David Desio

Jose,

if you want your walls to be "cooler", I read that as you want your Key to be cooler and closer to daylight, then you will have to correct your key with some CTB, the fill with tungsten from the Flo's. Since you're shooting digital you can kinda light by eye to get a mix that is to your liking. How wide of a shot are we talking? Are you ever going to see the window? What direction does your window(s) face? I would use as much natural light as I could for the key since the window seems to be pretty large. If you are going to pound light and are worried about it overpowering the actors, just back it up a little, if that's not an option, don't have them play directly into the light where they are being blinded. Also you could move the furniture away from the window a bit. I wouldn't pound the room with light without some sort of diffusion in place anyway...

Sorry for the disjointed response, I'm in the middle of editing and needed abreak.

Dave

did you update to the current version of quicktime? I've had many problems with the newest version and had to go back to an older one, though the problems were not in FCP but in After Effects. Same type of thing though, quicktime files were fine in FCP but didn't work in AE.

How's your source material timecode? Is it broken at all on the tape? Try capturing the old fashioned way by just playing the tape and hitting record in the capture window and see if that works.

Dave

Damn, Adrian beat me to it...I second the music note. Other than that very pretty.

Dave

Adrian,

Interesting, never really thought about that but now that you mention it, they do seem out of place in a narrative reel...thanks for the input!

Dave

Why thank you, I tried my best to mix it up, though most of the work was on the moody side.

Hey all. Just added some recent footage to my narrative Demo reel. As always feedback is appreciated.

Dave

http://vimeo.com/6726310

Been following this thread for a bit, lots of opinions from both sides...I'll keep mine to myself and just say that I appreciate the kind words David, I had a nice time on your set, everything looked very nice...we now return you to your regularly scheduled debate...

Last time I was tethered to an 8" pansonic monitor wich I held as I guided the actor/op. He used a flip out LCD screen to "see". The camera we used was an HVX200 mounted to his chest. For this I think just try to get the best frame, tether to the 8" so my AC can watch it as he Guides me. For exposure we'll have to meter and go off of the monitor. I know that its not ideal but I don't have any better ideas yet.

Thanks Mitch, I'll check them out as well.

Yes Tony, I found that when you are rigged up, it's hard enough trying to keep the image in frame/focus and "acting" as the POV character. I'll have someone else watching the monitor to check exposure and watch for bogies.

The scene plays tight and I have a master that is a little easier to salvage. I really like the idea of the mock-up, it's the cheapest solution which makes me happy.

I went to the location last night and pleaded my case, after offering a little cash for their troubles. They said yes on the reshoots on the condition that we are out in 3 hours...no worries.

Thanks everyone, I'll let you all know how it turns out.

Dave

Sounds like a fun project David. That Nike spot is really well done. I hadn't seen it, so thanks for posting.

I have one thought regarding mounting: If I were doing the shot I would make sure the camera could be panned and tilted (at least a little) while mounted so that you don't get stuck depending on how the helmet fits on the operators head and constantly trying to adjust the helmet to control the frame.

Good luck.

Thank you. That may be something we try to figure out, I'll be wearing the rig and doing football related things, training, running, getting tackled, etc. Its for a certain New York team that may or may not reside in New Jersey...:)

Tiny suggestion...

Shoot a frame of the background or some minute without the actor and green screen the close up.

Dim

Thanks guys for the replies.

I'm entertaining the green screen option as I happen to work at a studio that has one.

Dave

Wow David... bummer! Have you tried opening up the image.. is there not enough info there in the blacks?... in my mind, it will be very difficult to salvage something 2 to 2 1/2 stops under. But I am a Film guy... best of luck either way.

 

I look forward to meeting you in a couple weeks! :)

Hey David,

Well this is the image bumped up to get what I have here, I don't have much info in the blacks, it's there but it's sketchy enough to be scary. Now I must put this out there that this was not a mistake made directly by me, but rather one of the troops who dedicated a Saturday to making my film...in case it reflected badly on me :)

Look forward to meeting you as well.

Hey all,

so I had a shoot last weekend, a personal project that I am Directing; and I ran into a bit of a snag. While shooting a crucial interior shot, someone forgot to pull the Polarizer from the camera and the scene came out about 2 1/2 stops under. We shot in HD so the information is there but barely.

So the scene took place in a location that was very accomodating, but also happy to see us leave. I will be begging them for a re-shoot day but if I don't get it, I need some ideas for backup options.

Here is the shot with some tweaking already done:

Check this out!!

 

http://www.iconixvideo.com/products.html

 

Panavision is carrying these I believe. That's where I first saw one.

 

 

Andy

Holy resolution batman!

That seems to be what we're looking for. Thanks for all the info everyone! I'll let you all know how it goes and post a link once it's operational.

