D.Workshops/Films output
Introduction
This blog will be exploring what I have learned throughout the Del workshop.
Although I am the technical director, Del expressed the importance of knowing how all aspects of the studio should be explored and it is important for a director to know everyone's jobs so that they understand can communicate to the direct department and it's important for a director to understand what is within range of each job and if it is do-able.
Workshop 1
The first task was to work on camera movements - staying in focus whilst a subject is moving towards the camera and panning up - pulling back and staying in focus we learned about how different studio cameras are in comparison to cameras that are used on tv/film.
At the start of the workshop, we had to understand about back focusing - this is when you have to focus on a subject and stay in focus, there is a method that we use in shoots, we zoom the lens in on the eye and use the focus to make the eye as sharp as it can go 'Have you ever heard the expression " the eyes are the window to the soul?" The reason that expression has lasted for as long as it has is that there is some truth in it. When you look somebody in the eyes you can tell a lot about them - qhat they are feeling, sometimes even what they are thinking. Without sharp eyes in photography, you lose some aspect of your subject's personality. So the question then becomes this: how do you tack sharp eyes every time?' (Digital photo secrets, 2020) The method that I use every time in a shoot zoom whilst the red peaking marker is on (when the red flash red I know it's in focus) then I pull out and see that my shoot is sharp.
In a studio 'as live' production, you only get one chance at getting that image correct and staying in focus so before transmission, the cameras focus on a 'Focus Chart' what is a focus chart?
A focus chart acts as a target. It gives you multiple areas to zoom in on in order to get the focus you need. You will usually see a focus chart utilized in a controlled studio environment, but it isn’t always necessary. Focus charts are typically used when working with shallower depths of field. It’s common to see focus charts used on a product or low-light shoot.
Focus charts can also be used for calibrating lenses and testing your camera’s autofocus. Using a focus chart, you can quickly determine if your lens or your camera is causing chromatic distortions. (The beat, 2016)
The focus chart Drl showed us was different from the one below (Fig. 2) However the principles of all focus charts and the job they are needed for is the same.
Not being able to focus on a live or 'as live' production will mean a failed shoot, so it is important to get this practice in as much as possible.
Although I will not be on camera on the day of the show this exercise really showed how difficult it could be if I was a camera person.
On shows like take me out, catchphrase, never mind the Buzzcocks etc: focus, white balance and technical lens work are controlled from the 'racks' in the gallery.
On our production, it will just be the camera operators 'on the day' having to change the position and doing the focus on their own plus the white balance, as we don’t have the advantage of having a 'racks' person so this manually done on the studio floor.
Greyscale
To be able to get all the colours correct on every camera, each camera operator has to frame up on a 'greyscale' this is the same principle when we do a white balance on a shoot, however as we will be working with studio lighting and its live nothing will be able to get fixed if the colours are wrong on all the cameras.
EPOSE THE CAMERA'S
As we do not have a team in the gallery working on the colour is vital that images all at the same.
As a director, I am in overseeing what the images look like and this is not a quick fix if it goes wrong so before the show starts all the cameras have to focus in on a greyscale chart, Del also showed us a picture of females face that he called 'Barbara' this is so that the camera can match the skin tones of this image to get a perfect colour palette, the BBC and major studio productions also use skin tones as a point of colour reference before a shoot.
Using Multi cameras and vision mixing.
We set up a scene, it was a mock-up interview with a presenter and 3 guests (See Fig. 4) we had three cameras pointing towards the set.
We set up the track in front of the centre of the set so this camera was to capture the wide shots and crabbing shots (See Fig. 3) the camera that is on the track should only crab on a wide, If you’ve ever tried looking through a strong set of binoculars you know that any handshaking is exaggerated, and it’s difficult to hold a steady picture the same goes for television cameras. If you zoom in then make the camera moves the slightest bump or infection on the floor will be screamingly obvious (Fairweather, 1998:36) So this exercise was important for our camera operators to practice smooth crabbing shot. The crabbing shot got its name simply because a crab moves from side to side.
Using two or more camera gives you additional flexibility to handle any situation. Without missing any of the action, or needing action repeated, you can cut between different shots of the same subject, alter the camera's angle, and move to another area of the set. (Owens, 2016:319)
We also had one camera either side of the set, one was pointing towards the three guests on the right, this camera was responsible for getting the three shots and the tight shot (Left, Right, Middle) and two shots.
Camera three was pointing towards the presenter but could also get over the shoulder shots on the present are allowing everyone to be in the frame.
The Gallery.
