IntroductionWelcome| 00:00 | (music playing)
| | 00:04 | Hi! My name is Rich Harrington and welcome
to this video where we're going to be
| | 00:08 | exploring site surveys and location scouting.
| | 00:10 | I'm going to share with you
practical advice, what I do when I go out on
| | 00:14 | location to get ready for a video shoot.
| | 00:17 | Now the techniques we're going to cover
will work for both video and photo shoots,
| | 00:20 | and essentially, I'm going to
share with you the practical advice.
| | 00:24 | What does it take to find a great location?
| | 00:26 | What do you need to know about
that location before you get there?
| | 00:29 | What sort of things should you check for
to make sure that the location is going
| | 00:32 | to be suitable for the type
of production you're planning?
| | 00:35 | There's a lot to this, and whether
you're highly experienced in video and
| | 00:39 | photography shoots or brand new, I
think you're going to get some practical
| | 00:42 | advice that will reduce
stress and increase profitability.
| | 00:46 | With that in mind, let's jump in.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| What you should know before watching this course| 00:00 | If you're completely new to video
production, you might want to explore some of
| | 00:03 | the other courses available here on
the lynda online training library.
| | 00:07 | You'll find classes to get you
familiar with some of the practical aspects of
| | 00:11 | video and photography fieldwork.
| | 00:13 | However, what we're going to focus
on here is everything it takes to get
| | 00:17 | ready for the shoot.
| | 00:19 | Now if your lynda.com membership
includes it, we do have some premium files
| | 00:23 | that you could download.
| | 00:24 | These include some templates and
checklists, as well as preproduction planning
| | 00:28 | documents that you might find useful.
| | 00:30 | Getting ready for a location scout and
then going out and doing it, as well as
| | 00:35 | the act of a site survey, is pretty
practical, straightforward stuff.
| | 00:38 | So, whether you're old-hand or
brand-new, I think you'll find that just changing
| | 00:43 | your approach to site surveys and
location scouting will have major benefits in
| | 00:47 | your overall workflow.
| | Collapse this transcript |
|
|
1. The Importance of the Site SurveyUnderstanding the importance of a site survey| 00:00 | Let's start off with practical advice.
| | 00:02 | What exactly is a site survey?
| | 00:04 | Well, for different folks this is
going to take on different meanings,
| | 00:08 | but I'd like to frame it from my point
of view, so you'll understand the sort of
| | 00:12 | things you'll learn today.
| | 00:13 | First off, I see a site survey as
being a thorough review of the location, to
| | 00:18 | make sure that it's ready to use
in a video or a photo production.
| | 00:22 | The idea here is that you're
taking a look at the locations.
| | 00:26 | Sometimes those occasions are
going to be ones that you've selected.
| | 00:29 | Other times they're going to be
provided by your client or maybe a location-
| | 00:33 | scouting service, and you're going to
want to make sure that those locations
| | 00:37 | that have been selected
are actually ready to use.
| | 00:41 | This is also a great opportunity to discover if
there's going to be any risks or opportunities.
| | 00:45 | For example, the location may lend itself
to some great shots that you hadn't plan for.
| | 00:51 | Maybe there is just a perfect outlook
or you really like the backlighting and
| | 00:55 | you want to adjust the script or the scene.
| | 00:58 | Additionally, there might be risks.
| | 01:00 | Maybe the location isn't as safe as
you would like, or it will be difficult to
| | 01:04 | get power to, so you're going to have
to take extra steps to make sure that the
| | 01:08 | location is ready for your style of shooting.
| | 01:10 | This is really, though, a chance to
improve the creative inspiration.
| | 01:15 | It gives you a chance to
take a look at the locations.
| | 01:19 | Remember, the location is where your
scenes take place, and it's much more than
| | 01:24 | just a simple backdrop.
| | 01:25 | For example, our location today
is just a pure white backdrop,
| | 01:29 | completely minimalist,
| | 01:30 | but in most productions, you're going to
be going out to specific locations that
| | 01:34 | help reinforce your story.
| | 01:36 | You're going to be looking for things
that build, that add to the scene, but
| | 01:40 | don't distract, and it becomes
important that the locations you're choosing
| | 01:44 | are a good match.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Mitigating risks for a production| 00:00 | You might think from the title of this
movie that we're talking about insurance
| | 00:04 | claims, but it's
actually much simpler than that.
| | 00:06 | Mitigating risk just means removing
the opportunity for things to go wrong.
| | 00:11 | And the benefit of the site
survey is it does just that.
| | 00:14 | By going out and looking at your site
and really assessing what's there, you
| | 00:19 | could remove potential risks that are going to
make the overall production go much smoother.
| | 00:23 | For example, some of the things you're
going to look for are technical problems.
| | 00:29 | Is there going to be any
issue with the location?
| | 00:32 | Is there challenging lighting, such as
overhead skylights that you're going to have to gel?
| | 00:37 | Is there a lack of power?
| | 00:39 | Is it going to be difficult to put
lights in because the room is too small?
| | 00:43 | You're going to look for opportunities
and challenges that will affect how you
| | 00:48 | light the scene or where
you stage the equipment.
| | 00:52 | Additionally, you're going to want to
make sure that you get permissions for
| | 00:55 | usage, not just the location
itself but the area surrounding it.
| | 00:59 | Have you determined where
you're going to park your vehicles?
| | 01:01 | Do you know where you're
going to store your gear?
| | 01:03 | Do you have permissions to
be in the surrounding areas?
| | 01:07 | Have you actually addressed with
the neighbors if you're going to be
| | 01:10 | bothering them or getting in their way, that they
know what's happening on the day of production.
| | 01:14 | You're going to want to take a look and see
if you're going to need any special equipment.
| | 01:19 | This can include things like generators
or overhead silks to diffuse the light.
| | 01:23 | Do you need pop-up tents
to store your equipment?
| | 01:26 | What is it that you have to bring
so the location is ready to use?
| | 01:31 | The other benefit here is that it
really forces the team to focus on the
| | 01:35 | project in advance.
| | 01:37 | By coming to the location and looking
at it, you can ensure that everybody is
| | 01:42 | thinking about what's involved in the project.
| | 01:46 | Remember, when it comes to video
production, you and your crew often have
| | 01:49 | multiple jobs stacked up back to back.
| | 01:52 | You may have a job on one side of town
one week for a client and then all the
| | 01:56 | way on the other side of the
country next week for a different one.
| | 01:59 | The benefit of doing the location scout
or the site survey is that it forces you
| | 02:04 | to look at the location and to really
think about how you're going to take the
| | 02:07 | place you're shooting and the script
that you have or the treatment that you
| | 02:11 | have and bring it to life.
| | 02:13 | This is when the production becomes
real for most of the people on your crew.
| | 02:17 | Going to the location forces you to
look at it and make sure that it's suitable
| | 02:22 | and can help you achieve
the goals of your script.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Reducing costs for a production| 00:00 | These days, when it comes to modern media
production and photo shoots, cost is a huge issue.
| | 00:05 | There is a lot of downward
pressure to keep the prices low.
| | 00:09 | And unlike the old days where you could
have director's chair sitting around and
| | 00:13 | a large craft service table while
people were just happy to be on the set and
| | 00:18 | let the creative juices flow,
| | 00:19 | these days people expect
things to be fast and efficient.
| | 00:23 | Now, you may have the benefit of
finding yourself on one of those shoots with
| | 00:26 | luxury items, but for the most part,
it's all about get in and get it done, and
| | 00:31 | so people want to save
cost in modern productions.
| | 00:35 | One of the advantages of your location
scout or site survey is that it's going
| | 00:39 | to help you find out some of the issues.
| | 00:41 | The biggest one for me is that it
ensures we only bring what is needed.
| | 00:45 | For example, it you're working with
the director of photography and he or she
| | 00:50 | doesn't know what type of shots you're
going to need or where the cameras are
| | 00:53 | going to be positioned,
they may bring extra lenses just to be safe.
| | 00:58 | Or you might find yourself bringing
additional lights on set that you don't need.
| | 01:03 | The advantage of going to the location
and looking at it, particularly for things
| | 01:06 | like camera position and lighting, is
it's going to make sure that you understand
| | 01:10 | how you're going to achieve
the shots that are necessary.
| | 01:13 | You'll then bring only what's needed.
| | 01:16 | One of the other major benefits is it
will reduce the time from when you first
| | 01:20 | get there to when the shot is ready.
| | 01:22 | One of the things that I hate is
getting on set and sitting around while
| | 01:26 | people figure it out.
| | 01:28 | You want to know exactly the order that
you're going to be shooting, where the
| | 01:32 | equipment goes. The producer or the
associate producer on set needs to be able
| | 01:37 | to tell everyone else what to do:
| | 01:39 | "This goes there, our first shot is right here.
| | 01:42 | This is the equipment we
need to pull off the first shot."
| | 01:46 | You want to plan before you get
there so it becomes simple deployment.
| | 01:50 | Do your logistics before you arrive in the
field and you will get twice as much done.
| | 01:56 | Another advantage is that you can
eliminate locations that are going to be too
| | 01:59 | expensive to shoot with.
| | 02:01 | For example, an inexperienced location
scout may find a beautiful scenic lake.
| | 02:07 | However, it's going to take you two
miles of hiking the equipment in, and all the
| | 02:11 | power's going to have
to run off of batteries.
| | 02:14 | Well, you might choose a lake that's not
so scenic or one that has easy drive-up
| | 02:19 | access and has a perfect view when
you're just looking at that one part of it.
| | 02:24 | Remember, a location doesn't
have to be beautiful in 360 degrees.
| | 02:28 | Some of the best locations look good on
camera but not so good when you look around.
| | 02:34 | You are simply creating the magic,
and you need to find a location that's a
| | 02:37 | good balance between what you're
shooting and how hard it's going to be to
| | 02:42 | actually shoot there.
| | 02:43 | This is one of the ways that you'll
save the most money: making sure that
| | 02:46 | the location is easily accessible
and has the amenities needed for a
| | 02:51 | successful video shoot.
| | Collapse this transcript |
|
|
2. The Purpose of a Site SurveyThe reason we do site surveys| 00:00 | One of the first things that get cut
from the budget is the site survey.
| | 00:04 | This is because clients think, well, why am I
paying you to figure out how to do your job?
| | 00:09 | Isn't that your responsibility?
| | 00:11 | People often undermine the value of
what it takes to go out there and just walk
| | 00:16 | about, to take a look around, to make
sure a location is going to work.
| | 00:20 | Now, if I'm going back to location I've
shot at before, I may cut the site survey.
| | 00:25 | But even if the client is pressuring
me to take it out of the budget, I still
| | 00:29 | often go and do the site survey
because it makes me look better.
| | 00:32 | When I get on location and I know where
I'm shooting and where everything is at,
| | 00:37 | I have a better shoot,
| | 00:38 | and that's why we do a site survey.
| | 00:41 | So, a couple of additional reasons if
you need some thought or to give to your
| | 00:45 | client or perhaps the executive
producer who's controlling your budget.
| | 00:49 | First off, remember, productions are expensive.
| | 00:54 | You want to maximize the overall productivity.
| | 00:56 | One of the things I often say is, do
you want me to go out with a plan or do
| | 01:01 | you want me to go out with the crew who
stands around and waits while I figure it out?
| | 01:06 | Fortunately, I have a lot of
years of directing live television.
| | 01:09 | I'm generally pretty quick on my feet
and can make decisions quickly without
| | 01:13 | having to overthink.
| | 01:15 | However, I make better decisions when
I can go out, evaluate the location, and
| | 01:20 | have a little bit more time to process.
| | 01:22 | Additionally, the preplanning process
will ask the questions and determine the
| | 01:26 | solutions that you need before
the expensive day comes about.
| | 01:31 | This is just another way of saying that
you want the time to go out, think about
| | 01:35 | it, and determine the
problems before you get there.
| | 01:38 | It's a lot more expensive to have to
stop a production and wait while you send
| | 01:42 | the production assistant back to the
office to get a piece of equipment, or
| | 01:46 | while you're waiting for the grip
house to run over additional gear that you
| | 01:50 | need to pull off the next shot.
| | 01:52 | Remember, when you're paying crew by
the hour you want all those hours to be
| | 01:56 | actual production hours, not
sitting around-and-waiting hours.
| | 02:01 | Really, what happens here is you're
taking the concept that's been on paper and
| | 02:05 | you're putting a real-world face on it;
| | 02:07 | you're taking that script, turning it
into a shot list; you're taking that plan
| | 02:12 | and turning it into a shoot schedule.
| | 02:14 | Nobody loves paperwork, but the
fact of the matter is, crews need it.
| | 02:19 | You're going to want to go ahead and
take that shoot and break it down into the
| | 02:23 | essentials, making sure you have a
shot list, making sure you have your call
| | 02:26 | sheet, that you know all
the locations in advance.
| | 02:30 | I also try to make sure that I get
things like reference photos to help
| | 02:33 | speed the process up.
| | 02:35 | Now, we're going to explore some of
these specifics coming up shortly,
| | 02:38 | but just realize most people will
try to pressure you to cut the location
| | 02:43 | scout or the site survey. Don't.
| | 02:46 | Even if it means you have to do
it at your own expense, go do it.
| | 02:50 | Because the difference between an
effective shoot and an ineffective one
| | 02:53 | almost always comes down to the fact of,
did you go out and look at it before
| | 02:57 | you went and shot there?
| | Collapse this transcript |
| The technical objectives (the how)| 00:00 | I really see three major
reasons to do the site survey.
| | 00:03 | The first is to achieve the technical
objectives of what's going to be necessary
| | 00:07 | to pull off the shoot.
| | 00:09 | Here are some practical things to
think about when you go on location.
| | 00:12 | The first thing here is I like to
say, how am I going to do the shoot?
| | 00:17 | When I go on a site survey or a
location scout, I'm simply saying, what's
| | 00:21 | necessary to pull the shoot off?
| | 00:24 | This means is there any gear that I need?
| | 00:27 | I start to make a gear list,
| | 00:29 | and generally speaking, I go out with a
standard list that I normally shoot with.
| | 00:33 | Instead of starting from scratch, I
find that it's easier to remove items from
| | 00:37 | the list and then pencil in the
few additions that are necessary.
| | 00:41 | Chances are you have a list of gear
that you own; use that as a starting point.
| | 00:46 | You don't need to have every doodad
and whistle up there, but you do want to
| | 00:50 | include the major components.
| | 00:52 | Are you going to bring a
slider to get moving shots?
| | 00:55 | How many light stands do you think you need?
| | 00:57 | Are there are any special equipment
necessary for hanging the lights off the ceiling?
| | 01:01 | Think about next the crew that's needed.
| | 01:04 | Now, a lot of times you're going to have budget
constraints that you're going to have to follow,
| | 01:08 | but sometimes it's better to decide
if an extra set of hands is necessary.
| | 01:12 | For example, if I'm dealing with a
location where there's a pretty big distance
| | 01:15 | from where we have to park our
vehicles and where we have to store the
| | 01:18 | equipment, I'll bring an extra set of
hands. Maybe it's to run the gear back and
| | 01:23 | forth or to go get things that are necessary.
| | 01:25 | Maybe it's a location where parking
is going to be impossible and just having
| | 01:29 | a production assistant to sit with the
vehicle or perhaps drive around the block
| | 01:32 | a few times so you don't get a
ticket is going to really help things out.
| | 01:36 | What you're looking for here is making
sure you have enough bodies to pull the
| | 01:40 | production off, and not being afraid to
bring in extra production assistant for
| | 01:44 | $200 a day might be the make or break point
between a successful production and a failure.
| | 01:50 | So make sure you properly
analyze how many people you need.
| | 01:54 | Don't bring more than you need, but
don't be afraid to have some extra set of
| | 01:57 | hands to pull things off.
| | 01:59 | Additionally, think about
special situations or considerations.
| | 02:03 | Are there any permits that
are going to be necessary?
| | 02:05 | You're going to need to take a look
around and make sure you have enough power.
| | 02:08 | Most video productions require quite a
bit, so you might need to plan for things
| | 02:12 | like a generator or extensive
extension cords so you could run power from
| | 02:16 | different parts of the building.
| | 02:18 | This is also an
opportunity to do some test shooting.
| | 02:21 | I generally will bring a DSLR camera with me.
| | 02:24 | The nice thing about it is, with a zoom lens,
I can easily get different focal lengths.
| | 02:28 | I could frame up the shots.
| | 02:30 | Having an assistant or perhaps the
producer step in with me, we could take a look
| | 02:35 | and just frame up some test shots and get a
good idea of how everything is going to work.
| | 02:39 | You don't have to pull
all the equipment out there;
| | 02:41 | the nice thing with the modern DSLR
and a good zoom lens is you could easily
| | 02:45 | figure out the focal lengths you need
and get a good idea of how a location
| | 02:49 | is going to behave.
