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Shooting notes
> CREW
> HEALTH AND SAFETY
> RISK ASSESSMENT
> INSURANCE
> GENERAL CAMERA OPERATION
> GENERAL SOUND TIPS
> LIGHTING
CREW
Whenever possible try to work in way that does not cause (or
increase existing) mental and physical health problems. The nature of
video production means that stress and long working hours can be inevitable
but they should be kept to a minimum.
• When planning shoots long days over 10 hours long should be avoided
and at least not scheduled back to back.
• Travel time should be included when judging the length of a day.
• Buy everyone lunch to keep them happy and give them energy. If
the budget it tight then even a cheap café meal will do the trick!
HEALTH AND SAFETY
• When hiring equipment, check it has been tested and an
up-to-date safety label is attached.
• Wearing appropriate clothing for the task
• Don’t run on a shoot location
• When lifting, adopt a balanced stance, hold the object as close
to the body as possible and pick up by bending your knees. Avoid completely
if you have any back problems.
• If mains lighting is required on a shoot, only a person with the
appropriate training and kit knowledge can do this. If the camera operator
is not correctly trained, he or she must be accompanied by someone who
has the necessary skills and competencies required.
• Set up properly before turning anything on
• Don’t leave wires trailing across where people will be walking
or if it is unavoidable, tape them down thoroughly.
• Use extensions leads that are a maximum of 10 metres long, preferably
with surge protection. Don’t join two extension lead together. Unwind
cable reel extensions completely to avoid overheating.
• Don’t use equipment, power points or cables that look damaged.
• Don’t let equipment block thoroughfares, fire exits, or
opening doors.
• Keep food and drink away from equipment.
• Take regular breaks on a long shoot.
RISK ASSESSMENT
Before a shoot is finalised do a quick risk assessment, this
does not need to be a lengthy process but the following factors do need
to be considered. This is not an exhaustive list but gives some examples.
Many of these issues can be resolved with pre-planning but if a significant
proportion can’t then the shoot should be re-arranged.
• Is the subject / interviewee in reasonable health? You may film
people who are going through a period of distress but it is not appropriate
to film someone who is in crisis or someone who cannot give informed consent.
• Does the subject / interviewee have a support structure around
to help with any issues that may arise as a result of the filming?
• Is there someone with first aid training on the crew?
• Is there are crew member who is nominated as being responsible
for health & safety?
• Is the subject aware how many people will be coming to film them,
how long it will take, what the processes are, what kind of questions
to expect?
• Has the production team contacted the site owners to check that
the location is suitable for filming? If you plan to film on the streets
you should clear it with the local police force.
• Are there any physical hazards on the location? E.g. is there
space for the crew to operate the camera and lights safely?
• Is the crew working in environment that threatens their personal
safety?
• Is anyone working for more than 12 hours (including travel)?
• Is there safe parking?
• Will crewmembers be driving long distances after a long day, or
late at night?
• Do the crewmembers have enough experience to operate the equipment
safely?
• The most suitable types of shoots for lone camera operators are
static general views, filming in offices or on domestic premises, pieces
to camera and simple interviews
• Anyone filming in a public place should be alert to the possibility
of unprovoked abuse, threats and even violence
• A small lightweight camera may be more likely to be targeted for
theft
• You should use only basic sound set-ups if working alone
• A camera operator working alone should take breaks from holding
the camera or put the camera on a tripod when and if possible
• A camera operator working alone should never track backwards unassisted
• Low voltage batteries such as DV camera rechargeable batteries
can generate large amounts of heat if shorted out by metal objects like
a set of keys or coins. For this reason make sure that you always store
and transport batteries with the terminals insulated eg placing plastic
insulation tape over the terminals.
• Check that quiet please signs are up on nearby doors before filming
INSURANCE
You must make sure that the equipment is insured. It is preferable
to get a specialist production insurer to insure the whole production,
that way you are covered for public liability, injury etc. Equipment insurance
may be in hire fees, if you are hiring. However, as most insurers don’t
cover for a range of things, it is helpful to point out the kinds of things
that you may not be covered for, with regards to your own, or hired/borrowed,
camera equipment, and the precautions you need to take.
• Remember to leave equipment locked up and out of sight when unattended.
• Don’t take rushes that haven’t been laid-off on the
tube. There have been cases where the magnetism of the tube train’s
drive wheels have corrupted tapes. If it’s unavoidable, sit in the
centre of the carriage with the tapes off the floor.
