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WORKING WITH DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERAS
By Nicky Newman
Perspective
The way we shoot says a lot about how we see
the world and how we convey information
about what we are filming. There
are some
classic things one learns in basic visual
literacy, like
if you film someone from
below, it makes them look powerful
and big
and if you film them from above, it can make
them look
small and weak and disempowered. Where you
put a person in
the shot is important. These are guidelines,
not fixed rules of course. Look at movies
and television and see how men and women are
shot in order to highlight gender
perspectives. |
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Often women are shot in soft focus, in a
tight, close shot. For men, more defined
angles are used indicating strength and
power. Be aware of these things when you
shoot.
On being
invisible
If you are shooting in a sensitive
situation, you want to draw as little
attention to yourself as possible. Ways to
do this: dress in dark and uniform colours,
avoid a huge red dress with yellow spots!
Also, don’t start shooting immediately, let
whatever is happening start to happen and
then slowly move into it. And move slowly,
don’t race around making noise and drawing
attention to yourself.
As far as possible, always ask permission to
shoot, introduce yourself and offer some
information about what you are doing.
Framing
Framing is to some degree a
matter of personal taste. However there are
certain norms one should stick to especially
as regards to framing people and groups of
people. Try not to get too much headroom,
don’t leave your subjects floating around in
space. I personally try not to frame a
person directly in the middle of the square,
I try and offset them a bit. Also, give a
person some space when it is a close shot on
their face i.e. don’t squash their mouths
and noses up against the side of the frame.
Try and divide the frame up into thirds
(down and across): The eye line should
ideally be in the top right or left hand
corner of the frame.
Watch films and television with specific
regard to the framing, see what works for
you, how you would have done it to improve
the shot. Bad framing sticks out and
detracts from the story.
Exposure
Exposure refers to how much light
is allowed into the camera. It is a key
element when shooting footage. There are
three things that can happen when you shoot:
Overexposure - too much light is coming into
the shot. You get a bright, blown out shot.
Underexposure - there is not enough light
and the picture is too dark.
Correct exposure - just the right amount of
light, the picture looks good.
Most modern cameras have more than one
exposure setting. For beginners, I recommend
using the automatic exposure setting to
start with. It’s fairly accurate.
When you are confident enough to start
shooting on manual exposure, set the
settings for an exposure that you know will
be the one that you will be using the most.
If you move from sunlight to indoors, the
camera will keep the manual setting you used
before and it will then be incorrect. Change
the exposure every time you move locations.
If a person is standing under the shade of a
tree while the background is bright
sunlight, rather let the background be
overexposed and too bright and the face of
the person be correctly exposed.
Most cameras now have a side monitor where
you can see what image you have while
looking at the real object. With the older
cameras you still have to look through the
eye-piece while filming. CHECK THAT THE
SETTING FOR THE MONITOR is correct,
sometimes it can be set too low or too high.
You end up setting your exposures according
to the monitor setting which will be wrong.
If you are not sure about the monitor
setting, set it to the middle. (The button
for changing the monitor setting is usually
on the side of the flip out monitor).
Low light
When you are shooting in low
light, sometimes you get a grainy image,
i.e. lots of little dots that move around
over the image. The best way to eradicate
this is to set the camera on the low light
setting, this is usually indicated with a
moon icon. When you set the camera on this
setting, it adjusts the exposure to
compensate for the low light and cuts out
the grain.
White balance: Look at your image in the
viewfinder, then switch the white balance
settings to each different one and see the
difference. Some are more blue, some are
more orange. The camera can do automatic
white balance settings but if you want to do
it manually, consult the manual for how to
do it precisely. The general way it works is
to put a piece of white paper in front on
the camera covering the whole picture IN THE
LIGHT YOU WILL BE SHOOTING IN. Then press
the white balance button and it will adjust.
Note that if you change locations, from
indoors to outdoors or visa versa, you need
to re-do the white balance settings.
Zooming
All cameras have a zoom button
that brings you in and out of the subject
matter. Some cameras also have a manual ring
that allows you to control the speed of the
zoom.
Practice getting a smooth zoom before
shooting. Use the zoom function when
necessary, avoid zooming in and out too
much, it messes with your focus and is
difficult on the eye when watching. If a
plane is crashing into the ocean and you
need to work fast, a crash zoom (zooming in
fast and loosing focus) is obviously
acceptable and we are used to that on the
news, however it’s not really acceptable
when shooting in more controlled conditions.
Focus
There are two focus modes on video
cameras; manual and automatic. What happens
when you shoot on automatic is that every
time you move the camera from one person to
another or from one object to another, the
camera refocuses. This can be problematic in
that it starts to rove all over the place
and the footage looks bad because it goes in
and out of focus all the time.
