Michael Morlan

Hi all, I tested a couple LED panel instruments recently introduced by Ikan at NAB 2012. Full review at; http://talltalepictures.com/blog/2012/05/23/testing-the-ikan-id1500-ib1500-led-panels/ Here's the summary: I measured color balance, brightness, and beam spread for each instrument. Obviously, I measured both colors for the bi-color instrument. The daylight-balanced ID1500 measured 60 foot-candles (fc) at 10 feet, which is very favorable when compared to the Kino-flo 4ft 4BANK which comes in at 28fc @ 10ft. It has a narrower beam than the Kino, coming in at 45 degrees along its long axis and 30 degrees across the short axis (measured at 5 feet.) I often prefer a more directional source which can be flooded by adding various choices of diffusion. The light displays no noticeable color shift when it is dimmed to 50% – one of the advantages of LED lighting. There is a mild green spike as measured by the RED One camera. The bi-color IB1500 predictably has lower output due to dividing the available LED’s between daylight and tungsten colors. It measured 32fc @ 10ft daylight and 42fc @ 10ft tungsten. Still, that’s better than the comparable Kino 4-BANK. It’s beam spread is slightly smaller than the ID1500, coming in at 30 degrees along the long axis and 25 degrees across the short axis. The daylight side exhibits the same correctable, mild green spike of its cousin but the tungsten side suffers a much more pronounced spike, requiring an aggressive minus-green gel correction to eliminate (at the expense of output.) Both instruments are robustly constructed for use on set with only a couple minor issues to watch out for. More on that in the full review. Best, Michael Morlan

Excellent addition to the thread, Eric. Agreed on all points. I find I'm willing to use LED sources on non-critical elements; raking a set piece, as a hair light, and, yes, even to light talent in a run-n-gun, realism setting. But, I'd avoid them entirely when lighting for glamor or for rendering subtle details of certain colors and textures. M

What Phil said. When shooting digital (which, in my world, is almost all the time) I prefer to light by eye and meter - just as I would for film. That is especially important when one is lighting without the benefit of camera, monitor, or scopes on set. But, it never hurts to finalize the image with the best tools possible. So, yeah, learn to use a light meter, learn to light by eye, learn to read waveform monitors, vector scopes, parade scopes, histograms, etc...

Hi all, It's been a great while since I've posted so I thought I'd contribute something. A lot of people are enthralled with the new era of LED lighting and, in the lower-end market segment, with the Asian knockoffs of pricey U.S. products. I've scanned a variety of reviews but have not found the kind of data or insight I seek as a DP. So, of course, I did some of my own testing... I tested the Lightpanels 1×1 Superspot and Shantou Nanguang CN-600HS 1×1 panel. My goal with this test was to see how a $350 Chinese knock-off compares to the nearly $2000 U.S. offering and to compare both panels to a tungsten Lowel 250watt Pro-light serving as a reference. 1x1 panels tested Enjoy, Michael

I have heard various philosophies on the matter: feeder cables - over/under flat on ground stingers 25-50ft - over/under - keeps collective twist out, down side: knots if you pull the end out the wrong side of wrap stingers 25-50ft - over/over - matches the internal winding of the conductors, very fast to wrap, lays out well enough. hmm... The best response I heard to the question about stingers was "If it's yours over/under, if it's a rental, over/over." :-) Also, when running a stinger, start at the power end, drop a loop near the distro box, and pay out cable as you walk towards the load. Drop excess loop near load with end paying out the top. Michael

Hi Glynn, The great thing about the movie industry is anyone can declare themselves a DP any time. The troublesome thing about the industry is anyone can declare themselves a DP any time... <Ba dum CRASH!> I had been an amateur photographer and professional 3D animator from the 80's to mid 90's. I wrote/directed/shot a couple 16mm projects with borrowed/rented gear and discovered I had a better knack for lighting/framing than storytelling at the time. I spent seven years studying storytelling while shooting other people's projects and started collecting lighting and a JVC GY-DV500 camera. From '97 through '05, while working in the computer game industry, I shot a lot of shorts, increasing my inventory, art, and craft. In '06, I was laid off, yet again, and decided I was done with game development after a decade. I hung out my shingle and, with a well regarded reel, called myself a "DP" for the first time. I have worked on ten feature films - five as DP, and three as gaffer - and my gear still makes more money than me. :) I look forward to the day I walk on set with nothing but meters and a paycheck that pays the bills. :lol: Michael

The challenge for me is identifying that sweet spot moment to join, as David was describing. That's a bit harder to do in the Texas hinterland (call Texas what you will, it's still just another location for Hollywood) where budgets run shallow and any production with sufficient budget to pay your living expenses comes from the coasts with DP already attached. I'm still examining a couple scenarios as I continue to improve my craft: Work for as many people as possible, waiting for the moment when one of their projects goes the distance (in festivals or distribution) and I get recognized for my contribution. Pursue contacts and projects in L.A. directly by establishing a living base and hanging my freelance shingle there. I think the point between these two approaches is also still in my future. Much more work to do... :) Michael

