Jim Menkol

Eileen and Guy - Thank you SO much for your quick and very informative replies. I've a lot to sift through, I'll post later what we end up doing. Thanks again, I really appreciate your help.

I just got off the phone with the guys at Kaye Lites, ends up it can't be done since my circuit doesn't have a neutral.

So my school needs to get a lunchbox to drop from the 50 amp circuits in the studio. The problem is that the circuits use an A-H Hart-Lock 600V 50A twist lock connection, which I cannot find anywhere for the life of me. I have found this lunchbox from Kaye Lites, but I can't tell if it has the right connection: http://kayelites.com/osc/product_info.php?cPath=36_219&products_id=1878&osCsid=8d8e243bda28786311950557df66b112 Here is a link to a picture of the female connection: http://www.maraindustrial.com/cart/connectors/a-h-hart-lock-600v-plug-50a-250vdc.html If anyone can enlighten this for me at all, it will be greatly appreciated. I've been searching for days with no luck. Thanks

For overall inspiration, check out Cinematographer's Style (http://www.cinematographerstyle.com/) I've watched it countless times and I still learn something new each time.

The camera comfort cushion is probably the best investment I ever made for operating. The SR2 isn't a heavy camera, and the shoulder pad makes it pretty comfortable to handle.

The doorway dolly is all we have at my school, so I'm pulling on it all the time. Generally there is enough room without the wings to fit the camera, seated operator, and standing AC to fit through the door. If both wings are on, then we're rolling in luxury!

Sorry, just found the thread on the plugin: http://www.cinematography.com/index.php?showtopic=49616

Agreed with John. Adding the strobes in post is probably your best bet. I've heard that The Foundry's Rolling Shutter works pretty well, anyone have any experience with this plugin?

I haven't tried it for myself yet, but from what the research I've done on this kind of shot is that it's done on a single steadicam with the actors holding perfectly still, with movements corrected in post. I think that at the end of the shot you're talking about, as the camera passes over the comedian's hand you can see it move a little bit. In the short film Carousel (that may or may not be the correct spelling), they had actors suspended by wires to help them hold their positions. Elements such as spilling drinks are added in post.

Recently I used a 12x12 with the shower curtain--it took two people to handle the frame on four combo stands; all the gear cost $160 to rent. We were able to cover a good amount of ground with it, but some correction in post to correct the background, which we were planning on from the start. IMHO shower curtains give some of the best soft light, especially from a large frame.

Basically you have two ways if you don't have an entirely green room. Rotate the talent, which gives you some lighting problems (as has been stated), or rotoscope (which can be a pain). IMHO roto will be your best bet, if you think you have the time in post (it doesn't take that long, but I don't know if you're really pressed). Shoot the talent in the bedroom with the circle dolly and roto from there. Or shoot in the studio with the green screen so you only have to roto half the shot, but even that will give you some lighting issues to be had with any chromakeying.

Agreed with what has been said above--the T2i just isn't as user friendly and feels cheaper. Also, they claim to have the same sensors, but I've seen a shift in skin tones towards magenta on the T2i.

As Scott said, priority is getting the light right. Know what your background image will be before you go into photography--without the right lighting your key will look like crap. As far as the minus green goes, avoid it at all costs since it will give you another problem to work with in post; adding a backlight to separate the subject from the background may not fit in with the scene. Instead, place your subject as far away from the screen as possible--not only does this reduce the possibility of spill on the subject, but it blurs the screen and allows for a more even key. You can also make a number of adjustments to your mask after primary keying, such as choke, shrink, pre blur, white/black max/min, etc... They're not a perfect solution to a bad key, but they help. What are you using to key?

Exactly. No fancy equipment nor expensive software. It can all be done on the 7D and FCP. Pay attention to how it's cut together. When you go to shoot yours, have everything planned out so you know exactly what shots you want still and which ones you want moving.

any ND?

I don't think you need any specific crane. Put the jib on a dolly in a white room and call it good.

Thanks for the tip! I was shooting in a ridiculous blizzard a couple months ago and could not keep the tracks clear--I had 4 P.A.s going down the track in front of the dolly, but, alas, it was not quite enough.

I generally a 250 or 500 in any paper China, even if it's 36".

The compact grip kits at my university include 3 emtpy sandbags, 3 stingers, surge protector, cube tap, ground lift, 20' sections of rope, 3 space clamps, 2 Mafer clamps with baby pins, two scissor clamps, numerous C-47s, large and small grip clips, french flags, and one set of apple boxes. Everything but the apples fit into a Pelican 1650 or 1700 case (I can't remember which) with a good amount of room to spare.