Cameras

Transcript

LECTURE NOTES Course: Course Code: Program Code: Semester: Lecturer: Contact Media Cultures 2 COMM2302 BP203 Semester 2, 2012 Dr Shaun Wilson [email protected] CAMERAS, UPLOADING AND PROCESSING BAAIM Cameras You can use a variety of cameras in stock at the BAAIM equipment loans store on short-term hire. We stock four main types of video cameras, which all serve and perform different functions and effects. Canon 5D Mk2 (2009) The 5DM2 is a 56mm thread, full frame DSLR camera which shoots 5K stills in RAW and JPEG, and video in HD 16:9 at 1280 x 720 at 25/50fps or 1920 x 1080 in 24/5p. It encodes footage as H264 MOV files and records onto a CF card. You can export footage from the camera either through a USB cord or a CF card reader. Sony Z1P (2004) The Z1P is a 72mm thread, 1/3 chip 3CCD camera which shoots in DV 16:9 and 4:3 mode at 576i or 576p at 25fps and in HDV mode at 1080i at 25, 50, and 60 fps. It can import using USB or FireWire options and has DV, DVCAM and HDV out. Sony A1P (2007) 1 The A1P is a 32mm thread, ¼ CMOS chip 3CCD HDV handheld version of the 1000P and shoots in DV mode at 576i or 576p at 25fps and in HDV mode at 1080i at 25, 50, and 60 fps. It can import using USB or FireWire options and has DV, DVCam and HDV out. It has extra features of night mode and image stabiliser. Sony 1000P (2008) The 1000P is a 32mm thread ¼ CMOS chip 3CCD HDV shoulder cam version of the A1P and shoots in DV mode at 576i or 576p at 25fps and in HDV mode at 1080i at 25, 50, and 60 fps. It can import using USB or FireWire options and has DV, DVCAM, HDMI, component, composite, FireWire, USB, memory card, and HDV out. It has extra features of night mode and image stabiliser. CAMERA FUNCTIONS DV/DVCAM/HDV Formats Your standard video camera will have one or more format functions that allows the user to switch between DV (16:9 and 4:3) 61 minutes of recorded tape, DVCAM (16:9) 41 minutes of recorded tape, or HDV 2 (1080i) 61 minutes of recorded tape. Make sure you understand what these formats do and how they work before using a video camera. DSLR Format Your DSLR will be capable of recording video via a full frame 35mm sensor onto a CF card which will determine how many minutes of video and stills you can capture on the one card. The default aspect ration is 16:9 however other formats such as 2:35 and 2:40 scope are achievable via cropping in post. 2 Camera Handling There are five rules when handling a video camera: first, never point the lens directly into the sun without a sun filter; second, never get a video camera wet, or windblown by airborne particles such as sand or dirt; third, never place a video camera near a strong EMF field for an extended amount of time; forth, never drop a video camera; and fifth, never stick objects into the tape heads or unit. Work out where the centre of gravity point is on your camera and then practice a suitable and comfortable (as best as it can be) position where to hold your hands in relation to steadying the camera for hand held use or on lock down mode mounted on a tripod. When cleaning a video camera remember to only use a lens cloth for the lens but to use a plastic or rubber ‘blower’ to remove dirt and other objects that may be attached to the camera body or to use a light cloth in wiping off scuff marks, liquids, or smudges on the camera body (not lens). Before filming, make sure that all foreign particles are removed from the camera and that you run a head cleaner tape through the tape heads (if using a tape camera) prior to filming. This ensures that no tape heads are dirty or greasy. Battery Each camera battery will have a certain amount of charge in it but keeping all batteries charged in full before filming is a good idea. In fact, never begin a shoot without a fully charged unit and bring along your battery charger just in case. For some model cameras (Z1P) a separate battery charger will come with the camera itself but others (A1P, 1000P) will have a power adapter, which plugs directly into the camera to charge the battery and power unit. To ensure the optimum performance of each battery do not place it in or near water, EMF sources or attempt to take it apart. Lens Video camera lenses are measured in ‘threads’ gauged in millimeter units from one side of the lens to the other. For example, the Z1P is known as a 72mm thread because of its lens diameter whereas the A1P and 1000P all have a 32mm thread. Each lens is comprised of a series of molded and grinded glass components used to magnify and refract light bounced into the main video unit. They are very fragile and demand a high level of care when handling and filming but are easily up-kept with regular cleaning and lens cap mounting in between shots. The 5DM2 works differently by shooting on a detachable 35mm SLR lens which will achieve different kinds of results than a standard 1/3 