Figure 10.10

A camera equipped with a follow focus mechanism by Red Rock Micro and an assortment of gears to fit various lens sizes.

Advanced Camera Rigging and Supports

When people talk about camera supports, the first thing that comes to mind is the tripod. Tripods are very important and a good tripod for recording moving images is a little more complicated than tripods that are designed for still photography. Top-of-the-line video tripods have a fluid head and are often designed with the size and weight of the camera in mind. But tripods are just the beginning, there are many other types of camera supports that can help you get the shot you want.

nBase plate is a metal piece that attaches to the bottom of your camera using a screw through the tripod mount. A base plate gives you a quick way of attaching your camera to various camera accessories. Baseplates usually feature a quick release mechanism so that you can take your camera on and off the tripod or other device without having to unthread the screw (refer to Figure 10.2).

nRods are used to support large lenses and lens accessories such as follow focus mechanisms. They are especially useful when putting a big lens on a small camera.

nFollow focus mechanisms are a set of gears that let you pull focus smoothly while shooting. They are much larger than the focus rings found on the lens itself and make it easier for a second person to do the focus pulling (Figure 10.10).

nMatte boxes are used to hold filters on the lens. They can speed up the process of adding or removing filters because the filters are dropped in rather than screwed on. They also provide bigger adjustable sunshades, also known as eyebrows that can help you avoid lens flares (see Figure 10.8).

nDSLR camera riggings, such as the Zacuto Striker (Figure 10.11) and the Red Rock Micro Cinema Field Bundle (Figure 10.1), serve to make DSLR cameras function more like video cameras. The Cam Caddie (Figure 10.12) features a different design that is very useful when holding the camera low and when moving. Other DSLR riggings are designed to help hold various accessories while the camera is mounted on a tripod (Figure 10.3).

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Figure 10.11

Zacuto Striker rig adds video functionality to DSLR cameras.

Shown here is the rig on its own (top) and in use with a DSLR camera (bottom).

Figure 10.12

The Cam Caddie offers a different kind of handholding rig for DSLRs that is especially well-suited to tracking movement from a low angle.

nGlidecams and steadicams are devices used to smooth out the movement in a handheld shot. A clever arrangement of gimbals and counterweights, these stabilizers work by mounting the camera on an apparatus that has a lot of rotational inertia, but little reason to rotate. Though the physics are complicated, the result is simple: a camera that mostly floats in place, but that can be adjusted and moved in simple, tiny movements. Both Steadicam and Glidecam produce a number of different types of units for cameras of different weights. These devices are not cheap, and if you really need one, you’ll probably do better to rent it. Note that if you have a very large camera that requires a large Steadicam, you’ll also need to spring for a trained Steadicam operator.

nDollies are special camera-holding carts that travel along special tracks and are used for creating tracking shots. Dollies and tracks require some extra effort to set up and use, but they’re often the only way to achieve certain shots. Most good production houses rent dolly gear at very reasonable rates.

nSliders are used to move the camera closer to or farther away from the subject during a shot. Sliders fit onto a tripod and let you move the camera a couple of feet in either direction. They can mimic the look of a short dolly shot without all the extra gear.

nJibs and cranes provide highto low-angle movement for swooping shots, and they are especially popular for establishing shots.

nAerials, car mounts, and shotmakers are a few of the many devices used in tandem with transportation vehicles to create a different type of moving shot.

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Viewing Video on the Set

Viewing video on the set falls into two basic categories: viewing aids for the camera crew and viewing aids for the director.

Camera operators and assistants need to see a calibrated, high-quality image in order to set focus and other variables during the shoot. The camera crew also needs to view video as close to the camera as possible. Most traditional video cameras offer an optical viewfinder and an LCD display that can suffice for the viewing needs of the camera crew, but often viewing with a separate video assist monitor is preferred. With DSLR cameras, the optical viewfinder is disabled during video recording, and LCD viewfinders are difficult to work with, especially in bright sunlight. Camera crews shooting with DSLR cameras typically use camera top monitors (Figure 10.13) or enhanced viewfinders (Figure 10.14) to view video as the camera is rolling. Very high-end digital cinema or effects footage often requires having a larger video assist monitor set up on or near the camera so that the director of photography can make very precise image adjustments.