Whilst we had everyone on the floor we practised on the vision mixer (See Fig.5) in the gallery. We had the chance to swap roles as we went and learning how to use talkbacks. Talkback are a form of communication from the gallery to the floor, in the gallery everyone can hear what is going on with each other but can not hear everyone on the floor, but the floor crew can hear everything that's being spoken about in the gallery, it is important that when using talkbacks the person identifies who they are and who they want to talk to otherwise it can get confusing as on professional productions there could be Over 19 camera people and if everyone just replied, the director would not know who they are actually talking to.
Critical reflections
I found it difficult to multi-task when filming a model. When it came to zooming in and panning up at the same time with a moving subject this was a challenge for me.
But I found the exercise a valuable lesson as I have never needed to use this practice in pre-recorded material. I hope that I get a chance to learn more about the role of a camera operator as it is important for a director to know what shots look like and who has the skills to pull it off, so when we were doing this exercise we were looking at the screen as if we were the audience (See Fig.6) and picking out which shots that look the best.
From my research, I can definitely tell that there is a difference between a camera operator in the studio and a camera operator that’s on a film or TV show that is pre-recorded because in a live show you don’t get a second chance.
The mock-up practice using multi-cameras at first came with a little bit of a challenge at first (See Fig. 7) I was the presenter on one of our mockup practice scenes and I had to guess what camera I was looking at this was because the floor manager did not tell me or the guests which camera to look at and they are in charge of telling the crew and the talent what camera to look at, also how much time they have left The floor manager may be used to cue performers and direct the floor crew. In the studio, the FM is responsible for the general studio organization, safety, discipline (eg, noise control), and security (Owens. 2016:21) after the first practise our floor manager worked very well on the floor, he was clear and precise with his instructions, so I feel that the communication is key when it comes to filming in a studio.
My second role was was the camera operator, this is when I got to hear the gallery through the talk-back, this task was only a challenge because of the material we were filming because the subject of the story was of a comic piece and I couldn't hear instructions over people laughing in the gallery, Fairweather states (1998:158) in his book basic studio directing 'Don't allow unnecessary chatter over talkback' no matter what the situation is we have to stay professional, as a camera operator for this mockup show, I felt that it was more important to listen to instructions then it was to know what the show was about.
Workshop 2
As we were off on this day we were given some research homework, I had already gone in some depth in the first workshop, but this additional research was insightful.
Floor Manager hand signals
It is important for a studio floor to be quite during rehearsals and VT's because there will be a lot going on at any one time and the floor manager has to hear instructions from the director, so for communication purposes, the floor manager will use hand signals (See fig 8).
To understand more about hand signals I watch an online tutorial (Tutorial: floor manager, 2016), from this I had learned that the signal movements are done twice and also the count down is a certain way so that when it reaches to one second you point to 'Go live' which makes sense because it would shave a second off changing to put up another finger.
Bibliography.
Fairweather, R. (1998) Basic studio directing. Oxford: Focal Press.
Owen, J. (2016) Television production (Ed. 16) New York: Focal Press.
Paul, J. (2016) What are focus charts and why do you need one. At: https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/focus-charts-for-videographers/ (Accessed On 28th February 2020)
Peterson, D. (2020) How to get tack-sharp eyes, every time. At:https://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/tip/5703/tack-sharp-eyes-every-time/ (Accessed on 28 February 2020)
Tutorial: floor manager (2016) [YouTube] Pres. Gonzalez, E. youtube. At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6jujRyERSc: (Accessed on 4 March 2020)
Figure 1. Sisters. (2007) Flickr. [Social media] At: https://www.flickr.com/photos/invad3r/365985351/ (Accessed 28th February 2020)
Figure 2. Focus Chart. (2016) Distant Blue. [Image] At: https://www.distantblue.at/# (Accessed on 28 February 2020)
Figure 3. Fairweather, R. (1998) Crabbing and tracking [Photo from a book] In: Fairweather, R. (1998) Basic studio directing. Oxford: Focal Press.
Figure 4. Cahalane, K. (2020) Camera set up: Del's workshop [Photograph] In: possession f: The author: Swanley.
Figure 5. Cahalane, K. (2020) Vision Mixer [Photograph] In: possession of: The author: Swanley.
Figure 6. Cahalane, K. (2020) Looking at shots from an audience view [Photograph] In: possession of: The author: Swanley.
Figure 7. Cahalane, K. (2020) Mockup practice scene [Photograph] In: possession of: The author: Swanley.
Figure 8. floor director hand signals (2020) Pinterest [image] At: http://schoolvideonews.com/Tips-and-Tidbits/Floor-Director-Hand-Signals (Accessed on 4 March 2020)
This blog will be exploring what I have learned throughout the Del workshop.
Although I am the technical director, Del expressed the importance of knowing how all aspects of the studio should be explored and it is important for a director to know everyone's jobs so that they understand can communicate to the direct department and it's important for a director to understand what is within range of each job and if it is do-able.
