David Desio

Hey all, another question about this camera. I shoot a lot of green screen in my work and sometimes notice that the images come back on the red side, more red than they looked on the monitor in the studio. This is not a hard fix with some color correction but I have yet to find an optimal setting for getting the most out of the picture in a green screen scenario. So this is my set up for the most part: 1. lighting is done with tungsten balanced lights. A 2k into a white bounce for the key, then tungsten bulbed kino 4'4bank for the fill. Each of these is scrimed or netted to shape the light a bit. A 650 with a double scrim for an edge or 2. Light the cyc for flatness and generally keep it a little under as far as how much light is on it. 2. My subject is usually a good 15-20ft. from the cyc. Mostly head to toe shots. 3. I over expose in camera and shoot at a 2.8/4 split. The settings have been in cineV mode, color temp dialed to be a little on the cool side after the initial white-balance is set. MasterPed is at -2, Gamma is at HDNorm. I noticed that this camera seems to like reds alot and I always seem to be trying to get rid of them. Any advice? Dave

Been out working, late response back, sorry. The stock was Vision3, some ektachome, plusx and tri-x. I ran all of these through the camera, played with it a bit and got it to go through about 2 feet of film at a time, maybe a little more before you can hear the gears sound like they are winding down, then come to a complete stop. Yes, I replaced the batteries and yes I used a wire brush to clean off any corrosion. What's weird is that when it jams, the spindle on the cart can be turned counter clockwise, freely for a bit before tightening again.

I was shooting at around f2.8-4split. My shutter was 1/60, GG speed at 7. What's weird is that it really stood out against white walls that were reading at about 70IRE.

Hey all, Recently I shot a spot using the HPX500 and a pro35 adapter with master primes. I have used this set up before and have gotten great results, but this time, while the image and colors look great, I noticed alotl of "dancing" in the out of focus areas, even the ones that were not very dark. Is there an optimal shutter speed to use on the camera? An optimal GG speed/setting on the adapter? Thanks, Dave

correct, budget is limited. If I did go with the old storeroom idea, I may still need to have faux brick of some sort.

Hey guys and gals. I need some help/suggestions on building a cellar. Basically I will be converting my 2-car garage into a northern style cellar. The walls need to be cement block and/or brick. The space I am working in is a standard ground level 2-car garage, why not just find a cellar? Well for thos that don't know, are, at our highest, around sea-level. That means if you dig down a few feet, you'll hit water! I was thinking about building 3 flats and covering in faux brick. I need to build a set of stairs as well, or shoot around the actors walking down the steps. The story is based on Poe's "The cask of Amontialldo". The actual climax is something of a different beast and I won't get into it here. Thanks in advance, Dave

Thanks for the advice guys. The HVX200 does not have a BW shooting mode as far as I know. I will monitor in BW because I am going for a noirish look. I hope to be able to achieve this with video, at least somewhat anyway. Dave

Should I monitor the shoot in BW?

Hey all, I am planning a 20 min. short in HD using the HVX200 and finishing in Black and white. My question is, has anyone else done an entire film in Faux black and white? How did you monitor for it? How did you keep the contrast believable in the finished image. Any luck selling it as BW or will it just look like a BW video filter? Thanks, Dave

Joe, welcome to the carnival! It seems that you may have your priorities in the wrong place for a first time endeavor. 4-5min for a trailer, why not just shoot a 4-5min short? Also, if it were me, and everyone is different; I'd go with the cliched approach of having a compelling story and solid technique before I started worrying about how to throw a "film" filter on in post. As for your editing set up, Premier Pro should be fine. If you want to really sweeten the look, bring your clips in After Effects and experiment with the many plug-ins that are available from BorisFX to Magic Bullet. Also, the filmic look has alot to do with how you shoot the movie and encompasses lighting, composition, all that jazz. Maybe hook up with a DP and crew that has some experience( offering to compensate them of course :) ) and see what they can bring to the table. How much hands on production experience do you have? You said that you've created a few shorts in Premier. Was that planning,shooting,and post production? If you haven't much experience I'd suggest focusing on the production aspect first, you know, camera, lighting, etc. Dave

Nothing here either, but I think I'm a long shot anyway.

Hey Chris, your project sounds interesting. Here's a link to my reel http://vimeo.com/2056714 Would you be willing to have an out of town guy?

Thanks for the response. Yeas I have tried that and the claw seems to be moving but the film does not.

