Rory Hanrahan

Generally speaking, I think its rare to simply "take whats been given you" and not manipulate the quality of light in some way, unless of course the DP finds something remarkable about the available light, or what's been established practically by the DP/gaffer. There is no right way of handling this variable, but I've never worked on an HD or video shoot where white balancing wasn't part of the job -- from test sessions in pre-pro working with the finished sets and lighting units to create a certain look (often with the help of a DIT), to quick fixes on-set, such as re-balancing from a white card, including altering that WB with Gels from a handy jungle book, etc. The key is to have some idea of what you're going for before you start fiddling around with settings etc. (the old, "close your eyes and imagine what the scene looks like, then recreate it" gag). The question is do YOU want those practicals to go orange flavored? Or those flos to cast a greenish tint? etc? Then find the way to balance the shot/scene to your ideas. Personally, and I'd like others to chime in on this, I would erase the concept of "neutrality", at least in the anti-septic sense its being used in here, and start thinking of WB the way a painter or other visual artist decides their overall palate. Also, remember that WB is only one step in achieving the look and feel of your work, even only taking in-camera alterations into account. Once you start dealing with saturation, gamma and the 1,001 other variables presented to you, you'll realize "neutrality" is not the goal. And besides, who wants to be neutral anyway? That's no fun!

Ha ha ha! That's great Annie! I felt bad about wrapping my gifts with paper or gaff, I forced myself to get "real tape". Glad I'm not the only AC out there that faced this dilemma! Happy Holidays!

Very cool, thanks Eric!

Saw this tonight (with some fellow Cine.com users, no less) and truly loved the film. Beautifully shot, Eric. The cinematography was perfectly in balance with the story and direction. I was also a fan of the creative opening credit sequence (same design firm that did "Thank You for Smoking" I believe?). Was that entire sequence taken from live action (shot with backgrounds), or was green screen involved? I noticed this final "soft shot" too, but assumed it was intentional, as the tree towards the end of the move seemed sharper than the actors. It seemed to fit the story to me -- a happy accident maybe?

Ha ha ha! Wait, that's a joke right?

Writing "UP" on the slate is downright juvenile. I've done entire films where there wasn't enough time for blocking, marks etc? You need to develop the skills to work through this, not just throw up your arms in disgust and say, "Well, I'll do it -- but boy will it SUCK!" What's next? Maybe we should start putting emoticon stickers on the slate as well: EDITOR 1: Hmm, I like take 3, but it goes a bit soft? EDITOR 2: Oh, look at the slate :o , the AC was feeling contemplative and gassy that day.

Ah-ha ha! Thank you Alex! I own that film as well -- I should have known that!?

Wow, I remember seeing this a few years back, but of course don't remember the title? In fact, the only thing I remember is that shot of the fabric! (I think it came up in a discussion for a horror/sci-fi film I shot circa '05? I'll ask the director and see if he knows.). It's also reminiscent of the opening of American Psycho -- with the dripping raspberry sorbet (although I know that's not what you're referring to here). Sorry I couldn't help, but thanks for reminding me of that shot!

There is a great article on Sunshine in the last (Aug?) American Cinematographer, where the process of shooting through a prism is explained in great detail. Unfortunately, I don't have that issue at hand, so I can't paraphrase at the moment.

Hi Derick, lots of questions, few answers, some may help... 1. New Features : Most civilized cities have a film office or some sort of production co-op. The film office (I think its the TFTO in Toronto) will help larger production crew up, find locations etc. They may have listing for upcoming crew gigs. The smaller co-ops, usually indy-minded, are there to help local filmmakers. This may be your best bet, at this stage in your career. 2. Hiring Lackeys : Once you've logged a few hours (or months, or years), your name will begin to get recognized and PC's/PM's will start calling. Until then, endear yourself to DP's, AC's, Ops and anyone else within 10 feet of a camera. 3. School (Or Lack Thereof) : Hey, you brought it up. Maybe you shouldn't. Most people really don't care about your film school experience, especially at the entry level (but here's an idea to kill 2 birds w/ 1 stone: crew up on as many student films as you can. Its basically a free film school) 4. Anybody's guess/depends on production 5. 2nd Exp. : Enough to know what your doing! Most people can 2nd on DV just fine (hey, its mostly tape labeling), but you need experience to work with an HD camera, film etc. Most important: DO NOT LIE ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE. That'll only put you on many-a s*it list! Browse around the site, this kind of question has been asked ad nauseum. Best of luck.

While I know many AC's are moving away from the lens and working from behind a monitor, you always need to see where the camera is physically located to have a handle on your distance, etc. If you're stuck in the trunk (with a faulty monitor I might add -- something I've been running into a lot lately, but that's another discussion) you might as well be pulling focus from craft services. There's a way to stand your ground without being a jerk (I know this is true, although I haven't figured out the 'not being a jerk' part yet). Don't confront the director about it, but bring it up to the DP (who must know this is a bad idea) and take it from there.

