Niki Mundo

Good photography, annoying edit.

Ironman was RoboCop2 wihout the kid and the cool suitcase submachine.

Yeah, that's funny. This is my last post. I thank everyone who has responded to my threads in the past. I'm not going to become a cinematographer but will continue reading this site's forums. I'm in L.A. now, time to play the game. Thanks for the guidance. Niki Mundo

I guess it's subjective. Sorry Allen, I guess you're gonna have to ignore me now.

It can be a collaborative effort. Or it could be a dictatorship. And I'm the dictator. Nobody would work with me if I sucked. That's probably for the best, Chris. We never liked each other.. I've never disrespect anyone here. This being a technical forum I tend to shoot the sh-t a bit but if that's rufffles the feathers of some it certianly entertains others and that's why we're in this business, aren't we, to entertain? So far as set "procedure" I'm really interested in changing that. I love the logic around here!

I'm not interested in what makes a quality picture. Everything is so pretty perfect these days. Sharp, perfectly exposed fascist imagery. All brought to you by the media complex that is currently bleeding out taking the spent maggot baby boomers with it. Hipster chic demands that I head in the opposite direction and seek out examples of "bad cinematography".. flat, poorly lit, out of focused, boom in the shot, etc.. What are some examples of badly shot films I should check out? I'm thinking larger, like "1492" Thanks!

Yeah, were is your Lear Jet? Chillax, my "Shitass attitude" suits me just fine. Just because I want to produce quality entertainment doesn't mean I won't. Why KY jelly?Why not just dry? It's gonna hurt regardless..

This has been a big few weeks for me here in L.A., trying to find employment in the film industry, getting no where fast and then getting work but not much which is called "paying your dues". Well I've decided I don't want to pay my dues, I want to helm and command asap. This student film I work on what a somewhat stupid 1940's film noir throw-back, I'm sure if I continue "paying my dues" I'll be working on car commercials,infomericals and whatever crap until I finally get that cash-cow WB syndicated series when I turn 30. By that time I'll be known whithin the the scene as a hard-working AD or something.. I have little regard for rank-file positions and almost immediately after coming onto this student film set I wanted to tell people what to do! I wanted to fire the DP, a mouthy girl who thought she was the director. And then fire the director because she was a mouse and I couldn't understand why she was in charge except her rich mommy was roaming around the set (kick her off the set too.) Every shot they did I wanted to say something, I would stand there and have the hardest time not saying something! Plus I think modern sets are bloated and actors are losers for the most part. I wanna beat ,really beat, alot of them into the ground. I know this sounds dark,violent and "bad attitudey" but I could care less. I'm gonna step up on the backs of these people. And how can I get a agent? So I have my script Ideas, where can I get a good writer at? What are the advantages of filming "independant" in L.A.?

Maybe for you hater, but I'm part of New Hollywood. Young, ambitious- extremely talented. Don't be surprised If I have a major studio deal by the end of this year. I plan on purchasing a Santa Monica compound by next summer. Everyone here will be invited, we'll party untill dawn!

It was actually on top of the dumpster, a bunch of it, un-soiled and folded into a large box. I got the job off CL.

Yesterday I P.A.'ed on a Chapmen U student film from noon-12pm at a club. It wasn't payed but it was professional and it was shot on 35mm,Arri3BL and fancy lights,a mole and richarson generator etc.. I worked with one other P.A. and together we helped wrangled extras's, move non-important equipment, set up tables and chairs for the meal, etc.. my feet were killing me by the end of the day. The gaffer was the only "industry" guy there and everyone else was either a Chapman student or was whatever. He chainsmoked cigarettes and was talking about "losing" his DP, and how the writers screw everyone because they wanted animation and something else back from IATSE and now the teamsters make mistreat them at every oppurtunity. His said it was "war" now. He was quite entertaining. I think the catering guys were payed in prescription drugs because they were all jumpy and they mentioned the AD was giving them Vicodin if they came down. I also stood out! At the start of the shoot the property owner didn't want cables layed on the carpet, one of AD's was gonna send us out to get cardboard at Home Depot a ways away. I said I could just go find some real quick in one of the dumpsters in an alley, which I did 5 minutes later. At the end of the day both AD's thanked me profusely and said that I saved their ass's on that one. The gaffer was also "way to hustle!".

I could Greg! Or I could do it L.A. and stay close to the herd. With world-class DP's, acting talent and fianacing. And the weather is nicer, alot nicer.

yeah guys, I'm just bitchin' about CL. I'll still look for work there. I'm just inexperienced and then comes the whining. I wouldn't do that on the phone or on a set- swear. But here on some board, yes. I'm greatful for all wealth of responses and collective knowledge here about all things filmmaking. It's my only connection to the industry at the moment and when you're living in a van, alone, with hot weather and spanish in the night air it's comforting when I go to the cafe' in the morning to have my $1 coffee and sit for 3 hours until the library opens. I'm just gonna have to try harder!

Alright. I'm going to hit the bricks next week and go to door-door physical places. Thanks for the replies.

