Gregory Irwin

I found it completely disjointed and boring. There was never a decent payoff to any of the themes. A real missed opportunity for London which happens to be one of my favorite cities! I don't know if any opening ceremony will ever be better than Beijing. That's definitely the benchmark.

Hi all! I just learned that a picture that I was the key 1st AC on, "Game Change" for HBO, just earned a nod for the Best Cinematography Emmy. Jim Denault, ASC is the cinematographer and Geoff Haley is the A camera operator. We are very thrilled for Jim and for all of us involved with GC that our efforts are being recognized. Cheers, G

We left out that many other countries refer to The Cameraman as "DOP". That's my least favorite. I don't know why but I just don't like calling my employer a dope! :) in the end, all of these titles say artist. G

The two are interchangeable. No difference at all. The Cinematographer (or Director of Photography) may also be referred to as The Cameraman as well. G

Thanks for the very kind words. Bay's new pic, called PAIN & GAIN, is a dark comedy about 3 Miami Beach body builders who unsuccessfully kidnap and extort a wealthy Miami man for all of his assets. It's based on a true story. Mark Wahlberg, Duane Johnson, Anthony Mackie and Ed Harris are in it. Should be terrific. G

Ha! You wouldn't believe the size of that bag along with all of the other baggage that comes along with it!!! :)

My Key 2nd AC, loader and my wonderful B crew!

Here is a good behind the scenes view of the intersection shoot out. At the beginning of the video, you will see me standing with my hand on my hip on the left side of frame with a white ball cap on. Moments later I show off a lens that had gotten a direct hit from one of the stunt cars. Overall, it shows the amount of work that went into this sequence. Enjoy... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-atyfinYP8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Hi Phil, That sequence was extremely complex. We took about 10-12 days to shoot that chase. And those were full on shooting days of at least 14 hours/ day. My camera department consisted of about 30 people. A lot of camera people, a lot of gear and a lot of logistics. It's strange to be discussing this now 10 year old movie because I just got home from Miami Beach 3 days ago from working on Michael Bay's latest picture called "PAIN & GAIN". I hadn't been back to Miami since " BAD BOYS 2". G

Sorry that I'm late to this but I just read the thread. I was one of the First ACs on the First Unit. It was what all of the above observations have stated, ie., shaky camera, fast camera movement, etc. it also has other dynamics such as top notch special effects (physical effects) as well as great visual effects. But most of all, we shot so much material for this sequence, Michael had a luxury of footage to cut the chase with high energy. Just watch and notice just how long each cut lasts on the screen. For me, that is the key. You must have great editing to match your great footage. G

Hi Chris! I do know Greg. We have worked together only a couple of times and I really enjoyed it. Great guy.

As far as union rates vs. non union rates goes, union jobs pay by the hour including OT as opposed to a non union flat. You must also calculate all of the benefits that are included in your hourly pay such as all of our health insurance, pension and retirement contributions and very importantly, our IAP contributions. These are all contributed to us employees by our employers as opposed to all of this being deducted from our paychecks like many industries. IAP stands for Individual Account Plan which is our equivalent to a 401K plan. For every hour worked, the producers contribute a percentage toward the plan. Upon retirement, that plan (depending on the number of contribution years) could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Thus, there is no question about union vs. non union (as far as I'm concerned) since a union motion picture employee is investing into his/her future with a lifetime plan that covers themselves and their families. G

With all respect, it's for your focus puller, not for you. Having said that, it's not nessesary but it is quite helpful. G

Not everyone is meant to be a DP. I certainly am not. It was an early choice in my career to either be a starving artist or a successful motion picture employee. I wanted a career vs. an impoverished adventure!! Everyone's criteria for what they want out of this business is different. That's why you find career DPs and career operators and ACs. Personally, I have zero interest in even camera operating. I found my niche. I believe it's a better choice to be expert at one thing rather than be average at several things. That's why I appreciate Nathan's question on how to be better at his job. I've found that there is an overall lack of truly experienced 2nd ACs out there due to they want to move up before they have mastered their current position. G

I should clarify tht those 3 2nd ACs have spanned over the entire 32 years without interupption. I truly thank them for their loyalty and talent. Cheers, G

What a broad question. I've enjoyed a wonderful 32 years as a First AC and have only had 3 full time 2nd ACs over that course of time. I would say that I look for loyalty to the team first, strength in management skills, complete knowledge of cinematography and the gear we use. Of course, he or she must have an organized system. The 2nd AC also must be user friendly but firm for what he/she needs from production. Diplomacy is a gifted skill that is mandatory in our jobs. My current key 2nd AC and I have a simple deal: I get us the jobs, I keep us on the jobs and he runs the department. Greg

Hi all... I realize that I'm getting into this discussion very late but I'm three weeks into a Red Epic feature and cannot wait to rid myself of this camera. As many of you know, I'm an old film guy. I have an open mind towards HD and I actually like the Alexa. But as a Hollywood, feature film veteran, I can honestly say that the Red Epic can be a production liability. I'm not a techy guy, analyzing all of the pros and cons of the minutia of any camera system. I just want a practical system that allows me to concentrate on my job and the filmmaking. I don't need the stress of constantly monitoring the cameras for signs of cardiac arrest! Out of the three Epics that are a part of my base package, only one has performed without issue. I'm running all three cameras at the same time and watch helplessly while the other two constantly crash with power spikes and an assorted array of electronic related problems. I've swapped out much of the gear only to continue with similar issues. The size of the camera can be advantageous or a liability. Small is not always good. For example, on the steadicam, we are actually ADDING mass and weight to better fly the camera. All in all, I do feel like I'm beta testing the system on a very tight shooting schedule that isn't suited for these delays. In the end, the picture will be shot and we will all be a bit smarter from the experience.

In my experience, camera operators do not normally get prep. Only Steadicam operators get maybe a day of prep with the AC in order to ensure that his/her rig is in operational order with the camera.

I'm with Tom on this one. I feel that it's a terrible habit to use the discs at all. Your reaction time is affected when your head is moving and your eyes are shifting to too many places other than looking down the "center line" from the film plane, straight across the lens (thus the numbers on the lens) to the actors or whatever your subject is that you're focusing on. I try to keep my head in one position, looking only at the actor and the numbers on the lens without marking the lens at all. If you already know the distance, what does a mark help out with when you have precise footage engravings on the lens? It just takes some practice. Keep it stupid simple. The discs cause much room for error if the gear slips on the lens or if the disc becomes unseated, etc. Good luck! G

What is the Harp Test? G

Thanks Brian. Thats very kind of you to say that. Cheers!

I have no idea. I saw it with digital projection here in Baltimore, MD at some downtown cinema (we are here on location filming another picture). It was scary sharp! G

Two perf is very risky. Gate hairs are a common problem. One cannot avoid them. We were two perf solely to avoid shooting HD. The Fighter was also a gritty film and the two perf matched the style beautifully. HD will overtake the two perf market. There is not much evidence that supports the two perf format.

We shot the picture in Super 35mm, 2.40:1. Panavision.

I can tell you from first hand experience that there are hairs with Aaton (or with any motion picture film camera for that matter). To claim otherwise is irresponsible. I cannot tell you how many gate hairs we had with the 2 perf Penelope on The Fighter. It was an everyday struggle.