Drew Hoffman

I don't understand the significance of the Patriot Act and ACLU titles. I'd get rid of them altogether. They don't demonstrate anything about your skill as a DP. Outside of that, I think I got a pretty clear idea of what you're about and your individual style.

It was on a Canon Scoopic in my first year of film school. Fixed zoom lens... 100' daylight spools... oh yeah! We were doing a project for the class and the kept jamming. We put one of our group members in a closet and sealed it up so he could open up the camera and figure out what was going on. He reported that the film sprang out and went all over and he had to re-roll it. Most of the footage came out usable and we were very cautious in using it for the rest of the shoot. Not long after, I was able to figure out that it kept jamming because when the guy was loading the camera he wasn't properly spooling it on the take up side and the film would just collect in the camera body for 50' or so before it would jam the camera. Needles to say, he had nothing to do with loading the camera when it came time to do my project.

I'm doing a 16mm short. The script is about 23 pages and I'm looking to find that magical balance of good prices and good work. I usually have my film processed by FotoKem and telecine'd at Magic Film & Video Works, but I'm wondering if anyone hasn't had good experiences somewhere else. I've heard good things about Pro8mm and Bonolabs. I was wondering if anyone could back this up or refute it, or if there isn't some other place I might look into. There aren't any houses in AZ and I have to send the film out no matter what, so location isn't a big deal. It'd be nice if I could be there for the telecine, but it's pretty low budget and that doesn't always happen. Thanks.

I'm certainly jealous. It's hard to get any experience on wheels out in AZ... you can't even rent one anywhere in the state. The only time I've gotten on them is when the camera equipment comes from LA. I'd rent it just to practice. Enjoy it!

I find the ASC manual's "all format" depth of field charts are a little too broad. Particularly when you're trying to limit your focus on a smaller format. I really like the pCine and pCam programs on my palm, it's come in handy more than once. However, I've long been trying to lay my hands on a SamCine calculator. Electronics fail, there's nothing like having a back up that won't run out of batteries or get wet or have the screen break (as happened to my first palm on one set). I'd definately get it, but if you decide against it, I'd be happy to take it.

It's one of the few books that I recommend to EVERYONE. Not only is it invaluable to have in my library... it's been invaluable to have in my bag on set as well.

Front boxes are quite nice (at least from an AC point of view) but they're also pretty expensive. I've often been tempted to try and build one myself.

Mirrors reflect almost all of the light that hits them. There's a negligible amount of light loss, but not enough to worry about compensating. I agree with metering the scene itself, just get an incident reading and you should be fine. If you're in doubt, try bracketing the exposure. I wouldn't think of taking a spot reading off of the mirror unless you're basing your exposure off the face of the light.

The ideal place for the board to be is close enough to clearly read the board (most importantly, the roll/scene/take ID) and be able to catch the sticks snapping. If the focus of the subject in the scene is farther than where you're placing the board, the 1st should focus to your board and readjust after you get out of the way.

I attempted to build my own dimmer box using a standard light dimmer from Home Depot. I've attached a very crude drawing of the rig, I'm not sure if that makes things simpler or harder. However: I took an electrical chord shielded with three wires in it already. I attached it to my male edison and ran it through a box. I opened up the middle and snipped one of the cables, attaching a celing light dimmer rated for 1K. The other cable I let run free for a switch configuration and I spliced the ground wire from the dimmer to the ground wire in the cord. Finally I ran it back out of the box and attached it to the female edison. On the dimmer was another wire for a three switch set up which I just trimmed back and taped up. The problem is that altough the switch will turn on and off... it won't dim. Can anybody help me understand why this is happening? Thank you.

One time on a production, a grip was kind enough to show me all of the different kinds of diffusion they had in 4x4 frames and give a rundown of what they did and when a DP was likely to call for it. He mentioned that a lot of DP's hate using silk and rarely ask for it. I've noticed on other productions, that although there are plenty of silks on the carts, they're never really used. The only time I've really seen it in action is when it's in a 12x12 frame or something along those lines... even then, when the production can afford a variety of rags, they'll put up something besides silk. I was wondering if this was a true statement about silk and what the reason for it is. Thank you.

That's actually my favorite part of the picture... Thanks for the input, I was talking with an editor today and he said to do the same thing.

Blame tends to flow downstream. Eventually the person who is at fault will be found out (usually) but until then, if you're at the bottom of the totem pole, be prepared to answer a lot of questions and concerns. That's why it's so important to check your camera package top to bottom. Check every cable, every connection, every lens, every last little detail that you can check. Run scratch tests, run reg. tests. If you don't check it and it breaks down, you're in trouble. That's why you need to take careful notes regarding camera notes and stock inventory and keep a copy of them. It takes a certain degree of anal retentiveness to be a good AC and that's to help insure a successful production... but I think a certain degree of it is covering your back in case something goes wrong.

There are a couple of articles from American Cinematographer you might find useful. The first is from "Team America" which talks a lot about shooting puppets and miniature sets: http://www.theasc.com/magazine/nov04/team/index.html The other is a side bar from "Return of the King" involving the use of miniatures. http://www.theasc.com/magazine/jan04/sub2/index.html I'd also suggest you go through their archives on your own, there's plenty of other articles that deal with these topics and have a lot of great information.