So, don't be afraid to do some test shots.
| | 02:53 | You can roll video or stills.
| | 02:55 | And even if you're not going to be
shooting on a DSLR, the DSLR camera is still
| | 02:59 | incredibly versatile, because it will
allow you to go ahead and get both video
| | 03:03 | and photos of that location.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| The logistical objectives (the where and the when)| 00:00 | The next sets of questions
that you need to get answered are
| | 00:02 | pretty straightforward; they're the logistic
questions: the where and the when.
| | 00:06 | What you need to do is figure
out these practical answers so your
| | 00:09 | production will be successful.
| | 00:12 | When it comes to the where, quite simply,
you need to understand, where are you
| | 00:16 | going to be shooting?
| | 00:17 | Now, some of these may come from the
location scout and you have lots of
| | 00:21 | potential locations to review.
| | 00:23 | In other cases, you may be given a
single location from the client, like, you
| | 00:27 | have access to our entire hospital, or
you can use anything within our corporate
| | 00:32 | office with the exception of these floors.
| | 00:35 | In this case, you need to go
through and look for the best shots.
| | 00:38 | This is where bringing a DSLR camera
on set can be helpful and you want to go
| | 00:42 | through ahead of time and determine
the best locations to shoot, the ones
| | 00:46 | that are going to provide interesting
backdrops without too many technical challenges.
| | 00:52 | Equally important, you need to understand
where you're going to store your equipment.
| | 00:56 | The hardest thing here is that you'll
often have more gear than you need for
| | 01:00 | the individual shot.
| | 01:01 | We'll typically bring rolling carts on
a production, making it easy to roll our
| | 01:07 | equipment with us from one location to another.
| | 01:09 | We also try very hard to not leave
anything laying around as both a potential
| | 01:14 | risk for someone to trip or that we
might have some of our equipment stolen.
| | 01:19 | Make sure you discuss a potential
place where you're going to store the
| | 01:22 | equipment, preferably
something that has a lock on the door.
| | 01:25 | This location shouldn't be too far away
from where you're shooting as well, so
| | 01:29 | you're going to want to make sure
that it's accessible and secure.
| | 01:34 | The next thing to think about is the when.
| | 01:36 | Some locations are going to be
better for certain times of day, based on
| | 01:39 | the available light.
| | 01:40 | For example, the location might look awesome
at sunrise and completely boring at sunset.
| | 01:48 | Other locations may be better suited
when the sun is high in the sky, as opposed
| | 01:52 | to flying through the window behind
your subject, creating an awful backlight.
| | 01:56 | You're going to want to make sure
that you evaluate the locations and be
| | 02:00 | comfortable using things like a compass
to show you where the sun is going to be
| | 02:03 | at certain times of day.
| | 02:06 | Now, you might not have your
orienteering merit badge, but it is important that
| | 02:09 | you actually get familiar and
know, where is the sun and where am I?
| | 02:13 | We're going to talk about these
specifics a little bit later, but sun position
| | 02:17 | and time of day critically affect how
well that location is going to work.
| | 02:22 | You also need to think about
the best time of day for sound.
| | 02:25 | Some locations are great when it's not
rush hour; other locations may be really
| | 02:30 | busy at certain times of
day, like the lunch break.
| | 02:33 | You probably don't want to set up a
shot in the main lobby for when people are
| | 02:36 | arriving for the start of work or during
their lunch breaks, because you'll have
| | 02:39 | too much foot traffic.
| | 02:41 | You want to make sure you evaluate
locations and if you're going to be
| | 02:44 | recording dialogue or critical sound,
many locations will get ruled out, simply
| | 02:49 | because they're too noisy.
| | 02:52 | The last thing you have to consider
is the availability of the location.
| | 02:55 | Some locations may not be available
during the times you want to shoot.
| | 03:00 | You may have to be open-minded.
| | 03:01 | Some locations will be perfect, but you
might have to use them on a weekend or
| | 03:05 | shoot in the evening or early morning.
| | 03:08 | Other locations just might be
off limits at all times of the day.
| | 03:12 | Getting a crew into a particular location
can be difficult, and I generally try to
| | 03:17 | minimize the size of the crew.
| | 03:19 | Never underestimate the impact
you're going to have on a location.
| | 03:23 | So when you're trying to secure location,
you're going to have to convey things
| | 03:26 | like the crew size and just how long
you're going to need that location.
| | 03:31 | So with the when and the where,
make sure you evaluate all of these
| | 03:35 | situations and decide if the shoot
location is going to be a good fit for
| | 03:39 | your type of production.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| The creative objectives (the what and the why)| 00:00 | The last thing we need to
consider is the what and the why.
| | 00:03 | What are types of shots you're going to get?
| | 00:04 | Why are you using a
particular backdrop for that scene?
| | 00:08 | So, creatively, there are a lot of
things we could plan for. Some of the what
| | 00:12 | considerations are, what needs to be captured.
| | 00:15 | If you're doing the location scout
before you have a script, do your best to at
| | 00:20 | least get the treatment.
| | 00:22 | Try to get a draft script or try to
get some notes from the producer or the
| | 00:26 | client as to the type of
scenes you're going to need.
| | 00:30 | What is the key message?
| | 00:31 | What sort of visuals do
you need to tell the story?
| | 00:34 | You also need to realize what should be shown.
| | 00:37 | Many locations will have things that
are off limits or are not desirable.
| | 00:42 | Make sure you discuss with the client
or the director, or the producer, what
| | 00:47 | is the creative goal?
| | 00:49 | When you think about key messaging
points, this will help frame which shots you
| | 00:52 | get and will really help
bring the story to life.
| | 00:56 | If you don't understand the
objectives of the video you are creating, the
| | 01:00 | location scout doesn't go very well.
| | 01:02 | This is a chance for you to make sure
that you're out there and finding all the
| | 01:06 | shots that match up to the
script or the creative treatment.
| | 01:10 | So if you're just out roaming
about, is this location great,
| | 01:13 | it might be, but not for your production.
| | 01:16 | Make sure you give it proper
consideration in the context of the goal at hand.
| | 01:21 | Additionally, there are some whys
you need to think about. What does this
| | 01:25 | location do to
accentuate the scene or the story?
| | 01:28 | I try to make sure that the
locations I'm selecting add to the
| | 01:32 | overall production.
| | 01:34 | Make sure you're evaluating
the objectives of the story.
| | 01:38 | Does it need to be energetic?
| | 01:40 | Is it supposed to be serene?
| | 01:42 | Are you looking for a place that really
captures the mood of the overall video?
| | 01:47 | At this point, we are getting a bit
artistic, and I think that's important.
| | 01:52 | Remember, video and photo shooting
is a combination of technical art.
| | 01:57 | You need to combine technical
knowledge with artistic vision, and you need to
| | 02:00 | make sure that when you're choosing the
locations, you realize that this is the
| | 02:04 | canvas for your artwork.
| | 02:06 | Take the time to make sure what
you're choosing is going to be a proper
| | 02:09 | foundation for the overall story or
structure of the message that needs to
| | 02:13 | be conveyed.
| | Collapse this transcript |
|
|
3. Planning for CreativityExploring camera positions| 00:00 | When I'm at a location, I love to
start to visualize the production.
| | 00:04 | The first thing I look for is,
where am I going to put the camera?
| | 00:07 | Camera position is going to affect
the overall shot, and there's really two
| | 00:12 | ways to pull this off.
| | 00:13 | You could take your DSLR on location
and use that to check framing, but you
| | 00:18 | really want to go through the viewfinder.
| | 00:20 | That old thing of taking your hands
and making this doesn't really work.
| | 00:25 | There are also electronic viewfinders
that run these apps on your phone, and
| | 00:29 | we'll explore one of those a little bit later.
| | 00:31 | You want to visualize the location
through the lens and determine the best place
| | 00:35 | to put your cameras.
| | 00:36 | When it comes to camera position, here
are a couple of the points I look for.
| | 00:42 | First off, I want to think about the best angle.
| | 00:45 | When I'm choosing a location I want
to make sure that I'm getting angles to
| | 00:48 | accentuate the depth of the scene.
| | 00:50 | I generally try to avoid
shooting completely flat.
| | 00:53 | This means putting the camera at a
slight angle or a dramatic angle to the
| | 00:57 | actual backdrop that
you're going to be shooting on.
| | 00:59 | Remember, video tends to be a pretty
flat medium, so introducing angles into
| | 01:03 | your shots will add some variety
and depth that can really improve the
| | 01:07 | overall composition.
| | 01:10 | You also want shot variety.
| | 01:12 | Chances are you're going to need
more than one shot from that location.
| | 01:16 | Maybe you're going to keep the camera in
the same relative position, but can you
| | 01:18 | punch in and out from a wide shot to a
close-up, or do you need to move that
| | 01:22 | camera just slightly in
between the wide and the tight?
| | 01:26 | Maybe it's a multicamera position and
you're going to need to make sure you
| | 01:28 | have multiple angles of coverage.
| | 01:31 | Make sure when you're looking at the
scene, you try it from a few different
| | 01:34 | positions and see if it holds up.
| | 01:37 | I generally will then mark those positions.
| | 01:39 | If I can leave them, I'll put marks
right on the floor so when I come back;
| | 01:43 | otherwise I'll take a photo and put
markers down, so I show them, and then when
| | 01:48 | I come out for the shoot day, I
could put those markers back in place.
| | 01:52 | Don't be afraid to actually mark the
positions on the floor and document it with a photo.
| | 01:56 | This will make it a lot
easier when you come back to shoot.
| | 02:00 | Additionally, think
about the safety of the crew.
| | 02:02 | Not every shot is going to be safe to achieve.
| | 02:05 | Sure, flying the camera overhead from
the rafters might give you a great angle,
| | 02:10 | but you're going to have to figure
out a way to put that camera there.
| | 02:14 | Make sure that you evaluate each angle
and that if you're going to be putting
| | 02:17 | a crew person there,
| | 02:18 | you're not putting the crew person at risk.
| | 02:21 | Sometimes we'll need to fly a camera, and
we can do this using a balloon, a blimp,
| | 02:25 | or a crane, or attaching the
camera to a suspension point.
| | 02:29 | Other times we will put crew in
relatively risky situations, but we'll have
| | 02:34 | things like safety harnesses to
make sure that they keep safe.
| | 02:37 | I've had a lot of shoots where
we've covered things like road races or
| | 02:41 | bicycling events, and to do this we've needed
to have crews shooting out of moving vehicles.
| | 02:46 | In this case, I use a safety harness,
much like you would see for a rock
| | 02:50 | climbing, and this is going
to keep the person in there.
| | 02:53 | We also will put a spotter, someone
who is not looking through the camera
| | 02:56 | lens but is simply making sure
that the photographer is not putting
| | 02:59 | themselves at risk.
| | 03:01 | If you're doing things like a steady
cam, having a second person to make sure
| | 03:04 | the path is clear and watching the person's
back literally, so they don't trip or fall.
| | 03:09 | It's important as you choose shots,
| | 03:11 | you don't sacrifice the safety of your crew.
| | 03:15 | Additionally, think about
the safety of the equipment.
| | 03:18 | Is the camera going to be getting rained on?
| | 03:21 | Are you in a place where
the camera might get hit?
| | 03:24 | Shooting in traffic or highly
volatile areas could be dangerous,
| | 03:28 | so you might need to think about the
fact that the equipment itself is preserved.
| | 03:32 | Do you need any cages or
protective housings to keep the gear safe?
| | 03:37 | This is also useful if you're planning
to do things like underwater shooting.
| | 03:41 | Make sure that the camera
positions don't obstruct the location.
| | 03:45 | It's important as you're planning this
out that the cameras are not going to
| | 03:49 | interfere with the normal day-to-day business.
| | 03:52 | Some days you'll have a closed set and it
doesn't matter if the gear is blocking things.
| | 03:57 | Other times you might be shooting in a
hospital or a highly trafficked public area.
| | 04:02 | In this case, if the cameras are in
the way of the normal things that need to
| | 04:05 | happen, people will get pretty annoyed with
you, and you might actually lose the location.
| | 04:10 | Make sure you think about minimizing
the impact on the location and if you can
| | 04:15 | completely take it over or have to blend in.
| | 04:18 | Another modern thing to think
about is disposable cameras.
| | 04:22 | Can you put cameras in a position to
get the shot and not have to worry about
| | 04:27 | the safety of the gear?
| | 04:28 | We're seeing use of cameras by
Contour or GoPro a lot in the situation.
| | 04:33 | People don't mind blowing up a
$200 camera or suspending it.
| | 04:37 | Even if that camera gets damaged,
it might be worth getting the shot.
