7 Last-Minute Check Before You Roll Camera

"Camera assistants don’t know any speed slower than “fast.” We rush to move the camera, change the lens, add the filters, get monitor up, ninja our way on set for focus marks, and by the time all that’s done, everyone else has caught up ready to roll camera.

In that haste, it’s easy to let something slip or for changes to be made without you noticing. While not always malicious, these small changes can have a big effect on a quality take and force everyone else to reset and go again.

Not necessarily the ideal outcome for the invisible camera assistant.

Instead, keep the pace up and right before you get ready to punch that little button on the side of the camera, do these 7 last-minute checks.

1. F-Stop/T-Stop

Directors of photography (DP) are constantly checking, re-checking, and even changing the stop at which they’re shooting at. It can be difficult to keep up and they aren’t always the most effective at communicating to you when they want it changed.

Couple that with an accidental bump on the lens or a DP experimenting with different exposures, but not resetting the barrel, and you set yourself up to shoot at the wrong T-stop.

If you know what stop you’re supposed to be shooting at, give a quick look on the lens to make sure you’re at it. If you aren’t sure, turn to the DP and ask quietly, “Shooting at a [insert stop], right?”

9 out of 10 times they’ll say, “Yes,” but the one time they say no and correct you to the right stop you’ll be thankful you asked."

Read the full title