09-0936(Waguwa) critic on XYZ show,

INTRODUCTION

Prime minister Raila Odinga is just about to dig into the fish and ugali set before him for supper however he decides to do a prayer. he thanks God for the food then asks God to take to hague a son of his who is indisciplined in the party. suprisingly this is just a puppet being filmed in a cramped dining room of a nairobi home for another episode of xyz show. this a satirical puppet show that mimics political figures in the kenyan society, shading light on how they steer the country plus the decisions they make. the program is meant to stimulate crirical public debate on national issues.

XYZ show is a program aired on citizen television on Monday's at 9.40pm. the man behind it is East Arica's  best known cartoonist Gado, who has been taking a pop at Kenya's elite for years and encourages people to question events in Kenya. Gado is also the producer of the show.
The puppets are made from latex imported from France and the eyes from Britain. During filming two people are needed to operate a puppet-one manipulates the eyes using a special gadget connected to them and the other moves the body and the mouth. shooting takes a whooping 24hours, and the crew manipulating the puppets must be quite strong to stand the strain.

their choice of using puppets is perhaps a strong point because this kind of art is creative as it combines words ,static and three dimensional aspects.
The show appears quite simple because the puppets are super imposed on a screen,the background is not real and has been graphically generated, you can easily notice this because the image on the background is still while the puppet is the only thing that is moving, but dont be cheated-each puppet cost around 2-3000 dollars.
The show is currently on season two and going strong despite lapses here and there. We will look at a few episodes of zyx show while pointing out  a few issues here and there.

09-1155 . Faith. Nairobi Law.

first episode.14th september 2010.
the programe was talking about how we have so many conmen in the city of Nairobi. A lady was fond of lying to people that she wants to be assisted with a mobile phone to call after which she pretends that her phone had been stolen by the person she had borrowed. The case is taken to court but she denys latter she is found to be the guilty person.

sound.
the sound was fairly good and it could be heard clearly . the judges are audible enough to each one.
Lighting
 the  lighting is clear and there are no shadows formed .There is balance of colours.

Second episode. 21st september 2010.
it  is in the court and there was a lady who wanted to get married. the  furture husband had  payed the dowery but the lady's brothers are not willing for the lady to get married. the judges tries to solve the the case  but the brothers still persists that they are not approving the marriage.

Third episode: 28th september
A childless couple had payed a friend of their to bear a child for them. After the child is born the surrogate mother refuses to give the child to them . they took the case to the court but the surrogate mother insists that she  can not give out a child she had carried for nine mouths.

Fourth episode. 5th october 2010.
A dog had bitten a child and the case is taken to court. the owner of the dog is trying to convince the judges that it was not his dog. latter the case is solved and he is charged to take care of the hospital bill of the child.

fifth episode.12th october 2010.
the case was about  two women who were fighting for one man. one had grabbed the other woman's husband.the one who was ligally married is so overwhelemed and demands that measures have to be taken for the other woman.

sixth episode . 19th october 2010.
it is in the court and a man had been reported having solen private part in the mortuary. He tries to plead with the judges proving himself to be innocent,but the case falls on him and he is send to imprisonment.

seveth episode. 26th october 2010.
A man had poisoned his wife and children. A wittness tries to explain how he found the children lying down on the flow and the father was not so much concerned, it was so evided that he was responsible of his children and wife's death.


Sound.

through out the programme  the sound is well balanced . their is mixing of both music and sound. the music and the sound do not conflict. the actors are audible enough to the listener. there is alot of creativity on the sound. when the case is so touching they varry the sound.

lighting.
All through the lighting of the programme is good, there are no shadows formed behind an image.  all actors are visible. The colour is well balanced.

camera shots.
long shot- there is long shots in the court
zooming in and out is been  used when need been
extreem closeup shots are taken

08-1499 critique TPF4.

08-1499- TPF 4.

TUSKER PROJECT FAME SEASON FOUR.

A critique of the Saturday eviction shows

The eviction show of this program is aired live on citizen television every Saturday night from 8: p.m to 9 p.m.

October 23, 2010.

This memorable show saw the end of two contestants Prudence from Kenya and K-Denk from Southern Sudan in the academy. It was marked with vigor, splendor and tears. The show was appealing to the audience, both females and males. The target audience who are the people aged between 18-60 were greatly reached ( legal consumers of the product) The events that occurred were understandable and relatable. The four groups of characters i.e. judges, teachers, Mcs, contestants and audience all played their parts well while strongly relating to each other bringing out a storyline that links them together.

