Mitch Lusas

Thank you for the replies. Michael, I took a look at the SuperTechnoCrane. Pretty impressive. This would seem to be an answer when there is ample space. Audiris, I've heard that the 'dance floor' Spielberg uses is built up with a couple layers. I had guessed plywood, but I was curious as to why a couple layers. My theory was that the first layer may have been 2x2 wood strips separated every 18in. My reasoning, is that it could possibly lead to better leveling. Does anyone have any idea what these layers were, and the reason behind them? Thanks again.

I've been doing headshots for awhile, but unfortunately for my models/actors, I've been using Mole Juniors and Babys. Needless to say, it gets hot. I'm looking to get a lighting kit for photography. If you have any preferences, I'd love to hear about them. Having never messed with this type of lighting, I'm curious and thrilled to try something new. Thanks for any help. Blessings, Mitch Lusas Virginia Beach, VA (757)348-6737 (757)226-4240 - Work

Hello all, I'm curious as to how Spielberg's Dolly floor is built. I've heard it described as a dance-floor, but I was wondering if anyone had any details. And to be more specific, does anyone know who first came up with this concept? (I figure it was a Key Grip, and he should get some credit). Thanks. Mitch Lusas Virginia Beach, VA (757)348-6737 (757)226-4240 - Work P.S. For anyone who doesn't know what this dance floor is: Basically, Spielberg can change shots during a take. It's pretty foolish to lay down track with him, as he can see an opportunity and he wants to move on it immediately. I suppose a Dolly Grip or Key Grip came up with this idea to build a level, smooth floor for most dolly shots in Spielberg's films.

Great links for gear listed above. As for cheap lights, I second (or third) the halogen lights you can get from Wal-Mart, Target, Home Depot, etc. When I first started DPing two years ago these were my lights for operation. I took the grids off (as they will create unsightly shadows). Get the ones with the handle for you to hold onto (In a pinch you can hollywood it very easily). There are stands for these lights too, which are quite cheap, although I would recommend making your own. We ended grabbing a long piece of wood off the street, taking off the bottom stand, and screwing the board onto the light. This created a nice boom/overhead light. Basically, there is a lot you can do with these lights in a pinch; if you're looking for quick, dirty, and cheap, these are them. The greatest thing, is that you can buy spare bulbs almost anywhere, in a variety of wattage. Another plus, because they are cheap, we were very hard on the lights, as we knew we could easily replace them. I was using these lights for a gritty music video. The lighting fit pretty well. Control is definitely a problem, but if you get some black wrap, you can create workable barndoors that are somewhat effective. Also, there are chinaballs at Target and I believe Ikea. WARNING: They cannot handle constant heat from a photobulb (200w-higher). If you use them to test the lighting, turn them off, and turn them back on right before each take, they are fine. When doing this, tell your crew to keep their noses sensitive (this summer one of the crew thought he smelt something burning; the plastic on the cord was burning due to trapped heat; we had left the light on for quite a while). Another neat thing to get is a mirror as a bounce. It's very glaring, but with low light situations, you will find it useful. Blessings, and I wish you the best with your shoot. Mitch Lusas Virginia Beach, VA

That is one huge list. Thanks for taking the time to right down what you have in your Gaff kit. It's quite an extensive kit. There is only one thing I think you are missing: sunblock/sunscreen. Instead of saying an edison cube tab, I just say 3-fer. One thing I forgot to mention that I have found essential on a Gaff Belt: a gaffer's glass. Are there any other items that we are missing for a gaff/electric belt? Mitch Lusas Virginia Beach, VA

The day-for-night would not have the correct shadows with the campfire. I agree with Johann; definitely go for the 2k's as your moonlight. I would suggest pointing the lights almost straight up, into a bounce card which would throw the light down. As for the campfire, I neat trick is to wrap the logs in an organic fabric, and submerge them in oil. Throw them on the fire and you will get a 2-4 minute burn of intense light. You will probably need one of these specially dowsed logs for each shot. I'm not sure how far your actors will be from the fire, so you may want to test this out. See how close they can be, and see what your exposure is. Have fun with your shoot. Mitch Lusas Virgnia Beach, VA

Thanks Kris, I appreciate your input. Carrying black wrap on oneself would definitely be more convenient and speed things along. Sorry about the miscommunication, the 3-fer I'm referring to is an edison cube tap. Thanks again for your help. Mitch Lusas Virginia Beach, VA

Normally, I would say stay away from 1.3 if possible. Go up a stop and you should be fine. On a faster lense 2.8 to 5.6 would be a safe area. Shooting on a 50mm lense with 16 film is like shooting on a 75mm on 35. This is what I would normally use when doing headshots as it seems the most flattering. Mitch Lusas Virginia Beach, VA

As an electric or gaffer, what do you consider necessary on a shoot? So far I've only found the need for a light meter, volt meter, circuit tester, pliers, gaff tape, pegs, various edison adapters, and a 3-fer. Am I missing anything? Thanks for your help. Mitch Lusas Virginia Beach, VA

Second for the Sekonic 558c.