If you shoot on manual, you need to have one
hand that is on the focus ring and you need
to adjust the focus as you shoot. When you
start out, this can seem a bit intimidating,
but stick with it because it soon becomes
easier and eventually becomes almost second
nature.
One trick is to set up your shot, then zoom
right in as far as you can go, then focus.
Then zoom back out to your shot. This will
allow for you to zoom in and out and not
loose focus. This however, does not last
indefinitely, at some point you will have to
reset the focus by repeating the zoom in and
focus. But it’s good for a while.
Sometimes the shot going out of focus is
acceptable, especially with news and
documentary footage. It’s not really great
when shooting fiction or in a more
controlled environment, unless it is
intentional and adds to the feeling you are
trying to create.
There is also a handy button called “push
auto” which when you press it refocuses
immediately. Use this when you are pressed
for time or working in difficult conditions.
Time code
Time code is a set of numbers
that one uses when it comes to editing.
These sets of noughts indicate the hour, the
minute, the second and the frame.
00:00:00:00 These numbers will show in your
viewfinder when you shoot.
On some formats, such as Betacam, what we
would do is set the hour time code each time
for each new tape, so you would have tape
one being 01:00:00:00 . the next tape would
then be set to 02:00:00:00 etc.
However, the small DV cameras have what is
known as generic time code. This means that
every tape will start with the same time
code: 00:00:00:00. The numbers will then
change as you start to shoot and show the
time that you have shot i.e. if you have
shot for 2 minutes and 6 seconds, the time
code will read 00:02:06:00.
What you want to happen is that you have
continuous time code for the edit i.e. you
do not want to break it. What this means is
that if you take the tape out or stop
shooting, the time code will stop and
restart at 00:00:00:00. This break in time
code makes for difficulty in the edit suite.
So, try and shoot for an extra few seconds
so that you can rewind slightly and start
shooting over the last few seconds of what
you shot before. This way, the time code
picks up from the last time you shot and
stays continuous.
Date and time
Always check that this is
switched OFF otherwise it burns into the
image and is impossible to remove once you
have shot. If you see the time and date in
the eye piece it will be there on the final
image. Press the button that says date and
time on the camera and it will remove it. If
you are not having any luck, consult the
manual. If you are doing investigative
shooting that warrants having the date and
time on the footage, then find the button
and press it once and it will appear.
Sometimes it is confusing because the date
and time can look similar to the time code
that is showing in your viewfinder. Don’t be
fooled. Double check every time you start
shooting. I’ve also noticed that the
date/time button is often in a place that is
easy to mistakenly press while shooting, so
keep checking.
Special effects
Video cameras have some
great special effects. Each camera is
slightly different, but usually there is a
setting called Special effects, or maybe
just Effects. Press that once and then you
are given a range of options to choose from,
sepia, strobe, flash, black and white etc.
(This might be in the menu on some cameras).
Remember that once you have filmed with an
effect on, you cannot remove it. However,
you can add effects on in the edit suite, so
think carefully about how you will be using
the footage and if you really want to use
the effects.
Keeping the camera steady
Most cameras have
a feature called a “steady shot”. This is a
built in devise that steadies your shot. The
icon for the button is usually a little hand
with some lines on each side indicating
movement. Always put on the steady shot
unless you are purposefully going for a
shaky look.
Using your body
You can use your body as a
brace. Stand against a wall, or sit on a
chair with your arms on the back of it. In
other words, use objects and the ground to
steady your body. Watch out for you arms
resting against your sides. Sometimes your
breathing causes the camera to move with
your breath. Try and see/feel the camera as an extension
of your body. Let it move with you in a
fluid and smooth motion. Don’t turn yourself
and then the camera, turn in one movement,
your body and the camera together. Think of
your solar plexus as the centre point and
practice moving around in different
directions, like a tai chi movement.
Using a tripod
Working on a tripod gives
you a particular feel and look to the
footage. It is a more static shot. It
becomes easier to zoom and adjust focus when
on a tripod because you are freer to operate
the camera and not worry about movement.
Practice panning the camera on the tripod
from side to side with an even movement
before shooting so that you are aware of the
speed with which it travels. Look at all the
knobs and levers on the tripod and what they
do because when you are working under
pressure, it tends to get a bit confusing.
Using a mono-pod
A mono pod is one long
pole. I find it quite difficult
to use. It’s hard to keep it steady. Where I do find it
useful is to hold the middle of the mono pod
and keep it off the ground and move with it,
almost like a steady cam.
Sound
This has been said many times, but I’ll say
it again, sound is almost more important
than the image! Don’t neglect it.
Each camera has a different way of handling
the sound. All cameras have a camera
microphone (mic). Usually the automatic
settings are very good, but these mics are
omni-directional i.e. they pick up sound
from all around the camera. If a person is
giving a speech, they get that, if a person
in the audience coughs, the mic picks that
up as well.
