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Bob Hayes

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Everything posted by Bob Hayes

  1. I am always pretty anxious before I shoot. It disappears after the first slate is clapped. The more I throw myself into prep the less nervous I am. I find if I can shoot one test day that satisfies the pre-shoot jitters. Not because of the test but because I feel like I have started shooting. I think it is important to realize that the mind knows no difference between imagined failure and real failure. The nervous system responds exactly the same way. So imagining future failure is the same as failing. Try to focus on imaging the best outcomes.
  2. It doesn?t really matter although each side creates a different look. If an actor looks left to right and you light the right side it creates more shadow on the side facing the camera and less light on the background. It is easy to control and easier to create darker images and it makes the talent look thinner. Many DPs, my self included, try to light this side. I call it the thin side because you see less of the lit face. If you light the ?thick? side it gives the face a fuller look. If you use a soft source it can look more natural and realistic. It is also easier to light complex moves. In most classic art the light comes from the artists left side. Why? Because most of the artists were right handed and since they used natural light the artist wanted light coming from his left to light the canvass with out the shadow of his hand.
  3. I got to disagree with you here. I?m working DP with thirty features and seven television series under my belt. I?ve also written and directed two feature films. Directing is much harder work then you might think so I primarily work as a DP. The fact that I have directed a couple of films made me a much more supportive and understanding DP. I know what director's need and want. I kind of feel like the big game hunter who is hired to track the lion so his client can kill it. Could I track it and kill it myself? Sure. But that?s not my career. Occasionally the client misses the lion and I have to bring it down before we all die.
  4. If this is your first kit I would recommend something from Lowell Used. An Omni, Tota light kit. Add a Lowell DP light and a Pro light. They are really difficult to use but they are inexpensive and pack up into a nice kit. The problem with larger Fresnels or soft lights is they take up a lot of room and are tough to transport alone.
  5. I'm not a big advocate of operator's reels. Work on good shows with people I respect, I'll talk to them and find out what I need to know. Be a good listener in the interview. Ask questions that show you are thinking about the project you are up for.
  6. As a director you get to do what you want to do and pay the consequences for not doing them correctly. The ideal is you know all of your shots ahead of time but are flexible enough to change if better solutions present themselves. You have to articulate to all involved what you want to organize them in an order that makes sense for production and for the cameraman. The more you understand how to do this the better a film maker you will be and the more in control of your future. I like to draw put the sets and then diagram all the shots from above. I then think of the most sensible way to shoot. It is important to involve all the departments in your decisions so they are caught short.
  7. It used to take a lot of people with decent technical knowledge and a reasonable amount of money to make even a bad film. Now anyone can make a bad film.
  8. I?d like to build a remote hot head wheel system. My current head uses joystick system and I prefer using wheels.
  9. I?m looking for comedies that have wild camera movement. Where the camera is a character like ?Raising Arizona?
  10. People sometimes feel war has positive effects on our economy. I couldn't dissagree more. You talk about lowering taxes as good for the economy. What pays for this war spending is taxes that is it. TAXES, TAXES, TAXES. All of us are taxed to build these weapons. War is totally subsidized by tax payers. The US accounts for half of the spending on military in the world. We are drowning in a war time economy while healthcare, education, infrastructure, and financial strength are disappearing. Sure some of the money building bombs goes back to middle class workers but much of the money goes to huge corporations. These companies profit when we are at war. When an American company makes a non-military product it is sold and generates more income and more commerce. It is used and reused creating more profits. The new developments immeadiately enter the private sector. In the military world they are kept secret for yeara. If we build a bridge it improves commerce and safety immeadiatly. It is that kind of investment that has made America a financial leader. If you build a bomb the only real money it generates is after it drops. Someone makes money repairing the damage. And in Iraq apparently it is the same people who make the bombs.
