Cole Webley

Recently I was in the same position. I went and spoke with the director and talked to him about his script. I shared my interpretation of it visually and explained reasons why I saw it that way. This seems to have made him feel more comfortable and sure of my capabilities. A couple days later I got the word -- were shooting the feature next summer (this summer we're looking for funding, etc.) Best of luck!

Just wrapped on this short film! Here are some shots of our lighting setups. We were on a sound stage. The larger fresnels are 10ks and there are some 2ks and other lights mixed in. Inside the tent we brought in 1ks and 650w's and some mini moles. Lots of fun. Here are some pictures of the set.

I thought the shot of the girl standing in the rain is another example of your artistic capabilities, I think I would keep it. Be interested to see it with different music - and I will also be interest to see "Dungbeetle" stuff. I think their is one frame from a previous shot that makes it looks like it is a skip during the "Pride" stuff with them looking into the frame with thier wedding clothes--take a look. Looks very, very, pretty Travis. Cheers.

Hooked an inverter to a car battery and ran some peppers hanging outside the car shooting back in on driver simulating passing lights--worked great for about two hours--make sure you kill the lights between takes and don't put anything on top of those inverters they HAVE to breath or they will die. Also, a little inconvinient if the battery and inverter are inside the car you are trying to take sound from--sounds like a lab top computer fan, a little loud when trying to get clean sound. Peppers where pretty small, I believe we ran three at one time and nothing over 350w. Best of luck.

My first professional gig as a loader I had to load the Aaton 35III, fun experience! Although your thumb sure takes a beating on the Arri mags after you've advanced the film through forty or fifty times a day--whose complaining though? Panavision mags seem to be the most "loader friendly."

Dang Travis - That looks really nice. Its nice to see some of those shots of projects I never saw any footage from. Happy Shooting.

Hahaha- I knew I'd get myself in trouble on here! Always looking for lots of opinions :) Thanks Travis.

Friends- Next week I am shooting another S16 short on a sound stage with a large canvas tent like the one in the photo below. I have (4) 10k's as well as (4) 2k's and several 1ks and 4' and 2' Kinos -- also trying to get some 750w Par Cans. I read the article in Jan. 2006 article about how Prieto lit the inside of the tent but his scenes were lit for night. My scenes play out during the day and I am hoping to blast the 10k's through the thick canvas and supplement from inside the tent with the kino's and other smaller units. I am not going for really low key but I do want some contrast and shadows. I am shooting on 7218 so we will have plenty of stop and I am using Zeiss Primes that range from T 1.4 to T 2 and also a Canon Zoom T2.8 Has anyone ever lit a scene/film like this? Had experience with lighting through thick canvas? It is a period piece - a satire - If Grant was drunk at Appomattox. Any thoughts?

I am shooting a short documentary on the legendary graphic designer Milton Glaser (I (heart) NY, etc.) I will be shooting on S16 with an Aaton LTR 7 on several locations in New York. I am from the West Coast and have never been to New York so I am looking for local rental houses based out of New York for small lighting packages i.e. pepper kits, lowell kits, arri kits... Also, is there any NYU Film students that take part on this forum that would be interested on an internship? Budget $17k. Thanks

Thank You.

I am looking for a book that deals with the post process more then the production process of going to a print. I want to prepare for shooting a possible feature in the next couple years and I feel I am at a lost when it comes to the post process i.e. color timing your print, etc. Has anyone read any books that explain this process well? Any help would be appreciated. Cheers.

I was in transferring some S16 the otherday and I asked my transfer guy if he could get me the same look w/ out doing it photochemically and he said, "just about..." He is not the best colorist so I imagine most could give you the "look" which would be more desaturated and higher contrast. However, I don't think you could ever get the same look if you aren't doing it to the negative. If you aren't ever going to a print it would probably be best if you DIDN'T do it to the negative that way you have the option of going different directions with it -- also, then you can get the "look" for different scenes etc. remembering that if you do it to the negative they process the whole roll the same way. Best of luck, I love the "look" too, when it serves the story. Cheers.

Thanks Greg. That was my default option but since the light wasn't in the position it is going to be tomorrow when we shoot I figured I would cut corners and ask someone on the forum. This is why I love the forum, everyone is so willing to help. Keep up the good work. Cheers.

