Single-Camera Video Production (6^th Ed.)

Learn everything you need to know about producing single-camera video, from preproduction planning to setting up, rehearsing, shooting, editing, and delivering. Master lighting, audio, and editing techniques that will enhance the quality of your video projects and captivate your audience.

Simple, elegant, and easy to use, Single-Camera Video Production, Sixth Edition is a staple in any video student or artist?s library. Whether you?re just learning the basics of video production or you?re a veteran who needs a refresher, this book provides you with a toolkit for understanding and implementing single-camera workflows, as well as how to use the single-camera format to its best advantage by emphasizing the importance of goals, audience analysis, and technology. This new edition has been updated to include:

• Expanded sections on digital workflows, field and studio production, preproduction planning, audio, lighting, distribution, and editing techniques
• Detailed gear lists covering the latest camera, recorder, audio, lighting, and stabilization equipment used in the industry today
• Fresh tips on creating video for your target audience and exhibition platform and shooting for the editing process
• Insider career advice, including tips on how to get an internship, interviewing, finding a job, and earning a promotion
• A companion website (www.focalpress.com/cw/singlecam) with video examples of the techniques discussed in the book, as well as evolving updates on key technological shifts

Introduction

Additional Comments on the Sixth Edition

Acknowledgments

CHAPTER ONE

Production Philosophy

The Production Process

Importance of Goal, Objectives, and Audience Analysis

Importance of Workflow

Difference between Studio and Field Production

Importance of Technology

CHAPTER TWO

Aesthetics in Media Production

Importance of Aesthetics

Criticism and Critics

Cultural Differences

Reality

Summary

CHAPTER THREE

The Technology

Connecting the Read World to the Digital World

Limitations of Equipment

Audio Signals

Frequency

Amplitude

Measuring Audio Signals

Compression

Video Signals

Changing Light into Electrons

Scanning Systems, Formats, and Frame Rates

Measuring Video Signals

Video Compression

CHAPTER FOUR

The Equipment

Equipment Development

Cameras

Camera Types

Consumer Cameras

"Prosumer" and Industrial Cameras

DSLR Cameras

Professional Broadcast Cameras

Digital Cinema Cameras

Specialized Digital Cameras

Image Sensors and Optics

CCD and CMOS Chips

Optics

Focal Length

Focus

Aperture

Depth of Field

Viewfinder and Camera Controls

Viewfinder

Camera Controls

Bars/Gain Selector

Color Temperature Control/Filter Selector

White Balance

Camera Supports

Tripods and Body Mounts

Cranes, Dollies, and Pedestals

Handholding the Camera

Digital Recording

Recording

Recorder Operation

Audio

Microphone Types

Electronic Impedance

Pickup Pattern

Mounting Devices

Non-microphone Audio Sources

Which Audio Track to Use

Connecting Equipment

Cable Coiling

Power Connectors and Plugs

Audio Connectors

Video Connectors

Digital Connectors

Lighting

Properties of Light

Light Intensity

Hard vs Soft Light

Color Temperature of Light

Light Instruments: Floodlights

Light Instruments: Focusing Spotlights

Light Instruments: Fixed-Focus

Controlling Light

Power Sources

Measuring Light Intensity

Lighting Ratio

Contrast Ratio

CHAPTER FIVE

The Production Process: Preproduction

Preliminary Forms

The Proposal

The Treatment

Legal Considerations

Script Formats

Scene Script

Shooting Script

Script Formats

Single Column Format

Dual Column Format

Organizing Forms

Storyboards

Location Scouting

Sire Survey

Organizing Equipment and Crew

CHAPTER SIX

The Production Process: Production

Setting Up

Field Equipment Considerations

Camera Setup

Audio Preparation

Prompting Devices

Sets and Properties

Lighting Preparation

Controlling Color Temperature

Controlling Light Intensity

Contrast Range

Basic Three-Point Lighting

Backlight

Key Light

Fill Light

Kicker ad Set Lights

Multiple or Moving Subjects

Creative Lighting

Mood Lighting

Lighting for Time, Date, and Location

Directing and Rehearsing

Directing Talent

Rehearsal

Shooting

Shooting and Faming

Standard Shot Names

Framing Principles

Aspect Ratio

Critical Area

Lead Room or Edge Attraction

The Rule of Thirds

Creating Movement

Subject Movement

Camera Movement

Movement through Zooms

Z-Axis Movement

Graphic Force Movement

The Third Movement: Editing

Shoot to Edit

Continuity of Action

Continuity of Direction

Continuity of Location

Cover Shots

In-Camera Effects

Iris Fades

Roll or Rack Focus

Swish Pans and Zooms

Reversing Polarity

Digital in-Camera Effects

Logging and Striking

Striking

CHAPTER SEVEN

The Production Process: Postproduction

The Soul of Production

The Mind of an Editor: Equipment, Technique, and Aesthetics

Editing Workflow and Interface

Process Background

Nonlinear Film

Linear Electronic

Digital Nonlinear

Editing Equipment and Interface

Hardware

Software

Accessories

Technical Choices and Editing Workflow

Choices and Decisions

Operational Interface

Editing Workflow

Basic Editing

Transitions

Titles

Adding audio

Rendering

Aesthetics od Editing

Finishing, Output and Distribution

Finishing Workflow

Output Process

Destination Choices

CHAPTER EIGHT

Your Future

Introduction

Internship

Resume Writing

Composing a Cover Letter

The Portfolio

The Interview

Summary

FURTHER READING

GLOSSARY

INDEX

Robert B. Musburger is a Professor Emeritus and former Director of the School of Communication at The University of Houston. The owner of Musburger Media Services, he has worked for 20 years in professional broadcasting, serving as camera operator, director, producer, and writer.

Michael R. Ogden is a Professor and Director of the Film and Video Studies Program at Central Washington University. He is a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences with over 20 years’ experience in the television and film industry as a cinematographer, editor, director, producer, and scriptwriter.