KINDS OF TV PRODUCTION
APPROACH
HOW THIS BOOK WILL HELP YOU LEARN
ADDITIONAL FEATURES OF THIS BOOK
TEACHER'S MANUAL AVAILABLE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
THE SIMPLE SHOOT
The Host
The 13 Fundamentals To Being a Good Host.
The Guest
Nine Necessities to Being The Guest:
The Floor Manager
Fourteen Fundamentals of Floor Management.
Teleprompter Operator or Cue Card Holder
Caveats of CUE CARD Clasping.
Creating Cue Cards.
Teleprompter Operator Basics.
Teleprompter Tips.
Typing Text Into a TELEPROMPTER.
The Camera Operators
Basic Camera Controls:
Basic Directors Commands and Shots.
Ten Tiny Tips.
Lighting Person
Lighting Lessons.
Step-By-Step Lighting Procedure.
Lighting Mood.
Audio Person
The Basic Controls on a Mixer.
Managing the Modern Mixer.
Some Philosophy of Sound Mixing.
Preparing to Mix Audio for the Simple Interview Show.
During The Show.
Technical Director
The switcher console.
Switching for the "Why Did You Take This Course" Show.
Character Generator Operator
During The Show.
Director
The Dozen Duties of Deft Directors.
What The Director Might Say During The Show.
Associate Director
VCR Operator
Operating a VCR.
Recording The Show.
PRACTICE MAKES POLISHED
TV SETS
TV CAMERAS
COLOR
AUDIO, VIDEO, SYNC, AND RF
RGB, YIQ, Y/C, AND OTHER ALPHABET SOUP
DIGITAL VIDEO
CABLE AND CONNECTORS
Video and RF
Video Adapters
Audio Plugs and Adapters
KINDS OF CAMERAS
VIEWFINDERS
BUILT-IN MICROPHONES
OPERATING CAMERAS
The Lens.
Correct Focusing.
Camera Controls and Connectors.
Genlock.
Gain.
Intercom.
Tally light.
Camera adapter.
Controls on a Portable Color Camera
Color Temperature.
White Balance.
Automatic Iris.
Gain Boost, or Hi Sens, or + 6dB, + 12dB Boost.
Auto Fade.
Electric Zoom.
Digital Zoom.
Automatic Focus.
Studio Color Cameras
Connecting Studio Cameras.
CAMERA CARE
CAMERA MOUNTING EQUIPMENT
Heads
Attaching the Camera to the Head.
Dollies
Body Mounts
Professional Mounts
Improvised Mounts
Tai Chi Stance
MORE ABOUT TV CAMERA LENSES
HOW LENSES WORK
The Iris or F-Stop.
Depth-of-Field.
Focal Length and Zoom Lenses.
FOCUSING
Selective Focusing.
Lens Control Systems
Cable Drive.
Electric Zoom.
MACRO.
Close-up Shooting
Close-up Lens Attachments.
Telephoto And Wide-Angle Converters
Lens Filters
Must-have filters.
Special Effect Filters.
Through rose colored glasses.
Matte box.
CAMERA MOVES
The Steady Camera
Tilt and Pan
Dolly, Truck, and Arc
Focus and Zoom
Think Ahead
STUDIO PROCEDURES
Before the Shoot
During the Shoot
After the Shoot
Safety Tips
CAMERA ANGLES AND PICTURE COMPOSITION
Basic Camera Angles and the Moods They Portray
Camera Placement and Backgrounds
Lighting.
Background.
Donts and Dos of Camera Angles
More Dos of Camera Angles
Seat People Close Together.
Seat Host to One Side of Guests.
Angle the Guests.
Reverse-Angle Shots.
Use a Familiar Object to Create a Sense of Scale.
Shooting Children.
CREATIVE CAMERA ANGLES
Popular Alternatives to the Simple Shot
Focus Shift.
Mirror Shots.
Parallel Movement.
Adding Movement to Still Objects.
Wall Shadow.
Low-Angle Cleanup.
Oblique or ¾ angle shots.
The alluring diagonal.
Lens Effects.
