Nathan Blair

I haven't looked into any technical research here, but just using my common sense my philosophy has always been to preview in B&W and desaturate it in post. I've always felt this is smartest because then you're recording more information than necessary, and therefor allowing more flexibility in post. However, if you are worried about a tight deadline for the edit or are working on an older editing system, the less work you leave for post, the better. I too would like to know if anyone has done technical research into this. Maybe the gamma is worse/better in this mode? I agree, shooting B&W can be very liberating sometimes!

The best method is definitely the squeegee. If you can't do this because of location restrictions or are instructed to gaff it, just make sure it's very tight and there are no wrinkles that can cause weird reflections, and if it's outdoors sometimes it can blow around and look like some kind of weird alien forcefield has appeared outside the window. I've been on a set where we very cleanly taped gray gaff tape along the rim of the ND to give the illusion that the gaff was part of the window frame.

I'm interested in hearing other people's ideas, since I'm approaching a production with multiple cameras myself. I've found that as long as you're popping off two shots that you REALLY need in one take, it's surely a big time saver. However I think the key is having camera operators that you completely trust, because you don't have to spend all your energy worrying about what they're shooting. You can also fearlessly have them go off and shoot cutaways/b-roll without needing to supervise them. Similarly, if you know a gaffer well, you'll be practically communicating in facial expressions, rather than lengthy conversations on whether the key light is in the right position. In the end, maybe having multiple cameras is not the solution to what's slowing down your productions?

But, most of the time I see 1x1 LED litepanels running off interchangeable battery packs, as opposed to generators...

For close ups you might also want to consider using the Diva dimmed down to add some eye light. Definitely light from eye-level not top, unless the source of light is motivated from the ceiling like a chandelier or something?

There's certainly no harm in giving new things a try, but I think Phil is right. If the data isn't there, photoshop unfortunately isn't going to save us. The only way to get a Raw file off of a Canon is by taking a still, isn't it? Arsen, you should check out 5DtoRGB though, it's worth reading about at the least. I just wish they would improve it so that you can encode more than one clip at once!

It does seem like lately, especially shooting digital, everyone is really concerned about latitude and trying to preserve shadow/highlight detail. But I agree it is nice to have some deep shadows where appropriate. That's a great tip about filling from the key side! I've worked with some cinematographers that prefer to place a bounce board as a fill to the side of the subject. Others prefer it to boost the shadows under the chin and eye brows. I always prefer to motivate my light sources... probably because I'm just practical that way. If I know where it's coming from, it helps me to decide what the quality of light should be. So most of the time I think of my "fill" light as ambient light reflecting off a wall in the room, or maybe a table lamp beside the character. In this way, the scene helps me decide where I want it to come from.

I shoot with a 7D, which is essentially the same, just built with a weatherproof housing. I've shot live performances before and really the 12 minute cut-off has not been an issue so far. For shows with musical numbers, typically there is a pause between each act, and I simply hit the record button twice during that pause. The time it takes to re-start the camera is about 1 second, honestly you don't miss anything but 1 second of applause. I've also never had any overheating issues, as well as friends who have the 60D. For sound, do you have the option of plugging in to a sound system? This way a microphone is not needed. You'll just need a recording device of some sort. Could be H4n, or maybe even something cheaper. Look at all the products Zoom has to offer. If your aperture is wide open and you're not very practiced with manually focusing, then it's probably going to be an issue.

Yeah, it was hard for me to believe too. I went on a limb and bought it cause I was desperate, but it turned out to be a pretty decent rig! It has plenty of rails to connect accessories, plus a nice shoulder mount with screw threads to connect a counterweight (I used a D-Weight, some screws, and a piece of wood to construct mine). What I really love is that you can sort of fold it up into itself without detaching anything, so packing it away and setting it up is pretty easy. Negatives to this rig: -No counterweights available (which is weird, but whatever). -Some of the rails used to construct the rig aren't standard 15mm size, but the two that attach to lens accessories are. -I've seen some wear already on the smaller rails, but only surface scratches. -C-Bracket adds a lot of weight, so I never use it. -Snap gears were a slight learning curve, but they're decent. Otherwise, it's a solid rig and I'd say worth the price.

I've had great results with my ULTRAcompact from indisystem.com The prices seem too good to be true, but even the follow focus has been great for the past 8 months.

The legs on the Matthews look really cheap... If you were to choose between these two, I would choose Pearstone. I've used this for the past 3 years, and I've liked it so far: Davis & Sanford ProVista w/FM18 Head

There are certainly an unlimited amount of situations one can be in, and often times, I'm sure that even ASC's get stumped for a few seconds at the least. However, I have to disagree that there are no tricks to keep up your sleeve when it comes to lighting. It does indeed come with practice, so it's good that you're looking for exercises to make improvements. When I was in college, I was unable to take an advanced lighting class because of a dispute with an unfortunate professor, but I found a way to teach myself. I've found it's all about contrast, and textures. Here are some tips: 1) Buy this book: "Light Science and Magic" by Fil Hunter, Steven Biver and Paul Fuqua. 2) For Outdoor tips check out "The New Manual Of Photography" by John Hedgecoe 3) Learn how to light reflective surfaces, glossy surfaces, white on white, and black on black, fog/smoke, water/liquids, wood, and rough textures. 4) Learn how to use polarizers, ND filters, and ND grads. 5) Learn about the different types of reflectors (flexfills, mirrors, shiny-boards, bounce board, etc...) 6) Experiment!

