video production 101 prepared by bradley knight digital media, uwc
TRANSCRIPT
Video Production 101
Prepared by
Bradley KnightDigital Media, UWC
Contents
3 Phases of Production
Gear/equipment
Terms
Rules/conventions
Camerawork basics
Tips
Productions Phases
What is a blonde?
And a redhead?
Types of Lights
Blonde
2000 watts
Redhead 800 watts
yellow
red
What is a Dolly?
Dolly
A cart that the camera and crew sits on to create smooth camera movement over uneven surfaces.
Boom mic.
A microphone attached to a rod, and held close to the subject without getting into the shot.
Jimmy Jib
A mini crane which creates high angle and low angle shots.
A Clapperboard/Slateboard
Records all the vital info for the editor. (scenes, shots, takes,)
Reflector Board/Polyboard
Used outdoors to reflect sunlight or lights
onto the subject
Steadycam Operator
Camera is harnessed to the body to create smooth, free movement without tracks.
Basic Terminology
A shot is the amount of video you shoot from the second you press record to when you stop recording.
Photo Album analogy
A Shot
Different types of shots Extreme Wide Shot (E.W.S.)
a.k.a Establishing shot
To show surroundings, beginning of new scene, where the action is taking place.
Long Shot (L.S.)
Closer to subject, but still places her in surroundings.
Wide Shot (W.S.)
Subject takes up full frame with “safety room”.
Mid Shot (M.S.)
Framed from waist to head.
How you would see the person in casual conversation.
Medium Close Up (M.C.U.)
Halfway between Medium Shot and Close Up.
Shows head and shoulders.
Close Up (C.U.)
Subject’s face (including neck) or other feature fills most of the frame.
Extreme Close Up (E.C.U)
ECU shows extreme detail.
Used to convey emotion.
Framing and Composition
Framing A frame is the picture you see in the viewfinder
or monitor.
Composition Composition is the layout of everything in the
frame-where it is in relation to everything else, the foreground and background, the lighting, the camera angles.
“Rule of Thirds”
Imaginary lines which divide the picture into thirds
Place your points of interest where the lines intersect
In a nutshell
Except for people looking directly at the camera, place your point of interest either on or alongside the imaginary horizontal or vertical lines, or on 1 of the 4 Intersecting points.
Rule of Thirds
Moving-room and Looking-room
Amount of room in shot left empty to make shot look comfortable.
Leaves space for the action or eye line.
Avoiding Mergers
Tonal MergerWhere objects blend together in a picture and lose their identity.
Dark hair blending into a dark background
SolutionUse a back light to separate the girl’s hair from the background.Frame the shot from another angle to change the dark background
Dimensional Mergers
When different elements in your picture “run together” and looks odd.The Human eye sees in 3D. Cameras see in 2D.
Tip!Close your one eye, and check your composition
Basic Camera Movements
Pan - Turning left or right
Tilt - Pointing camera up or down
High angle - shot above eyeline, looking down on subject
Low angle - shot below eyeline, looking up at subject
White Balance
It’s a function which gives the camera a reference to “true white”It tells the camera what white looks like, and it records all other colours correctly.An incorrect white balance will show video with a blue or orange tint.
Good news! Most Consumer Cameras have Auto White
Balance!
Too blue
Too yellow
White-balanced
After the shoot
Pack camera away in bag when not in use.
Label your tapes and “record-proof” them!
Remove tape and battery after the shoot.
Bad Habits…DON’T zoom all the time!!!DON’T shoot with effects. Add it in the edit.DON’T add date stamp. Home video.DON’T leave camera unattended in car or on tripod.DON’T leave camera on sand/beach.DON’T point the camera at a bright light sourceDON’T shoot subject in front of window during daylightDON’T touch the lens. Smudges.
Resources
• Quinn, Gerald V. The Camcorder Handbook. Blue Ridge Summit PA:TAB Books,1987
• Ferncase, Richard K. Film and Video Lighting Terms and Concepts Newton MA: Focal Press,1994
• Watkinson, John. An Introduction to Digital Video, MA: Focal Press, 1994
• Mascelli,Joseph V. The Five C’s of Cinematography Silman-James Press, 1965
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Bradley KnightBradley KnightDigital Media, Digital Media, E-Learning Team, I.C.S. E-Learning Team, I.C.S. University of the Western CapeUniversity of the Western Cape021 959 2676021 959 [email protected]@uwc.ac.za
Questions?