Video Camera Technology

John Brawley · March 12, 2008

Maybe that could become the new aesthetic to replace the hand-held, pseudo-documentary look. I mean, if the cinema verite look has gone from the guise of "truth" to obvious affectation, then something else trying to behave like a human who's falsely trying to pass on the truth seems like the next logical step! Maybe call it "cinema machina"... ;)

It's already been done...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machinima

jb (who had to make a machinima in second life when he was a student)

Daniel McAlister · March 13, 2008

There already is more than a little civility on this forum and in this particular discussion. The original poster was invited to
become a proper member by David, who by the way signed his request "thanks".

Several other people have responded to Ryan's rudeness with clear explanations of why his post is offensive and yet, unlike

other forums on which he might be told to get lost, people have extended offers of friendship and suggested that he could still become part of this forum and benefit from it.

Daniel, some of your suggestions to make the real name posting easier are good ones and might work well if the administrators like them. However, just because you too had a "yikes" reaction doesn't mean that you or anybody else should automatically express it.

You have four posts on here. The first four times that I worked on an actual film set, I said less than you have already

on here, even though I had some yikes moments. I guess that I went in with the idea that even if I didn't understand some

people's reactions, I would wait a bit and see how things work before commenting or not.

Maybe it's a generational thing but your "Everyone does it" argument is something that I never would have said to the veterans on those first sets on which I worked. In fact, most of us as children attempt that "all the other kids are doing it" argument with and quickly learn that it doesn't work. Just because lots of people break a rule or a law doesn't necessarily

make it okay.

I think the big problem here is the behavior of the new posters. Myhaliv calls David's request that he (Myhaliv) first sign up

properly "childish" and then says that everyone on here has wasted his time. Ryan not only calls David a jerk; he puts that in a sentence in a banner below his signature. Now you come on and say yeah, Ryan was "rude to call Mullen a jerk".

I believe that you are the first person on this forum to ever call David Mullen by his last name only and you do it in the same sentence in which you show Ryan Brooks the courtesy of calling him by his first name.

I think that you're probably unaware of that and wrote with no intended rudeness. That is representative of the problem that is getting everybody's attention. Myhaliv asks us to delete his account because he thinks we're bickering childishly and wasting his time and he's mad because he didn't get his question answered.

The members of this forum are responding because so many new members show up and ask incredibly general questions, such as the original post in this thread, without apparently doing any work to either sign up properly or respect the other member's time on here. I would suggest that Myhaliv vould have done a little research and then perhaps asked a more specific question. His question is pretty much in the ballpark of "how do you light a night scene?" or "What film should I use for my film?"

Members on here spend a lot of time typing thoughtful answers to questions. Myhaliv's question is so general that I think no one was inclined to type an answer to somebody who apparently hadn't even done a simple search and obviously hadn't even posted properly.

Elsewhere on this forum, there's a thoughtful discussion about the pros and cons of the real name policy. Some of those feelings came into this thread I would guess because we value David and our other moderators highly, appreciate all their work, sense their frustrations and perhaps selfishly don't want them to feel that they're wasting their time and thus stop coming on here.

I'm seeing fewer postings on here from regular contributors. I hope that it's because they're all busy with great gigs but I'm afraid that they're getting worn out by the amount of fresh attitude shown more and more often on here. David is working to keep this forum together. If you and others want to change the forum, well, governments and forums can change. In the meantime though, those of us who like the forum as presently structured are going to work to keep it that way. If others don't like it, they certainly can express their opinions but they'll get a lot more respect if they do so civilly.

I understand if you "agree with the new guys reaction of 'yikes'". Your suggestions for making it easier for people to fulfill the forum rules are good ones.

On balance however, I wish that you would have disagreed more with the banner insult to David under the new guys' signature.

Tim, I?m very sorry my post caused such a strong reaction I assure you I have nothing but the up most respect for this forum and its members (I tried to state this in my opening paragraph as to not be misinterpreted.) I?m not even looking for a career in cinematography but I?ve loved reading the threads and the expertise in them. I?ve even been able to learn a lot that I can incorporate into the other parts of film making I am pursuing.

All I was doing was trying to bring the perspective of someone who is still very new to this forum and try to give some constructive ideas. I was not including myself in a ?set? discussion about cinematography but about a new person coming to the forum (in a discussion that was already started).

As for calling one person by their last name and the other by their first it was never intended to be rude and frankly I?m surprised someone took it that way. Wouldn?t it be more polite to call someone by their last name? In all honesty when I was writing my post and I scrolled up and it was the first parts of the names I caught before I went back down to keep typing.

Anyways I could go on defending myself more specifically but it?s probably not the proper place to keep going on back and forth over it. I just wanted to let you and anyone else who had such a negative response to my post that I?m sorry you reacted that way it was only intended as an alternative point of view to be helpful.

I won?t take up anymore space on this thread but if you want to say anything else to me or have me clarify feel free to send me a message.

Tim O'Connor · March 13, 2008

All I was doing was trying to bring the perspective of someone who is still very new to this forum and try to give some constructive ideas. I was not including myself in a ?set? discussion about cinematography but about a new person coming to the forum (in a discussion that was already started).