| | 04:41 | Other people are using DSLRs for the same thing.
| | 04:44 | An affordable body like a T4i could be
mounted to a vehicle, and you probably
| | 04:49 | don't want to bounce it unnecessarily,
but it if were to get knocked off and
| | 04:53 | smashed on the race track, you
probably could still recover the card.
| | 04:57 | A lot of people are approaching
productions with these in mind, that the new
| | 05:01 | breed of cameras are somewhat
disposable, letting us get shots that were
| | 05:05 | previously too risky, either to the
equipment or the personnel, and they're even
| | 05:10 | running the camera over.
| | 05:11 | So, be sure to consider all of these
points when it comes to planning where the
| | 05:15 | camera is going to be positioned on set.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Selecting a lens| 00:00 | Where you put the camera and the type
of camera body you use is only one choice
| | 00:04 | that has to be made.
| | 00:05 | These days, choosing the
right lens is a critical decision.
| | 00:08 | Now some camera bodies have fixed
lenses, meaning that you could only use the
| | 00:12 | lens that came with the camera itself.
| | 00:14 | However, these types of cameras are
falling out of favor, and more and more, we're
| | 00:18 | seeing cameras that allow you to
easily swap lenses for different situations.
| | 00:24 | You might go with the zoom lens
for easy flexibility when shooting.
| | 00:28 | The benefit of a zoom lens is it makes
it easier to get different shots from the
| | 00:32 | same camera position.
| | 00:33 | So if you need to tighten up to remove
a distracting object or quickly switch
| | 00:37 | from the wide shot to the tight shot,
the zoom lens is going to give you
| | 00:41 | maximum flexibility.
| | 00:43 | However, zoom lenses typically don't
allow for things like shallow depth of field,
| | 00:47 | so if you're trying to go for a
more modern look, people tend to favor
| | 00:51 | working with prime lenses.
| | 00:53 | Prime lenses have risen in popularity,
due to cameras like the RED and the Alexa,
| | 00:57 | as well as on the lower end, DSLRs.
| | 01:00 | We're seeing a resurgence here in
cinema-style shooting, using prime lenses for
| | 01:05 | shallow depth of field and
great low-light performance.
| | 01:09 | Now, you can these prime lenses and
often even rent them in kits, so you have a
| | 01:13 | full range of coverage.
| | 01:14 | The important thing to realize here
is that you get the right lens for the
| | 01:18 | right shot, and if you put a
wide-angle lens on or you're shooting a 28 mm.,
| | 01:23 | that shooting is going to be very different
than if you were to swap it out for 70 or a 200.
| | 01:29 | Speaking of wide angle, you're going to want
to consider how you're going to see the scene.
| | 01:34 | When shooting with a wide-angle lens,
you might introduce additional distortion.
| | 01:39 | You also may pick up
things you weren't planning on.
| | 01:41 | So, when you're planning that shot,
make sure you look through the wide-angle
| | 01:45 | lens and decide, is the
lighting rigging showing up?
| | 01:49 | Is there a C stand in the shot?
| | 01:50 | Are there parts of the
scene that aren't desirable?
| | 01:53 | A wide-angle lens can actually see more
than your normal eyes, and you're going
| | 01:57 | to want to actually test that shot in advance.
| | 02:00 | I get very nervous when using wide-angle shots.
| | 02:02 | Not that I don't like them, but they
tend to introduce distortion and things at
| | 02:07 | the edges you probably didn't plan on seeing.
| | 02:09 | For example, when using wide-angle
shots in some of those disposable cameras,
| | 02:13 | you'll often pick up the rigging,
seeing the suction cup mount that you used to
| | 02:17 | attach the camera to the side of the vehicle.
| | 02:19 | You're going to want to make sure you
plan and when choosing wide-angle shots
| | 02:24 | how behind the scenes are you going to get.
| | 02:26 | A lot of times you'll see things you
didn't count on in the shot itself, like
| | 02:30 | crew or rigging equipment.
| | 02:32 | Lastly, you're going to want to consider
if there's a need for any special housings.
| | 02:37 | Are you shooting underwater?
| | 02:38 | Do you need to protect the camera from rain?
| | 02:41 | These housings can be for weather or
for the elements, and you're going to
| | 02:44 | need to make sure that the housing can
accommodate both the camera and the lens choice.
| | 02:50 | One way around this sometimes is to
overshoot the resolution of the camera.
| | 02:54 | For example, if I need to put a
camera in a housing, I might not have as much
| | 02:58 | flexibility on the lens that I attach.
| | 03:01 | But some of these disposable or low-
cost cameras are actually introducing
| | 03:05 | larger frame sizes.
| | 03:07 | We're seeing resolutions of 2K and
even 4K on cameras like those from GoPro.
| | 03:12 | You could shoot at a larger frame size and
then in postproduction, punch in on the shot.
| | 03:17 | The same holds true in other situations.
| | 03:19 | Can you shoot at a larger frame size than your
delivery format to give you some flexibility?
| | 03:24 | All right, when it comes to lens
selection, there are a lot of things to
| | 03:28 | consider, and I also highly recommend
that you take a look at an electronic
| | 03:32 | viewfinder app, such as the one from Artemis.
| | 03:35 | We'll explore that a little bit later,
but as you grow in comfort here, you're
| | 03:39 | going to want to make sure that you
match the lens to the situation, and that
| | 03:43 | may take a little bit of actual using
the lens, or its electronic equivalent, to
| | 03:47 | help you feel more confident in your decisions.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Making lighting decisions| 00:00 | When I go on location, I want to make
some important decisions about lighting.
| | 00:04 | It's essential that I evaluate what's
there and what I'm going to need to bring
| | 00:08 | with me in order to pull off the shot.
| | 00:11 | Some things I like to consider,
first off, what is the existing light?
| | 00:15 | How usable is the
available light at the location?
| | 00:19 | Some locations have beautiful lighting built in.
| | 00:21 | Maybe there's attractive mood lighting,
or you have dimmers on the lights at the
| | 00:25 | location and you can easily adjust them.
| | 00:27 | There might be attractive practical
lighting, such as overhead chandeliers, that
| | 00:32 | are really creating a nice mood at the scene.
| | 00:35 | Other times the existing light
could be problematic, such as you have
| | 00:39 | fluorescent lighting mixed with
skylights, mixed with windows, with some
| | 00:42 | practical lamps. You're going to
have to make adjustment to the scene,
| | 00:47 | evaluating which lights are there, and
whether or not you could turn those lights
| | 00:52 | off and on is going to be important.
| | 00:54 | Some locations that I've shot at,
have had lights that we couldn't modify.
| | 00:58 | For example, for legal or safety
reasons, we couldn't turn off the existing
| | 01:02 | lighting at a location.
| | 01:04 | Other locations had beautiful
lights that couldn't be adjusted.
| | 01:07 | We couldn't take them up or down, so we
had to build our lighting around them.
| | 01:11 | It's important that you look at the
scene and what sort of control you have over
| | 01:15 | the existing lighting.
| | 01:17 | Can it be supplemented? Can it be removed?
| | 01:19 | Can it be adjusted?
| | 01:21 | These are going to be important decisions.
| | 01:23 | Sometimes you may even find yourself up
on a ladder unscrewing lightbulbs from
| | 01:27 | an existing fixture, because you
can't find a switch to control it.
| | 01:31 | Additionally, you're going to need
to think about what sort of lights and
| | 01:34 | crew you could bring.
| | 01:35 | I like to know my lighting budget in
advance, and if I have some pad in other
| | 01:40 | sections of my budget that I could
steal from, it's important to realize that
| | 01:44 | you need to not only budget for how many
lights you bring, but a crew person to set them up.
| | 01:49 | The more light you need to add, the
more likely you're going to need to have
| | 01:53 | additional people in your crew.
| | 01:55 | Think about the style of shooting as well.
| | 01:57 | Are you going for a documentary-type
approach where you want it to look very
| | 02:01 | natural, how the location
actually looks from day to day?
| | 02:04 | Or are you going for a more stylized
type of lighting, because it's a commercial,
| | 02:08 | and you want to maximize the
location and make it look beautiful?
| | 02:12 | It's important that you understand any
of the rules you need to function under.
| | 02:16 | The style of shooting is often
dictated by the director or the vision of the
| | 02:21 | piece that's described in
the treatment of the script.
| | 02:24 | It's important that you realize that
the mood you're going for will often be
| | 02:28 | controlled by the end product.
| | 02:31 | The way you light a commercial is very
different than how you light a documentary,
| | 02:35 | is very different than how
you light a corporate video.
| | 02:38 | You need to think through all of the
constraints that you have, as well as the
| | 02:41 | message you're trying to convey.
| | 02:44 | One particular thing to consider
is is this a multicamera shoot?
| | 02:48 | If you're going to be shooting from
multiple directions, lighting becomes
| | 02:51 | particularly tricky.
| | 02:53 | In this case, I tend to prefer
soft light that fills the whole scene.
| | 02:58 | I'll often turn to things like
China-ball lighting or overhead space lights that
| | 03:03 | will go ahead and really
illuminate the location.
| | 03:06 | Sometimes these are referred to as
poker lights because they're used over
| | 03:09 | poker tables for gaming.
| | 03:11 | But what you're trying to pull off here
is light that evenly fills the scene and
| | 03:15 | looks good from multiple camera angles.
| | 03:18 | This means that the lights often have
to be suspended or integrated into the
| | 03:22 | location, so you don't pick up C
stands or rigging equipment as you shoot the
| | 03:26 | scene from different sites.
| | 03:29 | Make sure you balance out the shooting
angles with the light positions, and you
| | 03:33 | may need to actually take test shots
from different spots to use that to control
| | 03:38 | where the lights are positioned.
| | 03:41 | Lastly, evaluate the mood
you're trying to convey.
| | 03:44 | When it comes to getting the shot, a lot of
people think it's the lens of the camera body;
| | 03:49 | it almost always comes down to the lighting.
| | 03:51 | It is essential that you properly budget
for the right crew, the right equipment,
| | 03:55 | and the amount of time that
will be necessary to pull it off.
| | 03:59 | Remember, the mood is very important,
and you're going to want to evaluate the
| | 04:04 | location for the available light and
what you're going to need to bring to pull
| | 04:08 | off the type of creative
message you're aiming for.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Creating a shot list and shooting order| 00:00 | When you get on location, one of the things I
recommend you start to build is your shot list--
| | 00:05 | or, if you already have a shot list,
that you work to put it in the actual order
| | 00:09 | that you'll be shooting.
| | 00:11 | Now, there are lots of factors
that will affect both of these.
| | 00:14 | When it comes to your shot list,
obviously you're going to start with the script
| | 00:18 | looking for the necessary B-roll, or if
it's going to be a shot, how that script
| | 00:22 | breaks down, from wide shot
to medium shot, et cetera.
| | 00:26 | What you really need to consider
though, are limitations of your talent.
| | 00:30 | Do you have restrictions on
the time that they're available?
| | 00:33 | This might affect the total number of
setups you could pull off, and it might
| | 00:37 | affect when they're
available for a particular scene.
| | 00:40 | You might need to structure your shot
order based on when the different actors
| | 00:44 | or your subjects can be available.
| | 00:47 | You'll want to think about continuity issues.
| | 00:50 | When you cut from one camera
to another, are there any jumps?
| | 00:52 | For example, you might be working in a
situation where the sun is rapidly changing.
| | 00:57 | Maybe it's about 4 o'clock in the
afternoon and you're getting closer to sunset.
| | 01:01 | In this case, you may need to minimize the
number of angle changes or move very quickly.
| | 01:06 | Or perhaps you artificially add light
and don't work with the sun, but rather,
| | 01:11 | create your own lighting.
| | 01:13 | What becomes important is that you
strategize how the available light and the
| | 01:17 | light you're going to add
will work with the time of day.
| | 01:20 | And as such, you might find yourself
considering going to a multiple-camera shoot.
| | 01:25 | The benefit of multiple cameras is
that you can get coverage from multiple
| | 01:29 | angles simultaneously.
| | 01:32 | While you're building your shot list
and your shooting order, also think about
| | 01:34 | the availability of the location.
| | 01:36 | How much time will you
have to get to that location?
| | 01:39 | How long will you need for set up?
| | 01:42 | Is that location
available to you around the clock,
| | 01:44 | or do you need to structure your shots based
on the time of day that you can gain access?
| | 01:50 | You'll also definitely
want to minimize movement.
| | 01:53 | The more you have to move from
location to location, the longer it takes.
| | 01:59 | I like to go for maximum shooting time.
| | 02:01 | As such, I find it
important to minimize my locations.
| | 02:05 | I'll often bring two sets of lights, so
that while we are at one location, the
| | 02:09 | lighting crew can break off and go to
the next location and start to set up.
| | 02:13 | Otherwise, I try to make sure that
we don't have to move unnecessarily.
| | 02:18 | One approach for this is
called shooting in the round.
| | 02:21 | By shooting in the round you are choosing
locations that involve simple movements.
| | 02:25 | For example, you might point the camera
in one angle and use one backdrop, then
| | 02:30 | simply rotate the camera 90 or 180
degrees, pointing it into an opposite area, and
| | 02:35 | find another great shot.
| | 02:37 | Maybe you can swap the backdrop or just move
a few pieces around and get a different look.
| | 02:42 | Essentially, try to pick locations
that minimize the overall movement.
| | 02:47 | The more time you are stationary,
the more time you're shooting.
| | 02:51 | Setting up all those lights and having
to break them down, load them up on the
| | 02:54 | cart, and move them to another
floor in the building really adds time.
| | 02:58 | You might want to choose a location
that means you can get multiple shots
| | 03:02 | right there, or simply pick the lights
up and walk them a few feet down the
| | 03:06 | aisle to another place. Minimize the
total movement and you'll maximize how
| | 03:11 | many shots you can get.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Exploring rigging issues| 00:00 | One of the last objectives on your site
survey is to take a look at rigging issues.
| | 00:04 | Where are you going to hang the equipment?
| | 00:07 | How are you going to suspend the lights?
| | 00:08 | It becomes very important that you
carefully consider these issues, because
| | 00:12 | there's actually a lot at risk.
| | 00:14 | I look for safe places to put the equipment.
| | 00:17 | This includes, where can I attach
safety chains or can I use ceiling hooks?
| | 00:21 | What about sandbags, to make
sure that things don't fall over?
| | 00:25 | One of the first things I look
at is preserving the location.
| | 00:28 | While it would be great to start
drilling into the drywall and putting in studs
| | 00:32 | or punching a hole in the wall to run
cable, I want to make sure that I minimize
| | 00:38 | any damage to the location.
