DIGITAL FILMMAKING HANDBOOK phần 5 pot

CHAPTER 9SHOOTING DIGITAL VIDEO Focusing a Canon XL1 Some DV camera lenses, notably the zoom lens that comes with the Canon XL1, do not hold focus if you use the manual zoom ring on the lens to recompose your shot. Instead, use the mechanical zoom button on the lens. You can also focus by composing your shot first and then adjusting the focus ring on the lens, the same way you would with a prime lens. The only problem with this method is that the wider your shot, the harder it will be to tell if your subject is truly in focus. You can also center your subject, press the autofocus button until it finds the right focus, then turn off the autofocus feature to lock the focus in place. Then recom- pose your shot as desired. The XL1 has a Find Focus button that allows you to set the focus without using the auto-focus features. Measuring Focus If your camera lens has a focus ring with distance measurements marked on it, like the lens in Figure 9.5, you can measure the distance between your subject and the lens to ensure perfect focus. (Of course, you can’t be sure of the focus markings on your lens unless you’ve tested them and found the marks to be accurate.) If you plan to eventually transfer your video image to film, proper focus is critical. When the image is projected and blown up to 25+ times its normal size, what looked in focus on a small video monitor may appear out of focus. Luckily, most images have a depth of field that exceeds the depth of focus. In Figure 9.9, the depth of focus is eight feet from the camera, but the depth of field—the part of the image that appears in focus—starts a couple feet in front of the subject and extends to infinity. The woman seated behind the subject will appear in focus, even though she’s not on the plane of focus. If you’re having trouble focusing, use your manual iris control to iris down (go to a higher f-stop number). This will increase your depth of field and im- prove your chances of shooting focused. If you’re shooting in a low light situ- ation with the lens aperture wide open, don’t count on a lot of depth of field. Compose your shot with the knowledge that only your subject may be in focus. If you’re transferring to film for projection, the only way to be certain about depth of field is to calculate it mathematically. Unfortunately, depth of field calculations for DV cameras are complicated by the fact that DV cameras often lack f-stop or distance markings on their lenses, digital lenses use differ- ent optics than 35mm lenses, and DV lens sizes in millimeters do not corre- 199 spond to 35mm lens sizes. Standard depth of field charts, such as those found in the American Cinematographer’s Manual, do not apply to your DV camera. Pulling Focus Film camera operators compensate for shallow depth of field by having the camera assistant pull focus. As the camera moves on a dolly, for example, the camera assistant manually moves the focus using the focus ring on the lens. Some lenses have a place to attach a knob that makes pulling focus easier, but either way, it requires a steady hand. You need to be able to pull focus in order to do a rack focus shot. Unless you have a camera with high-end features like the one in Figure 9.12, pulling focus on a DV camera is almost impossible. TIP Faking Focus Pulls Puffin Designs’ Image Lounge includes a Rack Focus filter that you can use to fake some rack focus shots in post-production. Obviously, you’ll need to do some experimentation and planning before you rely on such post-production effects. DIGITAL FILMMAKING HANDBOOK 200 In this illustration, the plane of focus is eight feet from the lens, but the depth of field, represented by the white area, is much bigger. Everything in this area appears in focus, including the woman and the background. FIGURE 9.9 CHAPTER 9SHOOTING DIGITAL VIDEO LENS FILTERS If your camera has threads on the end of its lens, you can attach special filters that will help you better control color and composition, as well as create spe- cial effects. Filters are simply specially prepared pieces of glass housed in a screw-on attachment. Most filters are threaded so that you can screw filters onto filters to stack up effects. Filters come in different sizes, so the selection of filters available for your lens size may vary. Many filters come in different “strengths” whose values are usually measured with a simple number scheme. The higher the number, the more the filter will affect your image. UV Filters As we mentioned earlier, you should get at least one UV filter to protect your lens. In addition, UV filters will filter out ultraviolet light and help reduce haze. There are a number of variations of UV filters, including stronger haze filters and warm UV filters, that will add warmth to your image. Polarizing Filters Polarizers are used to deepen saturation and are must-haves for shooting out- doors. A circular polarizer attaches like any other filter, but can be rotated to achieve different polarizing effects, such as making an image more or less sat- urated, or to shift an image more toward warm or red. Shooting with a polar- izer is just about the only way to get decent images of cloudy skies. Polarizers can also be used to eliminate reflections when shooting through glass or windows (see Figure 9.10) and to eliminate hot spots on a reflective surface created by a light source. Neutral Density Filters Used for controlling the amount of light coming through your lens, the most common light balancing filter is the neutral density filter. ND filters reduce the amount of light entering the lens in 1 f-stop increments. So, if you’re shooting in bright sunlight (which normally requires a small aperture), but you want to shoot with a very shallow depth of field (which requires a large aperture), you can use ND filters to cut out enough light to facilitate a smaller f-stop value. Your camera may have a built-in electronic ND filter. Check your manual to see how many stops this feature provides. 