Yeah, I was looking at B&H, but at the same time I am tempted to go with a Refurbished unit (saving $200). I was thinking of adding a Mack 3-year extended warrenty to insure that all things that could go wrong will be taken care of. I'm in a dilemma trying to figure out if I should save some money with refurbished, or go for a brand new unit. I've heard about the relative delicacy of digital cameras. My current camera is an AE-1 Canon (late 70's early 80's). It's a tank, and somewhat easy to work on. So part of me is a little nervous about switching over. Thanks for your input.

If you know of a good place to buy, or anyone selling a Nikon d70 (preferrably without the lense) for a good price, please pass it along. I'm looking for a camera in good-to-great condition. Thanks so much for your help. Mitch Lusas Virginia Beach, VA

A difficulty arises with shooting day-for-night, while trying to have the background visible: street lights, house lights, and passing car-headlights would be visible. When shooting day-for-night, those lights will not be there. Otherwise, your day-for-night will look like pre-dawn and post-sunset, where lights have not yet been turned on. There is a solution, but you will need the background to be severely out-fo-focus. Use 4x4 floppy's, and duvetene, to create a 4(wide)x6(long) box around the window. Four feet away from the window put up a strand of white christmas lights (strategically take out bulbs to give the effect of spaced out lights). Have the lights that are on different levels (ie., high for street lights). Use gaff tape on the lights that are on to change the 'size' of the light. Make sure that these lights are out of focus. You can also put gel on the lights for differing color temps. Leave a space open on the top of this box. This will be where your 'moonlight' will be coming in from. Only put a UV filter on the camera. Another way to do this, is using the box concept, you can place a dark piece of cardboard as the wall furtherest from the window. On this, paint light blue on the top (the sky). Cut out the shapes of windows for houses, lights for streetlamps. Place gels over these cut out for the different color temps. You could also place pin-holes in the sky for the stars. However, you will need this to be out of focus. You will not be able to see the detail outside. It will only provide the lighting ambience you are looking for. Hope that helps. Mitch Lusas Virginia Beach, VA

The only problem you might encounter would be shooting that wide open on the lense. At 1.3, you might encounter barrel distortion. But if your readings were in that area, you should have something. Two questions arise. One noted by Michael: If you dimmed down, or used liquid dimmer, that would provide pleasing results (ala American Beauty). The second question is whether you allowed/wanted contrast between practicals. In American Beauty, for instance, darkness filled the gaps between 'practical' light sources. That sort of contrast adds a richness to the environment. Usually, I've found it safer to shoot with less light for night scenes. Especially, with 7218. The film responds well when rated at 400asa. All-in-all, don't fret now. Wait for the results, and definitely post. If nothing else, it's always interesting experimenting with 'practical' only lighting.

I neat little trick for the flicker is an HMI (with snoot) shooting through a big fan on low speed. You can either use this as direct for more realistic lighting, or bounce it, which would provide a more aesthetic lighting scheme. A neat experiment would be to place different colored gel between the fan blades to simulate color changes. Have fun. Mitch Lusas Virginia Beach, VA

Thanks so much for your input. We found a couple places that still offer 7279, however your input has confirmed our suspicion that 7218 is the best way to go. We will be having the film processed at Color Lab in Rockville, MD. David and Joseph, you advise against rating 7218 at 1000 ASA. Why is that? After looking at the specs, it seems that 7218 would be able to push beyond a full stop and still have some play room. However, I have had no experience pushing this stock, and I am curious as to its effects. Thanks again for your comments. Mitch Lusas Virginia Beach, VA

We're working on a 16mm film in which we will be pushing the footage one stop. We will be using Kodak 500t. The movie calls for high contrast, saturated colors, and a gritty feel. The main character is an artist in New York. Reds, greens, and golds will be represented in her apartment. Because of these goals we are leaning towards getting Kodak Vision 7279 500t. However, Kodak Vision2 7229 500t looks promising in its allowances for pushing. However, we are afraid that the muted colors and low contrast may play against our final image. What makes this worse is that we have only three weeks before shooting, and are running out of time for film tests. These is also Kodak Vision2 7218 500t. Anyway, any help with this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Mitch Lusas Virginia Beach, VA

I've got a question about the processing for the film "The Machinist". Does anyone know if they used Bleach Bypass or CCE processing in order to achieve those saturated colors and dark blacks? Any specs that you have concerning this film would be great. Thanks so much. Mitch Lusas Virginia Beach, VA

Just an updated question to see if anyone has any specs on the cinematography for this film. One of the things I am really curious about is their processing. Was it bleach bypass or CCE?