| | 00:40 | If you damage the location, you better
be prepared to fix it, and even a small
| | 00:44 | cosmetic scratch might get you
uninvited from ever shooting there again, so you
| | 00:49 | want to be extremely careful.
| | 00:52 | As such, I'll often do things like bring
safety mats with me or coverings to put
| | 00:56 | over the gear when we're in the elevator.
| | 00:58 | Make sure that your equipment won't
scratch up the surfaces that you're working,
| | 01:02 | and really think through any problems.
| | 01:04 | Is there a loading dock you
can use or a freight elevator?
| | 01:07 | Try to minimize any damage to the
location and you'll find yourself re-invited
| | 01:11 | to shoot there again in the future, and
you won't have any costly repair bills.
| | 01:17 | Additionally, you want to think about
the safety of the crew and the talent.
| | 01:21 | Make sure that lights aren't dangling.
| | 01:24 | Make sure that C stands are properly weighted
down with sandbags so they don't fall over.
| | 01:29 | Always consider the safety of the people
you're going to be working with and the
| | 01:34 | talent you're going to be shooting.
| | 01:36 | You don't want to create a
situation that's dangerous.
| | 01:39 | We've all been on a set where
there's been an accident. It's not ideal.
| | 01:43 | Hopefully you're carrying production
insurance, but a little bit of foresight
| | 01:47 | and some proper planning will greatly
reduce the chance of someone getting hurt.
| | 01:52 | Lastly, think about the
safety of your equipment.
| | 01:55 | You don't want to have a tripod go
over or a light crash from the ceiling.
| | 01:59 | Make sure if you're going to be hanging
a light from a suspended source, like a
| | 02:03 | beam or a girder, that it actually has
a safety chain, and that you thoroughly
| | 02:08 | test the rigging before walking away.
| | 02:11 | Now, today's course is not on lighting,
but I do want you to consider that you
| | 02:14 | should take some necessary
steps for safety equipment.
| | 02:18 | In addition to safety cables and
things like this, you might want to bring
| | 02:21 | traffic cones or tape to
mark out your production areas.
| | 02:25 | Make sure you consider all of the
steps necessary to preserve the location,
| | 02:30 | your talent and crew, and of course
your equipment and you'll have a happier
| | 02:35 | production.
| | Collapse this transcript |
|
|
4. Location ScoutingIdentifying locations| 00:00 | Throughout the training so far, we've
been using the terms location scouting and
| | 00:03 | site survey almost interchangeably.
| | 00:06 | The truth is, they're a bit different,
and I'd like to dig a little bit deeper into
| | 00:10 | location scouting. What happens here is this.
| | 00:12 | At the site survey stage you are looking at
locations that have already been identified.
| | 00:18 | However, if you're doing location scouting,
you might be doing both at the same time,
| | 00:23 | looking for good locations, then
surveying them to ensure that they are ready to
| | 00:28 | use in a production.
| | 00:30 | So, what does it take to identify a location?
| | 00:33 | First off, I'll often
use virtual scouting tools.
| | 00:36 | It's amazing how much you could
do with things like Google Maps.
| | 00:40 | We have the ability to often get a
street-level view, and you could pan around
| | 00:44 | with an interactive panorama
photo and see the location.
| | 00:48 | Also, using things like Flickr,
you can go in and take a look at a
| | 00:52 | particular location,
| | 00:54 | searching with GPS data or looking on a
map, and the Bing search engine also has
| | 00:59 | some great tools with photos.
| | 01:00 | Microsoft's own Photosynth technology
often provides interactive panoramic
| | 01:05 | images that you can view.
| | 01:07 | Virtual scouting is incredibly useful
because it saves you the cost of having to
| | 01:12 | go to a location just to rule it out.
| | 01:15 | You can use the Internet to
determine if a location looks initially good.
| | 01:19 | But of course, just because something
looks good online doesn't mean it is,
| | 01:23 | so use this with a little bit of skepticism.
| | 01:26 | However, there are lots of sources for online
viewing and as you start to peruse the images,
| | 01:30 | you might find some pretty good
locations that are very attractive.
| | 01:34 | Additionally, you'll find film
offices in many major cities.
| | 01:38 | These groups are designed to help with
local productions, as well as out-of-town
| | 01:42 | productions that come in.
| | 01:44 | They can help identify locations,
as well as secure necessary permits.
| | 01:48 | Look for the film office for the city
you plan on shooting in and you'll often
| | 01:52 | find helpful people to help you get the
most out of a particular city, or even a region.
| | 01:57 | If you don't find a film office you
can also look for tourism offices or
| | 02:03 | chambers of commerce.
| | 02:05 | Tourism boards are very useful
because not only will they have locations for
| | 02:09 | you, they might even have stock
footage that's already been shot.
| | 02:13 | Chambers of commerce will also help if
you are looking for interior locations,
| | 02:17 | particularly businesses.
| | 02:19 | The benefit of a chamber of commerce is
that many of its members will belong to
| | 02:22 | an organization to really help
with the promotion of the business.
| | 02:26 | You may be able to broker a deal with
the local business. In exchange for giving
| | 02:30 | them some photos or video of their
interior, they might grant you the
| | 02:33 | permission to shoot there.
| | 02:35 | Using these types of groups--
| | 02:36 | chambers of commerce, tourism boards,
film offices--will help you identify
| | 02:40 | locations that are friendly to media production.
| | 02:44 | And lastly, don't be afraid to just walk about.
| | 02:47 | The idea here is that you go to a
potential location, minimize your
| | 02:51 | distractions, and walk around.
| | 02:54 | Take some time to wander and you'll
often discover things off the beaten path.
| | 02:58 | By simply walking through an area, a
neighborhood, or a location, you'll come
| | 03:03 | across some great things.
| | 03:04 | It's also a chance to go ahead and
collect your thoughts and think about the
| | 03:08 | potential way you want to visualize the scene.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Using your network| 00:00 | If you're a video producer or a
director, you're probably pretty connected.
| | 00:03 | Chances are your mobile phone is a
walking database of contacts and resources,
| | 00:08 | but what you might not have thought
about is how some of the apps on your phone
| | 00:12 | will help you connect with all
the professionals in your network.
| | 00:15 | When it comes to getting the most
out of your network, there's a pretty
| | 00:17 | easy workflow to follow.
| | 00:19 | Start with previous locations.
| | 00:21 | You can search through your
calendar on your phone and find places that
| | 00:25 | you've shot at before.
| | 00:27 | This is a great way to just browse by
client or date and look through things.
| | 00:31 | Maybe you have some documents stored from
previous shoots, call sheets you can look at.
| | 00:35 | Just jog your memory from where
you've shot in the past and think of a past
| | 00:39 | success could become a future success.
| | 00:43 | Additionally, don't be afraid to
tap employees or crews for suggestion.
| | 00:46 | A lot of times your fellow employees
or crew will have their own connections
| | 00:50 | that you can draw upon.
| | 00:52 | Just describe what you're looking for
and give them a reasonable budget range
| | 00:56 | that you're willing to pay
for the use of a location.
| | 00:59 | You also may find that an employee or
crew offers up their own house or a family
| | 01:03 | business, simply because they
want to benefit the production.
| | 01:07 | However, if you are drawing on an
internal resource or that of one of your crew,
| | 01:12 | make sure you at least offer
something for the use of the location.
| | 01:17 | Professional associations you
may join can also be quite helpful.
| | 01:21 | There's a wide range of groups, from
MCA-I to Women in Film & Video, local user
| | 01:26 | groups for things like
Final Cut Pro and Premiere Pro.
| | 01:28 | Joining these groups will put you in
touch with other professionals, and let's
| | 01:32 | face it, a fellow video or photo
professional is more likely to understand what
| | 01:37 | you're looking for, and they might
offer up their house or location.
| | 01:41 | Oftentimes when I've needed locations
for shooting, reaching out to my local
| | 01:45 | professional group through their email
listserv has come up with tons of
| | 01:48 | options that really speeds up the process.
| | 01:51 | When these things don't pan out,
I turn to another app: LinkedIn.
| | 01:55 | The great thing about LinkedIn is that
you could search through your database
| | 01:59 | and you could find a wide range of
people's professional connections.
| | 02:03 | You could search by companies and
find people you know, or people that
| | 02:07 | your connections know.
| | 02:08 | You can also search by city or other criteria.
| | 02:11 | And what's great about this is
that most people provide their
| | 02:15 | contact information.
| | 02:16 | So if you are connected, or even if
you're not, you can send a message or in
| | 02:20 | fact, even access their phone
numbers for a quick phone call.
| | 02:25 | This is the same reason why I
turn to my regular social networks.
| | 02:28 | I find that using tools like Facebook
and Twitter are incredibly efficient.
| | 02:32 | With an app like Twitter,
I could search geographically.
| | 02:35 | I could send out messages that
people will see, and ask for help.
| | 02:39 | Same thing with Facebook: I could go out to
my networks of friends. Browsing on the phone,
| | 02:43 | I even see their phone numbers and
email addresses, and it makes it really
| | 02:46 | easy to quickly connect.
| | 02:48 | Chances are you have lots of connections,
but equally so, it's easy to forget about them.
| | 02:54 | Instead of having to keep all the
pieces in your brain, drop on some of the
| | 02:57 | electronic contacts you have and
use those to find potential locations.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Securing permissions| 00:00 | You found a great location.
| | 00:02 | You absolutely love it.
| | 00:03 | You could totally see yourself shooting there.
| | 00:05 | Well, if you don't get
permission, it doesn't really matter.
| | 00:08 | So, you need to take the necessary steps
to make sure you have proper permission
| | 00:13 | to shoot in the location.
| | 00:15 | When it comes to securing permissions,
here are a couple of things to think about.
| | 00:19 | First off, get it in writing.
| | 00:21 | Getting a verbal okay from
someone is not permission.
| | 00:25 | What happens when you go back the next
day and that security guard who said
| | 00:28 | it's okay for you to shoot isn't working,
| | 00:31 | or the owner of the company is on
vacation and the employees don't know that you
| | 00:35 | do have permission to be there?
| | 00:37 | People are generally distrustful of others
who have video cameras or photo equipment.
| | 00:41 | I don't know why people get so
stressed out, but everyone seems to have this
| | 00:46 | unnecessary fear of invasion of privacy.
| | 00:48 | So you're going to want to make sure
you have explicit written permission to
| | 00:52 | come into a location.
| | 00:55 | In order to get this permission,
you may need to provide insurance.
| | 00:59 | I'm not talking about car
insurance or health insurance;
| | 01:02 | I literally mean liability insurance.
| | 01:05 | Many production companies do not carry
proper insurance, and you're going to want
| | 01:09 | to contact an insurance
agent for production insurance.
| | 01:13 | Doing a simple search, you will find
liability insurance, and you can likely
| | 01:17 | find a local broker.
| | 01:19 | If not, there are a wide range of
companies that are used to providing
| | 01:22 | production insurance.
| | 01:23 | But what people may require is anywhere
from 1 to 5 million dollars' worth of coverage
| | 01:28 | to let you onto the location.
| | 01:30 | Now, getting a million dollars of
coverage doesn't cost a million dollars.
| | 01:34 | Insurance companies are designed to
mitigate risk, and they're going to evaluate
| | 01:38 | your process and your company and
charge you a fee to carry insurance.
| | 01:43 | But you absolutely want this, and
this insurance will cover damage to the
| | 01:47 | location as well as potential
injuries to your crew or other passersby.
| | 01:52 | Additionally, you may need permits.
| | 01:54 | These are going to include permits
from the city or the county where you're
| | 01:57 | shooting, or you might need
to go as far as a state level.
| | 02:02 | Permits can be very difficult to
acquire, and sometimes involve weeks' worth of
| | 02:06 | paperwork and delays.
| | 02:08 | So if you don't have a permit,
be prepared to get stopped.
| | 02:12 | You may have to find out what the
requirements are and oftentimes shoot around them.
| | 02:16 | For example, when I went shooting in New York's
Times Square, we weren't able to get a permit;
| | 02:22 | we didn't have the lead time.
| | 02:24 | But we investigated what we were
allowed to do without a permit.
| | 02:27 | What we found is, as long as we didn't
bring in outside lights that required
| | 02:31 | stands--we could be holding LED lighting;
| | 02:34 | that was fine--and that our tripod
didn't obstruct people--solution:
| | 02:38 | use a monopod--
we were absolutely fine to shoot there.
| | 02:42 | Now, if we were approached by a police
officer or asked to move by a business,
| | 02:46 | we would need to do that, because
we didn't want to cause a problem.
| | 02:49 | But by simply understanding what
the requirements were, we were able to
| | 02:53 | shoot without a permit.
| | 02:55 | However, getting a permit is always a
really good idea, and you'll avoid other
| | 02:58 | problems by taking the necessary steps.
| | 03:02 | Lastly, there are times you're
going to have to break the rules.
| | 03:06 | You will often find yourself in a
situation where you didn't have adequate
| | 03:09 | lead time to get a permit or that
you didn't necessarily secure the
| | 03:14 | permissions you needed.
| | 03:16 | In these cases be careful, be
polite, and be prepared to move.
| | 03:20 | If you don't have the necessary permissions to
be at a location, there may be repercussions.
| | 03:26 | Make sure you are familiar with things
like privacy laws and that you take a
| | 03:30 | look and see if you're opening
yourself up to potential fines.
| | 03:34 | But I'd be lying to you to tell you
that I have never broken the rules.
| | 03:37 | There are times that you need to get
the shot, and sometimes asking forgiveness
| | 03:42 | is a little bit easier than asking permission.
| | 03:44 | However, I recommend, when possible,
take the necessary steps in advance to
| | 03:48 | ensure that you have proper permission
secured and it will save you a bunch of
| | 03:53 | headaches down the road.
| | Collapse this transcript |
|
|
5. Who Should Go on the Site Survey or Scout?Determining the core team| 00:00 | So, you understand the benefits of why
you're going to have site surveys and the
| | 00:04 | location scout, what happens.
| | 00:06 | Well, let's talk about who
needs to go into the field.
| | 00:10 | Who goes depends upon the budget,
their availability, and geography.
| | 00:15 | Now, the bigger the budget the more
people you could afford to have in the field.
| | 00:19 | However, just because you could
afford people doesn't mean that their
| | 00:22 | schedules will line up.
| | 00:23 | Maybe the director can go, but the
directory of photography can't, or the client
| | 00:28 | is only available on a certain day to
show you the location and you need to send
| | 00:31 | an assistant or the producer out into the field.
| | 00:35 | Additionally, geography can make it tough.
| | 00:38 | If you have a far-away location that
requires airplane travel or more, it might
| | 00:42 | be difficult to go on site.
| | 00:45 | Instead, you may need to send a proxy
or a local person to do the scout or the
| | 00:49 | site survey for you.
