Gregory Irwin

Are you kidding me Reuel??? You JUST want to make movies? Direct?? Let's get real. You are talking about the biggest mental and physical commitment that you will ever undertake! There are no free passes here. If you think that this is going to be easy, you are mistaking my friend. Film directors, by nature are some of the most prepared and intelligent people I have ever met. The successful ones anyway. All I read from you are excuses. That's defeatist. Get off your rear end and start finding solutions to your problems. Get a tutor for biology. Make it happen!!! I'm honestly disgusted with your lack of faith in yourself. If you don't have faith in yourself, no one else will. And don't hide behind your ethnicity to make yet another excuse to why you can't be successful in ANYTHING you put your mind and efforts towards. Faith and commitment = success. Are you committed Reuel? If you are, you will find solutions to your challenges.

That's easy! The University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. USC is the top school in the world for this. G

NOT THE RIGHT ATTITUDE!!!

I was composing a response to one of Richard's earlier posts in this thread when I read Brett's post. Honestly Reuel, Brett is right on. I am testimony towards that. I had no "in" to this business. I majored in film AND business. I believe my business degree has taken me much farther towards becoming a success as a cameraman than my film degree did. Let's face it: you will be working in the Film INDUSTRY, Show BUSINESS! This is not to say in the least that film school is not beneficial. It is. As Brett stated above, it introduces you to a networking environment and helps lead you to the path in. It's still up to you to go down that path on your own. If this is truly what you want to make your life's work about, you will do anything it takes to make that happen. You will have a "take no prisoners" attitude towards your goal. And this begins with hunkering down and improving your grades and taking the subjects that you think don't matter. Let's face it: Cinematography is math. Good luck to you. And by the way, I am particularly partial to USC. They boast of the top film school in the world as well as their highly respected Marshall School of Business. Can't go wrong! Great recommendation Richard! G

It's not a doc. It's Chris' first Sci-Fi. The music is Hans Zimmer. And as for the faked shots, well I guess we did pretty good because the ones you mentioned are not them! The TV newscaster is the legendary Walter Cronkite who anchored the CBS News for decades. That a real moment of him reacting to NASA's successful moon landing in 1969. Thanks Freya! G

Actually, there are a couple of shots in the "stock footage" that we shot and vfx made to look archeival. I'm not telling which ones! ;) G

Enjoy...

Thanks for the heads up. But that's way too risky. We are going with plan B. We need to be able to trust the film stock's integrity. G

Ah. That confirms it. So much for this idea! :). Thanks David. G

Hi all, Is Kodak still manufacturing 7212 (100T)? Thanks... G

Now I'm choked up...

Actually, many of the same Fast Team are there. Same producers, DP and many of the camera team are there. No one quite knows what the next move for them is yet. Having worked on 3 of the Fast movies, I can say from experience that Paul was a kind gentleman. It is a very sad time for all who had the privilege to know him.

Question: do the same rules apply when calculating flicker free "windows" for digital cameras as we do with film cameras? Thanks... G

We have a mandatory state run insurance called "worker's compensation". If you are hurt on the job, the employer initiates the medical insurance to cover the employee's medical expenses and disability if necessary. But this only applies if you are an employee (on payroll). This is why the studios won't take on the liability of unpaid labor. I always have a camera PA and that is always a paid position. G

This has been very interesting to me. What strikes me is that in the "Hollywood Studio System", we cannot hire unpaid labor. They must be on payroll to satisfy any and all liability issues. I'm sure that this problem exists in the non-union, independent markets but that would never fly in the big leagues. G

Actually John, Chris is very much a cinematographer even if he isn't getting the credit for it. He is the driving force behind the lensing style. He is extremely educated in the craft. Having said that, Hoyte, who is the cinematographer is a very good talent. He is a minimal lighter with a straight forward approach without drama. I like him. This is our 2nd movie together - THE FIGHTER being the first. He will go far. G

Yeah, the FAST movies are terrific jobs. And you're right Freya, they are big. I've worked the A camera on the first unit on 3 of them including the USA portion of "6". The cinematographer, Steve Windon is not only a terrific cameraman but he's a wonderful guy who makes coming to work a joy. I've had the privilege of working with him since the mid '90s and "Deep Blue Sea". It was a tough decision not to do "7" with him which is currently filming. But it was time for a change of pace and Chris Nolan was calling. Chris is a very different experience yet very rewarding. I'm just grateful to be in a position to have to make those kind of choices. I'll never take that for granted! Cheers, G

Having spent a lifetime racing ocean sailboats all over the world, I know that we Americans (that know the sport) recognize the Kiwis as the best in the world. Dean Barker is one classy skipper! I know that he was heart broken with the loss but he and the team will be back. Cheers to Team NZL! Greg

Steve and crew has employed Otto Nemenz for F7. They are using Alexas and Master Primes. I know this only because I usually am Steve's key 1st AC (since the mid 1990s). I had to pass on this project due to taking the key 1st AC job on INTERSTELLAR. I was still involved with helping him crew this current project. I hear its going very well. G

There's always Delux and Fotokem... G

Have you checked the camera essentials.com website? Patti Harrison (owner) just made several custom weather covers for my movie, Panavision and IMAX and they were very reasonably priced. They even incorporated a neoprene front that allows my Cinetape tubes to poke through and not let moister in. She may already have an Alexa cover designed and ready to ship. It's worth checking. G

I hate to be the party pooper but there is no way I would ever trust any remote focus unit other than the Preston. The lens mapping technology allows me, as a focus puller, to use one pre-printed ring and that results in a common lens throw whatever the diameter is. As a former Bartech owner, I rely on the sophistication and simplicity that the Preston offers. And it currently is a complete system. I'm not waiting on any hypotheticals of future developments. The ergonomics are also terrific. That's why I am a multi Preston owner. At the big budget level of production, there isn't one focus puller that I know who would settle for anything less. G

That's my favorite cinematography book! The best. G

I get it. It seems like very little in return for the complications and challenges of anamorphic. Especially when you're sacrificing scope in exchange for the 1.85 format.