Equipment Operations

These are the general methods we use to make movies. If the DP wants to depart from these methods, make sure the budget can support it and check in with your EP and with Daniel Brothers.

Remember:

Substance > Style!

Principal Camera

CANON C300 or C300mk2: These are your primary cinema verite cameras. Expect to shoot 80% of the piece with these. They should be setup to shoot comfortably from your shoulder for several hours a day.

Specs: 1080p, 23.976fps (aka 23.98fps) ,10-bit, 50mbs+,

Aspect ratio: 16:9

Shutter: 180 degrees. Adjust for computer screens and lighting in foreign countries

White Balance: Set the proper white balance before you start shooting. 3200k (tungsten), 4300k (fluorescent) or 5600k (daylight). If going to color correction - avoid other Kelvin ratings and pick the closest one.

Manual zoom, focus & exposure: If you’re having problems finding the right exposure use the Zebras. If you’re having problems with focus, use peaking.

Zebra: 100% then you should make sure you never see them, except in very extreme situations. Do not blow out the sky. If a light is in the shot, its ok to let that blow out.

Colorspace: (see camera settings section below)

Timecode: Use Free Run Time Code. Set time code to Time of Day according to a 24-hour clock (i.e. 5:00PM = 17:00:00:00) at the beginning of every day. This will help with Production Reports because you can reference events according to what time they happened during the day. If using more than 1 camera, Jam Sync them together in the morning and halfway through the day.

A NOTE ON SLOW MOTION

90% of the time, avoid using slow mo. Its a good tool for illustrating action that is too fast for the human eye to interpret but don't use it as a b-roll crutch.

When using multiple shooters, make sure cameras are the same (two C300s or two FS7s - don’t mix Canon and Sony per each shooter.) It is ok to use an A7S with a Canon primary camera if that’s all you have available for stills/bcam.

Additional Cameras

A7S/5D - Keep one available - shoot lots of stills when you can! These secondary cameras should be used as additional angles during interviews and in a pinch when cameras absolutely have to be small.

DRONES

If you don’t know how to fly a drone don’t worry about it, we can always buy aerial shots and would rather do that than pay for a new drone or a limb replacement for some poor person you nail with the craft. Don’t have to overfly, once you get the shot, land that thing. Bring a lot of Micro SD cards, when you get a cool shot, change the card so if the drone crashes on the next flight at least you have the cool shot from the last flight. Don’t fly drones in places that will get you arrested.

• DJI Inspire / Phantom 3
  • Choose between 4k and 2.7k so editor can stabilize/punch in if necessary.

GOPRO

Avoid using unless necessary. Protune color, outdoor white balance, 4k or 2.7k, medium field of view. Make a note to editor that go pro aerials should have the fisheye removed in post

GIMBALS: MOVI / RONIN / OSMO etc

Use where appropriate. Never get caught shooting a natural scene with a movi unless it’s explicitly apart of the show style. They make great b-roll cams but don’t replace steady hands on a shoulder rig for vérité. DSLR or a c100 can work well here. Make sure to note in production report if you're intentionally shooting slow motion.

A NOTE ON NOVELTY

Remember: SUBSTANCE before style. We’re all for drones and movi’s and go-pros and whatever else the kids are using these days but it has to be used for a reason. Find out ahead of time from the producer what toys they want you to bring and offer suggestions of things you think would increase production value in your piece. Schedule time during the production day for setup/breakdown of specialty gear.

Multiple Cameras

• Match up the white balance: 3200K, 4300K or 5600K. For interviews, white balance all cameras using a white card.
• When shooting more than one camera during an interview or concert, DON’T STOP rolling till the end of the interview or concert. If you cut more than once, the editor will not be able to sync the audio with the other cameras.
• JAM SYNC free run timecode
• If you forget to run sound during a Multi-Camera shoot, slate the take at the end.

Timecode & Sync

ATTENTION! WITH THE NEW UPGRADE OF PLURALEYES, THE DEVELOPERS HAVE COMPLETELY DESTROYED ITS FUNCTIONALITY! We can no longer rely on pluraleyes to sync multiple cameras.

ALL SHOOTERS MUST INSURE THAT ALL CAMERAS CAN BE EASILY SYNCED WITHOUT PLURALEYES!!!

If you are shooting multiple cameras that can receive timecode, MAKE SURE to JAM SYNC at least twice a day - first thing in the morning and at lunch!

If you’re working with a sound operator, make sure they provide lockit boxes or handle jam sync.

For cameras like the 5D, the A7S and the stock FS7 that do not have timecode inputs, please download a visual timecode app (like Sync Slate) and make sure all cameras get a few frames of the rolling timecode on it. If you don’t know how to do this, ASK!