camera. By its very nature a 35mm camera will produce shallow DOF on medium and higher number lenses (50mm, 85mm, 100mm). You must ensure that if you do an interchangeable lens shoot that the sensor of the camera is not exposed to 3 particles, foreign bodies or extreme light as this can destroy the camera instantaneously. Camera Modes Each standard video camera has four modes – ON, OFF, CAMERA MODE and VTR MODE. On and Off are by their very description making the camera activated by a continual power charge or deactivated by stopping the power supply on demand. Camera Mode simply means activating the video camera so it captures moving and still images; VTR mode otherwise labeled and understood as PLAY/EDIT MODE means that the video camera will not record images but instead play back the loaded tape or memory card or record an incoming exterior video stream onto the tape and bypass the camera lens as used in Camera Mode. The DSLRs work on a differnet type of control system which has the options of video or stills operable on the top camera body shell. Focus Focusing allows the user to bring the desired image captured through the lens to be clear and visible in specific segments of background, mid ground or foreground. This is controlled by either manually controlling the focus ring or function, and also by setting the camera to automatically read focus by what is known as ‘Auto Focus’. Some cameras have an ‘Expanded Focus’ option mode that temporarily zooms into a focused image to fine tune the focus plain but is not recorded onto tape. This allows the user to check fine focus properties that are sometimes not always visible through a normal viewfinder display. Zoom Zoom is the process of enlarging an existing focal plain to make the desired image appear closer to the camera frame and is controlled by either using the manual or auto zoom options. Some cameras use a lens ring to do so which is called a ‘zoom ring’ Aperture This function sets and allows a nominated amount of light into the video camera controlled by either using an aperture ring or an automatic level. This works on the same principle of still image cameras with the individual measurements of light called an ‘F stop’ which can be listed as 1.8, 2, 4, 5.6, 8, 12, and 16 etc. Shutter Speed The shutter speed refers to the amount of times a camera’s shutter captures an image frame per second. A low shutter speed, for example, would make the capture image appear to ‘stutter’ but allows more light to expose the frame whereas a fast shutter speed allows many frames to be captured without stutter but allows less light to expose the frame. You might consider using variants of these options when using slow motion (use a fast shutter speed). Unless for a desired effect, try setting the shutter speed in accordance to how many frames per second you are recording at: 24fps = 1/48th shutter speed, 4 25fps = 1/50th shutter speed, 48fps = 1/96th shutter speed, 50 fps = 1/100th shutter speed etc. White Balance This function tells the camera what temperature shade of white to record as ‘pure white’. To do this, hold a white card about six feet in front of the lens and zoom-in till there is only white, then focus the lens. By pressing the white balance option button or menu dial, the camera will automatically adjust itself to the specific surrounding readings of white light. To offset this, use a cool temperature card to make a blue-ish tone or a warm temperature card to make a red-ish tone. Lens filters can generate the same kind of temperature effect but it is suggested that a natural reading of white balance is used at all times so the colour correction process in post can faithfully carry out an effect without complications or imbalanced readings. Gain The Gain function allows the user to control light through artificial ‘boosts’. Gain is useful in low light situations by creating more light in the camera when an aperture cannot increase a baseline light level however, the more gain is used the more pixel artifacts are present in the captured image frame. ISO DSLR cameras have an added function similar to gain. ISO relates to the traditional speed of 35mm film whereby a low numbered ISO of 100 is for shooting in bright conditions but produces very little noise. A high numbered ISO of 6400 for example is for shooting in low light situations but has a very high amount of noise. A good idea is to keep the ISO at 100 and adjust light into the camera via the lens aperture and external lighting. VTR Controls These control the motion and play edit functions of your tape by allowing the user to access a series of standard controls: rewind, fast forward, play, pause, stop, record; and in selected cameras, further options to control and reset the camera’s time code, view display, time and date options and volume settings. The Viewfinder Your video camera will have