Canon XL1 3CCD User manual

Camera
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TheCanonXL13CCDDigitalVideo
Camcorder
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TheCanonXL1camerawasthemostadvancedcamerawhenitwasreleasedintheearly1990s.Since
thenithasbeenovertakenbyothercamerasbutstillperformswellbecauseofitsvariousmodes.The
beautyofthiscameraistheeasewithwhichvariablescanbemanipulated.CamerasbeforetheXL1
didnotallowthislevelofmanipulationoffunctionalityandassuchthiscameraisextremelyusefulfor
thetelevisionjournalist.
Howitworks 
‐BasicallytheCanoncamcorderrecordsinastringofalternatinglines.Thisreferstoits
resolutionswhichis530horizontallines
Features 
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ThebeautyoftheCanonisitsinterchangeablelenssystem:thismeansthatyoucanchangefroma
normallens,toawideanglelens,oreventoalensfromanormalcamera.Bysodoingyoucanchoose
thelenswhichbestsuitsyoursituation.Thewideanglelensisbestusedforestablishingshotswhile
thenormallenswillbeusedmostofthetime.
‐TheCanonXL1hasaSuperRangeOpticalImageStabiliserwhichisanadvancementon
previousstabilisers.Thiscanbedonebyslidingthesmallswitchontheleftofthecamera
andisusefulforshotswheretheremaybevibration.Itishoweverusefultoturnoffthe
stabiliserwhenyouspecificallywantashakyshot(suchasinoursequence).
‐Theview‐finderisadvancedinthatyoucanuseeitheryourleftorrighteyeanditisquite
opentorepositioning.Theviewfinderconsistsjustofaneye‐piecehowever,anddoesnot
havethehandypull‐outscreenofthePanasonic.Thistakessomegettingusedtobutthe
pictureintheeye‐piececanbeadjusted.
‐TheCanonXL1hasanoptical16Xzoomlenswhichishighlysensitive
TheCanonXL1has3shootingmodes:
1. NORMAL
Æ thisisthemostcommonlyusedmodeandisgoodformovement
2. DIGITAL
Æ thisallowsyoutotakestillimages

3. FRAMEMOVIE Æ thisisusefulforhigh‐resolutionstuff.Inthismodethepictureisnon‐
interlacedbutisverysharp.(Thissettingisgoodforbigscenes,e.g.asunset;orifyou
printingto35mil
Therearebasicallyfivemodes,Auto,Manual,VCRTvandAvofwhichTvandAvarenew
modifications.Allofthese(barringVCRwhichisforplayback),offervariousdegreesofmanipulation
fortheuser.Dependingonthemodeyoucanchangecertainthingsonthecamera.Thesesettingsare
allchangedbyturningtheroundblackdialonthecamera
•IntheTv/Avmodecertainthingsareautomated,but:inTvyoucanselecttheshutterspeed
andthecamerawillautomaticallysetamatchingaperture(theaperturehastodowiththe
amountoflightcomingintothecamera;withtheAvmodeyoucanselectyourapertureand
thecamerawillautomaticallysetamatchingshutterspeed.
•IntheAutomodemostthingsareautomated,butyoucanstillcontrolthewhitebalanceand
yourfocus
•Inthemanualmodeyouareabletomanipulateeverything
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Coolstufftoplaywithanduse: 
‐Slowshutter:Therearesettingsyoucanusetoslowdownyourshutterspeed:thisisgoodfor
whenyouhavevaryingdegreesoflight(suchaslow‐lightsituations)asitallowsyoutohave
bettercontroloverthecolourandlight
‐Flashphotography:youcanattachaseparateflashforflashphotography(butIdon’tthink
wehavethese?)
‐ZebraPattern:Thishighlightscontrasts,allowingyoutoseewherethere’sanyover‐exposure
orbadreflectionssoyoucanchangethem.Itisdisplayedliterallywithazebra‐stripepattern.
‐Four‐ChannelDigitalAudioSystem
‐Therearethreedigitalaudiomodesandthiscamcordercanrecordonallfourchannels,at
thesametime!Thisisaverycomplicatedthingbecausetherearemanychannelsandmany
thingstopluginandiselaboratedoninthesectiononsound
‐Thechannelsdoaffectthesoundqualitythough:Whenit’sontwochannels,youget16bit
soundwhichisofabetterqualityandwhatyouwouldnormallyuse.Whenit’sonfour
channels,youget12bitsoundwhichisofalesserquality.Italldependsonhowmany
microphonesyouwanttouse.
‐TimeCode:Thecoolthingaboutthetimecodehereisthatitidentifieseachindividualframe,
notjustthewholelongrecording,soitissuperusefulwhenitgetsdowntoediting.TheXLR
usesadrop‐framesystemwhichmeansit’sveryaccurate.
‐DataCode:But,youcanalsohidethecooldateandtimethingandratherdisplayother
featuressuchastheshutterspeedorexposuresettings
‐WideScreenmode:hereyoucanswitchtothe16:9ratioforabig‐screeneffect