I won?t take up anymore space on this thread but if you want to say anything else to me or have me clarify feel free to send me a message.

Hi Daniel,

I could tell that you had good intentions and you did make some very good points.

I've taken up a lot of space on this thread about this because I'm concerned that our senior contributors are getting frustrated. (I'm sure that they can fend for themselves but I wanted to say what I did.)

Can you say what field you are choosing?

Hal Smith · March 13, 2008

............Did someone put you in charge?

You did notice that David is member #3? If you plan on having any real career in film I suggest you learn real quick that a very good way of sabotaging any potential career is sassing your betters. David's a constantly working professional, has shot features and television programs you've seen, spends a lot of his time helping newbies and working Cinematographers improve their craft and learn new techniques, and just happens to be an ASC member. I don't know how long a memory he has but I suggest you start praying real quick that he doesn't hold grudges.

Sass like yours is exactly why this Forum requires real names, it does tend to keep insults, flames, and trolling way down.

Daniel McAlister · March 13, 2008

Hi Daniel,

I could tell that you had good intentions and you did make some very good points.

I've taken up a lot of space on this thread about this because I'm concerned that our senior contributors are getting frustrated. (I'm sure that they can fend for themselves but I wanted to say what I did.)

Can you say what field you are choosing?

Hey ya I can sympathize with the frustration if a lot of us newbs are potentially scaring off the experienced and wiser. One of the first threads I read here was the DP of Juno (sorry I?m bad with names, no disrespect) talking about his process of making the movie. I loved Juno and loved seeing it from his perspective and I thought ?wow I gotta use this place.?

I went to school for production and was one of those people who loved and dabbled in everything but never mastered anything. So right now I?m at a post house as an assistant to a Exec in LA. Been getting back into my writing, going back to that script I wrote in college and dust it off. I think the plan is to pursue writing and if I have some sort of success in that maybe I can use it to try and dabble in more things. I?m just one of those guys that loves it all :)

Tim O'Connor · March 13, 2008

Hey ya I can sympathize with the frustration if a lot of us newbs are potentially scaring off the experienced and wiser. One of the first threads I read here was the DP of Juno (sorry I?m bad with names, no disrespect) talking about his process of making the movie. I loved Juno and loved seeing it from his perspective and I thought ?wow I gotta use this place.?

I went to school for production and was one of those people who loved and dabbled in everything but never mastered anything. So right now I?m at a post house as an assistant to a Exec in LA. Been getting back into my writing, going back to that script I wrote in college and dust it off. I think the plan is to pursue writing and if I have some sort of success in that maybe I can use it to try and dabble in more things. I?m just one of those guys that loves it all :)

That's why this is such a great forum. So many of the people who post here are people many of us would never get to ask

a question otherwise.

Good luck with the scripts!

Adrian Sierkowski · March 13, 2008

Amen to that Tim. Google has never served me better than when it put me here!

Ken Cangi · March 13, 2008

David why are you such a jerk when it comes to people not putting their first and last name in their display. Yeah it says in the rules that this is the way it should be. I don't get why it has to be in the first place but maybe people just want to get some help with their project and don't want to have to give their personal life story. And who the hell are you to point out their faults or what they are doing wrong? Did someone put you in charge? Did the power go to your head? Or are you just a member who feels he knows everything. I have been on the website for a few days and I have seen you post that same post four or five different times. Don't you have anything better to do with your time? Go complain about something that matters or don't do it at all.

Or by the way I am not sure what it is called but I think the cameras they have in football stadiums might be what you are looking for. They are attached by cables and are controlled remotely.

Brooksy

Hopefully you can see the folly in how you responded to David. A quick search of his name should make it clear that he has and does much more with his time than moderate on this site - not that his contributions here aren't of immense value to many of us.

This site is an incredibly valuable resource to both aspiring and working filmmakers, and much of its credibility comes from knowing who is giving information, like, for instance, Mr. Mullen, who is a highly respected DP in the feature film industry. Submitting ones real name is more than a reasonable request, considering the wealth of information and resources that this site makes freely available to its members.

Valerio Sacchetto · March 13, 2008

I've taken up a lot of space on this thread about this because I'm concerned that our senior contributors are getting frustrated. (I'm sure that they can fend for themselves but I wanted to say what I did.)

I'm a long time lurker on this board and i started posting only recently (you know...when all your questions have already an answer it's hard to say something) so i "know" the (regular) members of this forum and i have your same feeling.

That's why i decided to chime in and, maybe looking as an ass kisser, wanted to show my support to all the people who made this forum great and that keep trying hard to maintain it so.

I'm the admin of a students' forum (not related to cinematography or movies) and i know how frustrating it can be to do your best and being bashed out of nothing, how tiring is to see people not even bother with some basic rules again and again, people that take what they need and give nothing in return (not even a thanks). I know how refreshing is the occasional "thank you, you're doing a great job" and since i hadn't many chances to say so (and many others too) I just want to let you know my appreciation for this board and the admiration for the people who share their knowledge. Thank you all.