Camera Operation and Control

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Camera Operation and Control
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Camera Basics

• Camera imaging device imaging chip (CCD, or
  CMOS)
• Video Resolution measure of the ability of a
  video camera to reproduce fine detail.
• Camera resolution 1000 lines, whereas HDTV
  400, and SDTV 300
• Start with something good.
• Resolution is based on the sharpness of the black
  and white (luma or luinance) component of the TV
  image.
• Human eye perceives detail in terms of brightness
  (luma) differences not in terms of color
  differences.
• Foot Candles (Lux) light level measurement
  most cameras require 75 foot candles, or 750 lux
  to produce best quality video.
• Night Vision Modules light multipliers

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• Tripods HDTV shows your bumpy hand although
  some shots can use handhold to create effects.
• Tripod pan head does pans and tilts
• Bean bags used as a camera mount absorbs
  movements.

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Basic Camera Moves

• Dolly camera in or away from object
• Truck lateral movement on the pedestal
• Pan horizontal movement
• Tilt vertical movement
• Jib long, maneuverable boom or crane device
• Steadycam flexible arm uses springs to balance
  and hold positions (usually worn).
• Camera tracks and copters expensive but nice
  smoothly way to follow talent.

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Color Balance Cameras

• White balance do on a white card.
• How to zoom in on a pure white card and push
  white balance button - camera adjusts to produce
  pure white.
• Color balance do on something colored.
• Multiple cameras use split screen or a smart
  card to transfer settings.
• CCU (Camera Control Unit) studio side camera
  control (controls all elements balance, iris,
  movements, etc.)
• Black balance cap your lens and do the same.
• Good Color vs. Real Color audiences prefer
  saturated colors (exaggerated). Ie. Skin looks
  more healthy.
• Sunlight 5500 kelvin degrees
• 100 watt lightbulb 2800K
• Camera portable lights 3200K

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Creative Control

• Shutter Speeds represent the time that the
  light-induced charge is allowed to electronically
  build in the chip before being discharged.
• Speeds as high as 1/12000 of a sec.
• Normal shutter speed 1/60th second (time it
  takes to scan one video field)
• In low light shutter speed is slowed down, so you
  will need to adjust.
• High shutter speeds allow for slow play back and
  freeze frame actions.
• There is a direct relationship between shutter
  speed and f-stop

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Shutter Speed

• What setting would you use to blur and image?
  Make it clear? What does the 30 represent what
  does the 1000 represent?

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Variable Frame Rate

• Speeding up and slowing down frame rates are used
  to create effects - even if its just slightly.
• Normal frame rate 25f/sec.
• CRANKED speeding up frame rate.
• UNDERCRANKED slow down frame rate.

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Shooting

• Safe area 10 of viewfinder picture not viewed.
• Shoot and protect shooting for 169 HD area,
  while protecting the 43 area.

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Viewfinder

• Check to see if what youre seeing is actually
  what is seen.
• Adjust colors on viewfinder
• Use a video monitor (true color TV device) to
  verify that outermost edges of the test pattern
  just fill the viewfinder image.

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Teleprompters

• Rely on a reflected image of a script that's
  visible in a half-silvered or two-way mirror in
  front of the camera lens.
• The image from the video monitor (displaying the
  text to be read) is reflected into a
  half-silvered mirror mounted at a 45-degree angle
  to the lens.
• The image of the text as seen by the prompter
  camera is electronically reversed left-to-right
  so that the mirror image will appear correct.

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Composition

• Composition the orderly arrangement of elements
  in a scene which, when taken as a whole, conveys
  intent and meaning.
• Static covers the content of fixed images.
• Dynamic takes into consideration the effect of
  time.
• Want to make something last?
• Create an emotional experience.
• CONTENT takes precedence over FORM.
• Note never say it, if you can show it.
• Note2 composition is an art not a science - but
  there are some general rules.

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Good Composition

• The how to
• Insert Shot a close-up of something significant
  within the basic scene.
• Cutaway Shot cutting away from the central
  scene to bring in related material.
• Atmosphere introduction introducing the
  surroundings first in a shot - tips the audience
  off about what will be happening.

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15 Elements of Composition

• 1. Clearly Establish Your Objectives
• Slow Boring
• Depicting Emotional States
• 2. Strive for a Feeling of Unity
• 3. Compose Around a Single Center of Interest
• Selective Focus to the Rescue
• Where There Is Light...
• Shifting the Center of Interest
• 4. Observe Proper Subject Placement
• Leading the subject
• Rule of thirds
• Horizontal and vertical lines

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15 Elements of Composition cont.

