KitPlus | Articles

IBC - how was it you

IBC 2016 was very much a launching show, with more new products and updates than in many recent IBC\'s or NAB\'s. With so many of these announcements directly in the remit of a cameraman, blink and you\'d miss the next big thing in camera and lenses news. With this in mind, this review focuses on camera and lenses only. One consistent factor among...

Submitted by Duncan Payne

Published 10 November 2016

Tips on how to reduce your exposure to business crime

Business Crime is growing in popularity and is cunning, smart, and very convincing. It is being spurred on by the very technology that is supposed to help media and other businesses improve performance. One of the trending frauds is \'Social Engineering\' where criminals can make use technology, and trickery to exploite our human nature. Here we ou...

Submitted by Phil Bower

Published 25 August 2016

Freelance finance

As a freelance cameraman working on varied productions, you need to be sure you always have the right kit for the job. Acquiring the latest equipment is a necessity, not a luxury; the difficulty is being certain you will be able to manage the cost. How can a freelancer be sure he can finance his equipment?First, before discussing the financing opti...

Submitted by Peter Savage 2

Published 22 July 2016

Networking with the GTC

The annual Guild Of Television Cameramen ( GTC ) Open Day and AGM was held recently in the Oxfordshire countryside on a sunny Sunday. It's a while since I've attended one, and the welcome was as warm and friendly as it always has been. Organisations like these must be incredibly useful for freelance camera operators, most of whom do not attend NAB,...

Submitted by Duncan Payne

Published 14 June 2016

Females In The Broadcasting Industry

by Samantha Arlow Issue 112 - April 2016 Everyone has heard of the FBI right? The US Federal Bureau of Investigation that inspires images of hard talking detectives in dark suits and sunglasses. But if you work in Broadcast, there\'s another FBI you should know about. This FBI, as the name spells out, is an organisation specifically geared towards...

Submitted by Samantha Arlow

Published 25 April 2016

Raising the bar at BVE

Azule's Peter Savage managed to drag himself away from his countless BVE meetings (and the show bar) for long enough to discover that ˜easy-to-use' was the tipple of choice at this year's show. Trade shows are funny things. When you arrange a lot of meetings, it is quite easy to spend an entire week at an exhibition and not see any kit or attend an...

Submitted by Peter Savage 2

Published 01 April 2016

Out with the new, in with the old

by Peter Savage Issue 110 - February 2016 Out with the new, in with the oldGetting the film look with a digital camera requires the correct lens: and sometimes that means going back in time, writes Peter SavageFor consumers and professionals alike, a digital camera offers convenience and immediacy. But when youre using one to shoot a movie or TV dr...

Submitted by Peter Savage 2

Published 16 March 2016

In out in out shake it all about

by Peter Savage Issue 109 - January 2016 For the benefit of everyone within the broadcast industry, the UK must remain part of the EU argues Peter Savage. It is said that, in polite company, one should never discuss politics, religion, sex or money. Well, dear reader, assuming we are in polite company (and Im sure we are), Im going to break two of...

Submitted by Peter Savage 2

Published 21 January 2016

How to solve a problem like 4k

with Peter Savage Issue 108 - December 2015 A lack of standards and content is holding back sales of 4k television sets and, until that situation changes, there is very little the consumer electronics business can do about it, writes Peter SavageSince the late 1960s and early 70s, when we began to ditch our old black and white TV sets in favour of...

Submitted by Peter Savage 2

Published 15 December 2015

Budgeting and controlling costs

by Den Lennie Issue 106 - October 2015 This is a very important aspect of running a production, and one you have to keep a close eye on. Its very simple; you have your actual hard costs in one budget and you have what youre charging the client in another. Lets say you charge the client £450 per day for the camera package, but the rental house is on...

Submitted by Den Lennie

Published 01 November 2015

Keeping pace with your true value

by Leighton Chenery Issue 106 - October 2015 Avoid the pitfalls of underinsuranceWandering around IBC, marvelling at the latest technical advances and innovations and viewing the major strategic themes for the future direction of the Broadcast & Media industry, it would be easy to overlook the importance of adequately insuring new purchases and add...

Submitted by Leighton Chenery

Published 01 November 2015

TVFutures: Student pitch

by Emma Cox Issue 106 - October 2015 Student Pitch - Our second article pitch comes from Emma Cox, third year student studying BSc Television and Broadcasting at the University of Portsmouth. Personally I think this months KitPlus theme of acquisition is a tricky one for students to write about, but Emmas approach displayed real insight, and it als...

Submitted by Emma Cox

Published 01 November 2015

Ten years is a long time...

by Peter Savage Issue 100 - April 2015 Ten years is a long time and 100 editions is a major milestone. I happily look back to the spring of 2005 as this was the start of my second life, much as it was for the team at tv-bay - a coincidence of dates which is probably why we have had such a long writing partnership. Matt and Simon were starting out o...

Submitted by Dylan Ellcome

Published 01 May 2015

Freelance Success - Make the most of your talent

by Peter Savage Issue 98 - February 2015 I was reading the back page of The Sunday Times this morning an article by Luke Johnson of Pizza Express fame (though that description doesnt do justice to this serial entrepreneur and business investor). Todays article was about how to get rich quick. Interesting, I thought, as it made me think of all the p...

Submitted by Dick Hobbs.

Published 01 March 2015

Open Source for Film and TV Production

by Dan Mulligan Issue 98 - February 2015 There\'s nothing like a new project to make you feel excited about life, and excited is definitely how I\'ve been feeling since I adopted an Open Source policy to my companies\' camera and workflow divisions. My background is in cameras. I started out assisting and focus pulling before moving up the ranks to...

Submitted by Dan Mulligan

Published 01 March 2015