Advanced camera workshop

The first thing we were told was to turn the lights on. We were then reminded of how to use the zoom and focus wheels on the lens. The first new thing that we were introduced to was the monitor, and we would have to get used to using that when we shoot our music video.

Then we were told about shutter. Shutter is measured in degrees, and it’s to do with motion and more specifically, blur. So, when the shutter angle is 180 degrees, it is like real life, and we see on the camera what we would usually see in our eyes. The lower we have the shutter, the more clear and sharper the image looks. If the shutter angle is higher, it is a lot smoother. Just by adjusting the shutter, you can get different emotions and feelings out of the shot, for example, when there is a low shutter angle, with a very sharp image, the image can look very distressed and very agitated. The next thing we learnt about was frames per second (FPS). In the UK, we use 25 FPS, and in the US the FPS used is closer to 30 (due to a difference in electricity). When you’re shooting for a slow motion, smoother shot, you can increase the FPS to 50.

Then we learned about the lenses we are going to use when shooting our music video. We are going to use Prime lenses. Prime lenses don’t zoom in, they have a fixed zoom. The number on the lenses say the MM of the lens. Prime lenses also only focus by turning and using the focus wheel, and to get a shot completely in focus, we use a tape measuring technique. The tape measure technique is measuring the distance 7 feet away, getting that in focus so that it applies to that lens. For face shots, we tend to use 85mm, and wide lens for establishing shots. 

We then had a brief look at the new PICTOR lenses, which was two lenses that went from 50mm, to 125mm.