Finally, if you’re in a pinch and don’t have time to do these other, mandatory, things, MAKE SURE to do a sync clap at the heads and the tails!!

Audio

90% of the time on digital shoots, the shooter is also responsible for getting clean audio. Wireless lav kits are the workhorses of this type of sound capture. Keep in mind that each camera usually only has 2 audio inputs. If you’re not working with a sound operator, the DP needs to flag situations where there may be a need for more than 2 channels of audio (interviews with more than 2 people involved, sound capture off a remote sound board, etc). We use Sennheiser G3 wireless lav kits but you can use whatever system the shooter is most comfortable with.

Prep and test all audio gear during camera checkout. Turn them on, plug them in and listen to them. If renting lavs, let the rental house know where you are going and they can send frequency ranges that will work best in that location. Pack more batteries than you think you will need.

ALWAYS conceal lavs. No collar-warts!! Bring pre-cut moleskin, topstick, vampire clips, safety pins, elastic and tape - anything you may need to attach and hide a wire on a human body.

In addition to lavs, always have a shotgun mic on camera capturing incidental sound. Even for b-roll.

There are scenarios where you need to hire a sound operator - make sure to have the sound op and shooter discuss workflow and timecode before you get into the field.

Always wear headphones when shooting. Its also helpful to keep headphones on even when you’re not rolling in case things start happening on the lavs unexpectedly, you’ll then be ready. I’ve had a ton of situations where I captured an amazing scene because a character forgot I was listening and things started happening naturally.

First Aid Kits

Vice Digital owns 6 TSA approved first aid kits. If you’re going on a travel job, make sure to pack one of these. If they are all out, let Daniel Brothers know and we’ll find one.

PLEASE REPORT ANY WORK INJURIES TO YOUR SUPERVISOR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Even minor cuts or falls - no one will get in trouble but we do need to know. If you have to use the first aid kit in the field, let Daniel Brothers know so that it can be restocked for the next trip.

CommunicatinG with Equipment Ops

The men and women in the gear room(s) handle gear checkouts for the entire company. They are extremely busy people who juggle a ton of logistics daily. Remember that your shoot isn’t the only shoot and do the following things to insure clear, simple lines of communication.

In New York, send an email to EquipmentOps@vice.com. DO NOT USE PARAGRAPHS!! Format the email like this:

EquipmentOps will let you know what can be provided using in-house gear and what will need to be rented. PRODUCTION IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ARRANGING PICKUPS AND RETURNS OF RENTAL GEAR.

While the gear room sometimes has people doing runs for rental gear, DO NOT assume they will do pickups or returns for you.

The Equipment Room in New York is open between 9:30am and 6:30pm Monday through Friday. If you need access at other times, you must be on the security list or you won’t be able to get in. Be sure to let EquipmentOps know if you need access outside of normal operational hours.

If you’re operating out of an office away from New York, be sure to check with them about checkout protocols that they prefer.

Any equipment order might include a variety of in-house and rental gear. When budgeting your shoot, DON’T ASSUME that in-house gear will be available. Make sure to check with Eq on your dates and they can advise what might need to be rented. They can also provide rental quotes for help in budgeting. If the budget is approved, be sure to let them know that any rentals are a “go” and then arrange for pickup and return of rental items.

MEDIA

After the prep meeting, the Producer or AP should request media from the post team. Send an email to ashley.figaro@vice.com with the project title, project ID, dates and media requested.

Make sure to also request media readers, cables, and backup drives if needed.

Please also note that it is the producer/AP's responsibility to return media to Ashley after it has been ingested and verified. If the media is held, other shoots are forced to rent or purchase new media. There is no need for producers to hold onto backup media as the post department keeps backups in at least three places once the project is live in post.

Prep Day

THE SHOOTER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PREPPING EQUIPMENT. PERIOD.

Producers are not responsible for prepping gear before the shoot. Equipment Ops is NOT responsible for prepping gear before a shoot. If you as DP or B-cam op skips out on your prep and critical gear is missing when you arrive for the shoot, it is your fault. It is NOT the producer’s responsibility to prep your gear with you over skype, hangouts, the phone or any other remote location. If a shooter is otherwise booked on the prep day, arrange for an AC, B-cam op or other DP who knows your setup to prep.

Producers - be sure to budget at least a half day rate to pay freelance shooters for the prep day. If the job is big enough to require a wrap day, also budget for that!

Loss and Damage

Please report any loss or damage to gear while shooting or during transport as soon as possible to Dan Meyer and EquipmentOps so that the items can be fixed or replaced in a timely manner.

Production