Introduction to media - using a camera

For my first practical lesson, on 05/09/13, we were taught how to use a professional video camera.The camera we used was a 'sony NX5'. We were taught the basics of the camera which included turning it on, zooming in and out... all the fairly easy stuff. We were also shown how to set up a tripod for the camera, which makes it much easier to shoot. We were shown how to adjust the height and luck the cameras position into place and also of course how to attach the actual camera onto the tripod! 

After covering the basics, we went on to learn some of the more 'complicated' functions of the camera for example white balance - which was a long process involving zooming in on something white, pressing the white balance button and then zooming out which made the colours in the shot look much more natural and vibrant instead of cold and blue-ish, also we learned how to use the 'ND filters' which are like putting sunglasses over the lens to make it a shade darker or removing one to make it lighter.

When we understood how to use these settings, we put them to practice by testing them on shots of trees outside and on a herring mannequin. We also used lots of additional lighting to light up shots etc. 

By the end of the lesson we were pretty clued up on how to use the camera, and all of its little functions, also how to adjust the environment to help improve the shot (lighting)... to conclude, heres a picture of the camera we used! (sony NX5)