tips to clip

International Ruler

To determine how much cable I need for a project, I use a rolling ruler like those used by police officers at accident scenes. The problem is that camera cables, which are usually made in Japan, are labeled in meters and the roller, made in the USA, measures in feet. To bring peace between the nations, I printed a small label listing the conversions for the most common cable lengths and pasted it on the roller.

82 ft. = 25 m

164 ft. = 50 m

246 ft. = 75 m

328 ft. = 100 m

Available Light

Increase the brightness of available light during a field shoot by replacing the bulbs in table lamps and other practical fixtures with photo floods or 300 watt normal lamps. Watch out for overheating.

Doing Dutch
In Hollywood “dutching” has nothing to do with wooden shoes or paying your own bill; instead, it refers to tilting the camera sideways. Most tripods will let you tilt up and down but not from side to side. If your tripod features ball leveling, it is not too hard to dutch the camera for a specific shot. If you do not have that feature, try mounting the camera sideways and tilting the head up or down.

A Quiet Spot
You want to record a voiceover audio track or interview in the field but there is just too much noise to get a clean recording. Try putting the talent in a parked car and rolling up the windows. If you want just a little ambience, open the window slightly, or make a separate recording of the outside ambience and combine the audio sequences in post.

Back Focus Foul Up
I recently offered a free back focus chart to anyone who wanted one. Unfortunately my e-mail account decided not to cooperate and many of your requests did not reach me. If you want a chart, please send (or re-send) an e-mail to tips@dv.com and I will get one to you as soon possible.

Can It!
During a recent outdoor live shoot, the talent needed to see a monitor. Despite the built-in hood, however, the sun was washing out the picture. Our solution was to grab a nearby 20 gallon plastic trash can, lean it on an equipment case so the top pointed at the talent, and put the monitor in the bottom. Our makeshift hood provided more than enough shade that the screen was clearly visible.

Cable Cover

Easier Than Makeup
I am following up on the tip in last month’s column about fixing a shiny bald head with Lancôme T.Contrôle Matte Finish cream. I have learned that Lancôme has discontinued the product. Too bad—it was the best stuff for dulling shiny skin of any color. If you have a favorite alternative, please share it at tips@dv.com.

I believe that the interview subject’s head shining under lights is our problem, not his, so I always try to avoid embarrassing him. Only after all else has failed do I pull out the makeup.

A less obvious solution to a shiny head is to add diffusion to the backlight, change the light’s angle or use a flag or barndoor to block the light from hitting the top of the head.

Back Focus

A number of readers have asked that I repeat a tip from several years ago about how to perform a back focus, so here goes. If you have interchangeable zoom lenses for your video camera and they don’t hold focus when you zoom in or out, the back focus is probably out of adjustment. The easiest way to fix the problem is with a back focus chart. If you don’t have a chart, send me an e-mail at tips@dv.com, put “Back Focus” on the subject line and I will send you a free PDF file.

Once you’ve downloaded the file, print some hard copies, which I suggest carrying in your camera and lens cases.

To use it:

1. Place the chart about 12 feet from the camera.

Practical Pouch
Attaching a small business card holder to the side of his camera means Peter Anderson of Detroit always has business cards handy and no longer misses spur of the moment business opportunities.

Because my camera is not always with me, I think I have a more functional tip for solving the same problem.

Phony Fire Flicker
If you’re looking for a small flickering fire effect but you don’t want to really play with fire, try this tip from Ernie Simmons of Alexander, La.: use a grouping of LED tea lights.

Available in most variety stores, these battery powered lights won’t do much singly but work well when used in groups. You can increase the effect by putting them on shiny aluminum foil.

Halloween Goodies
The holidays are coming around again, which is a great time to pick up seasonal goodies that can be squirreled away for future video projects. Costumes, makeup and special effects such as spider web material and glow-in-the-dark paint are all available in stores this month. For extra savings, buy them during the after-Halloween sales.

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Lighting Safety
I was visiting a friend’s studio when a loud crash reminded me that one of the most common safety hazards on video sets is called a “clothesline.” That’s when the power cord of a stand-mounted lighting instrument swoops directly from the head to the floor and is not routed under the stand leg. The increased likelihood of tripping over the cord is obvious. What’s a little less obvious is the high probability that when the cord gets pulled or tripped on, the top-heavy stand will tip over.

Time Exposure Tips
“I bought a DSLR to use on my videos, but I am becoming a fan of making still photos, especially time exposures, and could use some of your famous tips,” writes Dan Parker of Denver, Co.

Steadying Aerial Shots
“I know the best way to get smooth helicopter shots is with a Tyler or other stabilized mount, but my budget won’t allow that. What can I do?” asks Carl Borgan of Chicago.

First, have you tried contacting a local TV station? Some will grab a simple shot for you at a bargain rate while their news chopper is in the area on another mission.

Trucking Tremors
It seems that almost every day I receive an ad or e-mail touting the latest slider, dolly or other method of trucking (moving) the camera during a shot. Most of them are very nice but also very expensive. Over my almost 50 years of making pictures I have used a number of methods to do the job, and most of them were free.

Which Way Is Up?

Some of the most exciting shots are made possible by small lipstick and cigar cameras. They can be mounted almost anywhere: taped to the barrel of a rifle, facing back at the shooter; secured to a helmet, showing the wearer’s point of view. I have used them frequently, but I recently learned two new tips from Mark Shattuck of the Brigham Young University video department.

Pan Up, Tilt Left

Rolling Case
The tubular tripod cases many of us use protect tripod legs adequately, but the cases tend to roll around the car trunk. Anthony Asquew of Santa Clara, Calif., keeps his in place with a piece of 2 x 4 lumber with a hook-and-loop fastener stuck to one side. The board is placed next to the case so the hooks engage the loops in the carpeting and everything stays in place.