I was wondering what the best way to shoot a television screen with the intent of compositing an image on it during post production. I AC'd on a show that did something like that and they put orange stickers on each of the corners and one in the center of the screen. I'm assuming that in editing, they would use the dots as a reference to tack the image onto the screen. Is this the best way to do it or is there something else I might want to try? Can I move the camera at all during the shot or is it better to have it locked off? Thank you.

Hope you get better soon, you've been missed on this forum.

I'm thinking both the moonlight and a porch light or some kind of source like that. I'm still trying to figure out what I need for my lighting package so it's still very flexible. The gist of the scene is: a girl gets out of her car in her driveway and goes into her house and the camera follows her as she walks through it, where it's revealed that there are bodies all over the floor. I wanted to warm up the interior lights a little bit and cool down the exterior lights to contrast the int/ext and to contrast the warmth of the home with all of the dead people. I was looking at banging a bunch of lights into the 8x8 (or even a 12x12 if it'll be better, but I think the 8 would be more manageable for our crew) and using that bounce as a kind of general ambiance from the moon. I think she should be underexposed for the most part; I at least want to be able to see her. Then have her pass through a baby or a junior as a porch light to add a little depth to the exterior and follow her inside. I'm mostly wondering if this sounds like a reasonable set up, or if something rings false to someone. Maybe someone has an idea I might want to try instead or in addition to. Also, I'm trying to decide the best way to get my color contrast. The moonlight should have a blue shift to it anyway, right? So should I set my white balance for tungsten and put CTB outside and CTO inside? If I white balance to something like a 1/2 CTB under tungsten then it'll warm up my interior a little and cool down my exterior a little. Then I'd just have to gel the exterior lights to match the moon. (My lighting package is flexible about the number of units I can order, but I'm restricted to tungsten) I'm also wondering if this sounds reasonable. I know it's a lot of questions, but it's the most complicated scene I've lit to date. I've crewed on productions that have done comparable stuff, but I didn't design them. Thank you.

I'm doing a shot that follows a person as they get out of their car at night and go inside their house. It's digital and I'm trying to think of the most realistic and practical way to get them to, at least, show up while they're outside. I have been considering bouncing a bunch of light off an 8x8. Does anybody have any better ideas that I might want to try? Thank you.

I haven't seen the making of piece you're talking about, but I'm assuming it's a zoom control.

I think it just comes with doing it. After a while, you pick up general ideas about what's going on. You know what shot they're planning, what lens they're using and you'll get a good idea of where to put the slate. You're never going to nail it every time and the operator shouldn't get irritated by moving you around unless you're way off base most of the time. It helps to take a look at the monitor during rehearsals and see what they're looking at... and after all of that, if you're still not sure... ask the 1st or the operator.

It's helping me, it certainly has given me a lot more to consider. Now I'm just wondering what kind of techniques would make a steadicam shot look best. If not for this time, then for future references as well.

As far as the camera, it'll be a Sony DSR-PD170. Also, it's not a huge production. It's a project for class that's designed to be a one shot. I mostly thought about it as a way to try something new and gain a little extra experience. I'm not sure how much I'd want to find an operator and almost would rather just do it handheld if it's implausible to do it myself. So, is it?

I'm working on a project where there is a shot tracking someone as they walk through their house. I think this would work really well as a steadicam shot, but the catch is... I'd be the one operating and have never used a steadicam rig. If anyone has any advice on steadicam operating, I'd truly appreciate it.

Personally, I'm not sure I'll ever be fully satisfied with the equipment in my bag, there's always one more tool or something that I know would come in handy at some point. Really, the first tool you should get is multitool like a Leatherman or a Gerber. If you're doing low budget stuff, you're going to want electric gear as well. Gloves are a must, get some mechanic gloves or some type that offers both protection and flexibility. Get a multimeter and a voltage detector, this will help you solve electric problems a lot faster. Cube taps are always handy to have. Get a few basic tools pliers, screwdrivers, vice grips, flash light, tape measure. Personally, it's mostly been about trial and error. I've been on set and something came up where boy if only I had [blank], or I saw somebody using something that I know would be useful. I'll add it to my bag and have it for the next time. I don't see things like c-stands as necessary to own. They're about $150 a piece, it depends on who you talk to but especially for people without a lot of money to spend, I think it's better to rent. A c-stand from a rental house is like $5 a day and you should discuss that with whoever's in charge of the money on the production. Having your own equipment like a light package and a collection of grip gear isn't a bad thing and is certainly convenient. It's just harder for beginners to buy all of that equipment. Also, make sure whoever's hiring you knows that you have your own equipment and therefore charging a higher rate. It'll be in there best intrest to pay you more money and avoid paying more money to rent the gear.

I find it a huge waste of time to put a new core on the roll after it's been removed. How much time do you spend trying to get that core on and making sure the film is actually on it? Especially if you're on a shoot where you're loading and slating. I've never heard the lab complain, it makes downloading a lot faster and I'm handling the film less, which I figure is best considering hand oils and dead skin flakes and all of that other crap that's getting on there.