This seems like something of a one-note trick to me, but not necessarily in a bad way. I can definitely see this style following the arc of a short film, ending on the "Hollywood" style, but wouldn't want to revisit the doc style after the change. At that point, i think, the gag would become expected and bland, unless you find a clever way to play it out (for instance, in a dialogue between two people, one is represented by the doc style and one by the H'wood style, which fight for dominancy). Most important: does your story warrant the style change, or is it forced on the film? And just because its my personal crusade to differentiate doc style and verité from "crappy camerawork", please take a look at the work of the Maysles, DA Pennebaker and Fred Wiseman (among countless others). All doc, and some of the best camerawork I've ever seen.

Both the F-950 and the new F-23, used in conjunction with the SRW-1 deck, can record in this format. The 950's unfortunately need to be tethered to the deck remotely via HD dual link or fiber optic cables, while the 23's have the ability to dock the VTR like a film magazine. A quick web search will turn up loads of info, and Sony has web pages devoted to these high end products (I'm sure you can even find the camera manuals on their site). I can't speak for the F-23, as I haven't used it yet, but in my opinion the 950 has some definite cons that go along with its superior format -- namely the restrictions imposed by having an umbilical cord to the deck. In studio situations this is not much of a problem, but for location shooting it can mean extra time to move and set up, as well as introduce a new possible flaw in faulty cables. I can go into production details ad nauseum, but it sounds like you're more interested in the basic format and how it handles image compression than you are in on-set war stories, so as I mentioned above, go to Sony's site (and those of many other critics, commentators and users) to read for yourself. Also, try searching this site, as I know these cams have been discussed here before.

Damn Gus, you lucked out! Lets hope the gear works better for you than it did for its previous owner!

Take my advice: buy the tent new! The money you spend is peace of mind that there are no holes in it and it hasn't been through a sandstorm ;) . And you can always just draw the slate on the palm of your hand, and use your thumb and index fingers as the clapper (provided you can make a 'click' noise in sync with your fingers closing -- just practice!)...

There is a difference between having your resume appear on the site (in PDF form, I suppose) and your list of credits -- which is what we are talking about here. A crew member adding a resume is like an actor adding a head shot, just a personalization for would-be employers to access. Its not a bad feature, but I still prefer adding my resume to e-mails for free!

Keep learning. Prove to the crew that you are capable, reliable and can handle yourself even when out of your league. I don't know what format you're shooting on, or if your friends have more experience etc., but you can try moving up from "lackey" to AC. Request to take on, or learn, some of the duties of the loader. Get in touch with other DP's and shooters in your area, do your best to work with, and learn from, them. For all you know, they're waiting for you to step up and begin taking on more responsibilities (especially if its a very small crew/company). Working in this business (and more importantly -- supporting yourself) takes time. Don't be afraid to blunder, fail and struggle on your way!

The DP from my last feature had a great method for using lens tissue: he recommended rolling 2-3 sheets cigarette-style and then ripping them in half so that the pulled fibers created a sort of disposable brush, which you would then apply fluid to. The idea is that there is no truly solid object in contact with the lens elements. I was skeptical at first, expecting the fibers to break loose and find a new home on the lens, but to my surprise it worked great, and the torn tissues held their constitution. I've also learned the hard way that microfibre cloths can cause tiny abrasions and such, but they make great handkerchiefs...

When it comes to getting yourself paid work, nothing is miniscule. Most landlords don't accept karma or credit/copy for rent. Good luck!

Agree w/ Chris. My res begins with a list of the last 8-10 (good) projects I've worked on, including my role/whether it was a feature, short or commercial/the DP's name (which sometimes can take you further than you're own). I follow that up with a breif list of the cameras/tech I've worked with (Don't go overboard! If you can use an Arri 535 you can probably use many of the older models for instance...). Brief mention of where I graduated film school, but more to grab the eye of somebody else who might have attended there rather than to impress some muckity-muck. Truth is, you could've been trained by wolves so long as you know how to do your job... Look at the Local 600 AC directory. It is a very simple listing of the gigs a particular AC has worked on, and a good starting point for someone just starting to flesh out a res. By the way, I did once have a producer/director/writer/caterer/toilet scrubber ask me for an AC reel. Confused, I showed him a film I shot and directed on my iPod... I learned later (from the DP) that there was already an AC attached (the DP's regular crew) and the interviewer had no idea what was going on/how to hire a crew. Y'know I don't think that feature ever got financed...

(Double Post)

I'm glad everything worked out well for you! Good luck with future work (and get ready for that kit to get heavier and heavier!).

AC freak-out moment: If you're doing this rig "guerilla style" without experienced grips/support on hand, do yourself a favor and protect that lens! The coolest angle in the world won't mean anything if a rock or other road debris kicks up through your glass. In my younger (read: stupider) days I rigged a DV cam to the front bumper of a Jeep many times, using mostly gaff tape (!!). Don't do what Donny Don't does...

You bring up a good point, Satsuki, concerning production covering the cost of expendibles. So far my (non-union feature) experience with this has been rather dismal, with productions either declining to put up any money, or discarding my list of supplies and picking up what the UPM decided I needed from various local (and being in Philly, that means a few overpriced) vendors. In the end they spent as much on 1/3 of the gear I needed as I would have on all of it, but nobody thought that the AC would know where to get the cheapest camera supplies from! That comes off a bit snarky, I'm sure, but I'd love to hear some other AC's experiences with this, both union and non-union.

The 2" Black also works really well for impromtu Groucho Marx impressions!