DavidSloan

I think that Mr. Ellison, being a sci-fi writer, probably treasures H.G Wells' classic just as film buffs treasure Citizen kane. Imagine someone got hold of the Citizen kane rights and turned it into some successful reality show. Film buffs would be outraged. Perhaps this is how Ellison and other sci-fi buffs view the matter. A hot shot director hijacking their icon's ideas and turning it into a blockbuster cash cow, and not even giving HG Wells the praise they feel he is due. I would probably be pissed, too. I can empathize with Ellsion's anger...especially when I heard about a Solaris remake!

Thanks for the response. I'm really looking forward to seeing it. Do you feel that this is your strongest work to date?

I got this from a Kurosawa fan group that I belong to. Thought it would be nice to repost it here:

Sounds good to me, David. Obviously I understand the fundamental idea of kickers and backlights, but I was just wondering if they might be a bit much. It's interesting to see how artists evolve. Personally when I began lighting, I was really into the hot flashy work of people like Doyle, Khodji, etc.. I used to like blowing stuff out 4 or 5 stops, throwing all kinds of crazy filter combos, push 2.5 stops, and really going crazy. Now I see myself approaching a humble, minimal Almendros type aesthetic. I've also been very big on the direction of Robert Bresson, who taught me to remove the flourishes in order to get closer to the truth. Maybe in a few years I'll move to something else, who knows? Right now I'm really drawn to an unintrusive simplicity.

I'm at the cinemas several times per week. with such a wonderful selection of screens in NY, there is so much to see. On the other hand I really love watching films at home, because at home I can view films more critically, freezing and rewinding at my leisure.

Sometimes I got to the Lowes in Times Square on a fri or sat night where you get all these big steroid mofos with their girlfriends. Good luck kicking them out...I think the only thing getting kicked will be your arse up and down the isle. I also doubt calling the cops will be much help considering most of these dudes are cops! lol

The trailer was pretty darn fast, but from what I was able to see the lighting looks extremely juicy. I'm wondering if the kickers on the kids onstage are appropriate, though? I'd have to see the film to judge, but they somehow jumped at me as being distracting. Congratulations to you, David! It's our pleasure and honor to have you here.

There is no such thing as a chaotic shot if you rehearse and block, thoroughly. You just have to make sure that all those involved with the shot have marks and know what they're doing. I recently shot a short that was extremely demanding. The director wanted to shoot many long takes involving lots of moving camera. We were getting about 3 shots daily because of how demanding these shots were in terms of lighting, blocking and execution. We also did many takes because the actors would flub a line 3 minutes into the take, so we'd have to start over. Certain shots were extremely frustrating, because I had no where to hide lights. A very rewarding experience, if I might say so.

What's the dollar/pound exchange rate nowadays? These guys are making a clean $350 an hour in NYC.

It's quite extraordinary how often labs botch up people's work. Unless you are a DP on a production with lots of clout, it's all a gamble. I'm sorry to hear about your mess Adam, but I'm afraid yours is a story I hear quite often. It seems the only people in labs I find to be very thorough are the editors. These colorist, telecine guys are usually morons.

Savides! How can I forget! To young DPs, my age, he's like the second coming. Pretty much all the young cats I know salivate at this man's work. I first noticed Savides's work watching The yards, and Gerry, after that I pretty much tried to get my hands on anything he was involved in. It's safe to say he's the new Gordon Willis. No one in America is doing what he and GVS are doing. Not even close. I have a friend who was getting mentored by him. Needless to say, I was exploding with envy. :D

I couldn't agree more. I thought the film was weak overall, but had a few interesting moments. The whole thing about this film being serious, and intelligent is blown way out of proportion. It's a standard summer blockbuster. Sin City was a lot better. The best part of the night was the trailer for The New World!

I don't think Full Sail is what they claim to be. Outside of a few choice programs most filmschools are complete duds. If you go, go for a film school that has a strong alumni networking system. NYU is an excellent choice.

Oh man, this is such a great and educational thread. Thank you Tim, and David! A few of my all time are: Willis, Almendros, Nykvist.

Gordon Willis is such a larger than life persona...every DP worth anything, worships him. He's definitely my favorite DP of all time. I totally agree with David and Adam's point about composition, and the state of contemporary films. I have to say, the Hollywood films that are being released today simply aren't worth watching. There is nothing but pure mindless pollution. It seems to me that China and France are begining to release universally entertaining films of a high quality that beat Hollywood hands down. Films like Hero, The Long Engagement, and House of Flying Daggers simply astound with their grand beauty and well crafted filmmaking. Even the acting is better. It has been said that China will dominate the global economy in approximately 50 years. We shall see what will become of Hollywood and their propaganda machine. Sorry for this unrelated rant, but I needed to express myself. Thanks

The whole 1 page per minute thing is only if you're working in the absolute most conventional sense-master+2 over the shoulders. If you work differently, you can't even bother with that.

Frank, check out the DVD. It's put out by Criterion so the image is absolutely flawless and vibrant. They shot on reversal.

Has anyone seen this hilarious documentary? Barbet Schroeder and Nestor Almendros followed this Ugandan dictator in the early 70s and came out with a most magnificent portrait of a head of state. I can't recomend this enough. The cinematography is all natural and looks great, btw. Makes you sad that documentaries are not being shot on film, anymore. In the extras, Barbet Schroeder tells of how he and Nestor missed so many great shots because neither of them knew how to properly load the mags! :D I love it! Another interesting thing is when Idi Amin viewed the doc he wanted 2 minutes edited otherwise he was going to execute all french citizens in Uganda. He even went as far as rounding them all up in a hotel! A stunning man.

Every single frame of: The People In White

Hi Dmuench, do you have the Ross Lowell, book? It has a nice section on natural light...very zen.

Hey remember that time in Cannes when an unbiased group of qualified members awarded the Palme to Farenheit 911? Man, that movie was sooo much better than Dogville.

It's hard for me to answer such a question because I can't separate the cinematography from the film itself. I have too much of a writer/director mentality to simply be satisfied with nice images. I'm sure the exteriors in Sahara were nice, but I wouldn't see that film for money. Some favorite films with lots of rich outdoor cinematography: Zabriskie Point The Cow Sword of Doom Why Has Bodhi Dharma Left For the East Stalker Voyage to Cythera 29 Palms El Topo Thanks.

I usually use a microforce zoom control. What you can try to do, as Drew said, is light to a stop that will give you the range you need without having to rack. Worse case scenario is to try to have someone walking down a step ladder, with the arm, and rack with it...but that might be awkward!

The use of V.O was fantastic. It wasn't droning at all, it was relentless and pounding. It almost reminded me of the V.O in Gaspar Noe's film: I Stand Alone. If you have ever read a comic book you would know that V.O or "think ballons" are used extensively to bring you inside the character's mind. I thought RR captured that comic book feeling, perfectly. Bravo, Mr.Rodriguez. @Matt: there are different grades to hard lighting, wouldn't you say? :rolleyes:

I've seen this film twice, already, and I can't recomend it enough. I feel like this is the film Robert Rodriguez has been trying to make, and finally nailed it. I particularly enjoyed how cinematic the film is. The use of uber hard lighting, camera angles, and sound, provided a powerful, visceral feeling of a dark, grim, nightmarish world. The landscape is especially moody, and works perfect to portray the moral ambiguity of Sin City. And Mickey Rourke as Marv...you have to see his performance to believe it. I can't wait to hear other people's comments. I suspect that this film will make a big impact on the action genre. So who else has seen this neo noir on steroids?