The Last Four episodes of Papa Shirandula. Critique.
By Jacob Nyongesa
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Camera lens
Episode seven/week 7
It is important for one to invest money and resources in getting the right camera, but it is another thing to get a camera with professional lens, more often than not producers are keen to see that what they have produced will be appealing to the audience.
A camera with good lens produces sharp clear pictures as compared to inferior lens which can turn the production to look blurred and the subjects not clearly seen. Although this has been employed in the Papa shirandula there are instances like the in the seventh episode where either the camera man was an amateur or the camera was not up to standard. The scene starts with “jalan’go” and Naliaka jogging in the field and in the process she gets hurt. The pictures are not clear enough to qualify into a professional production.
To produce a better quality show one needs to look at the focal lengths of the lens and it should be correct because most of this quality is used in the HDTV-high density Television with high picture resolution.
The focal point is measured form the optical point of the lens that is the shorter the lens the wider the angle, the smaller the subject and the longer the lens the narrower the angle hence the bigger the subject.
The camera men/women have done a commendable job in the production of this show and they have employed all the techniques i.e. Zoom in and out, medium, long and extreme shots, dolly in and out and from my own observation most of the equipment used is improvised and I think that is something to applaud the production team for their creativity.
Episode Eight/ week 8
Language and Camera operation.
Language is an important element in any setup and so is the case with production there is a code of communication that only suits this profession. Most of the words used only applies and are understood by the media people.
The producer has creatively used this technique in a subtle way though, because you don’t hear them say Extreme close up on the subject, but in the script or the floor manager tells the camera man to do it. This is meant to either create an effect or help the audience identify with the feeling of the subject.
If I was to be the production manager for this show I would use more of the dolly in and out to cause the audience watching move with me, especially in the scene where papa shirandula is fighting with Njoroge his old time friend. I would also ensure that there is a background sound effect to accompany the action in the show, unlike the musical that is normally played in the background. I will also wish to use different camera for different shots and scenes to achieve the best image quality in the production of the show. The use of digital and analog camera will be according to what is it I want to achieve in the production, because there are situations where one needs to adjust light for example and most of the digital camera cannot do that, though there those which one can alter the setting to the setting from automatic to manual. In order to either add light or reduce the intensity of light.
About camera mounting and movements there is need for the producer to use other mounting devices like the boom, or crane mount, encourage the use of shoulder to mount a camera as opposed to a tripod because in restricts movements for the camera man and the subject especially in a show like the Papa shirandula where the subjects are not restricted.

Episode nine/ week 9
Lighting equipment and techniques.
Light is an essential in any kind of production and most producers are mostly concerned with what kind of light they are going to use to come up with a desired program. For an effective and clear production one has to choose either to use or what time of the day a scene shot is. There are several aspects that should be considered before starting the production and the producer did well by choosing to have the scenes shot mostly during the day maybe to avoid the cost of lighting. But sometimes the weather cannot be conducive and therefore need for importing light.
The most important element of lighting to note is the use of lights to reduce the shadows that may distract the audience. In one scene in this episode we see in papa shirandula, he had been invited by Juma Anderson, because it is in the house the producer uses light to eliminate the would be shadows from the subjects by using the Key Light, Fill light and Back light effectively to enhance the production.
Mostly lights are used To provide the television camera with adequate illumination so that it can see well, i.e. produce technically acceptable pictures; To help the viewer recognize what things and people look like and where they are in relation to one another and to their immediate environment; and to establish a general feeling and mood of the event. Television lighting must please the television camera and fulfill certain aesthetic functions, such as stimulating outdoor or indoor lighting or creating a happy or a sinister mood as stipulated in (Burrows).
Spotlights have traditionally been used as key lights to provide clear, crisp images with video formats that lacked resolution. Although industrial and broadcast cameras have generally had resolution superior to the broadcast signal, the same cannot be said for videotape as showcased in this production
Different angles also help in knowing what kind of light do you need and how do you employ, lack of knowledge may lead to a bad and amateur production with subject either too dark or too bright to be seen.
As a producer I will see into it that most of my production is done in doors as opposed to Papa Shirandula which has more of its cast done outside. This is because indoors it is easy to manipulate the lighting and achieve a better resolution picture or image of the subject as compared to outdoors where the weather is bound to change without warning.



Episode Ten/ week ten
Lighting equipment
There is different lighting equipment that is used in any production. There are several that are very basic i.e. ellipsoidal spotlight produces a sharp, highly defined beam and they are generally used when specific, precise lighting tasks are necessary. Floodlights are designed to produce great amounts of highly diffused light. They are often used principal sources of light (key lights) in situations where shadows are to be kept at a minimum, such as news sets and product displays. Clamps and stands are very crucial in a production they use a standard system of fittings. On simple light stands like the ones pictured, the light slides down onto the fitting and screws tight.
One other equipment is called the reflector board this is used to produce secondary light source.If you don't have a reflector board you can improvise. Almost any suitably-sized object with a reflective surface will do. Some examples include: Windscreen sunshades for automobiles polythene (transparent) sheets, Tin foil on cardboard (try both sides of the foil for different effects) and a whiteboard. In this production especially the time when Papa shirandula who is the main character is talking to Cony (Consolata) who is the company’s secretary there is no any windscreen provided and we can see the main subject using his hand to prevent excessive heat from the sun, because the scene happens outdoors. If they had used any or improvised they could have prevented this from happening.
Given an opportunity to direct this production, I will be keen to follow all that we have learnt in class. Though the task may be challenging I would love to work with a dedicated, creative and assertive group of professionals who have a touch of excellence and determination to achieve.
Otherwise the Papa Shirandula is a good production that has an audience that has been supporting it for quite some time, the story line is good and appealing to most people because it addresses and touches on a normal Kenyan who is struggling with belonging to status quo, and they will do anything to maintain that position in the society. This is the way to go, though professionalism lacks in the whole production and there is room to change and have the show exported to other countries for showing.