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Allen Achterberg

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Posts posted by Allen Achterberg

  1. Here's a clip from a sequence that I've recently shot, hopefully the whole project soon to come. But for now, I'd like some opinions on whether or not there is a problem with the A-10 Warthog spinning in the shot. It is a live action composite, the A-10 I got from an Air Show that I shot with the HVX-200 in 720p. Had to blow it up a little to the 1080P project for the composite.

     

    PLEASE WATCH IN HIGH QUALITY MODE

     

     

     

    Thanks!

     

    Sound is a bit hot, so turn it down low. this is all a work in progress

  2. it's very simple. it stood true even though I had the confusing typo in there. 50mm focused to 5 feet will have a certain depth of field. Focus the lens to 10' and the depth of field increases. Focus it further it also increases. mean more distance in the real world comes into focus, instead of 4'10" to 5'2" being in focus which is 4 inches of acceptable sharp focus at t2 and the lens set to 5 feet. focus it to ten feet you now have 9'5" to 10'8" which is just over a foot of acceptable focus. (this is for 35mm) see how we went from have 4 inches to over a foot of sharp focus by moving your subject and focusing further away?

     

    This happens with all lenses, and all formats.

  3. this should be in the AC topic. but ignore distance, and lets make this simple. Whatever lens you use, whatever distance. If its a medium shot, the depth of field will be the same on a 50mm as a 100mm lens. but it takes two different distances of your subject to get a medium shot on either lens. subject will be closer on the 50mm than it will be on the 85mm to get the medium shot. think of it like that.

     

    if you are still on the 50mm, and your subjects walks away (further distance) then the DOF increases the further away your subject gets. so distance IS directly related to DOF as you can see.

  4. more importantly, beginners should practice composition in all different aspect ratio's, including the scope. I wont see you as a "Poser" Tyler. You are learning. There are many different ways to get aspect ratios. You get to learn how to mark your viewfinder and then frame for a new picture frame, catch some vista shots without too much sky etc.

     

    get to it. learn. GO!

  5. S16 is worth looking into. another option is to shoot a 16x9 Framing chart and mark some frame lines for yourself on the groundglass and frame for 16x9 within the regular 16 frame. and when you transfer to 1080p have them extract it exact. you are throwing away negative but this would be of okay quality for DVD and maybe Blu-Ray.

     

    look into Super16. save yourself some quality

  6. I am doing a s16mm project for class and we are editing on raw film.. since we are not using computers I cant put a letterbox on the final print..

     

    I have decided that placing Electrical tape on the lens will give me the desired effect.. there will be no focus pulling..

     

    has anyone done this before? does it look good or like tape on a lens? Is there any image distortion on the tapes edge? does the lens have too much "give" to maintain its "levelness"... I would love to test it.. but I will not be able..

     

    Thank you

     

    S16 is not a projection format. you will need an optical step and in which case you can get the letterboxed image you want. Super16 is a wide screen format.

  7. Luckily, I've never been fired as an AC, but I did get replaced once as a DP on a reality show. there was nothing I did wrong, and they fired a production company before me, it was only the result of an incompetent producer thinking the camera guys were the problem. and I had an operator who was older working under me and he didnt like that, so he mouthed off behind my back. I shouldnt have been nice and let this guy go from the beginning.

     

     

    be careful who you hire. But sometimes, firing someone seems to be the temporary solution to bigger problems. and unfortunately that may be you. Dont take it personally, move on to bigger and better things.

     

    We discussed this at Ron Dexter's "Cinematography Survival Skills You Can Learn on Your Own" master class seminar at last years cinegear expo. David Darby who also spoke got a bit long-winded and I didnt get a chance to tell my story, he had gone through the same thing.

     

    You'll be fine miss, just do your best to put it all out of mind. I know how devastating it can feel.

     

    Best

    Allen

  8. the padded mark thing. often, when you ask an actor for them to do their lean in they do it closer during the take. so you have to be prepared. watching their head grow in the monitor. Thats why I always give myself extra room, so when they do move in I can catch it. rarely do they ever hit their "Lean in mark" and on a tight shot at T1.3 or T2 it matters!

     

    Francisco can probly answer the Gamma question. I've got no clue.

  9. Thank you for your comments,

     

    My 1st AC Allen Atcherberg did a fantastic job on the focus, he's a member of this forum.

    We used Zeiss T1.3 pl and Allen might be able to give you more feedback on the focus scales but I believe they are good, of course I'm sure he wishes he had a few more extra focus marks like the ultra primes or S4's but in any case the 1.3's are fantastic lenses.

     

    Francisco

     

    That's it, I'm changing my name. nobody can spell it. its a minor thing, but it still gets to me. You should know better by now Francisco!

     

    The witness marks lined up correctly, up until the last day. we had problems with the red pl mount wanting to hold onto those lenses when I wanted to change them. the mount was sticky, and I'm afraid minor force to release the lens caused the mount to shift, offseeting our FFD. We noticed it on the 14mm, It was pretty wide so I just set my lens roughly to the distance, and I'll be damned if it didnt go soft. I wanted to adjust it myself, but Did not have permission from the RED owner and we moved on anyway. It was a very minor set back, but we were close to wrap and I just reverted to "eye focus" marks from there on out and used what I am going to cleverly call "eye Cushions" (which are a padded mark, for instance the actor wont lean past this point or further than that point and help me zen that lens when talent does the unexpected; leaning in for no damn reason on a line only to make my life hell)

     

    Not to mention we didnt have the best support for this camera package. I was not available for Prep and Francisco messed it all up ;)

     

    but check this out yo!

