Ian Coad

great stuff saul, thank you. anyone out there have any good film references for pulled stock? the only ones i know of are the examples in my cinematography books (such as 'reflections').

i'm shooting a film about a young boy in a trailer park - the low contrast qualities of 5229 will serve for interiors and night exteriors. but i want to create similar color palette for the days, but more liberated. i'd like to reduce the grain for the moments when he is outside on his own. i'm wondering if pulling down 5212 or 5217 and potentially adding a low con filter (never used one, no clue how effective they actually are) could yield results that would give me something pastelly like this: i'd also love to know of any films or examples of what those two stocks can look like when pulled - for a low contrast kind of look. i'd also like to know what pulling does to grain structure if pulled 1 or 2 stops. if i'm way out in left field certainly let me know. thanks very much. - ian.

very interesting stuff. i'm pretty sure that a full bleach bypass might be a bit too stylized for what we're looking for - nonetheless i want those rich blacks. the pulling could be a great call - my only concern is that as students we can test a full spectrum of the scenarios of what i'd be shooting. perhaps it might be possible. thank you for the insight.

i'm currently prepping for a thesis i will be shooting in mid february, the story is about a young boy living in a trailer park and his search for spiritual stability against the odds of an unsupportive, decaying family. we are interested in doing full skip bleach from deluxe, the format/ar is 2.40 super 35. i'm curious as to the results of how bleach bypass mates with various stocks, 5229, 5217, 5212 - do the low contrast, slightly desaturated characteristics of the 5229 remain after processing? are they heightened? does 5217 become even more saturated and rich in certain colors? certainly bleach bypass washes out some of the color, but i've also seen deluxe's processing heavily saturate blues and greens, turning them rich and oily. i'm also looking into shooting Fuji stock - which i have never used - particularly the eterna 250 & 500. can anyone tell me what i might expect to encounter when these stocks recieve skip bleach. obviously i'm going to test this stuff, but i would very much like to hear what you guys have encountered, so i have some navigation points. thanks very much guys. - ian.

i'm in pre production for a thesis i'll be shooting in several months. for some reason my mind keeps going to cross processing, probably because of its subtle off kilter, chroma distortion. in any case, i had decided some time ago that i wanted to shoot the interiors with 5229, due to the color palette of revolting 70's trailer home yellow formica, browns and oranges. i'm curious though as to what would happen to 5229's characteristics when cross processed. if anyone knows of a film that has used this combo i'd love to take a look it. thanks. - ian.

those lenses do have an interesting contrast. clean and sharp. thank you.

could you tell me what rental house you got these from? secondly, i wanted to ask where i could get hawkes from because i've had a lot of difficulty finding a house that rents them in the LA area. and rob, to see any photos would be great.

has anyone used the elite anamorphic lenses - or does anyone know of any films available for viewing that i could check out? hell, i'd even be happy if i could just see some stills. any advice or personal stories would be great. -ian.

i've shot with the 17 before in night scenes wide open/2.0/2.8 and had better results than the 5219 - my experience is limited though. the look for the film is pristine clarity, so i'm avoiding visible grain at all costs. i've considered (could still be persuaded) to shoot 19, but i feel there will be a contrast in the grain structure. i was very excited about shooting the 5260 but after review saw that it is quite grainy - though i haven't seen it rated at 320 ASA. 200t is only a stop and a 1/3 below 500t, right? the feeling should be dim anyway, so i'm okay with it playing under. still impossible? isn't this film supposed to be quite powerful and good at tracing the underexposed images? i will try that link and take a look (thanks).

