LAB 2 - INTRO TO CAMERA WORKSHOP

Lecture 2 Review

Key Terms/Concepts:

• Short-range apparent motion 
• Early moving picture experiments = Thaumatrope, Zoetrope 
• First movie cameras:

         Thomas Edison - Kinetograph, 1891
         Lumiere Brothers - Cinematographe, 1895

• Frame Rate = the number of frames per second of film
• Double system sound
• The "guts" of a film camera
• Anatomy of raw film stock
• Advent of Television and the Cathode Ray Tube 
• Broadcast Vs. Taped Television
• Resolution
• Aspect Ratio = ration of width of film frame to its height
• Interlaced Scanning Vs. Progressive Scanning
• Early digital video formats and cameras
• DV camera body 

Standard Frame Rates: 

• Film 24fps
• Video 30fps (29.97)

Frame Rate Reference on Vimeo


Resolution & Aspect Ratios:

• SD: 480 x 640; 4:3
• HD: 720 x 1280; 16:9 AND 1080 x 1920; 16:9

INTRO TO ARRI-S 16MM FILM CAMERA

Learn more about the camera by reading the manual here.
Learn how to load the camera here.

INTRO TO CANON FS10 CAMERA

P or Program AE (Automatic Exposure): On this setting, the camcorder automatically adjusts the aperture (the size of the hole through which light travels) and the shutter speed (the amount of time a single frame is exposed to light) to obtain the optimal exposure (the quantity of light) for the subject. This is the setting we will be using in class.

TV or Shutter Priority AE: Allows you to set the shutter speed value and the camcorder automatically sets the appropriate aperture value. Generally, we won't be changing the shutter speed value in film unless we are attempting a special effect. You can use faster shutter speeds to record subjects moving quickly, use slower shutter speeds to add motion blur. 

Exposure: An image can be underexposed (not enough light) or overexposed (too much light). To manually change exposure, press “SET” and then the arrow down until you find “EXP”, adjust the brightness left to right. Then press set again.  

 

Manual Focus: Highly recommended and works best on cameras and lenses that allow for manual focus. Camcorders are not built to achieve the best manual focus which can at times be tricky to set, unless you are recording a stationary subject. 
Autofocus might not work well on:
-Reflective surfaces  
-Subjects with low contrast or without vertical lines 
-Fast moving subjects  
-Through wet windows 
-Night scenes

To adjust focus manually, press “[SET]” button, scroll to “[FOCUS]”, adjust focus left to right. Press SET to lock focus or press arrow up to return to autofocus. To reset, press SET and go back to [FOCUS].

You can use "infinity focus" to focus on faraway subjects (mountains, fireworks). Go back to [FOCUS] and hold it until an infinity loop appears. 

White Balance: The white balance function helps you to accurately reproduce colors under different lighting conditions so that white objects will always look truly white in your recordings. You can select [AUTO], [DAYLIGHT], [TUNGSTEN] (for fluorescent lighting) or you can set it yourself! 

[FUNCTION] > [SET] > Point the camcorder at a white object, preferably a clean, matte white sheet of paper, zoom into the paper until it fills the whole screen and press [SET]. Wait for the WB icon to stop flashing and stay set. It will keep this white balance setting even if you turn of the camcorder. You MUST reset WB for each environment as you experience lighting changes. Press [FUNCTION] and close menu. 

***NEXT WEEK: Bring USB drives to class! We will shoot and transfer footage***