Shooting Guidelines Sony DSR- PD 150 and PD 170 Fall, 2010 Long-form productions allow for a more creative nexus between storytelling and visual imagery. To accomplish this, USC journalism students get to use sophisticated digital camera and editing equipment. The equipment is technologically advanced, making it possible to accomplish extraordinary images with very little experience. This shooting guide provides some basic reminders for using our Sony digital cameras. The best way to become familiar with the camera is to spend time with it. When you check it out for a shoot, plan to have enough time to work with the camera so that you become familiar with its features. Overview The Sony PD-150 (along with its newer cousin, the PD-170) was designed with a combination of professional/consumer features in mind. This camera is known as a “prosumer” model, or a cross between the two. Professional cameras have a wide variety of settings and adjustments that allow shooters to fine-tune their cameras for almost any shooting condition. And such features are generally controlled with buttons and switches. Consumer camcorders have automated settings and adjustments to give people a decent picture without confusion or hassle. Prosumer cameras provide some of the best of both worlds. It is important to know that most of the settings on our cameras are managed through software menus – not unlike any computer program you use. Only instead of a keyboard and a mouse, the adjustments are a little less sophisticated. On the PD-150, the adjustments are managed by switches in two main areas with the internal software viewable on the camera’s flip screen display or viewfinder. Once you understand the basic software approach, all adjustments are easy to make. The two hardest things about the camera adjustments are 1) over thinking the functionality; and 2) to remember that you have to keep in mind just a few basic concepts at all times. They’re not hard, just not part of your normal habits. Habits can change. The Picture The human eye is capable of observing scenes under extremely difficult lighting conditions. Cameras, on the other hand, are dumb pieces of equipment without such capabilities. They are built with several variable controls to help the picture quality. The camera will not see things they way you do without the operator taking a few moments to set it so that it can. Generally, if you can observe a scene without much difficulty, the camera will likely be able to capture the scene too. Only it will need some guidance. Following are descriptions of some of the variables that are available to work under different lighting conditions. The camera is capable of controlling each of these variables automatically unless you tell it to do otherwise. And it is tempting to bypass the manual adjustments and just let the camera’s computer do the work. Don’t. The results are often mediocre. Even if you do decide to go this route, no camera can handle all lighting conditions automatically. Therefore, each Page 2 Impact: General Shooting Guidelines variable can be adjusted manually to match complex lighting conditions. And lighting in most situations is complex. Making Picture Adjustments Using the PD-150 If the following concepts are difficult to grasp, don’t worry. As you become familiar with the camera, the mystique will fade away and it will be easy to experiment with many of the camera’s features. Please review these basic concepts: 1) The camera DOES NOT work well in the fully automatic mode. This is because it constantly re-adjusts itself. And when it does, the picture changes, often causing a shift in the picture. 2) Sony gives you an option to work with all major settings in a manual or automatic mode. 3) Some of settings, when in the automatic mode, will confound your results unless you pay attention to what the camera is doing. Some work well. We will review both. When in doubt, operate in the manual mode. 4) IMPORTANT: You will know if the camera settings are automatic or manual by looking at the flip screen or through the viewfinder. Each setting has its own icon, and if you see the icon on the screen, it means that YOU are controlling the setting. If you DO NOT see the icon, then the camera is controlling the setting. The settings that show-up on the viewfinder are (from upper left to lower right): a. Battery life i. This is a battery symbol with the number of minutes displayed b. Shutter speed i. Directly below the battery symbol is the shutter speed, a value that defaults to 60. For Impact, that number should be 30. c. Aperture/Iris i. The aperture value begins with an, “F” and has a number after it. d. Gain i. Gain is a number followed by a, “dB” e. Focus i. The icon for manual focus is a little hand with an, “F” in it. f. Time code i. The upper right screen shows the time code in numbers separated by “:” g. Recording mode i. The lower right screen displays the word, “DVCAM.” h. Audio recording mode/recording levels i. The audio mode shows a number followed by the letter, “K” ii. Audio levels Updated August, 2010 Page 3 Impact: General Shooting Guidelines SPECIFIC CAMERA SETTINGS AND OPERATION TURN THE CAMERA ON: The first thing is to put the battery on the camera. It snaps into place just underneath the viewfinder. Be sure to match the arrow on the battery with the arrow on the camera and you’ll be able to put the battery on with ease. The ‘on’ switch is near the back of the hand grip and it has a red record button in the center. This switch determines how you will use the camera. The up position is for VCR, the middle position is off, the first lower position is for camera and the second lower position is for