unsure of the locations I will be shooting in as yet, because I do not know which stories I will run with.

UPDATE:

• Woods Browning photography studio
• Bodmin Barnecutts
• Bodmin College
• Newquay, Boardmasters (pre-taken image)

Cast

I do not have any cast as all of my stories will be factual, and cannot be fictitious.

UPDATE: 

• Josh Cottom and Jamie Howard - Bodmin College advert
• Chris Morris - Sports Relief story

Crew

I will be completing the project solely by myself, with no need of any help from any crew.