1. CHAPTER 3
CAMERAS

2. CHAPTER OBJECTIVES Explore the History of motion picture Cameras;
Gain an understanding of the Technical equipment used for motion picture Recording;
Transcend basic functions to be able to manipulate the features of Digital Video Equipment to create Highly Controlled Images;
Survey Movements in the Traditional Arts that can be applied to Video Production.

3. HISTORY OF THE MOTION PICTURES
Pre-Cinema
Persistence of vision A.D
Magic lantern -1600s
Thaumatrope
Zoetrope -1834
Series photography – 1878
Eadweard Muybridge

4. FILM
35mm film
16mm
8mm
Super-16
Super-8
70mm

5. VIDEO 1926 First public demonstration of a video system 1927
First video broadcast

6. VIDEO STORAGE: Videotape
2-inch reel-to-reel 1”
U-Matic
VHS

7. VIDEO STORAGE: Videotape
Digital Betacam
DVC-Pro
Mini-DV
DVCam
Digital-S
Digital-8

8. VIDEO STORAGE Drive and Optical Storage
Memory cards
Hard drives
In-camera read-write media (DVD)

9. VIDEO SYSTEMS
NTSC (National Television Systems Committee) - “Standard Television”
525 lines; 4:3 aspect ratio
High-Definition Video –
1,080 lines; 16:9 aspect ratio
PAL (Phase-Alternating Line) –
625 lines of horizontal resolution
24P –
24 frames per second using progressive scanning

10. THE CAMERA TEAM Director of photography (DP) Camera operator
Focus puller
Clapper/Loader
Dolly grip
Second unit

11. DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERAS Imaging for Digital Video
CCD – Charge-Coupled Device
CMOS – Complementary
Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor

12. DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERAS Lens
Magnification:
Compound Lenses (zoom lenses)
Prime Lenses
(fixed focal-
length lenses)
Wide-angle lens
Telephoto lens

13. DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERAS Lens
Focus
Focal point
Auto focus
Setting focus
Proper exposure
Creative exposure
Internal light meter
Manual aperture overrides

14. DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERAS Lens
f-stops

15. DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERAS Lens
Depth of field
“Courtesy of RiverDream Productions”

16. DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERAS Lens
Maximum sharpness setting
Macro setting
Lens hood

17. DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERAS The Camera Body
Power switch
Batteries and
A/C power
Start/Stop Button.
"REC."

18. DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERAS The Camera Body
The Tally Light
The Viewfinder
Eyepiece
View screen
Microphone
The Headphone Jack

19. DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERAS The Camera Body
The Playback Control Buttons
The Media Storage
The Handgrip
Time Code Indicator

20. DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERAS The Camera Body
Shutter Speed
Gain
Aspect Ratio
4:3
16:9
Image Stabilization
Backlight Feature
White Balance

21. TRIPODS

22. ADVANCED CAMERA SUPPORT SYSTEMS
Steadycam
Jib arm
Camera cranes
Vehicle mounts
Marine housings

23. APPROACHES IN CINEMATOGRAPHY AND VIDEOGRAPHY
Determine the “look” of a project
Four Distinct Approaches
Realism
Expressionism and Film Noir
Impressionism
Surrealism

24. APPROACHES IN CINEMATOGRAPHY AND VIDEOGRAPHY
Realism
Sharp focus
Realistic lighting

25. APPROACHES IN CINEMATOGRAPHY AND VIDEOGRAPHY
Expressionism and Film Noir
Dark in visual tone
Stylized lighting cast from severe angles
Bizarre and fantastic stories
“Film Noir”

26. APPROACHES IN CINEMATOGRAPHY AND VIDEOGRAPHY
Impressionism
“Golden Age of Hollywood”
Diffused images
Impression of some emotional state
Twinkling eyes and fog-filtered
A romantic memory

27. APPROACHES IN CINEMATOGRAPHY AND VIDEOGRAPHY
Surrealism
“Beyond reality” or “above reality”
Concrete irrationality
Psychoanalytic psychology; Dream analysis

28. EXERCISES
Design and shoot a Two-Minute Master Scene. Use the technical information in this chapter to realize the Principles of the Visual Language you learned in Chapter 2.
Shoot some camera tests. Can you create a Shallow Depth of Field? How can you take that same composition and convert it into one with a Deep Depth of Field? Practice Hand-Held camera work. Describe how you could improvise a Dolly Shot with available resources.
Of the artistic approaches introduced in this chapter, which is your favorite artistic approach: Realism, Expressionism, Impressionism, or Surrealism? Write a scene in this style and outline how you portray this approach Visually.
Copyright 2008 Taylor and Francis