Gregory Irwin

It takes years to become a good First Assistant Cameraman. It's not just about the focus pulling. It also involves all of the "technical stuff" - like an understanding of cinematography inside and out, knowledge of the equipment and problem solving. It also requires good managerial skills since you are running the camera department. Your question is quite broad. It sounds to me that you have much studying to do as well as gaining experience by doing and making all of the mistakes. Best of luck to you.

In my opinion, you don't have time to bag everything up like we would like. At least that's been my experience over the past 3 decades of doing this. Just try and anticipate the gear move into the warmer climate and have everything opened up along with a blow dryer to warm the lenses as you go. No big deal. G

There is no real way to stop the condensation. My suggestion is to simply get all of the lenses into the warmer climate, open up all of the lens cases and sit the lenses upright as to prevent the foam from retaining the cold. Also, have a blow dryer ready to help climatize the lenses a bit quicker.

Blacking out the gate has little effect on gate flares. I've shot extensive tests on this subject. Since Super 35 uses the majority of the full aperture area (horizontally) the light passing through the lens will refract off of the gate regardless of it's color and end up flaring within the frame. It's an unfortunate by-product of the format. Even the Cooke S4s will produce gate flares when they're not supposed to flare at all. Having said the above, gate flares are not limited to the Super 35 format. All formats can experience them. Gate flares will occur mostly when a specular light source is seen inside of the full aperture area but outside of the frame lines. Once the light source is included in the frame, the gate flare will cease to exist. Similarly, once it's excluded from the full aperture, it will most likely not occur. Let the debate begin! G

I'm sorry that I don't remember that moment of your question, but I'm sure that I wasn't too busy to answer it - I hope. I really liked the sound crew. Anton did a great job and was a pleasure to work with. G

Hi Phil, Yes! One big pointer. If you are manifesting your gear to come into Thailand, do not list anything with the word "battery". It's a red flag here and all of the camera gear was detained because we were honest and listed all of our batteries. Who knew?? Call them "power supplies" or chocolate chip cookies. Whatever! Just don't call them what they really are. As for focus pulling, I had my Cinetape and my Preston on the camera full time. It was mostly winging it since we didn't use actors marks. My average T Stop was between a T1.3 and a T2, so I hope it looks ok. It was definitely challenging to say the least. I also had a great team mate in Geoff Haley, the "A" camera/steadicam operator. We really worked together to make this style of shooting work. It came down to very clear communication between the two of us. G

I was the "A" camera focus puller on the movie and the head of the camera department. I must say that it was quite the experience from a 2 perf aspect to being a part of this project. I loved every minute of it and I believe that we may have made a very good picture. I haven't seen it yet (I'm in Thailand on "The Hangover 2" currently and will miss all of the screenings) but I'm certainly looking forward to seeing it when I can. I'm glad to hear that the 2 perf held up. We photographed the entire movie hand held and on steadicam with Master Primes and the new Aaton Penelope. I had all 3 cameras in existence imported to Abel Cine Tech in New York from France. Abel did a spectacular job supplying and supporting our movie. Having the only 3 cameras that had been manufactured to date was a huge risk but they worked out beautifully. I wouldn't recommend the camera for every theatrically produced picture but they were the correct call for the style of cinematography for "The Fighter". Their compact, ergonomic design allowed us to fly the cameras all around since we did not have a single mounted shot. We did have a constant problem with gate hairs but we knew that they could be dealt with via the DI. To say that Christian transformed himself for his character is an understatement. He was simply miraculous! He is a complete, professional thespian - and a complete delight to work with. Melissa Leo's and Amy Adams' performances are very noteworthy as well - spectacular. Also, I can honestly say that director, David O. Russell is also a pleasure to work with and I look forward to the next time. The cinematographer is from Sweden, named Hoyte Van Hoytama and he did an exceptional job lighting 360 degrees to allow us to see all directions at any given moment. We rarely rehearsed a scene or shot for camera thus allowing the cast to move and do whatever they wanted. We never knew what was going to happen till we shot it. As for the boxing scenes, we photographed those sequences with outdated Beta Cams that were actually used to broadcast the actual fights back in the day. We even had the same HBO director and cameramen who worked all of the Micky Ward fights for HBO with us recreating the realistic tone of those fight scenes. I hope it's a good picture. I don't get excited about many of the jobs I do but I am excited about this one. I guess we'll all know on December 10th. Cheers, G

I have both. The video camera on the D5 is valuable for seeing the laser in bright conditions. However, the response time to receive the distance measurement seems quite slower than the Hilti. I tend to use either of them as needed. G

CSC is a very reputable rental house. I believe what they say. I did a 2 perf movie last year for Paramount Pictures (that get's released in December of 2010) called "THE FIGHTER" and I experienced mag jamming. We didn't have Arri. We had the new Aaton Penelope cameras and even though, overall, they did a great job, the mags did occasionally jammed. Maybe it's a 2 perf thing. I'm not sure. Best, Greg Irwin

