2017-08

From Films on the Field t
Some of you will remember me
from nine years ago when my
dad, Matthew Porter, was vicar
at St Chad’s. You probably saw
me playing in the worship band or
operating the AV desk, or perhaps called
upon me to try and help fix something
technical when my dad wasn’t around. I
grew up at St Chad’s and really enjoyed
being part of the community. Since
December 2008 I’ve been living in York,
I took my A levels and spent five years
playing in bands. I am now a director at a
film company called Hewitt & Walker.
I’ve been making short videos since I
was eight or nine years old, borrowing
my parents’ camcorder and filming myself
and my brothers in the garden or on the
church field. We’d make really bad karate
videos where we’d all have to fight in
slow motion, and then we’d speed it up
after so it looked like we were really well
choreographed, and alien films where
we’d explore the attic in the vicarage and
the church basement. Later I’d spend
summer holidays at Millhouses Park,
skateboarding and rollerblading and
filming myself and my friends.
I never saw any of this turning into a
career, it was just a bit of fun to pass the
time. One day we even filmed ourselves
having a race to see who could eat a
whole lemon the fastest, with the loser
getting the remaining lemons thrown
at them by the winners. Being the
cameraman I kept stopping to change
camera angle and, of course, lost.
The main thing I learnt from these short
videos is that you need to make sure what
you’re filming is interesting. You can have
the best camera in the world, but if what
you’re pointing it at isn’t interesting then it
won’t look very good!
The most important thing to think about
when you are filming is where your light
is coming from. Many people just turn the
camera on and start shooting what is in
front of them, but this is like setting up a
microphone in a crowded room and hitting
record. People need to be able to clearly
make out what it is you are trying to show
them. Always focus on one subject at a
time, which will involve either moving your
subject to make use of available light, or
by moving your light into the right place to
light your subject. Never shoot against a
source of light such as a window, as it will
make your subject look like they’re floating
in white space. If you’re shooting people,
most of the time you will want even light
across their face, to reduce shadows
and make them look healthier and more
beautiful.
Colour is very important when filming,
so be aware of the colour of your subject
and background. If you’re filming a person
then it’s better to put them against a
background that’s different to the clothing
they are wearing, and also try to avoid
backgrounds that are wooden or yellow/
peach colours as they will blend in with
the colour of skin. The further away
from the background you can bring your
subject the better your shot will look, as it
creates more depth. You don’t want to put
St Chad’s Church, Linden Avenue, Woodseats
Church Office: Linden Avenue, Sheffield S8 0GA
Tel: (0114) 274 5086
Page 18
email: office@stchads.org
website: www.stchads.org