• 5. Maintaining Tonal Balance
• 6. Balance Mass
• 7. Create a Patter of Meaning
• The concrete and the abstract
• Include multiple levels of meaning
• 8. Using lines
• Leading lines
• 9. Frame Central Subject Matter
• 10. Make Use of Visual Perspective

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15 Elements of Composition cont.

• 11. Convey Meaning Through Colors and Tones
• 12. Avoid Mergers (tonal, dimensional, and
  border)
• 13. Control the Number of Prime Objects
• 14. Balance Complexity and Order
• 15. Movement and Meaning

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15 Elements of Composition (review)

• 1. Clearly Establish Your Objectives
• Slow Boring
• Depicting Emotional States
• 2. Strive for a Feeling of Unity
• 3. Compose Around a Single Center of Interest
• Selective Focus to the Rescue
• Where There Is Light...
• Shifting the Center of Interest
• 4. Observe Proper Subject Placement
• Leading the subject
• Rule of thirds
• Horizontal and vertical lines
• 5. Maintaining Tonal Balance
• 6. Balance Mass
• 7. Create a Patter of Meaning
• The concrete and the abstract
• Include multiple levels of meaning
• 8. Using lines
• Leading lines

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Graphics

• CG (Character Generator) used to create
  graphics on screen (TV)
• Software based systems or dedicated equipment.
• Image editors and processors.
• 3D images and programs
• Note typically studios use software based
  specific devices to make and manage their own
  graphics - these usually tie directly into their
  video switcher.

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• Virtual Reality Sets simulated settings (green
  screen stuff)
• 6 Keys to Matching the Sources
• 1. The brightness and contrast of the video
  sources must be the same.
• 2. The lighting must match, especially the
  direction of the lights.
• 3. The color balance of the video sources must
  match, especially if skin tones are involved.
• 4. The sharpness of the video sources should be
  the same. As a last resort you may have to
  slightly soften one source so that it will not
  "stand out" from a companion source.
• 5. Video sources as well as film have a subtle
  but inherent "grain" or "noise" pattern. If one
  video source is "cleaner" than another, the
  difference will tip off views that something is
  amiss, especially in HDTV.
• Although it's not a totally desirable solution,
  subtle differences can be addressed by slightly
  degrading one video source with the electronic
  filters in a video editing program.
• 6. The relative perspectives must match. This is
  primarily established by the original lens focal
  length and camera-to-subject distance.

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Lighting

• To control light you need to understand 3 basic
  elements
• Coherence (quality)
• Color Temperature
• Intensity
• Note Lighting can emphasize important details or
  hide them. It can flatter a subject by bringing
  out positive attributes, and it can de-emphasize
  or hide less attractive attributes. Lighting can
  even impart a sinister and hostile look.

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Lighting Coherence (Quality)

• Coherence, often called quality, is the hardness
  or softness of light. Light quality is probably
  the least understood and the most neglected of
  the three elements.
• Hard Light parallel rays hard crisp look
• Soft Light from angle hides surface
  irregularities and detail.
• Use diffusers reduce intensity of light.

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Lighting Color Temperature

• Two basic color standards 3,200K (Kelvin) for
  incandescent lamps used in studios and 5,500K for
  average daylight.
• The angle of the sun is important to consider.
  The longer the angle of the sun, the more blue
  light is being absorbed therefore the color
  temp. shifts towards red!
• Consider how much color is in each of your shots
  and use white balance to mesh things.
• Note To avoid the unpredictable effects of
  standard fluorescent lights, videographers who
  want to accurately reproduce skin tones simply
  turn the fluorescents off and set up their own
  lighting equipment.

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Lighting Intensity

• Intensity the control of the quantity of light.
• Measured in foot candles the term LUX is
  replacing the foot candles measurement.
• sunlight on an average day ranges from 32,000 to
  100,000 lux
• TV studios are lit at about 1,000 lux
• a bright office has about 400 lux
• moonlight represents about 1 lux
• starlight measures a mere 0.00005 lux
• TV cameras need at least 1000 lux (90fc) to
  produced good quality video.
• On location stuff is done with 300 lux (30fc)
• Use a light meter to find dark and light places
  on a set, then make needed adjustments.
• Spot meter measures light within 1 - 5 degree
  angle of view
• Reflected light meter measures reflected light
  off of subject
• Incident light meter tells how bright the light
  is falling on the scene
• Color temp. meter measures brightness of color

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Controlling Light

• Distance
• As the distance between a light source and the
  subject increases, the light is spread out over a
  larger area and the intensity decreases.
  (Focusing the light also helps.)