Sound

Throughout the program codeless cardioid microphones were used. The sound was clear with no echoes, however Judge  Herme’s microphone produced a lot of feedback at first with unclear sounds but with time the problem was corrected and the sound was clear. The speakers were well placed to produce adequate sound to all corners of the room and came out clear through the screens.

Lighting

The lighting was okay throughout the program, with flashes of different colours on stage as the contestants perfomed. Sometimes contrasting colours were used to bring out the performance in style while at other times the background colours blended with the contestants dressing to make it appealing.

Camera shots.

Different types of camera shots were well executed, from all angles of the room.

·        Extreme wide shots - Were evident when the fore ground was Sjheila’s hair middle ground the contestant and the audience being the background.

·         Very wide shots -  Were evident especially when the main subject i.e the contestant was visible but at the same time the coordination of colour behind them was also emphasized.

·        Wide shots - Were executed especially when contestants were performing where they would take up the full frame.

·        Middle close-ups -The judges were executed using the middle close up, showing only their faces and part of their chest.

·        Close up - When Ian mentioned Steve’s nice shoes, only the shoes were shown.

·        Two shot - When the two contestants to be evicted were the only ones on the screen.

·        Over the shoulder shot- When Sheila was talking to contestants back stage and all that could be seen was sheila’s hair, part of her shoulders and the whole front of the contestant.

·        Extreme close-up - When Prudence was crying because of the eviction , only her tearing eyes were shown.

Other camera movements included. Panning across the audience and contestants, the cameraman was once seen dolling across the stage.

The camera angles included

·        Eye-Level -being the real-world angle that we are all used to. It shows subjects as we would expect to see them in real life. High Angle

·        A high angle- shows the subject from above, i.e. the camera is angled down towards the subject-

·        Low Angle- This shows the subject from below, giving them the impression of being more powerful or dominant.

·        Bird's Eye -The scene is shown from directly above. This is a completely different and somewhat unnatural point of view which can be used for dramatic effect or for showing a different spatial perspective.

09-0018 Choosing a Local Program (Part 1)

Did anyone  else have difficulty choosing a local program to watch? I know I did. Today's evening television has so much more choice (in the local arena) than it did some years back. The problem was finding something that would fit into my schedule and something that appeals to my interest. That ruled out the likes of Papa Shirash and Inspeckta Mwala.

I tried Tahidi High, but after one totally predictable episode I lost interest. There was little variety in camera movements and shots and angles. It was the usual close up when one is speaking, example is when Ms. Morgan was scolding Julia from running way from home. Then there was the common full-shot for establishing the subject's environment. This was especially in use when Julia's tout boyfriend came to the school gate and when Omosh and the other groundsman chased the tout away. The camera angles lacked creativity. For example, when they wanted to show that Julia was scandlously dressed, they simply tilted the camera down to follow the length of her body.They could have had several cameras capturing the various sides of her and at various angles (with emphasis on the bareback, high slit and the taught back of her skirt). Then there would have been a rapid transition from one camera shot to the next. However it is laudable that their shots were steady and clear.

The lighting was good. I believe that is because they took advantage of natural lighting since all the shots were taken during the day and most were outside. I however feel that at some points there was excess light. There were no visible mics during the production. I suspect that there was use of an omni-directional boom mic since we could hear all actors well even when they stood in an almost circular form.The sound was good and the mics did not pick up the wind in the outdoor shots.There was use of digital animation in  the montage where one there is an animated class roam with "Tahidi High" scribbled in chalk at the black board. They also have a signature tune that is played at the beginning of the production and after they come back from the breaks.

Overall I think that the quality of the production is satisfactory. They have clear shots, good transitions, audible conversations and good lighting. However the script is mundane and predictable.I must also say that most members of the cast are not doing a good job. They look like they are acting instead of looking like this is a page out of their normal life. This is with exemption of Shish, who makes me wonder if she is like that in reality.Additionally, the some of the actors look like they are in their mid-twenties not their teens and this does not suit the high school drama . Then I began to wonder how come those guys have never finished school??? I mean that program was running from when I was in High school.

I finally decided to try out NTV County Edition...