Welcome to the world of posting! I like your stuff! I'm pretty new myself, but here's my opinion: You have really great stuff, and then some stuff you should just take out. None of it is terrible, but you should get rid of less impressive shots. Your best stuff: Slow-mo Skateboarder (beginning) - Very nice, subtle colors and textures. Good light modeling in background, and on subject. sad guy on couch (00:31) - Lighting is decent, almost high-key, and soft. Colors look nice. Punks with cars (00:38) - This is a decent shot. What's great about it is you effectively lit a group of people at night, amongst reflective surfaces. This is the material that will sell you as a DP. Fisheye rockers (00:43) - Shows that you're knowledgeable about lenses. Stuff you should take out: Woman dropping shovel (00:10) - The first 3 times I watched your reel, I didn't understand why the frame was being obstructed and why she dropped her shovel, then I realized she was being held at gunpoint, but the exposure is way blown out on the arm, and it just screams amateur digital. Drunk stumbling guy (00:23) - The overall exposure is a little flat, then the composition goes a little weird when he leans on a wall that's out of frame, and lit by some unknown source on the left? The worst part is all the cables coming out of the outlet in the background... that's a big time compositional no-no. I would just take out that whole sequence. Denzel Washington (00:48) - If it weren't for the weird blur effects, it might be a good shot... but with all those effects it looks amateur to me. Eminem (00:54) - This composition needs more contrast. Not much tonal separation between him and the wall... everything looks like it's exposed at mid-tone level. Nervous man (1:04) - Skin tones look orange, and lighting is pretty flat on his face. He's out of focus pretty much the entire shot.

Sounds like you're gonna have a blast! I recently was AC/2nd Camera on a shoot in Death Valley (check out my blog entry about it). I can tell you, most importantly, you need to have a MAP OF THE PARK, because it is a little difficult to navigate. Without knowing your desired style. I prefer shooting on the Cine D or Cine V scene files because they seem to give me a good latitude. It's likely going to be very bright, and the time of day will matter a lot. You want to try and shoot when the sun is just skimming the rocky hills and mountains, so that you get the most contrast on those ridges. Some days it gets hazy at certain hours and that may or may not work for you. If you're shooting people, bring a flexible reflector, or shiny bounce boards. For setting the brightness, try using the built in ND filters to knock down the exposure as much as possible, then use your iris to make minute adjustments. The sound travels REALLY FAR, so if sound matters, be ware of crowds. Also, they are really strict about permits... If it's a big setup, make sure you have that covered. My favorite locations: Devils Golf Course Donte's Peak (at sunset) Natural Bridge Mosaic Canyon Stovepipe Sand Dunes

I hope I'm not late in the game here, but I noticed no one answered the cheap lighting question and I thought I'd give some suggestions... Cheap lighting depends on your definition of cheap... Professional lights cost, at minimum $135 a piece, maybe for some Lowell Totas. They're great... basic lights... but pretty hard to control. Also check out the "hardlight fixture series" at www.coollights.biz If you just simply want to get the scene lit and don't have $500 to spend on a couple of Tota lights and stands, then consider getting some of those really cheap reflector clamp lights at Home Depot or Lowes. You can use 150w bulbs in them, and the reflectors allow for pretty decent directionality, so you can sort of sculpt your lighting just a bit with them. I've used them before when I had nothing else to work with. For light stands check this out: http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Versatile-PVC-Light-Stand-for-Under-5/ There are tons of "DIY" tutorials for any film equipment you can't afford, but would be willing to build yourself. They are also kinda fun projects to get into B) For outdoor scenes, you can use foam insulation sheets, also found at most Home Depots and Lowes. They usually have a white side and a shiny side. Use the shiny side reflect light where needed. Use the white side for a softer fill. Good luck with your shoot!

Great work! I like the simplicity of your site too.

Awesome reflections!

Nice reel!! It's rare to see good compositions in 4:3 aspect ratios anymore. I think your strongest compositions are both shots of the stairwells, the crowd in the hallway, and the sequence of the sleepy typewriter. The first shot of the man looking at the elevator doors is kinda muddy... I would say it's the weakest shot and you might consider removing it. There's just nothing special about it compared to everything else.

Richard, where were you 3 years ago when I was in film school!?!

This is awesome! I never thought it possible. Thanks for sharing :)

If you're on a tight budget like me, I recommend looking at http://indisystem.com. They have great prices on follow focus systems. Mine has been very reliable thus far. For short-term projects, consider renting a nice set of primes. If you're in an area without rental facilities, consider http://borrowlenses.com For steadicam or dolly shots, like Adrian said, you should just rent a wireless follow focus system. Your AC and Camera Op can feasibly use the same monitor for most shots. Like Adrian said, an AC should typically focus to preset marks, and not rely on the monitor's image.