Christophe Collette

Thanks a lot guys!! I was also wondering something, you might think this is a dumb question but I will ask anyway since I do not know for sure the answer, for you guys in Europe, are your cameras preset to 150 degrees shutter angle? Should I set mine to 150 degrees when shooting at 25 fps, I think not but I am really confused with the maths and theory of flickers. In fact, my real question is about the relation of shutter angle to flickers, does a different shutter angle affects flickering? Do you have to have degrees that perfectly divide ( when shooting 25fps) in shutter angle as well? example 50 degrees, 100 degrees, 150degrees or is that not a matter of concerns... My guess is no but I'd rather ask! Very confused... Christophe

Hi Angeliki, I should have told you I know that Damnation was shot with different stocks but mostly kodak, unfortunately I do not know more than that! Christophe

Thanks Claudio for enlighting us all!! Great job! Christophe

I am not sure I like the effect, I actually don't have a clear picture of it my head but for Saving Private Ryan! The director asked for it, he loves that stuff... Christophe

Hi, I am shooting a video for french TV, therefore I am shooting 25fps, I want to make that nothing flicks on my set, I will have practicals, which are 60 hz and HMI with magnetic ballast, what should I do? I know I should be shooting at 150 degrees shutter angle, but will that work with the practicals in the house which are 60hz... Thanks for letting me know, anything else I should be careful of when shooting for Pal at 25 fps??? What are the flicker free speeds, 50 and 75 are but what are the others? Christophe

Hi Satsuki, thanks for the info, by decreasing you mean I have to overexpose 2 stops, is that it?? Thanks again! C

I saw this movie two days ago, I still can't tell if I loved it or not cinematography wise... ... It did not blew my mind like Hero and House of the Flying Daggers did that's for sure... I thought the photography was a bit predictable, meaning that no big risks were taken. Don't get me wrong, it is stunning, but conventionnal also. Too much colors, psychadelic almost, perfectly balanced frames, symmetrical... I was expecting it... Gong Li is superbly photographed, and her performance is insane, really good... Also memorable is Chow Yun Fat... Should be seen in theaters that's for sure, the deployment and grandeur of it needs a big projection. Christophe

Hi, I just landed my biggest gig so far, I am a bit nervous about it so I'd like to get an opinion on this. It will be two videos shot in two days in a large mansion. Walls inside the house are painted in soft muted colors, neutral, grays and beiges.... The house is huge and its got lots of window so I am shooting daylight stock, 7205. I have Cooke lenses and I might be lucky enough to get a swing shift system... The first day shoud be moody and deep, director wants a relatively strong backlight, tiny fill inside, tubes is what he asked for so that we can move really fast, bluish transfert.... The second day should be very bright and sunny, light spilling all over, flares at times, yellowish look... I have to figure out a lighting package which should suits those two looks, I know it is more or less a matter of exposure and transfert but I want to start the thing right... I do not have a tremendous amount of money for lighting but I have enough to afford a couple of HMI Fresnel 12ks, a few HMIs Fresnel in the 650w to 2k range and kinos. I figured, strong light from the outside, maybe slightly diffused through a 12x12. And talents are filled in with kinos hidden in various places inside the house, I thought of getting a chimera for one of my HMIs also... I have used minimal lighting on my other sets prior to this, I never got anything over 6k before...So I am a bit nervous, there are a lot of new variables, steadycam operator, the director wants me to focus on lighting solely, he will call the frames... The talents are running around the house so its the house I light more than them except for the place they stop... What are your suggestions??? I know the kino/HMI combination is not a favorite amongst monst DPs but I really need to find something that works real fast... Any other soft light options I should consider? How about a Soft Fresnel 2k? How does that look? How do I manage to get flares inside the house and still conceil my lights?? Well, anything that could help me here will be greatly appreciated! I am in over my head again! Christophe

Thanks Angeliki! I have been carrying this website for a while now, I need a change but it's good to hear that some people like it! I came upon Bela Tarr a little while back, actually when Gerry from Gus Van Sant came out, I liked the rythm of the movie so much that when I read that he stole a few shots from the Werkmeister's Harmonies, I got a copie of the movie, I have seen every Bela Tarr movie I could find, Satan Tango, W. H, Le nid Familial, Fall Almanach and Damnation and I have to agree that Damnation feels like the best one from the ones I have seen! C