in 10 days or so i'll be shooting a scene in the tunnel below the 6th street bridge in LA. two homeless characters will be making faces at each other, lit by a candle which they raise to reveal their expression. stock: 5217 (super 35) lenses: 27mm, 100mm panavision primo's (both f1.9 at the base) 1.i am looking for a 3 wick candle (as i have heard them called), or some sort of strong candle that can light this scene - this film is about realism and i feel that a china ball out of screen or something of this nature, will ultimately feel hokey and incongruent with the rest of the film's look and tone. where can i get one in the hollywood/burbank areas? 2. can such a candle provide either the 12.5fc (f1.4) or 25fc (f2) i'd need to shoot this? >> keep in mind that the candle will be right in front of their faces when they do this. 3. we are getting some printed dailies from deluxe so i will have a chance to test it before i actually shoot the scene, so i can try multiple things. if it is of any interest i will be getting some ambient light/background depth from the a 4k HMI PAR(gelled like mercury vapor) and a 5K tungsten PAR (gelled like sodium vapor, or with an 'industrial vapor' gel), which will provide slashes of light against the mouth of either end of the tunnel. thanks guys, any advice would be a huge help.

in 5 weeks i'll be operating/dping my 9 day thesis shoot. the camera will be split between hand held, steadicam and a few locked down shots. the primary camera will be a GII, lenses will be primos. this will not be light, so i've been hitting the gym harder than my usual routine, eating more protein, etc. my question is - for those who operate w/ bigger cameras - what are some pointers to get myself primed to the best extent possible. is it core strength, or a strong lower back? should i simply weigh down a 2x4 on my shoulder - maybe attach a lazer pointer on it and try to keep it on a dot on the wall. i guess i'd just like to know what works well for others. thanks a lot. - ian.

Hello, I am looking to fill a 1st AC position. The basic information regarding the shoot is provided below. Dates: Oct. 30 - Nov. 8 Location: Downtown LA, Toy District, LA river, plus a few more locations Format: spherical, super 35 Equipment: Panavision Primos, GII, Panaflex Lightweight, Preston Focus Support: mostly HH and steadicam This is a Chapman University Graduate Thesis film. Our budget is allowing $1000 (possibly negotiable) for the 1st AC position, including 1 prep day for equipment check out at Panavision Hollywood. A competent, hardworking 2nd AC will be provided by us. Loaders will be available on some days. While the 27mm will likely serve as the workhorse on this picture, there will also be numerous long lens, low light situations. I need a confident, capable and instinctively strong 1st. please email me, Ian, at iancoad@gmail.com, or if you have specific questions 310 666 3573. Thanks very much, I look forward to hearing from you. - Ian.

thanks david. i was wondering if it had been a 100T stock, due its distinct level of clarity. can you cast any light on what allowed for such crisp, low grain images?

simple question that i'd love to have the answer to: what film stock(s) did robert richardson use on 'snow falling on cedars'? the grain looks practically non-existent in most cases (certainly anamorphic has contributed to this...) thanks very much. - ian.

can you elaborate on what these tests covered?

Apologies, perhaps this helps: Chapman University is south of LA by about 40 min in Orange, CA. However, the project is aiming to shoot in Seattle from Oct. 31 to Nov. 8, 2009.

as a grad student prepping for thesis, i am without my usual 1st due to scheduling conflicts. as this will ideally be a 35 mm, anamorphic, sometimes low light and at some points long-lens-oriented show, i know that we will need to pay for the reliability of someone with experience. the problem is i don't know where to begin looking and more specifically, in a realm of people willing to accept graduate thesis level pay. any suggestions?

i must have misunderstood the AC archives, because this time i was able to get the article which quotes Toll saying: "Toll: Everything came from Panavision in Los Angeles. We took a couple of lightweight Platinum camera bodies, one for the Steadicam and one for the handheld stuff. I still really like the Gold camera, so I used one of those as my primary sound and dolly camera. [Cinematographer] Gary Capo headed up our second unit, and he had a couple of Panastars and an Arri. In terms of the lenses, we used Primos as well as C-series lenses on the Steadicam. We also had 3:1 and 11:1 zooms, but we didn't use them very much. It was pretty much a wide-angle movie, so we shot mainly with wider lenses, like the 40mm and 50mm. Our close-ups were mainly done with the 75mm or 100mm. We were constantly fighting to get as much of the geography into the frame as we could. Every time we put on a tighter lens it just felt as if we were missing something."

