john Spear

Nice work. Nice interiors. Keep up the good work.

There are plenty of American movies in which the DP or Director of Photography and the cam. department have worked together but not necessarily been the same person. I agree that perhaps more in Europe than here in the states. Blocking is just as important for a Cinematographer as it is for a Director, and sometimes even more so. Ideally, it's not either the Director or the Cinematographer who makes blocking choices, but an intimate collaboration. When both have blocking skills, the process becomes much more intuitive, and creative. Directing is a full-time job, and so is operating the camera. Some Directors want to dedicate their attention to developing and nurturing the actors' performances. In that event, the Cinematographer should be able to develop the camera-plot, and pick the angles and moves that accentuate the emotions in the scene, and have the DP work the atmospheric layout of the scene with the lights to compliment that setup, as agreed by the Director, The Cinematographer (Cameraman), and the DP. I never used the term 'Lighting Cameraman' but I presume it means a Cinematographer who also takes the role of Director of Photography... Thanks for the lesson in terminology.

45 degrees equals 1/198th of a second roughly. You are shooting at 1/148th I assume. Changing shutter speeds will also change your exposure accordingly. 24p shutter speeds in the 110U go from1/6 through 1/1000 plus variable Slower shutter speeds tend to create more motion blur.

Hi, Conflicting dates. Thank you for your response. We have already secured talent locations etc. but in response to your question it is a Director of Photography which we are interested in, not a camera operator, since I will be blocking the shots with the director. He is very critical about being on the same page with the DP and so am I. The romantic comedy is a story which I wrote and am producing as well (2 producers) with a partner of mine. I am wearing a few hats and would really like the DP to take on his role strictly as creating an enviromental atmosphere with light. We have seven finished scripts ready for pre-production (years in the making) and we'll be in touch, I'm sure. Let me know how you do. The best to you, John Spear

The way I see it, there is a flip side to that coin... There are creative ways which, when explored achieve a goal. At times the presence of the cam. could be your ally. I like the way Alfred Hitchcock would use the cam to insinuate or reveal something you had not noticed before. In this way the cam. becomes your friend and confides in you even apart from the actors, or whatever is going on in the scene. In this way the cam. becomes another "presence", although not taking your attention away from the story, but adding to it or simply talking to you, as the viewer. In this way you suddenly become "aware" of the cam. and even expect "it" to perhaps give you another hint or show you another element which perhaps you did not notice until it is "pointed out".

I like your work. Would be nice if I could see the video. I don't know how you are doing with time but we are currently interviewing DP's (not camera) for a feature in Florida. 35 day shoot 6 days a week. I wouldn't mind bringing the DP from somewhere else if need be. Its a romantic comedy. Paid. Low budget. nice work, keep it up. John Spear spifilms@yahoo.com look at this post: http://www.cinematography.com/forum2004/in...c=34796&hl=

Move with the subject and do not move fast unless that is the effect you want to create, like a sweep. Then its motivated and works for you. The motion blur is a native cousin of the film world and some people rather have it than not. Work with it but remember to follow your subject and don't make haste. You can also turn on the smoothing function in the menu, but I think if you do you restrict or create repeat flags, I'm not 100% sure which.

We are conducting interviews strictly to DP's who are specialized in lighting and creating the right feel for each scene/shot/sequence for a feature film to be shot in Miami. This is a Romantic Comedy genre grounded in drama. Up beat teenage. I wll be shooting on a JVC GY HD 110U with a Letus Ultimate and a set of zeiss primes. This is a low budget flick but the story is well motivated to be so. High content. I would like to see your reel on line if you have one. spifilms@yahoo.com

I tried Paolo Ciccone's true color settings, and the other variations and I like the look of all of them, I appreciate their input and dedication to come up with them as well as share them with people who can and will benefit from them such as myself. The "wide latitude" variation I thought, was the most adequate filmic feel I have seen so far, although I will test it again under other conditions and settings including interiors. A bit less saturated, in my view all elements in the picture, or moving picture are film inclusive as opposed to the more scattered and diversified video look. More latitude to correct in post, although minimal correction if any would be required. Quality as opposed to.... So as a response to the first post: NOTE : Paolo Ciccone has his settings for true color different than the one posted below. I double checked it in his site and these are either not accurate or they have been updated. Here is the link: http://paolociccone.com/hd100-calibration-3.html And for reference, here are the settings: WIDELAT2 Master Black -1 Detail MIN Black STRETCH3 White Clip 108% Knee MANUAL Level 80% Cinelike CINELIKE Color Matrix OFF Adjust (all NORMAL) Gamma STANDARD Level NORMAL Color Gain NORMAL TRUCLRPC (Paolo Ciccone) Master Black -2 Detail MIN Black STRETCH1 White Clip 108% Knee MANUAL Level 90% Cinelike OFF Color Matrix STANDARD Adjust - R Gain 3 - R Rotation 4 - G Gain 2 - G Rotation NORMAL - B Gain 3 - B Rotation -3 Gamma CINELIKE Level -1 Color Gain NORMAL TRUCLRET ("widelat" variation) Master Black -1 Detail MIN Black STRETCH3 White Clip 108% Knee MANUAL Level 80% Cinelike OFF Color Matrix STANDARD Adjust - R Gain 3 - R Rotation 4 - G Gain 2 - G Rotation NORMAL - B Gain 3 - B Rotation -3 Gamma CINELIKE Level NORMAL Color Gain NORMAL

