2. 3 The Camera Support Equipment

3. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Identify the challenges and benefits involved in using hand-held camera shooting. Recognize the types of tripod heads available and cite the unique characteristics of each. I Can...

4. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Camcorder Camera Mounts Tripod shooting Image stabilization devices Jib Crane Hand-held shooting

5. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Tripod Three legs Length of each leg can be independently extended Sometimes has vertical column in center which can be raised and lowered Pedestal column Handle that raises and lowers pedestal is pedestal control, which should not be used when camera is recording, or hot, to avoid audience seeing shaking screenpedestal controlhot Vertical tension must be set tight enough to hold the camera level Some include a quick-release mechanism which makes is easier to attach and remove the camera

6. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Tripod Head Attaches to top of tripod Camera attaches to tripod head Head allows pans and tilts to occur Head has one or two pan handles attached so operator can stand behind camera and move it with handlepan handles

7. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Tripod Tips Verify the tripod head is level by adjusting the length of the legs or using the ball head Screw the camera onto the head firmly so it does not wobble If the tripod has a center column, try not to raise it – it makes the unit less stable Point one leg at the subject This allows you to stand between the other two legs and get close to the camera To pan, stand facing the center of the move and twist your body to frame the first shot. Continue twisting your body until the last shot.

8. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Tripod Head and Pan Handles

9. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Fluid Head Two pieces of metal, separated by grease, screwed together Professional More expensive High quality because grease allows varying degrees of pressure to cause varying levels of resistance (drag) when panning and tiltingdrag

10. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Friction Head Two pieces of metal mashed together by tightening screw Unprofessional Inexpensive Low quality because drag is either fully on or fully off Offers poor resistance when panning and tilting

11. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. TripodTripod with DollyDolly Dolly has three wheels with tripod legs that fit into it

12. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. CHS Dollies Universal folding dolly Max load 35lbs Diameter 31” Adjusting slide foot clamp

13. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Dolly – make your own

14. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Studio Pedestal Vertical column with base and three wheels on bottom Heavy Pneumatics or hydraulics assist movement Has wheel to steer it as it moves Vinten Broadcast Ltd.

15. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Image Stabilization Device Glidecam Industries, Inc.

16. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Steadi Cam – Steady walk 3 Parts 1.Vest 2.Arm 3.Sled

17. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Steadi Cam Examples

18. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Subjective Camera Also Known as POV – Point of View Shots Shows what a character is looking at Camera is their eyes Sense of participating in the scene Evokes what the character sees & feels

19. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Jib EZFX Inc.

20. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Jib Examples

21. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Jib Examples

22. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Crane – Holds Camera & Crew Video Clip Aerial Filming

23. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Hand-Held Should be avoided if possible Produces good images for mere seconds Otherwise, produces shaky camerawork Never use zoom-in settings when hand holding

24. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Handholding the Camera Whenever possible, brace yourself against something To shoot a low angle, sit with the camera in your lap and swing the viewfinder up to look down into the camera Try not to walk unless required by the shot Unless the shot is long, take a deep breath then let some out and hold the remainder while you shoot The wider the camera angle, the less obvious any shake will be Use lens stabilization feature if available

25. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. If You Must Hand-Hold…

26. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Simple Do’s and Don’t’s Avoid swinging the camera back and forth from one subject to another Get a good shot of each and shoot as a separate shot Do not make shots too brief for the viewer to look at 3-5 seconds is a general minimum length Do not pose subjects against the sky, white walls, or backgrounds lighter than their faces Deceives the auto exposure and results in poorly-lit scenes Avoid zooming while shooting if hand-holding the camera Shoot each as a separate shot

27. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Art of Cinematography Cameraman and Director of Photography Greg Collier discusses building and using equipment to add camera motion in Cinematography Steadicam Jib Remote head

28. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Why is a hand-held not the camera of choice? Produces shaky camerawork and low-quality images. Review Question

29. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Name and describe the different tripod heads. Friction head–Unprofessional, inexpensive, low quality, offers poor resistance when panning and tilting. Fluid head–Professional, expensive, high quality, allows varying degrees of resistance when panning and tilting. Review Question

30. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Which is better—a fluid head or a friction head? Why? Fluid head is better because it will provide drag when panning or tilting, which makes for more stable picture. Review Question

31. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. dolly: A three-wheeled cart onto which the feet of a tripod are mounted. A dolly allows smooth camera movements to be performed. drag: Resistance to movement created by tripod head mount. Glossary

32. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. fluid head: A mounting assembly on some tripods that stabilizes the camera using the pressure between two pieces of metal and a thick fluid that provides additional resistance to movement. Glossary

33. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. friction head: A mounting assembly on some tripods that stabilizes the camera using the pressure created when two pieces of metal are squeezed together by a screw. Glossary

34. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. jib: A type of camera mount that allows the camera to be raised high over the set and swung in any direction. Glossary

35. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. pan handle: A device attached to the back of the camera when on the tripod head that allows the camera operator to move the tripod head while standing behind the tripod. Glossary

36. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. pedestal column: A column in the center of a tripod used to raise or lower the camera. pedestal control: A crank on the side of the pedestal column that twists a gear to raise and lower the pedestal column. Glossary

37. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. studio pedestal: A large, single column on wheels that supports the camera and is pneumatically or hydraulically controlled. Glossary

38. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. subjective camera: A hand-held camera technique, in which the camera itself becomes the eye of one cast member. The viewers see the world through the eyes of that character. tripod: A three-legged stand that supports a camera. Glossary

39. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. tripod head: The assembly at the top of the pedestal column to which the camera attaches. Glossary