Premium Member Laurent Andrieux Posted December 30, 2004 Premium Member Share Posted December 30, 2004 I can't find again where M. David Mullen posted a thread saying that he wouldn't reply to posts coming from anonymous people. I could have posted this in the mentionned thread. I actually don't mind people writing under a pseudonym, but there is something else that I find, well, dishonest, it's people putting "DOP", "Director" or "Director of production" in their profile, though when you read their posts, you (I mean "I", but it takes me a longer time because I'm not english native) find out after a while they are 16 years old kids or students... Please, young people, consider you are fairly welcome here, it's not a shame and it's great to want to learn. Everybody here comes to learn something I guess, even our seniors (M. Mullen, M. Zanit, M. Pytlack, M. Case and so many other valuable people who's names don't come to my mind at once) do and come here to share their knowledge and give people ressource (wich I try to do too, at my little level). You don't have to pretend whatever here ! DOP, Director, Director of production, are position one can handle only after a long journey in this business, and I can tell you it's a long and difficult trip. Pretending you have though you have not is somehow insulting to these people, from who you need to have knowledge... So, please, be honnest in your profile, it will help us helping you much better. Thanks ! (Now if anybody thinks I am a total a**ho** saying this, please, tell me ! I just got bothered once or twice...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Chris Keth Posted December 30, 2004 Premium Member Share Posted December 30, 2004 I can't find again where M. David Mullen posted a thread saying that he wouldn't reply to posts coming from anonymous people. I could have posted this in the mentionned thread. I actually don't mind people writing under a pseudonym, but there is something else that I find, well, dishonest, it's people putting "DOP", "Director" or "Director of production" in their profile, though when you read their posts, you (I mean "I", but it takes me a longer time because I'm not english native) find out after a while they are 16 years old kids or students... Please, young people, consider you are fairly welcome here, it's not a shame and it's great to want to learn. Everybody here comes to learn something I guess, even our seniors (M. Mullen, M. Zanit, M. Pytlack, M. Case and so many other valuable people who's names don't come to my mind at once) do and come here to share their knowledge and give people ressource (wich I try to do too, at my little level). You don't have to pretend whatever here ! DOP, Director, Director of production, are position one can handle only after a long journey in this business, and I can tell you it's a long and difficult trip. Pretending you have though you have not is somehow insulting to these people, from who you need to have knowledge... So, please, be honnest in your profile, it will help us helping you much better. Thanks ! (Now if anybody thinks I am a total a**ho** saying this, please, tell me ! I just got bothered once or twice...) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> No, it's a very valid concern. It's obvious when someone's not being honest anyway. Someone who's a working DP wouldn't come in here asking how to cut down window light or something simple like that. I don't think being a student (like myself) or an amateur is anything to be ashamed of anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Maeda Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 when i was assisting fashion photographers i would always introduce myself as "a photo assistant". this would drive my more successful friends nuts. "you are a photographer" they would tell me, and it was a lesson that was hard to learn but one that i value every day. i can't tell you how many fashion photos you have seen that a "photographer" got paid tens of thousands of dollars to shoot, where the lighting and composition are mine. the lesson is that "half of being is believing". being a DP is not a title you earn, and quite frankly it is exclusionary and pompous to claim it is. i make films with a super 8 camera and a computer. i am not paid large sums of money to do so. i will put my work up next to any famous DP on this board or anywhere else. I can talk your ear off about Ozu, and i've met rich directors who don't know his first name, and can't name three of his films. jk :ph34r: Filmmaker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Frank Gossimier Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 Ok so what officially makes some one a DP? If I finance my own film and make myself the DP, am I a DP? Or do I have to work for other people shooting their projects in order to be a DP? The other can of worms this opens is what happens if I was the DP on Blair Witch Project, a film that made 100 million world wide. Even though it was a long way from winning the Oscar for best cinematography. Contrast that with shooting a "Hollywood feature" with big name actors that tanks, and there are many. So what measure do we use for one being a DP? You have to be ASC? Problem there is that there are tons of guys shooting "big stuff" that are not ASC, or BSC, or CSC. