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Gregory Middleton

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Everything posted by Gregory Middleton

  1. No idea. But the production budget was near 9 million. g
  2. A reel is often a first impression, nothing more. Try and think of it that way. What would you want to show and why are the important questions. They are a necessity because few people when considering someone new will take the time to watch complete works at first.
  3. Densitometer is the only way to truly tell what's going on, you are right about that Karl. I hope the lab is reputable, but I have known labs that do vary the speed of the machines depending on work load, but that would be very rare. The image doesn't really suggest anything funny going on processing wise so certainly don't want to offend anyone there. I do think its important to remember all the variables when analyzing something like this though. Of course filtration can vary the exposure as well and is often not compensated for correctly. Most diffusion is 1/6th of a stop for eg.
  4. Hello Rob, If your exposure was accurate at 1.5 under key , then i would expect a little more detail. If its 2 under and maybe a little more then that image does not look too much out of line. The clouds in the distance have all the detail in them, even in the brightest areas. This also tells me a lot about your exposure. If your colorist saw you were exposing for the highlights as you intended then the image seems reasonable. Getting exactly the shadow detail you want is much more controllable in a video transfer than straight print. Even at that level of exposure you could probably get a little more out of your shadows, but not too much. Things that could have contributed to you not getting exactly what you want are 1) daylight exposure being off by 1/2 stop. Clouds thicken and sometimes you dont notice the small change 2) stock. 64D is a little more contrasty than some others, so you will notice that in darker areas. I shot almost 1/2 my first feature on that stock. 3) incident vrs reflected exposure. His pants and jacket are dark. 2-3 under incident on a dark or near black subject will be VERY dark. if he was wearing a light grey t-shirt and faded jeans it would appear quite different. 4) Lab and Transfer differences. Processing can be a little off. Transfer can be interpreted a little one way or another. Trying to save highlights in certain areas can lead to shadows being a little more crushed. The best way to learn is to be present when you transfer, if possible. Perhaps they will let you come back in a look at that particular shot again. they you will know what you are working with. best of luck. greg
  5. I think theatrically only in Canada, although not sure about NZ. I'm sure it will be out in DVD and Blu-Ray everywhere though later in the year. Thanks for having a look! greg
  6. We shot this film in Osoyoos BC last May. Its warm , funny well written off kilter western Starring Paul Gross. And we shot on film.... Trailer Link Below Gunless Trailer
  7. I would not recommend pull processing more than 1 stop without testing. Most labs might have difficulty with that speed of processing anyway. The newer films are far from linear in their response to Push and Pull processing. 1 stop push will not really give you 1 stop more asa, same with Pulling. Based on your references , exposure wise remember to expose for the shadows. On of the reasons those images are bright and low contast is that the shadow exposure is generally close to key. Low Contrast filters are a good way to lift the blacks easily, they will also give you a slight halo. They are not to popular now so try and look around, even online. I bet you can find one cheap or borrow. Testing is best if you can of course. You can try and make your own filter if you want to have some fun and experiment. Use a clear filter and try a variety of sprays on it. dulling spray, or Arrid extra dry, or a clear laquer. Low contrast filters and Double fogs are basically tiny spots of opaque material between glass. Be sure to never let any direct light hit your filter or it will 'milk out' quickly. You did not mention your post path. If finishing digitally/video you can control your contrast later very easily as long as you expose correctly.( enough detail in the shadows ) Good Luck Greg
  8. I think the 17-85mm is a sharper Kit lens. One thing you will want to add if you are shooting a lot of video is a viewfinder/magnifier. Zacuto make one as do others. I have a Cavision one which works fine. It makes eye focusing much easier. Other things like a Monopod are very useful for doc shooting. Greg quote name='Christopher Norin' date='Apr 7 2010, 06:04 AM' post='320444'] Hi! I've posted this on the cinema5d message board, but I thought I'd broaden my search for answers. Hope no one's offended by this. Help or comments on this are deeply appreciated. Best, Christopher
  9. The Canon EF 16-35 T 2.8 is a very nice lens. So is the 85mm L series. I have a very old 50mm EF from maybe 1993 which actually performs very well. greg
  10. My first feature was shot in Regular 16mm in 1994. Most of the same ideas still apply with a few exceptions. Film stock- Use as slow as possible. I shot most of the film on 50asa film and some 100asa. A slight overexposure can be good, but not too much. Processing - Normal. Avoid push processing. Pull Processing can further reduce grain but that should be tested properly before hand to determine the new asa and black and color levels. Lenses - Use as sharp as possible.Use fixed focal length Primes over the Zoom as they should be sharper. Don't shoot wide open as some lenses perform much more poorly then. Even 1/2 stop closed (T2.5 on a T2 lens for example, can make a difference) Also don't shoot at T16 either as the lens will also perform poorly. Filtration - Less in front of the lens the better for sharpness. Use diffusion for effect if you like but avoid it for anything you want to be 'normal' Color Balance. - Film stocks behave best when properly exposed in the color range you intend. More grain and image artifacts result in trying more radically 'push' the color of a scene in color correction. Get the photography right first in the color range you intend. Make it look good to your eye and expose properly. Color Correction/ Blow up. - Here there are a couple of differences than the photochemical blow ups of the past. Firstly overall quality will depend of the Lab doing the work. The quality of their 'Scan' of the negative really matters. Some facilities will do a muliti pass scan to dig all the possible information out of the shadows and highlights. Modern grain reduction technology is finally getting to the point of being useful without just making the whole image softer. Be very careful about overexposure if you are doing your blow up digitally. Highly overexposed areas can induce some electronic noise. This is the opposite of what would happen in an all photochemical process. I'm not talking about brightness, have all the highlights you want, but if you have a white sky or very hot area AND your whole scene need to be brought down 2 stops you will end up with some grainy stuff in those highlights. So be careful. On my website under "more Clips" you can see some stuff from 'Kissed' and read the asc article. Visit My Website good luck on your shoot. g Testing will tell you that.
