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Help!
Hello. I am new to all of this forum stuff, but I really need Varicam help.
I am the DoP on a varicam shoot starting jan 22nd. I have never shot with or even held a varicam before, so you can see why I’m worried.
Well my first question is about mounting the Varicam. At my school we have a Cartoni C-10 tripod package I’d really love to use instead of renting the tripod. I talked to a professor there and he thought it would work if I received some sort of “shoe” from the rental house. Is this true? I cannot find enough info on the web to really be 100% certain.
ok…question number 2
What lens gives the best range for the camera? Anyone have any suggestions?Thank you so much for reading my frantic post! Please help me out!
-Dara
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3 Replies
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Dara,
The schools’ Cartoni will probably suffice, but you should know that most camera rental vendors include a tripod, batteries and charger and AC power supply with a basic camera package (body and lens). Also included are “standard” camera accessories such as tripod plate, on-camera microphone, viewfinder and carry or shipping case.
Your lens choice is either the standard 21 or 22x zoom lens or the wide angle version of 11 or 13x (depending on manufacturer – Canon or Fujinon). Most professionals carry both lenses as the WA is better for hand held and interior or other small locations while the longer zoom lens is more appropriate for extrerior shooting. Based on your shoot specifications one or the other (or both if money allows) will be the better choice.
The more important considerations will be how you setup the camera. as it has many subtleties in dynamic range, detail, color reproduction, etc. I’d recommend that you peruse Goodman’s Guide to the Varicam at the least to help prepare for using this camera. Maybe the rental house will indulge your presence for a custom setup during checkout. I’d suggest buying a memory card to record several settings which might be appropriate for different scenes in your project.
You’ll need to know the intended workflo and exhibition objective to guide the setup parameters, for example will it be shown on video screens or projectors, or is the intention for eventual “film out”?
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[john sharaf] “You’ll need to know the intended workflo and exhibition objective to guide the setup parameters, for example will it be shown on video screens or projectors, or is the intention for eventual “film out”?”
The director is always changing his response to this, but lately the intentions surround video screens.
Thank you for you’re response, I will order Goodman’s Guide right away!
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Dara,
I highly suggest before you start messing with any internal menu’s eventually leading to a “digital mess” that yourself and crew obtain some hard core advance time with the camera or any video camera to understand the basic video 101 procedures on how to work with a video camera.
Learn how to properly mount and secure the camera onto the quick release camera plate. Learn how to calibrate the electronic viewfinder for proper display and viewing for your specific needs. Learn where all the switches are and what they do. Learn how to load and eject the tape correctly, how to rewind and playback the footage, how to “write protect” the tape(s) thereby avoiding any chance of erasing the tapes.
If you do not make it your responsibility to learn the basic handling and operation of the camera in advance of your shoot your will be setting yourself up for failure in the field. The most important part of your educational process needs to be understanding “those who plan in advance are planning for success those who do not plan at all plan for failure”.
On the set fumbling around can lead to dangerous results or damage to the camera if you do not understand the core basics of operating the camera.
It does not matter if it is a Varicam, F900 or Viper as some of the most basic fundamental operational and care of the camera apply to all.I wish you the best of luck on your shoot.
Tony Salgado
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