Equipment list:

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Welcome
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Equipment list Video ü MiniDVcamera with lens
hood, UV-filter, lens cap and shoulder
strap ü Tripod with correct plate ü Sufficient
tapes ü At least two rechargeable batteries
ü Separate charger (rechargeable batteries
should not be charged on the camera) which can
supply power to the camera and a cigarette
lighter connector ü Other batteries, for example
for the remote control ü Manuals
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Equipment list Video ü Fitting wide-angle
lens ü Clean, well packed cleaning
tissue ü Cleaning tape ü Sheet of white paper and
a pencil for the clapboard and possibly for the
white balance ü Remote control ü Waterproof bags
with silica gel ü Power adapters for all
countries you will visit
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Equipment list Audio ü Several microphones
with different characteristics and
lapel microphones ü Several microphone cables
with different lengths, with a 3.5 mm stereo
jack, singly isolated ü Headphones ü Fitting
batteries, if camera has no microphone power
supply ü Mono-to-stereo-adapter (if you use only
a mono microphone) ü Microphone stand
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Before you go out ü Completely set up your
equipment and carry out a test run, including
the sound. ü Always personally check that your
equipment is complete and properly
packed. ü Always try to set up the camera and
sound at least ten minutes early, so as to
avoid any stress and which will result in
better pictures. ü Use a tripod whenever
possible, even if only a small lightweight
one. If absolutely necessary you can also use a
table, a chair or something similar.
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Before you go out ü However, if this is not
possible, then hold the camera with both hands
and as straight and still as you can, moving it
slowly and calmly unless there is reason to have
some movement in the picture. ü Generally
switch on the steadyshot (optical picture
stabiliser, camera menu). ü Due to the extreme
loss of picture quality never use the digital
zoom (camera menu). ü In order to avoid problems
with playback never use the LP- mode (longplay,
camera menu). ü Always record using 16 bit sound
(camera menu).
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Choosing position of camera, perspective and
size ü Where possible, always keep the sun
behind you. Dont hold the camera too far away
from the object or person, but at the same time
not so close as to cause a distraction,
particularly to shy and non-technically minded
people (one person ? circa two meters distance,
switch off the red light / telly). ü The
perspective, that is to say the height of the
camera in relation to the object, should be at
eye-level of the person you are filming or your
own. ü Select with the zoom the best picture
size. Either for example close up the face (to
analyze the facial expression) or one arm length
space around the head (to analyze the
gesticulation).
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Focus ü The most important feature of the
picture must be sharp in focus. ü Autofocus
works very well, however only in the centre of
the picture and will be affected if e.g. someone
walks close to the camera, the interview partner
is not in the middle of the picture or is moving
or there are twigs in the foreground. However, as
long as the distance between the camera and
object or person remains fixed, for example
during an interview, push autofocus to adjust
und then switch it off.
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Focus ü Focusing on the subject manually zoom
in close on the eyes and adjust the focus using
either the autofocus switch or the adjustable
focus ring and zoom out. This will give excellent
sharpness over the whole zoomed area so long as
the distance between the camera and object is
not altered. ü Quite often the automatic focus
will not function correctly in the dark.
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Exposure ü Video cameras have only a limited
exposure tolerance meaning dark and light
spots rarely blend together to give an
acceptable quality. An example of this might
be a hut without a window and no light and
having just a single ray of sunshine falling in
it. ü Generally speaking one has to decide what
is important and what has to be well exposed.
Some parts of the picture may be over or under
exposed for example, a person standing in front
of a window whereby the head will likely be too
dark, correction being done by use of the
backlight function.
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Exposure ü Avoid taking pictures into the light
as the camera will be unable to cope. Therefore
always try to make sure that the sun is behind
you. ü When using semi-automatic exposure
concentrate on zooming in on the important parts
of the picture, e.g. the face, select automatic
exposure, allow it to adjust itself, if necessary
adjust the focus and then switch it off again
and finally select the picture size. ü When
using manual exposure switch off the automatic
exposure and set the exposure using the
adjustable exposure ring.
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White balance ü White is not always the same.
The human eye adjusts this automatically, the
camera has an auto white balance function as
well and the result is most of the time
good. ü If not, use manual white-balance choose
with the W.-B.-button one of two presets
(daylight or artificial light) or put a white
sheet of paper in front of the camera so that
the viewfinder screen becomes completely
white, keep W.B.-button pressed, ready.
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Recording preparations ü At the beginning of a
new tape or a new scene write the most
important dates (name, date, location etc.) on
a sheet of paper and film it for 20 to 30 secs.
At the same time, speak these dates into the
microphone. Watch it straight away (picture- and
soundcontrol, tape is often faulty in very
beginning, needed prerolltime for
digitizing-machine, identify the tape in case the
label goes missing)! ü Use also a handclap, in
case you want to work on picture and sound
separately.
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Recording ü Every take should be at the
beginning and in the end at least 5 seconds
longer than necessary. ü Produce a continuous
time code every new shot follow the one before
without a break (use end-search-button, functions
only, if tape is not taken out of the camera
yet, or press edit-search- button to play back
until shortly before time code-end),
otherwise different scenes will have the same
time code, which makes the digitizing difficult.
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End of the recording ü Do not use the tape
until its very end, the 15 last seconds of a
tape cannot be digitized and they can be faulty
like the beginning. ü If you take out the
used tape, secure and label it straight away
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Sound recording ü Use external microphones, if
possible. ü Choose microphones with
characteristics according to your requirements
(see below).
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Sound recording ü Switch off zoom function from
the camera microphone (camera menu). ü Fix the
microcable on the camera through a cord
grip. ü Most external microphones need batteries
and have to be switched on before use. When
the microphone is switched on and the battery
has enough power a little red light shows on the
microphone. ü Wind sound recording is not
possible without an additional windscreen on
the microphone, also on the camera microphone,
and even this only works up to a certain
windforce. Otherwise you have to find a
windstill corner or try to keep the wind away,
for example with an umbrella.
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Sound recording ü Hum, noise or other sound
interferences check connections and cables. Do
not put sound cable on or over powercables. Use
rechargeable batteries instead of main
connector. Avoid body contact. ü Place the
microphone as close as possible to the source of
the sound to get as few as possible background
noises. The human ear ignores such noises, the
microphone does not (very important)!
Furthermore try to keep the acoustic surrounding
as quiet as possible (switch off air
conditioning and radios, ask watching people to
be silent, etc.). ü Do not speak directly into
the microphone (breathing noises), but speak
over it, use the windscreen. ü Check sound via
headphones carefully, before your start to
record it.
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