09-0786 (Adams) Machachari 23rd Oct 2010

So far watching Machachari has been interesting and this has made interested  in local programes. On Saturday the programe starts with children dancing and Almasi dances with his friends  and soon he starts rapping (long shot accompanied by zooming in to a close up). the introduction of the actors is given a close up shot and this kind of shot is used to show details. A long shot is performed showing Baha and Govi standing and their mother walks towards them. Mama Joy is shown leaving home long shot). Mzee kobe appears in long shot carrying the car battery then zoomed out. Man Dividi (medium shot) is talking about Stella and harrasses her for not paying the money after using the toilet he mans. We are taken to another scene where Almasi and their maid is speaking about money and he request her to help him with some cash (long shot) this kind of shot is used to reveal all the det6ails of what is happening around. Almasi, Joy and Mzee kobe appears in a long shot and they talk about the battery and how they can get it from Mzee kobe. Mzee kobe appears in a long shot and then zoomed in to a close up shot whereby he thinks what to do. A panning is performed from left to right showing Almasi's house then dissolves to a long shot of man Dividi. Baha is shown giving out his savings to Man dividi in order to save their friend Stella. Almasi and Joy then goes a head and take the battery to Baha and Govi (long shot). Baha's mother arrives (long shot) and gives them uniform and they inform her that would now watch Television since they had received a gift of battery from their friends (long shot). The composing of camera shots is well done and the sound is of good quality. it6 ends with the names of the credits accompanied by musical instrumentals.

critique on tahidi high - Sarah Kaly-Esah Moga 08-1290

week 1- The programmme was as usual with issues on pregnancy and the way the girls were tested, they basically used ominidirectional microphones,there was too much lighting and the continuity was not perferct since at one point the actors had different posses everytime we so the actor

week 2, as every week we had issues on smoking and drankardness, in this episode, the camera man took extreme close ups on the characters and instead of dolling in and out the camera man used zoom which made the production look terrible

week 3, the lighting, was okay, use of ominidirectional microphones most of the shots were wide shots and close ups, camera movements mostly dolling in and out. generally the productions was average

week 4, i love the sound, continunity was not great thus making the episode to lack the a flowinf story line, at some point the back ground music was louder than the audience voice making the viewer not hear what the characters were saying generally the episode was edited poorly

09-0786 (Adams) Machachari - 16th Oct 2010

Starts with children dancing to Daddy Owen's song Kupe de kale (Tobina) for like three minutes then we are show a long shot of a train along Kariobangi Estate which looks similar to kibera. Next scene opens with Baha and his brother talking on how to spend there time since their parents were on a journey.  As usual man Dividi appears  and starts talking with them.Panning of long shot is performed to the right showing Baha and man Dividi walk together and as soon as they get near the toilet they request to be allowed to relieve themselves but man dividi turns their request down and ask for some money. A medium shot is performed as Baha gives man dividi a note and he thinks is money but to his shock he discovers  is a letter from his girlfriend. He is zoomed in to an extreme close-up and the emotions are well brought out here since he smiles. An extreme close up is also performed to show what is writen in letter in details. Though man dividi is happy he's relactant to believe if the letter was really his. He finally allows Baha to get into the toilet (long shot). The next scene opens where man dividi is receiving a call from his girlfriend and finally they meet (medium long shot and long shot respectively). In this production sound effects are used to create a certain mood and an example is when man dividi received that little note his girlfriend.The mood in his case is happiness. Another important thing I observed is the camera shots-they are very steady and not shaky at all and so I would like to urge my fellow students to be keen while handling the camera so as to take good shots. Today I will be watching my eighth episode and so next week you will receive more than enough...nice time to all the students and the lecturer Mrs. Kuwuor.

09-0786 (Adams) Machachari 9th Oct 2010

The programe starts with a long shot showing Baha and his brother Ngovi and then zoomed in to a a close-up shot each. This shot is acompanied by some soft music to depict some emotions as well as mood of the programe. Another scene opens with an over the shoulder shot where Almasi speaks to one of his friends. An aerial close-up shot is performed showing Kibera slums. Baha togethr with his brother Ngovi and man Dividi appears in a long shot, this is followed by zooming in and man Dividi is given a close-up shot to show his emotions.The next scene opens with a long shot showing the car at the gate and Almasi is aggressive to ask his father to provide him with Papa Shiradula's number. A long shot is then performed to show Almasi's home aerial view. Allmasi's father is given a close-up shot as he speaks from the vehicle with his head outside,then is faded out and Almasi appears in a long shot then zoomed in to a medium shot.Over the shoulder shot is taken as Joy  tries to convince her friend to take food. Ngovi is brought out crying in another scene while Almasi is given a long shot and the video appears in black and white color to show flashback. I noticed that video filters might have been used to create the effect or maybe the effect was created during editing. A long shot is performed showing man Dividi act as Mejja's body guard-Baha, Ngovi and Almasi follow the small car then mejja alights and starts singing. The programe ends with children dancing to Mejja's song Niko Poa. The programe as usual was shot during the day as there was no darkness or shadows along the images and objects  in the video. Sound is quite good and I think they must have used boom mikes to get the desired sound.