‐Sensor:Thisisforusewiththeremotecontrolandallowsyoutocontrolthecamera
remotely…veryusefulifyouareshootingonyourown
‐Tallylamp:thisisatricksylittlebuttonwhichallowsyoutoturnofftheredbuttonatthe
frontofthecamerathatshowsitsrecordingsothatwhoeveryou’refilmingcannotseeit.This
canbeusedtoyouradvantage
‐TheMicattenuator(MicAttonthecamera)isusedtoeitherpumpupordowncertainsounds
dependingonwhatyouwanttocomeout.Thisiscalled‘pumping’.It’sverygoodfordoinga
standupperorreportingfromloudareas,suchaswarzones
‐Inrecordmodethere’salsolongplayandshortplayoptions.Basicallywhatthisdoesisallow
youtolengthenyourtape.Thisdecisionmustalwaysbemadeatthebeginningofashoot
thoughbecauseifyouswitchhalfwaythroughyourtapewillbeuseless.Shortplayisthe
normalmodeandgivesyouthebestquality.Itisn’tadvisabletouselongplaybutin
situationswhereyoumayonlyhaveonetapethelongplaysettingcanincreaseyourtape
capacitybyone‐third.Thisdoeshoweverlowertheresolution.
‐A/F=AutoFocus:ifyou’reinmanualthiswillautofocusforyou.
‐N/DFilter=NeutralDensityFilter:thisautomaticallychopsdownhowmuchlighttheiris
acceptsthroughthelens;itdecidesitselfwhenitneedstobeused(thesunlightwillflashto
tellyou).
‐Spotlight:Thisisusefulforshootinginsituationswhereyouareshootingaspotlight.Byusing
thisyoucanshootwhateverisunderthespotlightandthiswillsmoothoutthepotentialover‐
contrast.
‐PictureSearch:Thisisausefullittletooltocheckoutyourlastshots
‐AudioMonitorSwitch:ThisallowsareadoutontheVUreaderwhichtellsyouifyou’reover‐
modulating,etc.
‐W/BissupposedtooverridetheAutosetting
‐Whitebalance:thisallowsyoutosetthewhitesinyourrecording.Therearethreesettings
whichcanbechangedwitharounddialwhichyoupushintoselect.
‐Ontheleftisthelightbulbswitchywhichisreallyusefulforindoorlight
‐Thenthere’sthesunlightswitchwhichisusefuloutdoors
‐Thelastswitchisnegotiable
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Tips&Terminology 
•Theline‐inhasahighresistanceandahighimpedance
Rifles
•Agooddistancetoholdtheriflemicfromone’ssubjectisnomorethan1.5m
ShureMixer
•Therounddialsonthemixerarecalledpots,whichisanabbreviationofpotentialitors
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General
•CCD=ChargeCoupleDevice:thisistemporaryinfostorageinthecamera
•Thehighertheshutterspeed,thelesslightthatcomesthrough
•Thegreatertheshutterspeed,themoredistincttheframesareforplayback.Manipulating
theshutterisusefulformanipulatingthedepthoffield.(Depthoffieldusedproperlymarks
thedifferencebetweenamateurvideomakersandprofessionals).
•dB=theratioofunitsofnoise,whichismeasuredinDbs.
‐Byusingthisyoucanmakeyourscenelighter/darkerthanthelimit;thisisusefulat
night,likepumpingitupto12dBtolightenthescene(butit’snoisybecauseit’s
manufactured).
‐Usefultip:usestockingsbehindthelenstohelplighten(stretchthemoutacrossit).Use
varyingcoloursforvaryingeffects.
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DEPTHOFFIELD 
Manipulatingdepthoffieldcanlendcomplexitytoashotandcanoftenchangethemoodor
connotationoftheshot.Itisthereforeausefultooltousebutcanbedifficulttogetright.Whenyou
dogetitrighthowever,itlendsthepieceacertainedge.
BasicallyagreatDepthofField(DOF)meansagreaterareaoffocalpossibilities.
TherearethreewaystomanipulateDOF:
1.Iris
Thismanipulatestheamountoflightcominginandthereisadirectrelationshipbetweenhowmuch
lightisletinandthedepthoffieldachieved.
Essentiallythelowerthef‐stopnumberontheiriscontrol,themoreopentheirisandthehigherthef‐
stopnumber,thelessopentheirisis.
Æ alowernumberthenletsinmorelightwhileahighernumberletsinlesslight.
Æ IntermsofDOF:
Asyougohigher,youmaintainDOF.
‐Smallernumbersallowmorethingstobeinfocus
‐HighernumbersallowgreaterDOF,meaningthemainobjectisinfocusandtheothersaren’t.
Summary:
Æ WideIris=ShallowDOF
Æ SmallIris=GreaterDOF
Tip:Becarefulofplayingwiththeirisindaylight;youcan’tpushuptheiristoomuchwhenthere’s
naturallightotherwiseyou’lljustgetburnout.
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2.FocalLength(Zoom)
Thisreferstohowfaryouarezoomedinrelationtotheopticalcentreofthecamera.
Morezoommakesforincreasedfocallength.Lesszoommakesfordecreasedfocallength.
Æ IntermsofDOF:
‐LongFocalLength=ShallowDOF
(thisgenerallyallowsyoutogiveamorecreativeeffectvisuallyandcanbeusedtoobtaincertain
dramaticeffects)
‐ShortFocalLength=GreatDOF
(Hereeverythingisinthesamefocalplainsoeverything’sclear)

