Tyler Purcell

http://screencrush.com/war-for-the-planet-of-the-apes-filming-photo/ Sounds like they're shooting on film to me. Unless of course you have some inside information.

The problem with Hollywood is that everyone has a screenplay or story they want to tell. Since there are so many people already working in the industry here, it's much easier for them to get their script onto the desk of someone who matters, then a random person coming in from the outside.

Satsuki hit the nail on the head.

I mean there isn't a right way or wrong way. There isn't a magic potion or some black art/skill set that gives you the work. Most of us have struggled for a decade or more, refining our art, meeting the right people, getting screwed constantly and living off no sleep and shitty food, so we can be working on securing the next gig. I think the more diverse you are as a filmmaker, the better. You've gotta plant your seeds in more then one plot of land and which ever grows fastest, you pick and eat. The plants that grew fast for me were the post production one's. So I spent over a decade sucking those sweet post production plants, instead of my trained profession which is cinematography. The nice thing about post production is that MOST of the jobs are long-term freelance, contract or salary. So you can work on big shows, get your name on credits and have a cush, relatively good paying job, depending on the position. Production jobs however... that's a whole other world, it's feast or famine. It's all about who you know, what they need and how you can help them. Do you come with a 4k camera and Zeiss cine primes? Can you work 7 days a week, 18hr days for $150/day? Well, you're hired! It's less about the quality of work today, it's more about how cheap you can shoot it on 4k. That's the new buzz word and if you don't own a 4k cinema camera, lenses, support gear and sometimes audio, you might as well give up and get a desk job. Everyone wants to work you to death for no money, use and abuse the equipment even you can't afford to own and never give you another job again. So basically, it's frustrating. Digital cinematography has only made things FAR FAR FAR worse. You need to do something over and above everyone else to get constant work. Lots of good IMDB credits. Great demo reel. A substantial boat load of equipment. Great references/movies that people know and most importantly, a rate which is extremely competitive. Did I mention frustrating? Yea... I did.

Really? I heard they were shipping next week.

I'll say this much, there are two films being shot in 70mm right now and the next Planet of the Apes, which is a remake of the original film, will also be 5 perf 70mm. So that would be four 70mm originated films to be released from December of this year through sometime in 2017. That's not bad, considering we haven't seen a narrative feature shot on 5 perf 70mm prior to 'The Master' since the 90's. I'm more concerned if studio's are going to consider it a gimmick, charge a lot of money for something that's just digitized and manipulated digitally before printing back to film. That will truly be disheartening because the whole idea is to do things the old school way and deliver something the audience can't see at home. At least 'Hateful Eight' is doing it the right way. Complete photochemical finish, no green screen, everything in-camera and best of all, the only way to see it is 70mm for the first two weeks.

Arclight is the only major theater with all it's 35mm projectors still in tact. However, I haven't seen any lists of 35mm projection available. IMAX 70mm isn't coming to L.A. right away, however 'Interstellar' did play at our local science museum after it was in the major theaters. So MAYBE a print will show up after the hoopla is over. The film was NOT shot in 3D, so seeing it in IMAX Laser 3D (the only way to see it in IMAX Digital) is going to deliver a crappy experience, probably similar to 'Jurassic world' where buildings and characters were on top of each other in some scenes because of the 3D conversion. The other frustrating part of the whole experience is the whole film went through heavy digital post processing, so even if you did see it on film, it will have heavy anti-grain filtering which makes it look like crap. This is unlike 'Interstellar' which didn't have much clean up work and had a photochemical coloring and blow up process to 70mm.

Hey Grant, welcome! Since this is the "critique" section.. I'll lay a few on ya. I did like it a lot, good imagery and story. The whole low shutter speed, motion blur thing, really makes it look like just another DSLR shoot. Ya gotta be very careful with that look because in todays world, it's like shooting on mini-dv or something, people just expect better. The black and white stuff needed to be lit differently, it was too contrasty and some of the camera moves were very unmotivated, as if that section was shot very quickly compared to the other stuff, which was much more well thought out. Coloring was an issue in some places and so was audio, but that may have not been your department. I was shocked about the poor audio in the black and white scene, that's a huge red flag, especially since some of it is even out of sync. I'm very nitpicky about that stuff, I would have ADR'd the whole scene to make it match the VO mic which clearly sounded great. Anyone who see's this, will catch that audio issue and it really drags the piece down in my opinion, which is unfortunate.

That's what everyone is saying, which is so exciting. It's unfortunate Craig won't be joining for another installment.