09-0786 (Adams) Machachari 2 Oct 2010

As usual the programe begins with an establishing shot-Almasi and his friends. They are zoomed in and Almasi is given a close-up shot to show some bit of emotions.A medium close-up shot is performed showing Baha being waken up by his mother and this is followed by a long shot of a vehicle approaching from far. Next scene over the shoulder shot is done showing Mama Joy and her daughter speaking. Baha is given a close-up shot as he pretends to be sick-this shot shows Baha express himself and one can see the emotions that come out when he is asked to hurry up and go to school. Baha appears in a medium shot with his friends, followed by an aerial long shot of kibera alongside a market place. Man Dividi in a medium shot argues that Pamella doesn't pay while visiting the toilet and on the other hand pamella blaims him of not paying the vegetables. A long shot is performed as Alema is giving ten shillings to Baha after complaining that hesn't feeling well. An extreme close-up is done showing Baha experiencing the pain and sheds the tears. An extreme shot is always performed to show emotions and feelings about a certain situation or even the experience one goes through. As Baha's dad asks where he is (medium shot)another scene opens with man Dividi pulling Baha and taking him home. Finally Pamella gets hold of Baha and decides to take him home (long shot). This shot ends the programe and my observation is that lighting has been done well as wel as the sound. The scenes that are brought out in the programe communicate a certain idea and this makes the story to flow in the desired order.

audience

Vioja Mahakani

Today my critique is going to be based on the audience ie who is the intended for this program. From what I have been seeing happening in this program this program it doesn’t have a specific audience. And this is because every show they talk about a different issue at all.
For me I think this program should narrow its sudinec because its challenging to have a whole audience at a go. For me I think the producer should come up with new ideas on how to target a specific audience. Because when the theme of the day does not please the viewer am sure the viewer would go to another station for a program which he comfortable with. So we find this the station is loosing some its audience.
09-0353

Just a thought

During our last class, the lecturer talked of the wide angle shot used in video and where it can be used. This post is open to criticisms and suggestions and correction.

As per the explanation that was given, what came to my mind was Tusker Project Fame. Fortunately or unfortunately, I happen to have gone for a Live show two years ago, that was TPF-2. The place is a dome tent with all the video cameras and the microphones. There are also floor directors who really have a hard time controlling the live audience especially after Ian’s remarks.

Back to my point, when one watches TPF on television, it really looks like it is a big hall with a lot of space and a lot of audience who look really tiny. I am thinking, this is the work of the wide angle shot and the marvelous work of angles. I also tend to think that this is the “trick” that the camera men and directors and program producers use during political rallies and advertisements to manipulate the viewers but as for learned students, all this has changed.


07-1053

09-0786 (Adams) Machachari 25th Sep 2010

Here the programe starts with a medium close-up of children wearing shoes and then long shot with their mother. The young boy is shown talking his mother (long shot). Another long shot is taken showing two boys talking outside their house. Next is a close-up shot where a boy speaks to a young girl. Mama Joy appears in a medium shot as Mzee Kobe is shown in medium close-up shot. A scene opens with Almasi, Joy's brother in a medium shot then zoomed out to a long shot. An aerial shot is performed showing an overview of children along the gate. A long shot is again performed showing Almasi and his mother, then a with his sister Joy. Mzee Kobe appears in a long shot where he is speaking to Joy's mother, they are then zoomed out. Another scene (long shot) opens with children playing a game and Ngovi pretends to be the soldeir while Almasi acts as the driver of a matatu. Long shot shows Ngovi asking Almasi to produce a license which he doesn't have then he's asked to stop the vehicle. We get into another scene where children (Almasi and friends take a ladder) so as to reach one of their shoes-long shot, then zoomed in to a medium shot. Mzee kobe appears second time in a long medium shot and asks them not to use the ladder but instead should go home and rest. The programe ends with a medium close-up shot of JOY'S MOTHER. The lighting is done excelletly and the sound has good quality. All the shots in this programe are taken to create a story and to make it flow.

09-0786 (Adams) Machachari 18th Sep 2010

18 Sep 2010
The programe starts with a medium shot of a long train along Kibera. The next scene shows kibera overview, followed by a long shot of children washing their heads. A mother appears (medium shot) then long shot of children speaking. Two ladies are given an overview-long shot. Man Dividi is given a long shot as he pulls Mkokoteni with water cans behind. He encounters a kid washing another kid's head (long shot). Two little boys (long shot) dance to a P-square song then go to fetch some water (long shot is performed panning to the left) and then is followed by a close-up shot of a lady asking for keys. A long shot is performed showing children walk near the swimming pool, and a medium shot is taken of each kid standing at the edge of the swimming pool. As children swim and finally move out of water realize their clothes are missing and so they decide to go without clothes (long shot of three kids walking without shirts). A big close-up is performed whereby one of the kids reveals the key which was missing so that they can get back their shirts. Finally, lighting is well done and the children dance as the program ends.