The oil soaked cotton rags will give you a greater intensity of light from your fire. They will burn quickly, so you will only have about 7-10 minutes from each wrapped log. If your looking for a sad feeling, and maybe something surreal, bounce an HMI, with 1 & 1/2 CTB and enough ND to dampen the light, off of the pool onto the action. This will give you some nice texture from the water while lighting the pool. Also, the smoke from the fire will give you a nice effect. To enhance this you can burn a sugar mixture in the fire. I apologize, I do not know exactly what this consists of, but I remember the ingredients consisted of sugar and the some type of powder from the drug store. You could also use tiki torches from walmart just off camera. Your XL2 should pick up the action. If the lens goes to a 2, you will be able to grab what you are looking for. Oh, and for the moonlight, soften the shadows from your moonlight. If possible, bounce the light off of a bounce card above your light source. This will simulate a higher, softer light source with shorter shadows (a la moonlight). Prepare and have fun.

Just a couple questions: 1. What are you shooting on? If film, what stock? If video, are you shooting HD, or DV? 2. What is happening in the scene? What is the feel you are looking for? 3. What are your resources? For the night scene, you may want a uni-directional moon light. If you are going for a wide shot, you will want to make sure the background is also lit from the same direction (can be less intense, and bluer), otherwise it will appear as though your 'moonlight' is just a streetlamp, or something encompassing a smaller distance. Remember that moonlight casts the same amount of light on great distances. As for some highlights, you can use a well-placed china ball and christmas lights. The bonfire will cast a soft flattering light. A great way to produce a more intense light level would be to throw a log (wrapped in cotton cloth), that has been soaking in oil, onto the fire before the take. If you do not use duralogs, you will be going through a lot of wood to keep your fire going. Hope that helps.

Check out www.drrawstock.com. They have good prices, and they have systems in place that check film to make sure that it holds up closely to the manufacturers standards. Another place you can look is www.filmemporium.com. However, I've heard of some people getting dirty film. I'm not sure how well they check their film before selling it.

Hey Chris, I have forgotten where I bought it, although it was online from LA. However, a friend is out looking for the same light meter and saw one on Ebay for $370 US (again not compliant with FCC pocketwizard standards). There are two reasons why I got this one instead of the US compliant light meter. First, the price was better. Second, I saw the pocketwizard feature as a gimic. However, I knew what I was shooting would not require such a feature. Hope that helps. Mitch Lusas Virginia Beach, VA P.S. As for the size, I no longer wear the accompanying 'purse' on my side. I just readjusted the strap and wear it around my neck. The LCD takes a little more of a beating, but it allows me to move quicker, and feel less bulky. If you care for your LCD, you can get plastic guards for it.

I've had the same lightmeter now for four months, and have not been disappointed with it. Not being compatible with the pocketwizard has not harmed anything I have done so far, although I have not been involved with any projects involving the need for wireless-synch-shooting. One of the main things you want to look at is what you are planning on using the lightmeter for. If you want to use the spot and incident meters for lighting scenes in film, you will be set with the Sekonic L-558. When it comes to cinematography, the pocketwizard is more of a gimic than a necessity. The only downside I've found so far is it's size. Back to the pocketwizard. The only time I can think that you would use such a feature would be in your still photography. If you plan on doing a lot of still shots involving freeze framing from multiple cameras (ie., dancers on a trampoline), then you may want to look into getting the pocketwizard. However, if I'm not mistaken, you can buy a pocketwizard unit by itself. If this is true, then I would advise: get the discounted light meter, and when you need wireless-synch-shooting capabilities, buy a separate pocketwizard controller. Hope this helps in your decision. Mitch Lusas Virginia Beach, VA

Hey for a safer alternative to a fog machine, check out "Diffusion in a Can" at http://store.yahoo.com/cinemasupplies/fogfluidspray.html Blessings