I hope some of you can offer some insight here. I have shot through about 10 carts of film with this camera, had them processed and they all turned out looking great. No wobbling or scratches. So naturally I'm stoked over the camera performance. I break it out to shoot a music video, convince the producers that it will give them a look that they cannot just "fake in post". Then hand it over to my operator. Well I get a call from the lab telling me that about 30ft out of 200ft is usable and that the rest didn't look exposed. Yeah I know that the carts have that handy little print that tells you when they have been shot through, but the operator watched the counter and changed carts after it told him that he'd shot 50ft of each. Anyway, whats happening is that the film is not being advanced when I pull the trigger. Everything sounds and looks like its working, gears turning, teeth moving, counter winding down. But the film never moves. Tried different carts and get more of the same with them. I am planning on sending this out for repair but hope to get some kind of idea of what could be causing this and a possible fix without costly repair fees. Thanks

That's funny about the old footage. Last weekend as I was cleaning out my office, I found a few old digital 8 tapes with some of my earliest attempts, one was a short horror movie I made when I was 12! Anyway, I noticed glaring mistakes but it was very nostaligic. I remember how exciting it was to just turn the camera on and shoot, no worries about lighting, "the line" , rules of composition, etc. Just make it look cool and pretty. Every time I shot it was an experiment and learning those basic techniques like using lines to create a vanishing point in the frame; was so exciting. Not that I'm a 20 year vet in "the biz", but I'm at a point where I know just enough to sometimes cripple the kid who just wants to go out and shoot. Sharing can be fun :)

Interesting responses. No, I'm not writing a book but I do accept cash for counseling :) I guess it's true though, if everytime you went out to shoot and came back with footage exactly the way it looked in your head, it could get quite dull, though what a problem to have!

Hey all. Just felt like sharing a bit. So I just saw a rough cut of a music video that I DP'd a few weeks back and my overall reaction was disappointment. While there were no complaints from the director or producers, for me it felt a little lacking. I was seeing little lighting things that made me cringe, mistakes that I didn't catch until much later, things like that. I was wondering what are some of the biggest regrets you all have when seeing footage that comes back and isn't what you envisioned; and as you progressed in your careers, do you still find imperfections in your work and what are the most common ones for you? best, dave

maybe another way: They shot the actor on green screen, then just layered in post...anyone?

Here's a question about projection since we're on the topic; How'd they pull this off? http://youtube.com/watch?v=98ZoPtIdR2I It was the inspirtation for a set up I did last weekend and I had a helluva time trying for the same effect. What I've come up with is: a. they may have used a film projector instead of video b. were able to really adjust the focal length of the projection lens c. shot the footage that was to be projected in a very specific framing that would work when projected onto the second actor. d. heavy make-up for the actor's face so it was more reflective? Any thoughts? I'd like to try and acheive this look if only for my own personal satisfaction. The producer and director were happy with what I gave them but it wasn't the exact shot that I promised them.

yup it is. Funny< I justgott off a music video that did some projecting. If going digital, you can record a still image onto disk but need to be able to mirror the image to project from the rear. I was crunched for time and didn't get to experiment too much with it.

I'd create the ballons in PS and animate them in After Effects, then export the comps from AE and import into FCP. Dave

I may be laughed at for this but I liked how Nispel and Pearle handled the TCM re-make. Pearle was the one who shot the 1973 Tobe Hooper version and it was interesting to see what he did since he was able to re-shoot one of his earlier projects. That being said, I'm a horror movie fiend and am actually excited to see this one for better or worse. It actually can't be much worse than the original films were, which was part of the charm for me anyway. As for a Nightmare re-make, personally that would be blasphemy in the horror world to me. These slashers, Jason, Freddy, Leatherface were my superheroes growing up and TCM was the reason that I wanted to get into filmmaking in the first place. I do agree though that we are oversaturated with re-makes and I'm sure we'll be saying that all the way up until they re-make Gone With the Wind and Citizen Kane.

The animated mask is another possibility. Just goes to show that there may not be a right way, just a way that is easiest for you and your production schedule. The animated mask is called a stroke in AE.

that effect is created using either After effects or Apple Motion, (there are others but I've seen it done with these). What they might have done is place a tracking point on the pen or brush, then using a particle generator and some basic motion tracking, created the brush strokes. Since the tracking is using only a 2D plane, its pretty simple. You would track the motion of the brush tip, then have the particle generate from that point, tweaking the birth and death of the particles in AE. In the reverse, notice that he is painting in a manner that his body is not really blocking the brush so much. I think you can even find a "How To" on videocopilot.com Dave

Okay, gotta jump in here. I saw the movie with my girlfriend and as the lights went down I found myself in a sea of tween girls and their awkward boyfriends. The movie started and all the oozin'ahhs from the audience almost drowned out the dialogue. So my take on the movie was this: The direction was a bit weak, like she was trying to really drive home the point that it was a vampire love story with overly long montage sequences of the 2 leads kissing and cuddling and climbing up trees, then kissing and cuddling a little more. The acting was...ehhh. No real sense of depth to the characters but they were believable for the most part. The story was a bit of a gloss-over but I guess thats expected from a book-to-movie translation. There was a really cool fight scene that never really happened. I say this because about 1/3 of the movie builds up to it and it's over in a very short time, the bad guy gets it but its done off screen as the 2 leads coddle each other while some mention of love is made. In the end we are set up for a sequel much like an old episode of saved by the bell set up a 2-part story. I was actually waiting for the text "to be continued..." to appear. There were a few good threads that, had they been explored a bit would have made the plot a little more interesting; but alas they kind of fall by the wayside in favor of the montages. Overall the audience left the theatre gushing over the movie and it seemed to do what it was supposed to do so...good job on that. Its a good date movie if your girl, or guy is into the books. Just don't expect too much and it's sufferable. Dave