Lesson 9: Tech Class

Year 11 Camera: Panasonic HDC HS900

• Full HD Camera, 50p, 1920 x 1080 (can swap to 1080/50p)
• Good for Slow Motion & Time Lapse
• Ring Dial w/ Assign Button in front: Instant Access to the Camera Functions: Focus
• 3MOS Sensor: Creates vivid images, good for visual effects & colour correction
• Shortcut Buttons for Zoom
• Two Types of SD (Secure Digital) Card Slots: Card goes in halfway / Full card goes in 
• 16GB SD Card: Class 10 (Speed) SD Card. The side with the sticker is the front of the card.
• Built-in Speaker
• Change the Battery using Battery Release Button
• View Finder: when screen is too bright on sunny days, you can check if the shot is in focus with View Finder
• Corner of the Camera: Plug for the Camera Cable (Once it's plugged in you will see the light) *When filming indoors, plug in cable to save battery life
• Next to Hand Strap: Audio Input / Output
• Can Record in 220 GB Hard Disk (For Time Lapses)
• Lens Hood - to keep the sun off the lens 
• 5 in 1 Surround Sound Microphone
• Telephoto Feature (don't press the wrong button)
• OIS Button: Image Stabiliser 
• Manual Button: Controls whether camera is Automatic or Manual
• Dial on the Top: Switch Mode: Playback - Filming
• Shoe - plug in lights, microphones

Camera Functions - LCD Screen

• Bottom Left Hand Corner (Triangles): Main Menu Button
• Blue Menu
• Q Menu - Quick Menu
• Shortcuts for Zoom, WB, etc
• Touching the Screen would bring up the features 
• 2h 46 mins / 1h 22 mins Recording Time
• HG 1920: 25 pf / 50i or 1080/50p - Must record with same format on SD card
• 3MOS Sensor (Computer Chip that Captures the Image - Determines Size and Resolution) - Light Travels through the Lens to the Iris to the Shutter

1. Initialise (Format the SD card - Delete all the footage, and prepare the SD card structure for when it is plugged into the laptop): Blue Menu - Setup - Scroll to FORMAT MEDIA - Select SD CARD
2. White Balance: More Tones of White than any colour in the World. Avoid shadows on the image when placing white in the camera's field of view. Main Menu - Scroll Through Menu - WB - Find the Icon and Press it. Take your white balance at where you are filming.
3. SHTR: Shutter: Speed: 1/25, 1/50, 1/100, 1/125 etc. Shutter Speed controls the exposure and motion blur of the image. Overexposed (too bright); Underexposed (too dark). Slow Motion - use as high shutter speed as possible (along with higher frame rate and a lot of light - adjusting IRIS). Base Line Shuttle Speed: Shooting in frame rate 25p - 1/50 (Natural Motion Blur); 50p - 1/100 (Double It - 180 Degree Rule)
4. IRIS: Camera 'Eye': Blades that form a circle and controls the amount of light let into your image (exposure) as well as Depth of Field (shallow focus / deep focus). Above 3dB - image will become grain. F-stops - size of the Iris / focus range - the lower the number, the more shallow the depth of field. If not necessary, leave it on OPEN.
5. FOCUS: Determines if something is clear / sharp / blurred out. Choose MF (manual focus), and use Ring Dial to adjust focus. Focus Assist - the blue lines show what is in focus. If blue box doesn't show up: Menu Button - Record Setup - MF Assist - Turn it on.
6. ZEBRA: Overexposed areas will show Zebra lines. (You can see when adjusting Iris)

Location Scouting: Take photos, and use your phone to record sound (30 SECS). Go at the time when you will be filming.

Before the Tech Session started, Charlotte, Wing Kwan, and I started working on the storyboard and discussed what opening shots we should use, while Henry worked on the script. All three of us had different opinions, but we were all very open-minded to each other's ideas. We would give suggestions to each other's ideas and decide on which is more suitable.