Camera workshop #1

 In the camera workshop that we did today, we learned some of the practical and technical aspects of a camera. in the workshop we were given a Black Magic 4k camera and Pro6 tripod to assemble and learn the basics of. we learned how to transport heavy/expensive equipment with the passing phrases "yours" and "mine". when handeling heavy/expensive equipment it is advised that when you are holding the weight of the item to say "mine" and once you have released the weight of the equipment to say "yours". some of the practical and technical things we learnt were

How to put up a tripod:

to but up a tripod you need to stand it up right and open up the legs of the tripod. you then twist the knobs at the base and top of the tripod to higher or lower the tripod. (remember to put your foot in the middle of the tripod to stabilise it)

The spirit level

the spirit level of the camera is the yellow dot at the top of the tripod with a bubble in it that helps you to level the device. this helps the camera to pitch and roll 

How to move the camera on the tripod 

to move the top of the tripod you need to rotate the two small levers, one beneath the handle and the other on the left side.

mounting the camera:

to mount the camera you need to press the small oval button on the left side of the tripod base and slowly line the bottom of the camera into the slot at the top, then turn the small lever of the right side to lock the camera in place (give the camera a light wiggle to make sure its in place)

putting the battery in place:

to put the battery in place you just slide it onto the back of the camera until you hear a click 

you then flip open the screen, take the lens cap off, and turn the camera on.

Zooming:

when you zoom on a camera lens you are changing hoe close you are to a certain object. to zoom the camera lens in you rotate the largest ring round the lens closest to the end of the lens gently, this will retract and expand the lens.

                                                                         zooming in ^

                                                                        zooming out ^

Focus: 

when you change the focus you are adjusting the lens to a diffrent focal point. to do this you must gently rotate the ring closest to the base of the lens

Exposure: 

the exposure is the amount of light that reaches the sensor on the camera, making what you are filming darker, or lighter. to change this you must rotate the small blue switch at the very base of the lens (be VERY gentle as it is conveniently right next to the lens eject button)

White-balance:

when you change the white-balance on the camera you are changing the colours based on the light source you are filming. to do this you must click on the '5700k' icon on the screen, then select the apropriate light source 

striking the kit:

when the director says "Strike the kit' it means that it is time to dismantle all the equipment and put it away.