memory. YOU should only use the camera position. IMPORTANT: remember to turn the camera off after using it and take the battery off before leaving the shoot. A note about the batteries…if you use the camera prior to the shoot, be certain to re-charge the battery. They have a limited life and you do not want to be on a shoot only to have the batteries fail. Please check to see that the batteries have been charged when you check-out the camera. Also, knowing you have limited battery time should serve as a caution not to leave the camera on if you are not using it. My preference is to remove the battery when the camera is not in use. Controlling the Camera: There are three general locations that control the recording values. They are located on the camera’s handle (AUDIO), the left side of the camera (FILTER, FOCUS AND APERTURE) and on the REAR of the camera (GAIN, SHUTTER SPEED, WHITE BALANCE). REAR BUTTON DESCRIPTIONS LEFT REAR – - There is a silver switch with three positions, Auto Lock is at the top and Hold is at the bottom. Always use in the middle position. A Silver button that allows you to view the audio levels on the flip screen RIGHT REAR -- Gain Shutter Speed White Balance AE Shift << Wheel >> The up-down switch on the camera should always be in the mid position. The up position puts the camera in complete automatic mode; the lower position holds the current settings and will not allow you to change them. The middle position allows you to control the camera. The audio level button allows you to view the audio levels. You’ll see below that the levels should register around -12 dB. GAIN. This is a variable for using video cameras in low light levels is video gain. Video gain is an electronic boost of the video signal that causes the image to look grainy but works in low light Updated August, 2010 Page 4 Impact: General Shooting Guidelines levels that otherwise might be impossible to shoot in. Night scenes, for example, can be accomplished using video gain. The normal setting is 0db. The PD-150 allows for as much as +18db, making this a camera that will work in virtually any lighting condition. *** IMPORTANT HIDDEN EXPOSURE NEMESIS *** About 50% of all students using impact cameras for the first time come back with marginal pictures because they do not understand gain. It’s an adjustment that you must pay close attention to. The video gain button is located on the back of the camera above the shutter speed button. With the camera in the manual mode, press the video gain button. A number appears to the right of the aperture value with a little db symbol next to it. Normal is “0db”. Using the wheel on the back, you can toggle the gain to 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18. The higher the number, the better the camera will handle under low light conditions. IMPORTANT: the trade-off of using gain under low light conditions is that the image looks muddy or grainy. That’s not a problem shooting in the evening or under street lamps. IT IS A PROBLEM when shooting under normal conditions. BE SURE TO CHECK to see that you are in 0db before shooting under normal conditions. NOTE: try to avoid situations that mandate +18 db unless you absolutely cannot get the shot any other way. FINAL NOTE ABOUT GAIN: If you cannot see the GAIN value “0db” in the flip screen, then the camera is setting the GAIN AUTOMATICALLY. This is bad; you’ll hate the results. SHUTTER SPEED. Shutter speed is a concept taken from photography. It is a measure of the rate at which a mechanical shutter opens and closes – per second – to allow light into a camera. Video th cameras have electronic shutters. A normal shutter speed for a video camera is 1/60 of a second. A slower than normal shutter speed allows more light to enter (use in low-light conditions) and can cause a blurry image. A faster-than-normal shutter speed (use in brightly lit conditions) sharpens the image but reduces the amount of light that enters the camera. th We use 1/30 of a second. A shutter speed of 1/30th of a second gives the image a bit of a film look. The shutter speed control is on the back of the camera just above the white balance button. In the manual mode, press the Shutter Speed button. A number will appear just above the aperture value. The camera default is “60”. (60 means 1/60th of a second.) To adjust the shutter speed, use the wheel on the back. This is particularly helpful under three general conditions: 1) low light using a slower shutter speed; 2) sporting events using a higher shutter speed; and 3) when shooting a computer monitor, you can often (not always) eliminate the scan lines. WHITE BALANCE: White balancing the camera calibrates it to the color white. To a camera, the color ‘white’ outdoors looks different than indoors, as it will during midday sun v. sunset. White balancing is done every time you move the camera from one lighting condition to another, or when the existing lighting conditions change. The white balance control is located on the back of the camera. In the manual mode (Auto Lock is off) push the “White Balance” button once. A little icon appears on the screen. The adjustment happens with the wheel that is below the buttons on the back of the camera. NOTE: The wheel serves TWO important functions. Turning the wheel changes the selection. PUSHING in on the Updated August, 2010 Page 5 Impact: General Shooting Guidelines wheel makes it serve as the computer’s ‘enter’ key. Most everything you adjust on the camera is done so by selecting a menu choice and using the wheel to toggle between menu items and then choosing the one you want. Back to white balance. After you select the white balance button, the wheel toggles