The Basic Camera Skills Workshop is a one-day intensive course designed to introduce students to operating a camera underwater, practical, hands-on course covering basic aspects of filming underwater video. The course is designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of underwater videography and allow them to experience filming underwater for themselves.

Using equipment supplied for your individual use – Sony 3-chip DV cameras Amphibico housings – you will be taught one-to-one by professional filmmakers. Expect an Open Water dive featuring the magnificent wildlife to be found in the Red Sea.

You will receive a DVD of all of the practical exercises you have taken part in plus a DVD of your own production.

The following is a sample syllabus – a template we use as a starting point in designing a personalised video training program.

UNIT ONE – THE INTRODUCTION
The Digital Video Revolution
Goes Underwater
A Brief History of UW Video
How Video Works

UNIT TWO – SELECTING A CAMERA
Digital Formats
CCDs
Camera Feature Checklist

UNIT THREE – SELECTING A HOUSING
Desirable Housing Features
Mechanical Versus Electronic
Primary Controls
Wet Alarms
Filters

UNIT FOUR – EQUIPMENT CARE AND MAINTENANCE
Camera Preparation
Battery
Tape
Filter
Settings
Housing Preparation
O-Rings
How to Clean and Lubricate O-Rings
Controls
Connections
First Test of a New Housing
Handling Before Dives
Handling Between Dives
Opening In Damp Environment
Avoiding Fogging
Handling After Dives

UNIT FIVE – EMERGENCY PROCEEDURES
Dry Problems
Camera Problems
Housing Problems
Wet Problems
What Causes Flooding
Prevention
If You Notice Water in the Housing While Diving

UNIT FIVE – UNDERWATER CONDITIONS THAT AFFECT VIDEO
Loss of Light
Loss of Colour
Subject Distance

UNIT SIX – USING YOUR CONTROLS
Rec/Stby Controls
Zoom
Focus
Filters
White Balance
Start-Up Routine

UNIT SEVEN – UNDEWATER VIDEO TECHNIQUES
Long Shot (LS)
Medium Shot (MS)
Close Up (CU)
Sequencing Shots
Motion
Direction Continuity
Camera Angles
Heads or Tails
Eye Level
Down Angle
Up Angle
Camera Movements
Light Direction
Making You Scenes More Interesting
Planning Your Scenes
Composition
Transitions
Scene Length
Reef Etiquette
Tips For Better Underwater Video

UNIT EIGHT – EDITING UNDERWATER VIDEO
General Considerations
Computers and Peripherals
Computer Systems
Editing Software
The Anatomy of an Edit
Final Output