2. Chapter 4
Video Camera Operations

3. Objectives
Understand how white balancing a camera affects the picture.
Summarize how depth of field contributes to composing a good picture.
Identify the composition of each type of camera shot.
Illustrate a variety of camera movements.
Explain how a videographer can psychologically and physically affect the audience.

4. Principles of Composition
If audience cannot see it on screen, it does not exist–unless clues allow audiences to assume that what they do not see does indeed exist
Example: talent playing a guitar
Audience does not need to see entire neck of guitar–they will assume it is there
Maintain constant control over the camera to give these clues
Always have hands on pan handles
Have tilt and pan unlocked

5. Visual Clues “Finish” a Picture
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6. Rule of Thirds Tic-tac-toe grid imagined on TV screen
Important items in shot placed at intersections of grid lines
Common shots: close-up and medium close-up
Eyes 1/3 down from the top of the screen
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7. Rule of Thirds (Cont.)
Important people or objects shot slightly to left or right of center
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8. Action Nearly every shot includes some kind of action:
Subject matter is moving
Camera is moving
Both subject matter and camera are moving

9. Head Room
Space between top of person’s head and top of screen; should be minimal
Incorrect
Correct
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10. Nose Room
Lead room: space between tip of person’s nose and side edge of the frame
Use rule of thirds when framing nose room
Incorrect
Correct
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11. White Balancing
Camera needs to be “told” what white is in order to “see” all colors correctly
Set automatically or manually
To white balance manually:
Zoom in on white object on set under set lighting until it fills the screen
Activate white balance circuit on camera
Zoom back out and shoot normally

12. White Balance Interior Example
Not White Balanced
White Balanced
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13. White Balance Exterior Example
Not White Balanced
White Balanced
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14. Gain Control Gain: strength of video signal
Located in gain select, gain switch, menu option, or on CCU
Strength of video signal from camera to recorder increases or decreases
Affects white level, black level, color, and tint
Ex. When image is too dark:
Increase gain to artificially brighten picture, but image may become grainy

15. Pre-Focusing Zoom Lenses
Cannot focus zoom lens when in “zoomed out position”
To focus, or pre-focus:
Zoom in on farthest and most important object
Focus camera on object
Zoom lens out
Everything remains in focus until subject camera distance changes lighting changes

16. Zoom/Macro
Macro setting allows operator to focus on an object that is very close to the camera
Macro image is similar to microscope image
Fully zoomed-in lens is similar to telescope image

17. Depth of Field (DOF)
Distance between closest and farthest points from the camera that is still in focus
Minimum object distance (MOD):Closest distance an object can be to camera and still be in focus
Contributes to DOF
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18. Great Depth of Field
Occurs when camera’s depth is as large as possible
Zooming does not change focus
No one particular item stands out for emphasis
Also called deep depth of field
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19. Shallow Depth of Field
Moves audience’s attention to one portion of picture in focus
Background is out of focus
Allows exact control over what viewers look at
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20. Shallow Depth of Field (Cont.)
Operator must refocus camera if talent moves towards or away from camera
Selective depth of field: choosing to have shallow DOF in shot or scene
Rack focus: process of changing focus on camera while hot; ‘pull focus’
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21. Factors Affecting DOF Aperture Subject to camera distance Focal length
More movement in each area creates more pronounced effect for either shallow or great DOF

22. Depth of Field Chart

23. Discussion
Why are there so many lights in the ceiling of a television studio?

24. Shot Sheets Shot sheets make complex shooting much simpler
Shot: Individual picture taken by camera while shooting program footage
All shots in scene are assigned consecutive numbers
Only camera 1’s shots are on camera 1’s shot sheet
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25. Wide Shots Extreme long shot (ELS/XLS) Long shot (LS)
Wide angle shot (WA)
Establishing shot: specific type of ELS used to tell audience where and when program takes place
Long shot (LS)

26. Extreme Long Shot (ELS/XLS)
Biggest shot camera can capture of subject matter
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27. Long Shot (LS)
Captures subject from top of head to bottom of feet with less of surrounding detail in shot
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28. Individual Subject Shots
Medium long shot (MLS)
knee shot
Medium shot (MS)
mid shot
Medium close-up (MCU)
bust shot
Close-up (CU)
narrow angle shot
Extreme close-up (ECU/XCU)

29. Medium Long Shot (MLS)
Top of person’s head to just above or below knee
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30. Medium Shot (MS) Top of person’s head to just above or below waistline
Common for group shots
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31. Medium Close-Up (MCU) Top of person’s head to just below chest
Used in newscasts or dialog scenes
Does not crop top of person’s head
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32. Close-Up (CU) Top of person’s head to below shoulders
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33. Bad Close-Up (CU)
With close-ups, always include neck and top of shoulders to avoid “floating head”
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34. Extreme Close-Up (ECU/XCU)
Shot of specific body part
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35. Multiple Subject Shots
Two shot —Two news anchors at desk
Three shot —Sportscaster and two news anchors at desk
Four shot —Meteorologist, sportscaster, and two news anchors at desk
Group shot —Basketball team after a game

36. Specific View Shots Profile shot Subjective shot Reaction
Point of view (POV) shot
Reaction
Over-the-shoulder shot (OTS)

37. Profile Shot Talent’s face displayed in profile
Bad shot, profile appears flat on screen
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38. Subjective Shot Camera becomes eye of one cast member
Audience sees world through eyes of a character
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39. Reaction Shot
Captures one person’s face to what another person is saying or doing
Very powerful shot
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40. Over-the-Shoulder Shot (OTS)
Back of person’s head/shoulder in foreground while face of other person is in background
Most common shot on programs
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41. Bad Framing Never frame shots with edges on joints of body
Body parts will appear amputated
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42. Camera Movement When moving on tripod:
Begin from still shot
Start move slowly then speed up until nearly complete
Slow down until complete
For body, position body where it ends and twist to position needed at beginning of shot
Camera directions given in respect to camera operator’s point of view

43. Dolly dolly in (DI): pushing camera toward set
dolly out (DO): pushing camera away from set
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44. Truck Truck right (TR): move right while facing set
Truck left (TL): move left while facing set
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45. Pan Pan right (PR): camera scans to operator’s right
Pan left (PL): camera scans to operator’s left
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46. Tilt Tilt up (TU): point lens up to ceiling
Tilt down (TD): point lens down to ground
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47. Pedestal Pedestal up (PedU): raise height of camera on tripod
Pedestal down (PedD): lower height of camera
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48. Arc Arc right (AR): move in a circle to right (counterclockwise)
Arc left (AL): move in a circle to left (clockwise)
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49. Psychology of Presentation
Consistent slight low/high angle will manipulate audience’s opinion of subject
Extreme low/high angle is comedic
High and low angles are unethical in news programming

50. Low Angle Shot
Low angle shot makes talent powerful, respected, and feared by audience
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51. High Angle Shot
High angle shot makes audience feel that talent is weak and insignificant
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52. Career Page O*Net Online Interesting information about:
Job descriptions
Duties
Outlooks for television camera operators

53. Discussion
In broadcast journalism newscasts, what are ethical considerations of using low and high angle shots? News should be unbiased and not manipulative. Is using these shots manipulative? What are examples of when and how this manipulation of public might occur?