the icon between three options: 1) a picture of a sun; 2) a picture of a light bulb; and 3) the white balance icon. The first two are preset settings for outdoor and indoor lighting. (They are useful in a pinch when you are unable to white balance the camera EXCEPT under fluorescent lighting.) To SET the white balance manually, toggle the icon to the symbol that has two little triangles with a black square above them. Then, simply hold a piece of white paper in front of the lens and push-in on the wheel as if you’re hitting the ‘enter key’ on a computer keyboard. As long as the camera is still staring at the white paper or other white source, the camera will adjust properly. IMPORTANT be sure the paper is in a similar lighting condition as your subject! AE SHIFT. Don’t use this. It is a way to ask the camera to deliberately over expose or under expose in all shots. LEFT SIDE OF THE CAMERA Upper left on the camera’s handle – audio input controls Lower left side: - ND Filter - Index Mark - Focus - Push Auto - Silver wheel - Silver button Do not worry about the three buttons located at the camera’s base. ND FILTER: This control is on the left side of the camera in front of the manual focus control. It is a switch that adds a neutral density filter. A neutral density filter is like adding a par of sunglasses to the camera. It is used for bright outdoor shots where the sun overpowers the cameras aperture settings. An indicator appears in the viewfinder to remind you to use it. And if you forget to turn it off while indoors, the indicator will remind you to do so. Index Mark: Do not use this button FOCUS: The switch to the right of the ND Filter switch allows you to focus the camera automatically, manually, or to quickly set the camera to an infinity focus. A button below the switch allows you to get a quick automatic focus while in the manual mode. The auto focus isn’t bad when you’re moving around. It slips in-and-out of focus a bit, but is generally competent. Use this when shooting hand held and moving around a lot. Use in the manual mode when on a tripod. The focus is adjusted at the lens while in the manual mode. When Updated August, 2010 Page 6 Impact: General Shooting Guidelines shooting an interview, or focusing on a stationary object, zoom the lens all the way to its maximum telephoto setting, set the focus, and then zoom-out to your desired shot. This will ensure that your interviewee or the object you’re shooting will be in proper focus from that position. The Push Auto button allows you to get a quick focus while in the manual mode. APERTURE/IRIS (Silver wheel and button): (Iris, f-top) The camera aperture is similar to your eye’s own iris. It is a lens opening that regulates the amount of light that enters the camera. A lownumbered f-stop (1.4, 2, 2.8) allows more light to enter the camera. A high-numbered f-stop (11, 16, 22) allows less light in. The camera is set to automatically adjust the iris but can be adjusted manually. Manual adjustments are used to compensate for difficult shooting conditions. Difficult lighting happens when one part of a picture is much brighter or darker than another. For example, if you’re shooting an interview in the shade of a building or a tree and the background beyond is not in shade. The two are out of balance and can throw the camera’s exposure off – in essence confusing the computer. Your best choice is to do your best to avoid such conditions. If unavoidable, then manually adjust the aperture to make the picture look okay. IMPORTANT: Constantly check your shot by looking into the viewfinder for focus and the flip screen for color. The flip screen is not exactly true to what you’ll see during playback, but it is close. You want to look at the screen at a fairly straight angle to avoid exposure deviance by being off angle of an LCD screen. The aperture controls are located on the side of the camera in front of the flip screen. In the manual mode, press the little silver button with the word Iris above it. When you do, a number appears in the lower left corner of the viewfinder. It is the f-stop. Evaluate the picture. If the subject is too dark, then move the wheel that is in front of the button to adjust the picture. IMPORTANT: pay attention to both the foreground AND the background. If they are way out of balance, try moving your subject into similar conditions as the background. If this is not possible, zoom-in on the subject or change the camera angle to eliminate as much of the background as possible. Conversely, if the background is important, then use a reflector to add light to the subject. This will go a long way toward a solution. Zebras. The zebra setting is just below the ‘menu’ button inside the flip screen area. Zebras show areas in a shot that are over exposed. They appear as lines in the very bright areas of the picture both in the flip screen and the viewfinder. It’s ideal to set the zebras to 100 percent, which means that in a brightly lit setting, it would be normal to see a few zebras – not many. If you see a lot of zebras, then you would need to adjust the iris to make it a bit darker until you only see a few zebras in the very bright areas. Areas where you would expect to see zebra stripes – bright areas on a person’s face, highlights on windows or bright buildings, clouds in a bright sky, lamps in interior shots. SOFTWARE MENU CONTROLS OTHER CONTROLS: Other controls, such as Color Bars and SMPTE Time code are controlled in a software menu. To activate the menu, push the “menu” button. The button is located in the Updated August, 2010 Page 7 Impact: General Shooting Guidelines lower right corner of the recessed area under the “flip