Part 3 begins a look at what other crew members are busy with behind-the-scenes. Most of these people are “on the truck” in the parking lot.
In the fast pace of sports broadcasting, each individual crew member needs to know their role in literally hundreds of situations before the broadcast even begins. There’s often not enough time to tell everyone what to do. It helps when the crew members have experienced years of practice and exposure to new situations so that they always know what to do without a plethora of guidance during the game.
That is to say: a solid, experienced crew is just as important as its leaders.
Obviously, when covering a MLB game on FSN, NESN, MASN, Root Sports, or ESPN there are more than 5 cameras. We’ve already discussed how these additional cameras are only used for about 15% of shots – and mostly just during replays at that.
We also talked about a few basic ways to supplement the 5-6 camera setup. Now, we’re looking at some of the places you stash the excess cameras in a high budget broadcast to get the best angles.
Earlier in the week, I shared why I don’t make time to watch or re-watch as many high-quality films or as much high-quality media as I would like, opting instead for lesser fare. It’s a problem far too common among people today. I’d like to help solve that problem, as I’m sure others would like to kick the habit as much as I do. So, here are five suggested ways to fix the problem.
My commentary on the use of HFR in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) was posted last week, several hours before the public release of the film. Naturally, there were no audience reactions to include at the time.
Since the official US release last Friday most of the audience reaction I’ve heard has consisted of one of two things…
With nearly every possible combination of the terms digital, IMAX, 2D, 3D, HFR, and non-HFR, Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) is being released in more formats than any other film ever made. It’s also introducing a new variable that, should it become more mainstream, would cause a similar set of cinematographic problems.
“HFR” is short-hand marketer-speak for “high frame rate.” But it affects other variables that the cinematographer should be intimately controlling as well. The so dubbed HFR is the newcomer to the scene – and has been misunderstood even by many of my industry friends let alone the average moviegoer – [insert faux ‘spoiler alert’] it’s not just about the framerate.
So, here’s a look at what HFR really does to your image straight from a cinematographer’s mouth…errr…pen…err…whatever.
In this edition of news and link round-up: a theater avoids a ticket tax by selling carrots, Redbox announces their most popular rental titles, The Dark Knight Rises (2012) enters Oscar contention, and learning to slate for aspiring camera assistants.
QUALITY, SPEED, PRICE – PICK TWO
Let’s use freelance video editing as a starting point. If you want to find the right person to tackle your project, you need to prioritize. You would like to have a quality product delivered on a short timeline at a low price, but the first step is learning to accept that you will likely only get two out of three.
It is important to realize this before making any decisions. Too often clients have a set budget and a set timeline. They hire the freelancer who promises quick results at a low price, only to find that the results are of such low quality that they can’t be used. That investment is now wasted.
Working under the assumption that quality work is important to any client, there are two paths of foresight that can prevent these disasters from happening. Here’s how to attract that freelancer who will give you a quality project you can actually use…
I’ve met a great variety of people, some with graduate degrees in cinematography, perpetuating this rumor (and yes, sometimes I’m even guilty of such). Although it’s good and simple beginner advice, there’s a lot more to the story.
The ‘white card’ tip is only partly true and, quite frankly, is an extremely simplified version of the truth that is probably partly perpetuated by people who don’t feel like spending the time to explain the full story to you.
Assuming you read on, I’m about to put an end to that as best I can.
All the secrets of outstanding photography can really be boiled down into one fairly simple goal. It sounds like a high calling, and in some ways it is. Only the best photographs live up to this standard.
And yet, if you keep it in mind regularly while shooting, it really doesn’t seem that hard anymore. Even when I don’t fully accomplish this goal, just keeping it in mind as a benchmark improves the images I bring home.
Find out what it is…
4 Must Watch Director’s Commentaries – Even if You’re Not a Film Geek
I present to you – 4 director’s commentaries for any sensibility or taste!
These are my favorites and each of them has as much rewatch value as the respective film itself.
If you’re the type who can’t bring yourself to listen to an audio commentary, keep reading anyway. I’ve chosen a non-traditional set here, so at least one of these will appeal to you.