I'm gonna get a regular job here in L.A. (like at Arby's) and then self-finance my own films like the "$30 film school guy",Mark Pirro,Rick Scmidt "films at used car prices" after a year or two I'll start making enough that I can do my own tromo pictures thing (I've been studying indie distribution models and I can make money..). And maybe put my profits into other people's projects. I'm too NuHollywood to take orders from subprime productions.. the only stuff I like anyways are indie films and PBS. And you guys. It's never been easier to make and distribute your own stuff. I'm here in L.A. which has an abundance of talent, crew, equipment and labs. That's what I'm gonna do. And I'll PAY people working on my film(s) from my Arby's wages..

So I've been emailing crew posting on craigslist since I arrived in L.A., everything and anything production assistant. The one's with that pay a little and seem professional never email me back and the only two have responded. One for a roger corman-type B company which lisitng "Distribution/Marketing assistant" which was bascially me sitting in a room with other interns chasing people around on myspace trying to get them to buy DVD's and t-shirts. Telemarketing is what it was, and they didn't want to pay for the that and it was a dead end job. So why bother.. The last one was today meeting with a production manager (big fat slob of a lady chainsmoking and showing up in a dirty chyrsler sebring) who got all mad at me about not reading the script she sent me yesterday. She was all excited about her project but all I could think about was how repulsive she looked and acted. And this shoot is for about a month and doesn't seem very professional and doesn't pay. FINE. I have six months in seed money here in L.A. and i'm gonna burn it all up helping morons achieve their prosumer video dreams. No more internet, I'm going to go around to real companies like Panavision, Village roadshow and get ignored and laughed at.

I GOT THIS OFF LA CRAIGSLIST>CREW. IT'S ALL IN CAPS AND IS QUITE FUNNY. BE PREPARED TO DONATE YOUR 35MM EQUIPMENT AND LIVE IN A VAN OR A BUS! NO PAY! EXPERT TOP NOTCH PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTION CREW NEEDED -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reply to: see below Date: 2008-04-22, 6:17PM PDT HELLO WE ARE A FIRST TIME PRODUCTION TEAM LOOKING FOR A TOP NOTCH PROFESSIONAL FILM CREW. WE HAVE A 200 PAGE SCRIPT WITH A GREAT CAST. IT IS A ROAD TRIP MOIVE FROM COAST TO COAST. AND ONLY 18 DAYS TO SHOOT IT. IT WILL BE A VERY DEMANDING AND BUSY SCHEDULE. WE HAVE A VERY LIMITED BUDGET AND CAN NOT PAY ANY ONE UP FRONT. WE OFFER COPY AND CREDT. WE WILL BE SLEEPING IN VANS AND BUSES. THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE SUBJECT MATER OF THE MOVIE. THIS IS VERY RUN AND GUN. WE ARE LOOKING FOR CREW WITH AT LEAST 10 YEARS AND OR 20 PLUS IMDB CONFIRMED CREDITS. WE WILL NEED AT LEAST 3 PERSONAL REFERENCES FROM EITHER DIRECTORS OR PRODUCERS. WE WILL CHECK. WE ARE SHOOTING ON 35MM. LOOKING FOR PEOPLE DONATE THIER GEAR TO CAUSE. THIS A LABOR OF LOVE. SERIOUS INQUIRES ONLY. NON PAYING--NON PAYING NON PAYING.

I've done this to cast and crew a few times on shorts, not on purpose. It's been done to me.

The tota lights.. Look inside the socket well..see the crack? It's about half way down in the well. It means when you try to plug it in the plug won't seat properly. So the socket needs to be replaced or glued or something. Plus I don't have the cords. And their special expensive cords. No stands.

Wow. Walter Graff.. creator of "Straight Eye for the Straight Guy". We all know now.

What?! At least Six?! Moved on have you? I'd move beneath their car and grab some legs, pull them down and stab their face. That's me. Aaaaaaah! Ahhhh! ummm.. I really shouldn't be in this business should I?

This is my biggest fear since moving to Los Angeles. Not that I don't have a million others, but as a part-time script writer I fear that my few brilliant ideas for a movie are going to be stolen by studios,agents or random people. I have worked on a historical script for a few months and I'm nearing completition. It's a unique angle on a hundred year old public domain story but it's MY story is so far as I wrote it etc.. My question is how worried should I be about this? I know I should copyright my script, register it with the WGA and not send it to every person via email in the L.A. area for reading but once it's completed I want the right people to read it, buy it with me attached to it and have it made. What I would have a siezure over would be I shop it around, nobody wants it and then a year later it's made and it's pretty darn close to what I wrote. Then I sue and then my career is over because I'm a problem-person to the industry. Should I be worried? :unsure:

Oops! Found the answer. This is the kind I like..from wikipedia. "There are artifacts that can occur when using an anamorphic camera lens that do not occur when using an ordinary spherical lens. One is a kind of lens flare that has a long horizontal line usually with a blue tint and is most often visible when there is a bright light, such as from car headlights, in the frame with an otherwise dark scene. This artifact is not always considered to be a problem. It has come to be associated with a certain cinematic look and is in fact sometimes emulated using a special effect filter in scenes that were not shot using an anamorphic "

I've decided from your guys advice not to walk up to film shoots in L.A. because it seems somewhat intrusive and callous. Instead I did an easy google search and noticed there was (7) motion picture rental companies in a two-block area of Hollywood. Do you think I could get a P.A. job by talking to people in and around these places? What's my angle? What do camera people need?

I noticed alot of films Jan De Bont DPed have alot of creative light flare. Is there some special technique to getting cool light flare or is just trial and error/ happy accidents?