Setting Up & Using the Tripod Tripods are one of the most often broken items of equipment in the whole department. All because people think they’re really stiff to move and put in the right position – this isn’t the case! If a tripod is too stiff and reluctant to move, it’s because you haven’t loosened the correct joint. Each moving part of the tripod is connected to a screw which loosens and tightens. Learning this correctly will in fact help you have smoother panning shots, stiller stationary shots, and generally better camera control. From the default position you will receive the tripod in, the screw below should be loosened first. This will allow you to spread the legs of the tripod to the width best suited for where you are filming.
The next step of set up, is to level out the camera area ready to place the camera onto. These next two screws are the most important in shooting, as they directly control the camera’s angle and position. The first screw controls the “Tilt” of the camera, which is essentially moving the camera up and down. Loosen this and using the chrome metal bar, level out the camera until it is flat on top – then tighten it up until you wish to reposition the camera. There is a green spirit level built in to assist you with this. Secondly, loosen this screw to control the “Pan”. This is moving the camera left to right. There is a gauge that measures your rotations and will help you to realign to your exact previous position should you need to. free to loosen and tighten these as you require for each individual shot. Sometimes you need a quick pan so you’ll keep the pan-screw loose, sometimes you need a tight stationary shot so you’ll tighten it right up.
Attaching the camera By rotating the clasp on the right hand side 180 degrees, you will enable the top, cork-covered panel to release. This is to be attached separately to the camera before clipping back on and ONLY THEN filming.
Next, remove the panel from the tripod. Then carefully turn the camera upside down, and line up the screw to the hole like this... then place on top, and screw it tight until it can’t be removed or moved around.
After making secure the camera is tightly screwed to the panel from the top of the camera, slide the camera – panel first – back onto the tripod. The clasp should still be open at this point, the picture below shows the clasp being closed, which is the last part of securing the camera in place before you are ready to start filming.
Extracting your footage/film The final step of production is getting your film from the camera to your PC. This is as simple as taking out the SD Card from the slot, and putting it in a card-reader attached to your PC. Card readers are available from a technician or a teacher in your lesson.
After inserting the SD Card into the correct slot on the Card Reader, just go to My Computer on your desktop. Locate the files on the memory card and copy them straight to your PROJECT FILE ON D:DRIVE NOT YOUR N DRIVE!!