d. Camera techniques.
(1) Do not use extreme long shots (ELS) when filming for TV.
This is
true if any detail in the shot shows.
Most TV receivers are not capable of
presenting detail in an ELS. For this same reason, keep long shots (LS) to a
minimum. Use more medium shots (MS) and closeups (CU) than in normal filming.
(2) Composition.
When filming for TV, it is necessary to frame less
tightly. You must leave more room at the edge of your frame than you normally
would.
The first problem is curvature of the TV tube.
Also, the tube
aperture, that is, the frame that supports the picture tube, cuts off a portion
of the edges of the film area. This is called television image cut-off. In
other words, what you shoot is not what you will see on the TV screen.
For
this reason, we use what is known as the safe action area.
e. Safe action area.
(1) Safe action area is shown in figure 1-5. The Arriflex camera has a
safe action frame built into the viewfinder.
Cameras that do not have this
frame built in must be used with this frame in mind.
When filming for TV
without a special frame in your viewfinder, leave 10 percent around the frame
to allow for TV image cut-off. This is especially true when filming CUs.
(2) The safe title area (used when filming titles for TV) is even
smaller.
You must leave 15 percent around the frame when filming titles for
TV.
Figure 1-5.
Television film apertures and safe areas
f. Camera movement. The same principles apply to moving your camera for
TV and theater projection. The main thing to remember is that all dolly
13
Previous Page
