First Studio Lesson

It was such a relief to hear that we were finally going to the studio and we would have our first experience with the Black Magic Mini URSA cameras which are available in Hurtwood House. At first, we gathered around the central espace of the room and Matt showed us how to bubble the tripod and place the camera on top, as well as fit in the lense. I found it very useful to learn about the procedure of assembling the camera and the tripod because in previous works I had done, I had difficulty doing so due to my lack of guidance. 

Once explained, it surprised me how basic the operation was: we just had to press a button and slide the camera through a group of small rails. We also turned a wheel around so that it stayed in that position without moving. This meant that there was no further risk of dropping the camera unless we tripped with the tripod. Furthermore, we made some arrangements with the handles that made the tripod pan and tilt to reduce the danger of damaging the camera. 

Afterwards, we were shown that we had to place a yellow bubble in one of the sides of the camera in the middle of the frame so that the image was recorded correctly. Then, we got the hang of focusing the camera. First, we had to zoom in the maximum possible and turn on the wheel until we saw the image as clear as it could be, and then zoom out and the job was done. If what you are filming is a person, it is important to know that the best reference is their eye. 

The exposure was the next concept we were taught about. It is what controls the amount of light that influences the frame, and the blue wheel through which you manage the different lumonosity is not very cleverly placed; it is right next to the button that makes the lenses come off the camera, which makes the situation really risky. The ISO, another of the three pilars of photography, is basically how sensible is the camera to the light. The default setting is 400, something which is not bound to be changed because it is the best measurement for the Black Magic camera and, simply, there is no need to do it. We also looked at the Shutter Angle, which should be kept at 180 degrees to achieve a normal effect when an action takes place. However, if you want it to be sharper (i.e. a recording of an Olympic performance) you need to lower it down. Finally, the White Balance establishes the colours of what we are filming. In an indoor location, it should revolve around 3000-3200, while outside, the ideal setting would be from 5600 to 6600 depending in the place and time; WB is measured in K (Absolute 0).

To conclude the lesson, Matt made us participate in a group challenge: we needed to detatch the camera from the tripod, remove the battery, and put everything in their specific boxes before the others did it, as well as arranging all the material again and making sure the camera was focused and with the right settings from the ones I just explained. Unfortunately, my group didn't win! Anyway, I learnt no much from the lesson thanks to the attentive guidance we were given by Matt and Paul. Now I can say, without doubt, that I am able to use Black Magic technology effectively.