Duringashootyou’dmakedecisionsaccordingtowhat’simportantintheshot.Inotherwords,your
choiceindepthoffieldwouldbedeterminedbyyouroutcomesfortheshot.The
cinematographer/directorneedstoaskwhattheshotisbeingcomposedfor;whatpurposeitisto
serve;whatmessageitistogetacross.Variousconnotationscanbeachievedbymanipulatingdepth
offieldinthisway.

3.CameratoObjectDistance
IntermsofDOF:
‐Thecloserthecameraistotheobject,themoreshallowtheDOF.
‐Thefurtherawaythecameraisfromtheobject,thegreatertheDOF.

ASIDE
SHUTTER 
Becarefulwhenusingtheshuttertomanipulateyourpicture!
Whatit’sfor:
‐Togetthemaximumamountoflightcomingthroughindifficultlightingsituations.Essentially
playingwiththeshutterisamanipulationoftheframerate.
Howitworks:
‐Thehighertheshutterspeed,thechoppiertheimage,andthelowertheshutterspeedthesmoother
theimage.
Æ inbothofthesescenarioshavingtheshutterspeedtoohighortoolowcanresultinastrange
picture.
Forexample,toohighashutterspeedcangiveajumpypicture,whiletoolowashutterspeedcan
createasmeareffect(notunlikethefeatherededgeeffectinpost).

FOCUS 
Tips:
‐Auto‐focussetting
Æ thistakesthemid‐pointasthepointoffocus.
Soifyouwanttofocusonaspecificthing,makesureit’sdeadcentre,pushAF,andthat’llbeyour
focus.Thisfocusshouldstayonceyou’vemovedthecamera.

‐ManualFocus Æ Turntheringanti‐clockwiseforcloserobjectsandclockwiseforobjectsthatare
furtheraway.

COMPOSITION 
FRAMING
Itisveryimportanttoadheretoframingsinapiece.Consistencybetweenframingsiscrucial.Inother
words,keepyourclose‐ups,mediumsandwides,etc.thesamethroughoutyourpiece.

1.ExtremeClose‐Up
‐Inthisshotthesubjectfillstheframe
‐Conventionholdsthatthedistancebetweenthemouthandthebottomoftheframebegreaterthan
thedistancebetweentheeyesandthetopoftheframe(i.e.morechinthanbrowshouldshow).
‐Thistypeoflookcreatesconnotationsofalargepersonality,andlendsanintensitytothepicture.
‐Overallanatmosphereofpoweriscreated.
‐Ifthisshotweretobereversedwiththeforeheadbeingmoreprominent,theoppositeeffectwould
beachieved.

