Charles Talbott Jr

Since both Star Wars VII and Jurassic World will be shooting on film over the digital alternatives, I was wondering if you guys knew of any other high-profile movies shooting film? I assume Nolan's Interstellar and PT Anderson's Inherent Vice are. Any others?

Is this still available?

Flat out...spectacular images!

Doesn't NYFA have courses at Princeton? Maybe a little closer to home, yes?

I think all aspiring filmmakers go through this, very frustrating, situation. If the students in your course are not interested, talk to your instructor. He/she may be able to get you in touch with previous students that are still in the area. If not, go around to other local community colleges or universities and talk to the instuctors there. You need to be your own PR person. There's no real way to get the help you need without advertising yourself and networking. Have you tried getting work in the field? Getting work as a Grip or PA might not be what you're looking to do forever, but it pays and you'll meet plenty of serious film/video professionals. Like David said, if you give your location in your posts, you might even hook up with people from this board. Persistence is the key to success.

Steven Soderbergh has shot many of his own films using the pseudonym Peter Andrews. Also, David Fincher was a special effects cameraman for ILM (although not a DP, it's still interesting...he has a great eye)

Any news on this film, Adam?

You know, I just re-watched the reel and it is a dissolve from shot 1 to shot 2. Sorry. I'd cut that shot and transition to something else if possible. Cheers.

There's some really nice shots in there, Davon. You're first and last shots of the reel are very strong, but I would remove the second shot from the reel. The first shot is very surreal and then, "smack", you're back down to earth. It felt a bit jarring to me. Maybe try a dissolve instead of a cut if you're married to it. I'd also trim the "mint" montage down, I felt it was repetitive. LOVE the shot of the guy by the payphone at the truckstop...well executed. Hope this helps a bit. Make sure to post a final version if you change anything. Good luck.

I love the shot of the kid running across the street at the beginning, and the title at the end when the book is dropped down. Nice touch. As far as the lightsaber shots, I like the inclusion. Having (at least partially) dealt with special effects in your work could be a plus. Too bad there isn't more of that type of work represented...then it wouldn't seem out of place.

Great job! I'm with Lee...the close ups on the singer have a really nice quality. I would have dropped the titles off after establishing what each setup was. It's a bit redundant on the subsequent shots to still have "Model United Nations: Russia" on the fourth or fifth go-round. Otherwise, I'm sure Wes Anderson would be proud.

Well, it's been a few weeks...how'd the additional shooting go?

Thanks, Andrew. That's a good point also.

Thanks, guys. So...essentially, primes are usually sharper (given the same aperature setting under the same conditions), have better minimum focus distance, and better under low light conditions (because you can open up the lens more). Does that sum it up well, or am I missing something? Thanks again for the info.

I feel silly just asking this, but if I'm using a good, sharp zoom lens (let's say a 10-100mm)and I set it on the 10mm, is that going to give me the same look as using a 10mm prime lens? Again, if it's set somewhere else on the lens, say 50mm, is that consistent with a 50mm prime? If so, why would anyone use anything but a great zoom? If not, what type of differences would I see between the primes and the zoom? Thanks for the help.

Kathleen, Any news on the project? Let's see some footage!!! B) CJ

I just got a K-3 and will be testing it soon. Nice shots. It's good to know that the Meteor lens is giving you decent shots. That's encouraging for me. Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing.

I don't know about cheap, but I've used Du-All Camera in NY for repairs and service and have been very pleased with the service. Check 'em out at their website www.duallcamera.com Hope this helps.

Hey, guys. Does anyone know who makes custom support bars for the K-3? I seem to remember that James Westbrook had a K-3 with custom support and a matte box from Lee Filters. Thanks for the assistance.

I'm getting ready to shoot some standard 16mm on my K-3 and I'm going back and rewatching films shot in Academy standard to inspire me. Last night I watched "The Killing". I'll be shooting B&W reversal so...any suggestions?

Bravo! Absolutely gorgeous.

Obviously, a labor of love.Hopefully, it'll get at least a limited US release. If not, I'm sure the DVD will be out in the fall.

Yes, Ruairi, I understand that with regards to "Cloverfield". My opinion, in this case, was referencing the trend of using handheld in narrative films when a different creative choice would be more suitable. Obviously, going handheld doesn't make shooting a picnic for the operator, but I find that it's a lazy choice sometimes by the Director and as evidenced [by the article] above...not very audience friendly. I wasn't specifically bashing "Cloverfield". No offense meant, sir.

Films that use too much handheld annoy me. I love to sit in the front of the theater to look up at the screen. Maybe it's the kid in me, but I think it makes everything larger than life. Good movies completely wow you that way. For movies like "Cloverfield" and "Blair Witch Project" it makes the first few rows of the theater unuseable. It's a disturbing trend. Seemingly, the current mindset is that handheld = realism. And if handheld is more realistic, then "shakey-cam" is ultra-realism. For "Cloverfield", we sat smack in the middle of the theater because we knew that it was a handheld movie, but it was still pretty jarring during the action scenes. My friend's fiancee felt sick after the movie was over. I doubt the filmmakers were going for that particular reaction. Handheld can be very effective when used properly (and by properly, I mean sparingly.) A good example is for POV shots. Every creative choice, every shot, should serve a purpose. Otherwise, I just picture the producer saying "Hey...we forgot to get the permits for this location. Let's hurry up before the cops get here. Go handheld."