Tom Jensen

Just about every DP on here has used one of those hundreds of times. It's an old lens. It's been around since the 80's.

I'm not quite sure what you are saying. The configuration that it is in works great. If you've ever done a shot where you are panning so fast that you have to let go of the pan wheel and push the camera with the tilt wheel, I think you would see the benefit. You wouldn't want to do that any other way.

I would say the hi-hat looks right so it could be the adapter.

That's what impresses them.

To me Cinematography is shooting content that goes to the cinema. DP is everything. That being said, what it really boils down to is that you call yourself a Cinematographer to impress the ladies and DP to impress the men. They are pretty much interchangeable. It all means the same. I think the DP was a union term.

Not much you can do but hope for a non turbulent day. Remember that the tighter you go, the worse it gets so zoom into what you want and zoom out to what looks good. You should be able to see the movement. Keep a steady hand.

It should be OK.

AHA! remember my stance on using words like always and never? Either way, it was nominated for nine academy awards and that was my point. There were better shot movies and I think it won for the novelty aspect. I wouldn't call it a bad movie. I'm just saying bad movies don't usually get the nod for best cinematography. But a great movie with ok cinematography can get nominated for other things like best screenplay and best picture and best director. (Looking back I did say great story and surprised even myself with such a superlative as "great." I should have said good and left myself the out.)

Cue Phil.

Story is probably one of the most important elements in a film. The cinematography supplements the story. I liked She's Gotta Have from Spike Lee. Technically the movie has many flaws associated with low budget film making. Once a story goes south for me, I start to look at all the other flaws and lose interest. But, if the story is good, I become more involved and try not imagine 50 people running around behind the camera trying to be quiet. With a bad story and great cinematography, you have very little. Ever notice how Best Cinematography at the Academy Awards is usually a movie with a great story?

This is true. The smartass in me wanted to say, "Just switch the wheels."

There are two wheels, pan and tilt. The pan is on the left side and when you turn it clockwise, you are panning left. When you turn it counter-clockwise you are panning right. The wheel at the back is the tilt. Turning the wheel clockwise will tilt up and turning it counter-clockwise will tilt down. You cannot change this.

Brilliant

Everyone is wired differently. I don't care how much experience someone has, if they don't have the aptitude, they won't be as good as somebody with the aptitude and the same amount of experience. Some people are good at math and others are not. You can give 10 kids a still camera and some pics will be naturally better than others. You can give experienced cameramen a script, a crew and a budget and they will come back with 10 different movies. One will be better than the others.

I hate you only because your real is better than mine. I am available as an operator, however. David gave you some pretty sage advice. I would only add to that, watch as many films as you can and look at the lighting, camera movement, framing, length of shots, scene pacing. Take as many lighting workshops as you can. And shoot anything that comes along. I don't normally recommend that people start out as DP's but you are young enough where you might be able to skip climbing the ladder. As you get older you may end up taking operating jobs with bigger DP's but I don't think that would hurt your DP career. Your reel is better than a lot I have seen on this forum. Keep up the good work and continued success. Personally, I think that if you purchased a good digital camera, you would get more work and more opportunity to shoot. Learn to shoot film as the opportunity presents itself.

3 batteries may be the better option. It's bad to lose juice when you need it.

Hey, I could be wrong. That's why I use words like "maybe" and I think' and "sometimes." Always give yourself an out.

Taylor Hobson made the glass for the Cooke Panchros. I think Cooke makes the S4's.

You can get a reversing gear that screws into the Arri follow focus unit.

Opinions from informed people who know and who have been through the process are pretty valuable. You seem to think they are like farts. You learn a lot about the business being on a set. More than you can imagine. You shouldn't assume that a cameraman knows little about the process of the business side.

Give her a piece of your mind and then utilize her contacts.

Give her the boot.

Opinions from students can be but opinions from people who have spent 25 years plus in the business can be pretty valuable.

I have seen some people who just seem to have a natural gift for cinematography and photography. Some people learn concepts quicker than others. Some people have better personalities that click with directors. Some know exactly what they want and some have no clue. Some people are more motivated than others. That being said, cinematography can be learned. All it takes is money, time and experience. You learn more by doing. Reading is supplemental to the craft.

What is an O-Box?