09-0786 (Adams) Machachari - 11th Sep 2010

Machachari opens with an establishing shot (XLS) as usual. Next Pamella (close-up) talking over the phone. Another scene opens with Pamella and children talking (longshot) and then Mzee kobe who is employed by Pamella appears in a long shot where she sells some vegatables. A 

close-up shot is given to man Dividi and then long medium shot. A paning is performed from left to right showing children talking about the game, then they are zoomed in to a medium close-up. 

a medium close-up is performed showing flashback of a kid playing with Stella. A medium close-up is performed-children discussing whether to ask Mzee Kobe  whereabouts of stella but Joy is quick to defend him saying he is their gardener. Almasi is given a medium shot as he wears sad face, he turns back and starts walking. Man Dividi is given a long shot as children claim that he was the last person to see Stella. As story continues, Stella finally pops in (long medium shot).

The programe runs for 30 minutes and images are clear, sound is well done and the flow of story is excellent. It ends with an aerial long shot showing Kibera slums as the names of the credits flip across.

09-0786 (Adams) Machachari - 4th Sep 2010

For two weeks, that is on 21st and 28th of Aug I wasn't able to watch and so we continue from 4th sep. Machachari starts with an establishing shot (long shot) of Kibera slums. this is followed by a long shot of a litle young girl carrying school bag. On her way before she gets home she meets with friend and they decide to play some games. A medium shot is performed showing them plan what game to play and when to get home. We are taken to another scene where extreme shot (XLS) is performed showing them playing and then zoomed out to a medium long shot (MLS) then feded out. The next scene opens with a long shot. Tracking shot is taken from right to left showing the girl's mother walking towards the market place. As a the girl collects her beg a long shot is performed then zoomed out. Suddenly, the girl meets her mother (long shot), and the mother gets sad on her. (medium shot). Finally, Machachari ends with children dancing and mixing of different video footage is given special graphics effects. the images are well illuminated and the whole composition of camera shots is well done. the programe runs for thirty (30) minutes.

09-0786 (Adams) Machachari - 14th Aug 2010

Machachari is a progrme that airs on saturday every week and most actors are litle kids. the programe fisrt aired on 14th Aug 2010.It was amazingly challenging to watch litle kids act and make the story flow. the programe was shot in Kibera slums as as well as urban estate. Here children are the main characters.the programe commences with an establishing shot that shows children from far in the slums. A long shot is taken showing two kids joking, then zoomes in to close-up shot and finally, an aerial long shot is performed to show overview of Kibera slums. As children walk from a distance are zoomed in to a medium close-up. Next an aerial long shot showing a beautiful house of an estate and this is followed by a paning of camera from left to right showing the children pointing to a modern house. Finally, I discovered that shooting was done during the day and that there was no lighting in the programe. the sound is of amazingly high quality and there are distruption of the wind.

Joyadams Munene 09-0786

So far so good. its been good having a class where students can interact and share ideas and what they have gone through in the class. I would like to highlight on camera operations.Last week on 13th we had a very interactive class whereby some students had to operate camera and I realized some had shaky shots. In production, when one is operating a camera should ensure that the tripod stand is steady and at the same time flexible because sometimes you are expected to compose camera shots very quickly. I will be more than willing to help people come up with different camera shots as well as showing them how to operate a camera right from the first stage up to the last one. give me a call on this No:0710412519 for help.see you guys on wednesday next week.To our lecturer hope u had a gd recess and that you will come fully packed with more to share and to challenge...!

Application of some of the techniques in the real world

I thank God for the Com 264 class, this came at the right time when there is high competition in the field. Different media houses are competing to have the best in the field. In the process of competition for the booming market, there are many mistakes highlighted in the major out put.
Visual production is very powerful because in case of a mistake, the audience will be able to remember it for a period of time.
This is in line with what i witnessed in one of the local media houses. The preview monitor and line out monitor seemed to confuse the teaser who was busy introducing the slides for the running order of other programs in the midist of  a program that was being aired. This brought in some bit of confusion and mix up because the audience was left to decide between two programmes.This shows that intense work and keenness has to be observed in the controle room to give the audience the best.