  11. Hi Vincent, Thanks for taking a look. The CSC is a nice organization. I think they do a fair bit to promote us Cameramen/women so I think its worth supporting on that basis. Will it get you more work? Perhaps, but thats a question everyone wants the answer too and one which no one really knows the answer. But it will do one thing which I think always improves chances to get more work which is meeting more peers. Although many of us compete for the same work, DP's generally are an articulate far thinking bunch who respect each others work. This means that we often end up giving references regarding other DP's to producers or directors. Getting to know peers is a great way to increase your visibility and help with that. I'm sure one day, if it hasn't happened already you will get offered work while you are already working. Who would you recommend? How did you become aware of that person? You're going to be on someones mind for that too. If you meet a few more DP's through the csc then all the better. Good luck, greg
  12. Hi Tom, The Demo is embedded though Vimeo. Others have been able to see it. You should see the vimeo play arrow if your cursor's over the screen. Some of the other quicktimes can be problematic. g
  13. Thanks for taking the time. All the clips should load and play, I check that out. iWeb can be buggy. Some of the films I only have on SD so mixed formats were a real headache. The HD Quicktimes look the best, but not everyone has the patience to wait for those. g
  14. Even though I've been shooting for years now, this is my first website. Did it myself on iWeb and tried to keep it as simple as possible. Kind of like cutting a reel, its hard to make those choices sometimes. cheers Greg Visit My Website
  15. A couple of basic physical things tips. 1 - rehearse your footwork. Things may change but if you have your feet where you want them you will be better balanced and comfortable. Comfort = steady ( as you like) and quicker reacting. Rehearsing footwork will help you 1st AC too. A remote focus system is great for hand held. I less hand bumping your shot, however you lose the ability to grab the focus wheel yourself and make an adjustment. 2 - If you are twisting your body for a shot remember the rule ' unwind yourself'. If you start compressed or twisted you will be able to unwind with grace and control. The other way make you hold an uncomfortable position at the end.... 3 - Try and get your camera a neutrally balanced on your shoulder as possible. You do not want to be lifting the front the whole take. You want to be pointing the camera with your hands not lifting it. We used to use 1000ft mags sometimes to help with balance. As for compositional challenges of a small office, if you can shoot over the shoulder you can use the other actors for interesting elements. Good Luck on your shoot. g
  16. I was sad to read you so despondent. Please remember all the other things in your life that you do love and love you. They are there I assure you. As for you questions.. Most professionals get fired at some point. Almost all Oscar winners have been fired at one time or another. We also in freelance regularly interview for a show, think we aced it but then don't get hired. Part of all these situations is not in your control. You can't make their decisions for them, all you can do is be you and work to be the best you possible. Rejection is much more common, its a numbers game. As far as regaining your passion, 2 things come to mind. I've been lucky enough to meet a few great DP's in my life (Conrad Hall, Ralf Bode, Peter Suscitztky for a few). One thing that they all had in common was that they were real fans of cinema and even other DP's. They are not consumed with jealousy regarding others work at all. They really enjoy what others do. Conrad Hall mentioned one young DP he thought " now that guys good!" in Emmanuel Lubezki. I couldn't have agreed more. My point is they there passion for the art and craft is what drives them, not the job they get or lose. I'm sure you have your favorite movies. Watch some again. Get excited about the new ideas that will come to mind for what next might come your way. The advice about getting exercise could not be more true. Do it. The 2nd thing has to do with what you mentioned about everything you thought you knew being called into question. No one likes to be blindsided. Its a painful experience. But its an experience necessary for growth. None of the people I mentioned above thought they knew everything, and neither should you. You are going to learn something from this experience, believe me. A great feel good reminder video... Please take care.