two types of available viewfinders – through the LCD flip out screen and through the lens barrel eyepiece. Some professional cameramen like to use a black and white viewfinder setup because they feel this makes focusing and light monitoring easier than when viewed through a colour setup. ND Filter If shooting conditions are too bright you can adjust the ND filter settings (Off, 1 and 2), which act like placing a pair of sunglasses over the lens to cut out excessive light. Use this also to create a ‘night for day’ effect. Alternatively you can use an ND filter in either a mattebox or a screw on glass filter in front of the shooting lens. 5 Audio Standard video cameras can record audio using standard audio jacks or XLR audio jacks. Each format produces the same kind of recording – namely through AIFF default, but by using the later can produce more crisper and cleaner sound at a higher quality and bit rate. Most cameras have internal microphones built in but by using an external recording microphone through cord adapters or by separate recording devices can give the director more options with audio properties. DSLR cameras can record sound internally but require either a field recorder or an XLR third party attachment in order to record broadcast sound. Mic Levels These adjust your audio recording levels through 2-channel sound. Some cameras such as the Z1P offer manual control settings at the rear of the camera body. Using Headphones Headphone jacks are available in most video camera models and allow the user to listen to the incoming recorded audio signal whilst filming, and also in Play Mode when viewing the tape. Tripod Adjustments Tripods are attached to a video camera by means of a locking ‘plate’ that screw into the base of the camera. These plates are then locked into place with a main stabilizing unit containing three legs controlled by a central device (tripod head) either designed as a fluid head (moves with the aid of fluid) or manual head (moves without the aid of fluid). When tightening up the tripod screw(s) its is important not to make the lock too tight as this will cause over threading and in some cases can damage both the screw and camera base/base plates. The size and weight of the video camera can determine the size and weight of the tripod plate. Menu Settings Menu settings help control the variable options found in you specific video camera. These are located either on the camera flip screen or at the back of the camera. Importing Video from Tape into FCP To import your tape to FCP, switch the camera to VTR or PLAY/EDIT mode then connect a FireWire cable to your computer or deck and then start FCP. Press Apple Button + 8 to activate the log and capture function. Once your window appears and the camera is recognized you can begin importing footage using the play head controls. 6 Importing Video from a Hard Drive into FCP Use the ‘Log and Transfer’ options in FCP to import footage captured as a digital file. Exporting to Tape from FCP To export your FCP timeline back to tape using DVCAM mode, set FCP to export as an external setting, use the ‘print to tape’ option and have your video camera set to DVCAM in CAMERA (record) mode. 7 CAMERA EFFECTS Zoom in and out Simple process of focusing attention from an open framed shot to a tight framed shot or visa versa. Used extensively in 1970s film and TV. Push pull shot Used extensively as a dramatic effect in Hitchcock films, the effect is generated by either zooming in or out of the framed subject while at the same time moving the camera forward or backwards on a track dolly. While this effect can be impressive it also has to be timed perfectly otherwise the effect cannot be optically generated. Day for Night effect To generate the illusion of night time filming during the day you can do one of three things: set your ND filter to the highest setting to make the frame dark, drop the aperture exposure using the manual settings, or increase your shutter speed. These options will decrease the amount of light in the captured frame to give an illusion of nighttime. To gain maximum effect, shoot late in the afternoon when shadows are at a dramatic angle. Strobing Strobing can be an effective way to tell a part of a story. This can be achieved by dropping your shutter speed below 24fps and recording with a medium to high aperture setting. 