So they set up lights, but still shot digital. Makes a lot of sense. :shrug:

Pretty sweet. Put that sucker into a nice wooden window frame and it may work nicely. I'd also put a light diffusion curtain or something in front of it so the light isn't so hard.

Actually, I think it really does. Having made a feature documentary about a filmmaker (Sam Fuller) who spent his entire youth roving the country, went to war, came back and became one of the most prolific and talented writers in Hollywood. I understand that it doesn't magically make you successful, but what it would do is give you stories that don't revolve around Hollywood. You've gotta remember, most scripts are tweaked by people like Sam, they're the "ghost" writers and are brought in to add all of those extra seamy bits that make for success. You could spend 10 years learning the trade and working your way up the ladder, but it doesn't mean you'll have any success. Thousands of people are in the same boat you're in, everyone is trampling over each other, trying to screw one another, trying to make THEIR project a reality. So what differentiates your project from the next guys? It's not how you write honestly, it's all about what you write. It's the uniqueness of the story that makes your film what it is. You aren't writing the next crappy blockbuster, you're writing the little indy film that will start your career. It's gotta be an awesome little story, most of which you'll base on the unique experiences you've had in your life. Being on a film set will only teach you so much and almost nothing about filmmaking craft. Most films are made in the months prior to production (writing, casting, story boards, art design, pre-production) and months after production (editing, music, sound mixing, coloring). Production itself is only the result of all the prior hard work and that's one of the reason you won't really learn much on film set. I'd say watching movies and decent behind the scenes documentaries, is actually better for you. So if you wanna learn how to make movies, you need to go out and make movies. I know that kinda sounds stupid, but it's the right way to go. When I started making shorts on film in the late 90's in Boston, we had to figure everything out on our own. We learned a lot after making our first short and eventually became better filmmakers along the way. Today with digital technology and the ease of making a commercially viable movie without the expense of film, you can really make something good for very little money. Here in Hollywood, you can get help from experienced people for very little money and hopefully someone can mentor you through the process. It's all about making the right connections and simply going for it. Come here with a lot of money, get a decent 9 - 6 job that will pay your bills, work on your film every night after work and shoot on the weekends. Pay for it all out of your pocket and make something super unique that everyone will want to see. That's just my .02 cents.

If you did a good job lighting it, yea it would be OK. But that kind of setup takes a lot of time and can look unnatural. Since the film isn't out yet, it's hard to know what they're doing and why. I bet there is a reason we just don't know yet. Same with 'Rogue Nation' shooting underwater with the Alexa 65. It was a better choice for that scene then film. It meant they could use less light and have less grain for the green screen work.

That's pretty cool, but it's also pretty rare.

Basically there is no protection. You have to sue the studio to prove it was your idea. Most of the time, they will just steal one or two concepts and make something close but not incriminating. However, sometimes they just won't care and steal the whole thing lock, stock and barrel. They'll have someone tweak it and then make it over seas with a european production company. The WGA has no jurisdiction anywhere else, so there is zero protection outside of the US. They also won't fight for you unless there is really good evidence. So there are two thoughts on this... one is to never tell anyone your ideas and the other is to not care. I personally like the not caring method because honestly, if you don't tell anyone, you'll never get valuable feedback and never get anything sold. The best screenplays are usually a collaborative effort with ghost writers, story/dialog editors and lots of tweaking through interactions from friends/family, to make something that works. It's nearly impossible to write something good enough at home, buy yourself and make a successful product out of it.

It's the only thing film doesn't do well, no matter what CMOS will always have better sensitivity. You can push Vision 3 500T very easily to 1000 ASA, I've done it many times on 16mm and it doesn't look half bad. Grainy for sure, but very artistic looking.

Couldn't have said it better Adrian!

