Christopher Arata

3M snot tape rolled into a thin string & wrapped around as close as possible to the rear element works for me. Its easy then to stretch & trim the net. Defiantly takes less than 15min per lens to do & pulls off pretty easy.

I just wrapped a 3D shoot a couple weeks back. We did not use any kind of special slate, just a normal slate.

The issue of needing a special slate never even came up, nor was it an issue not having one.

 

The first thing I ever shot on a 5D involved me operating and pulling focus on a 300mm Tamron zoom, which wasn't a great lens to start with, and yes we will be compared to multimillion dollar productions no matter how unfair it is. What we don't do is whine about it on the internet; we crack on and get it done.

 

I'm struck by the notion that if we took the camera department off House and put it on some of the stuff I do, they would be utterly, utterly helpless.

I don't think anybody was whining, just explaining the challenge. In all fairness gale wanted the shallowest DOF as possible, so you can't really compare yourself with a 70-300mm Tamron Zoom that is probably around an f/4-f/5.6 to the guys on house working between an f/1.4 - f/2.8, point being you had more DOF they had less.

Personally I think it looked great! Also it was my favorite House episode yet, & not because it was shot on a 5D, that doesn't matter. The story was great.

You mean something like this.... http://prolost.com/blog/2009/3/17/this-now-please.html

Fishing line on the rear element is probably one of my favorite ways to get a streak, mainly because the lens won't flare unless it is hit by the point source directly. Here are some screen grabs of a recent music video I shot on the EX3 & this handy trick.

Put a piece of fishing line across the re-element of the lenss using some snot tape, just remember that the streak will be opposite from however you put it on.

Has any one looked into the..... RYOBI TEK4 Professional laser distance measure, goes for about $150.

http://www.ryobitools.com/catalog/tek4/measurement/RP4010

It doesn't have a built in site but seems like a good deal, I was originally going to go with the Hilti PD40 but unsure now....

This time Vincent Laforet teams ups with Stu Maschwitz & others to produce Nocturne, thought it was interesting here is the link.....

http://vincentlaforet.smugmug.com/Laforet-...686345820_EeDCa

Some great looking images there, liked the color grading!

I'm going!

I've never used the Encore. I have used there previous models though, in general I'm just not a fan of the Red Rock stuff.

Tricky question, & just my opinion, but I would not invest in the HVX.

Now for the comments that I will probably get murdered for saying, I personally prefer the EX3 over the RED. I don't know about the Scarlet because it's not out yet so I have not used it. The RED however has become the most popular camera that I work with & I have discovered that I much prefer the EX3 over it, stock or with an adaptor, preferable the CineMek, hate the Red Rock.

I don't think that if you purchase an EX3 it would become a dead end product once the Scarlet comes out. Just my 2¢

I just used a set a couple months back, nothing to complicated. While unpaid prep days suck, I will still do it if there really is no budget. It would be worse to show up on set without a prep day & have something go wrong & then waste time with the whole "well if there was a prep day" argument, which, chances are will not go in your favor. Just my thoughts.

As for the lenses, the trickiest part is figuring out the matte box situation. Have some strips of duvetyn handy. Also mount the bellows first, then place the lens on the rig. I found that to be the easiest. Play around with them at the prep & all will be fine.

His flares are probably coming from the use of anamorphic lenses....On a lower budget you can rent 4x5 streak filters, many lower budgeted music videos use them and can be found at rental houses around LA. They are far & few between however and mostly checked out all the time so they might be hard to get. Call around to different camera houses or give Tiffen a call. They come in different mm to so you can get the size streak that you want. You can also do it in post, it doesn't always look that great though & I would not recommend it.

Those photos have gone through some serious post, not just some simple dodging & burning. Also from the video, I'm pretty sure the photographer was shooting medium format, film, mostly likely as I did not see any digital backs or anything. Probably using a very slow stock, that would be one reason for using continuos light's of that size, and personal preference of the photographer. You could potentially do the same thing using some studio strobes with a lot less fuss. Anything from a 1200 Ws - 9600 Ws head & pack can easily over power daylight with out a problem. Chances are you would be shooting at an f8 or higher anyway, for sharpness & focus, that alone kills the ambient. Combine that with a shutter speed of 1/250 yea you pretty much don't need to use those lights unless you prefer continuous light over strobes and the extra hassle of the gear that goes with it.

Just my opinion....I have never tried this & have only used lightning strikes once, but lightning renders best as short, intense, multiple, burst of light. I have heard of some guys using studio strobes from still photography to render the effect so you might want to look into that?

From the equipment you listed things that come to mind are CTB or gel of your choice, flags & dimmers, and some fast and in sync Grips & Electrics or out of sync who knows that might work better.

Not sure if this is really the right spot for this but I found this interesting. Click the link for the story, if you don't already read this blog, http://prolost.com/

Here is a podcast interview with Claudio. Thought it might be of some interest. Enjoy!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/moviegeeksuni...Benjamin-Button

Get some flexible wire, take the china ball and secure it to a solid black flag using the wire. This way not only do you have a topper and a mounting point from the flag but you also have four sides that you can put skirts on & take away easily if needed. I would also put some diffusion at the bottom like the others have sad. I learned this awhile back from a gaffer I worked with and use it all the time. Probably one of the best ways to use a china ball, in my opinion. ;)

Not to much for myself, December has been a bit depressing. 1st AC a music video for my good friend & DP, Brett Pawlak. I had a meeting on Sunday with a director to talk about shooting a short in Jan, that went well!

What I really have been trying to do lately is find a larger scale feature or television show I could work on as a camera PA, something that's shooting for awhile. In other words I mostly 1st & 2nd AC indie stuff & music videos, which is great, but I feel as there is still more to learn and more connections to be made thus my current goal.

Good point David...I should have mentioned that, take Ken's stuff with a grain of salt.

So you cant have any motivated sources, there can not be any practicals in the frame to play off of? Being a living room there has to be something.

- David beat me too it, disregard.

The answer's to all your Nikon questions can be found here.... http://kenrockwell.com

Haha....That came in my email today as well. Glad you posted that Chris, exactly what I was thinking.

Sorry, no comments on me from the intended topic but, well said Hal. I'll admit I laughed!!