Eric Hyton Freelance Camera Man

In today’s lecture a freelance cameraman, Eric Hyton came into for us to talk to. Eric has worked on shows such as the BBC’s Dr Who and Freaky Eaters, Eric had lots of tips to share with us, he explained that its important to learn the technical aspects to being a cameraman such as lighting, camera placement and the type of shot which is required he also stated that after a while this becomes second nature and said this then allows you to “look at the bigger picture” and start thinking about the storyline and plot and what type of shot is needed for the mood, or what fits in with the storyline, he said that its important to always listen to what people are saying so that you are able to learn the what is going on so that you know what might be affective to film so that the best opportunities don’t go begging. Eric also told us how important it is to learn how to solve problems quickly and affectively, such as learning to work with difficult people, he said, “do what it takes to get the job done” and to always focus on delivering your work. One tip Eric gave which I found interesting was to allow your own style to come through and to try lots of new things and that “that’s is the best way to learn”, but he did also state is important to be open to new ideas to help develop your own work even further.
Further on in the session Eric gave us a step by step guide on how to use a Sony Z1 camera, so he set up a mock interview in which he showed us how to position the interviewer and interviewee, what objects may to be suitable to have in shot relating to the subject matter, he showed us how to set the white balance so that the picture recorded looks natural and not orange, he also told us about the rule of thirds, in which you should imagine a grid on the screen, a certain objects should be placed with in the different sections on the screen for example the horizon is usually placed on the top 3rd or the bottom 3rd depending on what type of shot you need. I found the work of a camera very interesting, after talking to Eric I hadn’t realised how much work there is involved and how much effort and time you have to put into being a cameraman.