Matakuliah
Tahun
: O0382 – Dasar-dasar Produksi Siaran Televisi
: 2010
CAMERA OPERATIONS AND PICTURE
COMPOSITION
Pertemuan 6
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 shoot
There 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
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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 shoot
Upon 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;
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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) and8
the video operator;
Working the Studio Camera (1/4)
 check the camera position on its mounting equipment: unlock the panand-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; 9
 calibrate (preset) the zoom lens;
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 10
wide-angle position so there will be no re-adjustment needed;
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;
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 avoid unnecessary conversation over the intercom.
Working the Studio Camera (4/4)
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 Shots
Framing 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
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DTV aspect ratios, depth, screen motion.
Framing Effective Shots (1/5)
Screen size and field of view
Screen 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 view
Field 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;
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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 Ratios
In 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 width
As 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-ups
The 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),
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(2) extreme close-ups (ECUs).
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.
Headroom
The 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
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position rule applies equally for both aspect ratios (4x3 or 16x9).
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
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image in off-screen space.