Tom and David, Thanks for your excellent feedback. (Mr. Mullen, how do you find the time to answer my question within 45 minutes? Thanks, as always, for everything you give back to the community.) I don't have any union gigs and, as you note David, most features coming to my region hire their DP's out of LA. I need to query some of the DP's in Texas about their union status. It seems the budget at which shoots get organized in LA is quite a bit higher than out in the Texas hinterlands. I'm just trying to get bumped up to the <$1M pics right now. (Last year, I was going to be signed to a $150K feature that got bumped up to $1.2M where I was unceremoniously dropped in favor of a an LA DP. And so it goes.) Methinks now is not the time to join the union. I'll continue doing good work and building my experience and reputation. Many thanks. Michael

Hello all. Looking for some insight whether to pull the trigger on my application to Local 600 as a DP. I've been invited to join by the reps on the strength of my reel. They have a membership drive going on right now with 50% initiation fees. Everyone wants your money, of course. If I could get some feedback from industry professionals on either side of that line, it would be great. My belief is joining the union will open the door to features beyond the <$200K region I find myself consigned to. (Indeed, a conversation with a regional union rep revealed $225K is the trigger point for organizing a non-union film in Texas.) Some parameters affecting my choice: I live in Texas, a right-to-work state. L.A. could be in my future depending on future opportunities. Texas just passed an effective film incentives bill (that is partially financed and still needs to be fully financed with a separate appropriations bill.) I have 160+ days on set as a DP in the last three years so qualify to work the West Coast. I've worked on six features, three as DP, and numerous shorts, commercials, and music videos. My reel/resume is at michael-morlan.net I own a one-ton G/E package and RED One. While the gear opened a lot of doors for awhile, recently producers and directors have been citing my reel as the deciding factor in hiring me. (Eventually, I would like to walk on set with nothing but my meters on my hip. :rolleyes:) Thoughts? Opinions? Many thanks, Michael

Mr. Deakins' website is one of my default browser pages. I was sad to discover he had shut it down for the reason noted by his webmaster: "Thanks to the vindictive and abusive behavior of one individual, we've decided to shut down this site. This was a hard decision for Roger since he has put alot into this site. However, the abuse and the threats were taking away from the goals of the site and it was just too much. In the end, we were just providing an arena for this abusive behavior and who needs to see that?" Mr. Deakins maintained a forum on his site as well as graciously posting some of his notes and lighting diagrams from recent projects. I wrote the webmaster, requesting that Mr. Deakinspublish his wonderful notes and commentary and forgo a forum environment inviting feedback from anonymous, ungrateful wretches. It is a terrible thing when an entire community must suffer for the actions of one. You might consider doing same at rogerdeakins.com Michael

Yep, batteries and the TSA were discussed ad nauseam on the reduser site. I think I got a handle on that issue. Thanks for the insight. Michael

Robert, Thank you for that excellent and thorough reply. It was great to read all that in one place. This is a production in Puerto Rico, a territory of the U.S., so I'll check with customs about what import/export documentation I might need. Certainly, the forms you note are necessary for travel elsewhere. Michael

Mitch, I believe you should technically be rating the capacity of the battery as 24 amphours, not 24 amps. Regarding the LED 1000, I am suspect of any instrument that claims an equivalent light output to a tungsten source without actually providing luminance charts and ratings. Which tungsten source using which lens system? A 1kW Mole-Richardson Baby fresnel has a different light output (440fc @ 20ft fully spotted 9deg beam angle) than a 1kW Mole-Richardson Mickey open-face (330fc @ 20ft fully spotted 14deg beam angle.) Each instrument's beam spread can also be adjusted where the fixed 30-degree LED solution cannot except with diffusion. When I write about useful luminance charts, I refer to these: Comparison Luminance Charts Definitely do your research. Even better, pull out your meter (or borrow a friend's) and compare. M

Hi all, I'm shooting a feature in Puerto Rico and my 1st ac and I will be handling the camera package on the flight from stateside. While I have Fedexed camera packages and other gear, I've not flown with one before. I will have several flight cases with my RED One, lenses, sticks, personal kit, collapsible camera cart, etc. Some questions: Do I check multiple flight cases like normal luggage or go to another location to handle this cargo? How far in advance of the flight do you typically arrive? How can I streamline my experience? Thanks, in advance, for any advice. Michael

Hello all, I finally managed to get my reel cut and published. I would sure appreciate any and all crits. Demo Reel I tried something new this time - titles at bottom noting my contribution for each scene. Let me know if those are useful. Let me know if they are distracting or not. Best, Michael Morlan