screen”. After pushing the button, use the wheel on the back of the camera to toggle between options. IMPORTANT: DO NOT adjust things you don’t understand. By doing so you might alter the camera settings, which could make it difficult for you and the next person if he or she doesn’t know what you did! SMPTE Time Code: Do this before you change tapes. To adjust the time code, push the Menu button. Toggle the cursor to the TC option. Press the wheel to put the cursor on the TC Preset option. Notice that 01:00:00:00 appears to the right. Press the wheel again and toggle it to preset. The only value you want to change is the first number. Use the wheel to change it to the desired number. IMPORTANT: I like to change the time code value to match the tape number. Tape 1 uses TC 01:00:00:00; Tape 2, 02:00:00:00, etc. IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO CHANGE THE TIME CODE, it is only helpful for editing when dealing with many tapes. Once you have adjusted the code, hit “Set” and press the menu button one more time to get out of the software menu. POSSIBLE MENACE: Everyone always wants to check the videotape to see what was recorded. Avoid temptation by paying close attention as you shoot. It is possible to do but the down side for the novice camera operators far outweigh the benefits. At issue is what happens WHEN you check your shot: 1) the tape is NO LONGER cued to the end and therefore is not where it should be; 2) while re-cuing the tape is something the PD-150 will do, it is SO EASY to record over valuable footage; or worse still, 3) the tape is re-cued past the end point of the prior shot which causes a time code jump. This is particularly troublesome because you’ll confound the editing process and end up pulling your hair out, Lee’s hair out, or my hair out. And since I don’t have much hair to lose, don’t check your tapes until you’re done. Color Bars: Color bars serve an important function. They allow editors to calibrate the edit system’s color to that of the camera. We ask that you record about :30 of color bars at the head of each tape. To turn on the color bars, push the menu button and toggle the wheel to the ETC setting. Push the wheel once. Then, toggle the wheel downward until the yellow display highlights Color Bar. Push the wheel and toggle the wheel to “on”. Then push the Menu button and the software choices disappear. Record the color bars then push the menu button again. Go into ETC again and turn the color bars off and press the menu button again. Everything is back to normal. DEPTH OF FIELD: Depth of field is a measure of the area in your field of vision that appears to be in focus. If, for example, you shoot with a wide lens looking at scenery, everything close and far appears to be in focus – this is a large depth of field. On the other hand, when you ‘zoom-in’ and shoot with a longer focal length setting, while the main subject will be in focus, everything in front and back appears out of focus – this is a shallow depth of field. A shallow depth of field during an interview (subject is in focus and the background is slightly out of focus) is generally desirable. Camera-to-subject distance. The farther away a subject is from the lens, the greater the depth of field. Focal Length: (wide angle v. telephoto) The wider the lens- the greater the depth of field. Aperture: the iris opening influences depth of field. A larger iris causes a shallower depth of field. The reverse is true using a small iris opening; it causes a larger depth of field. Updated August, 2010 Page 8 Impact: General Shooting Guidelines Audio Perhaps the most important element in television is audio. It is given the least amount of attention. A great picture is usually worthless when the audio doesn’t record properly; and a mediocre picture can be fantastic provided the audio is done well. The PD-150 has a few basic settings that, if used correctly, will make a huge difference. There are two microphone inputs. Generally speaking, one of the audio inputs is used for an interview microphone, and the other is for ambient audio. First, it’s a good idea to understand the microphones and how they’re used. Lavaliere microphone: the lavaliere or lav is used during all interviews. It is a microphone that is placed on the subject to capture his or her audio with minimal ambient noise interruption. Good technique includes hiding the cable – generally in the subject’s shirt – and placing it around six or eight inches from the interviewee’s mouth. THE LAVALIERE MIC IS ALWAYS PLUGGED INTO CHANNEL ONE. Camera microphone: the camera has a small shotgun microphone. It’s called the onboard mic and is used to capture ambient sound that is not captured as well by the lavaliere. The onboard is always used in conjunction with the lavaliere and not instead of it. This is because the audio coming from the onboard microphone gathers too much ambient sound and doesn’t work well for interviews. THE CAMERA’S ONBOARD MIC IS ALWAYS PLUGGED INTO CHANNEL 2. Two channels for audio recording: both the onboard and the lavaliere microphones can be used at the same time. There are two audio inputs on the camera located under the onboard microphone. DURING AN INTERVIEW: The onboard is usually plugged into Input 2 – and the lavaliere is usually plugged into Input 1. It can be the other way; it’s just that editors are accustomed to finding the primary audio on Channel 1. WHILE SHOOTING SUPPORTING VISUALS the onboard is usually plugged into Input 1 and records on both channels. (See below.) It will be fine if you don’t remember to switch. The camera generally does not handle audio levels very well without you setting them. Once the microphones are plugged-in, it is essential that you do three things before pressing the ‘record’ button. 