Chad Stockfleth

I wouldn't throw away the old lenses just yet! I know personally, with the clean look of digital cameras, for certain projects the vintage lenses are really good at taking the edge off and adding character. I have a set of 70's Contax Zeiss cinevised just for that reason.

I'll chime in. After a little more than a decade doing this, my advice to you is: Give yourself a break! There are so many technicalities within this profession, not to mention the artistic choices you must make. Many things you read about, but until you do it, sometimes several times, it may not click. Some principles just take a while to soak in. One day that little lightbulb in your head goes off and EUREEKA, it makes sense. You have to physically be practicing for this knowledge to develop into instincts, that is when you can stop over-analyzing the situation and feel your way through it. For me, that's when the best work happens. As someone above said, there is no end to the learning. There is always something new to challenge you. Of course, as you get good at a certain style or look, your taste may change and you'll be on to something else! One project you may eschew backlighting and create seperation by lighting the background. The next year you may be obsessed with hard backlighting with a reflected key. At a certain point, the knowledge takes on your personality (and ideally, the personality of the project). So, that's a long way of saying keep at it and give yourself time to truly absorb the information so that you don't have to think about it, you just do it. Cheers! -Chad

Hello all! It's been a long time since I've posted here. Excited to check back in and see how the forum has changed. What are your experiences with ETC Source 4 PAR lights? I almost always rent lights, but recently I've been thinking to put a little kit together. I use Arri's and Kino's a lot for the types of things where I would want my own kit. I see that there are 575 and 750w versions as well as different reflector types etc. It also appears that you have to get a baby spud to attach it to a stand. They seem like a great light for bouncing or going through frames. Build quality is supposedly good, and the price is nice for the amount of light output. Anyway, just hoping to hear some of your thoughts/opinions on the lights themselves and creative uses. Cheers! Chad

How about the new Sony's: NEX-VG900 or the A99? I would probably go for the BMCC unless that 720p 60 is really a deal-breaker. I've also liked the footage that's come out from the Canon C100 if you want to spend a bit more.

Yes, but it looks like very cinematic video for very cheap. ;)

I've done a few commercial shoots with Canon cameras recently (7D, 5Dmkii) using a variety of lenses. 16-35L 35L 50L 50 1.4 100 f2 100 Macro 24-70L 70-200 2.8L All perform decently from an optical standpoint, but the main problem with still lenses is focusing. They require a smaller turn of the barrel to make a large adjustment, so it can be a bit like cracking a safe to keep focus. If you can live with that, you can live with these cameras. For the 7D shooting both stills and video I might put a kit together like: 35L 85L 135L 17-55 2.8 That's going to cover a lot of territory. I'm curious to check out the new Zeiss MF lenses in Canon mount. Optically they are supposed to be quite good and having solid, manual-focusing rings couldn't hurt.

I've always seen this site as a valuable resource should you have a technical question because it is host to so many "real-life working professionals". It's also been a source of creative inspiration and levity (see the craigslist topic). That said, I don't come here to read about politics or religious beliefs. There is enough of that in the rest of the world. It's funny to me how polarizing the digital vs. analog debates can be. I use a variety of mediums, each with their own strengths and limitations. I guess I just don't feel an emotional attachment to a specific camera. It's when these debates go from factual to opinion that things get hairy, but facts are what I seek here. You can't argue that broccoli tastes better than asparagus anymore than you can argue that the 5D mkii is better than an SR3. Broccoli may have more vitamin C and asparagus may make your pee smell, but which tastes better is just that, a matter of taste. Different strokes for different folks.

I like them. I would go so far as to say our gear gets abused at times and while they do chip, it's very minor. Never had a problem.

Thanks, David. That sounds about right where I need to be.

Can you get any blooming/halation from a soft fx filter in highlight areas? I like the diffusion quality but would like a little blooming from a harder edge light. If not, what else might I use? Thanks! Chad

I would add that a fair amount of rehearsal helps!

Boom goes the dynamite! ;) Richard hit the nail on the head. It's just f*cking tv. This is a business that is soooooo self-important. It wants you to believe that you are working these crazy hours in crappy conditions for zero pay because of "THE PASSION, THE ART". You know what, most tv sucks. So do most movies. You know what they aren't? They aren't nearly as important as what a teacher does or a cop or a doctor or a plumber or the guy who bags your groceries. Movies are ENTERTAINMENT. Sure, they can be fun to work on and you can meet lots of cool people (and tons of butts) but at the end of the day, they aren't all that valuable. Don't go knocking yourself in the head because in a down economy you got let go. poop happens. If you really like this industry, you will find a way to work. Now go edit your résumé to make it look like you didn't get fired! :P

Looks pretty good, but you might try a different forum as this isn't much about cinematography. Try here: http://forums.creativecow.net/adobeaftereffects

It's really common to leave it on all the time, at least in the ENG zoom and stills photo worlds. One of the problems you can encounter depending on lighting situations is ghosting where the camera pics up a reflection in the filter. In those situations you can just pop it off. In cinema I've rarely seen them left on, the idea i believe being to have the cleanest optical path possible.

That's a really broad question, I'd recommend starting here: http://www.red.com/cameras/workflow/