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RTV 322 Camera use: Shooting to Edit

Film and Video

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Project StartTraining and certification

Must learn correct use

I cannot resolve your failure to follow directions or read provided instructions

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Project Start

You must watch and learn from the camera tutorials available on the course outline.

Be prepared to apply that understanding.

Our cameras Canon XH A1 (mini DV)

Manual mode ‘point and shoot’

JVC HM 150 (SDXC card) Class 6 or above Brand matters Georgia tutorial Our settings: SD(DV), QuickTime, 16:9

(Canon XA 20 / 25): MP4

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The gear

Camera Camera mounted light Mic and cable

Mic clip Tripod

‘shoe’ / plate & balance indicator Batteries Dolly

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Reminder

Your own MiniDV tape Your own 16GB or higher SDHC or

SDXC memory card, Class 10 Ability to shoot on either Ability to edit on FCP X

Note: You must have shot on SD card to edit on FCP X or Adobe Premiere

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Reminder

Canon camera replacement cost, $3000

JVC camera replacement cost, $2500

Camera battery or light replacement cost, $125

Sony mic replacement cost, $200 Mic clip replacement, $25

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Other reminders

‘PA’ room / check out room Reserve gear before needed for

checkout – allow time for check-out and check-in

ONLY an on-duty PA Reserve your edit station before

every needed use Only your assigned station

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Folder structure

Fall 2015 RTV 322 You create a YourName folder You create a Project 2, Project 3

and Project 4 folder Never save to the desktop Settings on FCP BEFORE starting

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Camera control

Loading tape and SD card Mounting battery Plug in and check mics Power, stand-by, lock settings AGC, Gain adjustments ND filter MF / AF ‘shutter speeed’

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Lenses Camera body vs. lens Zoom or fixed (prime) -- critical focus LENS CAP! Optical vs. Digital zoom Diaphragm / aperture -- f-stops / t-stops /

number means what? Manual vs. autofocus

Sharp focus, Selective focus, follow focus, rack focus, soft focus, swimming focus

Depth of field is affected by focal length, aperture, and the distance of objects from the camera.

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Camera mounts

Tripod and pedestal Friction head / Fluid Head

Crane vs. jib Dolly / track SteadiCam vs. Handheld

Image stabilization Robotics, follow me, Segue,

‘copter, cable mount, etc. Bean bag, other options

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Shot Composition

Rule of Thirds Point of View Angle

High angle, low angle, high level, low level, bird’s eye view, canted / Dutch angle

Cut off lines, look space, lead room, head room, eye line

Terms: WS, OTS, 2/S, etc.

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Shot Composition

Master Scene Shooting Method Establishing / Master Shot Coverage

Demonstration, Star Trek Enterprise

Also talked about as ‘shooting & editing sequences’ Wide shot / medium shot / CU /

reverse angle, OTS, etc.

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Transitions

What is a shot? Fade / cut / Diss / Wipe / DVE ‘Changing shots’ in a one-shot Multi cam shoots vs. film style Real time to Filmic time Invisible / seamless edits

Sequences Master Shot / cover shot Jump cuts / pop cuts

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Camera movements

Pan, tilt, truck, dolly, arc, zoom, boom/pedestal

DVE Crane, tracking, feather, 360 shot,

follow, swish pan / whip pan, snap zoom (use as transition) #

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The Static Frame

Storytelling involves interplay of blocking, lighting, costumes, and setting -- as captured by the camera

Balanced shots? Edge of the frame / off-screen

space

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Technical vs. aesthetics What kind of camera? What kind

of lighting? What kind of lens? Consumer vs. Prosumer vs.

professional cameras How the story is told? ‘Language’

of visual storytelling -- Hollywood style, home movies style, new media style, NPPA / news style

Remember

Artist with paint and canvas – the art of visual storytelling

Songwriter creating a new song – creative development of content for a target audience

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Video Shooting Tips

http://multimedia.journalism.berkeley.edu/tutorials/shooting_tips/

Planning Your Shoot Talk over your shoot with other

members of the production team and make sure you're clear on what shots you need to tell the story.

If you're on your own, write up a list of shots you need. Write the story beforehand in your head, and list the elements you want to get video of to do that story.

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Planning Your Shoot Think about what's going to look

good visually, and how your shots are going to come together sequentially.

