Robin R Probyn

Yeah but where do you draw the line.. any time you point a camera in a certain direction compared to the sun .. are you lighting.. as a documentary guy I m doing this all the time.. you are going for the best available .. because you don't have any control.. time or usually budget for a 10K HMI through the window that you would deal love to have :).. but for drama and a huge budget its the opposite.. you can make night time day.. or your lighting a studio (black room) to literally look like anything.. from a public toilet to a space ship..thats the art of lighting in the ASC/BSC etc league .. including being able to design your own practicals let alone decide what bulbs to put in them ..

Yeah I would agree with you.. practicals that haven't been changed in anyway I would also say is "unlit" in that no actual film light instrument is used.. not even the smaller LED unit.. although I guess you could say moving a lamp 1 ft towards an actor is lighting .. for a multi million dollar shoot I,d still think it was a bit odd.. I mean some tiny amount of soft fill or key or an HMI through a window can help a shot without making it look false or unnatural .. thats the art of lighting right.. the audience have no idea its actually lit. .. or keeping lighting continuity .. I mean its not wrong,and they did decide to shoot that way.. I just thinks its odd ..

But I wonder whats the point.. Im all for naturalist,motivated lighting.. but to just mandate no lighting at all from the get go.. not even a small kino diva for a close up.. seems a bit odd to me.. unless its purely as an exercise or you dont have any budget.. I mean would you shoot a whole film from inside a wardrobe through the key hole.. or just cut out a keyhole matt and put it infront of the lens..

Yeah well I think there're alot of films where it becomes some myth that no lights were used.. when it actually means not much lighting was used,shot on location,or lit in a very natural way.. e.g. Malick,Ken Loach films Not saying Revenant used any lights.. .. just that often its a myth..

Or shoot at night..

wow even so.. its quite amazing isnt it.. no actual film lighting.. not even a kino Diva.. Im surprised because sometimes you would need to light scenes just for scheduling reasons.. maintaining the look for close up,s etc.. if you lose the light from the wide.. Well I guess they had the luxury to just packup when they wanted to..

Hi Tyler Yes thanks for the write up sir.. interesting.. did they really not use any lights.. even for interior sets.. that would be amazing on such a big budget shoot.. . Thanks

C300 so called LOG isnt a "real" log gamma.. its more like hyper gamma 7/8 in the Sony Fs7/F5/55.. they do this because its only 8 bit.. The Fs7 is 10 bit in XAVC..and Slog3 is almost identical to Arri Log C.. but no NR in camera.. will be with the next V3 for Fs7.. if it ever arrives :) Common wisdom for Slog seems to be never underexpose, and actually better to over expose a stop or 2.. and correct in post.. also if your scene is pretty dark and doesnt have a large DR in the first place.. shooting Log you are throwing away alot of data.. and getting a very small amount in the shadows.. better to shoot with one of the hyper gamma,s .. Good article about this here http://www.xdcam-user.com/2015/12/deeper-understanding-of-log-gamma-experiments-with-a-waveform-display/

Ok thanks Dan.. Im sure you could do the same or better.. yes definitely some sort of lovely big light source ..

I dont think you can be a" journalist".. I use the term loosely.. these days without shooting.. thats why they are getting rid of all the news camera people.. best bet.. buy an iPhone 6S.. with mic attachment..post software.. these are already being used to shoot news..

You can still flog some stuffed animals though ..

yes thats really nicely done.. is that your work Daniel.. can you tell us what camera and what lighting you used ..

I think merchandising its self is fine.. of things/character that were in a film.. but to actually preemptively put in "characters" based totally on possible toy sales,and making up huge scenes in the film..(Ewok forest dance)..to push them.. is not really a good sign for the integrity of the film makers.. esp if they are on the so called creative side.. and not just a bean counter.. or bode well for the quality of the film.. in my humble opinion anyway..

I mean the second film.. Empire Strikes Back.. all went to crap after that.. damn those Ewoks..

I would say #2 was a decent flick.. but all time greats is pushing it a bit.. when you look at the competition .. Nothing that has Ewoks and Jar Jar Binks is a classic .. the whole thing was killed by merchandising .. very expensive 2hr toy commercials .. and Lucas losing the plot IMHO..

"The original trilogy is just, you know, composed of three of the greatest works of science fiction of all time, but I guess it's easy to forget." Not Metropolis,Blade Runner,Alien,2001,Solaris... Manu,the force,it is strong with you..

Yeah I guess everyone is a bit worried about film rushes.. although.. wow he has alot of experience to fall back on.. ! .. but he also does shoot film too I believe..

Well it was pretty tongue in cheek.. I wouldn't class it as an attack.. but anyway yes lets just let the whole topic go.. apologies.. merry xmas .. Your not serious about Lewis Hamilton though right?..