Scrims (like filters) use to control the
intensity of light.
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Lights

• Types of lights
• Quartz Lamps incandescent lamps 500 - 2000
  watts
• Better than normal light bulb dont darken with
  age, but extremely hot, careful of oil on hands,
  dust, and jolting them.
• Ceramic Lights 250 watt, therefore more
  efficient.
• Operate at a more cool temp., last 8 times as
  long. Operate on standards 120 volt outlet. But
  they also cost 8 times more.
• HMI Lights deliver 5 times the light per watt
  when compared to an incandescent lamp therefore
  way less heat they are a lot smaller too. They
  are the same color temp as the sun (5600k).
  However, they do need a special voltage - 240v.

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Lighting Instruments

• Fresnel consists of concentric circles that
  both concentrate and slightly diffuse the light.
• Scoops used for fill light with incandescent
  lights. Can hold gels, etc.
• Ellipsoidal Spots produces a hard, focused beam
  of light. Used with gels, these lights can
  project colored pools of light on a background.
• Sun guns camera mounted lights.
• Barn Doors adjustable black metal flaps to keep
  light from spilling off.
• Flags consist of any type of opaque material
  that can block and sharply-define the edges of
  the light source.
• Filter frames hold gels, filters, scrims.

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Light cont.

• Lighting instruments serve 4 functions
• Key lights
• Fill lights
• Back lights
• Background lights
• The lighting formula
• A combo of these 4 lights in the right place at
  the right intensity with right quality/ coherence
  creates optimum effect.

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Key Light

• The key light highlights the form, dimension and
  surface detail of subject matter.
• Placed at a 30 - 45 degree angle from either the
  left or right of the model. Brings out texture.
• Should be neither too hard or soft.
• It creates the catchlight in the eyes!
• Key light considerations
• On persons best side, follow the source (ie.
  sun, desk lamp), consistency (key light all
  people from same side), whats most practical.
• Usually evaluated 30 degrees above camera.
• Sun can be key light.
• Careful of boom and other shadows.

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Fill Light

• Fill light is to partially (but not entirely)
  fill in the shadows created by the horizontal and
  vertical angles of the key light.
• Should be 90 degrees away from key light.
• Generally placed just above the camera.
• Softer than the Key Light.

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Back Light

• The function of the back light (hair light) is to
  separate the subject from the background by
  creating a subtle rim of light around the
  subject.
• Place directly behind the object usually 45
  degree angle is best.
• Use low wattage.
• Use to create silhouettes.

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Background Light

• Background lights are used to illuminate the
  background area and add depth and separation
  between scene elements.
• Any type of light can be used as a background
  light as long as it provides fairly even
  illumination across the background, does not hit
  the central subject matter, and is at the
  appropriate intensity.

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Lighting Ratios key to fill lights

• 11 - no difference (flat lighting)
• 21 - One f-stop (for general color photography,
  videography)
• 31 - One and two-thirds f-stops (for general
  black and white photography)
• 41 - Two f-stops (for low-key dramatic effect)
  
• 81 - Three f-stops (for a very low-key dramatic
  effect) Because of the video contrast range
  limitations, for ratios beyond this the dark
  areas will probably just be rendered as black,
  without discernible detail.
• Note To provide the subtle rim of light around
  subjects the back light has to be slightly
  brighter than the key. The backlight should be
  2/3 intensity of the key light.

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Lighting special situations

• Use windows as key light.
• Bounce light (walls, reflectors, umbrellas, etc.
• Lighting multiple subjects - still use 3 light
  system, but now its not each subject very
  complex.
• Faking light sources ie. from computer screen.
• Area lighting use a base light so you dont
  have to follow your subject with a light.

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Light Altering Appearance

• Min or Maximize surface detail (max would be the
  opposite of these 3 suggestions)
• Decrease the key and fill angles
• Use soft light sources
• Reduce the lighting ratio
• High and Low Key
• Refer to the angle of front lighting (key light)
  and the resulting presence or lack of shadow
  areas.
• High evenly lit scene - no intrusive shadows.
• Low pronounced shadow areas.

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