2.Medium
‐Inthisshotthere’smorespaceatthebottomthanatthetopoftheframe
‐Thistypeofshotgenerallyvalidatesthesubjectmore
‐Ifthisshotwasreversedwithlessspaceatthebottomandmoreatthetop,thentheoppositeeffect
wouldbeachieved:thesubjectwouldlookweakerandmoresubservient.
‐Becarefultomakesurethereissomeheadroomintheseshotsthough

MOVEMENT 
‐Whenmovingwithinashotit’sagoodideatostartslow,speedup,andendslow
Æ thisallowsyoutoaccommodateforanychangesthatmayoccur.Itisalsoimportanttospeedup
yourshotoveranyboringbitsandratherkeepitslowerduringinterestingbits.Makesureyougoslow
enoughtokeeptheinterestingbitsinsoastocovertheboringbits,thenzippasttheboringbitsand
goslowontheinterestingbits.
‐Thisappliestoallmovements,suchaspans

‐Ineverycameramovementtheshotshouldbebrokenupintothreeshots
Æ thisprovidesyoureditorwithshotstoworkwith(still‐move‐still).
Tip:
Coverupanyzoomsyoumayneedtodowithpans.Agoodcameramanwillpracticeuntilthezoomis
virtuallyimperceptibleunderneaththepan.



Hardware

CABLES 
Thereareoodlesofdifferenttypesofcableswhichwe’llutiliseintheindustry.Theycanbeloosely
dividedintothreemaincategories:video,audio,andcontrolaccordingtowhattypeofinformation
theycarry.Essentiallycablescarrysignalsviaamediumfromonepointtoanotherandthereforecan
furtherbedividedintermsofwhichtypeofsignaltheycarry:i.e.analogueordigital.

VIDEOAUDIO CONTROL
KettlePlugs
Thesecanbeeitherminiorfull
size
‐Identification:Theseareyour
standardkettle‐lookingcables,
socalledbecausethat’swhat
theywereoriginallyusedfor.
‐Usage:Kettleplugsarecontrol
cableswhichcarrythepowerto
controlspecificdevices
BNCCable
‐Identification:Thisisthecable
withtheroundhead;themetal
pronginthecentre;plastic
aroundthat;andmetalround
that
‐Usage:Thisisavideocable
only.
Thisisthecablethatwouldgo
intomonitors,videomachines,
basicallyanythingthatcarriesa
highqualityvideooutput


‐Features:notsubjecttoalot
ofinterference.
Themalepointisattachedto
thedeviceandthefemales
connectthese
‐Extra:*seebottom
[analogue]
RCA
‐Identification:thisistheblackcablewiththeredjack‐lookingend
(liketheonesusedforDVDplayers)
‐Usage:Carriesvideoandaudiosignals
‐Features:Thisisnotaprofessionalcableandoffersmore
resistancethanBNCcables
[analogue]
Firewire1394
‐Identification:Thecordwiththecomputer‐fittingbitononeendandtheUSBcordlookingbitonthe
other.
TherearethreetypesofFirewirecables,namely4to6;4to4;and6to6(thesenumbersrefertothe
sizeoftheendbits)[weuse4to6akasmalltobig]
Therearetwospeeds,namely400and800.Weuse400;800isformoremodernmachinesorMacs
andthisisthesamespeedasaUSB2port.
‐Usage:Forvideoandaudiouse
‐Features:OriginallydevelopedbyAppleMacandusestheirencoding.
[digital]
Component
3streams:R,G&B

SVideoorSVHScableorY/C
cable
Features:Thisoffersacleaner
signal

9‐pinremoteakaRS
S

Usage:Digitaloranalogue

controlinfo
XLR
‐Identification:Thisisthemale
tofemalecable,whichhas
threeprongsononesideand
threeholesontheother.
‐Usage:Itoperatesonthree
channels,whicharecommon,
leftandright.
‐Features:Therefore,thiscable
cantakestereo.
Jac
k
‐Identification:Thisisajack
andhasthejack‐lookingsilver
prongattachedtoacable.
‐Usage:Thefemalesareplugs
andreceptaclesformalejacks,
connectingandcreatinga
pathway.
‐Features:Ablackringaround
thebaseofthesilverpoint
indicatesastereojack.


