Lab to Film: Story-Telling in
Science
Part 3: Filmmaking Techniques
by April Bailey
Current
Digital Media Production Engineer | Jun 2014 – Present
Content and Production Coordinator | May 2009 – May 2014
Visualization Laboratory, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi
Arabia
Background
Web Production Manager | May 2007 - April 2009
University of California San Diego (UCSD) La Jolla, California
Senior Creative Director | May 2004 – April 2007
Creative Producer and Director | May 2000 – April 2004
Multimedia Intern | May 1999 – April 2000
San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC), UCSD La Jolla, California
Education
B.A. Visual Arts Media Computing | 2004
University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
A.A. Multimedia Program | 2002
Mesa College, San Diego, CA
Special Expertise & Training
Adobe Certified Associate, License for Video Communication using Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe Premiere & After Effects Master Classes
4K Digital Cinema Training, Steiner Studios, Brooklyn New York, 2012
4k Camera Training & 4K Postproduction Training Course
Plan video content with composition & lighting in
mind.
Treatment
Storyboard,
Script,
and/or
Interview
Questions
Pre-Production
Shot List
Failure to plan, is planning to fail. ~ Ben Franklin
Pre-Production
Location
Scouting
Mise En Scene
Lighting & Audio
Props & Clothing
Equipment Logistics
Location
Scouting
Take photos or notes of the angles you want
Shot Designer
Free App
Pre-Production
Lighting
Purpose of
Lighting
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Minimize contrast ratio
Depth
Adequate Illumination
Even Lighting
Flattering
Suggest time of day or mood
Lighting
3-Point
Lighting
#1: Key Lighting
• 45 degrees from the camera
• Above the eye level
#2: Fill Lighting
• Fills in the dark shadows created
by the key light
#3: Back Light
• Separates the subject from the background
• Appears somewhat artificial and is considered less
natural.
Background Lighting
• Appears more natural
In-Camera Adjustments
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White Balance
Shutter Speed
Iris (F-Stops)
Gain (ISO)
Lighting
Limit the dynamic range of light and
contrast for outdoor/midday scenes with too
much sunlight
1) Shoot the scene during “golden hours”
2)
3)
4)
Use an overhead scrim when outdoors with midday
sun
Eliminate or block reflections coming from
surrounding buildings, vehicles, windows, etc. with
other scrims
Use a soft reflector as a fill light (foam core/poster
board)
foam core
scrim
Outdoor Lighting
Camera Adjustment Tips
1.
2.
Outdoor Lighting
Turn the exposure (iris adjustment) down a few f-stops to allow for shallow depth
of field
Dial in the focus for a background with a soft “painted” background created with a
shallow depth of field
 Use a mattebox to protect the lens from stray
sun rays and reflections of light often coming
from the sides or below the lens
 Use a neutral density (ND) graduated filter
system so that the upper part of the frame
shades the bright sky
 Use a polarized lens to increase the color
range in the image
Mise en scène
Composition
Choose recording locations
that support your topic, or
adjust them to support your
topic.
Appropriateness
Distraction
Props &
Clothing/Costumes
Safety (Lab and otherwise)
Depth in the
scene
Composition
Deep DOF
Depth of Field
Shallow
DOF
Composition
Focal Length
Composition
The Golden
Ratio
Fibonacci Sequence: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, etc.
Important Diagonals for Video
Framing
The Golden Ratio leads to the intersection of important
diagonals.
Composition
Composition
“Rule of
Thirds”
The frame is divided into even thirds (33/33/33).
Composition
Composition
Lines
• Horizon Lines
• Leading Lines
• Point of Convergence
Composition
Framin
g
Head Position & Room
Leading Space
Angles &
Framing
Composition
Varying Camera
Positions
Re-learn how to see.
Composition
Hyper-reality.
Scan the scene for points of
interest.
Get interesting angles.
Zoom in on details.
Look for patterns and repetition.
The180 Degree
Rule
Composition
Logistics
When Location Scouting
 Check power availability
 Plan battery requirements
 Plan media space for the
recording
Camera Angles &
Movement
Logistics
Camera Angles &
Movement
Logistics
Before Production
Logistics
 Test microphones
 Pack batteries
Microphone Set-up During
Production
Check Audio into the Camera
 No feedback (clean sound)
 Adjust Levels so that most peaks are reaching 12db
 (not too soft or too loud)
Free Slate App
Tripod & Camera Set-Up
When assembling the tripod
 Don’t force parts to move.
 Level the tripod
 Adjust drag controls
Immediately After
Production
 Backup Your Captured Data
Logistics
During
Production
When attaching the camera:
 Secure safety locks
 Attach power
source/battery
 Route cables safely
1
Production
Light the scene.
2
Set up the tripod and cameras.
3
Set up microphones & sound
check.
4
Slate and record your shot list.
5
Review & backup your data.
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White Balance
Shutter Speed
Iris (F-Stops)
Gain (ISO)
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Panasonic HDC-SD90 Camcorder
Camera Bag
8 GB Transcend SDHC Class 4 Flash Memory Card
USB Cable
Camera Battery
ACDC Power Shuko Power Cord
Focus/White Balance Card
Manuals Set
TOPMAN Tripod 4330 Stand
Topman Tripod Foot
Topman Tripod Carry Case
Two (2) Besor LED-95DK Lights
Two (2) 70.86" Light Stands
Two (2) AC Power Cords
Two (2) Adapters
Pearstone OLM-10 Omnidirectional Wired Lavalier Mic
Shuko/British Standard DC Power Strip
GP PowerBank Battery Charger & Plug
Set of 12 rechargeable AA batteries
Litepanels carry case (loaned from KVL)
SAR 5797/$1545
Class Equipment
Class Equipment
FAQ
Picture size (recording Mode)
[1080/60p]; 1920k1080/60p
[HA]/[HG]/[HX]/[HE]; 1920k1080/60i
[iFrame]; 960k540/30p
Camera (HDC-SD90) Sensor:
1/4.1in 1MOS sensor with 3.32 Mpixels
Camera Battery life: About 50-55 mins
Camera Focal length:
2.82mm focal length, which is equivalent to 28mm according to Panasonic
(26x optical zoom; 40x Intelligent zoom)
Camera Highest recording quality:
1080/50p Full HD
8GB flash card:
22 minutes of recording time
Q&A