1) Check the audio switch settings; 2) monitor the audio using headphones; and 3) check the audio levels. MORE ABOUT HEADPHONES It seems that students who are unfamiliar with shooting just don’t bother to wear headphones while shooting. This is a serious problem. For example, wireless microphone batteries die – and when they do, how are you going to know the audio stopped recording? Or, troubles occur that you don’t know, as was the case of one of my early interviews while in college. I scored an interview with a great scientist when I was a Updated August, 2010 Page 9 Impact: General Shooting Guidelines student. During the interview, he was running his fingers up-and-down a zipper, which I didn’t think about until I reviewed the footage (film – three days later) we were out of luck. The audio was unusable. Had I been wearing headphones, I would have been able to stop this from happening. Always wear headphones. AUDIO SETTINGS There are audio controls located on the other side of the inputs. The panel is designed to allow you to decide whether you’re recording on one or both audio inputs and it has individual switches for each input. IMPORTANT: INPUT 1 allows you to record either to just channel one or to both channels 1 & 2. The switch should always be in the “Ch1” position. The first switches for both inputs have the options for Line, Mic, and Mic Att. Mostly, this switch should be in the Mic position. Line is for a non-microphone source and Mic Att is for microphones that send too strong a signal to the camera. The lavaliere and onboard microphones work fine in the Mic position. For example, if you use a wireless microphone and the audio is distorted or too loud, you can use the Mic Att switch to bring the levels into an acceptable range. The other switches for both inputs offer an option for +48v or off. The +48v switch sends power to microphones that DO NOT have their own power supply. (The onboard microphone is one example.) PLEASE NOTE you should check with a technician before setting the switches before using the camera for the first couple of times. PD-150 Audio Settings: REC CH Select CH1-CH2 CH1 √ INPUT LEVEL LINE MIC MIC ATT +48V ON OFF INPUT LEVEL LINE MIC MIC ATT +48V ON √ OFF MONITOR THE AUDIO using headphones: two rubber strips conceal input ports right next to the camera strap. Behind the skinny strip is a green headphone jack. When the camera is on and the headphones are plugged-in, you can listen to the audio to hear it coming through to the camera. Updated August, 2010 Page 10 Impact: General Shooting Guidelines AUDIO LEVELS: This is digital audio and the preferred average record level is around –12db, with peak audio hitting at around -3db. IMPORTANT: If the levels generally exceed –12dB, the audio will begin to distort and you will not be able to use it. Period. Audio levels – just like all the other settings – can be adjusted either manually or automatically. SPECIAL NOTE – Wireless Microphone Adjustments: There are three audio adjustments associated with wireless microphones. There are adjustments on the transmitters and receivers, along with audio levels that can be set on the camera. The picture to the right is the receiver, which looks a lot like the transmitter – note the ‘level’ adjustment. This is an audio gain setting. The transmitters and receivers are usually pre-set to optimum levels. Sometimes students adjust these, so it is a good idea to be familiar with the units and know how to adjust them if necessary. The knob on the receiver should never be set beyond the “9 o’clock” position. This is probably true with the transmitter too, though this is the unit to change if necessary. REMEMBER: The goal is to set the audio levels at roughly -12 db on the camera. So you’ll want to adjust the audio levels on the camera (See the photo above with Ch 1 highlighted – note it is just a little past the middle position) to a reasonable point and then check to see that the audio is recording properly. If too low or too high, then you might have to adjust the TRANSMITTER, a bit higher or lower. IMPORTANT – The +48v switch in input 1, needs to be in the OFF position when using a wireless microphone. Updated August, 2010 Page 11 Impact: General Shooting Guidelines Manual or auto audio recording is a menu-driven option. Audio is best recorded manually. Select ‘menu’ from the side of the camera, and scroll-down using the wheel to the videotape icon. The menu to the right begins with, “Rec Mode.” Push the wheel, and then scroll down to “Audio Set.” Push the wheel and scroll down to the two AGC controls. (AGC Ch1, and AGC Ch2.) AGC means, Automatic Gain Control. In the ‘on’ position, the camera controls the audio. In the ‘off’ position, YOU control the audio. Adjusting audio levels in the manual position: Adjusting the audio levels is a simple procedure. This is done using the silver button on the back of the camera along with the wheel. Push the silver audio button and you will see the audio levels in the viewfinder, you can push the wheel to toggle between the two audio channels and then scroll the wheel to adjust the levels to be higher or lower as necessary to achieve an average of -12dB. TIP: in the manual mode, you’ll see the audio levels for Ch1 and Ch2 but without the number values on the flip screen. This is a way to keep an eye on the levels and to see if they are over or under while you’re shooting. The indicator is a quick check and not a replacement for using the audio levels controls as described above. Updated August, 2010 Page 12 Impact: General Shooting Guidelines The Shoot Setting Up an Interview Interview footage is the most critical video needed for a story and needs to look good. Viewers should be able to concentrate on what the person says, and not on poorly shot videotape. Camera operators generally spend more time setting-up interviews in an effort to gain as much control as possible. Control in this case concerns composition, lighting, and audio. 