David Rakoczy

That won't work. A Lamp (neon for example) may be very bright (reflected) but not emit much (ambient) light. The only (true) way is to take a reflected reading.

This might be helpful.

Call (or email) ARRI... they will be happy to tell you. Mine is early 80s.... still runs like a champ.

And one would think Mr. Reed would have gotten his way despite a Tap... ^_^

EXACTLY John... you can't see anything thru the lens (most of the times) anyway! I often run an (85)ND9, ND6 and a POLA all at once... have thrown in the ND 3 (to make it a full house) as well at times. One day soon I'll post pics of a custom Filter Holder I made. It holds 3 4x5s and a 138 Round and hangs on the back of the Capping Shutter. It has made time lapse shooting a joy as it is super easy to change filters (for exposure) or pull the filters altogether (for framing). My wife sewed up a really nice bellows as well. All packed in a Pelican Case. I love my Norris Package :wub:

..and you would know if the tripod had been kicked... because it would either be you or your ac who kicked it... no one else comes NEAR the rig once settled and started.

Cool. Thanks Chris. Gonna try that. I have a Kish and have used a lot of various finders and for me the real deal is one that accepts the actual Lens you are considering. That way you are (really) seeing what the neg will see in that position. The rest (to me) are guesstaments.

But for the most part that is all you do once a time lapse sequence begins... baby-sit. I have a Norris Intervalometer and Capping Shutter and it is funny you mention this, Karl, but yes, we have shot on a bridge in the middle of the night for 4 hours in 19 degree weather... miserable... and that is all we did was baby-sit. On the other hand while relaxing in shorts shooting a balmy Florida summer sunrise that is all we did as well... baby-sat. Once you add movement and you really want to see where you are in your pan/ tilt sequence then yes a monitor (may) help depending on the amount of ND being used... but for lock off time lapse (as is most time lapse) it is set it up RIGHT (a key factor) as you don't want to realize 3 hours later you were at the wrong Stop :o. Speaking of monitors, we were never allowed a monitor on the Set of Silk Stalkings. The Producer entrusted the operating, eye lines, cheats etc.. to the Operator... me. It did not take long to see how much faster we moved without one. On the other hand, I now carry a black and white monitor so the crew can see the frame lines and my client can see what I am doing (and why)...

Generally speaking, at 100iso neon looks good at a t2.8. If you are in a (Bar or Pub let's say) you can simply tape a sheet of ND over it... it won't be pretty up close but from a distance and by throwing it a bit out of focus you can get away with it. If you plan to continue to DP I suggest you purchase a Spot Meter and run your Neon 3 stops over. Now, if you are 'featuring' a piece of neon (like in a close up) you had better close down to a t4 - 4 1/2 or 5.6 depending...

Very Nice lighting! As the DP you did great. Some of the Dolly moves needed a bit of massaging and I will attribute that to poor equipment. As far as Lensing goes, more soft foreground would help. There were a couple weird cuts especially the rack focus delayed action shot (you know the one.. around 1:20)...that could have definitely been fixed with a different cut point but overall, as far as (your) performance, you did a fantastic job especially in the lighting dept. Next time try a slower stock like 100t and really pump some light on the Set. That would be a great experience for you. Great job and kudos to the Set/ Prod Designer.

Play with them.. you will feel them adjust the tension on the Tilt.

Probably 1/3 Stop... not much.

He sure was. :rolleyes:

Bring a book.... B Cam can be a lot like steadi-cam.... a lot of hurry up and wait. Either way, be thankful. Camera Op (in my opinion) is one of the best jobs on Set. You are right there in the vortex. Watch. Learn. You can pick up SO much! I was A Camera Op for a season of Silk Stalkings (USA Network). It was one of the most enjoyable jobs I ever had. Not near as rewarding (for me) as DPing but man, it was enjoyable! Paid well too. Leave your ego at home and enjoy the Show.

Shane (is) a professional (obviously). He was just a bit lax or self involved and got bit by Talent. It happens. I feel Bale had a right to take a piss but that in no way lessens Shane's professionalism. It was just one of those days. If you can't take the heat, stay off the Set!

220 DC. I remember having a plant dedicated to it (Plunger Arc) and while at craft service you could hear the generator struggle and belch black diesel smoke as it struck. Here is a mini version here Here is how the roll call went on Pumpkinhead... Camera you ready?... ok... Let's lock it up!... Smoke it up!... Wind!... Leaves!... Lightning!... Camera!... Monster!... ACTION!!!!!!!!..... cut ...... back to one! :lol:

Lightning Strikes are great.. and easily controllable... the old school method of mashing Carbon Arcs (rods) together in a plexi box deliver a more... 'organic' strike. We used Carbon Arc Strikes on Stan Winston's PUMPKINHEAD. I love the mashed carbon arc method.. but you have to designate a plant just for that as it draws a ton of amps. I don't recommend 'Shutters'.. I have used them and they just don't 'feel' real..(to me). If I had a choice, I would use the carbon rod method any day. There is a sample of Lightning Strikes on my Feature Demo Reel (at the beginning there is an Exterior Night scene using Lightning Strikes. Another Lightning Thread

I don't recall that Chris :lol:

Even if you could get one Flicker Box that would not cut it... you need a minimum of two.. preferably three. ;) ... and they are cheap. Tell them you NEED a few - and kick the dirt while pouting and shrugging your shoulders :( . You really need to sell it. They need to 'feel' your need. If all else fails, you can also bouce the warmed light into a piece of mylar and manipulate that a bit.

Family Feud

As a DP, I find no fault in what Bale did. I heard the audio tape. I don't blame him one bit and the apology was unnecessary. ...now the family feud is another story! :o

Film is a bit more rugged than that... It has been to to the top of Mt. Everest and all over the world under grueling conditions. Tom, I think you left the overhead Kitchen Fluoros on and it is they we pulsing on the background. ;)

Check out the VW sized Camera in the behind the scenes bonus footage of ROPE. How they moved that camera the way they did was amazing! Remember Duece Boards and Gang Boxes?! 110 and 220 open ended connection boxes that seemed to accept the foot of a C Stand perfectly? Four hole Gang Boxes with asbestos lined Cable that could barely be bent onto a circle? Everything was built 'into' a truck, now, everything is built 'onto' Carts so it can be moved off the truck and onto the Set! Running Arcs was fun and I am grateful I had the opportunity to be an Arc angel for a while. Things have gotten much better equipment wise... not so sure camera wise tho.

I agree with all the comments leaning towards Film (no surprise) but for me the question is even simpler: If you have the option of shooting Film... why shoot anything else? ;) ... also, shooting on Film will be much faster.

I don't think the range becomes as shallow as you mention. I remember lighting this Spot (5285 Cross Processed) just a bit flatter than usual. This spot was my Test... sometimes you just have to go for it. These aren't the cleanest SD screen grabs but they will give you an idea.