CAMERA OPERATIONS AND PICTURE COMPOSITION

Pertemuan 6

Matakuliah : O0382 – Dasar-dasar Produksi Siaran TelevisiTahun : 2010

Working the Camcorder and EFP Camera (1/6)

Some basic camera ‘don’ts’There are some basic ‘Don’ts’ on camera use and that should be

obeyed: Don’t leave camcorder unattended in a car in order to avoid the

equipment suffering from excessive heat and to prevent theft; Don’t leave camcorder left in wet or moist condition as the wet will

cause wet tape and ruined drive motor in the VTR; Don’t point the lens at the sun for long time since the magnifying lens

(at the viewfinder) will collect the sun rays and melt the equipment; Don’t leave camcorder batteries in hot place and avoid dropping the

batteries as the batteries are sensitive to heat and shock; Don’t forget to put the camera lens cover and close the aperture to C

(cap) position upon using it.

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Working the Camcorder and EFP Camera (2/6)

Before the shoots before starting, check all the equipment and make sure

connectors and cables are available: BNC is standard connector for professional video cables, RCA phone is the standard connector for consumer equipment;

make sure if tripod, camera plate and the camera balance; check if the external microphone and camera microphone

work properly; verify whether the portable camera light work properly by

turn on the light

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Working the Camcorder and EFP Camera (3/6)

During the shootThere are some basic steps that will show how the handheld

camcorder and ENG/ EFP camera are operated.

a) Handheld camcorder operating techniques keep the camera in steady position in order to obtain steady

pictures; zoom out the camera when moving the camera because when the

camera is in wide-angle position and great depth of field, it is very possible that the obtained image will get focused easily;

when taking the moving pictures, get in front of them and walk backward with zoom lens in wide-angle position;

when pointing the camera sideways (to pan the camera) move your whole body instead of just moving your arms.

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Working the Camcorder and EFP Camera (4/6)

b) ENG/ EFP camera or camcorder operating techniques carry the camera on the right shoulder and put your right hand

through the support strap on the zoom lens while your left hand operates the manual focus ring (or reverse the procedure if you are left handed);

check the audio level before and during recording; If the automated white balance is absent from the camera, please

do the white balance before shooting or each time you encounter new lighting condition such as the switch after taking outside pictures under the sun to taking pictures inside the house;

put the camera into auto-iris mode when the camera is in normal condition (when the camera is free from having to reveal picture in extreme details);

calibrate the zoom lens routinely in order to get good and in-focus pictures 6

Working the Camcorder and EFP Camera (5/6)

to achieve continuity during postproduction editing, utilize the camera microphone when videotaping, or record in AGC (automatic gain control) when videotaping in quiet surrounding;

always use common sense and work safety with the camera.

After the shootUpon shooting, take care of all the equipments: take the full videocassettes out of VTR, replace with the new

one, and label all cassettes; put all switches into off mode after shooting or put it in

standby position if the camera is heading for next assignment; cap the camera by closing the iris and snap on the lens cover; tidy the microphone cable by tying it with string or shoelace; put everything into boxes or bags and recharge all batteries

upon shooting;7

Working the Camcorder and EFP Camera (6/6)

if camcorder get wet, dried out first before putting the camera back into the case since moist may cause serious problems to ENG/ EFP equipments;

check all portable lights before the next assignment.

Working the Studio Camera

The significant difference between operating ENG/ EFP camera and the studio camera is that studio camera is always mounted on camera support.

Before the show put your headset, check the intercom system and make

sure (at least) that you can hear the director, the technical director (TD) and the video operator;

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Working the Studio Camera (1/4)

check the camera position on its mounting equipment: unlock the pan-and-tilt mechanism on the camera mounting head and adjust the horizontal and vertical drag, check the camera balance on mounting head, unlock the pedestal and check whether it is correctly counterweighted-a properly balanced camera remains put in any positions;

check the camera cable availability and prevent the cables from any interferences;

check whether the camera can be uncapped from the camera control unit and whether the lens cap can be removed;

check if the zoom lens can work smoothly, or whether the zoom is dirty (if it is dirty blow/ clean it with a rubber bulb and a can of compressed air);

check whether the focus control can be moved easily and smoothly; calibrate (preset) the zoom lens;

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Working the Studio Camera (2/4) check all the teleprompter; always lock the camera cap the camera if it will be unattended for a while.