08-0041

Tahidi High 12th october 2010

This week's episode of Tahidi high was mainly based on the form 3's who have a problem understanding their physics and they are behind with the syllabus so they have to move fast so that they can finish. so they ahve to go for after class tutoring. it also revolved around Mr. Kilunda who is having problems at home and he needs money to solve them and is too proud to ask for a salary advance. When he goes to ask a fellow stuff member for money and finds out she is also in need of money herself because she has to pay for her daughter's tuition, he discovers he can also use the excuse of tuition to get students to pay up. he gives the form 3's a tough business studies exam containing topics they have not covered so that they can fail and they have to attend tuition after classes and at lunch hours. he tells them to pay up the normal tuition fee and as usual the program ends in suspense when Mr. Temo the schools principal finds out what Mr. Kilunda is up to.

the lighting was good. we saw close up shots in some scenes. i do feel though that this time there was no lesson for the young people to learn in this episode.

ANGUKIA NA ZAIN

I feel the new program-Angukia na zain- has been poorly produced. Sometimes they seem to have used one camera and it is too boring following what both Mwala and Wilbroda are telling the winners. It takes too long to move from one scene to the next.I feel if they could have used two or three cameras, it could have been better.
Please let me know how yu feel about it.

Mary Marie

lighting-09-0805

how do you describe lighting in a program critique?

Judy 09-0805-just a comment.

COM 264, so far so good.I thank God for this  so involving and interacting class because i have been able to learn so much in our discussions. Thank you all for sharing, have a nice recess.

Class Reflection

Class Reflection

I think of the many classes I have attended, COM 264 is a class with a difference. No one fells inferior because the atmosphere makes us to feel all equal and no there is no wrong answer and every one is given an opportunity to express his or her thoughts without feeling shy or thi9nkijng that he is wrong. There is  liberty,which I think is good thing.

Second I think this class provides an opportunity to everyone to practices his or her public speaking skills in class, even though we are not taking that course. Becauie you have to stand ifrint of the class and address people,so you can imagine over thirty people listening to you. I think this is a good exposure because it gives one the confidence that he can stand infront of people and address them without shivering.

Thirdly Com 264 is realy making us scholars,becaue one has to go and read and do research on a given issue. So after the reading you come and explain what you have read,and  bear in mind you are expressing yourself to people who have read and probably have read more than,so one has to do enough reaserch about the topic.

Fourthly the class provides an opportunity for interaction. This ensures there is exchange of ideas, which for me I think is a nice idea and also provides openness and open minded ideas.

Fifthly I think our lecture is our classmate. She does not conduct herself as the boss of the class or the superstar of the course. Which I think is a good approach, so madam shikiliya hapo hapo.

Camera shot and movement

My critique today is going to be based on the shot of the program.

This week program was about the corruption and tribalism in the country, especially areas of employment. The job opportunities which are there will only be given to someone who is related to the boss if not the person person has got some influnec from a prominent person in the government.

When the program begins it show an establishing shot of the whole courts. Then after establishing the camera cut the Mr. Ondiek who is asked if he accepst the “mashtaka”. Under in this one the camera keeps on changing from one shot to another focusing in different areas of the court. Most of the shot in this program most of them are medium shot,and thing this is because of the setting of the court. So most of the focus on the upper part of the body. The long shots are taken using camera two,when taking the establishing of shot of the whole court. When the show ends they fade out which I think is good thing.

One thing I this program I was not a position to notice any camera movement.

For I think there is so much use of this medium shot so much. There can also use close up shot, to show the fascial expression of a person. Also they can use this shot to show the judge.

09-0353

Camera movements and shots

Hi everyone! Hope you are fine.

I am really enjoying the topic on camera{camcorders} and the introduction part of TV and Video production basics and tools. This gives us an opportunity to realize the mistakes happening in the field and be able to criticize and come up with what was meant to be handled. this brings in the idea we shared at the end of our last class which was about the use of boom/crane shots on citizen television that had extremely been zoomed in. This resulted in the reflections of the anchors and other studio dress up on the Citizen TV news anchor's table. This led to a lot of  discussions but my question has not been answered. my question was "Is this camera movement correct on crane shots or was it a mistake? Some of us responded by saying that maybe it was a new style being attempted while some were not sure. Was this move by citizen correct to extremely use zooms on boom/ camera shots. Does it mean that different cameras and studio mountings have to restrict to certain camera movements and mountings. Please help me out and let us respond to this issue. Thanks

