Mark Kenfield

Just back from the theatre. It was a good fun romp, felt very much like the previous couple of MI films to me, so not quite the step up I was expecting given all the rave reviews. But watching Mr. Cruise run around like a lunatic for 2.5 hours felt well worth the price of admission! FANTASTIC stunt work. Photographically I think Rob did a lovely job of keeping things grounded, and most of the action was really well done. I was quite shocked by the sheer volume of close-ups with fudged focus so. An incredibly high percentage of them had sharp ears and soft eyes. Personally, I'd probably have fired my focus puller after just the first quarter of them had been missed (there were literally THAT many). And I also found it interesting that (for possibly the first time) I felt like shooting on film didn't bring anything to the equation. Now it may just be the sheer volume of soft faces that's pitched me against it in this instance (that wouldn't have happened with digital). But in some of the darker scenes as well, it felt like the stock had been pushed a little further than it was comfortable going.

They're 'Rocket' (or 'something Rocket'). Very common down under. A couple of my 12x12 fabrics came from them. Well-made kit.

Is the idea that you dolly back from each setup to reveal the subject sitting in front of the backdrop setup (stands/flats/fabrics etc.) in each of the different field/factory/forrest locations?

I've never really considered any kind of ratios, or rule-of-thirds type concepts in my framing. I have a really clear and simple goal in framing up my images, and that's to do everything in my power to imbue these two-dimensional images that we make, with three-dimensional qualities. That mostly amounts to creating a sense of depth, through lighting, contrast, leading lines, atmosphere and control of depth of field.

I can barely get producers to sign off on standard 2.8k arriraw due to the high data rates, let alone 4.5k or 6k of the same thing! It would be fantastic to get the more managable raw option of Prores Raw into the Alexas.

I think they need to get it INTO some cameras if they want to gain traction with it. Whilst it's only an option for external recorders, the uptake will remain limited.

Very cool, please post up a link to the film when it's available on VOD Michael.

Gutted to have to do this, but the doctors have ordered a downsize (for my mangled spine) and I have to move back to a smaller camera and lighter weight primes. So I’m selling my Zeiss CZ.2 Full-Frame Cinema Zooms (in PL mounts): - Zeiss 28-80mm T/2.9 CZ.2 - Zeiss 70-200mm T/2.9 CZ.2 They’re gorgeous pieces of glass in excellent condition. I fell in love with the way they render faces and skintones the first time I used them. The bokeh from the 18-blade apertures is gorgeous, they're terrifically sharp wide-open, and it's almost impossible to coax chromatic aberrations out of them. They’ve served me beautifully on S35mm sensors, but they’ll also make particularly perfect companions for Monster, Alexa LF, Venice or the C700FF (where I think the focal range really shines), or on something like the FS7 with a PL-mount Speedbooster. The lenses are located in Melbourne, Australia, but happy to ship worldwide (PM me for a shipping quote) $13,900 USD each or $27,000 USD for the pair (+GST if sold in Australia). Each lens comes in its original box, with a laser-cut foam case insert. If you’re buying the pair, I’ll throw in the Pelican 1550 that houses them both. Cheers, Mark Kenfield

Yeah, 'perils of the job' and all that. The Mini is the obvious choice. But certain elements of its design still give me the shits (mainly the fact it was never designed to be an A-camera). So I've got some pondering to do on that front.

The doctors have demanded I move on to a significantly lighter camera setup (for my mangled spine). That means no more Alexa Studio and no more zooms :( So I'll be moving over to a more miniature camera and back to prime lenses. Plan is to switch to the new Vario 5 Easyrig to accommodate the move.

Hi everyone, Selling an Easyrig Cinema 3 with 700N spring and the brilliant 'Hang Me Up' quick-release system from Hanse Inno Tech (the original clamp is included as well). It's in great condition and works a treat. Price is $2500 USD Located in Melbourne, Australia but happy to ship worldwide (just PM me for a shipping quote). Sales within Australia will attract GST. Cheers, Mark

"only"?! It's covers 18-35mm at a constant T/2 aperture! The only thing that comes close is the Cooke 15-40mm T/2 and that weighs 3.6kg!

The grain is the best thing about S16mm these days, it gives you a wonderful, unmistakable aesthetic. The last thing I'd be doing with it is grain reduction. If it's clean images you want, just shoot digital. As for chroma noise, some scanners do introduce it. I've found it cleans up very easily in Resolve using just the chroma noise reduction tools.

I would counter that with a slight amendment (based on my experiences so far, and the tales I've been told by far mightier cinematographers than myself). 1. Hustle 2. Luck 3. Specificity

Hey Chad, If I hadn't recently bought more of them myself, I'd snap yours up. Would you consider selling the v-mount plate, 40 degree snap grid, and dual soft case separately? Cheers, Mark

Interesting. I wonder if the Genesis and F35 had different OLPFs? I shot a feature and a half dozen other projects on the Sony version of the camera and never encountered any moire.

Flexible LED panels are brilliant for this sort of thing, as you can rig them from the ceiling with nothing more complicated than gaffer tape and string if you want to.

The frame is what it is. I think the pertinent point is that the camera is doing its job just fine.

And poppier still:

The skintones look fine to me. I'm not seeing anything untoward with them. Here's what I got from a quick pass in Resolve: And another version, with the saturation pulled out of the background to allow her skintones to pop her out a bit more:

For a room that size, you could get a similar effect from a 1.8kw HMI at a pinch. You certainly don't need an 18k for that. The scope and distance aren't large enough to demand it.

It really isn't just about total DR, but how well the medium in question handles its breaking points. Look at Canon DSLRs for example. They've got thoroughly unimpressive DR, a good 3-4 stops down from what Nikon and Sony are doing. But they rolloff into their white clip point very gracefully. In the video world, the Sony F35 is a good example of the same thing, and in film, positive transparencies have similar characteristics. And ultimately, the significance of a wide latitude is directly related to your ability to control the contrast range in your composition with lighting. The more control you have, the less significant the need for a wider latitude is.

Yeah, for that budget it really just comes down to whatever cheap used fixtures you can happen to find on ebay or fb marketplace.

'Canons' you can potentially rent out. 'Rokinons', not so much. Beyond mere optical differences, I think it's important to consider things like brand recognition and serviceability if you're going to invest in glass. The Canons have been paired with Alexa65 for the $100 million dollar show 'Altered Carbon' - that's a good selling point.

Check out Shelly Johnson's gorgeous work on The Wolfman for a more expressionist reference. And Tim Ives' fantastic night exteriors on Stranger Things for a slick, modern approach.