Gregory Middleton

As far a Preview is concerned I assume you are looking at the rear screen on your camera. Just be aware to set up the brightness of that screen as well. I have used my 7d quite a bit for that purpose and its fine. Just check some of the stills you shoot against your dailies and then you can fine tune your DSLR exposure/ISO if you need to compensate. gm

Thanks David. Happy to share. I always remember when I was in film school the few DP's we had as guests and the amazing amount of candid info they shared. gm

How much a show costs depends directly on how much they are willing to spend. The studio and network do very careful evaluations, they know how much is too much based on its success. It certainly costs more to shoot long hours. If they ever decide its too much they will stop. Television has 1 criteria above all and that is delivery. The ability to produce 22 episodes in a certain number of weeks. We rarely shoot over 14hrs, after that it truly becomes cost prohibitive. We do often shoot new scenes or pick up new versions of scenes after an episode has been cut. Thats an expense obviously but it allows the showrunners much more control over the final episodes. The first 2 scenes of 304 were reversed in editing and a new scene shot to bridge the 2. gm

There are still some trees and greenery in the Alternate Universe. Its all over Liberty Island in Ep 1. and outside of Walternates office. I think fruits and Veggies are rare though. gm

Hi Rich, Its a good question, except that they are rarely used on their own, but mixed into scenes which I have already lit for the 35mm film cameras. Its more a case of getting the exposure correct based on how I know they show gets color corrected in the Final. The DSLR's simply record in h.264 with more of a Final level of contrast, so I just do that by eye based of what I hope the complete scene to look like in the end. I set them at approx the same ISO , although on our show its seems that I add about 1/3 of a stop in sensitivity. The DSLR footage is mostly short shots and so far they have cut in fairly well. I also occasionally shoot some stills with my same camera for reference. In post, or just for contrast evaluation. GM

Must be converted to Apple Pro Res to play smoothly.

If you mean a POV looking out of the windshield at an oncoming car you are correct. All shots of the actors in the cars were film. There is also a film camera shot like that used as well. There were 6 more shots in the show. g

We used a 5D MkII and my 7D for a few short shots in the show. Lenses were usually the 24-105 f4 zoom or a 16-35 zoom. A couple are in the promo in the car chase. g

Thursday nights 4th episode of Season 3 has a little more action than usual, even a short car chase. It was also the first time this season that some DSLR footage was used. I'll be interested to see how that looks on the HD broadcast. This was my 2nd episode and I pushed the lighting contrast a little more than on Ep 302 'the box'. Behind the scenes questions welcome after it airs. gm

I know for sure that both episodes were shot on film. The post color manipulation and camera filtration on ' Peter ' is what made it look more electronic. If you push the information a lot you can end up with more 'video' looking highlight characteristics. I actually cant remember 'Northwest Passage' right now, so not sure about the look of that. This season ( including earlier today actually ) we have been occasionally using Canon 5D mkII and my 7D for a few shots. Mostly because of size and the ease of rigging to things..( hospital gurneys etc ). We've also had it underwater in a very confined space. Its a great camera to throw into a multi camera action set up because its so easy to hide.

Digital switch was briefly considered at the beginning of this season. Its very nice to shoot film though! gm

Hi Rob, I am alternating with Tom for the first 8, then David Moxness is coming back on the show as he alternated last year. I filled in for Tom on about 1/2 of episode 19 in season 2. He enjoyed my work and asked me about coming in the show for season 3. Schedules were perfect for me to shoot 4 episodes. In general they are pretty good about letting the DP get to shoot all the 2nd Unit or reshoots etc. I have shot stuff for other episodes as well. Day nine of each episode is a 2nd unit day, but as iI noted earlier it's really main unit sized, just not with principle cast. As far as styles go, Tom and I had lots of discussions about photographic style. Shows always evolve over time and he was very clear that he welcomed any input and ideas. In general the producers want the show to feel real, as the content is quiet far fetched. There are some specific colors he/ they have used and established which help identify the show visually i think. The lighting/grip and camera crew is unchanged from season 2 so they are big resource as far as techniques etc. They are also given quite a lot of creative freedom on their own, which i have tried to let continue. I think Tom and i think similarly so its been pretty seamless in most ways. We both keep track of each others dailies, that helps a lot. I will always check with him id i have an idea that might be too far out there. The big difference is the style of the different directors, which can be significant. gm

Episode 2 Thursday Night on Fox. My first this year. Takes place in the real, not alternate universe.

Hi Ryan, 1 - Varies by episode. Ep 1 this year was all location. Ep 308 that I'm shooting now is about 3 1/2 days out or 9. 2 - Lab colors. The back lights vary. Mostly 1/2 ctb, although the operating lights are gelled with Steel Blue. That color is common. Sun coming in the windows varies from 1/2 CTS to White or 1/2 blue. Some Cyan has been used in the past but not usually in the Lab. The exterior moon/night look is HMI with 1/2 CTS and 1/4 Plus Green. That might be the look you were thinking of. Its been a fun adventure on this show so far. 7 days left on episode 8. Greg

Saw it at the Toronto film fest last year. Amazing imagery and incredible first person perspective.