Sosnes Olindo

REFLECTIONS ON WEDDING SHOW PROGRAM CRITIQUE

WEEK ONE
It was agarden wedding theme was purple and black. Close-up shots of the bride and groom to show emotions on how they feel about their big day during their interview. There were also long shots of the wedding area setting i.e. the reception and also the bridal entourage.
WEEK TWO
Today's show was an indoor setting both the reception and the church area. Theme was red blended with gold and nice finishing. There were extreme close-up shots of the bride's and groom's ring on their fingers to show it close to the viewers. The cameraman dollied in and out of different areas of the wedding surounding. Good techni9que of camera shots bringing a clearer picture on the whole turn of events.
WEEK THREE
Theme of wedding was hot pink and white. Both colours blending well together. The maids had beautiful coursages on their hair giving it a clear finish. We were able to see this as the cameraman took close-up shots. Also there was use of extreme close-up shots on thebride's and her maids dresses. The host of the show Nonny Gathoni used a unidirtectionalmicrophone during the interview of the couple.
WEEK FOUR
Theme of the day was jungle green matched with gold shoes for the brides for a garden wedding in Naivasha.This day Nonny used an omnidirectional mic as she did not have to shift the mic to the couple during their interview. Camera shots included of long shots of the bride and her maids walking down the aisle.
WEEK FIVE
This week it was an intercultural wedding from the Kikuyu and an American. There were extreme long shots of the bride's house as the women sang outside and she was getting herself prepared for her day. Theme of the wedding was sky blue blending well with white. A close up camera shot of the cake and its area plus all the decorations. Long shots were used to show the table setting and its arrangement at the reception. The cameraman being more creative had a close-up shot of the elegantly dressed groom, his suit and waist coat which indicated the theme of their wedding.

Congrats to our Technucal Team

Thumbs high to our technical team for setting up this online forum. I encourage everyone to get actively involved in our online forums. This way, you develop a multimedia mindset which is very crucial if you aspire to succeed as a journalist in this century.

Base your weekly critiques on assigned readings, your research, class presentations and your own instinct as a multimedia journalist. Make sure you commens on other people's postings as well. I will reserve my comments for a while.

We will have a study tour of KBC on 16th (A) and 23rd (B) of November 2010. So draft logical questions you'll ask when we get there.

Let's keep our blog active

Vioja - Channel One

Vioja Mahakamani

Vioja Mahakamani is one of the oldest local programs at Kenya Broadcasting Coperation. As the name suggests it’s a production which tackles different issues affecting the common person in the country. Its setting is like a normal court and all court procedures are adhered to. Most of its content is about is happening at the moment.

The program is aired every Wednesday, from 7:35v to 8:10.The episode I watched it was talking about the constitution. In this program we have about five main characters Alexander a maasai guy,Makoha a the only Rasta man and Ondiek. In this episode Makoha was is behind the dock, for insulting his neighbours Mr.Ondiek. on his defence Makokha claims that the constitution says that everyone is suppose to return to his/her home land, so because Mr.Ondike is not from that region he is suppose to go back to his home turn. On the other part Ondike is claiming that he is a bonfide citizen of this country and he has the rights to live anywhere.

Giving her verdict, the judge says that Makokha has no right to insult anyone, and there is no where the constitution says that people are suppose to return to their homeland.

The content of this program is always audience oriented, because the viewer is able to relate with the content. In terms of the production I think both the video and operator know they work, because they is always smooth transition from one shot to the other, use different angles. The same apples to the audio and from the way cast position themselves I think that they use omni directional microphones which are hanged up.

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Critique for Tahidi high tuesday 4th October 2010

Tahidi high was interesting. it was based on the three tickets given to the school by the United States embassy. this tickets were to be used by three students to fly to the United States over the holidays and Mr. Tembo and Miss Morgan engaged one of the teachers in choosing the three best students in academics, discipline and sports. as usual the teacher asked the students for money and gave the chance to the three students who gave the highest amount. the usual students Freddie, and Melvin were upto no good as usual as they framed O.j as having been smoking so that he cannot get considered for the trip. Omosh O.J's uncle was also not upto any good as he got the trip cancelled by damaging the form while trying to put O.J's name on them so that he can get a chance to fly to the United States. And towards the end we have Miss Morgan warnign O.J about smoking which is a moral lesson to us that smoking is bad for our health thus we should not smoke.
The images were good and they mostly used medium shorts an example where we had O.J and Omosh coversing about the opportunity to go to the United States and close - up shots. At some points they also used long shots like when they were showing Omosh hiding from Miss Morgan. The framing was good as the gave head room and nose room.
By 09-0850

Mother-In- Law Program critique

The previous episode is about the family conflicts within Mr.Mwamba's Family. This revolves around the expected marriage between Charlie and Celina. Mother-in-law who is Charlie's mum is against the wedding. the reasons for Charity's opposition to the wedding is that Celina cannot be trusted since at one time she was involved in witchcraft. However, Mr. Mwamba is in full proposition for the marriage to take place and that Charlie to be given chance to make his life decisions. Celina who is considered to be very expensive, is ready to marry Charlie. She Confesses that she loves Charlie despite of Swopo, another character approaches Celine for her hand in marriage.

