Hello!
In next Sunday I will be shoting a group photo in TV studio during live broadcast. Probably I will have about 10 second for exposures. Probably I will have 3-4 4x5 cameras, and each camera will be operated be 1-2 people (one responsible for shutter, and other for changing film holders).
Do you have any tips?
A self-cocking "press" type shutter can save the time it takes to open the aperture for focusing then stop down for exposure (and cock the shutter between shots).
Graflex film holders also come to mind. Pre-focused and with a press shutter, you can rip six exposures with the Graflex in a very short period of time.
Good Shooting!
Added to my usual labeling system, I like to take numbered stickers to identify film holders if needed. I record all kind of data on a voice recording device . Probably, I would take one recorder with each camera if you need to identify so many holders, names of celebrities or whatever the info needed.
It helps me when I am immersed into the chaos in front of the "holders tower" or the "sea of rolls" at the darkroom.
Use Fuji Quickloads in Fuji Quickload holders instead of standard double sided film holders or a grafmatic. Have your teams practice a lot ahead of time; unexposed film on the right, exposed film to the left, don't bother having the film operator sealing the packets just prenumber the packets a head of time to avoid confusion.
If you want to make exposures quickly, use grafmatic film holders - six sheets, and you can make all six in about three seconds, without ever removing the film holder from the camera.
I'm probably considered a readyload/quickload poster child of some sort, but if you want to make exposures quickly, regular film holders are faster to use.
If your shooting color and will scan anyway, I would shoot negatives so that I wouldn't have to bracket.
Thanks,
Kirk
at age 73:
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep"
... and don't forget to practice, practice, practice...
I've never used Graphmatic film holders, and have no idea how sensitive they might be to over-anxious film handling, but I might lean toward conventional holders for simplified and more-familiar operation.
That said, I think Ellis hit on the real key - advance practice and command-coordination by the teams, combined with good organization and advance labeling. Belt-mounted film-holder pouches might be useful, as well, as you probably won't be able to rely on having any sort of working surface available. Note that communication between team members will likely need to be visual, rather than verbal, as you'll likely be required to be relatively silent near the sound stage.
Practice Practice Practice. I love that answer.
"I meant what I said, not what you heard"--Jflavell
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