Marc Levy

So I've got this shot: a Varicam needs to be approx 14' overhead (static), pointing straight down over a bathtub. The shower curtain will surround the tub and will surround the perimeter of the frame, so the rig needs to clear it (about 10'). This is the only shot like this in the shoot, so I do not want to rent a jib for it. I was thinking of rigging it with speed rail and a high hat on it's side. Any riggers got some ideas? Thanks,

Another HD question: Blain Brown, in his book Cinematography: Theory and Practice asserts that a waveform monitor "is your light meter" for hi-def, and that "lighting to the monitor can lead to disaster." Do you hi-def shooters find this to be true? Do you use a waveform monitor when shooting HD? I don't hear much talk about this procedure in practice, only in books. Thanks,

Hello all, I was slated to shoot a short on the DVX100B that has been bumped up to HD (most likely Varicam or F900). Most of my filmmaking experience has been with film, which I feel very familiar with. I also have shot a bunch with the DVX100B. We shoot in 14 days. Is it realistic to expect to learn the basics of the Varicam or F900 in that time period? I am reading the ops manuals, and will be attending demos. Any thoughts? Best,

Let me modify the question. I need feedback on how others would approach this: I have a location interior day with a few 1.2K HMI's, 1K open faces, 1K Fresnels, and 4x4 Kino Flo banks. The 3 windows are facing South East, and a street, and will be in the Master shot. I may exclude them from the tighter coverage. There are no buildings blocking the sun's path. I am on the fence about whether to -- Try to control the windows when they are visible (although this seems very difficult with my package) so I can maintain consistency throughout, or -- Let the windows do what they will (although there will probably be hard sunlight beaming in, as we are shooting in the morning), and replicate that effect in coverage. Note, I need a somewhat high key look, but want to retain a good bit of modelling as well. My gut says: shoot the master as the windows are. Hope for a sunny day, schedule the Master so it happens when the sun beams through (I have SunPath), or use mirrors to throw it in. Use the HMI's with chimeras or something to fill in the harsh contrast ratio in the tighter stuff. Do it all when the sun is in the relatively same position, and I'm good. What do you guys think? Thanks.

Hello all, Simple question - will a 1.2K HMI PAR (un-diffused) simulate sunlight when focused through the window (approx. 6'x5') of a location interior during the day? For example, if it is sunny outside, but the sun is not beaming directly through the window, will the 1.2K HMI PAR create that effect in relation to the skylight bouncing through the window? Will it produce the hard shadow? Will a 1.2K HMI (Fresnel) do this? I know larger HMI's are used for this - but I will not have access to any on an upcoming shoot. Thanks,

Hello all, As creating lighting lists for productions based on speculation (pre-scout, and before any real creative/technical elements of the production have been solidified) has been a source of frustration for me, I am very interested in how other cinematographers decide on a lighting package to submit to the production. There are always so many choices, and I feel I tend to over-estimate my needs. Thanks.

Rolfe, Congrats on your video. I would have liked more variety. The wide shots are nice on their own, but become repetitive after a bit. I would have liked to see more shots like the one where the rabbit leads the camera. Also, although it seems like you were aiming for a spontaneous feel, I would have liked some more strength in composition. The fact that repeat the wide shots (as they run back and forth) also kills the spontanaety. A few shots, like the low-angle shot of the rabbit with the building in the background, work better. All of the MCU's of the girls look great. Best

Greetings. Thanks for all of the useful input. It will be utilized. Chris, hopefully we'll work together again soon. Best

Greetings. Thanks a bunch for the feedback - all great observations and ideas. I will definitely utilize for my next cut. The music: Adam's right, "Explode" from the Cardigans off of their Gran Turismo album - in my top ten. Best

Eric, good stuff. Were the flares completely computer generated? The windows with light shafts pouring through? I would love a quick rundown.

Greetings. I'm posting this here as well, as it seems to get more traffic than the "please critique my work" section. I'd like feedback on my reel: www.marclevycine.com Select your preferred format under the "reel" section. Thanks

I just found out that my server's down. It should be up in about an hour. Thanks

Greetings. I could use some feedback on my reel: www.marclevycine.com Then choose your preferred format under the "reel" heading. Thanks, Marc Levy

Name your rate. I need a DVX100 (AorB) owner/operator for a 2nd camera on April 6th in NYC (Manhattan). This will be an interview of a high-profile NBA player, and will most-likely be handheld. Please send me a link to your reel and your info: mlevy76@hotmail.com

Hi, An ext. day scene for an upcoming shoot calls for the magic hour (or very late afternoon) look for the entire scene. Any suggestions on how to create a low-angle sun, warm light look over an entire day? There will be two subjects in an open field. The scene requires about 35 shots, will take up a minute of screen time, and should look like it has occured over about twenty minutes. I will not have the luxery of lights, but do have the options of 12x12 silks, griffs, gold lames, etc. Most importantly, I would like ideas on how to control/manipulate midday light to look like late-day light. I have some it deas, but am interested in your feedback. Thanks

Thanks John.

Greetings. I'm shooting S16mm for blowup to 35mm. In an article on Raising Victor Vargas, Tim Orr urges to overexpose by one stop to ensure a denser negative for the blowup. I was prepared to do this until recently watching a Kodak demo of some of their 16 stocks blown-up to 35mm. The best results were when they rated at the Kodak-recommended ASA, and not by overexposing. So, should I overexpose by one stop, or expose at the rec. ASA? Feedback is appreciated.

Thanks, Phil. I was thinking that would be an option. Any ideas on faking the light of a real-time sunrise?

Greetings all. An upcoming project requires the following - maybe you can help: A dark-skinned black man watches a time-lapse sunrise in a green field. This scene plays in two shots: - time-lapse sunrise (his POV) - his face looking at the sunrise This will be shot on 500T, either 7279 or 7229 (most likely rated at 500 ASA). The time-lapse sunrise is pretty straight forward, but I'm not sure how to approach the shot of the man. I see two options, then: 1) shoot the face time-lapse also, with available light (the sunrise) providing the changing light on his face. I was thinking of keeping a slight, unchanging soft edge-light (artificial) on him throughout the shot. As I won't have two cameras, I will need to shoot these on two different sunrises. Would the lighting effects of the second sunrise match the first? 2) or, shoot the face at 24FPS while attempting to create the effect of the changing light of a sunrise. Option 1) is my preference, as cutting from time-lapse to 24FPS may look strange, especially as the enitre background (grass and hills) behind the man's face would change also. Advice is appreciated. Marc Levy

Thanks. Very helpful info.

Does anyone have info. on the specifics of the filming of this movie? I am especially interested in the golden tone of many of the Ext. Day shots, and would like to know whether filtration on the lens or gels were used to achieve this look. I'm thinking gels, as the color is much more noticable on the skin than in the sky, but am not sure. Also, it appears that some form of diffusion filters were used. Marc Levy

Anyone know of any articles on the movie? I don't think AC did one.

Thanks for the great input. Shaking on sticks is a good idea. Oscar, for EarthQuake, do you have to frame wider than normal?

So I've got a scene coming up where I need to simulate a mine cave-in. Production Design aside, how could I pull this effect off. I'm definitely thinking handheld, but wondering if I should shake the crap out of the camera, or if I should rely on a post program to do the trick. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Does anyone have any info on Jeffrey Kimball's cinematography from Jacob's Ladder (1990)? I've searched, and have found nothing. Specifically, I am interested in the haze effects, and whether haze or filtration was the predmoniant factor in achieving the effect. Any other info would be useful, also. Thanks.