Instructional Video Production

Instructional Video Production 4(1+3)

Lesson 07: Camera care

Taking Care of Video Tapes

There can be nothing more frustrating than watching disturbances (white spots on the screen called dropouts) after you have shot the entire day. Video tapes are very sensitive and need careful handling.

• Always store tapes vertically.
• Keep them in cases when not in use.
• Keep them in rewound position.
• Remove the recording tab after a shoot.
• Avoid high temperatures and strong magnetic fields near the tape.
• Same with humidity. Also watch out for condensation.
• Do not touch the tape with your fingers. The video and audio informa­tion can get deleted. There is no way to rectify this!
• Do not smoke or drink near video tapes.
• Label all tapes correctly. However, do not use thick labels that inter­fere with the insertion in the tape door or its operation in the camera or VTR. Use labels that come with the cassette.
• Do not paste too many labels on one another. They pose difficulties in inserting the tape into the camera/VTR.
• When transporting tapes, use a lot of bubble pack sheets around them.