Well, I did it! Celluloid Dreaming has officially got off the ground and we've acquired a camera! I think what I got was an amazing deal. I must thank Scott, the absolutely awesome guy I got the equipment from, who understood my cause and was VERY, VERY, VERY generous! I met him over at his storage facility and saw the camera. It had some issues, the mirror was hitting the inside of the front case. I explained to him that I'm a pretty good technician and could fix it no problem. So this is an unusual camera, it's a LTR modified to an LTR 7, with all of the super 16 updates done to the mags and of course body. It will run at 54 fps without an external crystal, the batteries have recently been re-celled (been testing and they seem to be great). Comes with three magazines, four batteries, color video tap which can run a monitor off the internal battery, it's pretty much everything I wanted as a "B" camera. Then we got started talking about lenses. He showed me what he had and I went crazy. He had the full 6 lens Optar prime kit and a beautiful Zeiss 10 - 100 F2.4 and adaptors so I could run all the lenses on either Aaton mount OR PL mount. After examining everything, I decided to make an offer, but I didn't want to be a jerk and low-ball. So I told him the truth, I have this great program I'm running to help people who want to shoot film. I told him this equipment would be in good hands, loving hands. I told him how much I was trying to get lenses for and how much I could afford. After some cattle prodding and almost two hours of discussion, we decided on a price that was worth it for both parties. He got rid of old stuff he wasn't using and I got old stuff that will make someone's life so much happier. I wound up getting everything for $5600. I went home, stripped the camera down and fixed the problem as I suspected. No damage had been done yet, but had it continued running like that, it would have broken the mirror. It was some sound insolation material that had come loose, probably from the heat we've had recently here in LA. I glued it back together again very carefully and re-assembled. Man, I LOVE this camera. Having been an Arri guy for so many years, I'm astounded how much BETTER this camera is in so many ways. All of the things I didn't like about the Arri, like the magazine threading and shoulder mount comfort, these things are fixed. Sure the Aaton has it's weaknesses, the battery system is kinda bogus and the viewfinder is ho-hum. However, those things aside, this camera is quieter for sure, it has a bitchin' and reliable pull down system, far better then I expected. Its well made inside, the little connectors are dynamite, I wanted to take pictures of them because they were so cool, so european. So now all I need is decent light meter, another camera, matte boxes and follow focuses for both cameras, new cases, sticks/quick release plates and odds and ends. I'm going to buy the XTR I've been eye balling once I have some more money coming in. Man... can you tell I'm happy? This is the first time I've had a 16mm camera in my possession for nearly 14 years. I must have walked around the house for an hour with the camera on my shoulder running dead stock through it, testing the mag's, batteries, everything to make sure it worked and it's pretty flawless. Just got the first script for our first short film! Should be in production mid November! Canna wait to bring it to you guys and show you what we're doing! :)

Well, I did it! Thanks to your guys suggestions and comments. I think what I got was an amazing deal. I must thank Scott, the absolutely awesome guy I got the equipment from, who understood my cause and was VERY, VERY, VERY generous! I met him over at his storage facility and saw the camera. It had some issues, the mirror was hitting the inside of the front case. I explained to him that I'm a pretty good technician and could fix it no problem. So this is an unusual camera, it's a LTR modified to an LTR 7, with all of the super 16 updates done to the mags and of course body. It will run at 54 fps without an external crystal, the batteries have recently been re-celled (been testing and they seem to be great). Comes with three magazines, four batteries, color video tap which can run a monitor off the internal battery, it's pretty much everything I wanted as a "B" camera. Then we got started talking about lenses. He showed me what he had and I went crazy. He had the full 6 lens Optar prime kit and a beautiful Zeiss 10 - 100 F2.4 and adaptors so I could run all the lenses on either Aaton mount OR PL mount. After examining everything, I decided to make an offer, but I didn't want to be a jerk and low-ball. So I told him the truth, I have this great program I'm running to help people who want to shoot film. I told him this equipment would be in good hands, loving hands. I told him how much I was trying to get lenses for and how much I could afford. After some cattle prodding and almost two hours of discussion, we decided on a price that was worth it for both parties. He got rid of old stuff he wasn't using and I got old stuff that will make someone's life so much happier. I wound up getting everything for $5600. I went home, stripped the camera down and fixed the problem as I suspected. No damage had been done yet, but had it continued running like that, it would have broken the mirror. It was some sound insolation material that had come loose, probably from the heat we've had recently here in LA. I glued it back together again very carefully and re-assembled. Man, I LOVE this camera. Having been an Arri guy for so many years, I'm astounded how much BETTER this camera is in so many ways. All of the things I didn't like about the Arri, like the magazine threading and shoulder mount comfort, these things are fixed. Sure the Aaton has it's weaknesses, the battery system is kinda bogus and the viewfinder is ho-hum. However, those things aside, this camera is quieter for sure, it has a bitchin' and reliable pull down system, far better then I expected. Its well made inside, the little connectors are dynamite, I wanted to take pictures of them because they were so cool, so european. So now all I need is decent light meter, another camera, matte boxes and follow focuses for both cameras, new cases, sticks/quick release plates and odds and ends. I'm going to buy the XTR I've been eye balling once I have some more money coming in. Man... can you tell I'm happy? This is the first time I've had a 16mm camera in my possession for nearly 14 years. I must have walked around the house for an hour with the camera on my shoulder running dead stock through it, testing the mag's, batteries, everything to make sure it worked and it's pretty flawless. Just got the first script for our first short film! Should be in production mid November! Canna wait to bring it to you guys and show you what we're doing! :)

I think being on a set and learning is smart, but it won't help his screenwriting abilities. Far better to meet an up and coming filmmaker who loves his writing and make a career that way, if he's good. As I always say, the creme always rises to the top!