Dave

Hmmm... That's a thought too... Not sure, because this scene will probably take at least one full day to shoot, and I'm afraid that the light will change in there pretty dramatically between morning and afternoon. I might have to try to get back there and get some still shots at different times of the day to see how different it will look. In the script, the scene is supposed to take place in the morning - probably around 9am.

If it were me I would let the windows blow out unless you need to see outside, spin the table 90 degrees and shoot any shots that you will see the window first, then go in for the coverage being careful to try and match color temps of daylight coming in and your lights. Or better yet, do the CTO thing on the window and not worry much about the lights being as tungsten.

Of course with the CTO you may not be able to blow the windows out...many options, which one will serve the scene and the time constraints best?

Hey all,

I have a shoot coming up where we are going for this type of action: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsizQdNKhGg

Now we have done something similar using an HVX rigged to a shoulder mount and harness but it gave me very limited and uncomfortabe movement.

I think a lipstick cam would work mounted on a helmut but I need to have the best resolution possible to work with as it will be inter-cut with DVCPROHD footage at 1080.

Any suggestions on cameras?

Also this will be shot in New Jersey so I wonder if anyone knows of a rental house in that area.

Thanks,

Dave

Thanks for your help guys! CTO-ing the windows does make more sense.

A little late but...if those windows are pretty big, it look like they are; could you spin the table 90 degrees so that the actors would never be backlit by it, instead it would be more side-y? It may give everyone a chance to get hit by the strong light coming through the window. What time of day are you shooting?

Don't know about the technical aspect of the film but I saw this last friday and I thought it was great. Very fun, old evil dead Raimi style film. I was laughing while I was being scared. It was just an all around good time and fun horror flick. It didn't rely on twists and gimmicks, no scooby-doo ending where the bad guy is really and ex-lover who was killed on the side of the raod by the Protagonists sister in-law who has become estranged and put in a mental hospital only to have no record of her ever being there...etc.

The story was just good old fashioned linear horror.

Hello,

 

I just wanted to share a music video I recently shot and directed for the artist Cheeto Fool's new single "Too Many People".

 

Please take a look!

 

http://vimeo.com/4797966

 

Thanks,

 

Joseph

Very interesting. I like the touch screen part.

hey ya'll

 

looking for constructive criticism on anything.

directing, editing, story, whatever.

 

opinions please! :-)

 

 

www.thinkmonkeymedia.com/thelastjar

Ok, I'll go first. First off, good job on getting into the location, I assume you had not much of a budget and would like to know how you secured that location. I thought that the old man was decent, Duey was ok, the rest of the actors...eh. I like the idea of a disgruntled employee fantasizing about getting even with a mean boss, even dancing with a pretty girl, in order to pass the time of an otherwise mundane day. Not really sure about the actual plot of this one, so the old man steals the apple sauce at the end? Alright...

Now for some technical stuff:

I think the sound from dialogue to the score needs work as far as the mix goes. Also, with the score why use so many different and recognizable songs? You may liek them but to me an original score is always better, or at least stick to one theme with the music because as of now it's all over the place.

As for camera, one shot stood out that really bothered me. The zoom during the old man's crying scene went from a MED to an out of focus CU. If you like to zoom during a scene that's your choice but at least try to keep the image in focus or use another take. The hand-held thing kinda didn't sit well though you had some interesting angles working. If you'd put the camera on sticks those angles would have looked better IMO.

Editing-

I kept waiting for a reason for the TV static and snow, like we were watching this all through a surveilence camera or something to justify it. I like jump cuts and think that yours would work without the TV gimmick. There were a few times were you cut into an insert shot, like cutting in to jar smashing on the floor; that seemed abrupt and redundant. We could have seen the jar hit the floor in the wide shot and gotten the reaction from the old man without interrupting the scene to punctuate the jar hitting the floor. I think the other shot was the insert of the fanny pack on Duey. Maybe a better way to get the joke across would have been to tilt up from his shoes to reveal his dorkish face as he says his first line. Again though, this is just my opinion.

Overall I like the concept and the two main characters kept me interested.

Dave

Hey guys and gals. I just got a link to a music video I DP'd a few months back and I'd like some honest input. I was going for an older look, say '70s era, at least in the coloring.

Here's the link:

Thanks,

Dave

Anyone know where I can find scripts so I can compare them to the finished film?

IMSBD.com

Thanks for replying.

 

Well, like I said in the beginning, make me an offer.

 

Keep in mind, the camera is crystal sync modified and must be sold with this feature included.

 

Thanks again.

Here's my email: filmboy1@msn.com

Let the haggling begin :)

This may be a little late but I work as a DP in that area and love to get my hands dirty for the right projects. Let me know what I can do to help out.

Dave