Dan Riordan

Hi, I'm currently working on my first project containing composited elements. The plate is of course live action, it's a simple shot of a large open field. I am compositing a large water tower into the field. I shot this project on 35mm film. I shot the tower separately and was planning on taking a single frame of the tower and removing the labels on it in photoshop. Then I was going to bring it into after effects and composite it into the field. Obviously I need to add grain so that it doesn't have the appearance of a still image. My question is if the still image of the tower already contains grain, since it was was captured on film, how can I add grain? Certainly this will make the still image look real and live action, but will it then be twice as grainy? How do I go about adding moving grain on top of the still image which already is grainy by nature? Thank you, -Dan

I am shooting a short film with a few compositing shots. I’m shooting on 35mm and then transferring HD. This is my first experience with compositing so I have many questions. The image to be composited is linked below, it was done in photoshop http://bighugelabs.com/onblack.php?id=3796...ge&bg=white The plate is the man and the background, the elements to be composited in are the woman on top of the tower and the tower itself. Eventually the man stands next to the base of the tower so that they are both in the distance. And then finally he is on top of the tower with the woman. Here are my questions; 1. When the man stands near the base of the tower should he be green screened and place out there in compositing? This way his scale can be controlled. 2. When shooting the actors in front of a green screen to place them on top of the tower how do I match the angle? Obviously I cannot get a person high enough to match the angle. Any recommendations here? 3. When filming the actors should I fill the frame as much as possible, or get them as close to the right scale as possible? I could place the green screen on a hill and shoot up. In the still photograph I placed the actress on a table and shot from beneath fairly close up. These are probably enough for now to get the conversation rolling.

Thanks for the help guys. I'll be sure to use the reflectors. The other alternative is to hope for a slightly overcast day. I'll post a link when this thing is done. Thanks again, you've been a big help.

I've got what's maybe a really basic question, but bear with me, i'm a student. I was shooting with a bolex and a sekonic studio meter with the lumisphere attached. I was outside around 1 or 2 in the afternoon. My actor was facing the sun so I put my camera in front of her and then took a reading. The sekonic was receiving pretty direct sunlight. The sun was behind the camera and her face was receiving the light. I then moved my camera behind her so I was now pointing towards the sun. I took another reading and as I expected the reading was less intense then it had been in my last shot. I understand that I am now exposing for her shadowed side and the meter was merely reading this. But then I began to think that my background had not changed. It was still receiving the same amount of light but i was opening up. I then realized that this would change the intensity of my background. Sure I would get detail in my actor's shadowed side but now my background was being exposed more than before. So i how do i go about getting an even looking exposure in shots that differ in their relation to the sun? If I just took readings with my sekonic facing the camera, and I changed the camera's position, I would get fluctuating exposures for the background. Correct? The actor would be exposed correctly but the background could be overexposed. I assume I could just pick an f-stop and go with it, but how would I determine what f-stop would be best? Or the other solution would be to bounce light in. Correct? The reason I ask is because I'm shooting a scene on a large sand dune. I'd like the background to have a proper exposure in order to retain detail of the sand. Sorry for the long post. Thank you for reading.

Thanks for your help Kiarash. I am using my wide on the shore scene but I have opted to avoid the standard sunset scene. I think it might be too conventional for this film and i might not have enough time. I've got one day to film.

I apologize for the lack of details. I was looking for basic things to avoid, etc. I need to shoot a scene facing west on the shore of lake michigan ( thats on the michigan side looking roughly in the direction of Chicago). The characters will be looking out to the west as well. Most of the shots in this scene will be from behind them looking west. There will probably be a few shots of their faces looking out. I'm wondering if it would be best to shoot them in the morning so as to have the sun lighting their backsides since this will be what we see most. As for the few shots of their faces looking out, I thought I could bounce some light in, or shoot it later in the day. I will also be shooting a scene where they will be walking through large sand dunes to reach the shore. Will I be okay filming these scenes later in the day even though in the film they will come before the shore scene? Will the light temperature be very different? you will not see the lake in these shots or have a real sense of space. Also, what about exposure? I'm using a sekonic studio light meter. Will the sand be blown out if it's a sunny day? Whats the best way to find the correct exposure when shooting in sand? I know I'll probably be getting a lot of reflected light from the sand. I'm shooting with 7212. Thanks.

Hi, I'll be shooting a short student film on 16mm in april and one of the scenes takes place on a beach. I'm planning on using ND's to get some nice shallow dof shots but that's about all i have in mind. I was hoping to get some suggestions on what time of day to shoot and what filters I should use, and anything else I should know. I'll be shooting on a bolex. Thanks.

Thanks for your help guys. It's helped a lot. I'll be shooting a short film on 16mm soon and wanted to clear some things up. Can't wait to shoot!

Hi, I'm shooting a short film with a bolex on 16mm. There are basically three scenes. The first one is in Chicago. So think tall buildings. Buildings that may or may not block sunlight. The second scene is in a car driving on the highway. The third is on a beach on lake michigan. So lots of sand and water. I was thinking of shooting on 7201 for the first and third scene (city and beach). I wanted to use 7205 the car scene. I'm planning on shooting with available light in the car. Any suggestions? Would these be appropriate choices? Thanks. -Dan

Hi, I'm trying to get a grasp on how exposure works. I'm shooting a film on 16mm and I want to get some shots with a really shallow depth of field. If i throw in an ND and open up to say a 2.8 i know I can achieve that, but how does this affect my image in terms of latitude and brightness range? Would that mean that highlights will be blown out? Or will the image still retain it's proper exposure that it would have had at the normal f-stop before I added the ND? What will happen to brighter areas of the image that now exceed the most open aperture setting? I think i'm thinking of the f-stops existing in a fixed position on a characteristic curve, where let's say a 5.6 is fixed at the center. But does properly exposing the image at a 2.8 effectively move the 2.8 to the center of the curve? I'm confused.

Forgot to mention the age. They could be from the sixties or seventies.

Hi, I just found some old kodak wratten filters that came with a bolex reflex I purchased. I have a No. 8 (or K2) and a No. 25 filter that I want to use. Do these filters fade over time? They look to be in perfect condition and were never taken out of their original packaging. Thanks. - Dan

The rex1 has a 145 degree shutter. The rex 2-5 is a 133 degree shutter. (the very first rex, pre rex-1, is a 144)

Thanks for the help guys, but does anyone have the adapted exposure table with the light loss acounted for in terms of shutter speed? I can't seem to find it for the rex1 although i have found it for other models.

Does anyone have an exposure table for the bolex rex 1? Not the first reflex, but the rex1. It has a 145 degree shutter. I can figure out the real exposure times but does anyone know the adapted shutter speeds, taking into consideration light loss from the reflex viewing?