Greg Gross

Good article in AC(Feb.) about Mr. Frederick Wiseman. He received ASC award for distinction this year. ASC Award of Distinction. Photograph of Mr. Wiseman at his "6 plate" Steenbeck flat- bed on page 71. The flatbed(a deliberate process) that allows him more time for thought and re- flection. Here's a man after my heart,listen all- "When we shoot,I need a cameraman who is com- fortable with changing positions frequently and following the action." "We have to move as if the camera and microphone are part of our bodies."- Mr. Frederick Wiseman,AC/Feb. 2006. Sweet Jesus there are some people out there doing what I believe and feel, I thought I was all alone and crazy! Photo of Mr. Steven Spielberg-Director, behind the director's finder on page 37,on set of Mun- ich. Greg Gross

Mr. Wells, Thank you sir for link to film's production forum. I really enjoyed ?'s and answers. Greg Gross P.S. How about that 4:3?

"Cinematography" by Kris Malkiewicz/David Mullen ASC Greg Gross

Do not make a full time job out of creating beautiful story boards. Because if you are not careful you'll be living for just story boards. Leadership will come into play and you will have to lead men. One of the most important aspects of leadership is trusting your men/girls to get the job done. You simply cannot do the entire job yourself. You will need to delegate and trust and believe it or not it does get better. Greg Gross

I wonder how much post-production played into the look of the final trailer? Have no experience shooting 24fps and then to film. Have shot with PD-170 in 4:3 and then went to 16:9 in post. I hope Mr. Winter continues to post on this film. Have shot with DVX-100 A but not to film with it. Greg Gross

Can you do filter effect in Final Cut Pro or use plug-in for FCP? I send my wedding footage to production house in NYC. There are lots of filters availabe for this look,you can go through filters listed by suppliers on line. As you know focus becomes a problem with these filters so I tend not to use them a lot in weddings,but as requested per contract. Using filter effect in post however gets you away from focus issues. I use filter effects in post with Photoshop CS2 for stills and get excellent results. Greg Gross

My hat is off to Mr. Mullen. I just know he's going to hit a ball out of the park! I'm waiting to go to the Regal Cinema and see David Mullen ASC on the credits of a major motion picture. Integrity,craft,art,vision,creativity,knowledge of the art of cinematography. North Fork is one of the most beautifully photographed films I have ever seen. Greg Gross

I would suggest the Minolta also. I used one shooting the zone system with color. It proved to be a useful tool for Zone/Color work. As always meter should have a known history of cal- ibration for professional work. At the time they were very expensive and I borrowed my mentor's, I was shooting with 4X5 Linhof. Greg Gross I would have Minolta calibrate it. Unless you want a real fast turn-around. In reply to gentleman's question about calibration. On the east coast I can send one to NYC,N.J. and get it back pretty quick. Greg Gross

Mr. Winter, I enjoyed your post. I to was very moved by this film trailer. I cannot put my impression of it in words yet,however it stirred me. As a student of film now,I hope you continue to post on this subject. I liked the camera work but you see I am not locked into any format that app- roves or disapproves anyone's use of the camera or style of cinematography(craft,art). Being a long time stills photographer I tend to break the hell out of the rules. Greg Gross

Landon Parks,that name sounds familiar to me. Whats his filmology? How many films does he have under his belt? Is he the kid that skips school and plays with cameras? Greg Gross