Great. Thanks guys. I appreciate the quick response. -Cheers

Tomorrow I am going to be shooting some 2nd Unit work on a short I did recently on S16, I am exploring with some filters I have never used before and I was wondering if someone could help me out with some questions I have. I have tried to find out on Tiffen's website how much stop you lose with some of their filters--but I am at somewhat of a lost. I am wanting to know what your exposure change is for the following filters: Blue 1 SG, Blue 2 SG, Blue 3 SG, Sunset 2 SG, Sunset 3 SG, Coral 5 SG, Cyan 5 SG...since these are grad filters I realize the only stop I am loosing is in the upper part of the frame (supposing that is how I am going to use them) but does anyone know how much? This still applies even though they are color filters right? Thanks guys.

You could also try giving them some negative fill just outside frame to help it from becoming too flat.

Another good book (more technical than Painting with Lights) is Film Lighting by Malkiewicz and also (more an overall emphasis on cinematography) The Five C's of Cinematography by Mascelli. AND practice-- Best of Luck

OK. Thanks.

But DP's always have the right to show anything they have shot (even though they don't own the copyright to this picture) on their reel right? i.e. D. Mullen's next reel might include images from Akeelah and the Bee?

I enjoyed the first slide the most--I am a big fan of contrast (when it serves) and I think it works in the first slide. I agree w/ the eyelight statement--a must in my opinion...that is why I enjoyed the first slide, her right eye has a nice glimmer to it. -C Oh yeah, I was going to mention that the background was too dark--I would have liked to have been able to see a little more or maybe a different background altogether--the books flatter things out a bit too much for my taste. -C

Just wrapped from the shoot...long three days, gotta love those low budget student shoots. I ended up lighting the interior restaurant with the 1200w either through a 4x of opal or later in the day they were moved closer to the talent and bounced off some foam core then added some rim light with 2' and 4' kinos just out of frame w/ 1/2 CTO. Worked o.k. just wish I would have had more time to light. Thanks for the advice. -C

Tomorrow I am shooting the third and final day of a short film on S16. I have shot the whole film (all taking part in one day--during the day) on 7217. Tomorrow I will shoot on 7217 but I may shoot some on 7246 (because I don't have anymore 17). My question is this: How do you suggest I should light the scene that all takes part at a table. The table is approx. 25ft from large windows coming from their left side. I want to be able to give them a soft back light w/ 4ft Kino flos w/ Daylight tubes w/ 1/2 CTO for a slightly warmer back light...I don't know if I should key them with the practical light or should I supplement w/ some 1200w HMI's (which are the bigest lights that I have) through some diffusion (I have 4x's of Opal, 216, 250, and some Lightgrid). Any suggestions. I hope I have made my questions clear. Thanks for sharing your ideas. -C

Thanks for the advice and replies so far...I have to run to work but I will give feedback later! -c

Last weekend we put a large 1'' thick 8'' wide and 7' long board across the top of the car with four baby plates screwed into it from which we hung some 350w peppers out and over the front of the windshield and one on the side window to simulate passing street lamps, etc. They were each hooked to a dimmer and fed into the car where a car battery hooked (with a normal pair of jumper cables) to a 1200w inverter (from Home Depot). This supplied power for a couple of hours before we had to change the car battery again. Then later in the night the inverter stopped working...fishy rig but we got the shots we needed. You could try something similar I guess for the 575 during the day...even less power then we had on the inverter. All in all, I am more convinced it is worth the time/money to get a small trailer to pull the picture car on and bring along a silent genny to do the powering... Tomorrow I am shooting a short on S16 with some car mount shots...we have the side mount but we are improvising for the hood mount...I will take pictures! We already tested it out tonight to make sure it would work, we'll keep our fingers crossed. -C

I shot this music video last summer and transferred it at a small transfer house in Utah. I am studying film at BYU and couldn't afford to go out to California and pay the big bucks...all in all pretty happy, could be better but that's what we are here to learn, right? Let me know what I could have done better (I didn't direct--so I am asking mostly for feedback on the "look" and visual asthetics) Cheers -C Here is the link: The band is Taught Me out of Salt Lake City http://www.provopodcast.com/shows/TaughtMe.mp4