CAMERA COURSE OUTLINE 2009

PASA 5265 FILM & TELEVISION 1A - CAMERA

Level Course No. Course Name Credits
5 PASA5265 Film & Television 1A 15

This course runs throughout Semester One and will introduce you to
basic camera techniques and gear, which you will utilise during your
various exercises and projects.

This is a compulsory paper for those who wish to be considered for the
Camera Elective in Semester 2. [Please note that when students are
considered for any of the electives in Semester 2 their performance in all
their BPSA papers will be taken into consideration.]

Staff Contacts

Teaching Staff
Dan Wagner (Camera Tutor) dwagner2@unitec.ac.nz
Alan Locke (Camera Tutor) alocke@unitec.ac.nz

Production Staff
Nikki Baigent (Screen Production Manager) – nbaigent@unitec.ac.nz
Gayle Jackson (Props & Costume Assistant) – gjackson@unitec.ac.nz
Sai Yin Leung (Maintenance Engineer) - sleung@unitec.ac.nz
Theo Gibson (Screen Technician) - tgibson@unitec.ac.nz

Programme Co-ordinator
Victor Grbic (Film & Television) – vgrbic@unitec.ac.nz

Course Aims and Learning Outcomes

COURSE AIM:
To enable students to gain a practice-based understanding of fundamental
theories, concepts and techniques associated with film & television
technology and production.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
3. Explore the various roles and professional practices involved in creating
work for screen.
- Demonstrate technical, operational and procedural skills to a basic
standard in set exercises for each of the following specialisations:
Camera;Directing;Editing; Production; Sound;Writing
- Demonstrate knowledge of the technologies associated with film and
television production
- Demonstrate professional practice

Course Information
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GOAL
The primary goal of this semester is to get you up and running with the camera
and lighting gear, and to provide you with a context within which you, as a
potential camera crew member, may function. The secondary goal is to
adequately prepare you for the Camera assessment, taking place in Term 2.

CONTENT
In Camera class, you will:
 Gain context through learning the historical evolution of the motion picture
camera in storytelling as well as the development of the film industry and
where you fit in.;
 Learn the various roles on the camera crew and how they interact with one
another and the rest of the crew;
 Familiarise yourself with the Year 1 cameras;
 Develop basic proficiency in the fundamental skills of Camera Craft:
Camera Operating, Camera Assisting (including Focus Pulling), Lighting and
Gripping;
 Get introduced to many of the contributions Light and Lens can make to
Visual Storytelling;
 Learn to use the gear.

Course Assessments and Due Dates

The Camera Assessments will focus on your basic proficiency with the gear
and on your grasp of certain fundamental concepts such as the foundational
“road rules” of film making.

Cam 1A – 6th April - (5% of this course)

The WRITTEN TEST will be a timed online test administered through
Blackboard (which you’ll learn about).

Cam 1B – 2nd & 3rd June - (10% of this course)

The BASIC BUILDING SKILLS assessment will be an in-class practical
camera-sound combination test. This means that you be in a small group,
fulfilling four different crew positions (camera operator, camera assistant,
lighting assistant and sound recordist) - being assessed on each one as you
rotate through them.

Class Schedule

Here are the camera classes, and what will be covered during each one. As
there are a good number of you in Year 1, we’re dividing the class in half. On
Tuesday, Group 1 comes to Camera and Group 2 goes to Editing. Then, on
Thursday, you switch: the first half goes to Editing and the other half of you
come to Camera.

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As you see, the Camera Workshops are the practical (hands-on, not book-
based) portions. Any class you miss will be something you’ve not learned for
the assessments. You must ATTEND ALL CLASSES!

LESSON #
DATE TOPICS COVERED
[tutor]

Tues-24Feb PM
1/A1
AL
OR Intro to: Course / Camera History & You / Making of a Shot / What's in a Frame?
Th-26Feb AM &
DW
Tues-3Mar PM
1/A2 Intro to: Crew Roles / Y1 Camera / Shot Sizes
OR
Th-5Mar AM DW CAMERA WORKSHOP (hands on)
Tues-10Mar PM
1/A3 Intro to: Composition / Operating
OR
Th-12Mar AM DW CAMERA WORKSHOP
Tues-17Mar PM Intro to: Camera Protocols
1/A4
OR Timecode, Slating, Camera Logs, the Set Calls
Th-19Mar AM DW
CAMERA WORKSHOP
Tues-24Mar PM
1/A5 Intro to Lighting and Lights, Shadows and the Cutter.
OR
Th-26Mar AM AL CAMERA WORKSHOP
Tues-31Mar PM
1/A6 Bringing it all together - Camera, Lighting and Set Protocols:
OR
Th-2Apr AM DW CAMERA WORKSHOP – Practice for Formative Assessment
Mon-6Apr 10:30am Written Test

Tues-7Apr PM
1/A7
OR Formative Assessment
Th-9Apr AM DW

Mid-semester break
1-MINUTE EXERCISE

SILENT EXERCISE

INTERVIEW PORTRAITS

Mon-25May PM
1/ B1
AL 1st half: One Test Case Team for Mock Assessment w/ stop-start comments;
OR
Tues-26May PM & 2nd half: Portraits lecture / demo
DW

Required / Recommended Items

REQUIRED TEXT
Thompson, Roy, Grammar of the Shot, Focal Press, 1998 - ISBN: 978-0-240-51398-0

RECOMMENDED TEXTS
Ballinger, Alex, New Cinematographers, Collins Design, 2004
Giannetti, Louis, Understanding Movies, 10th Edition, Prentice-Hall, 2004

REQUIRED ITEM
USB Flash Drive – at least 1GB
You need to be able to take DIGITAL STILL PHOTOS (if you don’t have a dedicated camera, a
phone will suffice) and get selected pictures onto the Flash Drive – hopefully in JPEG
format. If this is a challenge for you, please see Dan.

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