Dan McCormick

Hi I was on a shoot the other day when someone put some ctb on a polyboard, and it seemed to make sense that this would double the effect of the ctb as the light would be passing through it twice, but a quick test with a dslr showed that there wasn't really any difference between gelling the light or gelling the reflector (although there were a couple of other lights hitting the area photographed). I was hoping someone could clear this up for me. Thanks Dan McCormick

Hi I'm shooting exteriors in a forest tomorrow, and today the weather forcast changed to snow showers, which I doubt because it never snows down here and the weather forecast always seems to be wrong, but just in case it does I was wondering if anyone knows of ways to make snowy days look really good. I don't think it'll settle where we are filming as its right next to a river and the ground is always wet and there's a pretty thich tree coverage around the area. I've never shot in snow before and tomorrow are the only exterior scenes in my graduation film from uni, so I don't want to make any big mistakes. I've been told before to front-light snow so it looks white, but I don't have a generator so that would mean shooting with the sun behind the camera which I don't want to do and would mean making a change from our scene layout and camera positions. How does snow look if its sidelit or 3/4 backlit? Also, I have a pola, 85, 81C and EF (I'm shooting tungsten 200T 7217) and want to at least balance to white if not go slightly warm, I have some very strong corals that I don't want to use as I haven't tested them, a white promist set and soft nd grads. I had planned to use an 85 and 1/4 promist when I thought the weather was good, it's a happy scene between a father and his 2 children. Should I make any exposure compensation? I don't have a spot meter in case it settles, but if it does should I expose to the reflective reading from the floor looking skywards even if that means over/underexposing actors to stop it looking too dull or too bright? Or if anyone knows of easy mistakes I could avoid it'd be great to know. Thanks Dan McCormick

Hi When shooting thin, open venetian blinds on film will there be a movement effect (don't know the spelling for the proper name, is it something like moray phonetically?). By either closing them or overeposing behind the window enough can the effect be avoided? If they are closed but there is still some light hitting the edge of the slats leaving very sharp contrast on each what would happen? Thanks Dan McCormick

Thanks for all of your help guys. I called the labs back today and questioned them a bit more and they are redoing the telecine for free, adjusting for the greyscale only! Shame I start filming in 12 hours though.

I wrote something similar to 'correct only to first greyscale' (although there was only 1 on each roll anyway), but they said that they saw that and followed it, and it wasn't a conscious decision of theirs to turn the blue shots white but something that happens automatically with a best light. To be honest I don't really know the process of telecine in terms of how its done by the technicians, I sat in on one once just to observe and the director, DP and grader went through each shot adjusting colours/exposure etc. but no changes were automatic. Any advice for what kind of notes I should send with the film stock, I don't want this kind of problem again. Can I ask for whatever I want, I've always sort of assumed that as its a student production that its a low priority so they just do it in some standard way. Thanks

Ok, I heard back from Technicolor and they said that because the telecine was corrected to the initial grey-scale and not altered afterwards, but it went through a bestlight and that automatically corrected the blue scene to white which is why the results all look orange. I didn't want to argue with someone who does this for a living because I don't really know a lot about it and I'd sound like an idiot, but I don't understand why the blue shot halfway through the roll would automatically be corrected to white but then all of the other shots would run through being really orange - why weren't they corrected as well? Are they lying to me because I don't know what I'm talking about and they don't want to redo the telecine for free (which they should if they messed up right, even though I got student discount). Anyway, should I call them back and question their reasoning? Jon - I really like the course here, its especially good for camera and lighting, we get a lot of chances to shoot 16mm film, we get entered into the kodak commercial competition in our last year and for a uni they give us good equipment, and I love the student discounts that we get from everyone!

Yeah, at the Arts Institute, do you know it? The tests are for my graduation film which starts next week, I think I left this a bit late :(

A girl pointed that out when it was screened at our uni, to which the Director replied "Haven't you ever been f*cked with your knickers on!" It didn't go down well, but it's funny.

Thanks guys, glad I'm not the focus puller on this one though!

Hi Thanks guys, I called Technicolor and I'm sending the tapes back so they can see what went wrong, hopefully I'll see the right footage before I start shooting! If I don't, there is one interior scene (lit with natural light through a window) which is meant to be early morning, I wanted it fairly blue to give this impression, and was going to shoot uncorrected on tungsten after seeing the tests, but would that end up REALLY blue? .(I know it's a subjective question, I just want to avoid unnaturally blue light) Or if anyone knows of a scene shot uncorrected on tungsten that I could use as reference that'd be helpful too. Jon - They were shot just off the A31 in the New Forest in Dorset, near Ringwood. I think the place is called Stoney Cross. Thanks

Hi I recently shot some camera tests on s16mm colour negative film, and the results I got from using colour temperature filters in exteriors on tungsten stock was not what I expected at all. The following images are all at exposure (there was no contrast on the road). It was a pretty normal looking overcast day, shot between 10am and midday (sunrise here is 8am). All the reading I have done and stuff my friends and I have shot before led me to believe that an 85 would correct a clear day to tungsten, and overcast days had a higher colour temperature still (I couldn't get a colour temperature metre for the day), but that wasn't how the tests turned out at all. I wrote on the neg reports to only grade the initial greyscale (which was shot in tungsten light and looked fine), so I don't think that is why they look like they do. Can the colour temp. of overcast days be lower than 5600, or is it more likely that something went wrong either on my part or during processing/telecine? I don't have time to do anymore testing as I am shooting this next week, but I will be outside on tungsten stock and don't want to use anything stronger then an 81 because the 85's looked awful, but can I trust these tests or will an 81 on an overcast day leave the image very blue (the 81's I tested looked ok on the same day). (These are actually a little different to how they were on the Digibeta on a calibrated monitor, the 85 and 85B looked more orange) 7218 Clean 7218 85 7218 85B 7217 85 Thanks Dan McCormick

