Merlin Moons Tips (1st Installment)

Hey everyone,

Firstly I'd just like to say congratulations to Euan for setting up this new site its awesome.

I will write entries into this article every week over the next six weeks, starting with the beginners guide to the basic use of camera's

I am going to break this article into 2 parts and 3 sections. the first part on cameras and the second on editing. The first section for beginners, the second intermediate and the third for more advanced camera operators and editors.

Camera Operation for BEGINNERS:

When it comes to surf filming and videography it is very important to have some idea of what you are doing. The only way to know what you are doing is to play around with any camera you can get your hands on, be it your folks shitty handycam or a digicam from school. I personally started with a panasonic NV - DS11 a one chip hunk a shit, but it did the job. To begin with make sure the camera function is set to automatic, this way the camera pre-sets all the features like focus and white balance and you don't have to. MAKE SURE all the shitty special effects on the camera are turned off. All these effects can be done in post production and if turned on can ruin a really good image. These effects are not found on more professional cameras anyway and all though fun to fuck around with always come off looking amateur.

So now you have got your camera set to automatic and wanna film some shit. If you want to film the surf their are 3 very important things to remember:

* Firstly, Horizon line: Make SURE the horizon line is flat! By this I mean the OCEAN line in the distance. If the horizon line is on an angle then the shot is useless and can't be used.

* Secondly, Framing: Frame the shot RIGHT! Nobody wants to see the shot so zoomed in you can't see any action going on around them or so zoomed out the rider looks like a little ant.

* Thirdly, Tripod: The use of a tripod is essential. If you can, invest in a fluid head tripod, they're worth around 300 bucks but your shots will benefit from it. If you can't afford that then a cheapo will have to do. Remeber to loosen the tripod so your camera can move freely and follow the rider easily without a "jerking motion" as they ride the wave.
Other important things for beginners to remember is the 5 minute rule. The camera's automatic function which shuts it off if it hasn't recorded anything after 5 minutes. This is really annoying as this is usually when someone gets the wave of the day! Every filmer has had this happen to them at some point and has no doubt been shattered by what he missed ( Full Body Airs etc.). Some camera's allow you to turn this function off in the camera's menu others may not. Just remember to be weary of this feature, if there is a lull film some lifestyle or a landscape for a few seconds.

Other shots you may want to take are Landscapes (beaches, forests etc), Sunsets and lifestyle. All these shots are completely up to the camera persons discretion as to how and where they want to frame them. I personally enjoy using FishEye lenses to film lifestyle as they portray an interesting view of the subject (rider etc). I also prefer to film lifestyle away from the beach scene as this is where everyone films and i like to draw attention to other interests or things that influence the rider's lifestyle (I will dip into this area more intensely in coming weeks during the article on intermediate and advanced camera operations).The cool thing about filming is that it's an art form. A personal expression of something and it's really fun to do. Whilst reaching the level of professionalism like No Friends Videographer Stoker or SuperStars frontman Andy Lawrence may seem a little far fetched at the Moment (especially if your just starting out!) stick with it and see where it takes you.Stay tuned next week for the follow up article "Camera Operation for INTERMEDIATES"

Any questions about this article contact Euan Morell and I will answer them in upcoming articles.

Thanks for reading guys - Merlyn Moon