Sorry.. guilty as charged..

Yes you can view digital footage straight out the camera .. of course .. you can shoot Alexa with a 709 LUT burn in and it looks pretty good.. or your own user LUT ..if you really want to.. but most people would shoot RAW or LOG for more options in post.. but you can shoot WYSIWYG on a digital camera and you would have far more control than shooting reversal.. which still has to be processed right ? Is reversal magically colored exactly as you want it.. Really do you know about digital camera,s .. you come out with some very weird idea,s.. lots of contradictions .. You DO NOT need a video village and a DIT grading your rushes as you shoot.. where do you get these ideas from man really.. before you dis all digital footage you really should know about the work flow.. its not like your BM pocket camera.. EG do you really think you can just watch RAW files,as you complain about above.. with out some process.. they are RAW files straight off the sensor.. Im sorry but your really showing you have zero idea what your on about. Deakins shoots digital because hes worried about his rushes.. LOL.. there is no answer to that.. Look all Im saying is this evangelistic approach you have.. judging some of the most experienced DP,s and directors in the business.. when you shoot with a BM pocket camera ..and display a very very limited knowledge of digital camera,s and workflow..is really farce.. its pretty entertaining but a bit embarrassing TBH..

Really.. I dont think it was ever made with the idea of it being a kids movie... Ive never thought of it as one..I guess that was part of its success... a very wide appeal .. but i think you have to admit they did become pretty crappy.. and the merchandising side was very obvious .. The Dir of Return of the Jedi was specifically told that Ewoks would be a good money maker.. and thats why they stayed when he wanted them out.. I dont think its any big secret Lucas is a businessman at heart.. and why not.. its only a job.. film directer is not some divine path.. Star wars was a good romp.. Empire was better.. then they started to go to poop in a hand cart as business side too over.. I thought American Graffiti was a great film.. maybe if there had been no star wars he would have made more great films.. but be a few hundred million poorer.. :)

Now your having a laugh .. have you tried viewing film directly from a camera .. its fairly heavily altered before viewing sir.. alot more than a digital file has to be to view it.. you can view a DC footage straight from the camera if you want to actually.. if this is a criteria for one being better than the other.. Applying a LUT to footage is relatively easy.. look at all the alterations that will happen to a film neg footage. until its presented.. I not sure what rabbit your chasing here.. Lewis Hamilton a one trick pony !!! now there I have to draw a line in the sand :) .. 3 time world champion I totally agree with you.. plot,acting .directing make a good movie.. Ive been saying that all along.. but to say a good film can only be originated on film is nuts to my way of thinking.. new technology is to be embraced .. same as you I went from 16mm to now 4K digital .. playing with LUT,s .. Log footage and all that stuff,and Im loving it.. I wouldn't go back to 16mm .. let alone what the likes of Deakins ,Storaro can get out of digital camera,s

I,ll telling it like it is brother Satsuki... aint nothing can stop me now..

Yes I have.. in fact indirectly I lost alot of money by convincing my old man not to shoot the first Mad Max.. as the script was really crap.. and he had been offered a percentage of the box-office as they had no money to pay a decent wage.. although I do regret that now.. and he wasn't happy with me for a number of years after .. when he couldn't retire..

Haskel Wexler wrote on the script he had been sent.. this will never work .. and sent it back to Lucas !! wonder if he framed that.. I dont know why there is all this hand wringing over a film.. none of them were any good except #2... Lucas is a businessman and why not..he very cleverly got the marketing rights for merchandise .. I also read that the return of the jedi dir..Richard Marguand really fought to not have Ewoks ..(the begining of the end) but was told it was a good marketing character.. so it stayed.. Hopefully this one will be a good escapist film.. people will pay their money.. go off from their own lives for a couple of hours and have great fun.. fantastic.. whats to argue about.. all this bollocks about it isnt real if its not shot through a coke bottle with a hand cranked camera, by a guy in plus fours .. and the crew should all go home in a horse drawn wagon.. We have a guy saying JJ Abrams is a one trick pony.. which is comparable to someone without a drivers license saying Lewis Hamilton can only drive fast on the straight bits.. its pure Python .. .. what did the Romans do for us .. please google.. Not real ???? its set in a galaxy far far away.. not Pittsburgh damn it.. now we cant even have CGI done digitally.. well unless its Roger Deakins .. he could do it by teleportation and it would be ok.. lets get a grip here.. there is a million hours of fantastic footage shot on Alexa/RED/ F65.. all this pixel peeping.. it doesnt matter.. that isnt what makes a film good or bad.. script.. acting.. direction.. if they are drawing pictures on a piece of slate with a rock.. it will be real.. and great.. and Quentin can do it on a huge piece of slate.. !