Jeremy M Lundborg

Curious about what the new series of "24" is shooting with? They used to shoot film. Is this still the case? Thanks.

Throwing out a wide net for advice on shooting for an iphone/ipad app that will contain video. First time I've attempted this and want the client to easily utilize the footage after we get done shooting, not confused as to where and why to crop or resize. Looking at the aspect ratios in the photo attached, both are different but shouldn't require cropping or stretching with 5D video footage at 1920x1080 when used in landscape mode. I don't have an iphone so any notes on how color responds and resolution differences would be helpful. Have you seen video on your computer screen and then your iphone and noticed a huge difference? Even the most basic things along those lines would be helpful.

Any of these books have specific examples of images and the correlating lens?

So. My own experience on a mid-range commercial shoot in Taiwan: -No union. 24 hour shoot day? Same rate. Late lunch, too bad. Short turn around? Change your occupation. -2nd ACs lay the dolly track. Ouch! -Very few wireless video options. RF signals are crowded and most don't offer solid systems. Teradeck was a constant conversation, but I can't stand the delay. The steadicam op dragged a system out of his dungeon, wasn't great but better than nothing. Not sure if we didn't have the right equipment houses or this is a pervasive issue. -Grip and electric...same thing. -Mark Lee. Big fan. Can't say I was appalled or surprised. Was generally a bit disorganized. Everything else is nearly the same. Show up, get it done. Hopefully some of this is useful to someone else in the future.

I have a production shooting soon in Taiwan. I have not had the opportunity to shoot on that side of the world yet and was hoping someone had some notes about working on sets in Asia, specifically Taiwan, which I would imagine is close to how China proceeds. I mostly concerned about etiquette, differentiations in division of labor, and the possibility of not understanding how the production is being run, in case some things are wildly different. All of this specifically compared to set work in the United States. Is it super fast, super slow? As the DOP are different things expected of me than in the US?

I recently shot a feature utilizing one of each camera. For budget reasons we ended up with rental issues that unfortunately required I use one or the other during parts of the shoot (don't ask, one of those productions). For my specific uses on the film, I found the EX1 to be a little more ergonomic and easier to use. The EX3 is notably bigger and again, for my needs, over-sized for the way it was used in our production. To reiterate some of the answers above, I felt that with appropriate care to transfer the same look notes to each camera, and back, there were no noticeable differences in the look. It should be said I was recording using a NanoFlash from Convergent Design, allowing recording to Compact Flash in place of SxS cards. We did this for budgetary reasons (SxS cards are incredible expensive!) and to lessen out of camera compression. For easier eyepiece operation, I'd concur the EX3 is the better choice. But if there is a strong difference in after market price, I'd say the EX1 will keep you in good stead as well.

In case anyone missed it... http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/21560/two-more-weeks-of-baysploitation-in-imax Now I have to go see it to learn what not to do, according to the complaints in this thread.

I would like to know what I can expect to be asked as a Camera Operator for a multi-cam television show in a studio. While I have worked independently as a cinematographer and I know what I would like my camera operator to do on said independent films, I have very little knowledge of how TV and upper level studio shoots work. My question relates specifically to what I should be ready to do upon arrival in the studio, then during and after shooting. Any thoughts beyond 'frame it well!" are appreciated. Maybe even some anecdotes from previous experience?

In terms of malleability and mobility, ie traveling and using your sliders of choice, what can you recommend that isn't too cumbersome? One that might travel easily and still be sturdy enough for everyday shooting scenarios.

I second this ideal. I use it to avoid moving around larger camera systems too much in the broadest sense, allowing me to move the camera once and fine tune it in place. This in opposition to shoving it around which wastes time and well, sometimes it just happens. If you can get your hands on a viewfinder with lens mount, use your lenses and that viewfinder to get a better approximation of your exact frame with the lens you will be using. Otherwise, the Mark Vs are a great all-around tool. Like Brian said with an hdslr you are ready to go, just take it in hand, turn it on, and frame it up to your liking, then move the rest of your equipment. Although if you have money, don't let it stop you from being a fantastic tool for scouting and future productions. I found mine on craigslist for a great price after a few years of patience and I use it all the time.

I found the VES Handbook very useful as a somewhat detailed note on general VFX practices. I originally read it in the hopes of getting a better knowledge of where VFX artists and supervisors are coming from, making their jobs easier and the outcome(project) stronger. I also used it to further understand those practices in the hopes of being better prepared for processes I had no experience in thus far, and of course glean some little tricks here and there. It's the equivalent of the ASC bible in terms of pages (900+), but doesn't have as many technical charts. There are pretty pictures, though!

Among many of those mentioned above, I highly recommend for their visual quality and moving content: Workingman's Death (2005) - dir. Michael Glowagger Searching For The Wrong Eyed Jesus (2003) - dir. Andrew Douglas

You can also attempt to utilize the Nanoflash from Convergent Designs. Records out of HDSDI to 422 and compact flash cards, which are much cheaper than SxS (which hits you with the inherent EX3 compression). If you are on a stage shoot you should be fine linking directly to a capture card, but if you need to be more mobile, look it up. The AJA Ki-Pro is another option with great results, and it's in between the malleability of the Nanoflash and the lock-down of a capture card in terms of size.

Can't say enough about this film...Stunning imagery.

We've been lucky out here in Los Angeles as the American Cinematheque shows it quite often. I recall seeing it two times in less than 6 months at the Aero and Egyptian respectively. That said, it's only Los Angeles so no help there. Spirit Of Baraka usually has fans keeping tabs on screenings on the site and in e-newsletters. I hope that once Samsara comes around, maybe we will get a double feature roadshow of some sort. A person has to have dreams, right?

