Michael McIntyre

Not likely. Wouldn't see it today - won't see it in December. Weak. I like my video games and films the way they should be - separate.

And therein lies my beef. Ever since you tried to hijack the "look" settings thread (DVX100), there's been a consistent, condescending tone towards the use of in-camera manipulation. You've even gone so far as to suggest certain ops don't even know how to read scopes. To play the Graff hand, I've been finishing for broadcast for over 15 years now. That's innumerable episodes for international deliverables, every day, every week, QC on-the-spot. I'm fully aware of the power of post. I also appreciate the abilities of doing some things in-camera. I don't need convincing otherwise and I don't need these tired, pious posts born from some deep-seeded unhealthy need to be liked and feel important. These strike me as the ramblings of a narcissistic emotional vampire windbag.

And you could argue that far too many people are playing around in post. Aren't all creative decisions, by definition, a personal statement? There are things I do in-camera, there are things I do in post. No need to prattle on with these cyclical, long-winded diatribes about nothing....... I was on this project back in the day and I had this thing that did this thing but other people do other things and they are wrong because I've been doing this so long and on one project there was another guy that said one thing and I said don't say it and then we looked at the scopes and I applied a filter in this one shoot for a corporate client and then I told these kids about how awful their footage was because I get all these tapes because I'm such a professional and I do all these things way before anyone did them and I told a client not to do this one thing but they did it anyway because they didn't seem to understand the play of light during this one filmic moment that reminded me of a dream where I was white balancing with a filter I read about in some software that was inspired by a show cut at this place that used to do the telecine for this one guy I heard about but never met but didn't really want to anyway because I'm much more professional. Did I mention that I was a professional and that I'm thinking of collecting all my infinite wisdom into a collection of let's not say books per se. That's too cliche but some sort of electronic tablature device that can contain both my ego and all of my infinite intellect and this tablet will be able to power my house and my car that cost a lot of money since I've been doing this for so long and I made a lot of money back in the day before any of you were even born. I actually invented the motion picture camera. I made it out of 2 rocks and an amphibian exoskeleton. I fashioned a membrane cell structure that captured light and you flipped the book in our cave and pictures danced on the wall which I measured 2 stops overexposed which reminds of another expensive shoot that I worked on where this guy said he didn't understand using scopes on the set and I demonstrated the basic principles of luminance and chroma and how the interconnectivity of the Grassy Knoll and Kermit the Frog was actually a very real and dangerous collision of physics much like the need for people to stop playing around in-camera.

That's a very valid point. They did adopt a similar bait-and-switch with the 'sex victim advocate' guy. One minute he's up-and-coming officer material, the next he might have raped someone during shore leave. One minute the redneck's just a wild-and-crazy guy and the next he's a racist train wreck. There had to be some limits to their operational access (i.e. the nuclear install). It makes you wonder if this approach was dictated by a need to be relevant on today's TV dial or a search for story and screen time. More of a documentary concern than pure cinematography. Still an impressive undertaking. You didn't catch me complaining at my freelance gig today. And, no, I won't be seeing a recruiter anytime soon. Make that ever.

It's not always spot-on but (since you're using FCP) there's the "Broadcast Safe" filter. You can set how conservative you want your whites clipped. Rather than bring down all the luminance of your image, it will just clip those trouble areas.

Very cool, Mitch. Must feel good to be part of such a historic project. Admittedly, I am hooked. Saw the latest episode tonight, "Controlled Chaos" and started from the beginning with "All Hands". The storytelling is so great that the cameras almost don't even matter. Of course, the Varicams look incredible and hold up really well in all conditions. It's interesting to see them subjected to every imaginable available light condition there is. Beyond that tech note, I described it as a 'historic project' because it truly is. In this time of 'reality television', PBS proves {yet again} that other networks are dishing out nothing approaching reality. We're talking present day cinema verite on a grand scale. It's late. I ramble. The TV redeemed itself this week. Well - that and the NHL playoffs.

Must've been lonely. I know several people from your class. I guess you missed the last reunion. :blink:

Pretty amazing series on PBS right now - "Carrier". Making the film CARRIER required 17 filmmakers to take a six-month journey aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz during its deployment to the Gulf in support of the Iraq War. They disembarked from Coronado, California on May 7, 2005 and returned there November 8, 2005 with stops at Pearl Harbor, Hong Kong, Guam, Kuala Lumpur, Bahrain and Perth, Australia. The trip proved an evolution for the film crew who spent the early weeks trying to find their place while the 5,000 sailors and Marines around them were too busy to take notice. Eventually, the film crew discerned the ebb and flow of life on a carrier, and began to feel more at home on board. The ship?s crew not only accepted them but also took a vested interest in the project, making suggestions on the best places to film and providing access to missions that helped capture the full experience of the deployment. Jammed into their own staterooms, the crew that once felt apart now felt kinship as they shared both trepidation and jubliation awaiting the safe return of the carrier?s jet fighters. When the huge emotional surge of seeing home hit in November, the filmmakers knew how the Nimitz crew must feel. But back on land, their own mission of editing and production continued for nearly three more years before the film CARRIER docked at PBS on April 27, 2008.

Seriously. Yet another 'unauthorized' edit: "I didn't get DoF in-field. I blurred background in post. I'm a magician". :blink:

Good hearing it went well and best of luck with the film. Big Bend is amazing country. Granted, I haven't been there in 16 years but I remember it fondly. That - and the chili thing in Marathon. Keep up the great work!

The unauthorized, late-night edit to your post. Come on, you rained on my DVX in-camera looks. I figure it's a fair trade. :P

Roger that and good to know. Can't say that I've ever used iMovie but DVD StudioPro does a fine job w/ 24p material. That 1st DVD burn was one of those light-bulb ah-ha moments that any dork can truly appreciate.

I'm more than a little late to this question but anyway...... To totally oversimplify things, where's your footage going to end up? Broadcast TV? 24p Film or straight-to-DVD? 24pA Many workflow issues and specifics but your deliverables ultimately determine the path. I'm certain people may jump all over this truncated response but it's a start for determining your footage acquisition.

A good case study might be looking at a career-in-reverse. After the ultra low-budget "Pi", Matthew Libatique went on to: "Requiem for a Dream", "Gothika", "Phone Booth", "Number 23", "Inside Man", "The Fountain" and many others. Just to name a few. Maybe slightly off-topic but Matt did some crazy stuff in "Pi" and he's gone on to great things.

Hey, Jason: I've often debated about doing a book of looks. I just wasn't sure if there'd be enough interest to put one out. Many people you read on dvxuser have a hard enough time just pony'ing up for Barry Green's book (if it didn't come with their camera already). I think it could be a great resource - it's hard to guage whether there's a market there. Also - it might be hard to come up with enough looks to warrant publication. I've managed to come up with a few but it seems like a weird, vicious cycle. You spend enough time getting one 'okay' and it makes you want to just do it in post. Then, you spend enough time in post that you long for a look to do it in-camera. Weird how that works. Regarding the Hostel and GoldenEye looks, they weren't actually paint chips but colored envelopes. They're colored semi-transparent plastic with a string tie to hold letter-sized paper or whatever. Hostel: Smead UltraColor Envelope (No. 89531 - Purple) Golden EYE: Smead UltraColor Envelope 89532 (BLUE this time) I don't seem to have a picture of the BLUE one for GoldenEye but this is the one used for Hostel to give you an idea....