*AdditionalinfoabouttheBNCcable:anextrapieceofhardwarecanbeusedwiththiscabletosplit
thesignal.ThisisknownastheBNCT‐piece.ItisaT‐shapeddevicethatyouplugintotheendofthe
BNCcableandittakesthevideosignalandsendsittomorethanonedevice(usefulifyouwantto
broadcastonmultiplemonitors).
Theonlydrawbackwiththistoolisthatitincreasestheresistancethusmakingthesignalweakerand
thequalitysubsequentlylower.
Inordertofixthislostsignalhowever,thereisatoolknownasaDistributionAmplifier(DA),which
improvesthesignal.Thiscanalsobeusedoverlongdistances.




VideoPaths 
Therearevariousvideopathwayswhichdeterminethequalityofthesignal.Generallythebetterthe
cablethatisused,thebetterthepicturewillbe.Soifabadcableisusedthere’llbemorecrawland
noise,whereasamoreadvancedcablecanhelptoproduceacleanerpicture.
1.Composite
Æ Analogue
Thisisjustvideoandproducesprettycrappy,noisy,slowpicture.

2.Component
Æ Analogue
Moreadvancedandproducesabetter,moreprofessionalpicture

3.RemoteCable
Æ Controlcable
AudioPaths 
Therearevariousaudiopathwayswhichdeterminethesound:
1.XLR
‐Identification:Thisisthemaletofemalecable,whichhasthreeprongsononesideandthreeholes
ontheother.
‐Usage:Itoperatesonthreechannels,whicharecommon,leftandright.
‐Features:Therefore,thiscablecantakestereo.

2.Jack(alsogetmini‐jackandmini‐mini‐jack)
‐Identification:Thisisajackandhasthejack‐lookingsilverprongattachedtoacable.
‐Usage:Thefemalesareplugsandreceptaclesformalejacks,connectingandcreatingapathway.
‐Features:Ablackringaroundthebaseofthesilverpointindicatesastereojack.
General 
*Plugs Æ Plugsarereferredtomainlyintwoways:
1.3‐prong15ampplug–goestoa15ampcircuitbreaker
2.2‐prong13ampplug–goestoa13ampcircuitbreaker

*Adapters
Æ Thesecanbeusedtochangetheplugsex.

SOUND

Theaudiopathwaybetweenthecameraanditsvariousinput/outputdevicesisasfollows:
input
ÎMic
Æ XLRcable Æ shuremixer Æ 
Îoutputdevice(camera)
 output
In
Æ    Æ out(cans)
camera
Therearefourdifferenttypesofmicwhichwewilluse:
1. Stereomic(thisisthemicfittedtothefrontofthecamera)
2. Riflemic
3. Lapel
4. Sennheiserhand‐heldmic
RifleMic 
Ariflemicisdirectionalandsonamedbecauseofitsshape.Ariflemicisbestusedinsituationswhere
thereisbackgroundnoiseandonewantstofocusononespecificsound.
Togetoptimumsounditisgoodtousetheriflemicinconjunctionwiththeshuremixer,inthe
followingway:



cameraShuremixer Ri
f
lemi
c

Agreencablerunsbetweenthecameraandtheshuremixerandayellowcablerunsbetweenthe
mixerandtheriflemic.
Theheadphonesthenplugintotheheadphonejackoftheshuremixer(usethebigjackandnotthe
smalloneasitismorereliable)

Whenusingtheriflemicitisadvisednottostandmorethan1.5mawayfromthesubject 
TheShureMixer 
Basicallytheshuremixerservesasaninterfacebetweenthecameraandwhatevermicyouchooseto
use.Itspurposeistoregulatethelevelssoastoensurethatyouattainthebestpossiblesound.
Beforeusingtheshuremixeroneshouldcallabratethetonestoensurethatthesoundlevelsareallin
synch.Thismakessurethattherecordinglevelsonthemixerarecallabratedwiththoseonthe
camera,whichisessentialforgettinggoodsound.
•Forcallabrationpressthetonebuttonontheshuremixerandonceyouhearthetone,setthe
masterdialto‐4.
•SwitchAudio1onthecameratomaualinordertochangethefrequency
•Setthelevelonthecamerato‐12(Itwillbehighlightedinaboxonthedial)
•Switchthetoneswitchoffonceitisset
MakingtheMicStereo 
Inordertocheckthatthesoundisworkingwithbouttheinputdeviceandtherecordingthereisa
blackcablewithvariousplugswhichcanbeused.Theseplugintothedevicestocheckthesound
‘return’.
Todothisonesetstheknobonthemixer
Thiscreatesparity–Thisessentiallymeansthereisadoublesystemwherebyyoucheckonsound
comingintothemixerandbeingrecorded.

