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Bob Hayes

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Everything posted by Bob Hayes

  1. Looking for different picture profiles. This is my EX1 setting to match my VariCam It is designed for post color correction to be shown on HD broadcast . This is for a scripted comedy. The camera was teched to a DSC chart with whites at 80 IRE and all settings on as was the VariCam. So this is how the is set up when I shoot. It seems whites expose at 78 IRE for good flesh tones. ZLBH4 MATRIX…..On Select……….HiSat Level………..-26 Phase………..3 R-G…………95 R-B………….43 G-R………….31 G-B…………47 B-R…………..5 B-G………….82 COLOR CORRECTION Setting………..Off WHITE……….Off Offset…………Auto White Balance PRESET WHITE……6200 DETAIL…..On Level…..-5 Frequency…..30 CRISPENING…..-45 H/V RATIO…..0 WHITE LIMITER…..75 BLACK LIMITER…..75 V DTL CREATION…..y KNEE APT LEVEL…..0 SKINTONE DETAIL…..off KNEE Auto-knee Point Slope Knee SAT level GAMMA Level…..2 Select…..CINE1 BLACK…..-3 BLACK GAMMA…..0 LOW KEY SAT……0
  2. I'd buy a super lightweight wheel chair. I am currently using a "Transport Wheel Chair". It weighs about five pounds and folds up quickly. Throw a board on the seat and one on the arms and you are good to go. It is thin enough to fit through doorways. Two people can easily carry it up stairs.
  3. I've had Time Warner HD cable TV for about nine months. I'm watching on a Panasonic 46" Plasma screen. The quality has been great, often telecine quality. Now how ever I am starting to see more and more compression issues. A forest becomes blocked up digital camo. Blue Sky broken down into severe banding. What is happening. I am talking about big budget series like "Hawaii Five-O". I feel like the networks are transmitting HD but are starting to use some pretty strong compression to save money.
  4. I took the route of doing both and it was very successful to me. Shooting small non-fiction out of my car allowed me to build up and pay for a small grip electric package and hone my hand held skills. Shooting features trained me to work with larger crews and complex set ups. I prefer dramatic narrative of scripted TV and features. But it is sure reassuring to know I can always shoot interviews. Lots of new operators approach me for work and I often find they lack the instincts to find the right shot. You can really pick these skills up in a non-fiction environment where YOU are finding the right shot.
  5. Operating is the best job on the set and I love it. It really keeps you connected to the cast and the set and to the visual image. I work with two great operators and I often feel left out of the process. But, as a DP, I also have other responsibilities. I am sort of a firefighter who has to keep an eye on the whole forest and put out the fires which often isn't as much fun as operating. I am constantly asked to look at schedules, pre-light sets with the gaffer, or talk with the effects supervisor. There are a lot of things that would fall through the cracks if I spent my time behind the camera.
  6. I like the Arri soft bank kit. 1 open face 1K with chimera 2 650 Fresnel 1 350 Fresnel I then added a Lowell pro light 250
  7. There have been a lot of exciting changes in digital project in the last few years. The success of 3D especially animation is forcing theaters to bite the bullet and install at least one digital system. Also because quality digital projectors are getting cheaper some theaters are installing them specifically to show local advertising. Coke can afford a 35mm print for their commercial but Norm's hardware and mattress store can not. By installing digital systems they can run local ads before the 35mm commercials. This means many independent theaters have the systems in place to play your movie.
  8. Getting footage to show is one of the toughest aspects of being a DP. They scrutinize your reel when they hire you and then refuse to give you footage when you are done. Even if they grant the access the cost is often expensive. This is what I do. I put it in my contract. "Access to master footage for personal use, after theatrical release." With feature films I wait until they have a promo reel cut for sales of the film. The footage is usually very high quality and is distributed to a lot of people so there is little concern of letting the footage go. The length is 2 to 5 minutes with music and decent effects. Because it is short the dubbing cost is reasonable. I pay for the costs myself. The down side is it is often not the footage you are looking for especially that great crane shot you wanted to put on your reel. The upside is it is often some of the best stuff from the film and I can get it before the film is released. Most of my reel is composed of footage from this source. If I am really jonesing for that special shot I approach the producers after the theatrical release and ask for access. Currently I get a DVCAM dub of the whole film. This can be two years after I've shot a project.
  9. Transfer your footage to tape. Do not try to cut film. The glue will ruin the project. Once on tape you can edit it in your computer and output a quality image.
  10. I would tell the director to shoot it himself. That would mean only one person on the payroll and 100 DAYS OF SHOOTING! Wow! I bet he could do a great job with 100 days. That would only be 1.2 pages a day. Imagine the quality.
  11. All around great film. Gorgeous cinematography, acting, writing, and especially directing. One of Tarantino's best. I thought Hitler's make-up was atrocious. He looked like Al Pacino in Dick Tracy. Really distracting.
  12. The 1 x 1 light panels work very well in limited situations. In run and gun low light environments they are unbeatable. The are light, easy to use, the batteries last a a couple of hours, they are daylight balanced. They are easy to gel to tungsten. On the down side they are not vary bright. In an interview step up I barely had enough light to get key with an HVX 200. Also the are not very soft. It is a 1x1 source. That is like a tweenie with diffusion on the doors. It certainly isn't a Chimera. Also they are very spotty. That is how they get the exposure with sure a small unit. This is good if you want to keep the BG down. I barely had the spread to over two people. Also it just isn't flexible. You can put a tweenie in a Chimera on one shot and put a slash on the back wall on the next.
  13. First of all forget the lights. They will be expensive and ineffective. Get yourself a 4 x 4 bead board and use it as a bounce fill. Cut it in half and tape it so it fold in half for easy transport. A flex fill is another option. It is easier to transport but less sturdy to use. As far as opver heads. I like my 1 stop Wescott flex. It easily cover one person and two if the are close together. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/6276...4_One_Stop.html Next step would be a 6x6 frame and some c-stands.
  14. To use a very obscure analogy Sun Tzu in "The Art of War" always emphasizes the importance of stopping problems before they become problems.
  15. If you get a chance see the original. It is a hoot.
  16. Also it is important to keep on good terms with these guys because you are going to want to get a good quality copy of your film and they will control the masters.
  17. I must say this situation is more common then not. One question I would ask is this. Was this your script? Did you bring the project to the producers or were you a hired hand? If it is your baby from the start I can see why you are upset. If not read on. The concept of the Director being the creative vision behind the film is really something that started in the 70’s. There were lots of brilliant directors before but film was considered a producer’s medium. They would pick the script, the cast, and hire a director they thought would create the film the producer’s had in mind. In many ways we are heading back to this system again. Most producers’ still feel that way. Also investors want to make a great film for sure but they want to make there money back. Producers want to keep their investors happy. And both parties will aggressively work toward this end. Remember it is usually NOT your film, it is their film. They paid for it. They own it. So, it is in your best interest to maintain a good working relationship with them. They need to feel you are on their team. If they don’t feel that way you’ll get cut out of the process very quickly. My advice to you is to connect with the producers and financiers as a partner trying to achieve a successful film. Get back into the editing process but try not to control too much. See what they are trying to achieve and see if you can work you vision in also. Also don’t take your name off the film if you worked hard to make it you deserve the credit. And who knows it may do well and it will kill you to see the producer’s name up on the screen as director.
  18. Wanting to be a film director is like wanting to be a professional basketball player. It looks like fun and you can make a lot of money. It sure is more fun hanging out at the park and shooting hoops than it is studying. You might actually find out you are pretty good at it. Hint there are lots of folks pretty good at it. Every step of the way you will face better and better competition. Even if you have a lot of talent you will face people with more talent and drive. So it is not an easy road. That said, working as a director is a great way to make a living, learn some life skills, and see the world. If your son has an interest by all means encourage it. At the same time I would emphasize the importance of getting a good education and developing skills that give your son options in the future. Most of the really skilled directors have a strong background in other areas as well.
  19. Get a job at a rental house. Spend all your free time learning the cameras and chatting to the first acs that come in. Tell em you are looking for work and know the cameras inside and out. Do jobs on the weekends so it doesn't screw up your gig.
  20. Bob Hayes

