Lars.Erik

You lose 2 f-stops. Are you shooting in a cold climate? If so, you might want to bring additional power to the pro 35. It has had some difficulty shooting in very cold climates.

If you just need rental, I believe Sim Video in L.A. has them or has the means to get hold of them. Speak to Cliff.

One film you must see is "Songs from the Second floor", by Roy Andersson. It's a true masterpiece. It lasts for 1hour and 40 minutes and there are two (2) shots in there where the camera is moving. The rest is locked off. See it. I love that film. Most his films are made in this way. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120263/ http://www.cdon.com/main.phtml?navroot=904&session=1

If you can use the train carriage thats not moving, you could always just say it's night. Then your windows would be black. And once in a while you could have a grip use small LED lights and quickly run past the windows, this way you can simulate the train passing houses far away etc. You can also do the same trick with bushes. Lets say you attach some fluorescent lights to the outside carriage, have a few grip boys run with big bushes in their hands in a big circle just outside the window, the trick will be to let them run pass the window, and the bush gets hit by the light. They then have to run in a big cirlce back (so they are out of the light), to the starting point and run past again. This will seem like the train is moving.

Lars has also stated 2 years ago, that Dogme is DEAD. This way of working has in my opinion, hurt the industry more than it has helped. Yes, in the beginning is was a good thing. But nowadays, people send me scripts and say it's "Dogme", which is complete bullshit. The films usually has no elements of that in them. They are imagening a cheap film that wil make it big. They don't or won't spend the necessary money to make the picture. That said, I can probably mentioned hundreds of films which has pointless camera movement in them, if a director ask me to move the camera I almost ALWAYS say "why?" I'm not trying be an ass, I just want to make sure me make the right choices. And don't forget one thing guys and gals; making a movie is the easiest thing in the world, making a good one, boy that a tough job. Good luck with all your projects, with or without a moving camera.

How big are the lamps you're using? Is there any windows in the room? Film or video? On the foggy morning I'd bounce the HMI lights in to the room. In this way I think you'll remake foggy light the best way. Maybe make this a bit cooler? For the second set, I'd go for a direct light set-up. You could think about adding a 1/4 - 1/2 CTO on this to add some sense of a warmer setting sun. For the tv set-up, you'd be better off just switching the tubes on the Kino's to 3200K. Full CTB will take almost all of your light. Specially from Kino's who have a very quick drop off.

I second that with David. I have used the SDX and DVX a lot. And yes, you will see a BIG difference between the 50mps and the 10mps. It' also important to think about what you are making. Car ads, either to sell a car or make a sale for a rental house, have a history of having good quality footage. With the SDX you get WAY better lenses, movement of the camera, more on set options in the menu. And probably most importantly when you shoot at 50mps, you can do a lot more in post than you can with 10mps.

If you ever get the chance, see "Come and See". One of the best war movies ever made. The director is Emil Klimov. I'm not going to start and give a resume of why it's so good. It has to be experienced for yourself. Just buy it if you don't have it. Needs to be in every cinematography DVD collection. FYI (IMDB comments): "Indeed, this is a nightmare. Imagine weird scenes where people stare into the camera like in some kind of Kubrick film. Imagine a film where the main character seems to age before our eyes. The film starts off normally, but slowly it gets darker. Until the last 20 minutes where it turns into hell on Earth." "In all fairness, this Belorussian-made World War II picture detailing Nazi atrocities, holds a special distinction in world cinema: it is by far the most brutal and emotionally draining of all - in fact, a viewer whose senses have not been properly trained would most likely find it unwatchable. Those brave souls willing to be put through an ordeal of almost 2 1/2 hours will find themselves deeply immersed in an absolutely horrifying experience that will not easily subside whether they want it to or not."

Hey there. First, I don't understand why you should sell yourself at a low rate. That's not a good way to think. To me it sounds like they are asking you to to a type of editing work, with some other tasks in the job description. iT doesn't sound like a P.A. job, it does sound a bit more important. Not that P.A. isn't a important job, but you know what I mean. I would rather ask for a decent pay. And also ask for the hours you are supposed to work every day/week. Also, if you ask for a decent pay, and they think it's too much. You can always just go down a bit on your pay. Worst thing that can happen is they say no, and ask you to come up with another figure. So, ask for a decent pay first. Let us know how you do.

I agree with Mark. If you have such a burning passion. Use that passion to make you OWN movie. Let de Sica be de Sica. He is one of the greatest story tellers of our time. I believe a remake should only be made if the original could have been better. And I can't see how on earth "Bicycle Thief" could be better. I hate the remakes of "Lolita" and "Psycho". They are just made for one purpose. To make money. So please, make your own film. It can be "Bicycle Thief" similar. Just don't make a remake of it. It's just to good of a movie. Someone in Norway made their own film recently. They didn't get any funding from the Norwegian Film Council. They said "up yours" and made it anyway. Everyone worked for free on it. The cost of the film was about $8.500. They shot on XL1 I think. When it was finished the quality of the film was so good that it got a cinema release. Technically it isn't very good. But the acting and the story was great. And this is true, it's one of the best told stories on film in Norway the recent years. So in that sense, you got a whole lot of money. The crew and actors who worked for free, got their money when the film got a cinema release. Ticket sales. So it is possible. Whatever you do, I wish you good luck.