I am a big fan of Celeste Lite. Free and entirely useful. I also have Photo Tools. A small and sometimes useful little application that has a very broad selection of charts, calculators, and wheels. Although I don't see how a gray card is actually usable on such a screen. Lastly, there is Acacia. Allows you to input all kinds of fun data for formats and lenses to calculate optics. On top of that has a small logging section, almost like a camera report, although I don't find it convenient. There is even a quick select flashlight which allows you to easily get a spot of light without exiting the program.

Most recently this was used to good effect in 'Black Swan'. American Cinematographer December P.47 Libatique: "We did as much as we could practically, but we knew there would be moments when we wanted to create seemingly unachievable shots, and for those we just removed the reflections digitally with the help of Dan Schrecker, or visual-effects supervisor and Look Effects. A good example of Look's work is the scene where Nina is rehearsing in front of a mirror, the lights go out, and her reflection starts moving independently; the camera was right where you see the reflection, but Darren wanted to get tight eye-lines, so we had to paint ourselves out in post. For other scenes, it was easier to just hide the camera or shoot from angles where you couldn't see it. We also used one-way mirrors to get a shot where we created an 'infinity reflection' of Nina sitting in front of a dressing-room mirror. We positioned Natalie between two one-way mirrors and just shot from behind them."

My recommendation at this level, especially with a 7D, is to utilize a Lens Baby. I'm not sure about the best place to purchase or rent in your area, maybe a few phone calls and some research will get you there. The blinking effect may be best done in post with some trickery in editing. That's something you can easily test yourself with even the camera on any contemporary phone and a rudimentary editing program. Your reference is some amalgam of various imagery, but the main contingent is the film "The Diving Bell And The Butterfly" by Julian Schnabel. I'd recommend watching it if you haven't, great film, but also researching the technical aspects of how those shots were done. I'm sure Kaminski's work on the film can be described by someone else here...

Shooting on the EX3 soon. Looking to optimize the quality while still retaining a reasonably small package size in the hopes of still comfortably operating handheld. I've seen a bit about nanoflash products and am hoping simply to allow for the best option to record the least compressed image. I have daytime/nighttime exteriors and a very small budget, so every little bit helps. Suggestions on minimizing rolling shutter are helpful as well, since as mentioned, there will be a fair bit of handheld camera work. Thank you.

Curious about the properties of diffusing a lamp nearer to the bulb versus skinning a frame and placing it on a stand to fill the diffusion in the frame. I've heard both schools of thought contending that diffusing on the lamp itself is a great way to keep things tidy and still diffuse. Conversely, diffusing further allows the diffusion to be filled by the light and properly spread the light. Is this difference negligible between attaching diffusion on the bulb of a kino versus the barn door of a kino. Bonus question: The difference between 4ft and 2ft on kino ballasts...is there any increase in a green spike or otherwise when using 4ft? I've heard you shouldn't play them on 4ft unless necessary.

Aaron, There are many levels of production, many of which would be so happy to have someone who is willing to just work hard, even if they don't have tons of experience. If you haven't already gone out and found random work since your post, I'd recommend lending your services to projects on Mandy.com and craiglist. I know you mentioned Pomona, which is a bit of a drive from central LA, but lots of productions take place in and around LA so you shouldn't have a problem. If it's a trek for you day to day, ask for a bit gas money to make the call in lieu of an absent day rate. See what you can get online. Some shoots offer money, some don't. The best thing is to be on set and meet people, making connections for future projects where you may be offered a day rate. I cannot answer your questions about Unions but you can take a look at the Local 80 site http://www.iatselocal80.org/Local_80/Home.html Lots of great info in there that can surely help you get started.

There have been a lot of great comments here so I won't rehash. Love the concept. Another off-cinematographic comment, you might think cutting a few different, shorter, versions of the spot. A couple 30-second versions with the same beginning and then different inters of the shoes hitting the ground as the commercial continues. This sounds like more of what an agency would do to get more mileage out of a spot, but for me it runs a bit long. Throw in some different music and mix and match and keep today's micro-spanned audience attentive. Another great way to change it up would have been to shoot from the knees or thighs down, with the ground changing beneath the runner. Great work.

Can you recommend a way to record downstream from the tap off a PV system? They don't seem to rent wireless options and I need something cheap and fast. What about splitting the signal out to a recording deck of some sort. What would work best? Because we are shooting film, we obviously need playback but are out of luck at the moment.

Birthing scene. Woman on a bed in a private home. A doctor delivering what is to be a child of some form. The scene takes place at night. Candles surround the bed. The scene is shot in a shrouded room on a long lens from far away, no cheating this one in close ups, people. Shot in 3/4, not profile. Shot around a 2-2.8 so surely something dynamic between a 5.6-8 would do the trick. The effect I am going for a strong, bright, blinding light emanating from the her birth canal. As she begins to give birth, the light becomes stronger and stronger (through a dimmer) and eventually becomes blinding, enveloping the entire room. Now I can augment the light once it gets up to a certain level, but my concern is safety versus output versus practicality. How can I put out that volume of light in a safe way, without giving away a cheated source (ie a molipso or some spotted fresnel bounced off a mirror held between her legs, and back out into the room). I'm curious about the brightest light I can achieve practically and still safely put between the actors legs. I would never do this, but it's a start to this conversation. My first inclination was to have the production designer build a false bed, leaving room for a series of mirrors to relay an off screen source of some brightness. What if we don't have time or money to build such a contraption? FOR EXAMPLE

No HDR involved here. Like the above posters noted it's just simply well teched and shot. What I mean is that the production design, wardrobe, makeup, and lighting design is very solid. Not my personal style but solid. Just like it should be, it's been coordinated through pre-production with a very clear visual goal in mind. Then it is color corrected and spliced together in post, pretty straight forward. If anything it's just very contrasty.