The main job role I undertook throughout the project was a camera operator, this meant my technical ability had to be strong and I also had to select the correct apparatus for the job. We had decided as a group we would use a multi camera setup and use the vision mixing panel in the studio so we could swap between shots easily and efficiently. I was selected to be on camera 1 which required me to zoom in and out of the contestants using the zoom ring and tripod. I started off by loosening the tripod so it would move round with more fluidity meaning if i had to make a move mid shot then it wouldn't look out of place.
I constantly had the director in my ear telling me what shot to move to so we could capture the reactions of contestants and also get all three for introductions etc.
Before shooting I had to setup the camera. I started by taking out the dolly that the tripod would sit on making sure that I had the wheels locked so I didn't have to worry about it wheeling away or around while i'm putting the rest of the equipment on. I then grabbed the tripod and laid it onto the struts then tightened the struts so the tripod wouldn't move or become loose. After attaching the tripod I then secured the base plate to the camera which would allow me to release the camera quickly. After the camera had been attached to the tripod I had to make sure the SDI wires that sent the video signal to the gallery were installed correctly. I did this by attaching them to the camera and then walking into the gallery to make sure we had an image on screen. It was then the job of the director to tell me through the talk back system what settings to adjust so they would match the other two cameras. These were settings like white balance, shutter speed and exposure.
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