Camera Functions Explained

Camera Functions

• White balancing adjusts the camera to correctly render white and all colors under different lighting conditions.
• "Average" or "nominal" daylight color temperature is 6500K.
• Tungsten light color temperature is 2700K-3200K.
• Aspect ratio is the proportional relationship between an image's width and height, expressed as a ratio (width:height).
• The native aspect ratio of the C100 Camera when shooting video is 16:9.
• The flat pane-like device within the C100 camera that records the image in pixels is called a CMOS Sensor.
• Changing the ISO setting from 200 to 800 allows stopping down by 2 stops (e.g., from f/2.8 to f/5.6) while maintaining the same exposure because ISO 800 is 4 times more sensitive than ISO 200.
• Increasing the ISO setting increases grain or noise in the image.
• The "normal speed" for theatrical presentation in the U.S. is 24 fps.
• Motion pictures shot with a DSLR camera typically use a shutter speed set to 1/50th of a second to approximate the standard 180° shutter angle of traditional film cameras.
• At 24fps, a 180° shutter angle is equivalent to approximately 1/48th of a second, so 1/50th is the closest standard shutter speed.
• Interlaced video records and displays alternating sets of lines (odd lines, then even lines) in sequence.
• Progressive video records and displays all lines of each frame in sequence.
• The actual frame rate of the Canon C100 when set at 24 fps is 23.976 fps (often rounded to 23.98 fps).

Lenses and Optics

• Prime lenses are classified by focal length using the terms wide angle, normal, and telephoto.

• A longer focal length produces a narrower angle of view, shallower depth of field and spatial compression.

• An f-stop is the ratio of focal length to effective aperture diameter

• F-stop = focal length ÷ aperture diameter

• Starting at 1.4, the standard f-stop scale (up to f/22) is f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22.

• "Stopping down" means decreasing the aperture size (increasing f-number).

• Shifting the aperture setting from f/8 to f/5.6 increases exposure by 1 stop, doubling the light.

• The difference in exposure between f/8 and f/4 is 2 stops brighter (4x more light).

• An ND6 filter reduces light by 6 stops without affecting color.

• A graduated filter transitions from dark to clear, often used for balancing bright skies with darker landscapes.

• A polarizer filter reduces reflections and glare.

• A common application of a polarizing filter is deepening blue skies and removing reflections from water or glass.

• A "fast lens" refers to a lens with a wide maximum aperture (low f-number).

• "Rack focus" means changing focus from one subject to another during a shot.

• Factors that influence depth of field include aperture size, focal length, and distance to subject.

Camera Support

• A shortcoming associated with the "rolling shutter" on cameras equipped with CMOS sensors is skewing/warping with fast movement.
• A high-hat is a short camera mount for low-angle shots.
• Panning is horizontal camera movement, while tilting is vertical camera movement.

Concepts in Directing, Blocking, and Editing

• "Crossing the line" means violating the 180° rule by placing the camera on the opposite side of the action when shooting a scene from multiple angles to create continuous action.
• "Headroom" is the space between the top of a character's head and the upper frame line.
• Another meaning of "headroom" is extra dynamic range in audio recording.
• A shot that shows what a character is seeing through his/her own eyes is called a POV (point of view) shot.
• A neutral angle shotis directly on “the line” or the "axis of action"
• An L-cut is when audio from one shot continues over the next shot.
• An insert shot is a close-up of an object or detail within a scene.
• Cross-cutting is editing between two or more separate areas of action (or scenes) so that the viewer assumes the actions are unfolding simultaneously; this is also referred to as parallel editing.
• The "20mm/30° Rule" refers to the minimum camera movement (20mm) or angle change (30°) needed between cuts.
• A fade transitions to/from black, while a dissolve overlaps two shots.

Color Balance

• The three additive primary colors are Red, Green, and Blue.
• The opposites of the additive primary colors are Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow.
• The #85 gel corrects daylight to match tungsten light.
• The #85 gel is orange/amber, converting blue daylight to warmer tungsten.
• A light magenta gel corrects the green cast of fluorescent lighting.

Lighting Topics

• The dominant light source in a three-point lighting set up is the key light.
• The fill light controls the contrast in a lighting set up.
• The usual function of a back light is to create separation between a subject and background.
• "Low-key lighting" refers to high contrast lighting with dominant shadows.
• Ways to soften a light source include using diffusion material, bouncing light, a larger light source or a soft box.
• A 0.3 ND gel or scrim can adjust the brightness of light that is one stop too bright on a close-up.
• Common varieties of diffusion material are tough spun, silk, and diffusion paper.
• A Fresnel lens is a stepped lens that focuses light while allowing beam width adjustment.

