In Studio Video Capture Process - Using the DSLR

DSLR Guide Take battery off of charge and insert (Be gentle with the battery door as it is fragile) Remove the lens cap and place in camera bag Turn on Camera Flip our the screen, gently The Screen flips away from you to place back onto camera (clarify) Set dial to the Video Camera Icon https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzMd5K7fQExkSHdSam5iQkZrRXM/edit Check that Card has been formatted Press Play button (Triangle to the lower right of the screen) Screen should display 'no image' If there is still a file on the camera, proceed to "Format the SD Card" (doublecheck with Andy about this in case footage was not transferred.) Check that the follow settings are listed on the camera AWB 720 60 Put tripod head on camera with the small nut facing towards the lens Set up the camera on the tripod in a centralized location. This will depend on number of members in the band, but the best spot will probably be in front of the glass When shooting, be sure to stop and start the camera in between songs. The camera can only last for 12 minutes, stopping and starting between songs will guarantee that you will be able to capture all of the next song. If the camera stops mid song, simply start recording again. Make sure the other camera you set up do not mirror the same angle as the DSLR or you will jump cut when you edit the video. When shooting, keep an eye outside of the screen, look around you and observe what is going on in the song. Is there a solo? The idea of following the action should be your guide. If possible, put headphones on with an audio feed to better hear the action. At all times you should have one hand on the tripod handle and one hand on the lens. When shooting, you must constantly check to make sure you are in focus. A small difference in focus is the difference between a usable and unusable shot. A good method to use is you always keep your hand on or lightly touching the focus ring, when you need to change the focal length (ex. to go from a wide shot to a close up) use your index and thumb to rotate the zoom portion of the lens and keep your pinky on the focus ring so you can adjust once you get the desired focal length (this is just an example, another finger, hand configuration may work better for you, try it out and get comfortable with a way to make sure you can focus the camera.) The general rule for shooting is to set up a shot and hold on to it for as long as you can. An exception would be if you set up a shot the suddenly the person stops playing or the focus has moved on to another person. Keep in mind that not leaving enough time on a shot will result in that shot being unusable. At the beginning of each song, start off getting wide shots of the whole or part of the band and medium shots of each person in the band. After you are sure you have gotten a decent shot of each, go in for close ups. Good close ups consist of someone's head, if they are singing, a guitar at the body (what's this called?) or wider to include both hands, feet tapping, symbols with a clear shot. Remember, you can always go a bit wider that the closest setting as often it will be too close, think about what the audience is seeing and if they will be able to distinguish what they are looking at. Remember, these close ups are there to add emotion and character to the shoot. They should not be used as the only shots, use them as flourishes and focus primarily on getting medium shots of each musician. When the shoot is done, take the camera off the tripod and bring it with you to the editing station. Put on the lenscap ASAP Transfering footage Turn on off the camera. Never ever remove the card with the camera on, it will daange both the card and the camera. Remove the SD card by pushing it in slightly, it will then pop out (double check this) Put the Card into the SD card reader, transfer the footage to a Raw Footage file along with the flips. Eject the card from the computer Finishing up Place the card back into the camera and turn the camera on Format the Card Press play blue triangle to the lower right of the screen. Press Menu Use the keypad to navigate to the first settings screen It is the first yellow screen with a wrench use the wheel or keypad to scroll down to "format" Press the Set button A dialogue will come up asking you to format the card, press the right keypad to navigate to "YES" when it asks "Are you sure?" Very Important: DO NOT TURN OFF THE CAMERA while it is formatting Turn off the Camera Remove the Battery and place on charger Place camera back in bag and put away.