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Frank Gossimier Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 Oh one other point re the questions you ask.... I've shot tens of thousands of feet of 35mm film, but, there are still lots of things that crop up that I don't know about. In the HD forum I asked about HD in PAL and NTSC. I've never worked on an HD project so I just don't know. Besides I might know a few things even the "senior" guys don't know about. I've done a lot of time lapse and underwater work for example, an area some other DPs may not be as familiar with. Especially if they are not divers. While I'm here I have a few technical questions, what is celuloid? What is a camera "gate?" What does "FPS" stand for? Thanks for your speedy responses :P Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted December 30, 2004 Premium Member Share Posted December 30, 2004 If you're shooting, you're a cinematographer, whether or not an experienced one. I think I had shot ten features already when I was still calling myself a "beginner DP"... I think one can call themselves whatever they want and let others decide how qualified they are. I think laurent was only suggesting that students and beginners somehow identify themselves as such, for some clarity's sake. Obviously a student cinematographer is still a cinematographer. It's just easier to answer questions sometimes when we know the skill level of the person asking the question. But I don't really care about labels (we had this argument over whether someone shooting video is a cinematographer, remember?). I just want people to sign their posts with their name, and remember to tell us what city/country they are in if it's relevant. FPS = frames per second "Celluloid" means many things -- it's sort of a nickname for film -- but it comes from the fact that the clear flexible base for film is cellulose acetate, formerly cellulose nitrate. The "gate" is the rectangular hole cut into a metal plate that the film sits flush against and light shines through (either forward or back depending on whether it's a camera or a projector, exposing the frame if it's a camera, projecting the frame outwards if it's a projector.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hayes Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 The title Director of Photography is not limited to the ASC or to award winning cameramen or even to particularly good cameramen. It does refer to a level of experience in that job description. If you are a first year film student with one minidv project as a cameraman you might get more out of this site describing yourself as a student then a Director of Photography. We were all starting out once and are thrilled to feel the passion and excitement students and beginners bring to this site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kai.w Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 I actually don't mind people writing under a pseudonym, but there is something else that I find, well, dishonest, it's people putting "DOP", "Director" or "Director of production" in their profile, though when you read their posts, you (I mean "I", but it takes me a longer time because I'm not english native) find out after a while they are 16 years old kids or students... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I thought the categories were more used to display the focus of the person (DOP, loader, grip, lighting, digital, etc.) and not so much to express the skill level and I think this makes sense and is actually more interesting. But then most of the people seem to be DOPs... As for the privacy... I personally would have no problem about telling you my full name cause I do stand to what I say, but I'm registred to a lot of webforums and email lists since years and I'm just getting tired of how personal information is abused these days. I don't want to say that the people who are so nice to run this board would do so but I don't do it any more in general. You would be surprised how easy it is nowadays to make a detailed (and I do mean >detailed<) dossier of anybody with the help of the internet. And please don't say "if you did nothing wrong what is there to be afraid of?". A friend of mine did nothing wrong except getting his ID card stolen and he went through a Kafkaesk nightmare. Nowadays everybody seems to have no problem telling their postal code when they buy milk and sugar at the store just on the prospect of getting some bonus points. Call me oldfashioned but I don't. Anyway, rather easy to find out my real name if you want to. -k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidSloan Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 I agree with laurent.a's point. I'm a beginner DP, so I wouldn't even dream of labeling myself "cinematographer." Just because I shoot short films on S16 doesn't mean anything. I meet feature DPs that have shot all over the world, in all types of situations, and I feel like a baby next to them...it's just not logical to me to place myself in their class. Being humble goes a long way, I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Bass Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 Dudes, if you can tell me how, I would totally list myself as a "directorator of videomatography". Looks like you have to choose from preset titles, and unfortunately, that isn't one of them. However, if there is a way to customize your title, I'd put that in, and then giggle to myself and my little joke every time I posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted December 31, 2004 Premium Member Share Posted December 31, 2004 >Anyway, rather easy to find out my real name if you want to. So then why don't you tell us? It's a bit silly when you're one of the only hold-outs in telling us your name because you're afraid of identity theft. If that were really a big danger here, then shouldn't we ALL use fake names, and wouldn't that seem weird? We could all just call each other letters of the alphabet, like "Q" or "Mr. X"... Besides, if it's so easy to find out, then I'm sure a thief would put a little more effort than I would in digging up the info. Come on, tell us your real name! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Maeda Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 david really does have a point. appearing under a pseudonym is kind of a cop-out in a forum where we all depend on each other for guidance and information. as far as the "dp" label argument goes, i stand by my remarks. i have shot some really miserable footage, but I SHOT IT and it's mine. i have also shot a few frames here and there that i am proud of, but if i wasn't the dp, then who shot it? jk :ph34r: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Wengenroth Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 as far as the "dp" label argument goes, i stand by my remarks. i have shot some really miserable footage, but I SHOT IT and it's mine. i have also shot a few frames here and there that i am proud of, but if i wasn't the dp, then who shot it? jk :ph34r: <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Well, that is a good point, right! I was going to say that if you're a student and you also refer to yourself as a DP, then people might logically ( and correctly) assume that you have been the DP on student shoots before. Granted it's not professional work, but it still counts for *something*. Why else would so many film festivals have separate categories for Student Work? If I didn't tell people that I am a student, I think I'd probably just stick with "Aspiring 1st AC" or even "2nd AC/Loader". :P But people on here know that I'm a student so I would think that they could draw the appropriate conclusion about my roles on student film sets. So it's probably more about context than anything else. I mean, if anyone on here really thinks that I'm not looking at this the right way, I can just change my sig to "starving artist" and be done with it! The fact remains that even if I'm working [mostly] on a student level here, what else am I going to call myself when I'm on set? It sure said "Director of Photography: Annie Wengenroth" in the credits on a few films I've worked on, and "Camera Operator: Annie Wengenroth" on another. It's a valid point, to be sure. But maybe the more important thing is having your real name out there and not a pseudonym. This is why even though I use a nickname for my username on here, I have my real name in my signature. I think it's good to know who you're talking to and what they do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Frank Gossimier Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 David, Are you not concerned that a deranged fan of yours from this forum will come to LA and stalk you? After all they know what you look like and that you're in LA, they could probably look you up in the phone book. There can't be that many M. David Mullens in LA :rolleyes: Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Chris Keth Posted December 31, 2004 Premium Member Share Posted December 31, 2004 David, Are you not concerned that a deranged fan of yours from this forum will come to LA and stalk you? After all they know what you look like and that you're in LA, they could probably look you up in the phone book. There can't be that many M. David Mullens in LA :rolleyes: Frank <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hmm, DP groupies? :D :P B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kai.w Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 >Anyway, rather easy to find out my real name if you want to.Besides, if it's so easy to find out, then I'm sure a thief would put a little more effort than I would in digging up the info. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> "Identity thiefs". Sounds nice and dramatic ;-) but I was more refering to data mining. Although feeling like Don Quijote sometimes, I'm lucky there is still a difference between human intelligence and a script. If that were really a big danger here, then shouldn't we ALL use fake names, and wouldn't that seem weird? We could all just call each other letters of the alphabet, like "Q" or "Mr. X"... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Seriously, I would not have any problem with this... I'm on various professional tech related forums and on all of them it is normal to post under fake names, and I really have hardly seen any of the feared sideeffects on peoples behaviour. In contrast they were really quite helpful and for those few people who don't get the idea of such great boards and don't know how to behave you always have moderation which you need in any case. Of course you can't compare boards on professional topics with... let's say...slashdot ;-) -k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allen Achterberg Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 I'm a DP groupie! haha that one was pretty funny. Im sittin here reading this and whoa, i think to myself, "Then what label do I get! I want a label too!" haha, labels...oh and only a bloody frenchman to meantion about those dumb teenage WANNA BE DP's, that hurts man, it