I couldn't agree more with Tom. Tom, you have stated this perfectly. I just returned from Europe to learn of this very sad news. I had the pleasure of being his First AC during the 1980's and 1990's. He was more than a boss to me. He was my mentor and a sort of a "movie dad". He taught me the discipline and the respect needed to be a top member of the camera department. Was he tough? You bet he was. But he had an effectiveness that wanted you to be more and better - for him. He understood how difficult the job could be and he never failed to show his appreciation for one's efforts. He was always very clear on what he expected of everyone around him, whether you were working directly for him or otherwise. But he was always the gentleman. He taught me the importance of being a gentleman and always exhibiting politeness while on set towards your fellow co-workers. No other way would do with Billy. He was my role model on how to act and portray my professionalism as a cameraman. I too, will miss him profoundly. Cheers Billy! You will always be a part of me. Gregory Irwin

I am looking to buy a Tango Head, new or used. If anyone knows of one for sale, I would appreciate the heads up. No pun intended! :lol:

Brian has an excellent point. Politico-economics do have an impact on our business and our very livelihood. Perhaps a dedicated forum in the "Off Topic" section of this site would be a place to sequester these discussions with all points of view being expressed and most importantly, respected. After all, the overall goal is to have a career in the camera business and provide for our families. Whether the issues are related to government or union policy, we are all impacted by their decisions, no matter where we live. I agree with Brian that these concerns do affect us and a healthy discussion could be beneficial and educational. Our industry by nature is very liberal but there are other valid view points and they would need to be respected among the members of this site if this idea is to work. Best, Greg

Naaaaa. :rolleyes: He wears the normal stuff but we, over the course of almost 20 years of working with each other, have scaled down the amount of gear that we use. We know what we need and what we don't need. He does have the radio though. G

I couldn't agree more with Chris. Don't oversell your abilities. The employers will see right through that. Working on some freebies would be a great way to gain experience and contacts. Greg

I wear nothing. I don't even have a radio on. If the basics don't fit in my front box, I don't need them. When the front box can't be there for me, I stick a flashlight in my back pocket and my Fat Max hard tape in a small pouch that sits on my pant's belt. That's it. Wearing the AC belt with all of that stuff on me would drive me crazy. Having a radio in my ear full time would probably put me over the edge!! That's why my 2nd AC is always close by with all of that stuff when needed. We try to keep it simple. Greg

That figures. Half rate meaning $250/day? Better to stay away. One thing that I've learned over the years is that good producers know the value of a good crew and what it takes to embrace them rather than alienating and lose them. G

I should have included the ad with my previous post so everyone would know what we are talking about. So, here it is from Craigslist: los angeles craigslist > central LA > gigs > crew gigs please flag with care: miscategorized prohibited spam/overpost best of craigslist 1ST AC NEEDED FOR VIDEO (SACRAMENTO) Date: 2010-02-09, 12:40AM PST Reply to: gigs-7bahf-1592658869@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?] INDEPENDENT FILM COMPANY IS SEEKS AN EXPERIENCED 1ST AC WERE ARE SHOOTING A MUSIC VIDEO OF AN ALL GIRL ROCK BAND IN SACRAMENTO. WERE USING A RED PACKAGE AND SHOOTING WITH A SET OF CLAIRMONT ANAMORPHIC PRIME LENSES. THE SHOOT IS FEB 20, 21 (FRI/SAT) YOU WOULD BE FLOWN TO SACRAMENTO THURSDAY FEB 19TH AND PUT UP IN A HOTEL AND DO CAMERA PREP WITH THE DP THURSDAY NIGHT. SHOOT SAT/SUN AND FLOWN BACK MONDAY MORNING. OUR FLAT RATE IS $1000 (500/DAY) THIS IS NON NEGOTIABLE SO PLEASE DO NOT EMAIL US DIFFERENT RATES WE WILL NOT RESPOND AND TAKE YOU OFF OUR POTENTIAL LIST. YOU ALSO NEED TO HAVE A REEL OF YOUR WORKS THAT WILL BE VERIFIED. MUST HAVE KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE WITH THE RED AND WITH ANAMORPHIC LENSES WHICH IS ANOTHER BREED OF LENS, LIGHT AND DISTANCE !!! WE MAKE IT CLEAR TO ALL INVOLVED, IF YOUR CHOSEN AND YOU SHOW UP THURSDAY AND DO NOT KNOW YOUR JOB, WE WILL SEND YOU HOME THAT EVENING. THIS IS A PROFESSIONAL OPERATION NOT A PLACE TO LEARN ON THE JOB. Location: SACRAMENTO it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests Compensation: $1000 (500/day) PostingID: 1592658869

