What should the camera operator do before videotaping to ensure accurate color recording?

The correct choice involves performing a white balance on the camera before starting to tape, which is crucial for achieving accurate color representation. White balancing adjusts the color sensitivity of the camera to the lighting conditions of the environment. Different light sources (like sunlight, tungsten, or fluorescent) have varying color temperatures, and failing to white balance may result in unnatural color casts in the footage, such as a blue or yellow tint. By setting the white balance, the camera operator ensures that the colors will be recorded accurately, making the resultant video look more natural and true to life.

Other actions, while important, do not directly address color accuracy. Adjusting lens focus is essential for ensuring sharp images, setting the ISO relates to the camera’s sensitivity to light, and calibrating the audio levels ensures good sound quality; however, none of these specifically impacts color recording like white balancing does.