Respect is vital to shooting in high definition, expert says

Respect the person you are shooting, that was the advice of one of Asia’s leading TV professionals to attendees at a three-day workshop co-hosted by the ABU and Radio Televisyen Malaysia.

The workshop on “Understanding High Definition Needs” attracted 50 participants from 4-6 December 2012 to the Institut Penyiaran dan Penerangan Tun Abdul Razak (IPPTAR) in Kuala Lumpur.

Experts from NHK-Japan and KBS-Korea held both theoretical and practical sessions on a range of issues around high definition TV production and broadcasting.

Mr Ritsu Mochida, Engineer/Director of Photography in the Technical Operations and Engineering Division of NHK, said in HD or standard definition, the key advice was to be aware of social norms.

“Consider the standpoint of the other,” he said. “Respect the person you are shooting. This is just the same for HD as SD.”

The workshop was aimed at a number of TV professionals including RTM Sports, magazine and documentary makers, outside broadcasters, lighting, audio and graphics staff, news and currents affairs professionals, editors, digital media interactive units and production houses.

They looked at issues such as 5.1 surround sound, digital broadcasting in Japan in the future, the differences between SD and HD, equipment handling, how to shoot in HD and image composition.

The workshop included practical hands-on work, with the trainers giving participants assignments to experience filming in HD.

Attendees were also able to watch a range of images such as sports events, scenery and people in indoor and outdoor locations so they could evaluate HD in terms of the sensation of being present where the action was taking place, 3D sensations, the stability of images and which of the screens was the most compelling.

Other trainers included Mr Akinori Yamamura of NHK and Ms Kim Yeong Mie and Mr Koh Chansoo of KBS.