    $695,000?

    It looks like evidence from a crime scene
  21. After 9/11 I have gone out of my way to avoid using the term shoot. You just don't want to be over heard at the airport saying "I gonna shoot the Mayor next Wednesday".
  22. What is the price of a direct to video movie $150,000 to $6,000,000. That is a pretty big range. The whole direct to video market has changed many times since the 80’s. First there was no new videos to fill the empty shelves of the video stores and they would pay great money for any product as long as it was on VHS. The studios were still concentrating on theatrical and looked at the video stores as an ancillary market. With the advent of DVDs the studios changed their game plan and started filling the shelves with their films. Instead of ten “Beverly Hills Cop” you’d see thirty. The studios also started dumping their films to DVD after a minimal theatrical release. And now most recently like “Bring it One” or “Into the Blue 2” they take the visibility of the first film and dump it directly to DVD. The result is there is very little shelf space for the independent films left at all. Also, I’m certain; the studios force the DVD stores to buy lots of their direct to DVD movies and high dollar figures if they want the blockbusters. So you will have one copy of the $150,000 horror film next to a wall of studio DVDs. Even if it rents all the time it just isn’t going to bring it much money. And to be honest with you 99% of these “independent” films are unwatchable. And why spend $5 to rent a film that was made for $5 when you can rent “Iron Man” for the same price?
  23. Has any one experimented with building a 12x12 frame indoors as a lighting grid. I have been thinking about it. I’d use a frame that breaks down into six foot sections and I’d use three high rollers with two on the sides of the frame and one on the middle on the side away from the on camera folks. The side stands would be placed so eight feet of the frame would extend toward the talent and four feet behind. I wonder if this would create a stable grid where you could hang six small lights and a couple of small nets and flags. You could avoid the multiple boom arms and instead of moving the arm to adjust you could move the light on the frame. And yes the rig with Obama looked a little iffy. I would have expected a higher tech solution.
  24. Who'd thunk there was a Speed Rail/Tractor Harrow site on E-Bay.
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