XL1AUDIOGUIDE 

DigitalAudioRecording 
CANONDIGITALAUDIORECORDING
Canon’sXL1recordsinthe(relatively)newDVformat.Thisformatmakesforgreatlyexpandedaudio
capabilitiesbecauseofitsuseofPulseCodeModulation(PCM).
Æ thistypeofrecordingdiffersfromanaloguerecordingwheresoundwavesarerecordedaschanges
inthemagneticfieldonthetape.
Æ withdigitalaudiorecording,soundisrecordedasa0or1,whichisthenconvertedtoapulsecode.
[binaryvibe].
SOUNDWAVES
‐Soundwaves=vibrationsintheair;2properties:
Æ Thefrequencygoesfrombass(low)totreble(high)andreferstothenumberoftimespersecond
thewavegoesthroughacycle.Themorecyclespersecond,thehigherthefrequency
Æ Theamplitudegoesfromsofttoloudandreferstotheswingofthecurve.Thefurtherthecurve
swingsaboveorbelowthecentreline,thelouderthesignal.
[togetherfrequency+amplitudemakeupthesinewave]
‐Theaverageearprocesses20(20Hz)to20000cyclespersecond.
Æ thewavelengthbecomesshorterasthefrequencyrises

HOWTHECAMERAPROCESSESDIGITALSOUND
 Æ   Æ analoguesignal Æ A/DConverter
SoundCamera
mi
c


ThecamerapicksupananaloguesignalandusesanAnalogue‐to‐Digital(A/D)converter.
Forplayback,thesoundisprocessedthroughaDigital‐to‐Analogue(D/A)converter.
QUALITY
‐Digitalsystemsmeasureinsteps,buttheanaloguesignalsthey’remeasuringarecontinuous.

Æ Ananaloguesystemhasaninfiniterangeofvalueswhichitcanrecord
Æ Digitalsystemscanrecordonlyafinitenumberofthosevalues
Thismeansthatdigitalsystemshavesomeinevitablemismatchintherecording,andeverysuch
mismatchaddsnoiseanddistortiontothesignal.
‐Digitalsystemsusebinarycode–1’sand0’s.
Æ eachdigitaddeddoublesthenumberofpossiblevalues(i.e.a1digitnumberhas2values,a2digit
has4,a3digithas8,etc.)
Æ eachtimeadigitisaddedtheamountofinaccuracyiscutinhalf
Æ 1digitreducesnoiseanddistortionby6dB(thedigitismultipliedbysixtogetthedB)
Sowhateverthebitsystemis,multiplyby6togetitsrange.
e.g.aCD=16bitsoit’s96dB

DIGITALFEATURES
‐Copyingasignaldegradesit,butnotindigitalreproduction
‐Digitalhasnowoworflutter,becausethebuffercircuitsmoothsoutspeedvariations.
‐A/Dconverter
Æ inthisconversionprocessthequalityisaffectedby2variables:
1.Samplerate–thehigherthesampleratethebetter;thisgivesyouthathi‐fisound
2.Bitdepth‐themorebitsthemoreaccuratethemeasurement
3DigitalaudiomodesontheXL1 
1.16‐bitStereo(48kHz,2channel)
‐highestsoundquality
‐16bit=theamountofdatarecordedandtherange
‐Needasamplingrateof48kHz,44.1kHzor32kHz

2.12‐bitStereo(32kHz,2channels)
‐Recordson2ofthe4channels
‐Leavesstereo2availableforadditionalsound(music,narration,etc)–post‐prodsound


