Had lunch with a guy from the department that assesses new cameras for the BBC. Discussed cameras for me to use on the Irish shoot I’m planning in Oct/Nov. Based on my description (solo shooter, tripod shots of landscapes, tripod shots of groups (interior), tripod shot interviews (interior), time-lapse) he gravitated to the Canon 5D MkII (£1,700 plus lenses, so add another £3K).  However, when I said I was worried about usability with regard to more mobile shots this did throw up problems only possible to mitigate with extra kit i.e. a shoulder-rig and a screen adapter to create a proper view-finder (Zucato x3 mag £300).  It’s an SLR so it’s wonderful at tripod shots but lousy on the hoof (v. difficult focusing, poor ergonomics).  As it uses a CMOS sensor it (along with all cameras that use these) suffers from ‘rolling shutter’ meaning that, when the camera is moving swiftly, the top of a frame scans faster than the bottom resulting in a slanted image (creates some interesting effects but hardly desirable).  Also, the 5D can’t film interlaced, only progressive.  It also uses a codec that is time consuming to convert for editing (needs powerful crunching).  Other problem is the need ...

By Karim Attia, 20 September 2009 Pre-operation checks: Check battery Check tape Check timecode counter Check display setting i.e. bars, light/dark helpul mnemonic: SWEFF SOUND Check headphone volume Check menu options set for one, or both, channels being used Set volume - needs to be at -12db (usually setting 5 of 10) Gun-mic needs to be set to run off camera power Radio-mics use phantom (own battery) power WHITE BALANCE Can pre-programme settings A and B use white sheet as close to subject as possible EXPOSURE Gain - set to 9db indoors ND filters if bright Iris/aperture - set manually Shutter speed should be set to 50fps FOCUS Setting up, use focus-ring in combination with the 'expanded focus' for fine-tuning If already recording, keep zoomed out and use the 'push-focus' - this continually keeps target in focus until one releases the button For fast changing subjects, set zoom fully out and set focus to 1m - everything will now be in focus. FRAMING Neither viewfinder shows the entire record area, so allow a little space around the edges (for boom-mic intrusion, astons, subtitles, etc).

by Karim Attia; June 2007. These are my notes from a four-day full-time course run by the BBC for training people in the operation of the standard issus HD mini-DV Sony Z1 digital camera.  This camera is relatively cheap, simple to operate, and returns tolerable quality images.  For these reasons, it is pretty ubiquitous in the TV industry. NOTES: •    WHAT’S THE STORY? •    WHAT’S THE ACTION? •    WHAT ARE THE SHOTS? •    SHOOT FOR THE EDIT! Before leaving base: 1.    Check Kit (including menu settings) 2.    30sec test recording 3.    Always set to DV/DVCam mode NOT HD Before taking the shot: 1.    Shutter Speed (always set to 50fps) 2.    Framing (Rule of Thirds, Looking Room, etc) N.B. loss of border in view-finder! 3.    White Balance (WB) 4.    Exposure (Zebras set to 70%, ND filters, Gain) 5.    Focus (Push Auto, Expand Focus) 6.    Sound (XLR) 7.    Safety 5secs to speed Hold every shot at least 10secs Labelling Depth of Field (DOF): the zone in which things appear to be in focus.  Established using zoom and exposure. On a Z1, the hyperfocal distance (the setting that results in almost everything being in focus) is 0.9-1.0 meters whilst fully zoomed-out (very useful on fast-moving/unpredictable shoots, or where time is limited).  Also, the more light the better, as this will require a closed down/narrow iris/aperture e.g. ...