My grandmother called filmmaking a heartbreaking business and told me to stay away from it. She said if I did get involved be prepared to except its ups and downs but mostly its downs. I finance my filmmaking through my photography business and my job as a medical professional. I spend the least time I can in medicine. Once in Viet- nam(1967) I laid in the mud,pinned down,hopeless with the choice of staying there in the mud helpless,or getting up on my feet and moving out. Well I got up and moved out and got my squad up and moving. I brought myself and my entire squad back to Oakland,CA all purple hearts and bronze stars. Since that day I've never stopped getting up and mov- ing out. You and I as stills photographers will approach cinematography from a different point of view than guys from film school because we have a complete background in pho- tography. Its not really hard for us to learn what they know and the funny thing is some of them think we are at a disadvantage. Well don't buy it!! I don't know about you but I'm used to mixing all kinds of light sources and balancing that light towards one type. This is not a bad skill to have. Film I'm sure is one area we have an edge especially if we are darkroom orien- ted. Basically then you just just have to learn the films available for filmmaking and for me thats going to be super 16mm. For low light you only have 500 ASA to go to and you can push it two stops if you have to. The Kodak website is great for the basis of film used for filmmaking. Then you can pick the brains of people who are shooting film. You can study here on the forum and you have the posts here from David Mullen ASC which are a source of information with in- tegrity. On monday and tuesday I'll be in NYC taking orientation from rental facility on cine lenses and cameras thay have available. I know you and I both will probably not like someone operating camera for us,but we'll have to learn to live with it. I can't think of anything that would be better than directing the photography and operating the camera also!!! I have to find a film operator for my crew and I'll have him teach me film loading etc.,care of the camera. I've already had a course on the camera but it was too brief,not enough hands on,shot small amounts of short ends. I also did test shooting on 16mm(not super) the whole month of october for a film I want to shoot. In this case I did all of the camera operating with an Arri 16mm. I wore a Panavision t-shirt and shot with an Arri camera. My heart and mind were really thinking about the Panavision 16mm camera but I was unable to line one up. My blood type is Cassavetes. My girlfriend is a film school graduate and wouldn't you know it she's an Arri lover,this does cause indegestion at times. I do like the looks of that 235 they have though. I've read about its use in some recent films. In "The Island" they put handlebars on the 235 and plowed through the action with it. Of course its 35mm,too bad you can't shoot super 16 with it. Greg Gross

Place gold reflector material on walls not seen in frame. This will reflect warm light. Also possibly on floor at certain locations in the room. If this will work for you in your situation, it is cost effective. I guess 10' may not be to great for reflecting light from ceiling or floor though. Maybe you'll find it worth trying. Greg Gross

The WickerMan, You are in control of your destiny,take charge. Must you be famous? Do you really want to make films? Are you quitting so soon? I'm not trying to be a smart ass. Why don't you shoot a short film. Produce it,direct it,photograph it,edit it. I almost forgot,first of all write it. After you've done all this see how you feel about it. Play all the filmmaking roles out and see how you feel afterwards. Hell,the real fun hasn't even started yet. If you really take ch- arge,do some acting in your own film,direct yourself. When you are all finished take it to Sund- Dance. I'm just trying to stimulate your thinking process here. If it doesn't make it then do an- other film and take it to the next Sun Dance. Keep on Keeping on! You are in control don't let me or anybody influence you to quit or give up. Good Luck,and Good Evening to you and all the ships at sea. Greg Gross

Okay Phil, Your point is well taken sir. I understand exactly what you are saying. I wish it was a better situation for you guys in U.K.. I think with filmmaking you either give up,quit,or just keep on keeping on. The only possibility for me is that of being an independent filmmaker, I could never put up with producers,directors,assistant directors. I would end up kicking their asses off the set and we both know where that would lead. My grandmother once told me "Now Greg no matter what Ed tells you,you stay away from that god awful film business." I would say "okay grammy" and run out the door to skip another day of school and play with my Kodak cameras. I could be perfectly happy making my own films and viewing on my own projector, and even re-editing them once a week; every week until the day I die. I definitely have Cassavetes's blood in me. Phil, how many times in this business though do you hear about the guy that against all odds makes it? By god young man you know,it still happens every once and a while. It would only take once for an assistant director to treat one of my crew badly and bam...bam...bam, I'd be out of a job. This is really a heartbreaking business,this business of filmmaking,and lots of hard,hard work,always sol- ving problems that to some are not important. Maybe fifteen minutes of fame comes along,one thing for sure,the bills will arrive in the mail. "CUT" Hey Phil if you get a chance look in AC on page 37, picture bottom of page. Do you know who that director is behind the viewfinder(director's finder)? Now there is a guy who just kept keeping on! What do they call them things directors look through? Greg Gross

