To ensure colors are recorded correctly prior to videotaping, the camera operator should

• A. Set White Balance
• B. Adjust Focus
• C. Set Shutter Speed
• D. Calibrate Audio

Answer: (A)

White balance sets the camera’s color temperature to match the lighting, ensuring colors are recorded accurately. When you set white balance, neutral whites read as white and the overall color cast from lighting—whether warm tungsten or cool daylight—disappears, giving you a true color baseline for the scene. With proper white balance, skin tones look natural and other colors stay faithful, making color accuracy easier to preserve in the final footage. Focus affects sharpness, shutter speed controls exposure and motion blur, and audio calibration handles sound levels—not color. So setting white balance first is the best step to ensure colors are recorded correctly prior to videotaping.