| | 00:51 | So, essentially, think of these things.
| | 00:54 | In an ideal world, the producer, the
director, and the director of photography
| | 00:59 | would go into the field.
| | 01:01 | These three people are the core team,
| | 01:03 | and what you need here is the ability
for them to all make it out into the field.
| | 01:08 | The director is going to be thinking
about performances and the angles, and
| | 01:11 | working in conjunction with the
director of photography, they're going to figure
| | 01:15 | out the technical approach
and really visualize the scene.
| | 01:17 | The producer, on the other hand, is
going to be more tuned to things like
| | 01:20 | logistics and some of the
arrangements that need to be made.
| | 01:24 | The permissions, the gear,
the crew, the schedule:
| | 01:27 | all of these things need to be thought about.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Identifying other crew members who should attend| 00:00 | Now, just because you have the core
three in the field with you doesn't mean
| | 00:04 | that those are the only people who should
attend a site survey or a location scout.
| | 00:08 | If you can afford to bring
additional people, there are some extra benefits.
| | 00:13 | Some of the other folks you might
consider sending include the location manager.
| | 00:17 | On a large shoot, particularly one
that's going involve multiple days, the
| | 00:21 | location manager will take care of
things like making sure all the logistics and
| | 00:25 | lodging are resolved.
| | 00:27 | Now, sometimes the location manager will
step in and take over some of the roles
| | 00:31 | of the producer on a much larger shoot.
| | 00:33 | So, if it is a large-scale
shoot, bring the location manager.
| | 00:37 | An art director can be useful if
there are sets that need fabricating or a
| | 00:41 | particular art direction that needs
to be applied to the backdrop or other
| | 00:45 | elements of the shoot.
| | 00:47 | If your budget can afford an art
director, taking the art director in the field
| | 00:51 | will let them do their job most efficiently.
| | 00:54 | If you have anyone from the electric department--
| | 00:56 | gaffers, grips, or perhaps the lighting
director--letting them go out firsthand
| | 01:01 | will improve the efficiency
of the electric department.
| | 01:05 | Now, this may be falling to the
director of photography to convey to his crew,
| | 01:09 | but on a large-scale production
someone from this department will go a long
| | 01:13 | way in making sure they spot potential
problems and make the right decisions about equipment.
| | 01:19 | And you can think about any
additional department heads that you may have.
| | 01:24 | Bringing folks from particular groups
will again just improve the efficiency.
| | 01:29 | What's really in play here
is the size of the production.
| | 01:32 | Now, a lot of times you're only
going to be able to afford one person,
| | 01:36 | and in that case it's probably going to
be the producer or the director, who goes
| | 01:39 | out and takes a lot of
pictures and a lot of notes.
| | 01:41 | But the more people you could
bring, the smoother things will run.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Deciding who goes on the site survey| 00:00 | How do you decide who gets to go the shoot?
| | 00:03 | Well, there is a logical process you can
walk through, and it's not just about money.
| | 00:08 | The biggest point that I try to consider is
that everyone has a different set of needs.
| | 00:13 | So, if I'm on the location survey and
I'm serving in the director role, I'm
| | 00:17 | probably thinking about vision and shot
composition, but I might not pay as much
| | 00:22 | attention to lighting as the director of
photography would, or certainly a gaffer or a grip.
| | 00:27 | Someone has to be responsible to
get all of the information gathered.
| | 00:32 | What this means is if you're going to
be the only one out there, you have to put
| | 00:35 | on several hats and start to think
like a different person. Think as the DP.
| | 00:41 | Shoot several photos from different
focal lengths and different positions to
| | 00:44 | show them the type of coverage
that's available at the location.
| | 00:48 | Make sure to document the
type of lighting on the location.
| | 00:52 | One of the things I like
to do is shoot photos raw.
| | 00:55 | The benefit here is that I could show
them an undeveloped file and show them how
| | 00:59 | it looks naturally and then take
advantage of things like the shadows and
| | 01:03 | highlights as well as some of the
exposure settings within the raw file to
| | 01:07 | develop the look that I want.
| | 01:09 | I find that this digital lighting
approach is incredibly efficient to give
| | 01:13 | people an idea of what's happening.
| | 01:15 | Essentially, you need to realize that you
have to be prepared to answer questions.
| | 01:21 | Crew is going to have needs, and the
more you can answer before the date of the
| | 01:25 | shoot the better off you're going to be.
| | 01:28 | Remember, it's a lot easier to plan for
problems than to solve them on the fly.
| | Collapse this transcript |
|
|
6. Gear to Bring on a Site SurveyUsing a digital camera on a site survey| 00:00 | Okay, you're ready to head into the field.
| | 00:02 | Let's talk about some of the
equipment you need, and I'll even show you
| | 00:06 | some practical tips.
| | 00:07 | First off, I always bring a digital
camera on my site survey or location scout.
| | 00:13 | What's nice here is that it
really helps me visualize the space.
| | 00:16 | I could see things like the ceiling
height, the windows, the floors, the
| | 00:20 | available lighting, wall color,
obstructions, how we're going to access the
| | 00:25 | scene. Really, shooting a wide
shot shows you just about everything.
| | 00:29 | Don't trust your memory.
| | 00:31 | You'll forget things.
| | 00:33 | You'll gloss over things
when you're in the field.
| | 00:35 | You'll be so excited about the
locations you see that they'll look perfect, and
| | 00:39 | then something will come up and bite you.
| | 00:42 | What you want to make sure is you get
proper documentation, so take a wide-angle
| | 00:46 | lens, something like a 28 mm, out into
the field, and make sure that you get
| | 00:51 | really good coverage of the locations.
| | 00:54 | Shoot them from each side.
Move around the room, not just from the front.
| | 00:58 | Look backwards where the gear's
going to be stored or the cameras are
| | 01:00 | going to be set up.
| | 01:01 | Shoot into the scene where you're
imagining your subjects will be placed and
| | 01:05 | then from the side so you get an
idea where lights can be stored.
| | 01:09 | By getting complete coverage,
you're going to be really happy.
| | 01:12 | Another technique you could do is
actually shoot a 360-degree panoramic photo.
| | 01:18 | Using a tripod, this is very easy to do.
| | 01:21 | Just turn the camera 15 to 25
degrees each time and create a series
| | 01:26 | of overlapping images.
| | 01:27 | Then, using Adobe Photoshop, you could
run the Photomerge command to get a true
| | 01:34 | wide-screen panoramic photo
that shows you the entire location.
| | 01:39 | This is super easy and
definitely something you should do.
| | 01:43 | If you don't have a tripod, you could still
do it just by turning your body at the waist.
| | 01:47 | Simply take the camera, hold it into
your body, turn, and then fire through and
| | 01:55 | pull off a series of shots.
| | 01:58 | And as you do that, what will
happen is you'll get the location.
| | 02:02 | That's going to come in handy
later on for the planning stage.
| | 02:05 | What you're looking to do here
is also previsualize the shots.
| | 02:09 | Remember, with the zoom lens on the
camera here, it's very easy to frame up
| | 02:12 | different shots and when shooting video
on a DSLR, the aspect ratio is going to
| | 02:17 | be anywhere from a perfect to a
really close match to your format.
| | 02:21 | The benefit here is that I could use
the live view monitor and by simply
| | 02:26 | changing the composition of the shot,
I can get a good idea of what I have.
| | 02:32 | And I can go ahead and pull this off and make
sure that I'm getting good shots of coverage.
| | 02:37 | This lets me get all sorts of angles.
Remember, I can go high or low.
| | 02:41 | I can do a sample move while recording
video to get an idea of a dolly shot.
| | 02:44 | This is a great way to previsualize
the location, and something small and
| | 02:49 | compact like this with a
good zoom lens goes a long way.
| | 02:52 | Now, my favorite thing to do is two-fold.
| | 02:55 | I'll bring a great zoom lens.
| | 02:57 | I call it tourist lens, that goes from
28 mm up to 300 mm, and that gives me just
| | 03:02 | about any shot I might need.
| | 03:04 | I will also though, bring a really good
lens, like a prime lens, either a 50 or
| | 03:09 | a 35 millimeter, and use that to check
things like shallow depth of field for my shots.
| | 03:14 | This way I could see the artistic
composition and the overall technical
| | 03:18 | composition and get the shot that I need.
| | 03:22 | Other things to consider is that you
can go ahead and sample the depth of field
| | 03:27 | to hide the background.
| | 03:28 | That's where that prime lens is going
to really come in handy. And sometimes
| | 03:32 | things that look distracting when
you're walking around won't be visible
| | 03:35 | through the camera lens.
| | 03:37 | That's one of the greatest benefits of
shallow depth of field, is it clearly
| | 03:41 | puts the focus on your subject.
| | 03:43 | You can also look for
things like color compatibility.
| | 03:46 | How does one shot line up with another?
| | 03:49 | Do we have the proper lighting?
| | 03:50 | Do we need to accommodate things by
changing lighting or white balance?
| | 03:54 | This will help you spot potential issues.
| | 03:56 | You can also go ahead and get an idea
of where the cameras need to be placed.
| | 04:00 | Do you need to suspend a camera?
| | 04:02 | Do you need low-angle, like a hi-hat
or a dolly track or a slider, so you can
| | 04:07 | get the type of shot and
composition that you desire?
| | 04:12 | And what's great here is you'll get a really
good idea of the type of light that you need:
| | 04:16 | the quality and the placement.
| | 04:19 | So here's a few examples from a site location.
| | 04:22 | On the left was my test photo; on the right
was a finished shot from the final production.
| | 04:29 | Here I am standing in, and I shot the
raw file and I just adjusted the lighting
| | 04:33 | to give people the idea I wanted.
| | 04:36 | Now I was able to convey that I wanted the
subject a little bit darker and in silhouette,
| | 04:40 | so to pull that off we knew we have to
get permission to open up those rooms and
| | 04:45 | put some light shooting out, to create
some pools of light and starker shadows.
| | 04:50 | And here's an example of
testing the depth of field.
| | 04:54 | We knew that by shooting with the prime lens
this really busy backdrop would get simplified.
| | 04:59 | Now, on the test shot it was a little
bit too busy, so we actually opened up the
| | 05:03 | aperture more to create a shallower
depth of field. But I did like to use of
| | 05:08 | harsh shadows, and we decided to go for
a single light coming from the side to
| | 05:12 | throw the face into silhouette.
| | 05:15 | Another thing I like to do is shoot
photos in color and then strip it away.
| | 05:21 | By looking at a scene in black and white,
I and force myself to look at the angles.
| | 05:26 | I'm not destructed by color or saturation,
and instead, I could really find the best shots.
| | 05:32 | Remember, shooting at an angle will
often enhance the depth in the scene and is
| | 05:36 | much more interesting than shooting head on.
| | 05:39 | I find that by shooting black and white,
or at least developing that way, I could
| | 05:44 | really focus on the composition in
the overall structure of the shot.
| | 05:49 | The use of a DSLR is absolutely
essential, and what's great here is you can
| | 05:53 | completely previsualize your scene.
| | 05:56 | This is a wonderful way to go ahead
and test the shot, get some test footage,
| | 06:00 | get some production stills, and
really have a good idea of exactly what
| | 06:05 | you're going to get.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Looking at essential apps for site surveys| 00:00 | Chances are you have one of these or
even both a smartphone or a tablet.
| | 00:06 | And the rise of
production-oriented apps is huge.
| | 00:09 | There are apps for just about everything.
| | 00:11 | You will find location scouting apps that will tag
the photos with the date and time, the exact GPS data.
| | 00:18 | There are other apps like virtual
viewfinders that will let you see through your camera
| | 00:23 | and simulate different focal length of lenses, as well
as the aspect ratio of the camera you are shooting on.
| | 00:29 | I can do virtual location scouting, seeing
things like sunrise and sunset and first person
| | 00:34 | views from the street level.
| | 00:36 | There are so many apps that come in handy
when scouting locations, whether it's virtual
| | 00:41 | or in person, that I find going out
without my tablet or phone unthinkable.
| | 00:47 | Now I want to take a look at an application
that's really useful when you want to scout locations.
| | 00:52 | It's going to capture lots of useful metadata
that makes it easier to find those locations.
| | 00:57 | That's called Panascout.
| | 00:59 | Now it's made by Panavision, the same folks
who have been making film lenses and tools
| | 01:02 | for the film industry for years.
| | 01:04 | So I have got the app fired up and I just
have a small little still light in front of
| | 01:08 | me just so we can see
something through the camera.
| | 01:11 | The first thing I want to point out is that
you could change the aspect ratio, so while
| | 01:15 | the iPhone has its own aspect ratio, you can
just tap the button up here in the upper right
| | 01:19 | corner and switch to a aspect
ratio to match film or video.
| | 01:24 | So now I am doing an actual 16x9 aspect ratio,
and you see it's recomposing the frame there
| | 01:30 | to look better and show me what it
would look like on a real video lens.
| | 01:35 | So now that we have got the correct aspect
ratio, I just press the camera button to take
| | 01:39 | a picture and it will fire off, and when it
does that it stores it to the roll and you
| | 01:44 | will notice across the top
a bunch of useful metadata.
| | 01:46 | Well, that metadata is giving you the
geographic location, the sunrise, the sunset, the date,
| | 01:52 | and time that you actually took the picture, and that's
really pretty cool because it's going to help you out.
| | 01:57 | We also have the ability here to change our
zoom level, so if I tap the magnifying glass,
| | 02:02 | up pops a slider and this allows me to go
ahead and simulate different zoom levels,
| | 02:07 | and as I go through there, you see
that some lenses are turning green.
| | 02:11 | What that's showing you is the fact that
that would be simulating a 75-millimeter lens.
| | 02:17 | And so as we go through here, it's simulating the focal
length, and you see there we have got 125 millimeters.
| | 02:24 | So that's pretty cool.
| | 02:25 | Not only can you scout the location, but
you can use the built-in zoom feature of your
| | 02:29 | iPhone to get an idea of what type of lenses
you are going to need for coverage in order
| | 02:33 | to get the composition you are planning on.
| | 02:35 | Let's just jump on in and take a look at some
pictures that are already recorded from a real shoot.
| | 02:40 | So I am going to tab the album here
and open that up and swipe on through.
| | 02:45 | What you are seeing are some actual real-
world production photos, so in this case it's got
| | 02:50 | the information, it's telling you the date that it
was shot, it is showing you the correct aspect ratio.
| | 02:55 | If I type the Info button there, you see it
brings up the relevant geographic information.
| | 03:00 | So you can toggle between Title information, if
you want to name these scenes and the specific
| | 03:05 | details of where you shot something.
| | 03:08 | What's really cool, if you are out there
scouting and you want to be able to get back to that
| | 03:11 | location, just tap the Map button and it will
actually give you the ability to look it up.
| | 03:17 | So I will say Yes, go ahead and use my GPS, and it
will take me on over and show me this on the Map itself.
| | 03:25 | And of course, with the built-in map feature
of your smartphone, you have got the ability
| | 03:29 | to just tap that little blue arrow there and
say give me Directions To Here, and it will
| | 03:34 | take you from your Current Location and give
you turn-by-turn directions to get back there.
| | 03:40 | So, really pretty cool things.
| | 03:42 | Again, lets you simulate the correct lens
like you are going to need for proper coverage.
| | 03:46 | It gets essential metadata, like sunrise, sunset,
date/time, and most importantly, geo-location
| | 03:53 | aware, and then gives you the ability
to organize those images and share them.
| | 03:56 | You can publish right from the phone to email,
or sync them back to your primary media library.
| | 04:02 | The great thing about Panascout, super
involved for the photographer or the video pro,
| | 04:07 | it's going to give you those tools
you need to scout locations.
| | 04:10 | Our next app is Artemis Viewfinder,
which is a great pre-visualization tool.
| | 04:15 | You can quickly simulate different lenses and
plan out what sort of coverage you are going to need.
| | 04:20 | This is a great tool if you are doing a
location scout, you want to look ahead of time,
| | 04:25 | or even if you are just the director on set or
trying to get an idea of which lens you need
| | 04:29 | to go and pull out your bag.