1. Choose a Good Location. • Make sure the location that you choose complements your story. For example, interview a doctor in a hospital or a judge in a courtroom. That is, unless the doctor happens to be a nightclub performer on the side, and that’s in your story, interview her at the nightclub. If the judge happens to be a sculptor. In other words, tie the interview location to the content. • Look carefully at the background before setting-up for the interview. It is best to move the subject away from the background for visual separation. Ten feet is a good rule-of-thumb. This is because of depth-of-field. It is best to have the interview subject in-focus with the background slightly out of focus so that the two do not compete. • Watch for unusual lines that can be perceived as sprouting out of your interviewee’s head. Bookshelves are notorious culprits here as are plants or trees. Try to keep the person’s head away from such distractions. • The background should not be significantly brighter than the foreground. If the background is much brighter, it will be drastically over-exposed in the shot compared to the interviewee. One remedy is to add light to the subject; another is to move the subject so that a darker background is behind him or her. Pay attention to the lighting BEFORE you position the camera. For example, do not shoot a subject indoors in front of a bright window unless you have lighting to compensate or something on the windows to reduce the light intensity. • Be sure to choose a quiet location. Nothing ruins an interview faster then bad audio. In the event that ambient audio cannot be eliminated (like an emergency room or a baseball game), make sure that the interviewee’s microphone is properly placed. High ambient noise can work if the viewer understands that you’re in an unusual location. For example, if you are in a trauma setting, and the viewer understands this, the chaotic audio is not a problem as long as the primary interviewee’s audio is MORE prominent. • Consider lighting conditions. Some indoor locations have dull flat lighting. Outdoors, direct sunlight is often harsh and can cause ugly shadows on the subject’s face. A compromise works best. Indoors with light that comes from multiple sources can be interesting. If a window is in the room, shoot so the window light falls on the subject and this can be great as long as you’re not shooting out the window. Also, lamp fixtures can provide good accent lighting. Outdoors, shooting in the shade is a far better proposition than shooting in the sun. it is more comfortable and the lighting is more controllable. Just be sure to balance the lighting so that the background is not dominating the picture. We have lighting kits for indoor interviews and reflectors to balance the light outside. Updated August, 2010 Page 13 Impact: General Shooting Guidelines 2. Set and Light Early. • If possible, have everything ready to go before the interviewee arrives. Place the tripod at a comfortable talking distance (and at eye level) away from where the person is going to sit. Have someone sit in the interviewee’s seat so that you can evaluate and adjust the lighting conditions. • Try to have a 2:1 or even 3:1 ratio between the key and fill side of the interviewee’s face. The key light is the dominant light that usually comes from the same direction as the interviewer’s gaze. Having a 2:1 ratio means that the fill side should be 2X darker than the key. The reason is that videotape is such a flat medium. Lighting makes otherwise two-dimensional images look like they have three dimensions. Take an orange, hold it up in front of you with flat lighting then take it next to a lamp and decide which looks better. Chances are you’ll find the more dramatic lighting as caused by a nearby lamp to look better. We should be able to see detail in the fill side of the face as well as seeing a nicely lit interviewee’s face. • Roll 30 seconds of color bars at the beginning of each new tape. (PD-150 menu option) • Test your audio. Bad audio will ruin an interview. Double-check the audio using headphones and the camera’s audio monitor button. • After the interview, have everyone sit still and record 30 seconds of ambient sound. No one should talk or whisper during this recording. This sound will be important during editing. 3. Compose your shot. • The Interviewer should sit right next to the camera at eye level. The interviewee should be facing just slightly off screen with plenty of nose-room. • For Impact, we generally place the subject toward the edge of the frame. • Allow some headroom on wider shots. It is acceptable to crop a little bit of the head on close-up shots. Take a look at one of my favorite portraits. Notice that most of the look space is in front of the interviewee’s face (she doesn’t talk much.) and that it is okay to crop the image close to her head. Although she isn’t looking close enough toward the camera to see both eyes. BAD cameraman! BAD! SIT! This is humiliating! Updated August, 2010 Page 14 Impact: General Shooting Guidelines 4. Check the shot. • White Balance • Look closely at the framing. Do you like it? Or is it just so-so. Don’t start shooting until you like how the shot is framed. • Are there competing images in the shot that distract from the viewer? Lines running