white balance

B

bigmajik

Well-known member
i`m trying to pick up some of the basic things i think i need in case i want to do some filming soon. i will be going to the print shop today to pick up a large white balancing card. should this card be glossy or non glossy? is there any special paper that i should want to get or not get?

also i was asked to video tape a 50th birthday celebration outside in july. now it gets very humid around here in july (dew points near 70). what type of protection do i need for my dvx100A to accomplish this successfully?
 
Avoid copy paper. It's never truly white. It can work in a pinch, but isn't ideal. You can find specially-made white cards readily available through photo/video dealers.

As for summer shooting, I use a dry bag (available at outdoor sports/outfitter retailers). Any large, sealable, plastic bag will do. When you move the camera from indoors (air conditioning) to outdoors (heat and humidity), do so with the camera sealed in a bag. Wait 20 minutes to open it, so that the camera can adjust to the temperature (just don't leave it to bake in direct sunlight). This will prevent condensation from collecting on the lens (foggy image) and on the transport and tape heads (moisture warning, recording disabled).
 
I'm a student studying tv and film and I was wondering if you had to White balance after every shot? Or only if you change from interior to exterior?
 
charlotte mitch said:
I'm a student studying tv and film and I was wondering if you had to White balance after every shot? Or only if you change from interior to exterior?
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Only when the lighting changes. This includes moving the camera and lights, moving from indoors to outdoors and vice versa, or if a sunny day turns cloudy. It's also a good idea to WB after a break, if camera and lights have been powered down for, say, lunch.
 
Thank you for that, is it best to White balance before you turn the lighting on? I have always done it like this but it is probably not the right way.
 
charlotte mitch said:
Thank you for that, is it best to White balance before you turn the lighting on? I have always done it like this but it is probably not the right way.
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Absolutely not. Adding lights changes the color temperature. White balancing corrects for the lighting conditions under which you will be shooting.
 
also if u have mixed colour temperature light sources shooting under it is best to white balance under the dominant light source.
 
I was taught to always white balance off of a professional 50% Grey Card (same as 18% in the photo/film world). It seems goofy, but if you think about it in terms of color space, grey is the exact same as white, just at a lower saturation.

Whatever you do, make sure you're using the same white reference everytime throughout a project (unless you're trying for some sort of in-camera color effect). This can kill you in post if you have to do reshoots or pickup shots and the white balance was done to a different white reference. So I suggest you get a professional white card or grey card and always leave it in your camera bag.
 
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