The scene for this episode took place in Mr. Mwamba's and Jack, his son's compound. This is very critical as the scenes revolve a round the daily lifestyles of the Kenya families.
 There was good lighting, scripting, although the ideas seem to mix up but they represent what happens in most Kenyan and other african families,especially in terms of  planning for marriages.

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TAHIDI HIGH CRITIQUE

14th September 2010

The episode focuses on two scenes: Melvin, OJ and Freddie not having their names written on the class' trip list, so they find a way of including their names and Allan who's supposedly to write some assignments for Eddie but "loses" his books, hence is forced to sell a desk and a chair to raise up the money that he owes Eddie. The agreement was for Allan to do Eddie's work as a debt clearance.

This episode depicts a student being bullied i.e Allan a form three student is doing assignments for a fourth form student. Mischief is also depicted in OJ, Freddie and Melvin as one of them sneaks in the staffroom to include their names in the list.

If I were to give this episode a tittle, it would be entitled "Kubambwa" as the mischief of the three boys was found out and they were subsequently punished. Eddie by chance found out that Allan had lost his books and threatened to kill Allan if he books were not produced, which led t Allan selling a desk and a chair.

21st September 2010
Today's episode starts with the Swahili teacher Mr. Meiposi telling the class that they can't go for the "mjadala" that they were anticipating because the invitation had arrived that very morning and protocol need to be adhered to. As is with students, they are disappointed. OJ, Melvin and Freddie as is with their character mobilize the class and plan on sneaking out. They hire a matatu, select a teacher amongst them and they are ready to set out.

A related scene is where Kamonjo, the schools' gardener gives Omosh,a fellow worker his best suit and tells Omosh to keep well till after work. Omosh hangs it on a tree, OJ happens to find it and subsequently their "teacher" gets to have a suit. The episode was to be continued.

The episode was interesting as some of my friends started narrating the mischief that they had engaged in while in secondary school, including hiring a parent among the hawkers around. Tahidi High clearly captured this as it is not new among our secondary schools and we, all could identify with.

As usual there is no tittle for this episode but I'd name it "the plan".   


28th September 2010

This is a continuation of the previous episode. The principle of St. Angela's, the school that they had sneaked into, calls Mr. Tembo and tells him to congratulate the students on her behalf as they did an excellent job during the mjadala. Mr. Tembo is baffled and summons the Swahili teacher Mr. Meiposi to explain to him what is going on. Mr. Meiposi is also in the dark but after some simple and quick investigation are in the light.

Watching these four episodes, I have noticed that there are always two major scenes that may or may not be related. In this episode, it was that I have described above and the other of two women; the tea girl and Mr. Ngatia's wife verbally fighting. The episode ends with the students being told to go and kneel in front of the staffroom save for the head girl who did not sneak out.

I'd tittle this episode as"the catch" because in the long run, the students were caught.

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TAHIDI HIGH CRITIQUE

Tahidi high is one of the many local programs that airs in citizen TV, showing every Tuesday from 7:30 to 8 pm. It is slotted  a 30 minute airtime but it runs for 25 minutes given the number of advertisements. It is produced by and directed by Catherine Wamuyu. Helping her with the script writing is Naomi Kamau.

Tahidi high is a hi h school drama full of intrigues, love infighting as any typical Kenyan secondary school would experience. It also depicts the conflict between teachers, students as well as parents.

I must confess that I am not a fan of local productions because for one, there's never originality, always copying what the Hollywood people have done, their production is always poor and the actors do not "feel" the characters that they are supposed to act out. I must say though that we are on the road to improvement given that Citizen TV has paved a way for the local productions to have a platform on which to showcase their talents.

7th September 2010
This episode was all about alcoholism. Two students notably OJ and Lamo and three of their friends are found by Mr. Tembo, the schools' assistant principal, sneaking alcohol into the school. Their parents are supposedly summoned but the students decide to "buy" parents because they do not want  to involve their real parents. The bought parents incidentally or intentionally (the idea of the director and script writer) happens to be drunk as well. 

Watching this episode, made me wonder what it was that was being put across, because the students were not punished and Mr. Tembo did not bother to find out about the drunken parent. There is no tittle for this episode hence you judge for yourself.


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