201 DIGITAL FILMMAKING HANDBOOK 202 The window reflections in the first image can be easily eliminated with a po- larizing filter. FIGURE 9.10 CHAPTER 9SHOOTING DIGITAL VIDEO Color Correction and Light Balancing Filters There are a number of filters that can correct for tungsten or daylight. In ad- dition, special colored filters can be used to tint your image, or strengthen par- ticular colors. Contrast Adjustment High-Contrast filters can be used to improve the contrast ratio (and therefore, apparent sharpness) in an image, while filters such as Tiffen’s ProMist and Black ProMist can be used to reduce contrast to achieve more of a film look (Figure 9.11). Gradiated Filters Gradiated filters feature a grade from dark to light that can be useful if you need to take down a bright sky but want to keep the area below the horizon line unfiltered. Special Effects Filters Special effects filters can be used to make lights flare in starburst patterns, to tone an image sepia, to create extreme fog effects, and much, much more. Be- fore you commit to any of these filters, though, see if you can achieve the same look in your post-production software. Shooting clean, unfiltered video and processing it digitally later will give you more flexibility. In addition to filters, a sun shade attached to the end of your lens will pre- vent the sun from shining directly on the lens and creating lens flares. Film Look There’s a lot of advice floating around about how to create a “film look” using diffusion filters. The only way to decide if they work is to do some experi- menting with them. If you’re planning to eventually transfer to film, this may be unnecessary since the film process itself will result in a “film look.” One of the challenges of a successful video-to-film transfer is delivering an image that looks sharp on film. Consult with your film recordist before using lots of fil- tration or diffusion. We recommend that you avoid using diffusion materials, like softening effects filters or stockings and other fabrics over or behind the lens itself. Use diffusion spray, fog machines, and diffusion on the lights to soften the image, but avoid overusing these items as well. 203 DIGITAL FILMMAKING HANDBOOK 204 Tiffen’s ProMist and Black ProMist can be used to reduce the contrast in an image and make light flares bloom, creating a more film-like image. FIGURE 9.11 CHAPTER 9SHOOTING DIGITAL VIDEO Film typically has a shallower depth of field than does video. One way to get more of a film-like image, then, is to shoot with less depth of field. We’ll discuss film look more in Chapter 18. OTHER CAMERA FEATURES If your camera allows it, you should opt for a slow shutter speed when shooting for a film look. Usually the slowest speed available on a DV camera is 1/60th of a second, which corresponds with the fastest shutter speed available on most film cameras. In Figure 6.8a and b, you can see the difference between a fast shutter speed and a slower shutter speed. The resulting motion blur of the slow shutter speed will help make your video look more like film. (Refer to your camera manual for instructions on manually adjusting the shutter speed.) Most DV cameras will allow you to choose between progressive and inter- laced scanning . (See Chapter 4 for an explanation of progressive and interlaced scanning.) Progressive scanning will also make your video look more film-like, as—depending on your camera—the slower shutter speed might be closer to film. However, when shooting with progressive scan, you’ll need to be very careful to avoid fast camera moves and fast action on-screen. Unless you are 205 Mechanical zoom control Lens Zoom ring Optical viewfinder Viewfinder focus ring Digital display Audio level controls Slide mount for on-camera light Focus ring Aperture ring Zebra on/off White balance Battery Shutter controls Filter ring w/ 3200K, 5600K and ND filters Auto iris settings White balance settings Gain boost Power on/off º The JVC GY-D500 miniDV camera has manual override for everything and lots of high-end features. FIGURE 9.12 going for a special effect, or plan on pulling lots of stills from your video, in- terlaced scanning is a better choice. All newer video cameras come with a gain boost feature for low light situa- tions. Gain boost makes everything in your image brighter, including the black areas of your image. A good video image should aim for dark, solid blacks, and bright, clear whites. If the gain is boosted, the blacks tend toward gray. In ad- dition, video noise is introduced. Noise is the video equivalent of film grain, ex- cept it is a lot more noticeable and distracting. If you are planning to go to film later, you should avoid any gain boosting. Instead, use proper lighting to get a good exposure on your videotape and turn off the gain boost feature. ASPECT RATIOS Choosing an aspect ratio is an artistic choice. Needless to say, composing a shot for 1.33 video (or 4:3) is very different from projected film at 1.85 or high-de- finition television at 1.77 (or 16:9). (See the aspect ratio table in Chapter 4.) Be sure to keep this in mind when you shoot. The DV format’s 1.33 aspect ratio is perfectly suited to the current broadcast standard, although the num- ber of TV productions shot in the HDTV 1.77 format will continue to grow. If you’re planning to transfer to film, 16mm film shares the same 1.33 aspect ratio as DV, but to get the 1.85 aspect ratio of North American theatrical re- lease format for 35mm film, the top and bottom of the 1.33 image will be cropped out (refer back to Figure 4.6). If you want to take advantage of the 35mm film format, you’ll need to shoot in the 1.77 high-definition widescreen aspect ratio. 