Try viewing your piece as a skeleton, and you're shooting the flesh for all those bones.

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Roll Blank Tape Before You Shoot

Before you start shooting, roll your tape for 30 seconds at the beginning of your tape with the lens cap on (or with color bars - see your camera manual for setting your camera to display color bars).

SD card is a different issue

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Check Your Audio

Be sure to plug a set of headphones into the camera and check your audio to make sure you're getting an audio feed.

It's easy to forget to plug an audio cord into the camera or to properly set the audio level - and wind up with great video but no audio to accompany it.

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Shoot Selectively

Think before you shoot. Be aware of what you're shooting and when the tape is rolling. Don't record unless you're taking a shot.

Don't roll tape when you're changing from one shot to another or focusing. Wait until you have the shot you want before rolling record.

4-to1-shooting ratio.

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Shut Up When You Shoot

When you press the record button, shut up already!

When the camera is rolling it picks up all the ambient sound.

Don't talk while the camera is rolling, either to yourself or with other members of your team, and no humming.

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Hold Your Shots

Hold your shots for at least 15 seconds, before you pan, zoom or go onto another shot.

You can always take a 15-second clip and make it a 2-second clip during editing, but you can't take a 2-second clip and make it into a 15-second clip.

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Excessive Panning and Zooming

Don't constantly pan from side to side or zoom in and out with the camera - hold your shots and look for the one moment that's really captivating.

Instead start with a static shot, and hold it for 15 seconds.

‘Let the action move in front of the camera’

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Shoot in Sequences

To capture a person arriving at work in the morning on her bicycle -- that's one sequence.

It could be made up of the following shots: the person pulling up to the building, getting off the bicycle, chaining the bicycle to the bicycle stand, taking off gloves, taking off her helmet … (cont.)

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Shoot in Sequences

…tucking gloves into the helmet, and walking into the building. Every little detail is important. You can't shoot enough details.

A good ratio to shoot for (literally) is 50 percent close-ups and extreme close-ups, 25 percent medium shots, and 25 percent or less wide shots.

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Repeat that

50 percent close-ups and extreme close-ups, 25 percent medium shots, and 25 percent or less wide shots.

NEVER put two wide shots together back to back.

Cut from ‘master shot’ to cut-in (insert) shot – ‘coverage’

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Framing and Composing Your Shots

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Headroom and Noseroom

One approach is the rule of thirds: one third of the frame should be

above the person's eyes one third of the frame should be

the person's face and shoulder area

one third of the frame should be the person's lower torso.

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Depth of Field

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Change Angles and Perspectives

Don't shoot everything from eye level - it's boring.

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Get People in Your Scenes

‘Don’t just shoot the water at Niagara Falls’

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Tripods for Steady Shots

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Anticipate Action

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Interviews

Have the person you're interviewing to look at you, not at the camera. (objective POV)

Avoid a straight-on shot - shoot the person from a slight angle to the left or right.

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Microphones Use hand-held (stick ) mic only

when in a live interview situation (so, never for what we do)

With a lav mic, you'll need to "dress the mic" - properly attach it to the person you're interviewing

Ask the person to run the cord to the lav mic up the inside of their shirt (so the wire won't show in your video).

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Avoid High Contrast in Lighting Situations

For example, don't place an interview subject against a bright window or white wall or with sunlight behind the person.

It's usually best to shoot with the sun to your back.

Also – dark skin, white shirt

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Photography

…is what we are doing.

…is the art of capturing and controlling light.

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Check White Balance

Has to do with differences in color caused by the relative level of reds and blues in light and how a video  camera compensates for these differences in color.

MUST white balance every time lighting conditions change.

Must set for dominant light source.

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Manual Exposure

The auto exposure on digital video cameras is generally very good at setting the correct lighting.

Professionals always set the correct light and manually set the camera for that light.

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Get All the Shots You Need

Visual storytelling ‘See it, say it’ / ‘shoot to the

pictures’ ‘Pictures’ as jargon means video Interviews / people on camera /

main subject of shot (A-roll) Footage that supports main

content (b-roll)

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In the end… Visualize what your ‘story’ will be –

beginning, middle, end Script what you plan to shoot

Shot list, outline, full script Gather the raw footage with a

strategy for what the final ‘story’ will look like

Plan for what the final production needs will be

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