Hi I'm about to work on a student film that has a couple of shots through a magnifying glass, both times focussing on the object behind it. The object in focus may move, as will the camera on a track or jib. My main concerns are the following, so if anyone could help or knows of something I haven't thought of any advice would be great: Does anything change when focusing through a magnifying glass for measuring the initial point? If the point of focus needs to move can it still be measured normally? If the magnifying glass moves in relation to the camera will a pull be needed? Can I rely on the operator being able to see through the viewfinder if the image is sharp? Thanks Dan McCormick

Hi I'm looking to insure a Sony Z1 camera for 2 weeks for use in UK, France and Spain. I am a student, so have no links to any production companies or anything like that. The camera belongs to a friend, and I am having some trouble finding a company that offers insurance for that short a space of time, if anybody knows of a company who might be able to help me it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Dan McCormick

Wiltshire or Dorset would be perfect, so if you could find those links would be great thanks. I have found a place that will do an XL1 for a fortnight for only 400, which I think might be as cheap as it gets, but I'm still looking. Thanks Dan McCormick

Hi I'm looking for a mini-dv camera with fully manual focus, zoom, iso and exposure, something like the canon xl1 would be perfect. I will need it for 2 weeks, and would obviously like to do it as cheap as possible. Anybody know a good place either in the South of England or that can deliver to that area? Thanks for the help Dan McCormick

Hi Could someone tell me a good exposure compensation when using white promists 1, 2 and 3. Thanks Dan McCormick

Hi I'm about to shoot a short student film on S16mm using an SRII. I am hoping for sun as it will not only look far nicer in the location but also mirrors the mood the Director wants. What I have been trying to figure out though is if anything can be done in camera to make overcast skies look more interesting. I think the majority of the shots will have the protagonist's head above the horizon, so I can't use grads, and I also can't use any lights at the location. Are there any contrast or colour enhancing filters (the matte box can hold 2) that could help, or any filters I don't know about that would be worth looking into. I am partly willing to treat the shoot as a test for anything that isn't too drastic. For reference I am shooting on a ferry deck, a beach and a bay. Thanks for the help Dan McCormick

Great, I won't worry about the UV filter then, and I think I am going to be using a pola as well. Thanks for the help Dan McCormick

Hi I'm about to shoot a short student film, set on a ferry, and in the surrounding bay. I am going to shoot on 50D 7201, and the forecast is for sun (which is what I am hoping). None of my lecturers have mentioned UV filters, and everything I have seen shot in similar conditions by others on my course have come out alright without using a UV filter. But I keep reading that film doesn't necessarily cope well with UV light, particularly around water and on sunny days. (I don't have the money to shoot tests) If anyone could tell me what would be the worst that could happen without a UV filter, and if I should be able to get away without one I'd really appreciate it. Thanks Dan McCormick

Hi I'm a student, and I'm shooting a short film in a couple of weeks. I don't have the money to do any testing properly, so I want to go to the location and test using a 35mm SLR. The only thing I'm trying to find out is the effect of filters, definitely lo-cons, polarizers (for the sky rather than getting rid of reflections) and some warming filters, like a chocolate or tobacco. I'm going to shoot on Kodak Vision 2 50D, I was wondering if there are any specific 35mm stills films that would replicate this better than others. The slowest I can find is a 100ASA Fuji, but would I be better off with a 200/400ASA Kodak for the colour differences, or am I wasting my time and none of them replicate 50D better than any others. Thanks Dan McCormick

Thanks for the help everyone. From what I know of the camera and using it since the mag not being locked makes most sense to me. I finished loading a 10 minute short on the same camera last week, hope it doesn't happen again!

Hi I recently loaded a short (student) advert shot on the Arri SRII Super 16mm camera. When it came back from the telecine there is a red flash on the right edge of the frame, which only comes up at the end of each take. Usually it flashes briefly, disappears for a second then returns for the last second or so of the take. I didn't notice any problems when loading or unloading, and the same mag has been used since without showing the same problem. Any ideas what could have caused this? Thanks Dan McCormick

Thanks Thats perfect Dan McCormick

Hey Is there anywhere on the internet that will correlate the footcandles a standard film light will give off (for example, a 2kW 10 feet from the subject will read xx footcandles). Not of vital importance for the actual shoot, but it would help with lighting plans and figuring out what lights I need to get hold of. Thanks Dan McCormick

Hey I've just finished a couple of short shoots (student films) as clapper loader, they both went pretty well. I was wondering though, if the board is supposed to be a certain amount of feet away (5 feet on 50mm etc.) but the focus is 20 feet away, should he board go back until it is in focus or should the puller get it on focus at 5 feet and then go back to their first focus mark?? Thanks Dan McCormick