8 Slow motion If you wish to have control over a slow motion sequence then shoot in either 50fps or 60fps mode which can then be slowed down in your FCP timeline without stutter (as long as you don’t decrease the film speed below 60%). Over exposed Some shots require an effect of being over exposed. To do this in camera, simply increase your aperture or the gain settings. Hand Held Contemporary film and television often shoot hand held. This simply means capturing video without the use of stabilizing units such as tripods or steady cams. Tint Attach a filter to the video lens to achieve a desired effect. This can be a tint or colour, optical effect, diffusion or many other types of effects that can be gained by lens attachments. Lens adapter To artificially generate a ‘film look’, you can attach 35mm lenses to your video lens by way of an adapter. These come in many different types but fall into two categories: vibrating anacromats (two pieces of glass vibrating together through a telecined image) and static anacromats (one piece of glass which optically translates an image). TRANSCODING If you do not have footage that is formatted or captured in an intermediate codec (i.e: MPEG2, ProRes, RAW, R3D) then you will need to prep all footage BEFORE it arrives into FCP. The new FCPX does not have this issue but in turn does not have the pro functions of FCP 7 and back. After Effects and Premiere Pro do transcode on the fly but lets assume you are using RMIT machines that have FCP7 pre-loaded internally. What transcoding does is to convert moving or still files to another type of file with different settings in order for the software to interpret and render each file in a more fluid manner. FCP offers the ability to batch convert files to different settings and destinations at the same time although user settings must first be initiated before batching can commence. For video editing the user must work with intermediate codecs and avoid exhibition codecs (H264) until final render. Some applications are not responsive to these later codecs to transcoding prior to a workflow setup is strongly advised. 9 Transcode Video to QuickTime Step 1. Drop and drag video, sound or still image(s) into the main interface. Step 2. File > Export to QuickTime Step 3. Select settings where needed. Step 4. Make Movie > select destination > save Transcode Video to AVI Step 1. Drop and drag video, sound or still image(s) into the main interface. Step 2. File > Export to AVI Step 3. Select settings where needed. Step 4. Make Movie > select destination > save Transcode Audio Step 1. Drop and drag video, sound or still image(s) into the main interface. Step 2. File > Export to Audio Step 3. Select settings where needed. Step 4. OK > select destination > save Transcode Video to MPEG 4 Step 1. Drop and drag video, sound or still image(s) into the main interface. Step 2. File > Export to MPEG 4 Step 3. Select settings where needed. Step 4. Make MPEG4 > select destination > save Transcode Video to DV Step 1. Drop and drag video, sound or still image(s) into the main interface. Step 2. File > Export to DV 10 Step 3. Select settings where needed. Step 4. Make DV > select destination > save WORKING WITH SD and CF CARDS There are numerous free and pay basis software that can be used to extract media from SD cards but the simplest way (and cheapest) is this: 1. Open disc image and locate files. 2. Manually copy files onto folder on desktop or designated area. 3. Browse and edit image selection by using either Adobe Bridge, shift click files, open in QuickTime etc or individual preview selection 4. Eject SD card or wipe completely. 5. Make a copy of the master files for archiving and place on another drive as backup. To shoot video with an SD card they must be at least a Class 6 or higher OR a dedicated HD video card (which can also be listed as a Class 1 for HD). WORKING WITH 3D 3D video is comprised of two views known as Left Eye and Right Eye files. This works by two separate lenses (or lens filters) capturing slightly different angles of view to be fused together in order to make a dimensional effect. This technique can be presented with two separate files (L and R) or one wrapper file containing the L and R files inside. Currently there are three main types of wrapper files, thus being 3D AVI, 3D MTS and 3D MVC. Workflows for 3D MTS and 3D MVC are limited due to no native support from any MAC compatible software under $5000 but these options will become available by Q2, 2012. The only Mac flow for either is to either run Windows on an emulator or Boot camp and use the $49 software MVC to AVI Converter or use a PC to prime and split the 3D files then transfer the individual L and R files to a MAC for processing in After Effects, FCP, Premiere Pro, etc. At the time of writing these notes only Sony Vegas Pro 10D is able to handle MTS and MVC 3D files. The main things to keep in mind when working with 3D files is that L and R files need to be kept separately from one another in master folders. There are 3D cameras which can shoot in the SBS (Side-by-Side or T-A-B (top and Bottom) formats but these often do not use Frame Packing (using full pixels to make each side of the image. Non Frame Packing techniques make use of only every second row of horizontal pixels thus making the image smaller but half the quality. See my notes on 3D for more info. 11