Light Readings and Sound Topics

• The two basic kinds of light readings are incident (measures light falling on subject) and reflected (measures light bouncing off subject).
• "Middle grey" is an 18% reflectance, serving as a standard exposure reference.
• Overmodulation or clipping results from recording a signal that is too "hot" and exceeds the audio recording equipment's capacity.
• The typical range of human hearing is 20Hz to 20,000Hz.
• Timbre describes the distinctive quality or "color" of a given sound.
• Works no longer protected by copyright are considered to be “in the public domain.”
• Licensing may have only covered broadcast (not streaming/DVD) or music was licensed for limited term, and this is why music cues are sometimes switched on film and television productions when those shows are reissued on DVD or on streaming services
• "Shotgun" microphone refers to a highly directional microphone.
• Source music is highly directional.
• Room tone is the background ambient sound of an empty location.
• Wild sound - Sound recorded separately from picture.
• MOS means Shot without synchronized sound ("Mit Out Sound").
• “Equalization” means adjusting the balance of frequency components
• When making a digital recording at 48 kHz, the “48 kHz” refers to sampling rate (samples per second).
• The two types of microphone contruction are Dynamic microphone, which do not require a power supply
• Microphone pick-up patterns include cardioid, hypercardioid, omnidirectional, and bidirectional/figure-8.

Sound Design and Post-Production

• To make a recording of a whistling sound muffled, like it's being heard through the wall, reduce the high frequencies.
• A continuous track of ambience throughout an entire scene creates sonic continuity.
• Cutting room tone between clips of dialogue prevents unnatural silence.
• Codec refers to the encoding algorithm or protocol used to compress and decompress recorded data when digitally encoding audio or video.

Terms to Understand

• Coverage refers to the shots a director captures to edit a complete scene.
• Rack focus is a shift in focus during a shot from one subject to another.
• A scrim is a mesh material placed in front of lights to reduce intensity without affecting quality.
• Diffusion is material placed in front of a light to soften shadows and spread light more evenly.
• A cutaway is a shot that interrupts the main action to show related material, often used to cover edits.
• Axis of action is an imaginary line (180-degree line) that determines spatial relationships between characters.
• A neutral angle is a camera shot placed directly in front of the subject, not favoring either side of the axis.
• Reference tone is a test tone used to calibrate audio levels, usually 1 kHz at -20 dB or -18 dB.
• Incident light measures light falling onto the subject, while reflected light measures light bouncing off the subject back to the meter.
• A CMOS sensor is a type of image sensor in most digital cameras that converts light into electrical signals.
• Shutter speed or exposure time is the length of time the camera's shutter is open to let in light.
• Overmodulation happens when an audio signal is recorded too loudly, causing distortion.
• Headroom refers to the space between the average audio level and the maximum level before distortion or the space between the top of a subject’s head and the top of the frame.
• Timbre is the tonal quality or “color” of a sound that distinguishes different sound sources.
• MOS means a scene shot without synchronous sound (“Mit Out Sound”).
• Wild sound refers to audio recorded without a corresponding picture, often used for ambient or natural sounds.
• Middle grey is a reference tone at 18% reflectance used to calibrate exposure.
• Low-key lighting refers to a lighting style that uses a key light with little to no fill, creating high contrast and shadows.
• Jumping the line means violating the 180-degree rule, which can disorient the audience.
• Looking room (also referred to as viewing room or negative space) is the space left in front of a character looking off-screen.
• A cardioid pick-up pattern is a mic pickup pattern that captures sound mostly from the front and sides, reducing rear noise.
• A condenser microphone is a sensitive mic that captures detailed sound and requires external power (phantom power).
• Room tone is the subtle, ambient sound of a space, recorded to smooth transitions during editing.
• A key light is the main light source in a scene.
• A cucoloris or cookie is a cut-out used to break up light and create patterned shadows on a subject or background.
• A polarizer is a filter that reduces reflections and glare, often used outdoors to darken skies or to see through water.
• A neutral density (ND) filter reduces the amount of light entering the lens without affecting color.
• Focal length is the distance (in mm) between the lens and the image sensor, and it affects field of view and depth.
• A prime lens is a lens with a fixed focal length.
• A telephoto lens is a long focal length lens that magnifies distant objects and compresses space.
• A wide-angle lens is a lens with a short focal length that captures a wider field of view and exaggerates depth.
• F-stop is a number that describes the aperture size of a lens, where lower f-stops mean more light enters the lens.
• Amps are units of electric current that measure the power load of lights and equipment.
• Additive primary colors (light) are red, green, and blue (RGB), while subtractive (pigment) primary colors are cyan, magenta, and yellow.
• Graduated filters' transition from dark to clear, used to balance exposure in high-contrast scenes.
• Equalization’ adjusting the balance between frequency components (bass, mid, treble) in an audio signal.
• Codec’ encodes and compresses video/audio data for storage or transmission.
• Reverb’ The echo effect from sound reflecting off surfaces in a space, adding depth and ambiance.
• Interlacing’ A video technique where alternate lines of a frame are drawn in two passes; used in older TVs.
• Hi-hat’ A very low camera mount used to get shots close to the ground or on tight surfaces.
• Z-axis’ The depth in a frame (foreground to background), used for creating dimensionality.
• Mise-en-scène’ The arrangement of everything that appears in the frame’sets, props, actors, costumes, and lighting.