Since I am completely new to everything concerning film, whether that is lighting, color, cameras, preserving film, I’m lucky enough to be in a place where I feel as though I’m learning everything I didn’t know through osmosis. Striking up a conversation with the house cinematographer leads to more knowledge about how a camera works than I ever thought possible. Speaking with my supervisor leads to an hour long discussion of film formats for filmmakers versus cinemas. I have always had an interest in film, but this internship and the people at the Academy are making that interest exponentially stronger.
Michael, my supervisor, invited me to a lunch with the Academy’s Bit Rate Task Force, a working group linked closely with the Next Generation Cinema Technology group (which produced the material I’m archiving). Aside from the distinct personalities each member brought to the table, I attempted to follow the volley of speech around the table, learning as much as possible. We mostly discussed bit rates, but the main purpose of the meeting was to form ideas for a shoot concerned with bit rates. I found each members knowledge about the technical details of film and filmmaking the most intriguing part of the entire meeting. If one member suggested an aspect, guaranteed another member would pick it apart and alter it, improving some detail.
The two parts I remember most were panning and tricking audiences. They discussed how panning a large crowd at a basketball game (for example) fast would have a lower bit rate because there is more blur. However, panning a large crowd slowly produces more detail, therefore producing a higher bit rate. In order to test out the videos once they are shot, one of the members proposed utilizing psychophysics in building a post-survey where the main questions in which the Task Force is interested were hidden within other, more explicit questions. The production of film is constantly occurring, so it makes sense that filmmakers and producers want to know how the audience feels, and must do it on the sly to get the honest feel, especially for comparison.
Overall, an interesting lunch. I hope to continue learning about film and filmmaking when I leave the Academy in August.
My Academy Internship Experience 