Workshop 1
The first task was to work on camera movements - staying in focus whilst a subject is moving towards the camera and panning up - pulling back and staying in focus we learned about how different studio cameras are in comparison to cameras that are used on tv/film.
At the start of the workshop, we had to understand about back focusing - this is when you have to focus on a subject and stay in focus, there is a method that we use in shoots, we zoom the lens in on the eye and use the focus to make the eye as sharp as it can go 'Have you ever heard the expression " the eyes are the window to the soul?" The reason that expression has lasted for as long as it has is that there is some truth in it. When you look somebody in the eyes you can tell a lot about them - qhat they are feeling, sometimes even what they are thinking. Without sharp eyes in photography, you lose some aspect of your subject's personality. So the question then becomes this: how do you tack sharp eyes every time?' (Digital photo secrets, 2020) The method that I use every time in a shoot zoom whilst the red peaking marker is on (when the red flash red I know it's in focus) then I pull out and see that my shoot is sharp.
 |
| Fig. 1. Sisters (2007) |
In a studio 'as live' production, you only get one chance at getting that image correct and staying in focus so before transmission, the cameras focus on a 'Focus Chart' what is a focus chart?
A focus chart acts as a target. It gives you multiple areas to zoom in on in order to get the focus you need. You will usually see a focus chart utilized in a controlled studio environment, but it isn’t always necessary. Focus charts are typically used when working with shallower depths of field. It’s common to see focus charts used on a product or low-light shoot.
Focus charts can also be used for calibrating lenses and testing your camera’s autofocus. Using a focus chart, you can quickly determine if your lens or your camera is causing chromatic distortions. (The beat, 2016)
The focus chart Drl showed us was different from the one below (Fig. 2) However the principles of all focus charts and the job they are needed for is the same.
Not being able to focus on a live or 'as live' production will mean a failed shoot, so it is important to get this practice in as much as possible.
 |
| Fig. 2. Focus chart (2016) |
Although I will not be on camera on the day of the show this exercise really showed how difficult it could be if I was a camera person.
On shows like take me out, catchphrase, never mind the Buzzcocks etc: focus, white balance and technical lens work are controlled from the 'racks' in the gallery.
On our production, it will just be the camera operators 'on the day' having to change the position and doing the focus on their own plus the white balance, as we don’t have the advantage of having a 'racks' person so this manually done on the studio floor.
Greyscale
To be able to get all the colours correct on every camera, each camera operator has to frame up on a 'greyscale' this is the same principle when we do a white balance on a shoot, however as we will be working with studio lighting and its live nothing will be able to get fixed if the colours are wrong on all the cameras.
EPOSE THE CAMERA'S
As we do not have a team in the gallery working on the colour is vital that images all at the same.
As a director, I am in overseeing what the images look like and this is not a quick fix if it goes wrong so before the show starts all the cameras have to focus in on a greyscale chart, Del also showed us a picture of females face that he called 'Barbara' this is so that the camera can match the skin tones of this image to get a perfect colour palette, the BBC and major studio productions also use skin tones as a point of colour reference before a shoot.
Using Multi cameras and vision mixing.
We set up a scene, it was a mock-up interview with a presenter and 3 guests (See Fig. 4) we had three cameras pointing towards the set.
We set up the track in front of the centre of the set so this camera was to capture the wide shots and crabbing shots (See Fig. 3) the camera that is on the track should only crab on a wide, If you’ve ever tried looking through a strong set of binoculars you know that any handshaking is exaggerated, and it’s difficult to hold a steady picture the same goes for television cameras. If you zoom in then make the camera moves the slightest bump or infection on the floor will be screamingly obvious (Fairweather, 1998:36) So this exercise was important for our camera operators to practice smooth crabbing shot. The crabbing shot got its name simply because a crab moves from side to side.
Using two or more camera gives you additional flexibility to handle any situation. Without missing any of the action, or needing action repeated, you can cut between different shots of the same subject, alter the camera's angle, and move to another area of the set. (Owens, 2016:319)
 |
| Fig. 3. Crabbing and tracking (1998) |
 |
| Fig. 4. Camera set up: Del's workshop (2020) |
We also had one camera either side of the set, one was pointing towards the three guests on the right, this camera was responsible for getting the three shots and the tight shot (Left, Right, Middle) and two shots.
Camera three was pointing towards the presenter but could also get over the shoulder shots on the present are allowing everyone to be in the frame.
The Gallery.