CREATING MOODS AND IMPRESSIONS WITH THE CAMERA
Progress vs. Frustration
Suspense
Anger, Secrets
Speed
Night
TRICKS OF PERSPECTIVE
THE KIND OF LIGHT THE CAMERA NEEDS
Enough Light
Lighting Ratio
Lighting Placement
Lighting Color
PRIMATIVE LIGHTING TECHNIQUES
Existing Indoor Light Only
Outdoor Lighting
One Light Only
Two Lights Only
STUDIO LIGHTING
Key Light
Fill Light
Back Light
Set Light
Pattern Spotlight
Fluorescent lighting
PORTABLE LIGHTING
HMI Lights
Umbrellas
LIGHTING TECHNIQUES
Lighting Several Areas at Once
Lighting for Color
Rules of Color
Lighting for chroma-key
Lighting motivation
Mood Lighting and Special Effects
SPECIAL LIGHTING PROBLEMS
Shine
Eyeglass shadows
LIGHTING PROCEDURE
DIMMERS
LIGHTING HARDWARE
Lighting Grid
Lighting Connectors
Antigravity Hangers
CARE OF LAMPS
Fixtures Get Hot
Moving Lamps
Changing Bulbs
Power Requirements
THE BASICS
THE MICROPHONE
How a Microphone Works
Kinds of Microphones
Dynamic Microphone.
Condenser Microphone.
Electret Condenser Microphone.
Pressure Zone Microphone.
Stereo Microphone.
Pickup Patterns
Omnidirectional.
Directional.
Unidirectional.
Shotgun.
Cardioid.
Hyper- or Supercardioid.
Bidirectional.
Balanced and Unbalanced Lines
Frequency Response
Microphone Stands and Mounts
Desk Stands.
Floor Stands.
Boom Mike Stands.
Lavaliers and Lapel Clips.
CHOOSING AND USING THE PROPER MICROPHONE FOR A RECORDING
One Person, One Microphone
Hand and Stand Mikes.
Lavalier and Lapel Clips.
Boom Mikes.
Wireless Mikes.
Shotgun.
Two People, One Microphone
Several People, Several Microphones
Musical Recording
Stereo Microphones
Redundant Mikes
Double system sound
Banishing Unwanted Noise from a Recording
Wind.
Hand Noise.
Stand Noise.
Lav Noises.
Mouth Noise.
Room Noise.
Feedback.
Testing a Microphone
Test 1.
Test 2.
PROPER AUDIO LEVEL
Automatic Volume Control
Manual Volume Control
MIXERS
Inputs to the Mixer
Phantom power.
Outputs from the Mixer
Mike Out or Mike Level Out or Lo Level Out.
Line Out or Hi Level Out or Aux Out or Audio Out.
Headphone.
Stereo and multichannel mixers
Monitoring Audio
Professional Audio Control Boards
Audition or Cue.
Talkback or Studio Address.
Foldback.
Aux send/return.
Parametric equalizer.
SOUND MIXING TECHNIQUES
Segue
Music Under, Sound Mix, Voiceover
Several Performers, Each with His Own Microphone
Cueing a CD Player
Cueing a Reel-to-Reel Tape
Cueing a phonograph record
RECORDING STEREO
With Mikes
From CDs and Tapes
Stereo connectors
RECORDING AUDIO THAT IS TO BE EDITED
OTHER AUDIO DEVICES
Audio Patch Bay
PRERECORDED MUSIC AND EFFECTS
Popular Music
Music and Sound Effects Libraries
Music Selection
DIGITAL AUDIO
Digitized Audio
Compact disc (CD) and Digital Audio Tape (DAT)
WAVE Files
MIDI
Choosing a Digital Format
SUMMARY: GETTING THE BEST AUDIO
Room
Microphone
Cable
Inputs
Mixers
THE SIMPLE SWITCHER
Fader
Special Effects Generator
STUDIO PRODUCTION SWITCHER
Inputs
Preview and Program
Using Preview to Show What Your VCR is Doing
Border
Key
Black-and-White or Luminance Key.
Keying Words.
External Key.
Chroma Key.
Downstream Keyer.
Matte
Joystick
Soft Key and Soft Wipe
Colorizer
Spotlight
Master Fade to Black
Background Generator
Tally System
SEMIPROFESSIONAL SWITCHERS AND SEGS
Switchers Inside Computers
THE TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
ASPECT RATIO
Making the Picture Fit the TV Screen
Making Words Fit the TV Screen
The Chalkboard Dilemma
SAFE TITLE AREA
BOLDNESS AND SIMPLICITY
GRAY SCALE
Color Compatibility
CHARACTER GENERATOR
Anti-aliasing
Title Placement and Background
Letter Edging and Color
Title Spacing and Legibility
Title Clustering
MAKING GRAPHICS COME ALIVE
LIGHTING GRAPHICS
FOCUSING ON GRAPHICS
DISPLAYING SLIDES AND MOVIES
COMPUTER GRAPHICS
Types of Computer Graphics
2-D Paint.