Just finished a 5-week shoot in the Arziona desert with a Vector Steadicam. This is a place with very rough terrain. One thing that is pure hell is the wind as said. The operator will need antlers if it's a windy place. That said, the steadicam did give us some amazing shots. We never did want to bring a dolly due to the rough terrain. I am very happy I brought my steadicam. But not all shots work on steadicam. If the tracking shots are very slow, then I think this is better to do with a dolly. And the lens choice is also very important. But in general, a dolly is a more precise tool than a Steadicam. Unless you have Larry McConkey as the operator... :D

Hello. I'm doing a show in US for a Norwegian tv company. We're shooting on the 900 PAL version. Interlaced. I need a longer lens, ordinary SD. Will a lens rentet in the US work. I imagine it will, but unsure. Anyone know? Thanks for any replies.

Hello. Have a bit of a problem. I'm in the US and our cam gear hasn't arrived due to DHL forgetting to attach the carnèt with the shipment. Great. Need to shoot a bit with a US cam, and since shooting NTSC and converting to PAL doesn't seem like the best idea, I thought about using the HVR-Z1. In Europe this cam can be switched to 60i with the switch of a menu button. Is this the same case with the NTSC version? Will it switch over to PAL? Need info ASAP... Thank you very much for any info. We will be shooting interlace. Lars Erik

Hey friends, I´m in the US on a shoot. We sent our tech gear with DHL, but they messed up, and we might need to rent some NTSC cams to shoot the first week. I´ve read here that converting will work, but camera movement, pans etc. might look a bit bad. It this true? Won´t a NTSC cam pics work fine when we convert it to PAL? Need answers ASAP, as we start shooting on tuesday. Hope we get our gear in time though... Thanks...

Well, there even been IMAX cams on Steadicams...

Dimmers are good for making fluorescent blink. The gas never really gets fired up, so it will blink all the time. One thing you have to remember. If it's a shoot with sound, get the dimmers a long way away from the action area. Because they make a high humming noise when plugged into fluorescent.

It's kinda a stupid thread. Let's just leave it, so we rather can spend our time on this forum disucssing cinematography tips and tricks.

The Quick and the Dead was shot in Arizona.

Hello, filmgirl. BTW, in the future, please sign your post with your name. :D I don't know very much about US schools I'm afraid. Maybe David Mullen or someone else from the US can give you some advice here. But if you're interested in Europe, then I've heard very good things about National Film and Telvision school in London. The head teacher of cinematography is Brian Tufano, BSC. He's done ALOT. Trainspotting, Billy Elliott and a really long list of other films. And the guest tutors are all great DP's. But I think it's stiff competition to get into this school, I'm afraid. http://www.nftsfilm-tv.ac.uk/?module=Frontpage Also a smart way to see it the school is good, check out their previous students, if it's a good school, they'll have a notice saying who's been attending there. Also check out the school's student films. If the majority of the films are crap, the chances are that the school is also... But if it's you really want to be a DP, I'd just go for applying to Cinematography Schools. That's it. In my experience, these schools are way better than the one's who have like a multi thing, where you learn a little about directing, a little about cinematography, a little about screenwriting and on and on... Whatever you decide upon, good luck. We need more female DP's.

It's a good thing you brought this subject up Tim. But in a forum like this, or any other forum, you have to take the advice you get with a pinch of salt. And in cases where people are clearly talking over their heads, the more experienced ones have a responsibility to say "well that's really stupid advice".

The director has to in addition to thinking about how the film is shot, also have to think about EVERYTHING else on a set. He/she directs the actors, decides on the pacing, both on screen and in the editing room. The director reads the script and decides how he/she will tell this story. This person is responsible how the story is told, that the audience will understand what is happening. A film, in many ways, happens around the director. The DP is responsible for the visual part of the film. Lighting, colour, exposure, movement etc. In short, the director has a hell of a lot more to think about than the DP. That's why I'm a DP. I know I'd never could becom a director. It's too tough. So yes, there is a BIG difference between the two.

I'm not saying you won't be able to fly it. I'm saying that you might not get it in perfect balance. This will make it more difficult to operate. Specially if you have to run. But this is a topic for steadicamforum.com anyway. Good luck, and if you do use the 450 on the flyer, please let me know how it reacts to that. Best regards Lars Erik

If you own a Flyer, you'll have no problem operating with the Panasonic. You might have problems operating with the 450 on it. I don't think you will get this in perfect balance. The rig is not intended for a heavy camera like the 450. They are more for 1/3 inch cams and small 16mm.

Thanks Jim, I've used the prime lens on a set before. But this was fiction, and a different way of shooting. So I don't think I'll get that. I've already talked the producer into having cranes and steadicam on the set at all times. :-) The shots were just going to be used in helicopter shots and a few landscape shots. Lars Erik

You have to use the spot function on the meter. You can also use a 18% grey card, which can be found in most major photo shops. I find this approach a bit more exact. You do it the same way. Fill the lens with the card, take a automatic reading on your lens, then adjust the ISO until it reaches the same aperture as the lens. You must remember to have fps correctly before starting. In the US, either 1/24 fps or 1/60. In Europe, it's best to use 1/25 fps. Word of warning: light meters are not the best tools for digital. Sure, I've had great help in it when shooting digital. But in the end, ALWAYS check your proper calibrated monitor for final decisions. I find that I use them alot when rigging lights. Then just to check the f-stop. The contrast range is always best to do by eye. When I'm shooting, I usually pack the meter away. Lars Erik