AudioMedia - March 2009 - (Page 58) video guide A Sound Pro’s Guide To Video Video Guide: Cinematography inematography is a creative form that relies on technology. Most Directors of Photography do not regard themselves as technical, instead working intuitively with light to recreate what they visualise in their minds when they read the script. An outstanding example of this is Douglas Slocombe BSC, whose long filmography includes many Ealing comedies and the first three Indiana Jones films. The last movies he shot were made without any help from a light meter. The artistic and more managerial characteristics of the role are underlined by the clear demarcation between the Cinematographer setting the lights and deciding on lenses and camera movement, but in most cases, not actually running the machine that captures the images created. There are some DPs who do operate the camera on a shoot, for example David Higgs BSC, who has done just that on the Nineteen Eight-Three installment of the Red Riding trilogy, shown recently on Channel , and the four TV films he shot for Director Peter Kosminsky. Higgs says whether the DP operates the camera depends on the production and, in the case of Kosminsky, the way the Director likes to work. On most film shoots, as with Lesbian Vampire Killers on which David Higgs concentrated on the lighting, the job is taken by a Camera Operator, also known as the Second Cameraman (the DP being the First Cameraman), although the non-gender specific title is preferred these days. There is the opinion in the business that in these digital days, DPs should not operate the camera but should evaluate the images on a good quality HD monitor and leave the business of manipulating the hardware to someone else. While the DP is responsible for lighting the scene, setting up the camera, and directing how it will move, the operator is the one that manages and physically manipulates the equipment during the shooting process. Working under the direction of the DP, the operator will view the action through the viewfinder and is responsible for ensuring that the image is right, with the actors and everything else in shot. He or she also positions the camera and makes basic movements, which can be on a pedestal, dolly, handheld, or in a Steadicam harness. The camera operator works with the controls on the body of the camera but the critical area of focus is the responsibility of another member of the crew. The focus puller, also known, particularly in the US, as the assistant cameraman or the first assistant cameraman, fits the appropriate lenses and focuses them during a shoot, following the action and making adjustments according to directions from the DP prior to rolling. In addition to this he or she maintains the camera, with responsibility for its proper operation during the shoot, and generally assists the operator. Most DPs work their way up through the ranks, being a Camera Operator and, prior to that, a Focus Puller, before reaching the pinnacle of lighting. Alan Hume BSC, who shot Carry On films, four Bonds and Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, says focus pulling is a tricky job and the holder of the position needs a thorough knowledge of lenses and depth of field. C GLOSSARY Pan Glass Ever wondered what that thing that looks a bit like a camera lens hanging by a chain or strap around the neck of the Director or Director of Photography is called? It’s a pan glass, a brownish-yellow or blue-green glass filter that is used to judge tone values in a shot. Most people would think it was purely for viewing, to get a sense of the composition of a scene without looking through the camera lens, but the pan glass emerged during the days of black and white cinema to give the DP an idea of the tonal appearance of colour images in monochrome. With the shift away from black and white, new viewing filters appeared to match the emulsions of colour stock. These days the pan glass is more a badge of office than a vital piece of kit, but DPs do still use it to look at clouds during exterior location shoots and judge whether a new set-up will match previous takes. References The Complete Film Dictionary by Ira Konigsberg, Bloomsbury Digital Cinematography by Paul Wheeler, Focal Press Interviews with Douglas Slocombe, Alan Hume and David Higgs by Kevin Hilton, British Cinematographer magazine Before getting to pull focus, many junior members of the camera team will have been a Clapper Loader. The alternative name for this post is Second Assistant Cameraman, but within the UK industry the term ‘Clapper Loader’ has sustained because it covers the two main functions of the role. The first part of the name concerns the clapperboard, familiar to British people of a certain age from also being the name of a s TV magazine programme for children about cinema, presented by Chris Kelly. This iconic tool of filmmaking consists of a slate with a pair of hinged boards, known as clapsticks, on top. Information including the title of the production, the names of the Director and DP, the date, scene, and take numbers, is written on the slate, which is more likely to be made of a modern synthetic material these days but the old term is often used regardless. The Clapper Loader holds the board in front of the camera at the start of shooting of each sequence and calls out the scene and take numbers, so there is both a visual and aural record of this data. The clapsticks are then banged together, acting as a synchronisation point for the Picture Editor. The Clapper Loader has two other important responsibilities: as the name implies, he or she loads the film or video magazine into the camera or recording device, but just as vital is the task of keeping notes on the shooting, which are written up in the camera report (aka camera sheet or camera log). This informs the lab, or specialist facility, of the type of footage – in the case of film, detailing emulsion – and whether it was shot at night or during the day, and if the scenes are exteriors or interiors. These camera team roles are still part of modern film and programme making, although the size of a crew depends on the type of production (feature, TV drama, documentary, news, corporate). These days developing technology is having more of an influence and has led some in the business to wonder whether the old job titles should be changed, as the jobs are not quite as they were in the old days. Cinematographer, Author, and Trainer Paul Wheeler BSC feels there is still a need for each individual position; even though there is no magazine to load on video and digital shoots, the Loader is still important in keeping track of the tapes and logging the material. Because of this, there is the suggestion from those in the business that the old British names for the jobs should be dropped in favour of the American alternatives. As HD and digital cameras become more common in production, crews have to consider different ways of not 58 AUDIO MEDIA MARCH 2009
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