Here is how it works.
| | 04:32 | With the Viewfinder app what's important is
you want to choose what type of camera
| | 04:36 | you want the iPhone to simulate.
| | 04:38 | So if I touch up there in the upper left corner,
it comes up with the camera formats and you
| | 04:42 | will see lots of different choices for
different sized sensors for standard video sizes,
| | 04:48 | Still Cameras when shooting
Digital or DSLR video for example.
| | 04:53 | I will chose DSLR video, and then I am going
to choose that I am working with a Canon 5D MkII,
| | 04:58 | and select the aspect ratio.
Now it gives you a choice of lenses.
| | 05:02 | You can load your own lenses up, or you can
use these built-in presets that line up with
| | 05:06 | standard lenses available for the camera.
| | 05:08 | I am going to go with the nice Zeiss
Compact Primes and there is a set there.
| | 05:12 | And if I've got a particular lens listed
that I have in my bag, I just uncheck it.
| | 05:17 | So maybe I don't have the 21-millimeter and I
don't have this 85-millimeter or the 100-millimeter.
| | 05:24 | I will just click Save Lenses and now it updates and
you will see the viewfinder shows you what's there.
| | 05:31 | Now those bounding boxes are simulating the
effects of the different lens, so if we zoom
| | 05:36 | in, you will see that it cycles through the
different lenses, showing you what's going to happen.
| | 05:42 | If you want to simulate this full screen,
just touch the full screen button, and you
| | 05:46 | will see that as you switch the lenses, the
iPhone lens will zoom in and out to give you
| | 05:50 | a simulation of what the shot would look like,
so I can go from my 85-millimeter lens,
| | 05:56 | down to my 50, and then continue to zoom out to 35,
and then it'll even simulate, in this
| | 06:02 | case, that the iPhone can't go as wide as
the 28-millimeter lens, but it pads it
| | 06:08 | to show you just how much
wider the shot is going to get.
| | 06:11 | So, you get an idea of what
switching lenses would actually do.
| | 06:14 | And this is a lot easier if you're going to
try to figure out where to put the cameras
| | 06:18 | and what sort of angles and what sort of
lenses to use, to just walk around with your phone
| | 06:23 | than it is to keep carrying
and swapping lenses on and off.
| | 06:26 | It's not 100% accurate, but as a pre-
visualization tool, it's excellent and a huge time saver.
| | 06:32 | So, I welcome you to check that out.
| | 06:34 | Our next step is Photosynth from Microsoft,
and as a pro tool, it's great because it lets
| | 06:39 | you actually go out and scale a location and
then interactively share that with the client.
| | 06:44 | Sure, you could run around the locations,
snap off photo after photo after photo, but
| | 06:49 | when it comes time to planning things like
lighting and rigging or where all you want
| | 06:53 | to put the different angles from, I find it
tremendously useful to have an immersive photo
| | 06:58 | that shows me the whole
location, and that's Photosynth.
| | 07:02 | Now you are seeing a couple of
examples here that I have shot with the app.
| | 07:05 | That's really pretty cool how easy it is to go
through and pan around and navigate and look at these.
| | 07:11 | But when it comes time to put
them together, it's not that hard.
| | 07:14 | The app does all the work for you.
Here is how it works.
| | 07:18 | When you launch the app, you are going to
end up holding things vertically and when
| | 07:23 | you are ready to begin, you just tap the
screen to start, and it will take the first picture.
| | 07:29 | You then rotate it the way it starts to pan, and as you get
halfway around, it will automatically shoot the next images.
| | 07:37 | You can start to tilt up,
and it will do the same thing.
| | 07:42 | If you go too fast, it's going to warn you
and say, oh, go backwards, or it will give
| | 07:47 | you a manual capture warning.
| | 07:50 | And you see that you could start to go
through and actually create an interactive panorama.
| | 07:54 | Now, if you need to, you can always tap the
screen manually and force it to take a shot.
| | 08:01 | It does a really nice job
of putting those together.
| | 08:04 | When you are ready, you just click Finish, and it
will actually stitch those together into a panorama.
| | 08:10 | Now you can go ahead while you are waiting
and edit the properties and actually add a
| | 08:15 | place and a name, it will geo-tag the
image for you, and when it's done, you actually
| | 08:20 | get an interactive panorama that
you could pan around and look at.
| | 08:24 | And as you see there, I mean, we are just
in a studio here, so it's not an incredibly
| | 08:27 | fancy place, but you get the idea on how we could document
a particular location, making this very immersive.
| | 08:34 | Whole thing is easy to do, and when it's
all done, just tap Share, and you have got
| | 08:39 | the ability to push this out.
| | 08:41 | When you are all done, super easy, just tap
done and come out, and as you see here,
| | 08:45 | it stores everything in the app
for you and this works great.
| | 08:50 | Here is one of my favorites that I have shot,
this is the Jefferson Memorial here in DC,
| | 08:55 | and as you see, I am able to take a look around that
location and really get a sense for what it looks like.
| | 09:00 | Even in this case, I shot all the way up to
the ceiling, so I could take a look at what's
| | 09:03 | there and get a pretty cool immersive view.
That's Phothosynth from Microsoft.
| | 09:09 | What's cool about it is you can get
great interactive photos of your locations.
| | 09:13 | So if you are scouting a location and you
just want to be able to show your client what
| | 09:17 | it really looks like, this is a great tool.
| | 09:20 | Totally easy to use, but it's really
powerful and has great sharing options.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Measuring tools onsite| 00:00 | When you get on site you're going to
need precision, and for this, it's time for
| | 00:04 | some accurate measurements,
| | 00:06 | things like the dimensions of the room,
the height of the ceiling, how far
| | 00:10 | you're going to have to run that extension cord.
| | 00:12 | There are a lot of things you need to
think about, and I suggest you bring a few
| | 00:17 | measuring tools on site with you.
| | 00:19 | What sort of things do you need?
| | 00:21 | Well, first off, a compass is great.
| | 00:24 | I find that I need to know where the
sun is going to be, and the best way to do
| | 00:28 | this is to actually draw a simple map.
| | 00:31 | On that map though, you're going to
want to properly orient it by determining
| | 00:35 | where north is, and this will help
you down the road as you start to put
| | 00:38 | together your plans.
| | 00:40 | The benefit of the compass is it
properly lets you know where you are.
| | 00:44 | Now, this is going to come in handy
because it's going to help you understand
| | 00:48 | where the sun will rise and where it'll set.
| | 00:50 | So if you make a sketch of that
location, take the time to actually mark off
| | 00:55 | where north is and perhaps all of
the major directions on the map.
| | 00:59 | That's going to help you with
planning, especially if you're involved
| | 01:01 | with outdoor lighting.
| | 01:03 | Next, you want to think about an inclinometer.
| | 01:06 | This is going to help you
understand the height of objects.
| | 01:09 | Now, this can be done in several ways,
but you can get these as digital devices
| | 01:14 | from things like a hardware store.
| | 01:16 | If you're dealing with some object
that's quite tall, like a building or a tree
| | 01:21 | that you're going to have to work
into your scene, this will come in handy.
| | 01:24 | This is not an absolute must, but it
can be useful for outdoor shooting.
| | 01:29 | What I do like, however, is a digital
rangefinder, and these are often available
| | 01:34 | from sporting good stores.
| | 01:35 | People will use these to determine how far
they hit a golf ball or how far away an object is.
| | 01:41 | What's nice here is it's a very
easy way to quickly estimate distances.
| | 01:46 | So if you're trying to plan for
things like how far you're going to have to
| | 01:50 | run cable or how far away something is going
to be from the location to the storage area,
| | 01:56 | this is helpful when you
have a line-of-site view.
| | 01:59 | Obviously, it can't go through walls,
but it is quite useful nonetheless.
| | 02:03 | A useful tape measure is essential.
| | 02:07 | Now, a tape measure is going to be used
from everything from measuring the width
| | 02:10 | of a doorway to make sure your dolly
fits through it, to the length of a hallway
| | 02:15 | if you're going to be hanging lights.
| | 02:17 | Using the tape measure is just going to
be essential, and I highly recommend you
| | 02:21 | have one per person on site.
| | 02:23 | The last thing you want to do is
forget it or simply slow the process down.
| | 02:28 | Another thing that's worth doing is
taking the time to figure out your stride:
| | 02:32 | the distance it takes you to walk one full
length of double steps, a left-right stride.
| | 02:38 | This will give you a good idea.
| | 02:40 | For most people this is closely
equivalent to your actual height, but you can
| | 02:44 | mark this out and simply
measure it very easily on the ground.
| | 02:48 | When you know this, it'll come in handy
as you have to do walking measurements
| | 02:52 | and cover greater distances.
| | 02:55 | Other things to think
about are sun path software.
| | 02:59 | These types of software tools will let
you know where the sun is going to be,
| | 03:02 | not just today, but on the
particular date you're going to be shooting.
| | 03:06 | Now, there are tons of great apps for this.
| | 03:09 | I recommend that you find an app that you
like for your smartphone or your tablet.
| | 03:13 | However, there are desktop tools and web-based
tools available if that's not an option for you.
| | 03:20 | Remember, it is essential that you
calculate where the sun is going to be, what
| | 03:25 | type of shadows it's going to give you,
and how those things are going to come
| | 03:28 | in play on that particular shoot date.
| | 03:31 | You can't beat the sun.
| | 03:33 | You have to work with it.
| | 03:35 | These days it's important that you
understand where the sun is going to be and
| | 03:39 | what the quality of light is going to be.
| | 03:42 | Obviously, you can't
accommodate for cloud coverage--
| | 03:44 | that's going to come or go--but there
are weather forecasting apps to help you.
| | 03:49 | But the thing here is that these tools
are readily available, so you have no
| | 03:53 | genuine excuse not to have them with you.
| | 03:56 | Another thing I recommend
is bringing a GPS device.
| | 03:59 | This will make it very easy for you
to tell where you're particularly at.
| | 04:04 | If you're going out trying to find
locations this will help you get there.
| | 04:08 | No reason to get lost or spend
extra time driving around unnecessarily.
| | 04:13 | What's also nice is that you could
then mark your shoot coordinates.
| | 04:17 | Sometimes you'll be shooting in
locations that don't have addresses.
| | 04:20 | Maybe it's the middle of a field
or somewhere on a mountain range.
| | 04:24 | Knowing a precise coordinate will
help you find that location again.
| | 04:29 | Additionally, many locations have very
little reference points, but you can give
| | 04:34 | these coordinates to crew so
they can find it when driving.
| | 04:38 | Remember, not everybody has a mailing
address, and this will help you get to
| | 04:43 | that precise location.
| | 04:45 | The good news is is that a
smartphone works pretty well.
| | 04:49 | Most smartphones are
accurate to within about 50 feet.
| | 04:52 | Now, depending upon the security
settings you have on your phone, it may be
| | 04:56 | less accurate, so consider
downloading a third-party app. As opposed to the
| | 05:00 | built-in mapping software,
| | 05:02 | these tend to be more accurate
because you have preferences.
| | 05:05 | A lot of the manufacturers are very
conservative when it comes to privacy, so
| | 05:10 | they only get the GPS get so accurate.
| | 05:13 | But using a third-party GPS app,
you tend to get better results.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Recording audio during a site survey| 00:00 | If you talk to an audio professional,
they're going to tell you that audio
| | 00:04 | is half the picture.
| | 00:06 | And most audio people I know are
often frustrated because the rest of us
| | 00:10 | working in video tend to not listen.
| | 00:13 | Now, we don't just listen to our audio people--
| | 00:16 | we tend to screw that up--but we
forget to listen when we're on a location
| | 00:19 | scout or a site survey.
| | 00:21 | Because of this, I do my best
record audio when I'm on site.
| | 00:26 | I'll bring a digital audio recorder.
| | 00:28 | It might be a dedicated unit, like a
zoom H4n, and this is going to let me do
| | 00:33 | things like record roomtone.
| | 00:35 | Walking around the location I could
just stop, making sure that everyone with me
| | 00:40 | is quiet, and record thirty
seconds of the environmental sound.
| | 00:44 | This will help me really isolate the
quality of the audio in the room and point
| | 00:49 | out potential issues that might need
to be resolved with sound reinforcement,
| | 00:53 | like sound blankets.
| | 00:55 | What's helpful here is that you could
evaluate this later, when you're not rushed.
| | 00:59 | You can go into the edit suite and
pop that sound in and listen to it on
| | 01:03 | high-quality speakers.
| | 01:06 | What sort of background noise
is there, and can you resolve it?
| | 01:10 | This is going to help you detect
problem audio that typically goes unnoticed
| | 01:14 | when you're in the field.
| | 01:16 | It's very easy to miss this, and if you
don't own a dedicated audio recorder,
| | 01:20 | they are not expensive.
| | 01:21 | For example this is a unit from TASCAM.
| | 01:24 | It's about 200 bucks.
| | 01:25 | It's got two built in mics, makes it
really easy to record, and I can even run
| | 01:29 | in an external mic if I just want
to stand there wearing a lav as my subject would.
| | 01:34 | This will let me stand in some of
the locations I'm thinking of using and
| | 01:38 | record some test dialogue.
| | 01:40 | Does it sound hollow?
| | 01:41 | Is there a bad reverb in the room?
| | 01:43 | Is it going to work?
