About Video

Starter QuestionHow was the process for making

the Star Wars movie “Star Wars I – The Phantom Menace” different than you expected?

How has technology effected the way we make and watch films?

What is Video? – A new conceptFilm/Television

Film was the medium used for creating most audiovisual program for film and TV.

Reason Why?PortableQuality ImagesPicture and Sound was recorded

separately so sophisticated editing is possible.

What is Video? – A new conceptTelevision was the medium used

to broadcast studio programs live and previously produced programs.

Television Not Ideal because: Heavy and complex equipment. Quality not as good as film. Editing was difficult and quality

suffered.

CamcordersCamcorders are a combination of

audio and visual recorders.

Technology advancements: Smaller and easier to use. Quality has improved to rival film.

TV vs. FilmFilm makers think that TV is less

desirable than film: Resolution and picture clarity is low

compared to film. Color sometimes lacks richness. Sound editing was more difficult

(until recently).

TV vs. FilmIn other ways, Film is less

desirable than TV: Film is more expensive to shoot and

process. Film is less tolerant of lighting

situations. Sound is more difficult because it is

almost always recorded separately. Film color balance is expensive and

time consuming.

TV vs. FilmContinued..

Titles and effects cannot be added in real time.

Film editing requires making a negative – although this process is being digitized.

Converging TechnologiesToday the two are growing closer

together.Both worlds are working together:

Commercials that are shot on film then converted to tape.

Videotape work prints are made, edited, and completed with a film negative is cut to match the tape.

Special effects are created electronically and then transferred to film.

Audio software is relevant in both areas.

Types of Video ProductionsWide range of productions:

Commercials Mini-Series Consumer use – family vacations,

birthdays, weddings, etc.

Professional uses for video are expanding.

Video Jobs and Talents Story Side of Production – Writing,

Directing, or Editing Graphic Talents – Art Design, Set

Construction, Costume Design, Make-Up Artist

Operators – Camera, Lighting, Audio Technical Applications – Audio and/or

Video Engineering, Video Production and Management

Business skills – Production Management

The Nature of the Video WorldThe TV Screen is a window that

looks out on a completely different universe. In the world of video: An actor can open a door in London

and walk through it to Los Angeles. A car can turn a corner and jump

forward a week in time. An actor can fall ten stories onto

concrete and walk away unhurt.

The Language of Video ExpressionVideo communication uses a

visual language. An image is much like a single word. A shot is much like a complete

sentence. A scene is much like a paragraph. A sequence is much like a chapter.

Video has its own techniques for creating distinctive styles of expression.

Vocabulary Camcorder – an appliance that both

captures moving images and stores them on tape or other media.

Digitize – To record images and sounds as numerical data, either directly in a camcorder or in the process of importing them to a computer.

Film – An audiovisual medium that on transparent plastic strips by means of photosensitive chemicals

VocabularyLive – Recorded and usually

transmitted for display continuously and in real time.

Shoot – To record film or video; also, “a shoot” is an informal term for the production phase of a film or video project.

Television – Studio-based, multicamera video that is often produced and transmitted “live.”

Vocabulary Video – An audiovisual medium that

records on magnetic tape of other media by electronic means; also, single camera taped program creation in the manner of film production rather than studio television.

Visual Literacy – the ability to evaluate the content of visual media through an understanding of the way in which it is recorded and presented.

Black Tape: a videotape that has nothing but a black image throughout the tape. A master tape is sometimes "blacked" by running a video camera in record mode with the lens cover on, and no audio inputs.

Pre-roll: the time that a video tape recorder takes to come up to operating speed for recording. A typical pre-roll takes about 3 to 5 seconds.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary

Built in microphone: the microphone which cannot be removed from the video camera that records all sounds whenever an external microphone is not connected to the camera.

External microphone: a microphone that is connected to the video camera to provide for better concentrated recordings.

Freeze frame: a still image from a video segment recorded during editing for a specified length of time.

Pace: the rate at which information is presented or images are shown.

Pan: a camera operation during recording that moves the lens along a horizontal plane.

Vocabulary

Quick edit: an editing technique where selected segments are copied onto a master tape one after the other; same as assemble edit.

Standard audio and video : the two tracks of the videotape that are recorded together when using a video camera.

Vocabulary

Storyboard: a series of diagrams that are used in video production to depict the composition of a video segment. A storyboard provides details about the audio and visual elements that will make up a video product.

Superimpose : to have two separate images shown simultaneously. An image of text information might be superimposed over another video image to complement the visual.

Vocabulary

Takes: a recorded attempt to capture the desired video segment. It is a good idea to record a couple takes so that during editing you will have the opportunity to select the better segment.

Talent: the individuals who are the subjects who appear in the video.

Tracks: the areas of a videotape that contain the video and audio information.

Vocabulary

VocabularyTransition: the method used to

change from one video segment to the next.

