Videomaker (2019-05)

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TECHNOLOGY MAY 2019

56 VIDEOMAKER >>> MAY 2019

Mike VanHelder is a working writer, photographer and vid-

eographer in Philadelphia, PA.

You can comment on this article by going online:

http://www.videomaker.com/?p=72000204

want to shoot with a very narrow focal plane.

That said, sometimes it’s necessary because of

lighting conditions or because you want a spe-

cifi c artistic effect.

The focal plane of a lens is controlled by the

size of your aperture. The bigger your aperture,

the narrower your focal plane. Most modern

lenses have an adjustable aperture. Aperture

is usually measured in f-numbers or f-stops,

though on some video-specifi c lenses they’re

called T-stops instead.

The smaller the number, the bigger the aper-

ture. Yes, this seems backward. It isn’t really, but

that’s a different article. Aperture is usually in the

lens name, and typically indicates the maximum

f-stop for that lens. It’s the “f/1.8” in “Nikkor

20mm f/1.8 AF.”

Autofocus and manual focus

The letters at the end of a lens name can stand

for a bunch of different things, which vary

from manufacturer to manufacturer. While “AF”

almost always means autofocus, there is no stan-

dard guide for other letters.

Autofocus means that the lens has tiny, ex-

tremely precise motors in it that, in concert with

your camera’s sensor, will adjust the distance be-

tween elements and focus your picture automati-

cally. However, some lenses are manual focus

only, which means you have to adjust the lens by

hand to focus it.

On the whole, very few professional shoot-

ers use manual-only lenses anymore. In fact,

autofocus has been standard on most lenses for

40 years. However, most lenses or cameras will

have the option to turn autofocus off since many

prefer manual focus control, especially when

shooting video.

Homework

Optics is a very complex fi eld of physics and

engineering, but camera lenses don’t have to

be complicated to use. The best way to learn

is through experience. Here’s your homework:

buy (or borrow) a short-length lens, some-

where between 16 and 25mm. Shoot a subject

with it at a low aperture, then a high aperture.

Then, get a longer lens (at least 80mm) and

shoot the same subject again at a low and

high aperture. Lastly, compare the images. Let

us know how it turns out on the Videomaker

forums.

WHILE “AF” ALMOST ALWAYS

MEANS AUTOFOCUS, THERE IS

NO STANDARD GUIDE FOR THE

OTHER LETTERS.

My cat Egon shot with a 16mm lens at f/22. Note how

his entire head and body is in focus.

The same cat, Egon, on the same day but shot with an

85mm manual focus lens at f/1.4. Note how his eyes

are in focus but his nose and ears aren’t, and his body

is just a blur. Also his face looks much wider than it

does in the last picture.

Photos copyright Mike VanHelder 2014

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SPHERICAL VIDEO

VIDEOMAKER >>> MAY 2019 57

as that he needed something unique

with better imaging quality:

“I brought together a couple of

partners, went to a camera rental

house that I had a good relationship

with, and we started kind of plotting

out what building a rig from scratch

would look like.” The end result was

a hybrid unit that would cost nearly

$750,000 but had unmatched image

quality for 360 video at the time.

That production led to other clients

interested in pushing the boundaries

with 360 video. Shulkind estimates

that he’s been involved in more than

50 spherical video productions since

that first project, including the NBA

Finals and All-Star game.

There are still some

misconceptions

Shulkind says that the hardest part of

making the jump from traditional cin-

ematography to 360 video production

actually has nothing to do with the

hardware. The real difficulty comes

in what he describes as “being able to

communicate with kind of the normal

executive flow.” In other words, it can

be tough to get people at higher levels

of a company to understand what

they are actually doing.

Shulkind gives us an example

from the set of a car commercial

from a few years back. “We were

in Moab with a whole crew. We’ve

Andrew Shulkind has spent a couple

of decades behind the camera in

Hollywood. Recently he changed

his title from Cinematographer to

Director of Future Imaging. Clients

with well-known brand names like

Apple, Microsoft, Chevrolet and Home

Depot are coming to him for next level

content. He serves as consultant and

producer on cutting edge projects.

“Each project has sort of its own R &

D dimension,” Shulkind explains.

Shulkind started

with a DIY 360 rig

The career path for Shulkind began

to shift about 5 years ago when he

was working on a production for

Nike. The producers decided that

they wanted to create a 360 video

from the project. He knew from past

experiences with small action camer-

Has the novelty of 360 video

run its course? On the contrary,

many industry professionals say

that we have only scratched the

surface of future imaging.

By Jeff Chaves

A chat with Andrew Shulkind

THE HARDEST PART OF

MAKING THE JUMP TO

360 HAS NOTHING TO

DO WITH HARDWARE.

As a pioneer in 360

production, Shul-

kind often works

on 360 projects

for high profile

brands. Here, he’s

working on a proj-

ect for Chevrolet.

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