Photograph Your Underwater Adventures With A Marine Digital Camera Operator

Choosing the right size camera crew

There is a lot of planning and preparation involved when it comes to creating a video. When you are planning, you must consider what size crew you will need to get the best results possible for your project. This post will walk you through the process that goes into choosing what size production crew you will need.

Single Camera Operator

For the vast majority of our video work, a two-person crew is the bare minimum. There is just too much work involved to ensure that both sound and vision come out perfectly. However, there are a few instances where you can get away with just a single camera operator who will also operate the sound equipment.

2 Person Crew

A two person crew (director/camera operator and camera operator) is a great place to start for an average project based on interviews and most corporate interview work.  It’s perfect for talking head style interviews, as two cameras can be operated, giving you options to cut between angles and give you much more room to edit

3 Person Camera Crew

We firmly believe that every crew should have a director on set,  someone to keep everything on track and someone to defer to with tricky decisions. But it’s a great idea to have at least three crew members on set to make sure no aspect of the production is left unattended. Two focused camera operators give the editor more cutaway options and footage to work as well as less pressure for someone to monitor the shots on two cameras. If you’re looking to shoot an interview but need to ensure the shoot runs smoothly with the best possible footage, we suggest a three person camera crew. The additional member can do the odd jobs that pop up on a crew; charging batteries, moving lights, and applying make-up.

The Rest of the Crew

For simple things like an interview or a bit of B-roll, a larger crew than 3 will be overkill. However, the more people on camera at once, the more camera operators you will need. For a TV interview chat with say, 4 participants, you will need at least three camera operators and a director, and the scale just gets larger as the production gets bigger. For example, a sound recordist is required if your video will feature more than 2 speakers. A gaffer (electrician and lighting expert) may be required if the filming needs a specialist shot, like large outdoor scenes or shots on a moving car. Production assistants, runners, camera assistants will all get involved as the project gets bigger and more complex.

What You Need to Know for Successful Multi-Camera Live Video Streaming

if you have an upcoming event and you want live video streaming, you’re thinking about the end product: you want your event up on the web, and you want people to see it. But before that can happen, there are an awful lot of moving parts that have to come together. And there’s a lot that can go wrong. Here’s what you need to know to make sure your event is successfully live streamed.

What is Multi-Camera Live Video Streaming?

Today, anyone with a cell phone can live stream an event. But while cell phone video streaming is easy, it doesn’t provide anywhere near the professional look your corporate or institutional event requires.

Multi-camera live video streaming uses video from several live cameras, and switches between those video feeds to create a highly produced, highly professional live streamed broadcast

Of course the success of your live streaming depends on having good cameras and good camera people. But most of the work actually happens before the event – and this is where things can go wrong.

Set-up

Your video crew will schedule three or more hours before the event, for set-up and testing. This can be done the day before (if the room is available) or day of. Exactly how much time is needed depends on the number of cameras, and on whether your video crew is also doing lights and audio.

WORKING AS A CAMERA OPERATOR

What Does A Camera Operator Do

Film and video editors and camera operators manipulate images that entertain or inform an audience. Camera operators capture a wide range of material for TV shows, motion pictures, music videos, documentaries, or news and sporting events. Editors take footage shot by camera operators and organize it into a final product. They collaborate with producers and directors to create the final production.

Duties

Film and video editors and camera operators typically do the following:

Shoot and record television programs, motion pictures, music videos, documentaries, or news and sporting events

Organize digital footage with video editing software

Collaborate with a director to determine the overall vision of the production

Discuss filming and editing techniques with a director to improve a scene

Select the appropriate equipment, such as the type of lens or lighting

Shoot or edit a scene based on the director’s vision

Education

Most editor and camera operator positions require a bachelor’s degree in a field related to film or broadcasting, such as communications. Many colleges offer courses in cinematography or video-editing software. Coursework involves a mix of film theory with practical training

Training

Editors may complete a brief period of on-the-job training. Some employers may offer new employees training in the type of specialized editing software they use. Most editors eventually specialize in one type of software, but beginners should be familiar with as many types as possible.

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations

Certification is a way for editors to demonstrate competence in various types of editing software. To earn certification, video editors must pass a comprehensive exam. Candidates can prepare for the exam on their own, through online tutorials, or through classroom instruction.

Types Of Camera Shots To Consider When Filming Church Services

As a camera operator for your church, you can make your message even more powerful by taking some time to consider the goal of each sequence of a service. Are you trying to evoke emotion? Do you need to emphasize the scenery behind the pastor? What’s the theme of the pastor’s sermon?

As you’ll see, just like in reality, the closer you get to your subject, the more personal it feels. Your distance to your subject is just one element that can entirely alter the impact of each frame.

The way you frame your shot is often just as important as the subject of what you’re shooting.

How To Film an Event

How you film an event can either make or break that event. If we watch closely events like those organized by TEDx, we will realize that these events are not shot haphazardly, but are directed in various ways to really embrace the nature of the speech given, the speaker’s expressions, as well as the audience’s reactions. The same goes for entertainment events, sports events, etc.

Write a Plan

Shooting an event can get really tricky. There’s usually something that’s the center of the event, whether it’s a performance, a speech, a prize-giving, etc, as well as the audience or crowd, and the atmosphere of the event. Each of these elements has to be included in the plan with the right balance so as not to waste any of your assets.

Keys to A Successful Event Video

One of the keys to success in capturing an event on video is the formation of the right crew for this particular event. A director, cameraman, or sound engineer might be great at their job and highly qualified, but nothing works without them having the right specialty. Just like a heart surgeon would not perform plastic surgery, you have to make sure the team you pick for your sports event is specialized in such events, which would substantially differ for example from a conference on astronomy.

Live Event Camera Set-up

The first thing you have to make sure is available while shooting your event is the variety of angles. Whether you are using one camera or more, you need to make sure the organizers take into account this issue while setting up the stage or the hall where the event is taking place. Also, if there are seats for the audience, it would serve you best to secure a seat in middle for front shots.

Camera Positioning

When you position the camera, you have to know what your limitations are. If you’re only using one camera, keep it close to the stage, because if you’re only shooting the event from one spot, it should obviously be focused mainly on the main performance. However, if this is the case, then you should at least manage to get a sliding deck so that you can move smoothly from one angle to another without causing any disturbance to the video or any rigid movement.