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Reprinted
with permission.c.2003 Wedding & Event Videography Magazine
Camera Command
Harnessing the Potential of Your Video Camera
DVD, Runtime 70 minutes;
Bonus materials included.
Expected Price: under $60
www.cameracommand.com
by Mark
Goldberg
With
modern sophisticated auto-everything cameras, many operators today have lost - or never
gained - the knowledge and art of image control and manipulation, particularly the use of
aperture, shutter speed, lens focal length, and gain (or ISO for film) to achieve a
desired visual result.
Now, there's a great way to see, hear and experiment with that valuable videographic
information. Dan Strickler and Whitney Rydbeck (with the help of a number of other
well-known WEVA International Members), posing as the "RAVAS Partners," teach
the fundamentals of camera controls in their humorous but very informative DVD, Camera
Command - Harnessing the Potential of Your Video Camera. As an opening caption
states, "The characters and RAVAS are fictional, but principles of photography are
real, so PAY CLOSE ATTENTION."
The disc's contents are organized into a total of 42 chapters, grouped in five
sessions, looking at various aspects of a video camera's
operation, functions and features.
| By selecting
one of the five main sessions from the main DVD menu, a sub-menu appears to clearly show
what topics are contained in that section. There is also bonus material with some
behind-the-scenes footage and outtakes. A special Education Version is also available,
complete with additional print reference material and suggested work assignments. |
 |
Off the top, we see a
slick corporate PR piece, demonstrating a novel new camera for catching shoplifters. It's
fun, clever and a little irreverent, and it sets the tone for what's to come. Intiially,
the "partners" treat all imaging devices - still camera, movie camera, video
camcorder, and even the human eye - alike, describing their operating principles and main
controls. The most basic consumer camcorder, and the high-end professional video camera,
are discussed, and there is an excellent light ray demonstration of how lenses work in all
these devices.
Excellent, too, are the demonstrations of the use of depth of field, and how different
camera controls affect this important and creative tool. You may have heard that "the
smaller the aperture opening, the greater the depth of field" but this training
program actually shows you what that means!
The hosts also use the comparison of two fluid flows in a chemistry lab with light
reaching the imaging surface of your camera. Later, a spinning fan is used to illustrate
the all-important notion of fields and frames in video, and how they can be affected by
controlling the camera's shutter speed.
There are sample shots to
illustrate how slow or fast shutter speeds are used to achieve a desired visual result.
 |
Dan Strickler and
Whitney Rydbeck, with the assistance of a number of WEVA International members, have
created an engaging and informative training DVD on basic camera operation. Strickler
(below, right) will be a featured speaker at WEVA EXPO 2003 |
Camera Command is
one of the best works I've seen, not only for our profession, but in the larger world of
instuctional media as well. It encompasses what could be covered in a college course and
is well-suited for use by high schools and colleges, as well las videographers,
photographers, and filmmakers. It's entertaining, well-organized, well-acted, and
well-produced. It's technically flawless and effectively imparts both complex and simple
topics lucidly, without demeaning or confusing the viewer. Illustrations and
demonstrations were novel and even amusing; they amplified and solidified each topic.
Considering various genres of film and video, humor is the most difficult to pull off -
and that is exactly what the makers of Camera Command have done. Of all the
superlatives I could give here, it is the humorous element that will keep videographers at
all levels focused on this DVD.
Even if you are a camera expert who already knows how to use your camera in full manual to
get the image you want, this program is one of the finest examples of what a special
interest training video can be. You won't not off with this one!
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Camera Command is
produced by
RAVAS Partners in association with EFFECT LLC
Email: info@cameracommand.com
Home: http://www.cameracommand.com
Copyright 2003
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