Alan Rencher

Rokinons are great for what they are. I would recommend them to anyone who is looking for glass in that budget range. Matthew Duclos has some comparisons of the Rokinon primes vs the Zeiss ZF Primes on his blog (http://matthewduclos.wordpress.com/). I've used Rokinon lenses in the past, and I prefer them over L glass.

Sandblast them, and paint them (a paint sprayer is best). I believe Mole sells the famous Mole Maroon paint for this purpose.

Here is a short film that I shot last year. It plays like a teaser trailer, and I hope to expand it in the future. Shot on Epic with Zeiss CP.2's

Thanks, Tim! I don't even know why anyone was responding to those comments made by that account. Obvious troll. I actually have never shot on film. I waited and finally went back to school in 2008, and it was basically just a trade school. We had video cameras, that's it. By the time I started working professionally, the Red One was already taking hold, and the 5D was replacing DOF adapters. I do look forward to finally shooting on film. In highschool, I used to shoot 35mm stills and develop them in our dark room. I really loved that process as much, if not more than creating sculptures, screen printing, etc. I do plan on shooting some of my projects on film in the near future. I will make it happen, and I will enjoy the process as I used to enjoy the process of film photography. And as far as shooting projects that have little artistic value, and provide a pay-check: I do that, too. It beats a 9-5 job, and who says that you don't get anything out of the experience? I challange myself on every project, and I walk away learning new things all the time. If I make enough money, I can use that to fund my own art projects. It's a great life.

I hate these conversations. This kind of argument with any other artist wouldn't hold up as well. Would you tell an illustrator that Illustrating digitally is what he or she should be doing. "Hey buy a mac, and make your art digitally. Those paints and paint brushes are expensive, and then you have scanning fees." Isn't that a moot point? If an illustrator has chosen paint, watercolors, colored pencil, charcoal, or whatever inspires that artwork, who are you to question that?

What do you think about Ultra Bounce?

Why don't you try to use the Zeiss CZ.2 zooms?

http://matthewduclos.wordpress.com/2011/09/14/35mm-f1-4-showdown/

Aluras are incredibly sharp for zooms, and they're very light weight. A buddy of mine shoots key and Peele, and he owns a set of Aluras that he uses on the show.

Seeing as this is a cinematography forum, I would assume you are looking to learn more about the photography side of movies. The best thing you can do to start is learn how to take a great photo. Take a photography course (preferably one that still teaches film as they can give you better discipline). Go to art galleries. Learn everything you can about composition in any visual art form.

It depends on your needs vs. your budget. If you are taking small videography jobs here and there in your spare time to get your foot in the door, or if you are shooting a feature basically by yourself, maybe a DIY rig is the smart choice. Conversely, If you've just been hired to shoot a $3,000,000 feature, maybe you should get something more reliable. You should get the best that your budget allows for; That's my opinion.

Except that you can't dim CFL's.

Maybe this is what you are looking for: http://spyder.datacolor.com/portfolio-view/spyder-gallery/

The Alexa is a much more pleasing camera to deal with from a camera dept. standpoint. There are less technical issues, it's more ergonomic, It has its own power distro built-in, and the menus are easy to navigate, and you won't screw up your setting every time you reach to swivel your monitor. When it comes to workflow, you have to be more specific. Are you shooting ProRes, or Arriraw?

I don't think Instagram affected any photographers.

I've been experiencing some problems lately with IR pollution, and also unwanted color shifts with IR filters (Tiffen filters are the worst). I've been doing some reading, and I've been trying to figure out some good filtration solutions in different environments. In my reading, I came across IR Cut-Off filters, specifically the Schneider Tru-Cut. It claims to cut out wavelengths on both ends of the spectrum without color shifts. Has anyone used these filters? What are your experiences with combating IR pollution on Alexa's and RED's?

I've been wanting to get one of these for a while. I like how you can use them in any orientation, and it doesn't cool down and loose pressure after a few seconds. It's also better for the enviroment.

DaVinci Resolve (or DaVinci Light) or Adobe Media Encoder