1.77 is still slightly smaller than projected film, but the difference is negligible. Most 35mm film cameras have lenses that can be fit with removeable ground glass attachments for viewing crop marks that indicate various aspect ratios through the viewfinder. This helps camera operators compose the shot for the aspect ratio desired (even if it doesn’t match the native aspect ratio of the format they’re shooting with). Unfortunately, the concept of removeable ground glass at- tachments hasn’t quite trickled down to the DV camera world yet. TIP Buyer Beware Just because a camera is 16:9/4:3 switchable, doesn’t mean that the camera records a true native 16:9 image. The change in aspect ratio may simply mean that the image is being re-shaped to fit that ratio (Figure 6.12). If your camera doesn’t shoot native 16:9, you can add an anamorphic lens attachment to it that will squeeze the image (Figure 6.13). DIGITAL FILMMAKING HANDBOOK 206 CHAPTER 9SHOOTING DIGITAL VIDEO TV Title Safe and Action Safe The portion of the video image that is visible varies from one TV set to an- other. To ensure that all viewers can see the action and read the titles, SMPTE came up with guidelines for the action safe and title safe areas of the image. Pro- fessional lenses have visual guides visible in the viewfinder that show where the title safe and action safe boundaries lie, much like the guides shown in Figure 16.1. Unfortunately, not all DV camera manufacturers have included these guides in their viewfinders. If your viewfinder doesn’t have action safe and title safe guides, be sure to remember that the outer edges of the image may not be visible, and compose your shots accordingly. CONTROLLING THE CAMERA There are a mind-boggling number of gadgets available today for controlling the movement of a camera. You can buy anything from giant cranes to special remote control helicopters to heavy-duty underwater gear. In Chapter 6, we discussed tripods, steadicams, and on-board image stabilizing systems. Here are a few more ways to control the camera: • Dollies. There are a number of cheap options for getting that fancy dolly shot. You can make your own skateboard dollies with four rotat- ing skateboard wheels attached to a piece of plywood. Wheelchairs also work well, allowing the operator to sit in the chair and hold the camera while someone else pushes, and you can always try using your car. Shooting out of a convertible or the back of a pick-up truck works best, but take care not to endanger yourself and others. • Handholding. Handholding a lightweight video camera can be a chal- lenge. Some prefer to hold the camera at waist level, balanced against their torso, others at eye level. Using the shoulder strap sometimes stead- ies the camera, and standing with your legs shoulder-width apart can help steady your stance. As with most camera-operating skills, practice makes perfect. • Car camera mounts. To get good footage inside a moving car, car cam- era mounts—special vacuum suction devices that attach the camera to the body of the car—are essential. 207 Hopefully, you’ve come to the shoot fully prepared with a shot list, story- boards, and careful blocking of your scenes. Here’s a list of odds and ends to remember with during the shoot: • Prevent Timecode breaks. Your post-production will go much easier if you avoid breaks in timecode when shooting. A break in timecode oc- curs any time there is a blank spot on the tape. Such breaks might pre- vent your NLE from being able to capture or digitize your footage. Most DV cameras include special controls (usually in the form of buttons on the camera) that will search forward or backward for the last piece of sta- ble timecode. The camera will then cue the tape to the last frame of sta- ble timecode and begin recording from there. If your camera doesn’t have such a feature, you can protect your tape from timecode breaks by always letting the tape run for a few seconds after the end of your shot. Then, before you begin taping again, back the tape up so that recording begins on top of your extra footage. • Calling “Action!” Believe it or not, there is a very specific protocol to follow when calling “Action” on a film shoot. The assistant director yells “Roll sound” and the sound recordist replies “Speed” once his equip- ment is running at full speed. Next, the assistant director calls “Roll camera” and the camera person answers “Speed” once the camera is run- ning at full speed. Finally, the director calls “Action!” Even if you’re not using a sound recordist, assistant director, or a camera operator, it’s still good practice to warn everyone on the set vocally that you’re about to start shooting, and give your camera and audio equipment a few seconds to run before you call “Action.” • Heads and tails. Allowing a few seconds to roll before the action starts and a few seconds to roll after the director calls “cut” can be crucial dur- ing the editing process later on. • Crossing the stage line. Crossing the 180° axis, also known as the stage line, is jarring. If you think of your set as a theatrical stage, the 180° axis falls along the proscenium (the front of the stage). Once you’ve set up your camera on one side of the axis, avoid moving it to the other side (see Figure 9.13). Be aware that this primarily concerns action and dia- logue shots. Cut-aways and establishing shots can often get away with crossing the stage line. • Eye lines. If you’re shooting a conversation between two or more actors, you need to make sure the eyelines in each close-up match the others, so During the Shoot DIGITAL FILMMAKING HANDBOOK 208 [...]