| | 01:45 | If this isn't an option because it's
already in use or you can't find it or you
| | 01:49 | can't afford it, you can
easily adapt your smartphone.
| | 01:51 | There are lots of mics, such as those
from Blue that you could plug right into
| | 01:55 | the bottom of your phone, that make it
easy to convert your smartphone into a
| | 01:59 | digital audio recorder.
| | 02:01 | There's also a great cable and an
app from Pro Audio To Go that uses the
| | 02:04 | headphone jack and a regular XLR
connector that makes it very easy to do some
| | 02:09 | sample recording on location.
| | 02:12 | Remember, nothing beats taking the time
to actually test record, and fixing audio
| | 02:17 | problems is not only annoying, it can
get pretty expensive in postproduction.
| | 02:21 | So, take the time to get it right, and
that all starts with the location scout
| | 02:26 | or the site survey.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Other gear to bring| 00:00 | Okay, we have talked about lots of things:
| | 00:02 | the camera, an audio recorder, iPad,
all sorts of other devices you take
| | 00:06 | out into the field.
| | 00:07 | Well, the thing is is
that it's still not enough.
| | 00:10 | Chances are you're going to bring
a didi bag that's filled with extra
| | 00:14 | equipment ready to go.
| | 00:16 | Now, a didi bag is just a simple bag
that you stash things into and you could
| | 00:20 | pull it out when you need it.
| | 00:22 | What sort of gear do you need to bring?
| | 00:24 | Now, you don't have to have all of these things,
but these are some of things I like to bring.
| | 00:29 | First off, drawing materials.
| | 00:31 | I prefer a pad and pencil, but you can
actually get a stylus to draw right on
| | 00:36 | your tablet as well.
| | 00:37 | There are lots of sketch apps, including
some great ones from Adobe and Autodesk,
| | 00:42 | that make this very easy.
| | 00:44 | The camera is going to be essential.
| | 00:46 | Now, we did just mention the DSLR
camera, but I always recommend a backup.
| | 00:51 | Chances are your mobile phone has a camera.
| | 00:54 | This is going to be very useful.
| | 00:56 | What I like about this camera is I
could take shots and then instantly send it
| | 01:00 | back to people in the office.
| | 01:02 | Or I could take a shot right then and
there and push it out to another team
| | 01:05 | member to get their reaction.
| | 01:07 | The DSLR camera is great for things like test
shots and things you're going to process later,
| | 01:12 | but having a web-connected camera really
comes in handy when you have to be fast and agile.
| | 01:18 | Other things to think about are a
flashlight, a really good flashlight that
| | 01:23 | puts out lots of light.
| | 01:25 | You want to be safe, and sometimes
you're going to have to go crawling around,
| | 01:28 | looking in crawl spaces where you
might have to suspend lights, climbing
| | 01:32 | beneath a building to look
underneath and see where you're going to store
| | 01:36 | equipment or have to run power,
| | 01:37 | taking a look at the fuse box in a
service corridor. Having a
| | 01:41 | flashlight for each person will help
keep everybody safe and make it easier to
| | 01:45 | navigate around the location.
| | 01:48 | Additionally, you're going
to need a circuit checker.
| | 01:51 | This is a very easy piece of
equipment that you could pick up at a hardware
| | 01:54 | store, and you essentially plug it in
outlet and it will tell you if you're going
| | 01:58 | to get a nice strong nice electrical
current signal and how much of a signal
| | 02:02 | you're going to get before you blow the fuse.
| | 02:05 | This will tie in as well to an amp
probe that you can use on location.
| | 02:09 | Sometimes these devices are integrated or you
could pick them up separately at a hardware store.
| | 02:13 | Not too bad, some simple pieces of
equipment that are going to solve the job.
| | 02:18 | Now if you're bringing an electrical
person on the set--a gaffer or a grip--they
| | 02:22 | probably have that stuff with them,
| | 02:24 | but make sure you bring what
you need to get the planning done.
| | Collapse this transcript |
|
|
7. What to Accomplish on a Site SurveyTechnical considerations| 00:00 | Okay, let's pull this in to some
summary comments of exactly what you're going
| | 00:05 | to accomplish on the site survey.
| | 00:07 | Everything you've learned to date is
going to build here, and we're just going to
| | 00:10 | summarize the essential tasks that you must do.
| | 00:13 | I've also provided a checklist that
you could download to help you with these
| | 00:17 | things, and I really just want you to
make this part of your standard operating
| | 00:21 | procedure when you go into the field.
| | 00:23 | All right, the technical considerations
you're going to need answers to include
| | 00:28 | finding the main power box.
| | 00:31 | You need to know where
the power and the amps are.
| | 00:34 | If you blow a circuit, how
are you going to reset it?
| | 00:38 | Make sure you know where this is
located. A lot of times this could be in a
| | 00:42 | location that you don't have access to.
| | 00:44 | Perhaps it's for security or
it's locked into a sub-basement.
| | 00:48 | If you don't know how to access the
controls, you can have some major problems.
| | 00:53 | You're going to also want to figure out how
the power is being distributed to the building.
| | 00:57 | You may need to find an electrical
engineer or a building maintenance person to
| | 01:01 | help show this to you,
pulling out an electrical diagram.
| | 01:04 | What you want to determine is which
outlets are independent from each other,
| | 01:09 | because sometimes different
outlets will be on different circuits.
| | 01:13 | So by moving lights to different outlets,
you could avoid overloading the circuit.
| | 01:18 | The good news these days is that lots of
lights, particularly those that are LED
| | 01:22 | lights, draw much less power than the old days.
| | 01:25 | But you need to be very careful.
| | 01:28 | Make sure you understand how much your
lights are going to draw and what sort of
| | 01:32 | things you're going to need
to do to accommodate that.
| | 01:34 | Most typically, this is going mean lots
of extension cords, so you can run to
| | 01:38 | other outlets that are on different circuits.
| | 01:42 | Make sure that building engineer is accessible.
| | 01:45 | Are they going to be there
during the day of the shoot?
| | 01:48 | If not, how do you reach them?
| | 01:51 | What happens if you need to
turn off the air conditioning?
| | 01:53 | What happens if you blow a fuse?
| | 01:55 | There have been lots of times I had
been in buildings where these issues
| | 01:59 | couldn't even be solved in the building.
| | 02:01 | They were controlled by a
computer system states away.
| | 02:04 | My favorite problem was shooting on the
west coast when the control center was
| | 02:09 | on the east coast and it closed at
5 o'clock, meaning that at 2:00 in the
| | 02:14 | afternoon when we blew a fuse, we
were out of luck until the next morning.
| | 02:18 | Make sure you think about any
important connections you might need for power.
| | 02:23 | You might be dealing with an industrial
connector plug, sort of the ones you're
| | 02:26 | used to seeing for things
like large electrical appliances--
| | 02:30 | refrigerators, washing machines--or
perhaps you need to adapt a grounded outlet
| | 02:35 | to a two-pronged outlet.
| | 02:37 | Be very certain that you have the right
gear. Perhaps it's a power strip to help
| | 02:41 | split an outlet into more.
| | 02:43 | Make sure you're thinking about
what you need to pull things off.
| | 02:46 | And you might also want to have
some battery backups just in case.
| | 02:50 | I recommend you try to get a look at
the actual fuses in the power box and
| | 02:55 | figure out what they can hold.
| | 02:57 | If you can't get access to these, try
to get the building engineer to give you
| | 03:01 | some idea of what things can
bear, so you don't blow the fuse.
| | 03:05 | Now, if you are at the very large
location, like a modern hotel or a hospital,
| | 03:10 | this probably won't be a problem.
| | 03:12 | But if you're shooting in someone's
home or you're shooting in an older
| | 03:15 | building, this definitely can
become an issue quite quickly.
| | 03:19 | As such, you're going to want to test
those circuits, like we mentioned before.
| | 03:23 | This type of device is very affordable
and will give you a good idea of if it's
| | 03:27 | a proper connection and grounded.
| | 03:30 | Making sure it's grounded will ensure
that your lights won't get overloaded and
| | 03:34 | will cut down on the chance
of damage to your equipment.
| | 03:37 | You're going to want to check the wall
outlet using an actual circuit tester.
| | 03:41 | These are only a few bucks, and you
should absolutely keep one in your kit.
| | 03:46 | You'll also need to determine
exactly how much cable is needed.
| | 03:50 | Remember, most outlets that are going
to be in the same room are going to be on
| | 03:54 | the same circuit, so it's not uncommon
to have to run lots of extension cords or
| | 03:59 | stingers to another room.
| | 04:00 | And if you're going to do that, make sure you
have things like gaffer's tape to tape them down.
| | 04:06 | The last thing you want is an injury.
| | 04:08 | This is where that tape measure comes
into play so you can measure out exactly
| | 04:12 | how far away you're going to need
to go in order to have enough power.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Performing sun calculations| 00:00 | When you go on location you're going to
want to know where the sun is, and this
| | 00:04 | one of my favorite apps.
This is sun seeker and I use it all the time.
| | 00:08 | It's going to give me an actual chart
here to show me things like the sunrise
| | 00:10 | and sunset, and I could
adjust the date and time.
| | 00:13 | It's going to tell me
exactly what's going to happen.
| | 00:16 | Remember, in the winter
months there are dramatic changes.
| | 00:19 | A couple of weeks and sunrise or
sunset could change by half an hour.
| | 00:23 | It's important that you keep track
of these details and plan accordingly.
| | 00:27 | Another thing that I like is the
fact that I actually have a 3D view.
| | 00:31 | So, in turning this on, I could use the
camera, and what it's going to show me here
| | 00:36 | is a little path there that shows me where the
sun is and where the moon is. This software,
| | 00:40 | it's absolutely essential, and it's
available for both iOS and Android devices.
| | 00:46 | When you do those sun calculations on
your site survey, you could do it old
| | 00:50 | school, getting the printed tables off
the web or from your sun path software, and
| | 00:53 | use your calculator an inclinometer, or
you could take advantage of some of the
| | 00:57 | modern apps that make this a lot easier.
| | 00:59 | What happens is is you'll need to
know where the sun is going to be at
| | 01:03 | different shooting times.
| | 01:05 | Now, this is why we did a shooting
schedule earlier and we tried to pick our shot
| | 01:09 | locations based on the best light.
| | 01:12 | You may choose some of your exteriors
depending upon where the sun is going to be.
| | 01:17 | Is it going to be low in the sky,
creating a nice soft light, or is it going to
| | 01:21 | be too harsh overhead?
| | 01:23 | If so, you might need to pull out a silk
to add some diffusion over your subject.
| | 01:27 | Remember, having this software
is going to come in handy because
| | 01:31 | oftentimes schedules change.
| | 01:33 | You might have mapped out the best
time of day for that location, determined
| | 01:37 | exactly where the sun is going to be, and
then your talent got lost and showed up
| | 01:41 | an hour late, or that CEO you're
supposed to be working with got pulled into a
| | 01:45 | last-minute meeting and three hours
later, that beautiful light that was supposed
| | 01:49 | to be cascading through their
window in their office is gone.
| | 01:53 | You need to know where the sun is
going to be so you can make snap decisions
| | 01:57 | on the fly and quickly adjust to accommodate
the new scenario that you need to shoot in.
| | 02:02 | One of the things I like to
understand are shadows, and this comes in handy
| | 02:06 | particularly when you're shooting
wider shots or you're dealing with lots of
| | 02:10 | objects, like buildings or trees in the scene.
| | 02:13 | You also need to understand the difference
between sunrise, twilight, dusk, and sunset.
| | 02:19 | Sunrise is when the sun has
technically broken the horizon, and that's great;
| | 02:25 | however, there's a lot of times that
there's light available before the sun
| | 02:29 | actually crosses the horizon line.
| | 02:31 | When you're dealing with this what's
happening is that the light starts to
| | 02:35 | break through the scene and the
horizon becomes illuminated before you
| | 02:39 | actually see the sun.
| | 02:41 | So if you're shooting timelapse or
you need to see the sun go up, don't
| | 02:45 | be ready for sunrise;
| | 02:47 | you actually need to be ready for
twilight. And this is really, really important
| | 02:51 | because it might come a lot
earlier than you've planned.
| | 02:55 | The flipside holds true.
| | 02:57 | Dusk is going to be when the sun gets
really low in the sky and the light is
| | 03:02 | there and it looks like sunset, but
perhaps the sun hasn't crossed the horizon yet.
| | 03:07 | If you're dealing with a lot of
obstructions or in an urban environment with
| | 03:10 | tall buildings, these could
be problematic even earlier.
| | 03:14 | But remember, even once the sun
crosses the horizon line, there can be a few
| | 03:18 | additional moments with dusk.
| | 03:21 | If you're shooting in the summertime,
this period can go on for a very long time.
| | 03:25 | Sometimes people call this the magic hour.
| | 03:28 | This is some of the best, most
attractive light when shooting landscapes: that
| | 03:32 | period in the beginning of the day
or the end of the day when the horizon
| | 03:37 | becomes illuminated.
| | 03:38 | But the golden hour isn't necessarily an hour.
| | 03:41 | Sometimes it's two minutes,
sometimes it doesn't even exist.
| | 03:45 | I highly recommend that you use your sun path
calculator and do a web search for golden hour.
| | 03:50 | There are tons of useful utilities to
help you determine the type of light
| | 03:54 | you're going to have near sunrise and
sunset based upon your geographic location
| | 03:59 | and the time of year.
| | 04:01 | Remember, the use of software is not
cheating; unless you have a degree in
| | 04:05 | astrophysics, use the software.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Weather estimations| 00:00 | For several years, I
worked in broadcast television.
| | 00:03 | In fact, I directed evening newscasts.
| | 00:05 | And I had a chance to work
with a lot of meteorologists.
| | 00:09 | One of the things I learned is that
weather is often fairly predictable.
| | 00:13 | When you have access to satellite data,
it becomes very easy to see where things are at.
| | 00:19 | Now in the old days, this is
very expensive and hard to come by,
| | 00:22 | but now, thanks to great apps available
for your smartphone or your tablet, you
| | 00:27 | can often get access to the exact same
data that weather forecasters use, and
| | 00:31 | they also freely share their info.
| | 00:34 | What you need to do is to have accurate
weather estimations, both on your site
| | 00:38 | survey and on the day of shooting.
| | 00:41 | The good news is is that you can
often see weather forecasts well in advance.
| | 00:46 | One of my favorite things to do is
to log in to weather.com and look at
| | 00:50 | the extended forecast.
| | 00:51 | And then, the night before, I'll log in
for the hour-by-hour breakdown of how the
| | 00:56 | weather is going to be.
| | 00:58 | By doing this the day before I can
often see, literally, into the future, and it
| | 01:03 | makes it very easy for me to adjust the
shooting schedule based on the expected weather.
