Gregory Irwin

Hi! I would simply measure from your subject (the singer?) and place strips of tape on the floor. Make them small if the camera is going to see them on the wide. As the camera’s sensor plane passes over your marks you set the focus accordingly. I recommend taping a thin line of brightly colored tape on the camera so you can see the sensor plane on the camera. Also, don’t place too many marks. You’ll get confused. Maybe go from 10 feet, 5 feet and 2 feet if you’re that close in the end. You can choose what distances make sense to you. Anything beyond 10 feet, you’ll have the DOF to help you out on a 25mm lens. Feel the rhythm of the camera move and turn that knob!! 😁 KEEP IT SIMPLE!!! G

I would say USC is worth it if you can get in. G

I believe that education is important whether it’s film school or otherwise. I went a little crazy in college earning a degree in cinema and ultimately, 3 business degrees. The business degrees really paid off for my long motion picture career. G

Thanks Dom! I appreciate you. This is for a young filmmaker who just purchased one and was asking me about it. I’ll pass on your info! G

Hi all… Does anyone know who and where one can have a spring wound, Bolex reflex camera converted from standard 16mm to super 16? Many thanks! G

There are only 2 days of glory when you buy your first equipment with no means to recoup your investment. The day you buy it and the day you sell it!

That’s what I thought. Technology changes too fast. You’ll always be upgrading. That’s the rabbit hole.

What does this mean?

My point exactly regarding spending the money and starting off in debt right off the bat. It doesn’t end with just the camera, you must accessorize it as well. That turns into a never ending list of stuff and lots of $$$$! Trust me. I own a camera rental company and even though it’s on a different level, the money keeps being spent to keep up. The difference is that my business has a clientele and turns all that spending into profit. It’s daunting at times! G

I always get nervous when I see young people spending money on equipment and don’t have a market to use it in effectively. By buying all of this gear, you are already starting in a deficit. I personally wouldn’t part with the money until you have a market to use it in. In the meantime, you can hone your skills without the expense by using older gear or even borrowing a camera with a fixed lens. I can make better images with my iPhone than most amateurs can with a $2000 camera. It’s not the gear but the talent behind it. G

I’ve used the D series Dom. I had a D40mm that was my favorite at the time. Those mixed with the Bs and Cs made for a very good set. G

Uh… do you want to think about this Dom? 😂 Bravo! Well done! 🙏 G

I love this topic because it deserves much more attention than it gets. I run my camera team as a business. After all, we are in show business. As a head of the department, I am not only responsible for the technical aspects of cinematography but also I’m responsible for the budget, staffing and logistics of the camera department. As I’ve mentioned in past posts, I’ve had the same team with me for many years. When it’s time for them to move up, I move them up within the team to keep them on the team. My job isn’t to tell them what to do but rather LISTEN to them for what they need to perform their jobs at the highest level and make it fit within our given parameters. I’m a true believer in a business management model that I have practiced for years. It’s called “The One Minute Manager “. It’s theory is that if I have hired the right people in the beginning, I don’t need to manage them for more than a minute at any time. If I do need to manage longer than that, I didn’t do my first job correctly by not hiring the right people. That’s completely on me. Hire the best out there and do not micro-manage them unless necessary. If that becomes necessary, changes may be next. My job is to keep the team on target for the end goal and let them loose! That’s exactly why I know my entire team is in the top 1% in the world for their crafts. That’s also why the Hollywood studios request me to head up their camera departments on big budget movies, in order to protect their investments as well as producers and, of course, cinematographers. I say that very humbled and modestly. There is a series of books on The One Minute Manager and I highly recommend them. It’s a simple and effective business management tool. G

What lenses and what NDs are you using?

They’re all big and HEAVY!!! 🤦🏻‍♂️ G