Salil Sundresh

I'm curious as to what people think is the better way to work your way up to becoming a working DP-- Start in the Grip and/or Electric Department, work your way up to the Gaffer and then DP or start as a camera pa/loader and work up to an operator and then DP? I ask this mainly because these days on low budget projects in particular that are shooting digital, the cameras are fairly easy to use and light meters aren't being used for setting exposure, so could working with the lighting department be a better choice for the 2009 aspiring DP on digital sets? What are the benefits of each route? Any thoughts?

Thanks David, I've been working on doing lots of distance guessing and was hoping to get some practice with moving subjects. (maybe some rc car then a friend tells me when my focus goes soft, etc)

Disregard the previous message, file size was too large (128kb), you can download/view a PDF of my resume here: http://salsunproductions.com/misc/salilsun...me-jan09_1b.pdf I've also attached a .doc version. salil_new_resume_09_1b_word.doc

Oh yeah, here's my resume in .PDF format...

for sure

I've been shooting my own crappy micro budget shorts for a couple years and freelancing on paid event video shoots (NOT what I want to do with my life) for a few years. Since this summer I've been avidly attempting to gain more experience in the camera and lighting department on film sets (film/HD format). While I have had a couple worthwhile gigs, I haven't had as much lucks as I would have hoped (too many unpaid craigslist gigs where ppl don't know wtf they are doing), but I feel like I have some solid knowledge considering my experience and I am 100% committed to my work. If there is anyone that needs a camera PA in the Chicago area, I would be more than happy to help out especially if you're shooting on film. I have a lot of experience shooting with the HVX200 w/Letus 35 and other video cameras but very little film experience. I have experience working in most areas of the camera & lighting department on low-budget HD sets including: 1st & 2nd AC, camera op, DP, Gaffer, and Grip/Electric. Some of my micro budget Directing/DP/Editing work from about a year ago (and older) can be seen on my site at: http://salsunproductions.com/video.htm Feel free to e-mail me at salil(at)salsunproductions.com for more information. Even if it is a small project, if I'm free I might be interested anyways. Also, if anyone has any advice for me, I would love to hear it. My main sources of jobs have been mandy.com, craigslist.org, and a couple great contacts I've made. PS: Be sure to replace (at) with @ incase it wasn't obvious.

I guess the word (or words I guess.. ;) ) I was looking for was that my SLR lenses have a short barrel throw so this is of course a problem for practicing to pull focus. Chris, I appreciate your responses, and agree that's the best way to learn, but I don't always have the opportunity of working with 35mm, usually prosumer or professional video cameras that tend to have a very deep depth of field. So I'd like to be prepared as much as possible for those few instances where I may be asked to pull focus on a camera with a shallower DOF.

Is there any sort of lens (I own a Pentax K100D Super and a Panasonic DVX100B) or device I could purchase for a couple hundred bucks or less that would allow me to practice focus pulling? The the SLR lenses I own, while they have distance markings on the barrel, they are very inprecise because just a small nudge may change the focus by a couple inches or feet. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the reply Brian. Are there any specifics books you might recommend?

I've been shooting on 24p video since I started making and working on movies. I've learned a lot about lighting, how to meter, frame, pull focus on DOF adapter, choosing the right lense etc. But I've never really had the opportunity to work with a motion picture film camera, is there anywhere (besides of course on a film set) I can learn a about the technical basics that I should know when using a film camera? (16mm or 35mm)

Thanks for all the suggestions folks. I'll check out RIT. If anyone has more feedback to offer it would be appreciated. Thanks.

What would you say flat bed editing specifically teaches? Patience? An NLE lets you be a bit more creative IMO it lets you quickly try things if what you planned doesn't quite work or better yet you discover something that works even better.

I'm a senior in high school and I've applied to the film programs at NYU University of Austin Texas. But seeing as they fairly competitive (especially NYU), should I not get in, can someone recommend some other schools to apply to? I got into GVSU and University of Milwaukee but I'm not really keen on going to either of these schools. I'm hoping to find a school that has a solid directing program and a solid cinematography program as those are my strongest areas of interest. I live in the Chicago area (Naperville, IL) and Colombia College in Chicago is pretty close but I've heard their directing program isn't all that good and they waste a lot of time with flatbed editing. (useless IMO) Any suggested schools would be greatly appreciated. PS: I'm looking to stay in the USA.