• Equipment insurance doesn’t necessarily cover:
use of air/watercraft; extreme conditions that the equipment was not designed
for; hazardous acts or feats (such as filming while riding a horse or
hanging out of a helicopter); general wear and tear; loss or damage caused
by negligence. Inform any crew you are working with of this and make sure
they don’t risk anything hazardous.
GENERAL CAMERA OPERATION
• Open and close the tape holder using the buttons/points
specified on the camera, and wait for it to finish loading/unloading the
tape. This part of the camera is very delicate and easy to damage.
• Check whether the camera is filming in DV or DVCAM
• Check that the aspect ratio the camera is set to is consistent
each day of the shoot
• Check which roll number you are on (mark up tapes clearly)
• Check you have done a white balance
• Check monitor levels
• Check sound levels
• Avoid watching tapes back in the camera. The heads inside are
not designed for prolonged playback and DV tapes deteriorate from too
much shuttling about (play/fast-forward/rewind)
• Always use the same tape stock for your projects, the heads have
to readjust when you put a different make of tape in.
• Don’t leave breaks in the timecode. This occurs when a gap
is left in between shooting; for example, when you fast-forward a bit
past the end of footage on the tape. To avoid these breaks, use the ‘find
end search’ on the camera.
• Keep tapes in boxes with both clearly labelled with a number and
the date.
• Push tabs on tapes across to prevent them being recorded over.
• Use a tripod where possible and lock the focus (ie switch to manual)
once focused on your subject.
• Tighten the screws on the tripod before leaving it alone or picking
it up. A camera tilting can cause the tripod to go off balance and fall
over. Also, remember to loosen them again before adjusting the tripod
to avoid wearing out the screw threads.
• Be wary of digital zoom. Unlike optical zoom which physically
zooms in using the lens, digital zoom just increases the picture size
and therefore can appear pixilated.
• Be careful with wipes and dissolves, it is best to use straight
cuts and add wipes in the edit.
• Never make assumptions about the camera settings: e.g. check the
aspect ratio and what format you are filming in (e.g. the DVCAM machine
takes/records onto MiniDV as well, so has DV and DVCAM as separate settings).
• Try to ‘dress’ the scene where the interview or action
will take place. Check how it looks in a monitor.
• When a screen (like a TV or computer) is in shot, make sure you
use a slower shutter speed to avoid it looking like it’s flickering.
• Leave gaps after someone’s response in an interview before
asking the next question. Avoid saying uh-huh or mmm while they are speaking,
nod instead.
GENERAL SOUND TIPS
• Note: Low quality or distorted sound is almost impossible to put
right in an edit!
• Put signs up on the door of the room and doors leading to it informing
people there’s a shoot in progress and asking them to be quiet.
• If possible, use a quality external mic not the one built in to
the camera.
• Monitor sound with headphones and check the sound levels in the
camera viewfinder (see the camera’s manual).
• Consider bringing in a professional sound person and kit.
• Check for white noise problems (fridges, air cons, computer cooling
fans) and disturbance (nearby workshop, traffic, hoovers and washing machines,
doors banging, shouting, workmen whistling). Avoid both unless they are
needed for ’atmos’ or authenticity.
• If possible, ask neighbouring areas to be quiet.
• Make sure everyone working on the shoot is as quiet as possible.
• Re-shoot bits where a disturbance occurs (such as a plane flying
overhead) so you have a ‘clean’ version.
LIGHTING
• Use a maximum of three lampheads with no more than 2000W of power
consumption
• In a restricted area, ensure the central column doesn’t
touch the floor and consider using a sandbag or weight to anchor the stand.
• Use the appropriate stand for the lamp you are using. It is possible
to use a large lamp on a small stand as long as the stand is kept low
to avoid overbalancing.
• Choose and even, stable surface to place stands.
• Don’t position lights too close to surfaces like windows,
ceilings, walls or combustible materials that could be damaged by the
heat. Heat from a light too close to the ceiling can trigger a fire alarm
or sprinkler.
• Point lampheads over one of the stand legs. This will make it
more stable and if it does topple it will fall away from the subject it
is pointing at.
• If a light is in a position where it isn’t easily seen,
consider drawing attention to it using tape or a warning sign.
• Never move a light when it is turned on.
• Wait until a lamp has cooled down before moving it.
• Don’t shoot against a window unless you want your subject
to appear in sillouette.
• Don’t uplight. This causes faces to look scary.
• Flourescent light and daylight can make the image appear blue.
Household light bulbs can make the image appear orange. Make sure you
set the white balance to compensate by holding something plain and white
(piece of paper/T shirt) in front of the camera. It must be filling the
frame and in the light you will be using.
• Remember it is easier to shoot well-lit and darken in post production
than vice versa.