Whilst we had everyone on the floor we practised on the vision mixer (See Fig.5) in the gallery. We had the chance to swap roles as we went and learning how to use talkbacks. Talkback are a form of communication from the gallery to the floor, in the gallery everyone can hear what is going on with each other but can not hear everyone on the floor, but the floor crew can hear everything that's being spoken about in the gallery, it is important that when using talkbacks the person identifies who they are and who they want to talk to otherwise it can get confusing as on professional productions there could be Over 19 camera people and if everyone just replied, the director would not know who they are actually talking to.
 |
| Fig. 5. Vision mixer (2020) |
Critical reflections
I found it difficult to multi-task when filming a model. When it came to zooming in and panning up at the same time with a moving subject this was a challenge for me.
But I found the exercise a valuable lesson as I have never needed to use this practice in pre-recorded material. I hope that I get a chance to learn more about the role of a camera operator as it is important for a director to know what shots look like and who has the skills to pull it off, so when we were doing this exercise we were looking at the screen as if we were the audience (See Fig.6) and picking out which shots that look the best.
From my research, I can definitely tell that there is a difference between a camera operator in the studio and a camera operator that’s on a film or TV show that is pre-recorded because in a live show you don’t get a second chance.
 |
| Fig. 6. Looking at shots from an audience view (2020) |
The mock-up practice using multi-cameras at first came with a little bit of a challenge at first (See Fig. 7) I was the presenter on one of our mockup practice scenes and I had to guess what camera I was looking at this was because the floor manager did not tell me or the guests which camera to look at and they are in charge of telling the crew and the talent what camera to look at, also how much time they have left The floor manager may be used to cue performers and direct the floor crew. In the studio, the FM is responsible for the general studio organization, safety, discipline (eg, noise control), and security (Owens. 2016:21) after the first practise our floor manager worked very well on the floor, he was clear and precise with his instructions, so I feel that the communication is key when it comes to filming in a studio.
 |
| Fig.7. Mockup practice scene (2020) |
My second role was was the camera operator, this is when I got to hear the gallery through the talk-back, this task was only a challenge because of the material we were filming because the subject of the story was of a comic piece and I couldn't hear instructions over people laughing in the gallery, Fairweather states (1998:158) in his book basic studio directing 'Don't allow unnecessary chatter over talkback' no matter what the situation is we have to stay professional, as a camera operator for this mockup show, I felt that it was more important to listen to instructions then it was to know what the show was about.
Workshop 2
As we were off on this day we were given some research homework, I had already gone in some depth in the first workshop, but this additional research was insightful.
Floor Manager hand signals
It is important for a studio floor to be quite during rehearsals and VT's because there will be a lot going on at any one time and the floor manager has to hear instructions from the director, so for communication purposes, the floor manager will use hand signals (See fig 8).
 |
| Fig. 8 Floor Director hand signals (2020) |
To understand more about hand signals I watch an online tutorial (Tutorial: floor manager, 2016), from this I had learned that the signal movements are done twice and also the count down is a certain way so that when it reaches to one second you point to 'Go live' which makes sense because it would shave a second off changing to put up another finger.
Bibliography.
Fairweather, R. (1998) Basic studio directing. Oxford: Focal Press.
Owen, J. (2016) Television production (Ed. 16) New York: Focal Press.
Paul, J. (2016) What are focus charts and why do you need one. At: https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/focus-charts-for-videographers/ (Accessed On 28th February 2020)
Peterson, D. (2020) How to get tack-sharp eyes, every time. At:https://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/tip/5703/tack-sharp-eyes-every-time/ (Accessed on 28 February 2020)
Tutorial: floor manager (2016) [YouTube] Pres. Gonzalez, E. youtube. At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6jujRyERSc: (Accessed on 4 March 2020)
Figure 1. Sisters. (2007) Flickr. [Social media] At: https://www.flickr.com/photos/invad3r/365985351/ (Accessed 28th February 2020)
Figure 2. Focus Chart. (2016) Distant Blue. [Image] At: https://www.distantblue.at/# (Accessed on 28 February 2020)
Figure 3. Fairweather, R. (1998) Crabbing and tracking [Photo from a book] In: Fairweather, R. (1998) Basic studio directing. Oxford: Focal Press.
Figure 4. Cahalane, K. (2020) Camera set up: Del's workshop [Photograph] In: possession f: The author: Swanley.
Figure 5. Cahalane, K. (2020) Vision Mixer [Photograph] In: possession of: The author: Swanley.
Figure 6. Cahalane, K. (2020) Looking at shots from an audience view [Photograph] In: possession of: The author: Swanley.
Figure 7. Cahalane, K. (2020) Mockup practice scene [Photograph] In: possession of: The author: Swanley.
Figure 8. floor director hand signals (2020) Pinterest [image] At: http://schoolvideonews.com/Tips-and-Tidbits/Floor-Director-Hand-Signals (Accessed on 4 March 2020)
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