Manfred Lopez

Very nice work! I especially liked the black and white one (It Had To Be You). Very good lighting and editing and camera work. I like how the detective moves in and out of the light, especially the shot where we see for the first time that there is someone else up above. I also liked the counter angle insert when the detective turns up. Great editing/camera direction right there.

My only minor nitpick is that the very last shot seems to jump the 180-degree line. I say "seems" because the previous shot (the second-to-last where he turns around) was right on the line and it could have gone either way. But then the hand with the gun that comes into frame from the right (<--) pushes the detective and his gun to the left of it (-->). So in the next shot, which is not a reversal but just a move-in, the detective's gun should still be pointing from left to right (-->), but you switched directions and it therefore jumps a bit.

But maybe I'm overseeing things. I still loved the short. I have a question: Did you storyboard the sequence before shooting or did you figure it out in the theater as you went along?

Thanks for the feedback. Mike, I especially liked your feedback. It's probably the most helpful one I have received so far. Sometimes it's hard to promote oneself and trying to be objective at the same time to see how one is coming across. And with this site I am introducing so many new elements at once that many details will invariably be looked over. Thanks again.

And Ross, it's very encouraging that you like my photography work. It hasn't really been seen in public before so I don't know how people might react to it since a lot of it crosses into abstraction. Thanks again.

Hi

I am a relatively new poster here, but have been a longtime reader. So anyway, I was wondering if anyone would be interested in giving me some feedback on my new web site, photography work and reel. They can be found here:

www.manfredlopez.com

Thanks.

If you're looking for the "best" C-Stand, my personal vote would go to American Grip's C-Stand. They have a bit thicker tubes and the grip head handles are by far the easiest to spin/tighten/untighten I've come across. Personally, I've found that the MSE line has suffered a tad in the QC since moving all it's manufacturing offshore (china I believe).

 

I'm not coming at this from a "buy american" perspective...just think American Grip's stuff is really great. Its all I'll buy now as they last a lot longer under extreme conditions. Check it out if you get a chance.

 

BTW- I'd place Modern at just as good as MSE and cheaper.

Thanks. I will look into them. I just started to see their online catalogue (American Grip) and they are indeed a bit pricier. So with the Matthews stuff, what kind of QC problems have you encountered?

I haven't used the latest of every brand out there. Here's a couple opinions:

 

Matthews: I have eight sliding-leg stands. Their new grip heads are absolutely the best. Set and lock with little to know settling into a final tightness. They have a new design for their sliding legs stands that's very slick. After loosening the wing-nut, I can open/close them with a flick of the wrist.

 

Modern: I have two Gary Coleman (20") stands. Grip heads not as good as Matthews but still a strong, firm grip after they settle into their loads. I don't care for their stainless steel design and slip-on feet. The welds get rusty fairly fast and the feet aren't cemented on. However, the bright yellow foot is a great safety marker on a dark set.

 

Norms: I have some older stands and grip heads so can't comment. I've retired all the boom arms & heads but still use the stands with Matthews hardware on top.

 

Michael

Thanks. It looks like I'll be sticking with Matthews then. I actually have a few of them. They are the only ones I have ever used, so therefore I was wondering if there was any better design out there. I am glad I made the right choice.

Yes and no. Depends on how close the camera gets to the windows in terms of seeing how neatly you managed to put two layers of gel on the window, which is hard to do. But if it's just in the background, doubling up gel is not so much of a problem if done neatly. Tripling up is asking for trouble.

 

I hardly ever find a use for ND.3 gel. If I only need to kill a stop out of a window, I generally just stretch a double-net scrim on a frame and put it outside. Gelling windows is a pain in the ass and expensive so I only do it if absolutely necessary, or if it's a small amount of window area.

This is good to know. It looks like then it would be better to switch to daylight temperature lighting inside as well. So this is probably the reason HMI's are so popular.

Okay, I am about to purchase some gel rolls. Here is my question, is there any downside in doubling up gels in order to get the desired effect? More specifically, can I use CTO and ND .6 together on windows or is it better to just get a combination gel like Rosco E-Colour #208 Filter (CTO+.6 ND):

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/9062..._Filter_CT.html

Another way... Can I get away with just purchasing ND.3 and ND.6 and just double these up together whenever I need ND.9?

Hi, I hope it's not too late to join the discussion. I was wondering what the best brands are for C-Stands? (can someone maybe list them in order of quality?)