tv-handbook.com

[gregs]

It's been thirty years, minus a month, since I graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in radio and television production. I had been a "gearhead" well back into my teenage years, though, so although graduation wasn't really the beginning of my film/TV/photography career, it's still a good benchmark from which to count the passing years. Since then, I've bought and sold a lot of equipment, worked in the field and in a number of facilities on many different kinds of projects, and have helped design and build a variety of studios, editing rooms and "wired classrooms" of different sorts. So here are some:

Lessons I've learned about selecting video equipment ... from 30 years of experience:

1) Speed and size trump technical specifications. Almost always. Equipment that is smaller, lighter and easier to use and set up counts for more than wringing the last line of resolution or dB of signal-to-noise out of a unit. Unfortunately, there are no objective numerical specifications you can read in a catalog for ergonomics, the placement, feel or sensibility of controls, or how long it takes to get a piece of equipment out of the box, set up and running. But these things count for a lot in how much you will actually use (and enjoy using) a camera, recorder or light. Only studying and using the gear in a real-life production setting can tell you whether a particular model actually fits your style and needs. In the end, getting the shot often means being there and being ready to shoot -- with gear you trust and can operate instinctively -- even if your equipment isn't the newest and best.

2) "Broadcast quality" is an obsolete and meaningless concept. Broadcasters will use any kind of video they can get if the story is important enough, even the grainiest and shakiest amateur footage of a tornado, crash or fire. Much of the work being done by industrial, educational, amateur and independent producers exceeds -- at least in terms of creativity and the care and effort put into the production -- what our "broadcast" networks and stations produce. The rise of alternative distribution media like the home video market, DVDs and the Internet has made the idea of a single standard for equipment quality completely irrelevant. You need to design your facilities for the use you will make of them, and the audience and distribution media they will serve. Producing a video for YouTube requires adopting a far different set of standards than making a feature film for projection in theatres, and there are enough different audiences, viewing programs through enough different channels, that you can find a way to distribute almost anything. (Whether you can make a living doing it is a different matter!) Make yourself and your audience happy first.

3) Equipment multiplies to consume all the space you have to transport it, and the budget you have to purchase it. Buy light and compact stuff wherever possible. Every ounce translates into additional shooting opportunities over the life of the gear. Lightweight equipment allows you to carry more, carry it farther, higher or longer, or hold it steadier -- regardless of your physical strength or condition.

4) Soft cases are better than hard cases. They use space more efficiently and are lighter to carry. Reserve the hard boxes for shipping your equipment long distances, but use fabric bags for daily shooting.

5) It's better to carry two smaller bags than one bigger one.

6) Don't stuff your bags and cases to the limit. Reserve space for extras you will pick up before each shoot, and allow for inefficiencies in packing when you are striking after a hard days' work.

7) Eliminate as many cables as possible. They are heavy and bulky, the least reliable of all components, and take time to unfurl, hook up and stow after the shoot.

7a) Camcorders beat separate recorders.

7b) Wireless microphones are a good thing, wherever practical.

8 ) Good tripods are bulky, heavy, expensive ... and absolutely necessary. Small and cheap tripods will always disappoint.

9) Pro audio connectors (XLRs) and phantom power capability are always worth the expense and trouble.

10) Interchangeable lenses on cameras and camcorders are overrated. Most people will select a single good zoom lens and stick with it over the life of their camera. Interchangeable lens mounts add cost, weight and complexity, are another potential point of failure, and can let dust into the optical system. (This doesn't apply to still cameras, a different kind of animal.)

11) The same goes for "dockable" cameras with interchangeable VCR modules. How many actually shoot on different formats during the lifespan of the product?

12) Zoom lenses with less than a 10:1 ratio should be illegal. (Again, not true in still photography.)

12a) It is more important to buy lenses with true wide-angle capability than extreme zoom or telephoto range. You'll use, and appreciate, the short end much more than the long.

13) Work close to the subject -- with both cameras and microphones.

14) Monitors for reviewing and editing footage can never be too big, or too bright.

15) Self-powered, bi-amplified monitor speakers are a beautiful thing -- for better sound, energy efficiency, compactness and elimination of cables and connectors.

16) "Analog" is not a dirty word. Digital media are a good thing, and have opened up new worlds especially in editing and distribution. But lots of great production has been, can be, and will in the future be done with analog equipment. Particularly in the audio realm, analog mixers and signal processing equipment remain pre-eminent, and continue to serve well. Many TV stations still use Betacam equipment for ENG, because the quality, even after conversion to digital for editing, still matches or exceeds the various DV-based formats.

17) Similarly, "digital" does not mean "superior." The first digital medium most of us used was the long-distance telephone network -- hardly a hallmark for high fidelity audio. Similarly, no one would argue that DVDs beat the quality of well-projected 35mm movies, and there are some respects in which vinyl records exceed the quality of CDs. The advantage of digital is that it's possible to design a system that will operate predictably and reliably at any specified level of quality -- good or poor. But the specification has to be set high enough to reap the advantages.

18 ) Time spent reading manuals or rehearsing, at home, the equipment set-ups you will use in the field is never wasted.



The most important technical innovations in TV production in the last 30 years:

CCD camera sensors
Digital recording
Non-linear editing systems
Firewire
The DV format standard
One-piece camcorders
Lithium-ion batteries
LCD (and soon, OLED and SED) monitors
High definition
DVDs
Program distribution via the Internet

And my personal favorite ... eBay
_________________
Greg Smith N9LHI
Co-author of TV Handbook
gregs@uiuc.edu