Camera Workshop 1

The main camera which is used at school in the school studio is called a Black Magic 4K Mini Ursa camera, I will be focusing on this camera throughout shooting my sequence and completing more workshops.

'Yours's and Mine' rule

The yours's and mine rule is a rule used when handling camera or another sort of equipment. It is used to make clear when someone is taking the equipment into their hands or they are passing it on to another person. For example you are giving the camera to someone you say 'yours's' and they would repeat (once they have the camera in their hands) 'mine'. It is a safety precaution and a rule which is very important to prevent any accidents or damage to equipment.

Tripod

When opening up a tripod and lengthening it you should always start from the bottom as it will always be much easier than starting from the top.

Once the tripod is set up then get the panhandle which goes onto the tripod on the right hand side. The centre is identified by a little yellow circle and then the panhandle goes to the right side of that. The panhandle allows the camera to move up, down and across.

Locking a tripod in place is completed by two locks, these locks are called the tilt lock and pan lock which are both identified on the sides of the tripod. 

To level a tripod and make sure it is not tilted and in the centre you have to make sure the air bubble which is placed in the middle of the yellow circle is in the centre, you adjust this by turning the bolt, which is placed under the tripod, to the right. You do this to make sure the tripod is level and even on all sides, otherwise the camera/tripod will be slanted and create an uneven/slanted shot. 

Camera

When placing the camera on the tripod you place the bottom of the camera which is called the tripod shoe, in line with the top of the tripod. 

Top of the tripod.

Tripod shoe (bottom of the camera).

You then press the button which is placed on the side and slide the tripod shoe in line with the top of the tripod and make sure it is locked in with the bolt and is unable to move - make sure the metal is clear and nothing is in the way so the camera can easily just slide in.

The camera is naturally nose heavy, so you have to hold the camera sturdy and make sure it does not bash the top of the camera lens when placing the camera in and taking it off. 

When removing the camera from the tripod you undo the bolt and press the button which is placed on the opposite side of the bolt and slide the camera back towards you.

The battery is called the V lock. The battery fits halfway onto the camera back. To take it off you have to hold onto the battery and press the battery release button which is on the side of the battery. 

When focusing the camera for a shot you have to zoom all the way into an individual's eye or a focal point then adjust the focus wheel - which is the smaller wheel behind the wider one which is the zoom wheel - to make sure everything is in focus, then with the zoom wheel zoom out to your shot and then everything in frame will be in focus. You should do this before every shot or clip to make sure it is sharp and in focus.

Adjusting the amount of light which you allow into your camera lens is called the exposure and aperture. When adjusting the amount of light for a shot you have to turn the blue latch which is placed underneath the camera lens. You do this to make sure your shot is not under exposed or over exposed.

White balance - the white balance on a camera is used to identify the different colours which lights have on them. Lightbulbs have an orangey light, and the sun has a blueish light. Cameras cannot identify this difference, therefore we have have to adjust it manually on the camera on the screen, which is placed at the top right hand corner where it says WB with a number, then it provides you with different settings for the light (different pre sets). You need to change the white balance when shooting or before shooting to make sure your shot has the right lighting and that the lighting suits the location.