Shaan Aslam Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Hey all. This is the most recent thing I shot, around December 21st of last year. The camera was a Canon 7D, with the 16-35 L II as the primary lens. Camera support was a Glidecam, Manfrotto Sticks, and (luckily enough) a JL Fisher 11. Lighting order was somewhat small, with a 5-Piece Arri Fresnel Kit, a 250w Rifa, two Kino-Flo Diva's with 3200K and 5500K tubes and ,for one day, a 800w Joker. Principal lasted 2 days. Please let me know what you guys think. And, as always, please view in HD if possible. I'll shut up now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Bill DiPietra Posted March 30, 2012 Premium Member Share Posted March 30, 2012 Hey all. This is the most recent thing I shot, around December 21st of last year. The camera was a Canon 7D, with the 16-35 L II as the primary lens. Camera support was a Glidecam, Manfrotto Sticks, and (luckily enough) a JL Fisher 11. Lighting order was somewhat small, with a 5-Piece Arri Fresnel Kit, a 250w Rifa, two Kino-Flo Diva's with 3200K and 5500K tubes and ,for one day, a 800w Joker. Principal lasted 2 days. Please let me know what you guys think. And, as always, please view in HD if possible. I'll shut up now. Cute script which you translated very nicely into a visual story. I especially liked the lighting you used in the opening sequence for the close-ups on the models and how you did the sunset reflected off of their faces during their first date. The best lit scene was when he was playing chess with his friend. Very nice range of contrast. Looked like you used the 5500K Kinos... Nice job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaan Aslam Posted March 30, 2012 Author Share Posted March 30, 2012 Thank you, BIll! Greatly appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaan Aslam Posted March 31, 2012 Author Share Posted March 31, 2012 13 views, 1 reply. Come on, guys! I have no one with knowledge in cinematography to go to. I honestly NEED your help!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Bill DiPietra Posted April 1, 2012 Premium Member Share Posted April 1, 2012 13 views, 1 reply. Come on, guys! I have no one with knowledge in cinematography to go to. I honestly NEED your help!! One last comment: although you seemed to move the camera judiciously, try a little less movement on your next project. Let the frame be dynamic enough to keep the camera still...almost like a still photo. Take a look at any of Kubrick's films for reference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaan Aslam Posted April 1, 2012 Author Share Posted April 1, 2012 To be honest, I did feel like I went a little crazy with the Fisher. Looking back, I feel like there definitely were times where I moved the camera just because I could. I've felt that framing is something I should focus on as of late. What were your thoughts about the dancing scene in the room? Thanks, Bill!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Bill DiPietra Posted April 1, 2012 Premium Member Share Posted April 1, 2012 To be honest, I did feel like I went a little crazy with the Fisher. Looking back, I feel like there definitely were times where I moved the camera just because I could. I've felt that framing is something I should focus on as of late. What were your thoughts about the dancing scene in the room? Not bad, but it also didn't stick out as being particularly memorable. Composition is key in any film, no matter the genre. My most recent short was an avant-garde film and I spent the majority of my time on-location composing the shots. It's normal to want to play with the toys you have at your disposal...the key is knowing when not to do something. But I actually liked the way you varied between the Stedicam, dolly and tripod shots. Some people just don't know when to put the Steadicam down. That includes a lot of people in Hollywood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shehbaz Aslam Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 (edited) Linked my profile to my Facebook. The name changed, but I assure you, I am the same guy. Alright. I ask because that room had no practical lights before we arrived there, thus giving me the freedom to light to my liking. Ideally, being that I had complete control of the lighting in that situation and that it was an important emotional scene, it should have been memorable. I should have thought that scene out more. I completely agree with knowing when not to use something is incredibly important. It's something that took me a while with the lighting in the shorts I was shooting. I find myself attracted to directors who spend more time figuring out composition, but at my college, they are far and in between, usually letting the cinematographer figure out shots. Not to use that as an excuse, just a side note I guess. I'll definitely pay more attention to the framing from here on in. No more just setting the camera down! Glad to hear I didn't over use the steadicam. There has been a trend at my college to use the steadicam anytime the camera moves, I'm glad I haven't fallen into that style of thinking!! Edited April 1, 2012 by Shehbaz Aslam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Robert G Andrews Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Simple story, great acting, good dialogue. Very watchable, interesting story and very professional indeed. Very well done indeed. I watched it and liked it. This is how its done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregg MacPherson Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 I really liked the idea, and the way that this turned into a story, a narrative. Idea and story are not the same thing. Don't let the bullshitters fool you. I like the idea of the community of artists, all slightly skewiff characters when you see them. I guess all the characters are in that category. There are flaws, but my attraction to the idea sort of over rode them. I thought that all the dialogue should have been post recorded, even if you had to improvise that. And much of the dialogue could have been over MOS pictures, more of a free montage approach. Like someone else observed, the chess game scene stands out. No real reason why all your immages could not look as good as that. There were some where (I hope I remember correctly) I didn't like the colour cast on the skin tones. Why only two days for the main production? If you don't have money to employ a lot of skilled people, don't you need more time. Cheers, Gregg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Robert G Andrews Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 BTW, avoid having swear words in the dialogue as it tends to 'tread' over your story, cheapen it and does not contribute anything towards the net result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter James Scott Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 (edited) I thought you got the camera movement just about right! It was clear you had made a conscious decision on how you would arrange the lighting which was positive. The characters were well formed and the dialogue was okay in parts. If you want criticisms then I would say that some of the framing was a bit off. Shots like 2:54 looked a bit skew-whiff. Most importantly I would invest in a decent mic. I know this isn’t strictly cinematography, but I had the volume up loud and there were parts I couldn’t hear what the characters were saying. The volume was effected depending on how close the camera was to the character, and this was quite noticeable. However, I do think this is one of the better short films I have seen on the internet, so 4/5 from me, with just the sound and the framing letting it down. @pjscott89 http://pjscottentertainment.blogspot.co.uk/ Edited July 6, 2012 by PETER JAMES SCOTT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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