Christopher Santucci

I use V mount and I think (with any battery) when they discharge faster and hold a charge for a shorter time (when not in use), they're done. You can get V mount batteries re-celled.

Well, it comes on rolls and you would normally order a roll or a half roll, unless you were getting it from a rental house in which case you would do the same, but they would calculate how much you used by weighing what was left when it came back. I suppose you just need to know how much is on a roll and a half roll, so they could order the correct amount to cover their needs.

I believe poly silk is what's used for "silks." In terms of durability, I would go with silk. Cloth, like cotton based cloth, will get dirty pretty easily. I would buy an actual silk that's just large enough for your purpose and have a tailor sew it to match the original diffusion.

You would need super large wind breaks for sure and even then I doubt it would help. It doesn't take much wind to move haze.

There's too much reliance as of late on "suspension of disbelief." We know it's a movie, we know we have to allow for some suspension, but screenwriters could be a little smarter & less lazy imo. Especially in the case of science fiction which are universally the dumbest movies going.

I was once asked by a motion graphics guy to place 2 cameras on same axis with different focal length lenses. I'm not sure if he ever made use of the both perspectives, however. It may have been just a safety measure.

A garden hose or one of these should get you there.

Hahaha, I have such a pet peeve about demo reel music. Most I've seen have way too obtrusive, irritating music. I saw one once that had some really loud, overbearing dixieland jazz that had me immediately reaching for the volume control. I was tempted once to make a demo for myself with no music, but I think something needs to be there. It should really be innocuous, I believe.

Back light placement often has as much to do with space as it does with where you ideally want it to be. That is, it's gotta be high enough to be above the frame (most of the time) and not cause flare. Using a larger source as a top back light may not even be possible depending upon ceiling height. As for the look, if you want a hard rim of light, the source would be further behind the subject. Generally, you don't want that kind of light to spill onto the forehead or nose or cheek bones.

Commercial cinematographers are primarily highly skilled technicians with an artistic eye. They should be able to mimic or replicate or originate any style as required by any given project. That said, it's preferable to have a signature style of your own, sure, but it would have to be something pretty special which of course would fall out of fashion eventually. "Impossible to replace" is kind of a pipe dream and really only happens because of a long standing relationship (personal, professional, or otherwise).

Yeah, I love using them together to make large banks. Seems the 1x3 is not available anymore which is a shame.

I've never come across a rain cover that actually allowed for functional access to camera controls. I've been using clear ribbed shelf liner for rain situations. It bends itself naturally in one direction, is easy to cut, and it's cheap.

As mentioned, more frontal is better. Could be hard or soft light, but more frontal always looks best for women. If you're ever tempted to "keep it real" and use a more sidey source on women, especially 40+, don't.

I would look at the LED mats. Skypanel is too large/cumbersome and too heavy. Last year I picked up some low cost 1x2 and 1x3 mats that I've been using a lot. Color isn't perfect (close enough), but they're bright, portable, and dimmable.

I would keep the gear as far away from sand as possible. Get a magliner with a top shelf or a camera cart, and work off of it. Of course, some kind of motorized vehicle could also provide a clean platform to work off of.

Do you not have ambient light where you live? ? I don't think you can go wrong with Aputure, but seriously, you should try and work with available light if at all possible.

It really depends on budget, the nature of the script, the expectations of the director, and how the DP likes to work. I've DP'ed features where there was zero prep or even discussion about the cinematography, but then I worked on a spec PSA once and the director wanted to discuss at length every aspect of the cinematography down to also visiting the location to discuss it even more. I worked on a feature that was completely storyboarded by the director, but we never much discussed lighting, etc. I think I've DP'ed 9 features, but I don't remember ever doing any screen tests with actors. When performing lighting tests, it's generally to work out a difficult lighting situation or to test a non standard technique, so really, it's more about just knowing what will work and what won't work on the shoot day.

Build 2 large book lights to place on each side of the frame, one closer to camera and one further back.

Clipped highlights, drastic focus issues, and just generally poor lighting, is what stands out for me. They're using the overheads and keying with small sources, it looks like. I'd guess they had a very small lighting package for this.

2-3 years sounds about right but of course now the danger is that new camera models are being released more frequently and you don't want to get stuck with an obsolete camera that producers and directors aren't asking for anymore. That said, I'm still using a Red Epic MX and have no intention of upgrading. Buying used is the way to go with the pricier cameras, I'd say, especially given the lesser lifespan of cameras as of late. I would expect a reputable rental house would have maintained and restored a sale item to 100% prior to sale.

I would think 35mm on a S35 sensor camera. 85mm is a bit long depending on what the product is and what sensor size you're using. I definitely wouldn't use 85mm on a full frame sensor camera for tabletop stuff unless I wanted a lot of it to be out of focus.

Use a point source fixture, not a skypanel or anything diffused. You'll have to experiment with placements to achieve the effect you want. Another option would be to produce a slide with the exact coloration you want and use it in a Leko or project an image file with a projector.

If I had the budgets top tier A-list directors had, I might shoot on film too. Or, I would put that extra expense into something an audience would actually appreciate, like production design. I wasn't referring to them, obviously. And I'd be willing to bet if movie goers were polled, most if not all wouldn't know and wouldn't care what the movies they watch are shot on. Content is king.

Just pull the wire harness out of the fixture and extend each leg as needed with quick splice connectors and 16 gauge lamp cord.

What possible advantage could there be at this point to originate on film? Even IF it cost the same as digital? People are shooting popular features and commercials on iPhones & cameras you can pick up at Best Buy now. Audiences don't care about film. People watch more video/motion picture work daily now than they used to watch in a year, and are really only interested in content. I see work shot on film (stills or motion picture) these days by tech hipsters and for the life of me, I can't see anything different in terms of look from any other modern digital imagery. Film is more time consuming, offers more possible ways to ruin it (fog, dust, tears, scratches, crinkles, lab damage, etc.), and film is a one time use medium as opposed to thousands. I started out with film and I for one don't miss it. Clients don't ask for it and consumers/audiences don't either.