can anyone tell me - perhaps someone with the particular AC issue - what anamorphic series lenses did John Toll use on The Thin Red Line. I know it may likely have been a variety, but has he stated any series in particular - maybe the panavision E's? i've been trying to track this down for a while and all searches have turned up with nothing - so i'd appreciate it if anyone knows. thanks. - ian.

at what point in a dp's career can he/she live outside of southern california, but continue to work regularly. do you have to be a roger deakins, seamus mcgarvey or darius khondji in order to do so? with one year left in graduate film school, i am considering staying in the us vs. using my dual citizenship with britain to embark on the possibilities of dping in uk. though, if somehow eventually able, i'd ideally live in london and work out of hollywood. is this a childish dream, or could it someday be possible? any advice and insight would be greatly appreciated. thanks.

as a student i am used to seeing the rosco fogger and mole fogger more than anything else. however, my cinematography professor has on several occasions mentioned cracked oil. i will be shooting in a strip club and would love to have consistent fog throughout the half day of shooting we will be doing. what are the different types of smoke fx available, and what can i expect to pay. i would love to also know what these types achieve as well as their pro's and cons. thanks guys. - ian.

in 10 days i will be shooting in a strip club. i'm concerned about letting the shadows and the low lit ambience go too dark. i need to raise the level with the key, which i know will cause the dark areas to go deeper. i'm wondering if anyone has suggestions about bringing up the ambient level without flattening things out, or making the ambience become obviously lit. i'm used to using the 7219 stock from kodak but will be shooting 7217 this time and know that comparatively the latter allows the shadows to die much faster. this is an example of the perfect relationship between light and dark that i would ideally be going for: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqqY07OZWps i believe jeff cronenweth shot this and i just wonder if he had to deal with ambient concerns - though i don't know what stock he used. any advice would really be appreciated.

my question is in two parts relating to a filter and then to optics. so i would really appreciate some insight on following issues. however let me first mention that this is a super 16mm project that will likely be shot on the panavision elaine which uses zeiss superspeed glass: a month from now i will be shooting a scene in a strip club. in the scene the supporting character is tempted by the seductive nature of the underworld where he and his partner (main character) are meeting the crime boss. however i would also like to portray this scene with an eerie sense of distance and forboding unattainability. for me these two qualities of temptation and exclusionary distance would be well told with what i can for lack of its true name, call 'blooming highlights'. robert richardson's work in casino and janusz kaminski's work in minority report both used hot rims, backlights and hot specular gleaming points in combination with a filter (my guess is some degree of a classic soft) to create these blooming highlights - which for me are eerily seductive. 1. does anyone know what filter might work well for this. if this is a classic soft, is there any reason why the black classic soft filter might be counter to achieving this effect? 2. i am having trouble understanding the ways that the lenses i have at my disposal are limiting what i can and can't do - especially when i am wanting to do what high budget features can. i have noticed that high quality lenses have a much kinder way of showing the range between darks and highlights. lower quality lenses seem to have trouble with highlights, often coming out more raw and unruly. being that minority report and casino play with such hot rims and specular points, can my superspeed primes facilitate and accommidate such a look? my guess is i'm missing something here, i would greatly appreciate any gaps you guys can fill. - ian.

i don't know how long this has been going on for - probably several years now - but i've noticed as of lately that aquamarine (blue green) gels have become extremely popular for night scenes: transformers, atonement, snippits of it muted in the terminator trailer. it appears to be extremely popular for night light, background washes and for skipping off of metallic and wet surfaces. what is this gel, or, because i know it may be a blend dependent on the dp, what is a good gel to begin with? an possibility that its a mixture of aquamarine or green on an hmi?

that was very helpful. thank you so much guys.