Camera Basics
Increasing this number on the camera makes the image brighter but introduces grain.
What is ISO?
The primary light hitting a subject.
What is the key light?
Why should you format your memory card before filming?
Formatting a memory card should be done prior to filming to ensure all previous footage has been erased and the card is properly prepared for recording without errors.
What is white balance?
This camera setting tells the camera what color should appear as neutral white in a scene so that all other colors are rendered accurately.
This shot size, often used in the establishing shot, shows the whole or most of the area where the scene is taking place.
What is a wide shot or extreme wide shot?
Typically twice the frame rate in film.
What is shutter speed?
Placing a white sheet over the light affects this attribute of light.
What is diffusion?
Where is Movie Mode located on the camera?
The Movie Mode dial is located on the top of the camera and is identified by a small film strip icon, allowing the camera to record video instead of still photos.
What is manual white balance?
Unlike auto white balance, this method allows filmmakers to lock in a specific Kelvin value so the camera does not shift color as subjects or lighting conditions change within the frame.
Otherwise known as UHD.
What is 3840 x 2160?
Lenses have these. Some are fixed, others are variable.
What is a focal length?
What is three-point lighting?
This lighting setup uses three lights—a key light to illuminate the subject, a fill light to soften shadows, and a backlight to separate the subject from the background.
Why do filmmakers shoot at 24 fps?
Filmmakers commonly shoot at 24 frames per second because it creates natural motion blur and the cinematic look audiences associate with movies.
What is color temperature?
On the Kelvin scale used in filmmaking, lower values produce warmer orange tones while higher values produce cooler blue tones in the image.
What is a close-up?
All cameras have and use four basic things; a body, a lens, an SD Card, and this.
What is a battery?
What is Rembrandt lighting?
By positioning a light source off to the subject’s side at about a 45-degree angle and aiming the light slightly downward toward the face, a small triangle of light appears on the shadow side of the subject’s cheek.
Why do filmmakers use the Rule of Thirds grid?
The Rule of Thirds grid is used to help frame subjects by placing them along grid intersections rather than the center of the frame, creating more balanced and visually engaging compositions.
Why should white balance be set before adjusting exposure?
White balance should be set before adjusting exposure because every color in the image is derived from what the camera interprets as neutral white, affecting skin tones and overall color accuracy.
This aspect ratio used for all televisions and laptops, is deemed standard across the film world.
What is 16:9?
The adjustment of this camera feature increases the depth of field of the image but at the expense of making it darker.
What is aperture?
What is cross-key lighting?
An interview setup can use just two lights by placing one behind each subject, so each light functions as both a key and backlight, eliminating the need for a separate fill light while still shaping the subjects with contrast.
Why do filmmakers set the shutter speed to 1/48 when shooting at 24 fps?
When filming at 24 frames per second, a shutter speed of 1/48 second follows the 180-degree shutter rule and produces natural cinematic motion blur.
What are the standard white balance values for tungsten light and daylight?
In filmmaking, indoor tungsten lighting is typically balanced around 3200 Kelvin, while natural daylight is balanced around 5600 Kelvin on the color temperature scale.
You are filming three subjects standing side by side, and you want the frame to show their bodies from the head down to just below their jean pockets. What type of shot would you use?
A cowboy three-shot!