Getting Started With the Camera

In todays session we went down to the studio to learn about the camera and accessories we will be using to film our opening title sequences. 

Although I have used Cameras and Tripods in the past, I have learnt several things today that I will share with you in this blog post. 

The camera we used was a BlackMagic camera with a Nikon lens. To start off the lesson we had to get all the equipment out from their different bags. Once the tripod was out from the bag, we were told the easiest method for using the tripod is to unclip the bottom legs of the tripod first, as it will be easier down the line if you want to bring it even higher. Once the tripod was around the same height as my waist, we worked out that the front of the camera is where the spirit level was located. Knowing this information, we could fasten the tripod handle to the right side of the tripod. In order to fasten it you just had to turn it into place until it was fastened tight. The spirit level is a very useful tool that helps the camera become level, ensuring the footage isn't wonky. 

We soon found out that the camera is very heavy and expensive so we learnt about the 'mine''yours' rule. The rule basically means that when you're passing expensive equipment like the camera, you say yours and the person you're giving it too says mine. Only when the person says mine is when you can let go. This is a very useful rule as you don't want to be breaking any equipment 👍🏻. 

When you remove the lens cap, it is a smart idea to put it back into the bag and not into your pocket. Placing it into your pocket might result in your forgetting to put it back on, increasing the risk of breaking the equipment. 

The camera doesn't have an internal battery, so the battery just slides on into the back of the camera.

There is a camera mount on the camera, so all you need to do to fasten the camera onto the tripod is to slide the camera into place whilst holding down a button on the left side, after the camera is in place you fasten it by turn the switch on the right side. If there is a metal part hanging out on the mount, then all you need to do is slide it inside. You need to be careful about the camera falling off as a result of you not fastening it. And when you take it off, you need to be careful the lens doesn't smash into the tripod as a result of the camera having an off centre level of gravity. 

The Nikon lens has 2 twisty things, the end one manages zoom and the one closest to the camera manages focusing. We were taught that if you want to focus for a shot, you can zoom in to the object, in the case that it is a person, you zoom into their eye. Then you focus onto them to ensure everything is sharp, then you zoom out to the shot you want to capture. 

White balancing is used to ensure the video you are filming has the correct lighting conditions in it. As there are loads of different light types, colours appear different in different conditions. So by changing the White balance it can help you get the correct lighting. So for example as we where inside it is appropriate to use a white balance at around 3000k. But if we where shooting outside then filming at 6000 to 8000k would suit better. 

Exposure determines how much light is let into the camera. The dial to change exposure is right next to the lens removal button. It is blue and it can be very tough to turn. You need to pinch it with force to do it affectively. 

We then learn how to effectively dismantle everything, this is very self explanatory, all you need to do is do a reverse of what you did at the beginning.