If you add a mic onto the camera it is
normally uni-directional, i.e. it focuses
its sound in one direction. This means that
when you swing away from a speaker who
continues to speak to get a cut away of
someone in another direction, the speakers
sound will get less. But it does cut out
background noise.
Some cameras have two sound tracks or two
inputs for two microphones, this allows you
to record sound on both the camera mike and
the external mic i.e. the mic that you
attach. This is in case there is a problem
with either mic, then you have a back-up
soundtrack. BUT BE CAREFUL because some
cameras only have one sound input, so if you
use an external mic then it cuts out the
camera microphone. A mistake I’ve made in
the past is that often the external mics
have an on/off switch on the mic itself and
if you forget to turn it on, you then have
NO sound.
The best thing to do is to test all sound
before you begin shooting, shoot a bit, then
rewind and listen back to make double sure
you have got recorded sound.
Lapel mics are very effective, put one on
someone then test the sound and experiment
where the best place to put the mic will be.
(Lapel mics are small mics that you clip
onto the person’s shirt).
ALWAYS use headphones when you are shooting
to monitor sound.
Just like light, sound bounces, so if you
are trying to interview a person in a
quieter place, putting them next to a wall
is not a good idea because the sound from
the rest of the room tends to bounce off the
wall straight into your mic.
Try and keep the mic or camera at a uniform
distance from the subject or else you will
get louder and softer sound.
Lighting
DV cameras are very good in low light
conditions. I personally try and use as much
natural light as possible. If you are going
to use lights, always have some trace paper
and put that over the light, it diffuses the
image and makes it less harsh. Also, try and
bounce the light from the ceiling or from a
wall if possible, this also makes the light
more gentle. You can also backlight, which
gives the subject a different kind of
definition. Backlighting is tricky however.
Be careful of over lighting people, they
tend to look shiny and harsh.
Photography books always have good examples
of how different lighting works. Experiment
and play with lighting before you go on a
shoot so that you are familiar with what it
looks like.
Let the lights cool down once they have been
turned off before packing them up. Always
make sure that you have a few spare bulbs
before a shoot and test the lights
beforehand to see they are in working order.
If your lights blow on set or if you don’t
have professional lighting, one can do a lot
with ordinary lights found in a home or
office.
TIPS AND TRICKS
-
Always try and read the manual before
shooting and familiarize yourself with the
icons and buttons and the menu options. The
more you know the camera, the better and
faster you will be able to cover the action.
-
Always check that the tape you are using is
lined up where you last used it. Sometimes
you rewind it to look at footage when you
are finished a shoot and don’t line the tape
back up where you want to shoot from and
then you end up shooting over footage that
you shot last.
-
Make sure that batteries are charged to
their full capacity, don’t store them in too
hot or too cold places, keep them away from
water (all liquids) and dust. Try and have
more than two batteries, that way while you
are shooting, you are busy recharging the
others.
-
A classic beginners mistake is to try and do
too much with the camera. Keep it simple.
Don’t zoom and change shots when it’s not
necessary.
-
Try and anticipate movement by watching with
your other eye every now and again. It’s
easy to be absorbed in the eyepiece, but the
side monitors make it easier nowadays.
-
Get a variety of shots if possible, i.e.
close-ups, wide shots, medium shots etc.
This makes it easier to edit the footage,
the wide shots give context, the close ups
are good for emotion etc. You are telling a
story with the images (whether you are
shooting documentary or fiction, so start to
think in images). You will need cut-aways to
put over a person when you cut their speech.
When you do this, it is called a jump cut,
it is a cut from one scene to another that
is very similar to the first, it creates a
big ugly jump, so then you use cut aways to
paste over the jump cut.
-
Shooting like everything else is a skill
that improves with practice, so try and
shoot as much as possible in a variety of
conditions, low light, indoors, outdoors
etc.
-
Often when a person wears a stripy or
checked shirt, it moves and shudders on the
image. So if possible, ask subjects to wear
clothes that do not have patterns on them.
Also white and black sometimes cause
problems, a blue, green or more neutral
colour is better.
- When interviewing someone, try not to put
them right up against a wall or poster or
whatever. Give some room between the subject
and the background.
- Don’t be afraid of the camera. Be thorough
and test all the settings and the sound
before you shoot, that way you can
concentrate of getting the best shots and
not on the technical stuff. If you are
hiring a camera, always ask at the facility
or from the person you are getting the
camera from if there is anything special you
should know, test everything there before
you leave with the equipment. Get the
person’s phone number in case you run into
trouble on the shoot.
- Take a bag with a screwdriver, pegs, gaffer
tape, scissors, lens cleaners, etc with you
when you shoot. Make a list that stays in
the bag so each time you shoot you just
consult the list.
- Go to the Google search engine on the
internet and do a search for shooting/camera
operation tips and tricks, there is a wealth
of information on the subject out there.
email Nicky |
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