| | 01:08 | What I generally try to do is have
some of my shots inside and some outside.
| | 01:14 | And I'll usually have an alternative
location in case we are rained out.
| | 01:17 | Now, you can't always control this.
| | 01:19 | Some of the locations you're going to need
are entirely dependent upon shooting outdoors.
| | 01:24 | And if that's the case, you can't stop the rain.
| | 01:28 | But you can plan for it
and try to work around it.
| | 01:31 | And one of my favorite sayings
is, "It rarely rains all day."
| | 01:35 | So make sure you evaluate the type of
weather you're expecting and see if you
| | 01:40 | can plan accordingly.
| | 01:41 | Other things to think about, those backup
locations for shooting outdoors can be essential.
| | 01:47 | Maybe you can go under an awning and
adjust the angle, so that you see the
| | 01:51 | backdrop behind them, but
you're properly covered.
| | 01:54 | You'll often find these at parks or
gazebos, and this is one way to cheat.
| | 01:59 | Perhaps you have to go green
screen and put the backdrop in later.
| | 02:03 | Maybe you don't have time to
wait for the weather to get better.
| | 02:06 | Always think about having a
staging area for the gear and the crew.
| | 02:11 | I recommend the use of pop-up tents,
much like the picnic shelters you'll see
| | 02:15 | available at the big box stores or the
sporting good stores when you get close to summer.
| | 02:20 | These pop-up tents are really useful for
staging equipment and are a great place
| | 02:24 | to huddle to stay out of the wind.
| | 02:27 | However, it's not a bad idea to have a
van or a trailer on set, so people can
| | 02:32 | get out of the elements and stay warm.
| | 02:34 | What you don't want is people
getting cold and frustrated or sick.
| | 02:38 | So, making sure you have some vehicles,
particularly ones that are easy to get
| | 02:42 | in and out of, like a van
or a trailer, goes a long way.
| | 02:46 | Those pop-up shelters, too, will do
a great job of breaking the wind.
| | 02:49 | And you can have director's chair so
people can get their feet off the cold
| | 02:53 | ground, blankets standing by so they stay warm.
| | 02:55 | These are the sort of things you
want to plan to have on your location,
| | 03:00 | particularly if the weather could be changing.
| | 03:01 | Similarly, make sure you've got a cool
place to go if it's a summertime, so
| | 03:07 | people can cool down and not overheat.
| | 03:09 | The trailer or the car can come in
handy, or maybe it's a nearby building where
| | 03:13 | people can wait and only step out
when they need to for the actual shot.
| | 03:17 | Rain gear is an absolute must.
| | 03:20 | This could be as simple as umbrellas
to hold over your cameras or proper
| | 03:24 | form-fitted equipment to
really minimize the impact of rain.
| | 03:27 | There has been many a shoot where I've been
holding an umbrella or flying silk over
| | 03:32 | people just to minimize the rain.
| | 03:34 | And a lot of times you could shoot
through a light rain just as long as you keep
| | 03:39 | the water off the camera lens.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Sound considerations| 00:00 | We're coming back to sound
because people always forget it.
| | 00:04 | When you go on location, it is so
critical that you take the time to check
| | 00:09 | thoroughly the type of
sound you're going to get.
| | 00:12 | Remember, we talked about bringing the
field recorder with you, but what exactly
| | 00:16 | are you going to do with it?
| | 00:18 | Well, here's what I look for.
| | 00:20 | The biggest things are extraneous
sounds that may be present on the shoot day.
| | 00:25 | This could include traffic.
| | 00:28 | This could include background noise.
| | 00:30 | This could include the fact that
you're in a building with very thin walls.
| | 00:34 | I live in the Washington D.C. area,
and we regularly shoot around here.
| | 00:39 | We've got three airports.
Three airports means a lot of planes.
| | 00:44 | Some of the locations we choose are
right on a flight path, so we have to be
| | 00:49 | prepared to stop the shoot and
wait for the plane to go through.
| | 00:53 | This is going to impact how much
shooting we could do, but if I need to shoot
| | 00:56 | near a national monument, I can't really
change the fact that there's an airport
| | 01:00 | less than a mile away.
| | 01:01 | So, I've got to balance out what I'm
doing with the available sound, and things
| | 01:06 | like that will impact your schedule.
| | 01:09 | Maybe you're near a train station that
only runs in the morning and the evenings
| | 01:12 | for rush hours, commuter trains.
| | 01:15 | Well, you're going to have to plan for
those, because it's going to get pretty bad.
| | 01:19 | For example, in our own studio here,
when it gets close to rush hour, if we're
| | 01:23 | running a little bit late while we're
recording, it starts getting around 5:30, the
| | 01:26 | amount of noise in the
background gets pretty loud,
| | 01:29 | particularly when those buses start
rolling through with those air breaks and
| | 01:32 | you hear that crash. Really annoying
and something you have to plan for.
| | 01:37 | So you see, listen close
(siren sounding)
| | 01:41 | That's one of the things
I have to deal with all the time in my own studio.
| | 01:45 | Despite sound reinforcement, there's
not much you could do for a police siren.
| | 01:49 | Other things to think about,
| | 01:51 | get that roomtone for analysis.
| | 01:53 | You just can't beat this,
the ability to take and listen later to make sure
| | 01:57 | you got what you needed.
| | 01:59 | The biggest thing though is, can you
control the heating and ventilation?
| | 02:04 | Do you have access to a
thermostat that you could shut off?
| | 02:07 | Can you turn off those overhead blowers?
| | 02:10 | Now, the challenge here is that many
buildings have air conditioning controlled
| | 02:14 | by floor or even or the entire building.
| | 02:19 | You're going to need to make sure that
things will work out in your best interest.
| | 02:23 | For example, you might need the
ability to shut the air off during your takes
| | 02:28 | and then back on while you have breaks
or you're moving to the next location.
| | 02:32 | Similarly, you might be shooting in a
location in the evening or on the weekends
| | 02:37 | when those things shut down.
| | 02:39 | There's been locations I've gone to
that were beautiful and then we arrive to
| | 02:43 | shoot and we're shooting there
in the early evening. It's fine.
| | 02:47 | By 7:00 or 8:00, suddenly the building is
95 degrees and everyone is sweating; it
| | 02:52 | looks terrible on camera.
| | 02:54 | I've been in situations where
they've been freezing for that matter, too.
| | 02:57 | So you're going to need to make sure
that you have both the creature comforts
| | 03:01 | and control over sound.
| | 03:02 | And in many cases, you're going to
need to turn things off or on as needed.
| | 03:07 | To help out, I'll often bring a fan or
a heating unit on site depending upon
| | 03:11 | the season to really make things a little bit
more comfortable and give me easier control.
| | 03:17 | Other things to consider is the
actual scheduling and time of day.
| | 03:21 | Doing your location scout at 2 in the
afternoon isn't really good if you're
| | 03:26 | going to be shooting at
that location at 5:00 at night.
| | 03:29 | So remember, do your best to scout
during the time of day that you need, or hang
| | 03:35 | around a little bit longer and get the audio.
| | 03:38 | If you yourself can't do this, you
could send out a production assistant or
| | 03:42 | somebody else to go back to the
locations and record some additional stills and
| | 03:46 | audio at the time of day
you're going to be shooting.
| | 03:49 | This will really come in handy when
you start to plan and will point out any
| | 03:53 | potential issues that are temporal.
| | 03:56 | That is to say, they don't happen
constantly, but they pop up at certain
| | 04:00 | times of day.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Location considerations| 00:00 | Besides all the other aspects that
we've looked at with the site survey or the
| | 00:04 | location scout, there are a few things
about the actual location itself--its
| | 00:08 | geography and its creature
comforts--that you need to consider.
| | 00:12 | These often get overlooked, and
they are annoying things that will really
| | 00:16 | screw you over if you forget to check.
| | 00:19 | So, what do you need to think about?
| | 00:21 | Well, here's an easy one.
| | 00:23 | Where will you park?
| | 00:25 | What happens a lot of times is you
forget about the simple nature that you're
| | 00:27 | going to have equipment and vehicles.
| | 00:31 | Do your vehicles have to be
very far away from the building?
| | 00:34 | A lot of times when shooting in an
urban environment, parking could be blocks
| | 00:38 | away, particularly depending upon
the time of day that you arrive.
| | 00:41 | As such, is there a loading dock where
you could unload the equipment into the set?
| | 00:46 | This will be quite helpful.
| | 00:48 | Another thing to think about
is, who needs to be closest?
| | 00:51 | While you might think it's the
director, that's not always the case.
| | 00:55 | For example, if you have a production
assistant that needs to shuttling people
| | 00:59 | in and out, they might need a close
parking space, particularly if they're
| | 01:03 | picking up talent or clients.
| | 01:05 | You may want to think about the
clients as well, giving them the premium spot.
| | 01:09 | Make sure you figure out how those spots
are going to be saved. Can you mark them?
| | 01:12 | Can you reserve them?
Work with the building.
| | 01:15 | Parking is often very difficult, and it
could really insert some delays that you
| | 01:20 | don't want into your schedule.
| | 01:22 | Make sure you communicate to the crew
where they should park and give them a
| | 01:26 | backup location or two.
| | 01:28 | This is information that should go
into your call sheet and really gets
| | 01:32 | forgotten most of the time.
| | 01:34 | Think about public streets.
| | 01:36 | Do you need any permitting in
order to be shooting out in public?
| | 01:39 | Are you going to be obstructing traffic?
| | 01:41 | Do you need special permits for your equipment?
| | 01:44 | If you're bringing in something like
a grip truck, you might not be able to
| | 01:48 | park in a regular spot.
| | 01:50 | Make sure you think through how big
your vehicles are and where you're going to
| | 01:54 | store them and make sure
you have proper permissions.
| | 01:58 | Oftentimes, even in areas that are
marked out as only two-hour parking, if you
| | 02:03 | work with a film office or the
tourism board, you can get special permits so
| | 02:08 | your vehicles can stay
longer in a convenient spot.
| | 02:11 | Many cities value media production and
see it as a way to boost tourism and add
| | 02:16 | to the local economy,
| | 02:18 | so if you play by the rules, you can
often break the rules and gets special
| | 02:22 | permissions for your vehicles.
| | 02:24 | Make sure you think about any
preservation steps that are going to be necessary
| | 02:28 | to preserve the location.
| | 02:29 | For example, do you need any wall
coverings to cut down on scratches, pads to
| | 02:35 | hang in the elevator so
you don't scuff the walls?
| | 02:37 | Do you need floor mats to cover
up cables so people don't trip?
| | 02:41 | Or do you want to put any protective
coverings over equipment so it doesn't
| | 02:45 | scratch things up as
you're rolling it down the hall?
| | 02:48 | Make sure you think through how you're
going to avoid the scuffs, the gouges, and
| | 02:51 | the nicks that often happen when you
start pushing large carts filled with sharp
| | 02:55 | metal objects at high speeds down the hallway.
| | 02:59 | And of course, where will the
gear be staged? Is it safe?
| | 03:02 | Do you have a place to lock it up?
| | 03:05 | Now, this one may seem silly, but you
need to know where the bathrooms are, and
| | 03:09 | are they going to be accessible?
| | 03:10 | Because a lot of times when shooting
outdoors you kind of forget about this,
| | 03:14 | and the bathroom might be
two or three miles away.
| | 03:18 | Did you talk to that convenient store or
that gas station about people coming in?
| | 03:21 | Do you have a roll of $5 bills so
every crew member could go buy a fresh soda
| | 03:26 | when they need to go to the 7-
Eleven and also ask to use the bathroom?
| | 03:31 | Make sure you think through some of
the simple things, and including as far as
| | 03:35 | even roughing it if you're
out in the great outdoors.
| | 03:38 | You might have to think a little bit
like a backpacker here and bring the
| | 03:41 | necessary gear in order to
make a remote location work.
| | 03:45 | Other things to think about when
you're on a site survey and looking at your
| | 03:48 | location, do you know where
the food is going to come from?
| | 03:52 | Are you going to be ordering from a
local restaurant, or is there any food
| | 03:56 | services on site such as a cafeteria,
or does everything need to brought in?
| | 04:02 | If you do need to bring things in, how
are you going to store it, how are you
| | 04:06 | going to keep it fresh, how are you
going to get it hot if it's hot food?
| | 04:10 | Make sure you're not putting people at
risk for things like food poisoning by
| | 04:13 | not properly refrigerating or
storing the food that you bring.
| | 04:17 | As such, you may need to make some
decisions that properly accommodate the
| | 04:20 | safety of the crew, as well as any
dietary constraints, and the use of coolers
| | 04:25 | will really come in handy. Plus, remember,
you may also find local restaurants or
| | 04:29 | catering companies that can deliver to
your location and make sure the food is
| | 04:33 | hot and ready at the time you need.
| | 04:37 | Think about any additional permissions
that need to be secured, not just the
| | 04:40 | building itself, but the surrounding
areas. And determine the schedule for
| | 04:45 | access to that location.
| | 04:47 | Make sure you've conveyed with the
location when you're going to arrive on site.
| | 04:52 | If you know you need to start shooting
at 6 a.m., make sure the person letting
| | 04:57 | you in the building knows that you
want to arrive at 4 in the morning.
| | 05:01 | They might just have, "Oh, I'll get
there at 5 to 6:00 and turn the lock and
| | 05:06 | everything will be fine."
| | 05:07 | Most people don't understand just how slow
video production is--photography too sometimes.
| | 05:13 | It becomes very important that you
convey the schedule that you need and
| | 05:17 | that you build that schedule based
around any constraints you might have
| | 05:21 | around building access.
| | 05:23 | Determine the earliest you can arrive
and the latest you can leave and it will
| | 05:28 | cut down on a whole bunch of surprises.
| | Collapse this transcript |
|
|
ConclusionGoodbye| 00:00 | I appreciate you joining me today
for this detailed look at site surveys
| | 00:04 | and location scouts.
| | 00:05 | There's a lot of points, and some of
them we beat to death, but I think
| | 00:09 | it's important that you don't
overlook some of the most critical mistakes
| | 00:12 | that frequently happen.
| | 00:13 | Go back and watch any of the sections
that seemed a little bit difficult to you,
| | 00:17 | and feel free to spotcheck as you go
out and get ready for your next shoot.
| | 00:22 | If you like to check here on lynda.com,
we also have some other courses that I'd
| | 00:25 | recommend, one on budgeting and
another on project management.
| | 00:29 | These two classes will give you a
good idea about some of the other skills
| | 00:32 | necessary for a producer or a
director to have in order to put together a
| | 00:37 | successful video or photo shoot.
| | 00:38 | I'd like to thank you for
joining me. My name is Rich Harrington.
| | Collapse this transcript |
|
|
