When is a light not THE light? When it’s a light you see on screen of course.
The Aperture setting (the opening of the iris that lets more or less light in) of a lens is measured in a unit called f-stops. A wide-open aperture that lets the most light in is represented by a small f-stop number, typically something like f2.8 (or maybe f1.4 for a very “fast” lens that can […]
There are three methods of setting focus depending on which of the 3 types of lenses you are using. For a video style camera with a zoom lens you use…
Attach Sharpie permanent markers to a lengths of cord and tie near your drink station for labeling solo cups and water bottles with everyone’s names. Look for short Sharpies designed to be worn around the neck (they have a swivel on the cap and a lanyard clip on top perfect for cording.)
Cut a one inch slit in a tennis ball, squeeze the tennis ball to open it, then slip it on the end of a c-stand gobo arm (or anything else pointy you want to keep people from walking in to). Use a double crossed slit to slip tennis balls on light stand feet to protect […]
When cutting from an established shot such as a wide shot to another shot, you have one of two choices:
To capture audio for a film or tv show use a boom mic. It’s a system of several parts that consists of: A light-weight telescoping Boom Pole A rubberized Shock Mount A Shotgun Microphone A Windscreen of some sort Quick Tips Extend the boom pole as little as necessary to get the distance you need. […]
Loop the power cable from a light under the leg of the light stand instead of letting it hang free. If someone snags the cable with their foot as it runs across the floor the stand will move sideways instead of tipping over. Also a sand bag on that stand is probably a really good […]
As you visit a prospective location take note of the following…
When you set the focus on a lens you are picking the mathematical distance to the subject that will be perfectly in focus. Depth of Field is the area in front of and behind that mathematical point that also looks in focus. Depth of Field can be shallow (only the exact subject is in focus) […]