... interesting, don’t lose any sleep over trying to understand these charts Most mics are clearly rated as cardioid, supercardioid, or hypercardioid 30° 0° 0 30° 5 10 60° 60° 15 20 25 90° 90° dB 120° 120° 250 Hz 50 0 Hz 1000 Hz F IGURE 10.4 T IP 2000 Hz 150 ° 150 ° 180° 4000 Hz 8000 Hz Most microphones include a polar chart that diagrams their directionality and sensitivity The polar chart shows a cross-section... Because they typically operate at short range, they have to be held close to the speaker’s mouth, making it nearly impossible to keep them hidden (Figure 10 .5) 2 25 DIGITAL FILMMAKING HANDBOOK 226 F IGURE A handheld mic on a microphone stand 10 .5 Lavaliers Lavalier, or clip-on mics, are the small condenser mics that you see clipped to the front of newscasters Lavaliers are usually omnidirectional mics,... separate the background from the foreground For intimate shots, a longer focal length will bring everything closer CHAPTER 9 SHOOTING DIGITAL VIDEO F IGURE 9. 15 You can use your aperture controls to create different depths of field when composing an image 213 DIGITAL FILMMAKING HANDBOOK 214 Respect for Acting In the sea of technical details, you may forget the most important thing on your set: your talent... Incorrect eye lines A C Correct eye lines F IGURE 9.14 A and B have eyelines that are shot incorrectly, while A and C have eyelines that match DIGITAL FILMMAKING HANDBOOK 210 • Using a field monitor Feature film directors use “video assist” monitors that connect to 35mm film cameras so that they can see what is being seen by the camera operator A field monitor lets you do the same thing with a video camera... on the Set, Please Recording the image is only part of the battle—you can’t overestimate the importance of good sound The next chapter covers how to record production audio 2 15 CHAPTER 10 Production Sound 217 DIGITAL FILMMAKING HANDBOOK 218 I N T HIS C HAPTER • • • • • What You Want to Record Microphones Setting Up Recording Your Sound A Good Approach W ith all this talk about storyboarding, cameras,... sound in a cardioid pattern (so named because it looks vaguely heart shaped, see Figure 10.3) A cardioid microphone is more sensitive to sound coming from the front of the mic, and typi- 221 DIGITAL FILMMAKING HANDBOOK 222 F IGURE The cardioid patterns for an omnidirectional and a supercardioid mic 10.3 cally attenuates, or drops off, sounds around the sides of the mic Typically, a cardioid pattern... scenes, if a character is speaking to someone offframe, you’ll want to lead the speaker by putting some empty space in front of him or her Leading is also a good way to create tension Con- 211 DIGITAL FILMMAKING HANDBOOK 212 sider the last scene in 0 when the little girl has fallen down a ventilator shaft into a water-filled room on an alien-infested planet When the director cuts to the first shot of... extremely directional mics that use a large parabolic dish to gather and focus sound onto the head of a unidirectional microphone Parabolic mics are sensitive to sounds over 200 feet away and are 224 DIGITAL FILMMAKING HANDBOOK not practical for most feature shoots However, for difficult shooting situations where a subject is extremely far away (climbing the side of a mountain, for example), a parabolic mic... recorder Different types of microphones are designed for different recording situations, so your choice of microphone will be based on matching microphone characteristics to your shooting needs 219 DIGITAL FILMMAKING HANDBOOK 220 F IGURE 10.1 F IGURE 10.2 On-camera mics are frequently housed inside the camera’s body, where they are susceptible to picking up camera noise Even if your camera has an external,... see sticking off of video cameras are referred to as shotgun mics Though varied in pickup mechanism and directional characteristics, shotgun mics provide the greatest flexibility for mik- 227 DIGITAL FILMMAKING HANDBOOK 228 ing Most shotgun mics record stereo audio, usually by having two pickups inside, one each for left and right channels (Figure 10.7) If your camera already has a shotgun mic attached, . closer. DIGITAL FILMMAKING HANDBOOK 212 CHAPTER 9SHOOTING DIGITAL VIDEO 213 You can use your aperture controls to create different depths of field when composing an image. FIGURE 9. 15 Almost. anamorphic lens attachment to it that will squeeze the image (Figure 6.13). DIGITAL FILMMAKING HANDBOOK 206 CHAPTER 9SHOOTING DIGITAL VIDEO TV Title Safe and Action Safe The portion of the video image. sure the eyelines in each close-up match the others, so During the Shoot DIGITAL FILMMAKING HANDBOOK 208 CHAPTER 9SHOOTING DIGITAL VIDEO that when the shots are edited together, they look like they’re