I think its hard for me to visualize your exact set-up here. So here goes anyway and keep in mind I'm not an audio expert. A member of my crew(young guy) is a self taught gaffer and soundman. You would never know that he is self taught. We often work together with PD-170, using shotgun mike in combination with a small mike which is attached to actor,guest for inter- view etc.. As I understand it you will have actors seated at table,so you will need to pick up their dialog and you also want to pick up table sounds,clanging silverware,wine cork popping, objects being set back down on table etc.. Normally my soundman and I would have a meeting prior to shooting production and he would advise me on audio technique required,coverage of audio,equipment required,including any rental sound equipment necessary. I would suggest cov- ering actors with shotgun mike over table. Possibly you might want lapel mikes on actors also. It depends on what audio coverage you desire. You could use small lapel mikes at strategic lo- cations on table and possibly even some under the table. These mikes would all feed into a mixer where their levels could be controlled individually and sent out to recorder,camera etc.. Now as I said,I'm not an audio expert and my soundman always takes care of it,occasionally a certain level may be too low and we have to do it again. I'm sure there are some good audio men on forum and they probably will reply. This will be good for you and me as we both will learn more about audio. I'm stills photographer learning cinematography and my heart lies with camera,film,video. However audio is so very important! This post should get things started and I think we'll get some real audio men showing up here to comment. My soundman is in San Francisco with his girlfriend right now or else I would get him on line here to comment. In the past he has hidden mikes in trees,inside cars, taped to street lamps,inside a coffee cup on a table. Sometimes using wireless systems,but this in- volves some $'s however it pays off. You might want to dampen sounds from hardwood floor so they are not too overpowering,as hardwood floors can make for a lot of noise,depending on activity. Greg Gross

I'm just in the process of doing it myself and there is a lot to learn about cinematography, digital cinematography,video. I believe a good solid foundation is required in basic photog- raphy though. My photography business is centered around portraiture,weddings,some com- mercial. My commercial work usually involves being directed by an ad agency rep.,they re- quire a shoot exactly as they specify. I still will do shoots for models(portfolios) but my time for that is somewhat limited. I also do corporate annual report photography and this often in- volves(enviromental portraits)on location. I do my own digital photography(digital darkroom) and b&w in the darkroom,all my color work is sent out to labs now. I have done my own color darkroom but now I do not have enough time to do color darkroom. So here I am at 8am EST studying cinematography and doing research on forum. I am leaning more towards the indep- endent aspect of filmmaking, I will actually write,produce,direct,photograph my own productions. I 'll be in NYC monday,tuesday taking orientation from rental facility on cine lenses and cameras. My girlfriend is a film school graduate and when she's not shooting and I'm not shooting we go to the movies,go out to eat,and study some more together. At 58 years old I tell myself that I should just stick to stills,not work so hard. I can't do it,I just keep on,I can't let go because I simply love it all too much. So if I can do it,you can do it! My favorite stills work is that of on location doing en- vironmental portraits. I still use 4X5 camera for commercial work and would love to have a digital back for my Linhof but cannot justify cost right now. To add to all this I'm also a medical professional. Greg Gross

Hello Mate, I haven't been on the forum for two days now. On the set of "Rawhide" I looked through my first motion picture camera(eyepiece). I was with Ed Begley Sr. and he was guest starring. I was too young to appreciate everything and the people that I was meeting and talking to. I did get to meet "Rowdy Yates." I believe the camera was a Mitchell but I can't remember real clearly, what confuses me is that I remember seeing Panavision. Maybe a Mitchell with the Panavision blimp. What I do remember was that I was used to looking through Kodak cameras,so you can imagine how impressed I was with the frame. I just found out the other day that the Mitchell cameras were using Panavision blimps,so now I'm just confused about which camera. I always thought that it was a Pana- vision camera. I used to skip school and shoot with my Kodak cameras and I learned darkroom from a local photographer. I hope your PD-170 is okay mate. My grandmother told me to stay away from the motion picture business!! Greg Gross

I did find out yesterday while researching,that Carl Zeiss lenses are being manufactured in Japan by Ikon(I beleive AGA or IGA). These lenses are for Contax. Greg Gross

Visual Products 790 Shiloh Ave. Wellington,Ohio 44090 Tele. 440-647-4999 Fax# 440-647-4998 They modify Zeiss and Cooke lenses. I do not know to what extent. I believe you need about 500X enlargement of image on cine lens, I do not know if differences in shutter designs effect that. Greg Gross

