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B_. examples_
These are the primary instruments for field production, available from the CAMS Production Office, that students are likely to design a production around:
1. microphones
"Form factor" refers to the shape and size of a mic, which matters because microphone placement is so crucial to getting good sound. A microphone's diaphragm is the wafer-thin material that actually picks up sound and converts it to electrical signal, housed inside the protective shell of the microphone.
USB mics convert that analog electrical signal to digital using an analog-to-digital (A-to-D) converter built inside the mic. They're especially useful for recording directly to the timeline in Final Cut Pro. Other professional wired mics use XLR cables to conduct electrical signal on the recording device.
Large-diaphragm mics are specially attuned to subtleties such as the timbre of a human voice in a highly controlled environment. They're particularly fragile and should not be used in the field, and are usually built in a large, unwieldy housing designed for use on a floor stand with a heavy base. A shotgun mic merely refers to a long, skinny, highly directional mic of one of several different polar patterns (more on those in a moment), just as "boom mic" merely means any mic attached to the end of a boom pole. Handheld mics are most often used by reporters and musicians but can be well-suited for field production.
Polar pattern refers to the direction(s) around the microphone's diaphragm in which it is most sensitive to sound. An omnidirectional mic is equally sound-sensitive in all directions. Its pattern could be envisioned as a ball surrounding the mic. They are prized for being equally sensitive to the wide range of tones all across the frequency range of sound. A cardioid mic is somewhat directional, rejecting some sound from the sides and rear.
a. USB: Samson C01U (operator's manual)
form factor: large-diaphragm studio mic
polar pattern: cardioid
type: condenser (power supplied via USB).
b. wired
i. Rode NTG-2 short shotgun(operator's manual):
form factor:
polar pattern:
type:
b ii. Audio-Technica
Technica (operator's manual):
form factor:
polar pattern:
type:
c iii. Audio-TechnicaTechnica (operator's manual):
form factor:
polar pattern:
type:
d iv. Audio-Technica
Technica (operator's manual):
form factor:
polar pattern:
type:
ev. Audio-TechnicaTechnica (operator's manual):
form factor:
polar pattern:
type:
2. Zoom H4n audio recorders (operator's manual)
3. cameras
a. camcorders
i. Sony PD-170 (operator's manual)
ii. Sony HXR-NX5U (operator's manual)
b. dSLRs: Canon 60D dSLRs (operator's manual)
4. camera support
a. Fig Rig: hand-held mount (designed by [Mike Figgis|http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001214/], author of [Digital Filmmaking|http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Filmmaking-Mike-Figgis/dp/0571226256/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316529536&sr=8-1]) that makes ingenious use of a person's arms as natural shock absorber
b. Spider Brace II: lightweight shoulder mount
c. various tripods and tripod dollies
III. governance
A. rationale
Carleton production equipment and studios are shared resources. As with shared resources elsewhere, there must be governance around them. People who successfully complete the Moodle-based qualification training form a media production community at Carleton. This governance was created to protect our personal health and safety, our ability to meet work deadlines, and the production equipment we use.
It’s vital to the Carleton media production community’s well-being that facilities are safe to use. This safety is not external to our creative activity but arises from the sum of our actions.
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