Zettl: Video Basics 5

Chapter 1 Phases of production –Preproduction Plan, research, pre-interview, script, gather archival material, scout locations, develop a timeline, create a budget, beg for money, etc. –Production Light, shoot, pan & scan photos, compose music –Postproduction Edit, sweeten, market, distribute

Chapter 1: Preproduction Program Objective –What is the video about? Angle –What approach will you take? Evaluation –How realistic is your plan? Script

Chapter 2 Production Production team –Producer, director, “talent,” narrator, writer, videographer, music composer, audio designer, lighting specialist Postproduction team – Producer/director, editor

Chapter 3: Image Formation NTSC: 30 frames per second –2 scanning fields: Interlaced scanning scans every other line, then goes back and scans the lines that were skipped Progressive scanning scans every line

Chapter 3 Analog = electrical copy Digital = discontinuous signal that samples a number of successive points (binary digits or bits are 0 or 1). Digital Scanning –480p, 720p, 1080i –High resolution –Better color –More subtle shading

Chapter 3 Why digital? –Dub without loss of quality –Compress When converting analog to digital use a high sampling rate Zettl uses a stairway as a metaphor to explain sampling

Chapter 4: The Video Camera Camera Elements –Lens –CCD (“charge- coupled device”) for imaging Little chip that has vertical and horizontal rows of millions of light-sensing pixels –Viewfinder

Chapter 4 … Lens –Focal length (long and short –Angle of view (wide and narrow) –Zoom range (ratio) 20:1 (20 times narrower than the extreme-wide angle position)

Chapter 4 Iris and Aperture The lower the F Stop, the larger the aperture and the more light transmitted The higher the F Stop, the smaller the aperture and the less light is transmitted Beam Splitter Divides light into red, green, blue CCD –converts light beams to electric energy and creates video signal

Chapter 5: Operating the Camera Basic Camera moves –Pan (left to right, right to left –Tilt (up and down) –Cant (tilt sideways) –Dolly (move camera toward or away with a mobile mount, ie. shopping cart) –Zoom (change the focal length of the lens)

Chapter 5 Camera Etiquette –Don’t expose camera to the elements –Never leave a camera unattended –If using a tripod, make sure it is secure –Charge your batteries

Chapter 6: Looking Through the Viewfinder Framing –Pick a format and stay with it. 4 x 3 or 16 x 9 Field of View –Long shots, medium shots, close-ups, extreme close-ups Vectors –Graphic (lines or objects) –Index (arrow, finger point) –Motion (action on screen) 4 x 3 16 x 9

Chapter 6 Composition –Subject placement –Headroom, nose room (or “lookspace”), leadroom –Horizon line (level or “MTV canted?” –Avoid visual paradoxes between foreground and background

Chapter 6 Defining the Z Axis (illusory screen depth)

Chapter 6 Narrow angle = shallow depth of field. Objects in focus in foreground. Middle and backgrounds are out of focus Wide angle = great depth of field. All objects along z axis (foreground, middle, and background) are in focus. Avoid pans and zooms!!!

Chapter 7: Audio & Sound –Dynamic (rugged, less sensitive –Consenser (less rugged, more sensitive) –Ribbon (most sensitive) Handheld lavalier boom fishpole wireless –Omnidirectional –Unidirectional MICS

Chapter 7 Audio mixer- left & right channels, fader, VU meter Mic & line levels (mic for weak signals; line for strong signals Gain controls volume (clockwise=loud; counterclockwise=soft) Ideal digital audio is -6 db not 0

Chapter 8 Types of Light –Directional –Diffused White Balance Daylight (blue) Incandescent (yellow) Florescent (green)

Chapter 8 Indoor Three-point Lighting –Key light –Back light –Fill light Window Indoor Two- Point Lighting –Key light (with blue filter!) –Window as Back light Use: -barn doors - scrims - umbrellas - gels to diffuse & soften light

Chapter 8 Field Lighting Overcast conditions are ideal Bright light –use neutral density filter –use reflector to bounce light