  17. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Zodiac, Apocalypto, Collateral, District 9 (best use of RED camera yet I think) and parts of Slumdog Millionaire. For shameless self promotion check out the trailer for 'Possession' shot with Genesis 3 years ago. It remains unreleased after the Yari film Group went under. Possession movie trailer
  18. You will certainly get different looking blurs with RED vrs 35mm. Search for posts of 'rolling shutter' issues for more info. If you want it too look exactly like "Bourne", best bet is to use the same tools. There also many other considerations when picking format. Size, speed etc. Good luck g
  19. I have only been paid once for time in the DI suite color correcting a feature, and it was a small amount compared to the time involved. On that particular film it was evident to the producers that I needed to be involved during shooting. I will always be there if I can. I have even flown out of town on a weekend during prep on another show and spent the whole time in a suite. My deal usually specifies 'first right of refusal" - meaning they have to tell me when and where, also they have to transport me there and put me up if its not where I happen to be. For me thats a fair compromise. DI's are a time intensive process, and depending on the budget can take several days. If I'm doing one on a show, the process becomes an integral part of the photography. I will plan certain things or fixes etc in the DI while shooting. I sure better be there to finish the photography. As for 'rights', good luck. We have none. Its all about the relationship you have with who hires you. Even their hands can be tied by studios or networks. If your good at your job and they like and respect you they usually want to keep you involved. Make it in their best interest too. Even more importantly , you now have a new artist you are collaborating with weather you like it or not, the colorist. Many nowadays have not printed much film. They are anxious to use all the powerful tools available to them to add and craft what you have started. Guidance in necessary to prevent it going on a real tangent now that contrast/saturation and secondary color correction are involved. I have worked with some amazing colorists and its a real treat to work with them. People like Chris Wallace at Deluxe Toronto (Pans Labyrinth brought there by Guillermo del Toro because he was so impressed with him on Mimic) and Mark Keuper at Technicolor. Even if it makes my agents life hard , I'd do anything not to miss out on that process. good luck! GM
  20. I have encountered a similar phenomenon shooting 3 Perf Panavison with Primos. Lightsources just outside of 1:1.85 but inside film area would produce what looked like a flare, but only when just in that area. If camera was tilted up or down you could see flare disappear the reappear. We never managed to eliminate it completely. I think powder coating the insides might help. Are you Super 35 or regular? I took a few out in the DI later. If its any consolation, it did not kill the film. Being careful with light sources (practicals) in the danger area might be your best short term defense. g
  21. That looks very nice Alex well done. I just read all of those posts and thought I would add one thing. One thing that can contribute to more grain or noise in the blacks is not just the Level of exposure and the subsequent light you print at (40's deep blacks ' 20's more milky) but also the balance of those lights. Film stocks will show more noise or grain if you color time them aggressively away from their normal balance. If ,for example, you had not warmed your fire light up at all (by dimming, gel or using Daylight film as you did) and used the balance of the printer lights to create the tone you wanted you would notice more noise and grain that you have now. You can see other examples of this effect in underexposed daylight scenes when they have run out of light and pulled their 85 filter etc trying to get the last few moments on film. Most of what you see is due to underexposure but some of what you see is the grain picking up color from the aggressive timing lights to get the shot back in balance. Often at that time of day the light is 10000k. Thats a long way to bring back to 3200k. The Blacks start to pick up all kinds of color. cheers
  22. Sorry your friend had such a hard time. Freelancers need to be careful thats for sure. Some tips to avoid that in the future. 1) Get it all in the deal up front. If transport by his own truck is most convenient, stick to that demand....or don't bring the gear. He/She is already giving it for free, the rule should be that it doesn't cost him or her anything, including extra time and hassle of transferring gear. 2) You can never save some productions enough money. Some have no shame at all in asking for everything, all the time. There is no bottom to that pursuit for some. Do not assume everyone is reasonable. If they balk at a tiny charge like that , how well will they take care of serious considerations like safety etc. Be responsible for your own decisions. Remember it takes two to enter into an agreement. The other party may be in the wrong, but if your spidey sense is tingling take some responsibility for exposing yourself to risk. Glad no one was seriously hurt. cheers g
  23. I happened upon Helios 2 days after it was posted to the Apple Apps store. I bought despite having no reviews yet because it seems well thought out in its description. I can say now after shooting a feature mostly exterior distant Location ( Osoyoos BC ) that it works great. It was alway accurate and the interface once you get used to it i very easy to use. Making snap calls on ...what happens if we fall 2 hours behind , what will it look like then? Making exact predictions in a Valley of when the mountain shadow would cover our set was easy. Previously I would use printouts from David Parrish's SunPath software which also works well. But the ability to have a larger database in your phone handset and use GPS location finding instead of a database is fantastic. Great application. Well worth the money. Thanks. cheers, Gregory Middleton csc
  24. Try using the Histogram to see when your whites are starting to clip. Try and keep all 3 channels from clipping ( especially the Blue) Even if you don't have a lot of money for Color Correction its pretty easy to balance your whites if they are not all clipped. The RED camera can leave lots of nasty looking stuff at the edges of whites clipping. If you can get them to 90% is easy to time them up a bit to the level of White which you choose. Shoot at 4k(or the 2x HD res for easy conversion). More info leads to cleaner images. If you want your Whites very clean also desaturate them in Color as well. This can really help. Good Luck on your shoot.
  25. Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Shot with both Thomson Viper and F-23. F-23's were used in the Hospital present day scenes and for many close ups. The reason is that the cooling fans on the Viper are quite loud and do not shut off when rolling. Its difficult to get good sound in a small room or with the Viper very close. They intercut very well. The f-35 should be similar in quality. I've shot with Genesis and f-23 and there is a slight difference apart from depth of field.
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