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I am fully aware that there are several interpretations of the Zone System but, I believe the system is generally considered to have 11 zones (from 0 for black to 10 for white) so that you do have a middle number in 5 which is you 18% or middle gray. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zone_system This should be a good starting point for you to review William to get your feet wet as to what the Zone system is about. Photography websites are abundant online with examples of the system as well as the various deviations of the zone system.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of the MagicGadget products - I have one (sometimes several) on just about every show. But I also know that when you're starting out, it's often about quantity more than quality. Two to four 1K Variacs go a long way and of course, for the about the same cost you can make your own. It's about choices. If you have a rental house close by, you could buy (or make) some dimmers and rent a MagicGadget as need.

Call and talk to the folks Hydroflex who can give you a wealth of information. Their websites also a some preliminary information that should get your conversation going. They have housings for both film and video and if you talk to them about what kind of shots you'll be doing and what kind of budget you've got, they can make suggestions about what's the best solution for you. http://hydroflex.com/

As a rental, MagaicGadget's Shadowmaker is a great idea but to purchase, it's expensive. A 1K and 2K Variacs costs about $60 and $100, respectively. MagicGadget costs from $400 to $1300 depending on which version you get. It's true you can do so much more and if you have the money, it's a significantly better utility to have but you have to have the money.

I don't know how other meters are set-up by the Sekonic can compensate for shutter angle changes. You can download the manual to all their light meters and see if which will cover your needs.

If you look on eBay, there's often a Variac for sale in that Wattage. Harbor Freight sometimes carries Variacs also from time to time. Good luck.

Here's something I tried once that worked. Final Cut wasn't opening - something similar to what you're experiencing with Compressor. I created a new user and ran the application from that user. Everything worked under the other user. You might be having a conflict with some other application or some component associated with some other application. Was it working before or is this the first time you've used it?

The falling apart is just as true when you tweak the image too much in camera. Again, test, test, test. Which is going to be the lesser of two evils given the format you're working in. Some have suggested capturing your footage and then upconvert it to a higher format for color correction. Never tired it on HDV but I did with DV25 with marginal success. I don't know how viable it is for you but it might be worth testing. If you need the stop because of limited lighting resource then your decision might already have been made for you. Just make sure you'll be give the ability to do your color correction under appropriate conditions.

I fairly sure that the only place is going to be Camtec. I'm not even sure who in New York or Florida might have the V-series. If you're really against using Camtec, then Max's suggestion of contacting Vantage Films is going to be your best bet. Just out of curiosity, what's wrong with Camtec. I used them for a long time when I was starting out and found them to be quite good. Perhaps things have changed?

Excellent point. As my account executive at Panavision once told me, "you charge like a whore, you get treated like a whore." It a bit crude but you get the point.

You should ask them first what they're paying. Your contact with production will likely already have a budget drawn with the rate for your position included. If they're asking for you to give them a number, either they're inexperienced or they're checking to see if you'll come in lower than someone else. You might want to start your talk with them by getting some details about the shoot and that might give you clues as to how big the show is. Ask about equipment, length of day, special requirements, etc. Then if they push, you can give them a number. You might also want to start high, and tell them something like, "I don't want to price myself out of a job, but I usually get $?? but I'm willing to negotiate." I know it happens, but I find it odd when a production asks you to give them a rate. Also, don't forget to asked how they plan on handling overtime, travel (if applicable), box rentals, etc. As others have mentioned, $150 seems to be the magic number on low-budget shoots. I have to say that $500 on a high end commercial isn't too out of the question. I get a very happy crew on shoots like those.

Clairmont Camera 4343 Lankershim Blvd. No. Hollywood, CA 91602 Phone: (818) 761-4440 Fax: (818) 761-0861

I would recommend doing the color correction in post. If you've got 15 days till your shoot and if you can get the camera, try doing a test to see what the quality of the correction would look like and what you'll need to protect in the way of highlights or shadow areas. In a way it's like film - shoot a fat negative so you've got the room to manipulate it later. Your other option (and I don't generally favor this one) is to white balance with a particular filter in so that it corrects for that filter giving you the look your after. For example, to approximate the look of a Tiffen Chocolate #2, you'd white balance with a Tiffen 82C + Tiffen Cyan #1. After the white balance, don't forget to remove the filters you used. I don't recommend this because I don't generally favor manipulating the image in camera - too much risk of mudding the image and also not having the ideal conditions in the field to judge the image. Here's a list that Fotokem provided for their grey cards (as always, test, test, test): (white balance with filter) -> (give you) #85 Filter -> Harrison Blue #5 #81EF -> Tiffen Cyan #2 Tiffen Coral #2 -> Harrison Blue #5 Harrison Coral #2 -> Tiffen Cyan #1 & Harrison Blue #2 Harrison Coral #3 -> Harrison Blue #5 Tiffen Straw .3 -> Tiffen 80C Tiffen Scraw .6 -> Tiffen 80B & 80D Fries Tobacco #1 -> Tiffen 82B Fries Tobacco #2 -> Tiffen 82C Fries Tobacco #3 -> Tiffen 80C Fries Tobacco #4 -> Tiffen 80C & 82B Fries Tobacco #5 -> Tiffen 80B & Cyan #1 Tiffen Sepia #1 -> Tiffen 82B Tiffen Sepia #2 -> Tiffen 80C Tiffen Chocolate #2 -> Tiffen 82C & Tiffen Cyan #1