I would strongly suggest testing the flexibility in picture quality of the HD100. I tested the settings provided below today in a park with a good variety of greens and other colors including skin texture. The day was sunny and the contrast in the shadows was good (gray to blacks). I am looking for a quality cinematic film look, or as I would rather put it, film "feel". And although this it is mainly achieved through story telling and your ability (and your team actors , art department, make up wardrobe etc.) to project that story visually and emotionally, we cannot underestimate the importance of the overall "look" you want to achieve. It is the prerequisite of any artist, no matter what art to prepare, more so a filmmaker or cinematographer. I tried Paolo Ciccone's true color settings, and the other variations and I like the look of all of them, I appreciate their input and dedication to come up with them as well as share them with people who can and will benefit from them such as myself. The "wide latitude" variation I thought, was the most adequate filmic feel I have seen so far, although I will test it again under other conditions and settings including interiors. A bit less saturated, in my view all elements in the picture, or moving picture are film inclusive as opposed to the more scattered and diversified video look. More latitude to correct in post, although minimal correction if any would be required. Quality as opposed to.... So as a response to the first post: "The COLORS on the HVX200 are just fantastic then I saw JVC HD100 footage ftp://www.atomic-vfx.com/spoon_test_clips...DVR/web_006.wmv the colors are just not there MY QUESTION to you guys Is HVX200 better to capture the colors, Is it possible to get great colors like that using the JVC HD100 Cheers Neil Harris NOTE : Paolo Ciccone has his settings for true color different than the one posted below. I double checked it in his site and these are either not accurate or they have been updated. Here is the link: http://paolociccone.com/hd100-calibration-3.html And for reference, here are the settings: WIDELAT2 Master Black -1 Detail MIN Black STRETCH3 White Clip 108% Knee MANUAL Level 80% Cinelike CINELIKE Color Matrix OFF Adjust (all NORMAL) Gamma STANDARD Level NORMAL Color Gain NORMAL TRUCLRPC (Paolo Ciccone) Master Black -2 Detail MIN Black STRETCH1 White Clip 108% Knee MANUAL Level 90% Cinelike OFF Color Matrix STANDARD Adjust - R Gain 3 - R Rotation 4 - G Gain 2 - G Rotation NORMAL - B Gain 3 - B Rotation -3 Gamma CINELIKE Level -1 Color Gain NORMAL TRUCLRET ("widelat" variation) Master Black -1 Detail MIN Black STRETCH3 White Clip 108% Knee MANUAL Level 80% Cinelike OFF Color Matrix STANDARD Adjust - R Gain 3 - R Rotation 4 - G Gain 2 - G Rotation NORMAL - B Gain 3 - B Rotation -3 Gamma CINELIKE Level NORMAL Color Gain NORMAL

You got that right!! :D

could you post a sample of your film? It sounds interesting. Here is a place where you can upload HD. http://exposureroom.com/ I own the same cam. and it is always good to see other people's work. The best to you, John

I thought Walter's comparison study was a real eye opener, at least that's the way I see it. I am about to embark on shooting a feature with the JVC GY HD 110U and the other cameraman has a Panasonic HVX which we placed side to side the other day at his house. What I could see was the exact same findings Which Walter put so eloquently transformed into words and images. It reinforces our findings 100% plus it adds to the fact that HVX has a "softer" look which seems to be native to it. I suggested to him (the other cam. man) to exchange it for a HD110U so we could get a couple of Letus and) some 35mm zeiss primes and be able to have a 2 cam shoot. We'll see. He said he surely wanted to after looking at the results in our test. I will forward Mr. Graff's results as well, since they resound and echo our experience... Much appreciated. John

Joined: 23-October 08 Member No.: 37467 I shot part of a thriller project (feature) on a Bolex EBM, I want to finish on a JVC GYHD 110U using the 24P (which I own). I have a sample of the trailer here so you can appreciate the quality. This was shot with a 16-100 lens native to the cam. Bolex EBM 16mm using Fuji 400 series stock. http://exposureroom.com/bloodandbeauty Your opinions on the trailer are very welcome. I wonder if anyone has done something similar. Maybe mixed film footage, and 24P video... and if so where can I see some footage... I appreciate the input. Thanks. John Spear

I shot part of a thriller project (feature) on a Bolex EBM, I want to finish on a JVC GYHD 110U using the 24P (which I own). I have a sample of the trailer here so you can appreciate the quality. This was shot with a 16-100 lens native to the cam. Bolex EBM 16mm using Fuji 400 series stock. http://exposureroom.com/bloodandbeauty Your opinions on the trailer are very welcome. I wonder if anyone has done something similar. Maybe mixed film footage, and 24P video... and if so where can I see some footage... I appreciate the input. Thanks. John Spear

I shot part of a thriller project (feature) on a Bolex EBM, I want to finish on a JVC GYHD 110U using the 24P I have a sample of the trailer here so you can appreciate the quality. This was shot with a 16-100 lens native to the cam. Bolex EBM 16mm using Fuji 400 series stock. http://exposureroom.com/bloodandbeauty I wonder if anyone has done something similar. Maybe mixed film footage, and 24P video... and if so where can I see some footage... I appreciate the input. Thanks. John Spear