KitPlus | Articles

University and Mental Health

University study and mental health has been in the media quite a bit over the last year, and I’m sure there are many people wondering what is going on? The issues are complex, and I suppose the focus of employability off the back of a degree course has raised the stress stakes for a lot of young people. I’m only qualified to talk about this from my...

Submitted by Rhiannon Jenkins

Published 09 November 2018

Polecam user review

When it comes to filming from above, drones have dominated in recent years. But restrictions on where and when they can be used means there is still a demand for traditional style jibs. Polecam has been a major player in the crane market for nearly two decades and its rigs have captured everything from interesting perspectives of major sporting eve...

Submitted by Phil Vinter

Published 15 March 2017

Females In The Broadcasting Industry

by Emma Clifford Issue 113 - May 2016 You\'re hiring. You\'re reviewing CVs.You\'re not bothered about names are you?What matters are skills, experience and the competencies of the candidates, right?Wrong! You probably have unconscious bias. A recent US study used 100 STEM professors (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) to review CVs. But h...

Submitted by Emma Clifford

Published 13 May 2016

The Search For The Coastal Wolf

by Bertie Gregory Issue 112 - April 2016 Bertie Gregory, 2012 Youth Outdoor Photographer Of The Year and 2015 Scientific Exploration Society Zenith Explorer, is a professional wildlife photographer, filmmaker and presenter whose first solo assignment for National Geographic will debut in Spring 2016 on their new online platform. This 24 part series...

Submitted by Bertie Gregory

Published 25 April 2016

Rise of the drones

by Jeremy Braben Issue 100 - April 2015 Drones are taking TV and film productions where they have never gone before. But how can they be used to best effect, what challenges do they present and will they replace helicopters in aerial filming? Jeremy Braben of Helicopter Film Services (HFS) has some of the answers... The recent explosion of unmanned...

Submitted by Jeremy Braben

Published 01 May 2015

Hearing is believing - but Testing Helps

We live in the age of measurement and all too often the results are prejudiced by the methods employed and the ease of digitally processing data. As Per Bruel, the founder of B&K, arguably the foremost measurement company in audio history put so succinctly,‘The development of standards is not always based on true science but more often a consensus...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 January 2015

Made with love

by Simon Marett Issue 89 - May 2014 It can wash over you, hardly heard but intensely felt. It can convey a mood without a word being spoken. It can jar and jangle your nerves - in a good way, if its a thriller. Or it can make you cry. The choice of music is a crucial component to the overall feel of many TV programmes - as important as the grade, t...

Submitted by Simon Marett#

Published 01 June 2014

Fixing that inhospitable location shoot

by Harry Amies Issue 88 - April 2014 Say Iran. What do most people think of? Hostage-taking, nuclear programmes, angry mobs, CGI outsourcing, VFX, a multi-million dollar movie industry? If Harry Amies and Amir Rezazadeh of UK based co-producers HarryAmir have anything to do with it itll be the last three. HarryAmir is a UK-based company, that helps...

Submitted by Harry Amies

Published 01 May 2014

Rock steady support for Duran Duran

When Den Lennie was asked to be DP for a Duran Duran live concert in the Manchester MEN Arena last year, he was looking for some solid heavy duty camera support. His choice fell on a range of 2575 and 2060 fluid heads by OConnor. The team shot the two-hour gig very unconventionally with 14 Sony PMW-F3 manned, five fixed camera positions and another...

Submitted by Den Lennie

Published 01 April 2013

Why does my project look different on every screen I watc...

By Thomas UrbyeThe age old question, asked by so many people who’ve come through my suite: “I’ve downloaded it to my laptop and it looks different?”Then there is the inevitable panic:“Thomas, how can we make sure that everyone who watches it, watches it ‘properly’?”This issue recently came to light with a campaign backed by moviemakers launched to...

Submitted by Thomas Urbye

Published 01 February 2013

Ask the Experts Monitoring sound in the stdio

1. Why do I need monitors? And why can't I just use my Hifi speakers?It may sound like the most obvious thing in the world, and it is, but along with your headphones your monitoring system is the only thing in your mix room that actually makes sound. All the decisions you make in relation to mixing, mic placement, balancing and more are coloured by...

Submitted by Will Strauss#

Published 01 December 2012

Video Monitoring Essentials - By Den Lennie

As a DP the video monitor you work with is one of the most important tools on set. I began my career in 1994 shooting television news for Reuters on Betacam SP and it was very rare that I'd get to use a monitor on location. As my career evolved I started shooting more considered pieces and used Sony 9\" tube monitors all flight cased up. I shot the...

Submitted by Kieron Seth#

Published 01 December 2012

Legacy and The Olympics

Legacy And The OlympicsLove sport or hate sport, the Olympics have arrived. What will they mean for you, me and the broadcast sector, asks Peter SavageThe days might still be counting down but there is no doubt: the Olympics have arrived. The Olympic torch is being carried round the country, test events have taken place in Olympic arenas, and the f...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 July 2012

Cameras for streaming

I first saw true HD pictures years ago at IBC. OpTex had a camera focusing on some beautifully lit fruit. The image on the screen was extraordinary, hypnotising. Leap forward a decade and Amsterdam brought Europe its first taste of Ultra High Definition Television - not 720p, not 1080i, but 4320p. The enveloping cinematic pictures and the embrace o...

Submitted by Kieron Seth#

Published 01 August 2011

RIDING THE AUDIO WAVE ON SET OF HAWAII FIVE-O

McGarrett eyes his foe across the beach. After signaling to his trusty sidekick Dano, he jumps on an ATV and the chase is on. Dano jumps on a jet ski and tries to cut off the enemy's escape from the sea. Yet in middle of all this, you can actually hear what they're saying to each other. Ever try to mic somebody on a jet ski? Location sound guys hav...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 June 2011