Dan Salzmann

Thanks to James Cameron when 48 fps and stereo 3D cinematography finally becomes mainstream I am going to have to think about what is going to be the next revolution just so I can keep up with the cutting edge.

4D cinema where the viewer is in the movie.

Why not get a job with a lighting rental company. That keeps you in contact with the gear, learning stuff, making new contacts and GETTING PAID. It also calms your mom down because you have a job.

Paging David R.

There must be a glare on the monitor so I'll say it:

Film Lighting by Malkewicz

Their brains.

This is the rig I use. That is a 235 camera with a 200 foot load. No shake. For a Yamaha commercial.

 

Sanjay Sami

Key Grip

www.thegripworks.com

Nice one Sanjay!

Since stills lenses unlike film lenses are designed for photographers that focus by eye (if not using autofocus, these days) the focus markings do not have to be that accurate because, well hardly anyone is really "supposed" to use them other than as a rough guide for focusing using the hyperfocal distance instead of using optical focus. Those marks are just a tweak more accurate on higher-end older non-AF lenses.

Best to set focus marks by eye on the 5D with or without adaptor. The built-in focus assist feature which magnifies the image on the LCD screen is often quite handy as well.

http://www.filmandvideolighting.com/pignoadmebat.html

Got it! Unfortunately those kinds of adapters are illegal here according to EEC electrical safety laws.

Handy little things if used with moderation!

Listen to the director, the DP and the A camera operator.

Follow your instincts based on what you heard.

Have a good shoot!

And intuition with a dash of anticipation.

I think those things come with experience.

I want to add that I feel that I don't like static camera handheld very much because it often seems like just shaky and lazy. Like why wasn't it on sticks?

Also I feel the "I'm trying to be a human steadicam" thing usually fails as well.

Handheld seems most effective when it reinforces the psycho-emotional impact of what is being filmed, for example, fight scenes and complex movement from the actors or continuous shot dialogue sequences.

What is a pig nose adaptor?

I use 200x cards and they work well.

Successful handheld work is dependent on:

Experience, grace, physical strength and compositional ability of the camera operator

A good first AC

Ergonomic camera configuration and support (handles, pads, etc)

Suitable action for handheld cinematography.

My favorite is not being allowed on an airplane with half a small bottle of Evian but in front of me were 3 Sikhs about to board wearing those long ceremonial knives they wear. When I asked the flight attendant about it she said, "That's different, it's part of their religion". Now that's what I call a satisfactory logical response!

The idea of not being allowed to film in any mundane place because of fear of "espionage" is silly when the same or equivalent images are already freely available on the internet.

This is quite true especially if the editor is there for the DI. That being said many producers would balk at paying the DP for being there for the grade.

You said you wanted some slo-mo. What kind of frame rate are you talking about?

Definitely talk to your post-production people and find out how and if they deal with Redcode.

10 rolls of film for a 10 minute film is about a 10:1 ratio which is not luxurious but possible if your director is good, the actors are good and well rehearsed and the film is well prepared.

If you are zoomed into the light bulb and not just pointing the camera at it, there is a probably a problem with the camera's light meter.

Film noir films often require massive amounts of light. Remember that you need light to make shadows.

I would suggest getting an outboard light meter because I never trust the TTL meters in cameras that are a quarter of a century old.

Sorry for the misspelling of your name David... I hope the fact that I push your book like no one else can make up for that type-o. Dan, if you write a book (and it is good) I'll push it as well... my apologies on your name as well. ;)

I think I'll call my book "What do you know about cinema, you're not a lawyer"

What you have there are basically paperweights at this point.

The project will be shot digitally, sorry if that wasn't clear in my original post. Of course there will be a b&w monitor on set but I was most interested in the choice of camera besides depth of field considerations with smaller sensors and of course the quality of the lenses. The best post production workflow for a b&w final is also interesting - working with color channels before desaturating.

Is there any major increased flexibility doing this in a TC suite as opposed to Final Cut Studio Pro?

As usual the producer wants the best results for the least amount of money.

And David Rakoczy, I and I'm sure David Mullen would appreciate if you spelled our names correctly.

First time I am shooting HD for a black and white end result.

I was wondering about what governs the choice of camera since color space is not really an issue.

There will be no slo-mo necessary for this movie.

What is the most flexible post production workflow to obtain black and white: desaturation in Final Cut Pro or other means?

His autobiography "L'imperiale de Van Su: Comment je suis entré dans le cinéma en degustant une soupe chinoise" which translates to "How I got into cinema by having a Chinese soup" is only available in French but offers many interesting anecdotes and insights about the many films he worked on.

A good reason to dust off that French-English dictionary!

Depending on the camera, the manual can be found on the manufacturer's website.

Google!

the distro gets wired into the house.

By a qualified electrician!

Saw the film and thought it was rubbish. Eye candy and not very convincing either.

I agree that post production slow motion looked electronic.

I cringe when I think of how many good films a budget like this can make.

Watch films that you know already with the idea of concentrating on the composition, the way each scene is broken down into individual shots and how those shots fit together.

Take notes, watch again, analyze...

Look at photographs, paintings and comic books. Find images you think are strong in terms of composition and try to figure out why you think they are strong. Try to break down the elements of the image into geometric shapes and look at how these shapes relate to each other and the center, top, bottom and sides of the frame.

Take notes, try recreating some of these ideas with a digital camera or camcorder using family and friends.