I'm going to see the LTR 7 and do some checks on it. I think it's the right way to go initially because even though it's an older camera, it will give me a wider option for glass right off the bat. Once I have serious financial backing, it will be a lot easier to buy a few other packages for my project. Being able to use a wider variety of glass is more appealing to me.

Yea, not much to critic there! Loved all of it! :) You're a very talented cinematographer Matias.

When I moved from Boston to LA in 2002, I had a pretty good portfolio, some great little short films, had been shooting on celluloid for years (16/35) and was a pretty good camera man. I started working as a cinematographer right away, finding jobs anywhere I could. However, I was taken for a few rides, got screwed over many times and eventually needed to pay rent. Most of my friends had the same things happen. They started to build traction, only to be completely let down when the money didn't come OR the next job was canceled. So most of us left the creative side and worked on the non-creative side. It kept us in the industry, but it kinda destroyed most of our dreams. The sad part is, my situation is pretty typical. Everyone graduates film school with a head of steam and most of the time, only the ones who work 80+hr weeks hustling their ass off, living on coffee, adrenaline and no sleep, ever become successful. The great thing about being a writer is that you can work from anywhere. I get sent spec scripts from all over the world and most of those people have full-time work outside of the industry. If you really want to write, I'd just do it as a pastime and get a really good full-time job wherever you want to live. If your scripts are good and they're winning festivals, people in the know will seek you out. Heck, I'm always looking for and reading other people's scripts. The biggest problem you'll have is someone stealing your idea because lets face it, you probably can't afford to fight them. There are two ways to get your ideas made. One way is to have good industry connections and hook up with other young filmmakers like myself who are looking for ultra low budget scripts. You won't get much money for the writing, but your movie may get made. The other way is to make the movie yourself. This is obviously a lot harder, but it's absolutely doable if you spend years working towards that goal. It's gotta be a bitchin' little script, you've gotta shoot a short (proof of concept) to show people you know what you're doing and then somehow sell yourself. Yea... it's hard, but it's been done a lot. You'd be shocked how many first time filmmakers have used this trick and eventually been in line to win an oscar. If you want to work in production, my suggestion is to come here with A LOT of savings, live very cheaply and work very cheaply. You've gotta be able to work for peanuts, show people you know what you're doing and eventually be dragged along to other jobs. This industry lives off word of mouth, there isn't anything else. So it's all about schmoozing, going to parties, working crazy hours, being consistent and a really good worker. If you can show people these things, you may be able to work up the ladder. However, it does take years and it really robs you of anything you'd consider to be a normal life. Everyone has their own story and thoughts on this. I'll say this much, it's A LOT EASIER today then it was when I moved here. Yes, there is less work and less money, but today you can shoot something bitchin' on a thousand dollar cinema camera. Your little film can be seen by millions on the internet. That outlet didn't exist when I started making movies and I think that fact alone makes it easier then it's ever been.

That's what it looked like to me in the trailer, you can see those few night-time digital shots on the river. They stick out in the trailer like a sore thumb; "can't do that on film"

I've been told to stay away from zooms because their optical quality isn't close to that of primes. I actually prefer zooms because it allows for much quicker shooting since you can change focal lengths on the fly. I grew up shooting with zooms on film, most of my 16mm and 35mm film work has been using zooms. Plus, I can use the zoom on my pocket camera, which would be very nice in the future. With all that said, I'm shooting two series of short films. One is narrative where I'll need optical quality because the lens will be wide open a lot (shooting in dark locations with shallow depth of field look) and the second is documentary. However, the documentary work won't have much run and gun. It will be more thought out and staged. I use a 25mm on my pocket camera for 80% of my work and I think it would still be my (go to) lens on film. So maybe I can work out a deal to get three primes; 8, 16, 25, which will cover all the wide angle stuff. Then get a zoom to cover everything else. This way... when I have 2 cameras (which is my goal) I'll have enough lenses to shoot with both at the same time. My other question is... could I ever adapt my canon glass to work on the LTR 7 aaton mount?