Wow! I didn't even know Craigslist had these ads. After reading Jonathan's and Paulo's posts, I checked out the ad. I truly don't know where to begin. I'm shocked that people like the ones posting this ad exist!!! First of all, the ad is insulting. Their tone is threatening. This just shows the producers' inexperience and total fear. To go and intimidate the prospective 1st ACs with their statement of no negotiations about pay or they will remove you from their list is silly. That's what doing business is all about. What about negotiating box rental or per diem? Everything is negotiable. Then to go on and say that if you don't know your job, they will "send you home that evening" is laughable. How would they assess your skills the first night? You haven't done anything yet!!! And believe me, they will be so buried solving their own problems, they won't even know that you exist yet. They want to pay peanuts but demand experience and a reel. Huh?? I don't know any 1st ACs who have a reel but then maybe I'm out of the loop on that. They can't have both. Experience will cost them. If they insist on going the cheap route, they deserve what they get. Here's how to negotiate this one: "If you guys (employers) want guarantees that I can handle the job (it's obvious from your ad that you understand that anamorphic requires special skills and experience) and not cost you neither additional expenses nor delays, I need to be compensated properly for that. $500/day flat doesn't cover my my time or experience. How many hours does the $500 cover? Is there OT? If there's no OT, I probably am not making any more than a grocery checker by the end of the day at my local market! Let's talk about this. If you can't change the rate, maybe we can add on a box rental to make up the difference. Otherwise, $500/12 hours worked equals $35.72/hour. So, after 12 hours, I would get 2X pay at $71.44/hour. That will keep it fair for both of us and will get what YOU need. How about it?" Good luck on this one. I don't think that they are smart enough to realize that if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. My final observation is the camera prep. How are you to prep on location without the support of the rental house? Grand assumptions are being made that all of the gear is going to be present and working, no adjustments to the package will need to be made and above all, the lenses are going to be decent! How do you manage all of the challenges that a prep can hand you the night before? This is a set up for failure. Well, my friends, all I can say is that's why we have a union. We have a mutual agreement between employers and employees that provides the expectations for both sides. The Hollywood Basic Contract gives the ground rules for all of us to adhere to. It weeds out schmucks like these people so we don't have to deal with them and have it become adversarial. These producers have taken the adversarial approach right out of the gate by posting this threatening ad so I can't imagine it will be much better once you're in Sacramento. Once the pressure of production commences, I believe that they will be the first to crumble and point blame elsewhere - like you. You know the saying: Blame the innocent Promote the guilty Reward the non-involved Best, Greg PS: The hourly stated above is based on an 8 hour day with 1.5X for the following 4 hours and 2X after that. To convert these different pay scales to the common denominator of straight time in order to make it easier to calculate, simply divide the rate ($500) by 14 (hours). This will give you what the hourly rate is for 12 hours. I rounded up the hourly in this case.

Here is some good reading for you Paulo... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anamorphic_lens Best, Greg

The curved field is a real thing. However, trying to factor that variable in while focus pulling isn't reasonable. That's why when prepping anamorphic lenses, you test and find the "flattest" lens available. Most of my work for many years was anamorphic and I had 2 sets of Panavision C and E series lenses that I kept for every job. This is because I had exhaustively tested these lenses and chose my 2 sets out of numerous lenses. One of the main factors was how "flat" the field was on each of them. I also determined for the cinematographer what the "true" lens speed was. In other words, what should the widest aperture be in order to hold enough "DEPTH of FOCUS" to cover the curved field. We couldn't always live up to that favored stop but we usually did. But there is no doubt to the fact that the focus puller needs to be keen to the blocking of a shot since focus is a major issue with the anamorphic format. Best, Greg

Additionally, I would add the following: By way of focus pulling, since you have twice the angle of view when compared to the relative depth of field, more choices must be made with consideration to where to play the focus. Remember, the anamorphic format offers you twice the angle of view while giving up half the normal DOF. Another consideration would be the lighting package. Some would argue that the lighting package must be larger in order to be able to achieve deeper stops from further away so you can hold sharpness across the curved field of focus. G

I'm not sure what two focal lengths really means but anamorphic is a different animal. Not focus pulling necessarily but with regards to optics. There are many more factors to consider when choosing an anamorphic lens like: color, chromatic aberration, stigmatism, internal flare and finally, the flatness of a curved field. I suggest going back into the archives of this site for there are numerous articles posted on this subject. G

I would find out what your state's labor law is. They may have to pay you at least 8 hours of straight time or a flat rate for the job which you would have to negociate. G

I appreciate all of these responses but having been a focus puller for 30 years, I must say that these solutions really complicate matters. Of course this is just my opinion. Keep it simple. The job is already complicated enough. The more one can wean one's self away from using marks and simply "see" the distance and "feel" the timing of the focus pull, the easier you will find it gets. Of course a good cine tape helps too! :rolleyes: But with all seriousness, the actors will not always be in the same place relative to the camera and the camera will certainly not be that consistent - especially on a jib. Using a laser is a good idea but again, worrying about the diagonal angles and all that will become burdensome. If you choose to use the laser pen, aim it at the ground from the jib arm, put some simple reference marks on the ground and rely on your judgement after that. You will be amazed how fast your confidence will grow. Once you become too reliant on "marks", especially when the camera and/or actors are not on the marks, you can tend to freeze up and won't know where to go with focus. Best, Greg

It could be bouncing off of the pressure pad but that's not the thinking at this time. It's more likely that it's reflecting off of the emulsion itself. Unfortunately, all of the images are property of Paramount Pictures and they will not allow me to post any clip. Too bad for that would be helpful. G