     

    l_85693cd6e48700eea599d91f9fd9284b.jpg

     

    Bongo ties are not just for cables. You do what you gotta do right?

  10. Doesn't mean you cant design one. You've got paper and something to draw with dont you? a calculator and the internet....

     

     

    I have faith in your. Put your Idea down. Draw it out, get down and dirty and make a blue-print. get help with the mechanical (if needed) and electrical. You have the resources. I mean, a PCB is something you can make at home. in your friggin kitchen.

  11. How's about this one?

     

    I thought about that one too. But I agree 2-perf makes a lot more sense.

     

     

    why dont you just build a camera? I've got one on the drawing board. Might take a while. But Im going to do it.

  12. Yeah, I've been working in Vancouver and Seattle. Believe it or not LA is not the only place they Film. All of my connection are up there and every one i have been talking to in LA say its really slow here right now. I think i need to join the union down here.

    IF any one is in need of a First or 2nd. Let me know.

     

     

    Oh, I thought movies were only made in LA. Silly me....

     

    Communication is crucial, you said you were new to LA and its not ridiculous to assume you came from a place with no Major industry work. It's common for new filmmakers to come here from smaller cities asking the same exact question. I'm not going to tell you what to do, but if you were a bit more elaborate with your situation I wouldnt have asked the questions that I did. Dont be a wise ass to those who are trying to help you. Especially for being so new to the forums.

     

    Joining the Union here wont help you unless you are being offered the union work, or can get it.

     

    Throw your resume up on the Jobs/Resume's/Reels section. Try Mandy. Take jobs, just to start meeting people. If you think you can just come to LA and expect to not re-establish a bit, the reality will likely prove differently. If it works, then its just chance.

     

    Best

  13. You are new to LA, but have that kind of experience? and are wondering how to go about getting more work?

     

     

    -1st, its admired when someone can see your dedication, and stepping in on low to now paying gigs and helping is definately a way to be remembered. And to meet new people. Plenty of talented experienced folks pull freebies all the time. It's very important to "keep busy" regardless. Doesnt have to be loading, work as a 2nd or 1st AC.

     

    -2nd, look on craigslist. I dont know if you have something against it, or if you are just letting us know about it but It can help you.

     

    -3rd, be patient. Work your way up.

     

     

    Best

  14. When possible, I like to have when when using a remote focus unit so that I can see whats going on. not to pull focus from it, but use as a reference. Often side mounted so that both the Remote AND monitor are facing you as one solid piece. It's good to know what the camera is pointing at. Field of View is directly related to Distances. If I see the steadicam op move in closer to the subject (unrehearsed), now I have both a solid distance guess and a field of view to help my mental measurement call.

  15. are you using cine lenses or stills lenses? Here's a way you can save yourself the confusion.

     

    if using the redrock m2Take a piece of 35mm film, 4 perferations in height, and stick it to your cine screen (without scratching the screen) and then use the camcorder and zoom in until you no longer see the perferations. it might be easier for you to use a razor blade and remove what would be the picture area and zoom in until you have a zoom length set. then remove the film, put a lens on and turn the screen on. voila, you see exactly what 4-perf 35 sees.

     

    for the PS technik, or movie tube, once you get past the vignette you should be all set. if your director wants wider...then throw a wider lens on or move the camera further away from the subject. don't allow a vignette! if he wants a vignette the sure, do it. I'd play with the idea of doing that in post, but would I allow a vignette because we need to be a bit wider? not a chance in hell.

     

    refer to the field of view tables in the American Cinematographer manual. that will help you too.

  16. No! dont give up like that. I dont see why you cant just throw some general glass on the K3 and find out what you need. worse case, take a few lenses that you think you'd need and project them into a piece of diffusion. that way you dont need the k3. very easy to do, just handhold it. should give you a very good estimate. But is the K3 that big?

     

    generalize your filmstock down too. what sort of weather will you have? use 250D, that is very versitile stuff. so is the 200t or 100t, or if you are going fuji try the 160t, or 250t. basically, this all comes with experience. just spend more time with your gear and your light meter. learn to tune yourself in with both.

  17. Thats what the black bag is for. Check used bags for holes before using them. New bags should be fine. Just do it all carefully. I loaded very briefly on like 3 projects, but I've had a lot of loaders under me. Sometimes just pulling the can through the sleeve of the bag can help ensure a secure light seal so the lid of the can isnt loose while unzipping the tent. NEVER DO THIS WITH LIGHT SENSITIVE MATERIAL EXPOSED IN THE TENT! But just yank it through and tape it up. I never liked too much crap in the tent, extra tape etc.

     

    also, check the mags too for obvious light leaks. Last week, I was shooting on an PanArri III and I loaded myself because it was just a few pick up shots. we had 3 mags, and Luckily I just so happened to hold the mag up against light, and low and behold there was a friggin screw missing from the mag! A clear light leak that would have ruined the film! I wasnt available to check the prep so the director went and had the prep techs at panavision do it. they must have missed that little detail! Grrrrr!!!!!!!!!! I had no AC's since it was just a few shots and we didnt really need them for shooting, not to mention no fair rate so I didnt even want to hurt anyones feelings by offering 50/bucks for a prep day.

     

    point being, these little holes can go undetected easily, so check everything, including the mags. all it takes is for one little bolt to let light it....

     

    Best

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