really does :rolleyes: . So what, I'm 17, I do not go to school for what I loev doing, I dont plan on going either. Basically I'm just some child in love with the art of cinematography, in love with light and how it alters the mood of a person and the movie, I've done a lot of MINIDV (some of it I'm proud of, some I'm not) and a little 16mm, I have PA'd some shows, Gaffed some, Did playback on one, Pulled focus on a lot, and DP'd a lot. Some were DV, Some were 16mm, some were Super 16, and some were 35mm. But the ONE thing I know best is Pulling Focus...and My DP work is improving. The only reason I consider myself a DP as apposed to a first is because it is where my passion is, and most of my experience. It's my preference on any shoot. When someone in my area is looking for a DP, somehow they find me. (and my identity has been stolen twice because they knew my name... :ph34r: haha right) and If you would take some time out of you Hollywood hotshot lives, and come to the Highschool filmfest and see my work as opposed to everyone elses, You'll understand why continue to claim myself as a DP, because I love doing it and some say Im pretty good at it even for a 17 year old child. MERDE! and it goes without saying that I cant yet compare to a lot of you, but I have time to improve. I have time to get work. Just as much as I consider myself and American I consider myself a DP. It's where my heart stands. Stupid Children running around claim to be DP's! When will they learn? Since I'm not supposed to consider myself a DP I shall just become a groupie...hmm, Nancy Schreiber...hmmm she's not too bad. hmmm I'm sorry everybody. HAPPY NEW YEARS FROM THE CHILD! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted December 31, 2004 Premium Member Share Posted December 31, 2004 I prefer to know who I am talking to, especially if they are a professional. I can't imagine the CML, for example, being half as good if everyone posted anonymously. Geoff Boyle would never allow that. You can't form a true community if you don't trust each other enough to use your real names! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allen Achterberg Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 You can't form a true community if you don't trust each other enough to use your real names! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Maybe he just wants to be an outsider to the community, kind of sounds like it to me. I trust all of you, dont know why he doesnt. Maybe he has had some bad experience with trust in the past. but yes I agree with the trust thing. Hi, My name is Allen Achterberg, want my social security number? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Chris Keth Posted December 31, 2004 Premium Member Share Posted December 31, 2004 Some were DV, Some were 16mm, some were Super 16, and some were 35mm. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> 17 years old and you could either get work on a professional set or you could afford to shoot 35mm? I'm either extremely impressed or I don't believe you at all. :huh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allen Achterberg Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 17 years old and you could either get work on a professional set or you could afford to shoot 35mm? I'm either extremely impressed or I don't believe you at all. :huh: <{POST_SNAPBACK}> NOBODY EVER BELIEVES ME! GOD! Yeah I get work on some pretty good shows sometimes, Not too much of it is paying, usually I get a Hotel, Gas expenses, and Food. End credit. Will have a feature credit as a First AC before I'm out of Highschool. I feel I'm really damned fortunate. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Chris Keth Posted December 31, 2004 Premium Member Share Posted December 31, 2004 NOBODY EVER BELIEVES ME! GOD! Yeah I get work on some pretty good shows sometimes, Not too much of it is paying, usually I get a Hotel, Gas expenses, and Food. End credit. Will have a feature credit as a First AC before I'm out of Highschool. I feel I'm really damned fortunate. :D <{POST_SNAPBACK}> If you're that lucky, why don't you keep doing it as a profession? I'd kill to have that kind of opportunity so young. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allen Achterberg Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 I wont stop doing, thats the thing. The only thing to keep me from doing it is If I die. I dont care about anything else. I will persue my love. everyone here shares the same thing, a great love and passion for this love hate relationship business. its awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Frank Gossimier Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 Well Allen Achterberg, judging by the grammar and spelling in your posts so long as you don't want to be a writer you'll make out just fine :D Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allen Achterberg Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 Well Allen Achterberg, judging by the grammar and spelling in your posts so long as you don't want to be a writer you'll make out just fine :D Frank <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thank you frank. I'm a horrible writer. got some good Ideas but Im not good at translating the brainwaves into English words, the reason why most of my philosophies are written in german. Me A Writer...HAHAHAHA, its ok to Dream right? haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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