  11. I really feel that we are suffering the consequences of deregulation of the financial markets. I believe Capitalism is a great system but it needs supervision and oversight. The idea that these huge complex systems can regulate them selves is such a failed belief and the American people suffer every time. Walter you obviously have a terrific grasp of economics and it is well stated. I feel it is also well seasoned with typical Republican philosophy. ?It started with Clinton who made it easy for institutions to loan money.? It?s Clinton?s Fault. Even though there was a huge push for deregulation by the Republicans and Phil Gram blame Clinton. ?It's everyone's fault from the banks to the consumers who knew they couldn't afford the loans they were taking.? It?s everyone?s fault. Even though these huge financial institutions gamed the system, lobbied heavily for deregulation, and were profiting from this mismanagement. ?The saying goes we blame the sitting president for the economy and presidents calmly say they made the economy good if they are lucky enough to be in office during a good time.? Clinton took credit for a great economy created by REAGAN (followed by heavenly fanfare) and now Bush is a victim of this horrible economy created by Clinton. This banking collapse is another of many examples like 9/11 and Katrina where they Bush administration just didn?t see it coming. In 2004 Chris Swecker, the FBI official in charge of criminal investigations said of fraud in the mortgage business "It has the potential to be an epidemic". Do you think the White House was informed? In the 90?s there were 1000 FBI agents assigned to Banking Fraud. In 2007 that number had been reduced to 100. And as for you Richard ?The media act irresponsibly in this situation as they always do? There is a huge push by the right to attack the media. You can?t trust the liberal media etc. Wake up. The press is one of the few institutions that level the playing field between the powerful corporations and the average citizen. The Founding Fathers felt it was so important they put freedom of the press in the first amendment. Is the media flawed? Sure. But without the media our information is spoon fed to us by the people of wealth and power.
  12. http://www.goodmansguide.com/theseries.html Goodman's guides can't be beat! Don't be fooled it says the guide is free. Right! If you buy the camera. The guide is over $100 and well worth it.
  13. There are two schools of thought with regards to lighting a theater. One is the more realistic approach. The light from the screen should be the primary light on the faces and it should fluctuate in exposure and have a slight flicker. The other theory with I tend to like it that theater is a dark experience for the audience. The stage is lit but the audience feels as if they are in the dark. So I tend to backlight the audience usually from the projector in the back of the theater and use a minimal amount of fill. A little atmosphere will enhance the project beam.
  14. This guy is one busy beaver. If it is made in Hollywood this guy tries to make it at home out of PVC. http://www.softweigh.com/video/diy.html
  15. Film Directing: Shot by Shot: Visualizing from Concept to Screen (Michael Wiese Productions) Is a great book on blocking
  16. http://www.wildfirefx.com/ Is a great source of glowing paint.
  17. Another thing to consider is that circular track is very tricky to level. Both rails need to be connected to each other and you will need wedges to achieve a stable level base.
  18. Wow. There are some great reels out there.
  19. Next time try blacking out your bathroom and doing it in there. I used to do it by using a camera that took up on cores and ran the camera at a slow frame rate. Then just let it feed out of my hand. I got a call from the lab asking why the edge code was on the wrong side. Be careful of single perf film where the non perf side will flip.
  20. It is very tough to make a film on less then a 10 to 1 ratio. I will usually turn down projects that don?t have at least that ratio. You will loose 10% to waste. That leaves you 9 to 1 ratio. You will loose 10% to slates and miss cues. That leaves you an 8 to 1 ratio. If you do the standard Master close up close up style of film making that gives you two takes on the master and three on each angle of coverage. Most actors, camera operators, and boom men feel pretty comfortable with three chances to get it right. Limit it to two takes and the stress to get it right will adversely affect the mood on the set. 2-Perf is a great way to go if you are concerned with budget and want wide screen.
  21. I recommend trying a small lightweight monopod with a tripod head on it. You can find them for under $40. I rest it in my left hand but do not grip it and then I operate with my right hand. You can get pretty smooth with a little practice.
  22. If you are using oil in lamps you should use "smokeless lamp oil". You can get it at many designer home stores. It comes in large containers but it is definitely more expensive. The regular oil will quickly create a noxious smoke on your set. Much of it has bug repellent in it adding to the irritation.
  23. A meter is a good way to keep your lighting levels even on a large set and also make sure you are not under exposed on big night exteriors. The earlier post gave the correct way to rate your camera. One trick thing about using a meter is that the cameras are so adjustable these days. Adjusting the gamma for example changes where your 18% would fall in your over all exposure of the image.
  24. First of all you need some distance back from the window. This is what I?ve done. Get a 12x12 sky blue or white place it as far from the window as you can. Take foam core and cut out shapes that look like buildings.. Don?t forget windows and signs on top. Hang a 12x12 single between your skyline and the set to simulate diffusion from the atmosphere. A light sheer, a screen on the window, or dirty windows will help complete the effect. Over expose the outside at least 1 ½ stops. This won?t work if the skyline is prominent. But if it is a background element it is far better then tracing paper.
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