Gregory Irwin

Going today, Friday.

If you want to be a DP, be a DP. Working at a rental house can be good but it costs you time from achieving your ultimate goal. Just do it! G

I honestly didn't know it still existed. G

Wow. And I thought the idea was to welcome a new member. Suddenly, pre-production broke out! I also agree with Freya (as usual). I had the pleasure of meeting Garreth on GODZILLA and it is quite obvious why he has become successful with oppotunities: He is a gentleman who respects everyone involved with the process. Maybe a lesson here?

In reality, ithe IMAX camera is bigger, heavier and denser.

What a great cinematographer and a great man. He will be missed.

We made an entirely new viewing system for the IMAX MSM camera to make the eyepiece position much more friendly for hand held. It was also much brighter and sharper than the original. We then machined a "Panavised" mount on the bottom of the camera body to accept Panavision style handles that allowed the camera to be balanced on Hoyte's shoulder. Finally, I had made extra long cables that allowed all power and Preston requirements to be led aft to a specially built backpack that our dolly grip wore while guiding Hoyte during a shot. All in all, it worked brilliantly. G

I'm going to take that as a compliment! Thanks Phil. Consider it was hand held with a 78 pound IMAX camera as well! G

Enjoy... I sure did... http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zSWdZVtXT7E

This time, Hoyta van Hoytema nailed it. By drama, I'm referring to the narrative story. When the big action starts, Chris goes BIG with the format, IMAX, thus lighting up that big IMAX screen.

Prisoners was Digi as far as I know but not 16:9 (1.78:1). 16:9 is what the current HDTV format is. Not to be confused with the theatrical formats of 1.85:1 or 2.40:1. It's all a creative choice.

It's quite simple really. Chris drove the idea of mixing the formats for dramatic purposes. The drama was photographed in Panavision 4 perf anamorphic that is 2.40:1 and the action scenes are photographed in IMAX 65mm, 15 perf that is actually 1.43:1 aspect ratio. No 16:9 involved. That is mainly a digital format. Chris is all film. You will see it again in his upcoming picture "INTERSTELLAR" this fall. G

Haha! I have a few of those in my family as well. But all kidding aside, I was out of town last year with work from January through September! The dog growled at me when I walked back in my door!! So, there was NO time for family or friends except those of my camera team. G

We actually had a great get together in New York a few years ago. We had a blast. Like Freya said, the timing has to be right. With all of our travel schedules it's hard enough to just see family! G

Sorry I missed you Phil (and Adrian). Just read your post. Next time Ok? G

I'm guessing that this is an older design where the lens physically "travels". In the past, we had to use extra wide follow focus gears that could accommodate the travel. Newer designs allow the elements to travel inside the barrel in order to not have this issue among other things. G

That's good. Glad to hear that. Best of luck to you on your project and thank you! G

Hire a First Assistant that can keep pace with a 22 day shoot and also keep all of that hand held in focus! Otherwise, all of the above is mute. G

It's a good possibility that the measured "gap" between the gate and the pressure pad that holds the film against the gate (as it runs through the camera) could be too narrow. This could cause an intermittant bruising to the negative and sounds like what you have described. An experienced camera tech can adjust that gap to where it works effectively without causing this bruising. G

This company is known for insuring camera gear: http://www.taylorinsurance.com Good luck!

It's the same crew. I'm simply playing catch up with them. I've keyed the First Unit on several of the FAST movies but had to originally pass on "7" due to my commitment to the recent Chris Nolan picture. Now, we all will be reunited in a very difficult situation. Thank you Freya - it's going to be emotionally tough without Paul but the picture must be finished. G

Thanks for the support Eric! I will be sure to say hi to Geoff for you. We're working together now on FAST & FURIOUS 7 (shameless plug!) :) G

Bravo Dom! Excellent presentation! It also brought back great memories. I used the 2C for many years and loved the simplicity of that camera. And thank you for sharing this Nicholas. G

Please realize that the nearly 10,000 feet per day was primarily one camera. As for shooting with 2 cameras, that's really a question for your cinematographer with regards to lighting. You really should have a good B cam operator who understands the role of finding shots that are good for editorial. Whether they are different coverages or cut aways, the B camera could be very useful. Without that sort of experience behind it, the second camera could become a hinderence. As for VALENTINES DAY, what a blast working with Gary. He is a true one of a kind. G

Hi Ryan, I just spoke to my UPM on AH and this is what he told me. We were a 2 camera show shooting 2 perf, but for the most part we were only one camera shooting at a time. We shot about 9,600 ft. of film per day. For a 35 day schedule, that equals 336,000 feet of film. It sounds like your producer is right on. Hope this helps and good luck!! G