3-D Modeling.
Video Capture
Compression
Firewire (P1394)
3-D Graphics and Animation
Layering the Synthetic World onto the Real World
Filters and Effects
Electronic Graphics is Still an Art
KINDS OF VIDEO TAPE RECORDERS
VCRs, VTRs, and Camcorders
COMPATIBILITY
FORMAT
Tape Speeds
SUPER Enhancements
Hi-Fi Sound
Foreign Standards
PLAYING A TAPE
Finding Things Quickly on a Tape
Index Counter.
Elapsed Time Counter.
MAKING A VIDEO TAPE RECORDING
Avoiding FEEDBACK
Industrial VCR with Manual Controls
RECORD/PLAY/PAUSE Dangers
CONNECTING AN INDUSTRIAL VCR FOR A RECORDING
OTHER FEATURES ON SOME VCRS
Dew Indicator
Counter/Reset/Memory/Index
Speed Select
Tracking
Audio Dub
Stereo
DIGITAL VIDEO RECORDERS
DIGITAL VCR FORMATS
THE COMPUTER/DVR RELATIONSHIP
Firewire, IEEE P1394
AVOIDING ACCIDENTAL ERASURE
BULK ERASING
CARE OF VIDEO TAPE
Statement of purpose
Determine your Audience
Consider your Resources
Choose a Program Format or a Combination of Formats
Get Approvals
SCRIPTS AND STORYBOARDS
Writing
Be Visual.
Involve People in Your Subject.
Grab the Audience.
Prose for Television.
Scripting dialog.
Narration.
Script Preparation
Storyboards
THE FLOOR PLAN
THE PRODUCTION SCHEDULE
BEFORE THE SHOOT
Preparing Yourself.
Preparing Your Crew.
Preparing Your Talent.
During the Shoot
The Director in Action
SELECTION OF SHOTS AND EFFECTSDECISIONS THE DIRECTOR HAS TO MAKE
Dissolves Versus Cuts Versus Wipes Versus Fade-outs
Split Screen Versus Matte and Key
Transitions
Matched shots.
Vector Line.
Establishing Shot.
THE SKILLFUL DIRECTOR
Prepping Talent.
Rehearsal.
Shooting.
BEING THE TALENT
Eyes.
Chairs.
Hands.
Legs.
Voice.
Clothes.
GETTING YOUR CUES
PROMPTING METHODS
Teleprompting Systems
Cue Cards
Crib notes
TV MAKEUP
Beards
Powder
Other Details
THE INTERVIEW
How to Interview Someone
Being Interviewed
THE TALENT IS THE SHOW
USING ON-LOCATION FOOTAGE IN YOUR PRODUCTION
Silent images
Pretaped segments with sound
Studio voiceover with background sound from the tape
Editing
SHOOTING ON LOCATION
Preparations for a local shoot
What to Take with You
THE REMOTE SURVEY
Communications
Release forms
PREPARATIONS FOR AN EXPENSIVE OR DISTANT SHOOT
SHOOTING FOR THE EDIT
TRANSITIONS
Jump Cut
Cutaways and Cover Shots
FANCIER TRANSITIONS
Walk-Past
Blank Surface
Swish Pan
Defocus-Focus
Leading the Action
180° RULE
CONTINUITY
SHOOTING STRATEGIES FOR ENG
The Interview Shot
Stand-Up Reporter
EDITING WITHOUT AN EDITING VIDEO TAPE RECORDER
Recording Something Over
THE DIFFERENCE WITH EDITING VCRs
ASSEMBLE EDITING
INSERT EDITING
An Important Technical Difference Between Insert and Assemble Edits
The SMPTE Leader
Video Insert Only
Audio Insert Only
EDITING FROM ANOTHER VIDEO TAPE
Advantages and Disadvantages
EDITOR CONTROLLERS
TYPES OF TIME CODE
Control Track Counters
SMPTE Time Code
STEP-BY-STEP EDITING PROCEDURE
NON-LINEAR EDITORS
WHEN YOU'RE FINISHED EDITING
PRACTICES TO ENSURE A SUCCESSFUL EDIT
DTV
What is DTV
DTV Audio
DTVS ROLL-OUT SCHEDULE
WHAT DTV COSTS, AND ITS EFFECT ON YOU
SHOOTING IN HIGH DEFINITION
EPILOGUE
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