Intro to the Camera For incoming interns and new students of corporate film and video, we cover the basics of the camera and answer questions such as “what is progressive scanning?” and “what’s the difference between component and composite video?” and more. Brief History of the Camera Cameras were created in the 19th Century by utilizing glass to focus light onto a chemically treated surface. As technology improved, glass got better and the chemically treated surfaces were improved. By the early 20th Century, the cameras had become somewhat standardized. Then motion picture cameras came along. Same principle- but instead of taking one frame or picture, now a motor was created to speed the chemically treated surface (film) through the housing to enable taking many pictures each second. This started by hand cranking the film through (resulting in variable speed– notice…
I get asked this by friends and family and the answer depends on what they want it for and how manual/automatic they want it. But I was asked this by someone in the industry. They are ready to upgrade to new technology and liked the setup I have for corporate video production. Camera for Corporate Video First, more often than not, I use a DSLR for my corporate work. But occasionally I need something to record long form– like a seminar or meeting. So what follows is what I recommend for corporate film– like interviews and sales videos, or marketing videos. If you’re recording a board meeting, the DSLR is not the best choice. Camera– I have the DSLR Canon 7D. My DP Ron Gonzalez has a 5D (both shown in the picture on the right). A Partner of mine…
Video Production Benefits from Smaller Cameras and Cool Toys With the smaller cameras, come cool toys and tools that can have a great impact on your production value. As of late, there has been a huge boom in sliders. I know I’ve been using them the last year or two– to the point where it goes out on every shoot. Sliders are a simple basic replacement for dollies. Now film and video productions can get great smooth right and left movement for a fraction of the cost and manpower. You can even truck in and out with them and in some extreme cases, you can crane up and down. At SFilms, we use a basic Glidetrack. And recently, we bought a Slyderdolly from Digital Juice that has been pretty impressive. It’s robust, strong, sturdy and comes with features and accessories…
One of the most frequent questions I get from friends and family not in the film business is “how can I take better pictures and video?” One free thing to instantly have a big impact on the quality of your picture taking and video shooting is to have better composition. In this installment of tips/techniques, we talk about the “rule of thirds.”