Alexander Disenhof

Thanks guys, its interesting to know what they used back then.

Anybody? Do you think they had space lights in the studios? Thanks, Alex

I'm wondering what kind of lights they used to front-light the Beatles in the attached photo? Obviously they are hard, but just wondering if anyone has any knowledge about what kind of fixtures they were? And also, do you think they were a bunch of hard lights lined up in a row? Or only a few large hard sources so as to reduce the amount of shadows? Thanks, Alex

Thanks Robert! I appreciate the advice. Alex

Does anybody have experience with a Western skateboard dolly? How smooth would it be when taking it out on something like a paved neighborhood road? If I deflate the tires somewhat could it compare (in terms of its smoothness) to a dolly on track? Thanks everyone. Alex

Hey everyone! Thanks for the responses (and sorry for the delay in my own response!) I think we will go with the Tube of Death - it seems like the best option, as it leaves the least variables, at least to my mind! Thanks again, Alex

I was able to get my hands on the new 50mm Zeiss CP at the Camerimage Festival in Poland last November. I was riding in a car with one of the guys from Zeiss headquarters who had one on his 5DmarkII. From the very limited time I had with it, I was very very impressed! Alex www.alexdisenhof.com

Thanks everyone! David, I will definitely look into the "Tube of Death" option, that seems to be the most feasible at this point. Paul, I think smoke would actually be an interesting option, for story reasons as well as practical (money saving) reasons. Do you have any tips on how to safely create large amounts of smoke in a wooded area?

Hi everyone, I've been searching up and down the forum but can't seem to find any straight answers about how to best fog a large outdoors area like a forest. My director is trying to achieve the effect they have in the beginning of the movie Gladiator (the big first battle scene in the woods of Germania) Obviously I know that it will be a large undertaking, but I'm trying to figure out what machine could pump out enough fog to spread over a large area and hang there for enough time to shoot! Thanks, Alex www.alexdisenhof.com

Is there anywhere online where I can find footage that was shot using the Easy Rig system? All I can find is a "how to" video about it, but I would like to see actual footage from a film/music video/commercial that used the Easy Rig to shoot! Besides that, does anyone have samples of the Easy Rig in action from feature films they know of? Thanks all, Alex www.alexdisenhof.com

I need to know if a 45 degree curved slider exists, instead of just a straight one? Anything from 2 feet to 6 feet long? If someone could help ASAP I would GREATLY appreciate it! Thanks everyone! Alex

Hey guys, Thanks for the suggestions! - The "Shotball" is actually the tool I was looking for specifically, and I think I'll probably go with that, as it worked like a charm last time I saw it! Thanks again, Alex www.alexdisenhof.com

I had the privilege of working with 1stAveMachine for the last few weeks, and was able to see their brand new spots for Google and one other company. Their work is amazing and the people there are fantastic.

Hi everyone, I am prepping for an upcoming show and the director wants a handheld feel while still using a dolly (and not using a stedicam mounted on the dolly). I have seen the beachball/volleyball support system on some shoots, and it seems like a good alternative to achieve this look. The problem is, I don't remember what the system is called, and I have been looking for it online to no avail. Does someone know the name of this beach ball support system? Its basically a beach ball or volleyball that's strapped on top of a tripod, and you put the camera on top of the ball to give it a handheld/floating feel. As for achieving this look, does anyone have any other options, besides just holding the camera while riding on a dolly? I wasn't sure if I should post this in the Camera assistant section, but I figured it IS a camera support, so grips must know something :) Thanks, Alex

Honestly either choice gives you the opportunity to make exceptional images. There are plenty of great looking films out there that were shot on prime lenses, and there are also many that use zooms. Ultimately your choice should be made with consideration of your shooting conditions, the amount of time you have, the space you are in, and your own personal preference! Zooms often save time because you can avoid changing lenses so often, and they can be more conducive to on-the-fly shooting, while primes can give you that extra stop when you are shooting in low light. Good luck!

Stumbled upon this a little late but...wouldn't the unbleached muslin still suck up less light than a painting overhead, which would block the light entirely?

Stephen, This piece looks great! I love the colors, especially the mixture of the yellow and 1/2 plus green. I'm wondering what your shutter angle was on that fight scene in the airplane hanger? I know you mention putting it to 45 degrees for the rain stuff, but it also looks pretty skinny in the hanger, but maybe to a lesser degree. Did you change it from 180?

I'm trying to sync up the two cameras to each other. I am looking to shoot on a DIY 3D rig and I assume the electronic shutters need to be synced. Anyone have any advice? Thanks Alex

I'm doing a shoot soon where I will need to sync up the scanning (electronic shutters) of two 7Ds. Does anyone know how to do this? Thanks, Alex Disenhof www.alexdisenhof.com

Just to get back to the visuals for a second - how did they achieve the look in those memory sequences? Like mentioned before, it was a seemingly faux bleach-bypass look, but it also featured a vertical smearing and bleeding of the image. Do people think this was done entirely in post? Or maybe some of it in camera? When looking at one memory where Tom Riddle asks Horace Slughorn about Horcruxes, the fire in the background almost looks reflected into the image by glass or something. I'm not a fan of any of the movies in general - none of them have done the books any kind of justice - but this film certainly did have a great visual style. Alex D.

House of Flying Daggers is one of the films that cemented my love for cinematography! most people I have spoken to haven't seen it - I'm happy to hear others love it and are as blown away by the colors as I am! Alex

"two, using a low contrast gamma setting like the HVX's "Cine D" without color correcting properly in post" Hi Satsuki - could you elaborate on the process of color correcting for the "Cine D" setting? Or could you refer me to an article/any information about it? Thanks! Alex Disenhof

anybody?

Hi everyone, I am looking to purchase a Nikon DSL-R and I have two big questions.... Are there any significant differences between the d60 and the d80 that makes the d80 worth buying? Also, there is a deal where I can buy the d80 with this lens: http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Nikon/Product/Camera-Lenses/2162/AF-S-DX-Zoom-NIKKOR-18-135mm-f/3.5-5.6G-IF-ED.html but I was thinking about maybe getting a d60 body and then a better lens. I was thinking a lens more like this: http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Nikon/Product/Camera-Lenses/2178/AF-S-DX-NIKKOR-16-85mm-f/3.5-5.6G-ED-VR.html I know the lens is where the action is, so I don't want to be stuck with a bad one. What do people think about the lens that comes on the d80? I want a zoom lens for all-purpose use. I am a student who is moving out to LA soon and I want a nice camera set-up so I can keep taking pictures and practice my art! Please Help! Thanks

Hey everybody, its been a long while since I posted here, but I am currently doing research for my Senior thesis, and I figured this would be a great place to get some opinions and information. My basic thought is that all narrative films present the "unreal" as "real" by the very nature of how they are made. With this in mind, my thesis is concerned with realism in film. What is reality, and how does filmmaking construct and manipulate it? I was hoping to get some ideas about how the process of making movies manipulates reality, and HOW it does that? An example I can think of off the top of my head is that when lighting a space in a film, many times one will try to avoid casting multiple shadows, with the fear the audience will recognize (at least subconsciously) that it is "lit" (Even though, of course, it IS lit). Yet, in real life, objects have multiple shadows a majority of the time, depending on how many light sources there are. Thus, when creating a scene where things only cast one shadow, the filmmaker is constructing a separate reality that, for some reason, is more readily accepted by audiences. Of course, film uses many different tools to construct this reality, not just lighting and cinematography. Do people have any thoughts? Alex D.