U3 L3 Pre-Planning: Tools, Technology, And Equipment

Question 1

How is the preproduction stage of a project used for production?

Answer 1

to organize, research, and prepare for production

Question 2

When does preproduction stage of a project occur?

Answer 2

• after script written
• actors hired
• before filming takes place

Question 3

What is the type of camera used for a production based on?

Answer 3

• project type
• project length
• budget

Question 4

Instead of asking for a day rate for equipment, what should you ask?

Answer 4

flat or weekly rate

Question 5

What are dailies?

Answer 5

unedited shots take during production

Question 6

When should an operator/assistant prepare the camera?

Answer 6

a day before the shoot

Question 7

How long can it take to prepare the camera?

Answer 7

8 hours

Question 8

What does a gaffer do and why are they useful?

Answer 8

• plans locations
• lighting
• negotiates rates/purchases equip
• helps determine what light equip is necessary

Question 9

What is a Rig?

Answer 9

setups of various lighting and scaffolding equipment

Question 10

What is prerigging in preproduction?

Answer 10

• how long it will take to assemble lights
• what will cause delays
• develop strategies to save time

Question 11

For a dialogue-driven project, what is critical to success?

Answer 11

production sound

Question 12

What does a sound mixer do before production and how much time will they need to do it?

Answer 12

• half hour
• coordinate mic with cameras
• eg. mic should not cast shadows

Question 13

What does a mixer do to monitor sound?

Answer 13

balance levels

Question 14

What microphone is most used in interviews?

Answer 14

lavalier mic

Question 15

In general, what do sound mixers, technicians etc. do before a production/ in preproduction?

Answer 15

• make sure there’s no problematic sounds with location

- mics positioned well and works

Question 16

What are walkie talkies used for?

Answer 16

• coordinating communication among team

- one radio assigned for different departments

Question 17

The standard in the industry is to use a walkie-talkie with how many channels and what kind of frequency radios?

Answer 17

• 16 channels

- high-frequency radios

Question 18

What are walkie talkies with 5 watts of power effective in?

Answer 18

open spaces

Question 19

What are ultra high frequency radios was 4 watts of power effective in?

Answer 19

penetrates terrain and structures

Question 20

If the location has challenging terrain what might you need?

Answer 20

repeater or pair of base stations

Question 21

What is a repeater?

Answer 21

one channel, high-powered relay for transmitting signals

Question 22

How many watts and channels do base stations have?

Answer 22

W- 35

C- 16

Question 23

What is Previsualization?

Answer 23

• process of exploring options for complex scenes and special effects before filming
• involves 3D animation and virtual environment

Question 24

What is chroma key?

Answer 24

technique used for layering two images/video together based on color hues

Question 25

What colors are commonly used in chroma key?

Answer 25

green and blue

Question 26

What is a flag used for in terms of chroma key?

Answer 26

• also known as sider
• blocks light
• makes sure it doesn’t spill light onto chroma key wall