Bob Hayes

One of the tough elements of this kind of thing is sound quality. You?ll want to give some thought to this. A wireless mike clipped to the podium mike is an easy but expensive solution. You may want to run a hard line from the podium to you xl2. If you do be sure to tape down the loose wire so people don?t trip over it.

A film company would never blast a cinder block wall for a film. The amount of explosive would be enormous and the shrapnel would be so lethal the crew and equipment would have to be prohibitively far away. Quite often film crews will use Fiberboard (cellulosic fiber) which is the lightweight material used for drop down sealings. When subjected to an explosion it looks and behaves like heavier material but it is much less lethal. The art department would cut and shape it into a cinderblock wall. A high explosive would still be used sometimes in conjunction with an air cannon. Even in the most controlled situations this is very dangerous and small apparently innocuous things like nails can become deadly.

The HVX 200 lets you set some camera safe markers on the screen. I believe it is set for 90%. So if you leave it on it may give you an easy top and bottom reference. Just ignore the sides.

One thing about shooting night city scenes from roof tops is that after 10 PM the city will start to shut down and by 1:00 AM most of the lights will be off. So I?d recommend shooting your wider shots early.

I believe getting work in New Zeeland is really tough. The last time I worked as a cinematographer there they required a very specific work permit which ended the day I finished filming.

The largest explosion I?ve ever filmed was 80 sticks of dynamite and 350 gallons of gasoline in a DC3. That was big. The most interesting part how ever was the plane had a lot of magnesium components and after the explosion sections would ignite and burn like wielding torches.

I stand corrected. Prima cord seems to be the most common high explosive I am around.

Although motion picture explosions fake the severity of the blast the explosives and explosions are very real. SFX guys often use the same military explosive we are using in Iraq. TNT is pretty unstable and a crude explosive so is not used often. Despite the care used by good stunt folks the danger from concussion or blast fragments are very real. Do not under estimate their danger.

Sounds like the dangerous chemicals came in a six pack.

Yes sand on the track is a big problem. Mostly it is just from people kicking sand onto the track. A solution I have been play with but have yet to apply is get 4 cheap large paint brushes and flex arm them in front of the wheels so the ?Paint? the track clean as you roll.

Do you mean the Z1u?

I try not to call it a ?Safety? when dealing with a tough move or especially tough focus. I just say we need another to guarantee we?ve got it. I explain that it is an extremely difficult shot and to important to give my skilled team only one shot at it.

I am always surprised how much light shooting in a forest and especially jungle takes. You often need to use high speed stock in full daylight. I find myself banging lights into dark BG?s all the time. If you have no budget I?d look into using mirror boards so you can find those small shafts of light and send them where you need them.. Also use may thing about using smoke, not one that will cause a fire, to open the shadows up a bit. Smoke looks great in back lot day scenes.

My favorite use of the bloody primary color is ?Don?t Look Now?. It is one of the creepiest horror film ever made. The film is devoid of red until something evil is about to happen. Man does it work. And the final payoff is huge.

I usually ask for a safety if we only have one take. I think it is a good practice. Every once in a while the lab will destroy a shot or that one great shot will have some goofball looking at the camera in the background. If I am really under the gun I may ask myself if I were to loose one angle do I have enough coverage to still tell the scene. When the director says ?That was great can you do it again?? I sometimes imagine the Pope saying to Michael Angelo after he completely the Sistine Chapel ?That?s gorgeous can you do it again??

Sometimes putting a c-stand arm horizontal through the beam will help. But my first choice is, as David said, as fresnel with the lens removed. You can just open the door with the lens on it.

I think it?s a good idea to shoot a master for all the reasons mentioned. Also it forces the director to show you the whole scene. Quite often you?ll block and shoot one angle and move on only to find out you only saw part of the scene. Also I think it helps the editor to see the geography of the scene. Sometimes it gets pretty tricky as to where it is taking place. Wider shots also give you a sense of the atmosphere and mood. The difference between insert and cutaway? I?d say an insert is a tight shot of something in the scene that is difficult to see in standard coverage and is important to the plot. E.g. a watch showing the character is running late. A cut away is a shot of action that is taking place in the scene but not seen the principle coverage of the scene. It is usually a shot that effects or is affected by the action in the scene. E.g. Cut to the people in a restaurant laughing when our character spills soup on his shirt.

