Video Technology

The Camera – Your Visual Storytelling Tool

Some review of what we should know by now…

Video Scanning Process

PixelsPersistence of visionNTSC 525 scan lines (480 used) x 640

rows 4:3 aspect ratio 30 fps interlaced -- 60 fields

Video Scanning Process…..cont…. HDTV / DTV 480 720 1080 scan lines Interlaced or progressive scan 24, 30, or 60 frame rate ‘4K’/ Ultra HD now available

Blu Ray move up to 4K

Encoding and decoding visual and aural information

Film

The film itself is the imaging device Fast vs. slow Color vs. B&W Negative vs. reversal Tungsten or daylight

Video: it’s the chip that changes light information into electrical information CCD or CMOS sensor

Principles of video color

Light hits chip (1 or 3 chips)Beam splitter splits into the 3 primary colors (electrical signals)Other end—LCD, Plasma, LED etc.3 attributes of color Hue, saturation, luminance

Chrominance : hue & saturation

Color (cont.)

HUE...

Primary colors: RGB

Complementary colors

Cyan, magenta, yellow

White: all colors; Black: absence

Color

continued...

Saturation

Intensity or vividness of color

Hue & Saturation=chrominance

Luminance = brightness

Vectorscope & waveform monitor

Camera Lens

Focal length…how wide or narrowFixed focal length (prime)Zoom Lens Distance from front to back glass

Focus: soft, sharpDepth of field / rack focus, selective focus

Camera Lenses

Front focus to focus a zoom lensBack focus : use macro flange at back of lensF-stop aperture (iris opening) F-22, 16, 11, 8, 5.6, 4 (double/half) Don’t use to compensate for lighting

CCU and Cameras

CCU for settings

Tally lights

Lighting & filters (next week)

White balance

Critical focus

AGC / gain / decibels

Reminder – Shot composition

WS/MS/CUMagic of Movie Editing Shot, Master Scene, Invisible Editing Language of visual storytelling

Cut Off LinesPoint of View / AnglesEye Line, Rule of Thirds, ‘painting’

Camera Mounts & movementsLook back at field of view LS/WS, est. shot, MS, CU, 2-shot, ots

or o/s, head room, look space, cut-off lines, lead room, etc.

Depth composition –lighting, plus Z-axis, foreground image, vanishing point,

selective focus, depth of field

Angle : eye level/high/low/canted Symmetrical shots

Camera Mounts & movements

Pedestal or tripod Jib, crane, dolly, track,

Mounting head (friction or fluid)

Camera movements Pan, tilt, truck, dolly, arc, zoom, boom,

crane, steady-cam, tracking, DVE, robotic control

Cinematography

Framing the shot, PLUSGood lighting and camera setting‘Beautiful image’ Visualize it Implement It

‘Artist’

Pull this togetherDevelop a great ideaCommunicate to an audience Script development

Understand and use the technical issues of the equipment‘Visual Storytelling’ – content to the Target Audience appeals