One of our great projects involved the Global Manufacturing Festival, an event in Sheffield aimed at building bridges between small – medium sized enterprises and their customers. It was, therefore, a great surprise to see Sky Sport’s Chris Kamara and ex-Sheffield Wednesday Manager Gary Megson parading around with the Premier League trophy* – we wondered if they’d stumbled into the wrong event at first!

This month we also took a trip back to infancy as we released our recently filmed advert for Hydra Creative, a Sheffield-based company covering all spectrums of web, graphic, and multimedia design.

Armed with our very own little Karen Brady/Hilary Devey/Deborah Meaden (your choice, I was just going for a strong business woman that readers would know of), we let her loose as she orchestrated a ‘typical’ Hydra Creative boardroom meeting. We should point out that no stuffed animals were harmed during the making of this video:

Aside from the (primarily) visual world, Impact Films took a huge leap into the audio world this month by appearing on BBC Radio Sheffield. After picking-up one of our press releases regarding an upcoming project, we were invited to talk more about this on the airwaves, and so we did just that!

It felt strange being the interviewee for a change, but it gave us a good insight into how those in our videos feel when we (audibly) probe them for information!

Aside from our busy month of filming and appearing on local radio, we’ve also upgraded more of our equipment. As we all know, technology moves faster than Taylor Swift’s love life, so it’s important we keep ahead of the industry. No brand new mega-cameras this time though, just a few high-spec Zeiss lenses that will provide us a few more options when filming.

Here’s to hoping that May is equally as diverse as April…

The projects we are working on are currently under-wraps, as is sometimes the case. This is frustrating because the last thing we want is to do – given the recent ‘Lance Armstrong’ debacle -is withhold information from our readers. We should probably take this opportunity to also confirm that none of our cameras have been aided by illegal, performance-enhancing components.

Speaking of cameras – and because I can’t discuss any of our exciting projects at this moment in time – we thought we’d take this opportunity to introduce our readers – yes, that’s you – to five basic camera angles/shots typically used when filming, and to explain why a particular type of shot is used in certain situations.

Whether it’s Lord of The Rings, or an advert promoting ceiling fans, there is a reason particular camera angles are used, as you are about to discover…. Right about…… NOW.

Point of View Shot (POV)

This camera shot does exactly what it says on the tin – it gives the viewer the perspective of the subject on-screen, immersing them into the film. A good example of where it is often used is in horror films, as it increases the audience’s sense of vulnerability. This popular camera angle also appears in many leaked celebrity videos.

High Angle Shot

Filmed from high up on a downwards angle, this shot’s purpose is to portray the subject on-screen as being small and insignificant. The opposite would be a…

Low Angle Shot

… Yes, a low angle shot! Looking up at the subject, this shot is often used to depict them as a strong and powerful structure. Think King Kong, Godzilla, or some other film containing a huge monster.

Establishing shot

You’ll quite often notice this shot at the beginning of films to give the viewer a sense of location. These are especially noticeable in a little-known TV show called ‘Friends’ – anybody remember all those exterior shots of apartments or the coffee house? In a promotional sense, this angle could be ideal to display a long stretch of golden, sandy beaches in some exotic land, in an attempt to entice viewers to travel to its beautiful surroundings.

Close-up

You all know what this is – but why is it used? A close-up allows us to see every emotion displayed on the subject’s face (if the subject is a person, of course!). This means we can be led to feel different emotions, depending on the subject’s intention. For example, you’ll notice close-ups used in charity adverts to create sympathy, as it’s impossible to escape the pain and anguish on someone’s suffering face if a close-up shot is used.

We hope you have learnt something today, whether you wanted to or not. There is a lot of thought and preparation that goes into filming, and it’s something we think long and hard about before even picking up the camera.

For us (at Impact Films), it has been a year of promise. We’ve been a part of some fascinating, inspirational, and just damn-right fun projects, and we can’t wait to do it all again in 2013.

We’ve had the pleasure of briefly working with Rugby star Danny Cipriani, met two adventurers travelling around the world in a Tuk Tuk, and continued to help promote the sport of Cycle Speedway with coverage that is due to air on Sky Sports very soon.

In a bid to constantly progress, we’ve also recently upgraded our cameras so that we can offer more-than-ever to our future projects (link to article), taking advantage of some sophisticated camera functions.

In the wider world, it’s been a historic year thanks to an unforgettable Olympic Games that brought Britain together to witness a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle. We also saw Andy Murray become the first male singles Grand Slam singles champion for 76 years, and an historic end to the Premiership Football season as Manchester City snatched the title away from Manchester United in the last few seconds of play.

We witnessed a group of loopy people flee to a small village in France which was said to be the only safe-haven from the media-twisted Mayan ‘apocalypse’. We also panic bought fuel (yet again) with news of a possible fuel crisis, and observed the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

The world continues to question the intentions of Iran, North Korea, and Kerry Katona, and thankfully people aren’t talking about 50 Shades of Grey or X-Factor’s Rylan anymore (thank God). It’s safe to say, therefore, that it’s been a busy year for Impact Films, Britain, and The World.

So as 2012 comes to a non-apocalyptic end and 2013 appears on the horizon, have a very happy New Year from Impact Films!