DV Cameras

Video production is another profession with its own acronyms that take almost as long to learn as the technology itself. One of the most oft used ones is DV, or Digital Video. DV applies to any camcorder that makes a digital recording, as opposed to analogue. This include everything from the smallest hand-held to the studio cameras you see on TV. If it records in digital it’s a DV.

Digital recording has pretty much taken over from analogue in all but the oldest cameras. The technology has progressed enough that they are the same price, and are used in the same way as analogue cameras. They have the benefits of allowing a lot of manipulation and production of the recording as well as bigger storage capacities and smoother operation.

When making high quality DV recordings there are a few things to be borne in mind.

Who will be operating the camera? Have they received training? Small DV cameras are normally operated by members of the production team, or sometimes just someone working on their own. The end result will vary significantly between someone who has had training, and someone who has not.

Is shooting on DV going to give you problems when you review your recording? Does your edit suite have access to a DV deck, or will you need to hire one? If you are thinking of purchasing DV equipment, have you taken advice on what will best suit your requirements? Where will the kit be stored, and who will be responsible for its maintenance? Are you making a widescreen feature? Recording in 16:9 format on DV needs careful consideration. The recording and post production techniques are different that standard.

Once these considerations have been addressed, the benefits are clear.

For one, the DV equipment is lightweight, much lighter than the older analogue equipment. It is also relatively simple to use too, almost anyone can make a feature of decent quality after a little practice. The equipment is cheaper to buy, relatively maintenance free and nowhere near as bulky as equipment used to be. There are also plenty of places that you can rent DV equipment from.

If a single operator can use the DV equipment to produce good quality footage, then a whole crew is no longer needed. This saves on costs and adds versatility to the operation. Interviewing nervous or vulnerable people is much easier with someone sitting in the corner with a DV camera than having a whole film crew standing around.

Although it is a feature, many of you might not think so, but reality TV was made possible due to the advent of DV cameras. All the shows where a camera follows cops or other emergency services were made possible because of the small lightweight camera that can shoot TV quality footage.

As good as the technology is, it can only produce what the operator is capable of producing. If investing in good equipment, it’s also worth investing in some training too. The end result will be much improved and the editing and post production will be much quicker.