During the show put on the headset and check the intercom connection with the

director, technical director, and video operator; position the camera (calibrate the zoom) and make sure the

camera can stay focus over the entire zoom range; set the camera focus on its sharpest position, we can use the

object itself as the standard (for example the hair detail or the line of dress the object is wearing);

set the lens at its wide-angle position (zoom out position) or approximately midpoint from the object, avoid setting it into extreme wide-angle position so there will be no re-adjustment needed;

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Working the Studio Camera (3/4) make sure whether the camera pedestal is properly set; determine the approximate reach of camera cable in order to

avoid the annoying situation caused by the messy cable during the shooting session or ask the floor person to help you with the cable;

highly pay attention to other camera and other equipments (the floor monitor, scenery, properties, floor lights, rug, etc);

keep an eye on viewfinder; during rehearsal, coordinate with the floor manager or the director

if the unusual production problems exist; mark the critical camera positions on the studio floor with masking

tape Listen carefully to the instructions from the director to all camera

operator in order to coordinate the shoots among camera and to avoid duplication of shoots;

avoid unnecessary conversation over the intercom. 11

After the show Wait for the ‘all clear’ signal before locking the camera; ask the video engineer if it is allowed to cap the lens with the lens cap; Lock the camera mounting head and the pedestal and push the camera

to a safe place in the studio; if not possible, set the parking brake for the camera instead of putting it in the middle of the studio;

twist the cable as neatly as possible.

Framing Effective ShotsFraming effective shots mean to show the images and to present them so that the images convey meaning and strategy; in other words, framing a shot for maximum clarity and impact. The following topics will explain all aspects that influence significantly to framing effective shots: screen size and field of view, framing a shot: standard TV and DTV aspect ratios, depth, screen motion.

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Working the Studio Camera (4/4)

Framing Effective Shots (1/5)Screen size and field of viewScreen size affect very much to the important details the normal eyes

would see. It is more difficult to see details from small screen television than from big screen. The big screen offers great depth of field that would allow it to see almost everything in clear details and will not lose the aesthetic impact of the shot.

Field of viewField of view refers to how wide or how close the object appears on

camera. Field of view is influence by: extreme long shot (ELS), long shot (LS), medium shot (MS), close-up (CU) and extreme close-up (ECU). Field of view is designated over 5 (five) conventional shots:

1. bust shot: frame the subject from the upper torso to the top of the head;

2. knee shot: frame the subject above or below the knees; 13

Framing Effective Shots (2/5)

3. two-shot: frame two people or objects;4. three-shot: frame three people or objects;5. over-the-shoulder shot (O/S): camera looks at someone over

the shoulder of the camera-near person;6. cross-shot (X/S): camera looks alternately at one or other

person with the camera person completely out of shot.

Framing a Shot: Standard TV and DTV Aspect RatiosIn framing effective shots, there are some aesthetic principles

need to be adjusted to meet the requirements of the respective ratios: (1) dealing with height and width, (2) framing close-ups, (3) headroom, (4) nose room and lead room, (5) closure.

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Framing Effective Shots (3/5)

Dealing with height and widthAs explained before, the 4x3 aspect ratio is perfect to

accommodate pictures with horizontal and vertical elements.While the 16x9 aspect ratio is good for framing horizontal

view. Alternatively, the vertical picture can be taken by blocking the sides of the screen and that would give a vertical aspect as well.

Framing close-upsThe 4x3 is the perfect aspect ratio and small screen of

standard television are the ideal combination for close—ups and extreme close-ups of people’s heads. The combination makes the close-ups picture look balance on either sides.

There are 2 (two) ways of framing close-ups: (1) close-ups (CUs), (2) extreme close-ups (ECUs).

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Framing Effective Shots (4/5)

Both differ significantly on the way the close-up frame is taken. The normal close-ups show the customary headroom and part of the upper body; as in ECUs, the top screen edge cuts across the top part of the head and the lower edge cuts below top part of the shoulder and it makes the image looks squeezed.

However, we can either do natural masking of the screen sides or natural masking of a close-up to, at least, ‘fix’ the image performance.

HeadroomThe spared space above people’s head in normal long shots, medium shots, and close ups. For aesthetic and balance performance, avoid too little or too much headroom. The balance position or the headroom position rule applies equally for both aspect ratios (4x3 or 16x9).

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Framing Effective Shots (5/5)Nose room and Lead room

The still image looking or pointing in particular direction other than straight to the camera creates a screen force called an index vector. Again, for balance reason, there must be some spared space in front of the vector using nose room.

For moving image it is called a motion vector and the balance spared space is called lead room. Lack of nose room and leadroom will make the image look old and unbalance.

Closure(Psychological) closure is a mental perception of looking

the ‘missing’ parts of the image on television. There is positive closure where the image is taken in such a way that it helps the viewers perceive a whole image easily; and there is negative closure where the visual clues are required to facilitate the viewers perceive the complete image in off-screen space.

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