ML Scott

Hey there, Just writing to get a feel for what Light Meters various DPs are using. I am currently looking at a Sekonic L758. Any pros/cons for this particular meter? Cheers, Michael Scott Clapper Loader / Video Assist Operator

Hi all, I am shooting a short, and scheduling has dictated that we must shoot a scene which is meant to be mid to late afternoon in the morning (around 830 til 11). Wondering if anyone has any specific advice about shooting Morning for Afternoon. The whole scene will be shot using NATURAL LIGHT, using bounce, sails, and neg fill. I assume that the position of the Sun won't be a massive issue with regards to time of day as long as it is low and not overhead. If this isn't the case any advice would be greatly appreciated. I was thinking of using some soft edge horizontal grads to warm up the skyline. The time (in the script) is meant to be after school time (so 3:30-4:30). Thanks all, Michael.

Hi all, I'm shooting a short with p+s adapter and hvx202 early next month. Very little cash and very little time to test lenses... Trying to get a feel of the difference between the Mk2s and the Mk3s... price is the same. Any experiences or advice on these sets of lenses greatly appreciated. Also, as an aside, given that the image is being put through an adapter, and a degree of sharpness & contrast is lost, would there be any point using lenses like the UltraPrimes or S4s? My inkling is that it would be a bit of a waste of the extra money. Again, advice would be great. Thanks, Michael.

I'm not really interested in trying to discredit his opinion. He has a right to one, he has experience and sure its valid as a DIRECTOR talking about his experience with film- not something I will debate. I just wish he talked about what he knew a little more. He clearly isn't a technician, so he should spend more time talking about how it enables him more freedom with actors. Instead he vaguely (and incorrectly) talks about image quality. I would never argue that one is better than the other: IT IS PROJECT or STORY specific. He has a right to his opinion, and sure it is valid, but I got the distinct impression he wasn't advocating what all sensible people are saying: different stories demand different formats. For a man of vast experience, it seemed a touch naive.

I saw There Will Be Blood and it looked like the neg was seriously underexposed. A couple of night scenes were so dark (not always a bad thing) but the whole thing was like 2 stops under on this print. Also, one thing that bothered me was 4 or 5 shots that were clearly out of focus. I was surprised they weren't reshot-- they were really bad. The final scene has that wide shot that plays out over about a minute and a half, and it was out of focus almost the whole shot. I think it may have been a projection problem again tho. I Really love PTA and Elswit, they have such an immersive and authentic style, but for my two cents worth, No Country should have won the Academy Award. I would probably agree with David that this is mostly because of my personal taste, rather than the actual merit of both films photography. Diving Bell was always a long shot, but in terms of dynamic and ground breaking work.. it was the years standout-- perhaps a little too distracting (in the sense that in some scenes I found myself watching/thinking about the photography not the story), my only criticism. I think we can be thankful for a wonderful, rich and diverse year of Cinematography regardless of whether or not you agree with the Award Season's Winners.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ausaSacUA-E...feature=related Seems extraordinarily inaccurate in parts. Never mentions latitude and contrast range. Colour rendition comments seem completely unfounded in my opinion. Understand a model of easy economics, but you can't deny the various aesthetic values of film. Any thoughts people?

Just wanting to know what cinematography.com folks think about Distos. Ive been pointed to Leica, but I'm wondering if there is any hidden detail as to why is better than another. Also, what are the main limitations of working off a disto? I notice a lot of ACs use them at distance, but dont tend to use them within 10 feet. Just general feedback would be great. Also, the cheapest place to purchase. Cheers, Michael.

I have heard talk about being able to load a program on your PDA, with which you can record your Camera Notes Digitally, and load the data into an Excel Spreadsheet when you get home. Wondering if anyone has worked with this system and how successful it has been? Also wanted to know where the program was available? Cheers, Michael.

I think Libatiques work on Inside Man was magnificent. Didnt seem to get a lot of praise or good press, but it is such a classy and elegantly shot film. I love the rich colour palette he has given to new york: the plays between tungsten, metal halide, daylight throughout. Great balance, but also sometimes nice and dirty to great narrative effect. Stunning composition throughout. Is it just because it got a late release in Australia, that I missed any press around it. The film was reasonably successful, but in local papers nothing was made of the really impressive Cinematography. Where do others rate Libatique in the scheme of contemporary Cinematographers? Also, anyone know what gear he used for the shots with Denzel and Clive onboard the dolly? Or was it a body rig?

Thanks guys. I actually did get to go to the camera prep today, and loaded a dummy load about 300ft. It was a lot simpler than I had remembered it. I do remember it being squishy with a full mag, so thanks for the heads up about feeding the film before dropping the core in. Two perfs sounds like a good little trick. Thanks again to all.

I'm working as a loader on a job using the ARRIFLEX BL4-- independent production, so im workign for free. I have loaded with this camera before, but am just wanting to know if anyone knows of any hickups or common problems that occur loading the BL4 Mags. Anything to look for whilst loading, anything that occasionally gets over looked, would be helpful. The short notice of the job, means its impossible for me to make the camera prep session. As I say, I have loaded the system before, about 5 months ago, so I'm familiar with the system. I'm a little shaky on this one however as I will be loading on location, not in the dark room, and I just want to be aware of any of the system's faults or tricky spots. Cheers guys, M.

I'm just interested in how you light a glass/reflective surface when you are shooting an object. I was working on a short where we tried to shoot the reflection of a character through a picture frame (glass). We tried a number of things to minimal effect. My understanding was that you need the subject to be lit a couple stops brighter than the reflective source. Are there any particular methods of lighting for this effect? What ratios and directions do you need to play with to maximize the reflection? Thanks, Michael.

Hey All, Graduating student in Aust. DPing my first film on 16mm. The film will have a lot of exteriors and I want to boost luminosity, so as to give it a general glow. I want warm whites, with splashes of ochre, amber and red. Film references i'm thinking of include; samsara, parts of munich, three colours; white, picnic at hanging rock. What i'm really after is for the whites to have a soft luminous glow, blurring out at the edges. I've been told to use a ProMist White Filter (1/2 or 1/4) and shoot 2 or 3 stops over. Wondering if anyone else had any other ideas. Thought about a behind the camera lens (like a net), but seems risky. Any help would be much appreciated. Regards, Michael Scott s3080865[at]student.rmit.edu.au