Michelob Fedusenko

If you are doing a film transfer then you might want to look at what the lab can do to brighten it up (expose the print longer for the darker frames). It may just save you that nasty grain, but then again, you might also lose data in the low end of the exposure. Let us know what you do and how it turns out.

I am testing the HVX's ISO tonight. I will post my results here as well as stills from the footage. I believe the Redrock sucks 2 stops out. The P/2 Teknics takes only half a stop and corrects the flipped/reversed image. Please correct me if I am wrong.

No I didn't. All I ever saw were what looked like a DVX from a distance. Then again, I only visited the school when I was in town. I did not actually attend the school. They may use 16mm/35mm, but I never found out otherwise. As for my decision, I am very glad that I did not attend NYFA. I don't believe that I would have received the education that I wanted there. Anyways... a grand per credit hour just to get a degree after you already finish the 2 year,13 grand program... That just does not seem right. I still have many problems with Full Sail, but there will never be that 'perfect' school. Then again, I have full mocap capabilities, an entire HD studio, and I get to shoot in 16mm and 35mm with all my costs being up front, there is nothing better! I think the point of this is that I did not come to learn theory. No one will hire me because I know why the color purple is in a shot. I will get hired at entry level to know how to set up a lighting rig. I will let everyone else compete with being a director straight out of film school.

I really love your work. You obviously have a some background in editorial/fashion photography. I think that adds a nice flare to your work. It seems that my favorite shots are the same as yours. Where else can we check out your work?

That is true, which is why I don't advertise to crews that I go to film school. The problem is not the school, but the student. Many kids leave school thinking that because they have a degree, they are the junk. They think that they don't have to climb the ranks like everyone else. That is just simply not true. Also, many of the students think they know more than they really do and then act like it. You can only get away with acting like you know more than you really do if you already know that you don't.

I am doing it. Tonight actually. The reason I am doing it is because I already have about 6 projects lined up for it. I want to build my reel up as quick as possible. I don't plan on using it for features. If an HVX200 ($5200 bought + $1000 16 gig p2 card) rental is worth $500 a day, then it would pay for itself in 12 days like similarly suggested above. If you are a student and you are trying to build up a reel (cinematographer, director) then 12 days should be done halfway through the first week. I would say that if you are serious about working projects that will lead to other PAID work, then $6,200 is a swell investment. Just get it insured.

I enjoy some of Tarintino's films, but I completely agree. I attended a class at NYFA and was not impressed. It didn't meet my needs for a film school. It is very important to research the school and evaluate if it will meet your needs. I decided to attend Full Sail where I have learned an enormous amount. I also paid roughly $60,000 for a B.S. (as opposed to $26,000 for a certificate at NYFA) for tuition alone, but I am also working with equipment that you will never touch at NYU, NYFA, or USC. But then again, I came to Full Sail because I wanted a degree in less than 2 years, also. When it comes down to it, you need to know why you are going to school. NYFA and Full Sail are practical based schools teaching you mostly the skills and craft to shoot a film. NYFA focuses a little more on the theory, but you miss so much of the technical end. Schools like NYU and USC are theory based schools. They will teach you why a shot is moving left to right or vise versa. Now as for whether school has been worth it.... I paid $60k to make every mistake possible and it won't affect my reputation (to any major extent) in the industry. I won't be green (or as green) out there. But then again, it is all about what you make of it. 80% of my classmates go home and play video games while I go to shoots. So if you decide to go to film school, you will ONLY get what you put in. It is a big investment. I hope I helped you out.

Try this... but it's a post approach. Take the footage into your composite software and extract the red channel and copy it to a new layer. Play with the levels so that the rest of the red in the frame disappear. In theory, you should have the luma key for your tail lights. Place this over a red layer/node. Add your 3rd party motion blur. Remember, the shape of the comet tail is also determined by the shape of the source light. Newer LED tail lights will look different than the older incandescent bulbs with hot spots.