Broadcast (Directing Work)

To be frank, when I was invited to direct the camera operators, I was a little hesitant to accept the offer. I was more comfortable behind the cameras, taking instructions, but sometimes it is good to leave the comfort zone and learn something new, so I accepted the opportunity to direct.

The director’s job included: giving instructions to cameras in how to frame the shots, instructions on how to do camera movements; pan left/right, slowly zoom in/out, where/when to start and where to stop the movements, check if the cameras are in focus, check if the cameras exposure and colours are matched and warn the colourist to make adjustments, keep cameras informed about any changes and instruct them in how to do the packing at the end.    

On my first time directing (youtube video below) Joel, the production team leader, sat next to me and gave me instructions, so the learning process wasn't that difficult. I thank him because, at that moment, I needed a confidence boost, you know the fear of learning something new? Exactly!

I committed a few mistakes but one that I found embarrassing was that I forgot the name of one of the singers on the stage. When directing music the work is quite fast paced and the need to switch between camera angles occur more frequently. I thought that by simply avoiding forgetting the singer's name or writing their names on a piece of paper would have made the job easier. Anyway, I think it was just a rookie mistake.

Another skill that requires practice to acquire is to memorise the camera numbers to the index, middle or ring finger, to switch the cameras from the PREVIEW screen to the LIVE VIEW screen. It’s one of those things that requires practice to get good at.