Hi, I will be shooting a video next week with the Arri SR2 High Speed, we will be playing with the shutter angle a bit, I was wondering if the SR2 was like the SR3, meaning you use the screwdriver thingie to adjust shutter angle manually... Also, if anyone knows this out of the blue, what is the correction for 45 degree shutter angle, I believe it is in the range of two stops overexposure but I am not sure.... Thanks! Christophe

Hi, I just finished watching Mother and Son from Alexander Sokurov, anyone has an idea how these incredible images were made? My guess is that he shot the whole through old mirrors or pieces of glass but if anyone knows for sure how he did this i'd love to know! Christophe

Hi, I got into cinematography about 8 months ago, so 28 years old it was but I have been into photography since I was 17. Right after high school, I went to Indonesia volunteering a year for an NGO in northern Sumatra, my dad gave me his still camera, a Nikon FM2 which I still use nowaday, so that I took back memories from the trip, he said shoot slides, it'll look better... Well not much came out from that trip! So I took a photography class when I got back to make sure that next time I would expose right and bring back something... Three years after, after living and working and taking some slightly better photos in South East Asia for the most of it, I came back to Canada and registered in a photo school. I dropped out soon after to go travelling again but from then I started considering myself a photographer althought I made a living from something else, I started freelancing for travel magazines and stuff... A few more years after, I went back to photo school in southern France but I could not bear with Deleuze and all that so I dropped out again and got a job as a photographer onboard a tall ship sailing around the world. 5 months on the way, I quit. I had gotten sick of travelling, really really sick! I came back to Montreal, got my first appartment, started working as an editorial photographer. That was two years ago. As for Dping, a friend of mine, director, offered me a job as a DP althought I had never touched a movie cam in my life... I managed alright and subsequently got offers from other directors... And so it went, I am now more or less a full time DP and I love it, photography even took the side. I am left handed. Scorpio. Cheers!! Christophe

Hi Jonathan! I have one for my minolta V, I use it once in a while but very rarely actually, I am not a reflective reading type of person I guess!!! I use it when I really have to. The readings seemed fine from what I could tell afterwards. 5 degrees is the big problem though, it's not spot enough.... But it's quite cheap, I got mine on ebay for 60$, and my lightmeter I paid 140$... The whole thing for 200$ canadian is quite affordable and you have the whole package. It comes in handy at times I guess! Christophe

Damnation is a cult movie for cinematographers, those crane movements are litterally insane... One of my favorite movies of all times. Unfortunately, I do not have the specs on this movie... Cheers! C

Hi, I watched this interview with Christopher Doyle recently, he talked about this pea bag he ties to his chest, it gives him a bit more steadiness, his elbows usually rest on the bag.... As for the shoes, he seems to wear these all the time, in the making of Lady in the water, he has those same shoes, maybe he likes to be able to look down onto the actors.... Gives him more range.... Cheers! C

Check out the making of from Le Peuple Migratoire, sorry, I do not have the name in english, you will find it easily though. Tierry Machado was the Dp on this. They used a deltaplane with a small propeller engine at the back which they are not using all the time. It is very light, very silent, but usually the birds you see from that close flying are trained animals.

Thanks a lot everyone for the good comments, I hope I get to shoot more this year! Claudio, your work really is inspirational for me, I am really looking forward to that next Fincher movie! Christophe

Yeah, that's what I was looking for!! Thanks!

Hi, I lost track of a topic about a light which seem to come attached to this large silver "umbrella", the topic was discussing this light capacities and there were links to R&B videos shot with it.... Light was very fashion like.... Any idea of what I am talking about??? Thanks for the help.... Christophe

Just want to get this thread started again!

Wow!! Thanks for posting this Satsuki, I love the lighting in this scene.... Are there any more diagrams like this in the book you mentionned??? C

Hi All! I just finished watching OSS 117 with Jean Dujardin, AKA Brice de Nice, it's hilarious, the best secret agent parody ever in my opinion. The photography and art direction is really really good too, I highly recommend it! Christophe

Definitely beautiful... I loved the lighting! Rented this a month ago or something, I had not seen it before but had heard a lot about it... C

After reading this thread this morning, I picked up a copy of the movie. I just finished watching it. It is really beautiful David, really... Fantastic work. The paleness of the skin tones, I loved it, it looks at times like you added soft blue gels to light the girl's face.... Is that possible or is it just your uncorrected tungsten balanced film? I am tipping my hat to you David! Christophe

Thanks Tim! On my Christmas party I ran into this beautiful girl, after a while discussing she told me her name and my jaw dropped, I was discussing with one of the best Dps in Montreal. She offered me to work with her next year, apprenticeship sort of thing... So I guess I will be following your advice! Thanks!