You know what santo,I won't tell you what you are due to the fact that I'm too disciplined. I thought I explained to you a while back that lenses are made for specific purposes. You cannot expect a Nikon apple to compare to a Zeiss grapefruit. There is no one here saying that Nikon,Canon lenses are the most superb availabe. Most professionals know that after a certain point you will not be able to tell the difference with the eye,see the difference on the big screen. I can shoot with Canon lenses from one end of the complete line to the other end,on my Canon EOS 1,D-Mark II N and you will not my friend be able to tell me what lens I used after Photoshop CS2 post production. Speaking of the raw format. Do you understand stand the raw digital negative process? If you do tell me which is more important to the raw digital negative-sharpness or color? Few know the correct answer so I know who I'm talking to when I hear their answer. The one Nikon lens Mr. Bruening was talking about is a Nikon 180mm f2.8 to f32 and it has 5 elements. The more elements in lens contruction,the more room for potential problems. Still I bet Nikon has kept loss of light to about 1% which you are not going to see with your eyes. If Zeiss can do any better I genuinely would like to see it. I'm not saying that its not less than 1% but lets say it is slightly less. I'm not going to pay for it. I know my lenses my friend and any DP,professional photographer should. Now I have nothing against Zeiss,they are beautiful. I'm not going to pay for a slightly better barrel,helicoid,coating that I do not need for my purposes. Plus the fact that the lens will probably be heavier to work with. I thought I straightened you out on this my friend and you are back giving these profess- ionals a hard time again. I do not give a damn about your fancy car santo and fancy, fast cars scare me. When I get scared I get nasty and mean, sort of like dirty harry. Have a good weekend! Santo,are you a director or maybe worse yet an assistant director? I have my suspisions here. If you are an assistant director, I'm going to need my pepcid. Well if you need any tips on how to di- rect actors,come on over and see me here. I learned how to direct actors from actors. Greg Gross

Thank You Mr. Mullen, These are great links and I appreciate your post. Greg Grossl

lav, Please believe me I'm not bragging sir and I never want to. I'm just saying that I was fortunate to have known him. A cup of coffee still costs $1 mate. The first time I ever meant him lav I was awestruck,the thing that impressed me most was how he used his voice. When he moved and spoke at the same time I was blown away. Needless to say, he blew my high school director right off the stage. I got him to go to a tea room for a cast party after our "Oklahoma" production in high school. I of course got to visit some sets,and I got to meet "Rowdy Yates". I really do not talk about these things much but to me they are a personal satisifaction. lav, the first time I ever looked through the eye- piece of a motion picture camera I was blown away. Ed actually did teach me how,to move, look and speak for my high school production. My grandmother actually told him to,encour- aged!, him to work with me. She told him not to give us any excuses because she knew him when he wasn't anybody.The first time I meant him was at a family reunion. He said,"now come here boy...don't be shy...come on...come on...sit down here...so you like the movies do you? Well mate I hope we have your PD-170 fixed now,they really are good cameras but of course few people take the time to appreciate that. Greg Gross

I think you are right audiris. The more I look at it I believe there's a blimp around the mag. Its body looks bigger than any I've seen. Thanks for your post and I was hoping you would see my post. Mr. Salzmann I stand corrected on spelling and thank you. Everytime I spell out Francois's last name,I want to put an "a" in there for some reason. I know better. I'm reading both books from cover to cover. Day for Night is my favorite film. Do you know if Fanny Ardant is still living,still acting? My god he lit her so well and she was so beautiful on film. Greg Gross

This past fall we ran test shoots here in the city with Arri /16mm. I want to do film this spring/summer,Super 16. I've been going up to NYC and taking classes from a rental facility on cameras,orientation to cameras and packages. I'm just finally getting people to support us,receiving some cash at last. They are starting to like the idea of having filmmakers in the city. I need money for actors badly, I want to pay these kids,my god lav they give their hearts and souls to me. They want to act,I used to act and they are teaching me to act again. I grew up around actors and the film industry, my grandmother's cousin was the actor Ed Begley Sr.. He directed me in the high school stage production-Oklahoma and thats how it all started a long time ago. He actually taught me how to act. Greg Gross

I shot a wedding one time, total $10,000.00,ex-PA governor's daughter. The reception was lit with location lighting,mostly Arri's. We used a spot,our light man on the crew is a self taught gaffer. I swear the room(inside a state conference center) looked like a Francis Coppola/Michael Douglas set. I came close to using action/cut. The PD-170's did one hell of a job on this set,they were no slackers! I had guys ask me if it was shot on HDcam. Greg Gross