Gregory Irwin

It’s pretty easy over here Phil. Once the word “liability “ is stated, producers are willing. G

I wanted to expand on the post that mentioned Haskell’s “Who Needs Sleep”. Sadly, towards the end of the documentary, there is a funeral for camera operator, Michael Stone. I was at that funeral and Michael was the second member of my team and a close friend to die due to hours worked. He worked too many hours that night and paid the ultimate price driving home. This issue of excessive work hours is close to my heart. I am very vocal about it at work. I always insist on a courtesy hotel room provided by production for people who are too tired to drive home. There was even a time on an out of control (hours-wise) HBO show I did, I informed the First AD that at 14 hours, I was going home. I didn’t care if the camera was rolling - I was getting into my car and leaving. I told him that I wouldn’t be a participant in putting exhausted crew members onto the freeway after a most likely 20 hour day. The result? I wasn’t fired and we wrapped at 14 hours! That trend continued on that show for the remainder of it. As for rotating crews in order to keep filming, that doesn’t work for several reasons. The most obvious is that the director can’t go on for that long and neither can the actors. As for crew members, certain departments theoretically could rotate out but none of the frontline crew could ever do that. This would include the camera department, the assistant directors, continuity and I’m sure others I’m not mentioning here. G

It’s a good camera as far as it goes. The DP likes the dynamic range, I like the internal NDs and the weight is good. The issue is these cameras are getting so small that the real estate to mount accessories to make it a cinematic camera is limited. The end result is having to add cages and power distribution boxes to accommodate these accessories that make the camera heavier and bigger than advertised. This by no means limited to the Venice. G

Yes and yes. Sony Venice. G

That has been the classic tragedy of our industry Phil. Too many hours and not enough sleep time. I’ve lost 2 good friends to falling asleep behind the wheel due to too many hours worked. The current trend here in the Hollywood feature film industry is to work 10 hours/day and not break for lunch. Food is constantly available and lunch is also brought to us while we continue to shoot. The producers are contractually obligated to pay each union employee meal penalties for every half hour past the initial 6 hours worked when a meal break is due. We receive the meal penalties every half hour till we wrap. The exchange for quality of life vs. OT is growing more popular here. Having a 8:00am call means we are going home by 6pm. Dinner with the family? Unheard of before! G

Well, I have 40 years in the business and around 80,000 hours behind the camera. I don’t need the OT. I like quality of life with my family much more these days! G

I’m working with Ron Howard currently and I must say that he is a refreshing breath of fresh air. He’s polite and prepared. We don’t go a second over 10 hours per day and sometimes we finish 5 pages of scripted dialogue in less time. I’ve worked with many top directors in this business over the years but I’m particularly enjoying this one. G

I miss the old format of Cinematography.com. I feel that it was easier to surf new messages and subjects. Anyone else share this opinion? G

Hey all, I'm looking to buy this Heden motor LM30 256. New or previously owned. Any leads? Many thanks... G

Love it. This is “Taxi Driver” all of the way and not the typical comic book movie. The marketing will be critical for the box office success of this picture since it’s not a “Batman”. Beautifully lit, shot and directed. G

I have used WESTERN EQUIPMENT FINANCE in the past for large cine gear purchases. They are unique because they use the actual gear being purchased as collateral. Easy! G

We shot the first act of "STEVE JOBS" in 16mm. G

I would add some of these guys are not even good - just the flavor of the month. G

All my wife cares about is the red carpet fashion show. She couldnt care less about the rest! ;) G