M Joel W

Some have wet lubricants and other have dry lubricants and mixing two brands can result in the heads being gummed up when they get mixed together. Or maybe this is just marketing talk to keep you stuck with one brand, I don't know. I always tried to stick with one brand and if I did switch brands I'd run a headcleaning tape for a bit first. But those are abrasive so just use them very briefly.

I'm not in the position to work with that kind of grip package or anything even close to it, but that makes sense. Still quite a bit less ND than I'd expected. Sunny 16 would imply 9-10 stops of ND I think but using direct sun as key. Back in the film days, was a f4/f5.6 split more common for exteriors or were you shooting exteriors wide open then too? Maybe I am just wrong here – figuring lenses are sharpest around that stop and so assuming that's what you'd use for exteriors when shooting film, back when sharpness was a virtue. I'm from a very DIY background so it's interesting to me hearing how larger sets are run. And sorry for going off topic... excited to see the movie.

This is sort of surprising to me. Is this a change since the days of shooting primarily film or is shooting wide open more common than I realized? I'd heard a t4/t5.6 split for exteriors was most common, but that was years ago and I don't even remember from whom. I thought the extreme "shallow focus" aesthetic was mostly a YouTube/5D Mark II thing. If I'm not mistaken shooting t2 day exteriors would require about ten stops of ND (for a base 800 ISO camera)?

Yeah I can see this. Part of the reason I asked about G&E is that was the advice I was given when I was younger. But I don't think it was intended as good faith advice... At the time (given the specific context of the comment) it was more of a put down, I think (the entire comment was much less polite than just that)... That said some of the DPs I've worked with who've done quite well have gone out of their way to work in G&E or camera dept. on sets with top DPs so they can observe and learn. Or take classes with top shelf still photographers. But from what I've seen, it's supplemental to their main approach to career, which is shooting smaller projects and moving up to bigger and bigger ones. Back in the day all the AFI grads seemed to have an A7S (with vintage lenses) so I'm not sure you even need much gear-wise to get started. Not knocking other departments – I received similar good faith advice from others (work in G&E or camera when you're in a new market to help network and learn to light and how a set is run), but I think they also recommended doing my own thing on the side if my goal was to shoot rather than work as an AC or grip, particularly if I had my eye on indie-oriented projects.

I think you're right – sorry for derailing the thread. I'm curious about how studio pictures are lit for my own reasons that are not directly related to this thread. People I know who have taken this path (smaller projects to bigger projects) mostly work in ads and music videos to start, then later move into features. Even those who have gone to film school. So I would start looking to shoot music videos maybe but am not an expert. I do think sets are a good place to network so starting in another position might not be so bad if you're working for someone whose work you admire.

How much is an aspiring DP meant to know about lighting? To what extent is the DP directing grip and electric and to what extent the camera department? One thing I'll say for Deakins is he has his lighting diagrams all set up (though if he collaborates with someone else on them I don't know) – but if I'm not mistaken he started in documentary on smaller sets, too, I believe. Or generally will you have a gaffer who is autonomous enough to translate the DP's intention even if the DP isn't super technical? I mean, let's say you understand what each light does and the basics of hard source/soft source and color temperature and whatever. What percentage of the lighting decisions are made by the DP directly and what percentage by the gaffer interpreting the DP's intent? What if you understand less than that? And are starting purely as a photographer moving to video or film? Or more? Do some DPs micromanage every aspect of G&E? I imagine someone working their way up camera dept or G&E would be more likely to? What about some like Kaminski or Elswitt? Genuinely curious, not trying to be a contrarian or anything. I haven't been getting on set enough lately. Edit: I have seen a number of people work their way up over a few years, often by going to film school and/or buying a camera package, so I think it is possible. I'm just curious because if someone asked me to shoot something on a larger scale, I wouldn't know how to run a set to light it. But with planning and a good gaffer, I think I could articulate my intent.

For someone lighting a bigger set after working primarily on smaller ones, how do you know what kind of G&E package to rent? Or if you're starting small but get hired on a bigger job – who finds the right gaffer and G&E crew to work with you? I suppose if you have a producer who brings on an experienced gaffer this is not an issue.

Just out of curiosity – why has no one recommend working your way up camera dept or G&E?

This is simple I'm sure, but I want to make sure I get it right: The Arri MFF-1 has a 1:2 gear ratio. And the Arri FF-5 has a 2:1 gear ratio. Do I have to rotate four times more on the MFF-1? This would make sense because the focus throw on still lenses is often much less than on cinema lenses. Or do I have it backwards? Now let's say I replace the 43 tooth gear on the MFF-1 with a 64 tooth gear. Taking the same lens, and assuming the FF-5 still has the original gear, would I have to pull 2.7 further on the MFF-1? Thanks!

By Twixtor I meant real smart motion blur btw. It sounds like you are off to a good start. Never worked with a teleprompter before but if you have a spot meter that would be the easiest way to tell. If not, shoot a blank white wall at f5.6 and look at the IRE reading then put the teleprompter in front of it and then open up until you get the same IRE and note how much you had to open up. If it's 70% transmission that is about 1/2 a stop I think. If it's 30% that's about 1.5 stops.

Yeah I've never seen that technique before but it sort of makes sense and I wouldn't be surprised if someone were doing that. The issue is for fast action, motion vector software gets a little weird and for slow action a normal 180º shutter works if you pull a decent key. I think I have choked in on a key before and put another key below it with Twixtor or something in the past. In a small room your worst enemy will be spill. I forget exactly but I think you want your green screen to be around 18% gray or maybe a half stop over through the spot meter and evenly lit. And the subject lit normally. If you light it too hot especially on a darker subject you'll get a lot of spill. Curious to hear from vfx sups and DPs what their green screens read through a spot meter. Don't use a diffusion filter, even if you're using one elsewhere. Diffuse the shot in post if you have to. There's separate advice I'd have for your post team but if you're just shooting it I'd do 180º shutter, avoid too bright a green screen, usually I'd rate that camera at 400 ISO or 800 ISO but if you're not clipping maybe shoot 200 ISO or something – Arri recommends the same thing for keying Alexa footage I think. (I find both braw and ArriRAW fairly noisy at 800 ISO.)

They were recording but I needed to write the clips to the card for Finder to see them. Now, the Alexa is frequently having system errors, but at least I've got some footage to show for my efforts. It didn't have system errors before I used this recorder. I am outputting 3G single SDI 24p no longer PSF. Apologies for the accidental blog. 😕 What are these system errors about and how can I avoid them? It's a little disconcerting to say the least.

I think I figured it out but now the files aren't recording? I set the Record setting to single link 3G and now I'm getting an image but nothing recording to the SSD.

It looks like I just don't know how to set this thing up. (And it looks like you only need dual link or higher frame rates, I'm shooting 24fps.) How do I connect an Alexa Plus 4:3 to a Gemini 4:4:4?

I'm setting up a Gemini 4:4:4 (I only have one HDSDI cable with me) and an Alexa Plus 4:3 to record ArriRAW. When I switch to ArriRAW mode in the Gemini recorder there is a "settings mismatch" and it says it needs dual link SDI I think? When I am in DPX mode it seems okay.... But in this video there's no such requirement? I'm inputting at 24p PSF I think? I should have ordered another cable? Or am I just doing something wrong? Thanks. Sort of new to this. Haven't shot ArriRAW before.