3.12‐bitStereo(32kHz,4channels)
‐Simultaneousrecordingon4channels(1and2)
‐Canusecamerasoundand2remotemics–allonseparatechannels
‐Post‐productionselectionscanbemade
XL1MICS
‐MA‐100attachmentallowstheuseof2professionalXLRmicsor2wirelessmics
‐XL1recordssoundin‘unlockedaudio’
Æ completelyinsyncwithvideo,butsamplerateisn’tfixed
Æ unlockedallowsforslightvariationsinthenumberofsamplesperframe
‐AudioMonitor
Æ onlywhenusing12bit(Stereo1and2)
Æ Forsoundchecks

PROCEDURE 
‐Audioinput–2channelrecording(Stereo2)–usingmini‐jacks
Mic=suppliedsoundsource/extmicpluggedintomini‐jacks
Tip:ATT–Attentuator
Æ usefulforloudenvironments,reducesnoiseformorenaturalsound
‐Audio1Inputfor2channelrecording(Stereo1)–usingRCAjacks.
Soundsource=VCR,CD.
‐AudioInputfor4channelrecording(Stereo1and2,simultaneous)
UsingRCAjacks,soundsource=mic,externalmic,VCR/CD,line‐indevices

Tip:
Indifficultsoundsituations,suchasobtainingbathroomsound,itisusefultocutthebaselines.These
areontheknobsontheshuremixerandyoujustadjustthedial.Thisgetsridofthehollowsoundand
givesamorenaturalsound.


Lighting

Therearethreebasicshots:
1.PackShot

Æ Thisisaperfectlylightedshot,butthelightingissubtle
Æ Clearlighting
Æ Pleasingtotheeyeandde‐narrativised
Æ Moreneutralcolourtemperature

Examplesincludemagazinecovers
[TIP:Whiteumbrellatechnique–thisscatterstheraysoflightandisgoodifyou’veonlygotonelight]

2.StandardThree‐pointinterview

Æ Notverystylised
Æ Oftenusedfordocumentaries
Æ Goodforgivingthecorrectdepthandfeaturesofsubject
Æ Usesthreepointsoflightasfollows














Bac
k
Æ thebacklightgives
depthandthiscanbe
alteredbyanglingit
higher
Key
Fil
l
subject

Æ thekeylightis
thestrongestlight
andsitsatabouta
45degreeangle




 

3.Night/Moonlight

Æ Foramoredramaticandmoodyeffect
Æ Thisisamorenarrationalapproach
Æ Requiresadifferentcolourbalance

Then,forlightingwhenthereisnaturallightavailable:

‐Ambientlighting

Withambientlighting,oneshouldtrytomimic,forexample,thestandardthreepointtechniqueusing
whatevernaturallightisavailable.Forexampleonemayuselightcominginfromthewindowaskey,
andthenlightsturnedonintheroomasthefillandbacklights.Duringourworkshopwegotsomeof
ourbestshotsusingambientlight.Ifusedproperlyitcanbeveryclean,pleasingtotheeye,andmake
subjectslookveryattractive.

NEWTERMS 
‐Blondes:theseareextremelypowerfullightsthatyouwouldn’tcommonlytakeintothefield.[Tip:be
carefulwhenusingtheminareaswhichhavealowpowersupplybecausetheymayblowthecircuitry
withtheirridiculouspower–notthebestoptionforshootinginaruralschool,orthelike].
‐Redheads:Thesearelesspowerful,moreversatilelightswhichyouwouldtakeintothefield.
‐Gels:thecolouredplasticpaperswhichyouputoveralighttochangeitstone
‐Scrim:thecleargelpaperwhichyouputoveralight
‐Gobo:ashorteningof‘gobetween’–thisisamediumbetweenthelightandthesubjectwhich
reflectsthelight.
Thesecanbeusedincreativeways,suchasafanwithstripsofnewspaperstucktoitandblowingto
createtheeffectofrippledlight.Orabodyofwatertocreateamoredappledeffect;inthiswayone
canmimicpoolsorlakes,orgenerallycreateamoreinterestingshot.
Agoboisusedwhenyouneedtoreflectthelightoffsomethingelsebecauseitisn’tgivingthedesired
effectshiningdirectlyonthesource,orwhenit’simpossibletoplacethelightdirectlyinthepathof
thesource.Sometimestheroommaybetoosmalltodothis,oranoddshape,oryoumaybeinan
awkwardplace,andsoagobobecomesveryuseful.