Directors also need to be able to see a live video image of what is being shot in order to judge whether or not they are getting the material needed for their project. Unfortunately, it is often inconvenient or physically impossible for the director to be physically close to the cameras. Typically, a monitor (or several monitors if the shoot is multi-cam) is set up in what is called a video village where the director and others, such as the script supervisor, can watch exactly what is being recorded. Higher-end video cameras can be outfitted with wireless transmitters to send a video signal wirelessly to the video village. Mid-range and lower-end cameras use cables and splitters to send the signal the old-fashioned way.

Figure 10.13

Marshall camera-top monitor.

Figure 10.14

The Hoodman enhanced viewfinder is a lower-priced solution that straps onto the camera.

Although the process of setting up a video village is not really any more complicated than connecting your home television to your game console, the physical realities of being on the set can make it challenging. Unless you are shooting on a soundstage, your camera crew will need to move the video village around every time you change setups. In addition, just like your home theater, building a video village will involve lots of small parts: cables, adaptors, splitters, power supplies, and so on. And unfortunately, there is no “plug-and-play” option here. You’ll have to figure out how to connect from the camera to the director’s monitor(s) on a case-by-case basis, depending on the gear you’re using, who you rented it from, quirks of your particular camera or monitor, and so on.

No matter how high-budget your project, there are always challenges attached to viewing video on the set. Wireless signals can be subject to interference, cables fail or come loose, and space limitations can make it difficult to find space for all the extra gear. But having the ability to view your footage is well worth the hassle.

Here are the parts of the video viewing food chain:

nEnhanced viewfinders like the Hoodman (Figure 10.14) and the Zacuto Z-finder (Figure 10.2) fit over the LCD of a camera to block out light and make it easier to see the image. There are also many types of hoods, shades, and bags to fit over LCD displays to block out ambient light.

nCamera-top monitors like those made by Marshall are very popular solutions and a little pricey, but you definitely get what you pay for (see Figure 10.13). At the top of the line, the Marshall offers a full-res HD image, SDI outputs, and “pass-through,” which means you can send a video signal out to your video village without the need for extra splitters. These high-end monitors also offer image calibration features, such as the Marshall false color and peaking filters, which provide an enhanced way to check exposure similar to histograms and zebra stripes.

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nField monitors are basically any monitor that you use on the set. However, monitors designed exclusively for field use are usually compact and portable. The best ones are carefully calibrated so that you know you are watching an accurate image of what the camera is recording. But if you are on a restricted budget, you can make do with a smallish flat panel television, a computer display, or even a laptop (Figure 10.15). There are also wireless field monitors that work in tandem with cameras that have wireless microwave transmitters, but these devices are subject to interference, and therefore not always of the best quality.

Figure 10.15

Poor man’s video assist: the Canon camera utility offers a live view from your camera when connected by a cable and even lets you adjust camera settings if you wish.

nSplitters are little boxes that split a single video signal into two (or more) signals (Figure 10.16). The video signal coming out of the camera will need to be split if you are sending it to two different monitors, typically the camera-top monitor and the field monitor in the video village.

nHDMI cables are found on most lower-end HD cameras and also DSLR cameras (Figure 10.17). They provide a full quality HD signal, but are not really designed for fieldwork. They do not handle the stresses of the shooting environment well and tend to break or fall out of the camera due to all the movement on set.

nSDI cables are available on higher-end cameras (see Figure 10.17). They are sturdy and lock into place using a BNC connector and are therefore much better for use when shooting.

nPower supplies can be a limited resource when shooting. Most camera-top monitors and field monitors can be powered by rechargeable batteries. Standard video monitors and TV flat panels will require an AC power source. Most splitters also require a separate power source.