True there is no white balance - you'll have to use color balancing filters. And no there is no gain, but there is push and pull processing. It's all important to learn. Cinematography is like going to school, it'll all be covered in the test. The things you learn in one can in someway always be transfered to the other. I still buy and collect still photography books to see how certain effects are done. Just keep at it and you'll be surprised where it takes you. Good luck.

If you can get access to two tripod heads you can mount one to the other. I've done this as a "low rent" dutch head but I think it could work. Mitch's idea is your best bet. You might be able to use an L-bracket that can be purchased from a hardware store. They usually come with drilled hole or you might have to drill them yourself. Around the hole you're going to use, place some gaffer's tape to add a little friction between the plate and the camera. This will help keep the camera for rotating on the plate.

It's a great way of learning composition, exposure, and lighting. Try shooting everything in manual mode with the shutter set at 1/50th of a second (to simulate 24fps at 180° shutter). You might also want to try watching a movie or TV (especially a movie or show you don't know anything about) with the audio turned off and focus on the lighting and composition only. It's also a great way to see if the visuals helped tell the story.

The certification will teach you how to use a video camera underwater which is a translatable skill to a film camera. Truth is you should take as many of these courses as you can since any underwater work can be hazardous and if you plan on specializing in this field you need the knowledge most of these courses offer. For example, the Wreck Diver course will help you stay safe in an underwater set or the Equipment Specialist will get you the training to use the right equipment for a given shot that's required. As for the lighting and camera operation portion, that'll come from experience and discussions with other like professionals. No one is teaching this per say although you can get some training through the camera local (Local 600) who offer workshops from time to time as well as other associations like the Digital Cinema Society (DCS) and the Society of Camera Operators (SOC). The DCS had a talk on the subject a few months ago and streaming footage from that event is available on their website but you need to be a member to access it.

PADI does offer a specialty dive course in underwater photography and videography. You might want to contact PADI and see what they say. They also offers a National Geographic course which might also be worth looking into.

If you're looking for a "high quality" light meter, you have several options. I use a Sekonic 758cine. You really should do some research first about what a light meter can and can't do for you since, as you said, you " know nothing about light meters". There are countless motion picture and still photography sites on the Internet that explain how to use a light meter. You can also visit the light meter manufacturer's website - many offer a wealth of information. Like everything about cinematography, it's about doing your homework.

You might want to contact Hydroflex or Pace Technologies - both are underwater equipment vendors. They should be able to steer you in the right direction of who to talk to.

I agree it looks good. I'm especially interested in seeing it in 3D (stereoscopically). I saw some of the digital facial castings of Angelina Jolie today at the DGA's Digital Day. They also showcased 3D footage in its current state-of-the-art. It looks amazingly good. I really do think it's the future of cinema.

1/350 is a bit of an odd shutter - I've never know a camera to have that. (Perhaps you meant 1/250) Assuming you did: 1/250 @ ?5.6 1/125 @ ?8 1/60 @ ?11 Each step down in your shutter speed is a step (or stop) up on your iris.

I have more meters than I should admit. I'm a big fan of the Sekonic meters ever since I was shooting still photography after high school. Right now my "weapons of choice" are my L758 Cine (I use it for still and motion picture photography) and my Pentex Digital Spotmeter (which I use mostly for Blue and Green screen work). I can't say that I've ever had a problems with the multitude of options the meter offer and it certainly hasn't slowed me down on set.

Well only ten is tough. Besides the standards CTB, CTO, and +/1 Green, I use Roscosun and CalColors. I'm a Rosco guy so here's my list: Opal (light diffusion with a bit of sharpness) 216 (it's a standard but wonderful) Tough Rolux (great for combining multiple sources into one) Chocolate (for more stylized look) Gaslight Green (for more stylized look) Cosmetic Peach & Cosmetic Burgundy (use it for some skin tones) Cyan 60 (for more stylized night) Blue Green (same reason as cyan 60) Bastard Amber (sunlight)

For a 24 fps base: 24 / n n = frames per second you want to shoot So if you want to shoot at 32fps = 24/32 = .75 or 75% -> so you'll want to reduce the length (speed up) of your music to 75% is real time length. So if you have a 4 minute song (240 seconds), you'll want to reduce (or speed up) the song to 3 minutes (or 180 seconds). 240x.75=180