I asked Fraker about how he shot the screens on ?War Games?. He said it was impossible to get the blacks in the screens looking black enough because of the projection technique. After tests he found that by putting thin brightly lit frames around the screens the black appeared blacker. This did not change the printing lights. It is just an optical illusion but a very effective one.

Like David Mullen says. They union has classes that help you learn about hazards. I always carry safety gear with me. Especially a respiratory protection mask with a high quality cartridge that filters the highest level of particulate. I think the greatest danger to my health comes from environmental hazards from locations we shoot in. Old abandoned buildings carry high levels of mold, asbestos, CPBs, and other dangerous chemicals. Also dangers from Hanta and bird flew are always possible.

Matt, I am very excited for you. We all remember the times when we were starting out and filled with excitement and enthusiasm. We were all thrown into jobs where we were all in over our heads. Fate sometimes deals us a great hand of cards on our first time at the table. And we want you to do well and succeed.

The following are Gregg Toland?s credits leading up to Citizen Kane. Maybe Orson Wells should have hired some one who ?had an experienced technician show him all the ropes so he would everything about running everything.? Citizen Kane (1941) The Long Voyage Home (1940) The Westerner (1940) The Grapes of Wrath (1940) Raffles (1939) Intermezzo: A Love Story (1939) They Shall Have Music (1939) Wuthering Heights (1939) The Cowboy and the Lady (1938) Kidnapped (1938) The Goldwyn Follies (1938) Dead End (1937) Woman Chases Man (1937) History Is Made at Night (1937) (uncredited) Beloved Enemy (1936) Come and Get It (1936) The Road to Glory (1936) These Three (1936) Strike Me Pink (1936) (dances and ensembles) Splendor (1935) The Dark Angel (1935) Mad Love (1935) Public Hero #1 (1935) Misérables, Les (1935) The Wedding Night (1935) Forsaking All Others (1934) We Live Again (1934) Lazy River (1934) Nana (1934) Roman Scandals (1933) The Masquerader (1933) Tugboat Annie (1933) The Nuisance (1933) The Kid from Spain (1932) Washington Masquerade (1932) The Tenderfoot (1932) Man Wanted (1932) Play-Girl (1932) Tonight or Never (1931) The Unholy Garden (1931) (uncredited) Palmy Days (1931) Street Scene (1931) (uncredited) Indiscreet (1931) One Heavenly Night (1931) The Devil to Pay! (1930) Whoopee! (1930) Raffles (1930) The Trespasser (1929) Condemned (1929) This Is Heaven (1929) Bulldog Drummond (1929) Queen Kelly (1929) (uncredited) The Life and Death of 9413, a Hollywood Extra (1928) (as Gregg) Johann the Coffinmaker (1927) The Loves of Zero (1927) The Winning of Barbara Worth (1926) The Bat (1926)

I was told that in some East European countries being a video operator is considered as risky job like working in a nuclear power plant. They get mandatory months off with pay every year. Is this true.

Thailand is really film savvy. They might want some of the footage to look like "Man on Fire". If you need any equipment I was super please with Gear Head. It?s a huge camera, grip, and electrical facility. http://www.gearheadthailand.com/

B-Camera is a really tough job. You are expected to get great footage even though most of the thought and energy goes into setting the A-Camera. Also because of the length of the lens and often less then ideal position B-Camera is much harder on the operator and assistant. That said the extra coverage can be invaluable. And B-Camera often gets the really cool angle that A-Camera can?t because it is focused on telling the story. My advice to you is to watch the blocking and start thinking of how to cover it immediately. Think less of your self as a second A-Camera and look for shots that compliment what A-Camera is doing. Check with the DP to see if he thinks it is a good idea. Get the camera in quickly and get ready so no one will be waiting for you. Realize that because you are B-Camera not every part of every shot must be perfect.

Apple boxes work well and are pretty easy to use. You only need pancake high boxes but you need them where ever you have cross ties. Make sure the pancakes are well settled before using wedges to level track. Plywood sheet is over kill you only need it if you have a crane. I?ve also had success with 1? x 6? planks.