- Hi, I'm Eric Schwierske, an engineer with PBS Wisconsin.
We're here in Studio A,
and I'm standing in front of the Here & Now set.
I'm also joined by one of our studio cameras.
We have three cameras this size in our studios.
I can break down some of the basic parts
of the camera for you, so you better understand it.
We'll start back here with the teleprompter.
This is where the talent reads their script from.
Behind that, we have the lens.
Behind that, we have the actual camera body.
This all sits on the pan tilt head,
which then sits on the camera pedestal,
which is the part that moves around and goes up and down
so the operator can frame up a good shot.
The operator stands here behind the camera;
there's camera controls and a monitor for them
to see their shot and a headset for them
to communicate with the director.
Before each production,
we use a color chart during lineup
to tell the cameras what white is, what black is,
and what each color looks like under studio lights.
The use of the chart is to ensure that each camera
matched the other ones to make a cohesive look
as you cut between cameras.
- Man: ...has an opponent who puts $3 million on TV...
- Eric: One of the questions I get most is,
"Why is this camera so big?"
The main reason is it needs to be ready for any situation.
One day, we could be shooting a couple-person interview
here on the Here & Now set.
The next day, it could be used for a tight shot
on a musician's fingers for a music show.
[groovy string music]
We use this ring to control which direction
the wheels are pointed to move the camera around studio.
Sometimes, these moves are seen on air.
* Anything goes
* The world has gone mad today
* And good's bad today
* And black's white today
- One interesting fact about studio cameras
is that it actually takes two individuals
to control the camera settings during a production.
The operator is here at the camera,
controlling the framing and the focus,
and in a remote location, connected via this long cord
all the way to the third floor is the video engineer,
who controls color balance and exposure.