through the interviewee’s head? If so, change the shot. • Focus: switch the camera to manual focus. Then zoom-in to the subject, set the focus, and zoom back out to compose the shot. • Aperture/iris. Does the exposure look good? If the answer is no, then don’t shoot until it is right. • Is the shutter speed set to 30? • Is the gain set at 0db? • Audio. Make sure the lavaliere microphone is plugged-in and that the switches on the PD-150 are set properly. Does the audio sound good? If no, fix it. 5. The Interview. • Get a signed release form from the interviewee before you roll tape. • Say the date, time, and interviewee’s name at the beginning of the videotape and confirm the right spelling. Also, confirm the person’s title. This will be important for Lower Third identification. (CG of name and title within a piece.) • Have your list of questions with you and check-off the list as you progress through the interview. Be flexible in your approach. LISTEN to what the person says and pick-up on anything that you find interesting or that you do not understand. You may find that your interviewee heads down a path that you did not expect. Consider what is being said v. what you think is lost. If the new area is relevant and sheds a different light, then follow it, otherwise re-direct the interviewee toward your questions. • Ask the interviewee to incorporate the essence of the question in his/her answer. For example: Q: “Tell me about Impact.” A: “Impact is a student-produced newsmagazine show.” A bad answer would be, “It’s a student-produced show.” It’s a bad answer because the statement doesn’t offer enough information on its own without first hearing the question or setting-up the answer with narration. • Avoid “Verbal Listening.” Don’t make any sounds to confirm your agreement with the interviewee. • Allow the subject to finish his/her thought before continuing with the next question. • Ask the subject to hold his/her gaze at you for a second at the end of an answer. • Have the camera operator change focal lengths from time-to-time. Go from a medium shot to a close-up. Avoid wide shots unless the background helps to visualize the story. Updated August, 2010 Page 15 Impact: General Shooting Guidelines Shooting Cover shots or, B-Roll B-Roll is a film term that speaks to the supporting images for a videotaped story. What it refers to is getting cover shots for the things that are discussed in an interview, or footage to illustrate an idea that you will track. Cover shots are generally done in sequences. That is, to gain several action or actuality shots that can be edited together to form a visual story. This will be discussed in class. In preparing for a story, it is best to identify the images you hope to gather in support of your story ideas. Sequences are usually shot following an interview, although this is not a hard-and-fast rule. The point is to have the cover footage support what the interviewee said. If you must shoot the cover shots first – for example an actuality event – then be sure to ask the interviewee about what you saw. In either case, the visuals will have something to do with the content. Axis / Screen Direction The axis is an imaginary line that fixes the position of the camera in relation to the subject. The axis, or “line,” is established once you pick a direction from which to shoot. Once you do, it is important to stay with the screen direction you’ve chosen. This is a critical concept to master. Establishing and maintaining the axis keeps people and objects in proper relationship to one another. Crossing the axis confuses the audience. Think of shooting a scene or an interview from within a semi-circle. If your camera does not cross the axis line, all of the shots will have the same spatial continuity. In this example, an axis was drawn between the two subjects and notice that camera placement can occur anywhere on one side of the axis line. (Drawing source: Drexel University) If the camera crosses the axis, the two people would appear to change places in the shot, breaking the spatial continuity. The two contrasting screen directions, if edited together, will confuse the viewers. Updated August, 2010 Page 16 Impact: General Shooting Guidelines The axis line is especially important when shooting movement. If a car is moving from left to right, all shots will move from left to right if the camera does not cross the axis. If the camera crosses the axis, the car will appear to change direction and move from right to left. • • • • • As with an interview, it helps to establish the centerline or the axis when shooting supporting shots. Shoot an establishing (wide) shot first to see the overall action to be covered for B-roll. Get a variety of shots. Don’t just watch an action occur in one move, look for close-ups and different angles. To do this, think about the action that occurred in the establishing shot and get close-ups of specific actions. For example, you might shoot a wide shot of a baseball game because you’re interviewing a famous pitcher. So a wide shot might be shot from the stands. You would want to shoot the same angle from the field; bringing everything a little closer. Then, move closer to shoot a close-up of the pitcher. Then shoot tighter still and see a close-up of his face as he pitches the ball, or a tight shot of his pitching hand as he gets ready to pitch, etc. Search for a variety of shots that relate to the story. These shots will enhance the piece and will make the difference between something boring v. something interesting. Always look for action shots! HEY MOLLY! Let’s go jump in the lake and fetch a stick! 