Hi Alex, Your questions are very specific, but the answers vary greatly episode to episode. 1- Shows are 9 days. 8 main unit and 1 2nd Unit. 2nd Unit are still bigger scenes typically but without the principle cast. There is also an insert unit which works occasionally.The show typically has many inserts. I get to shoot my own 2nd Units. Hours depends on directors. Short days are rare. 12-14hrs more typical. 2- Depends on the director. Some are about 50% only one camera, some more like 90% 2 cameras. I have had to adapt to very different styles director wise. On Episode 302 directed by Jeff Hunt we did a 64 set up day. I was regularly trying to light for 2 cameras at 90 or 120 degrees from each other starting very wide then ending up at 275mm for coverage. A single camera director may get 20-40. 3- Carry both. Zooms are used majority of the time, mostly for speed. 4- 5219 and 5213 although the Expression stock was experimented with a few times 5-Film processed and dailes transfered here at Technicolor Vancouver. Unsure if it stays 4:4:4 or is 4:2:2. Final color in LA 6- haven't met the Cow myself yet. They try and keep her out of most scenes for obvious reasons... I'm just starting my 4th episode nest week. But to give you an idea of the relentless pace of production, during prep I have shot 4 pick up scenes from earlier episodes and 1 for the upcoming one. Its an amazing feat that they manage to pull of such ambitious scripts. Regards Greg

The streaks you are probably referring to are actually a filter effect. Its literally called the Streak filter. Sort of like a star filter, bit a glass streak that creates the long diagonal flare only on highlights. Flares with lights pointed into the lens are also used. Some are in camera but many are in post. There is one big one in the next episode that was done in camera. Many of the flares in the taxi scenes in the premiere were done in post. cheers g

I've had the privilege of shooting FRINGE this fall. Episodes 2,4,6 and 8. I've been alternating with Tom Yatsko who has been with the show since the beginning. He does a wonderful job in my opinion and its been a pleasure and challenge to step into such a show that is very much up and running and finding its own visually. We still shoot film, one of the few. If anyone has specific questions about the cinematography I'd be happy to share from my experience so far. regards, Greg

My friend and also Forum member Glen Winter csc Directed tonight's Smallville. I shot the episode and we had some fun. 2 Old characters return for fans of the show. Any questions about the show, be happy to answer. cheers Greg Smallville

Hi George, Tech stuff can be learned. The job of the DP is to supervise and design, so you need to know a lot about all the tech stuff. The most important education is of actual making of images. Thats why 'shooting' everything you can is always a good route. The tech stuff is always evolving, but visual storytelling and creating images is the art of USING those tech tools. Remember that.

'Gunless' opens tomorrow in 82 cities and towns across Canada on 150 screens. Thats pretty much as wide a release as you can get up here. Hopefully it does well. If it does well enough, you may see it down there. greg

There are only 3 industries that survive on their domestic market without public funding. Hollywood ( which is subsidized ), Bollywood and interestingly enough, Quebec. The landscape is changing rapidly and the studios are scrambling to get to grips with the new financial realities themselves. MGM still hasn't been sold. Sad about the Genies not being on tv, but perhaps its better served as Web streamed for a devoted audience anyway. The Independent Spirit awards are only on cable, and thats a better comparison than the Oscars. Cinematography was cut out of the televised show anyway.....so not much promotion for our craft from the Academy. At least 130 or so people have read some of this and maybe they'll be interested in the film or the cinematography. cheers greg

I think O'Connor make great heads. My favorite fluid ones. Pick a head that is if anything a bit bigger and can take slightly heavier cameras than you think you may need. If you end up with a heavier camera one day you will be thankful. If weight is an issue, for say documentary work, thats different. I've used the 2575 for years its the best in my opinion. Geared heads have their place, but if you can only have 1 head on a production it must be a fluid one.

The laws in Canada are a bit different, but I thought I would add one note. If you earn enough to leave some money in your company , and not have to pay most of it to yourself as personal income , then it can be a beneficial thing. Basically a Corporation , especially a 'personal services corp' essentially offers a tax deferral, not a complete tax break. Money in your company that you reinvest in your business ( equipment etc ). In Canada as a non incorporated sole proprietor ( contractor ) you can still write off all the same expenses that the company would except without the quarterly tax payments and much simplified accounting. If you have trouble saving money, remember that the onus will be more on your own self discipline as a Corporation. Good Luck! g

Thanks. Its a complex equation. No film these days, even hollywood blockbusters, break even in their theatrical revenues alone. TV, DVD, world sales are all part of the mix. You can only hope that a film will find its audience. At the premiere a lot of older people really loved the film, which is great. But the older generation doesn't go out to the multiplex much. The multiplex is for teens, who dominate the paying demographic. That just means that we need to find another way to get them to see it after its theatrical run. But don't forget 'cant sell Canada' applies to every other nation on earth except the US, so we shouldn't think we are alone in this. But I'm a firm believe that a national cinema is important, for any country. Like it or not a lot of history and culture is immortalized in film and tv. Its worth the effort to try and keep that going. Gunless partly exists because of the success of Passchendaele. It did out perform expectations theatrically by a lot, which was a real surprise. It was very exciting to hear strangers talk at a coffee shop about a film I'd worked on, and that it was Canadian. I hope it happens again.