Video and standard audio: the

two tracks of the videotape that are recorded together when using a video camera.

VocabularyVideo insert edit: an editing

technique where a selected portion of video and standard audio on the master tape is replaced with a different segment from the source tape.

Video output: a port on the computer that allows you to connect a video device such as a VCR to simultaneously record the images that are being displayed on the computer's monitor.

VocabularyVoiceovers: an audio recording

onto the PCM audio track of the master tape, used to narrate video segments. A voiceover is typically recorded during the post-production editing.

Zoom in/out: a camera operation involving the adjustment of the zoom lens to make a subject appear closer or farther.

VocabularyArc -a type of dolly movementBlack -darkest part of the grayscaleBlocking -planned movements for talentCrane -move camera via boom of

camera craneCG- character generator effects

generator that produces letters, numbers and simple graphics

Clip -short film or video insert

VocabularyShot sizes (XLS,ELS, LS,WS,MLS,

MWS, MS,MCU, BUST, CU, ECU,TCU)

Angles (full front, ¾ front, profile, ¾ back, full back, canted or tilted)

Crawl –horizontal movement of electronically generated text or copy

Roll –vertical movement of electronically generated text or copy

VocabularyGel –generic name for a color filter

put in front of lights to give the light beam a specific hue.

Graphics –two/three dimensional visuals prepared for the television screen such as title cards, charts and graphs etc.

Key –short for chroma keyBackground –items that appear

behind the subject of a shot -BG

VocabularySlow motion –objects appear to

move more slowly than normalStock shot or stock footage –

material acquired from a stock footage company

File footage –archived materialStar filter –lens attachment that

changes high intensity light sources into star-like images

Beauty shot –usually a close up lit to enhance the visual qualities of a person or product

VocabularyRaw footage tape: the

videotape(s) that contains the captured segments of video that will be edited onto the master tape. The tape(s) may have many times more footage to choose from than what ends up on the master tape because it usually contains several different takes of the same segment. Also referred to as the source tape or source raw footage tape.

VocabularyShoot to edit: a strategy used

during recording with the knowledge that bad segments can be overlooked during the post-production editing process. Several different takes can be recorded knowing that during post-production the best segment can be selected.

Video shot vocabularyShot composition: the field of

view that the camera operator records. The shot composition can range from an extreme close-up to an extreme long shot.

Video shot vocabulary Establishing shot, wide shot—intro

For whole story or a particular sequence Such as materials on table for paper

airplane Medium shot, medium close-up

10 to 12 feet Over-the-shoulder (OTS) Two shot

Difficult because they need to be close together

One person is talking while other sits uncomfortably

Establishing shot

Video shot vocabulary

Close up (CU): a shot composition that captures only a small portion of a subject. A close-up shot is relative to what is considered a medium shot and an extreme close-up shot.

Close-up

Video shot vocabularyExtreme close-up (ECU): a shot

composition that shows the fine details of a subject. An extreme close-up shot is relative to what is considered a close-up shot.

Video shot vocabulary

Medium shot (MS): a shot composition that shows about half of the complete subject. A medium shot is relative to what is considered a close-up shot and a long shot.

Medium shot

Video shot vocabularyLong shot (LS): a shot

composition that captures most (if not all) of the subject. A long shot is relative to what is considered a medium shot and an extreme long shot.

Video shot vocabulary

Extreme long shot (ELS): a shot composition that shows a large view that includes that subject from a distance. An extreme long shot is relative to what is considered a long shot.

Over-the-shoulder (OTS)

Two shot

Difficult because they need to be close togetherOne person talks while other sits uncomfortably

Head room

Head room = space between top of subject’s head and top of frame

Centered, too much head room

Off-center, better head roomTighter and better composed

Nose roomGive person breathing room in

frontWant person running or car

moving to have room in front of them so they’re not hitting the edge of the frame

Rule of thirdsDivide your frame into thirds

horizontally and vertically, like a tic-tac-toe board

Lower right-hand corner attracts your eye the most in Western civilizations

The Rule of Thirds

The Rule of Thirds Broken

“Non-Example”

Subject is Dead in the Center

Depth of Field

Shallow Depth of Field

•Use of a telephoto (zoomed-in) lens

•Wider Aperture (smaller f•stop)

•Use in scenes of confusion/isolation.

Deep Depth of Field

•Use of a wide-Angle lens

•Smaller Aperture (larger f•stop)

•Use in scenes where surroundings are important.

Vertical Angle of View…

Bird’s Eye View

Depicts Inferiority

Eye-line View

Normal

Worm’s Eye View

Depicts Superiority

Camera Distance…

Long Shot (LS) Medium Shot (MS)

Close-up (CU) Extreme Close-up (ECU)

Telling a Story Through Camera Distance…

(LS) - Establishing Shot

(MS)(CU)

(ECU) (CU) (LS) - Concluding Shot