1. Be sure to re-white-balance the camera every time lighting conditions change. Lighting conditions will always change when you change locations and when the sun goes down. Be sure to check color constantly on the LCD screen. 2. (IMPORTANT: B-roll audio is critical. NATSOT audio strengthens a story. It is a good idea to check your audio (by pushing the “Audio Level” button on the back panel) just to be sure it is being recorded properly. Remember to use headphones. 3. Compose shots. Think about the shots before you shoot. Don’t just walk around with the camera rolling while pointing it at things. Frame a shot and hold it for a while (at least 10 seconds). Short jerky shots are difficult to edit and not terribly useful on most occasions. 4. Sequence. As long as you’re composing separate shots, put some of them in a sequence. For example, if you interview a painter, compose a sequence of him painting. Show the painter mixing paints, picking a paintbrush, painting on a canvas, her face as she paints, hands, the subject – in Updated August, 2010 Page 17 Impact: General Shooting Guidelines other words, bring many different shots so that you can provide a rich visual context to your story. Generally, it’s easiest to begin with wide shots to establish the scene, and then use close-ups to emphasize details. 5. Act Invisible. People act differently when they know they are being videotaped. Sometimes this isn’t a big deal because their character accentuates the footage. At other times, this can ruin what you are trying to do. Producers need to communicate clearly with the subjects and let them know that playing to the camera is usually a bad idea. In some cases, you need people to reveal their personal lives; this requires a certain amount of trust. If you can develop an appropriate off-camera relationship with the subject, they won’t see you as a stranger. And if you display a casual-yet-professional demeanor, the subject will feel less intimidated. 6. Shooting Photographs. Whenever possible, find photographs or articles that help illustrate what your interviewee is talking about. Photos, awards, paintings, etc., are great additions. Shooting photos takes some real thought. There are a couple of issues. Photos are flat and therefore need to be shot on a flat surface; the best way to shoot a photo is by using a tripod; and it is important to check to see that the photo is level within the viewfinder. Here are some tips: 1. 2. 3. 4. Use the tripod With the PD-150, you'll need to be about 3 ft away Shoot the graphic under flat lighting – do not shoot under sunlight. Shoot as straight-on to the photo as possible. Best, is to find a wall where you can roll little pieces of tape into backward tiny loops and use them to hang the photos on the wall. Level the photo as best you can. You can level the photo within the viewfinder by adjusting the tripod. 5. Shoot at picture level – do not look up to or down on the photo. 6. Zoom-in to the photo, grab the exposure in automatic, then set the iris back to manual before zooming-out. 7. While zoomed-in, check focus. If you are unable to focus, move the camera back a little bit more. 8. Shoot a lock-down full-frame shot of the photo - try to avoid shooting beyond the photo borders. Hold each shot for about 15 seconds 9. Look for little moves within the photos that you can do smoothly while on the tripod. For example, try a slow pan, tilt, or zoom from one part of the photo to another. 10. IF the photos are behind glass, you'll need to play around with angles to avoid glare. Ask if the photos can be removed from the frames. 11. IF you are not able to hang the photos on the wall, see if you can lean them as near flat as possible against a wall with a table supporting them. Updated August, 2010 Page 18 Impact: General Shooting Guidelines Video Troubleshooting Picture is too Dark: Open up the iris; make sure the ND filter is off; turn on some lights use a reflector to add more light; make sure the shutter is at 60 (or lower if necessary), as a last resort, increase the gain Picture is too Bright: Close down the iris; turn on the ND filter; set gain to 0dB; turn off some lights / block lights; increase the shutter speed. Picture is too Blurry: Adjust the focus ring; recompose your frame by moving the subject slightly farther away from the camera Picture looks Grainy: Set gain to 0dB Picture color looks wrong: Re-white Balance under new lighting conditions. Computer screen Flicker: Adjust the cameras Shutter speed to match the refresh rate of the computer screen. Wind is blowing against the Microphone: Use a windscreen on the microphone. No Audio with Wireless Mic: Make sure the transmitter and receiver are turned on; check to see that the transmitter and receiver batteries are good; make sure that the audio channel selector switch is set to the channel you plugged the microphone into; check the microphone connection; turn up the audio levels…or switch them to automatic gain control. Audio is wrong: Make sure the Camera Input is set to “Mic” and not “Line”. Audio has a Hum: Turn off any large appliances that could make a sound (ie. air conditioners, refrigerators, or TV’s), make sure the audio cable doesn’t run across or alongside a power cable. Audio has a Crackle: Check the microphone connections; replace the microphone batteries; switch to a hardwire microphone. Updated August, 2010 Page 19 Impact: General Shooting Guidelines Equipment Checklist Camera Tape Stock Camera Batteries Tripod Headphones Reflector Kit Wired lavaliere microphone Wireless Microphone* Extra wireless microphone batteries (9-volt)* Light Kit* Extension Cords* • Requires Instructor Permission Updated August, 2010
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