Jad Beyrouthy

Hey guys, We've established a new production house in Lebanon, Middle East. We provide all kinds of audio-visual media services from Pre production to post. Check our website and let us know what you think: www.pandorafilms.tv

Hey John, Thank you for the deatails, really helpful. I will research all the info. Thank you again, JB

I want to test a couple of 3D shots soon (as a DOP) with apost production house that is planning to establish its 3D workflow. I researched a lot about 3D cinematography but i was wondering about focus pulling with two cameras. Is there anything i have to know about focus pulling two cameras (arri alexa) in a 3D rig (beam splitter) Any special features? tips? tricks? I still didn't see the rig and never used one so i need some help from u guys. Thank you, JB

Thank you for the feedback :) Will do that of course. I tried a very dynamic music this time because on my last showreel i got reviews that the music was boring. I guess my weak point is the choice of cinematic music. (I let the sound design department take over) Thanks again, I appreciate it.

Hello, I am a young cinematographer (22 years old) seeking feedback from experienced eyes in the field. This reel is a collection of my work mainly in Beirut, Lebanon. Shot using primarily digital cameras (they closed down the laboratories in lebanon). Cameras include RED One / RED One MX / ARRI Alexa / Sony F3 / DSLRs (5D MK2 and 7D). I did the grading for all the shots on DaVinci Resolve. Any comment or critic is highly appreciated. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V22LLvYgsu8 Thank you, Jad Beyrouthy | Cinematographer Pandora Films jad@pandorafilms.tv 00961 3 083975

I think many of you heard about the new Canon C300 HD camera with it's new 3.7K sensor delivering a 1080p output and can be equipped with a PL mount http://www.canon.com/news/2011/nov04e03.html I've seen the short movie shot by Vincent Laforet titled 'Mobius" http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/2011/11/03/mobius-and-the-c300-c300pl/ and the image quality and grain definition look very pleasing. Did anyone shoot real tests to identify the camera's latitude and EI among other specs? (Densitometry, Grain definition, Color rendition...)

This is my latest showreel, Any comment is highly appreciated. Thank you, JB

Any light source coming in the form of a beam or a certain shape (due to gobo or flags or just the path it is taking to reach the destination) and is slightly over the exposure of the scene (preferably) and not in the same axis that the camera (preferably side lit or from above or front of the cam) will give you light rays if there is particles in the air (dust or smoke or haze) that will be exposed. Jad Beyrouthy

try lustre from autodesk it is a bit more advanced than color you might need some training or you can find online tutorials (basic) on autodesk's website. you will certainly nees powerfull graphic cards. If you want to keep things simple try color finesse as a plugin in after effects or as a standalone software this will ease your workflow if you are editing in premiere pro. If you're switching to mac, color is user friendly and syncs beautifully with final cut pro and you can also try davinci resolve which i also more advanced than color. anyways make sure you get a good graphic card an check its compatibility with the softwares you are going to use. Good luck

And one more question: is there anything I should know beforehand when using a light meter? There are some things I want completely dark... and I was just wanting to know if there's anything extra to say about f-stops and what not. Read more: http://www.cinematography.com/index.php?app=forums&module=post&section=post&do=reply_post&f=4&t=52475#ixzz1RmzgCw9A Having completely dark spots (crushed blacks) depends on the medium you're shooting on. Know what are the limits of your camera (sensor/film) and place your shadows on the limit. If the sensor can handle 4 stops of underexposure then this is where you should put your shadows. PS: if you are using a small digital camera (D-SLR) or HDV... i would strongly recommend that you lift your scene and never put your shadows on the limit you can crush them back in color correction in post. These cameras represent low lights badly, a lot of digital grain will pop out. Again the most important thing; research your camera / medium and know its capabilities. Good luck, Jad Beyrouthy | Cinematographer Beirut, Lebanon

Things you have to keep in mind are: You're gona have a very shallow depth of field, your light sources are weak in intensity resulting in a wide open aperture. The slow mo shots are going to be hard to accomplish due to the lack of lighting, you should try to put the lights as close as possible to your subjects to gain intensity or go up with you ASA or gain. The rig you are thinking about is pretty cool but if you want to push the style a little bit more, try renting or making your own light dimmer (mixer) and play with your lights if it suits the mood of the song. The dimmer should cost nothing, you need about a 2K 5 channels mixer. Good luck and let us know what happens. Regards, Jad Beyrouthy, Cinematographer, Beirut, Lebanon

Try to light your subject dependently as much as possible. If your key light on your subject is mainly daylight, try to light your chroma with Tungsten fixtures, it will help the compositor a lot when in post. (if green or blue bulbs are not available of course) The most important is to keep your subject away from the screen as much as possible to avoid the spill and try to have a two stops difference between the subject and the chroma screen (preferably two stops over depending on the exposure on your subject and your camera's latitude) Good luck, Jad Beyrouthy Cinematographer Beirut, Lebanon

Hi, I'm having a small problem with the 5D MK II, when shooting video or even pictures. There is an annoying texture resembling to a grid of about 5 pixels every square that is showing in raw pictures and even in video mode (25p). Although i tried decreasing the sharpness in the picture profile of the camera and used the faithful mode (sharpness 0). Anyone had this problem before? or noticed this annoying texture? Please it is kind of an emergency, I have shoots coming up with this camera (mostly photography) and the canon maintenance people in my region are giving me no solution. Thank you, Regards, Jad Beyrouthy, Cinematographer

I don't think anyone can compare between 35mm and DSLRs even not between a 16mm cam differences are huge in terms of dynamic range (for changing light during the time lapse) and color rendition even texture. One of the most amazing time lapses I've seen are on Baraka shot on 65mm film with motion control if im not mistaken. even for portability, you can always shoot it on 16mm film and still get colors, texture and dynamic range of 35mm. Even more the motion on film especially in time lapses are much smoother than DSLRs. DSLRs became famous for their portability but will hardly replace film in any case. Jad Beyrouthy | Cinematographer Beirut, Lebanon jadbeyrouthy@cyberia.net.lb

Try to use a small practical 50W or 25W light bulb (normal tungsten lamps used at home) a bit far from your subject, i wont give you enough light to expose his face but it can give a small eye light. Sounds simple but i think it can work, didn't try it myself for this application but you can also put a diffuser gel on it or even use those opaque white bulbs often used for decoration and use an eye dropper to put water into the actor's eye's to increase the reflectance in the eyes. It costs nothing to test it so let me know. Good luck. Jad Beyrouthy | Cinematographer Beirut, Lebanon jadbeyrouthy@cyberia.net.lb

i faced this situation a couple of weeks ago:handheld cam in chase scene with blown up sky, the best and easiest way was a pola filter, but in some shots you should consider a grad and even lifting the exposure in your character's faces by maybe bouncing light in some areas out of frame on polys or butterfly frames with textiles of your choice, you can even use big sources HMI lights depending on the budget. I think the best way would be a smart combination of all the above. the cheapest and easiest would be a polarizer and it can get you enough data to manipulate in post but be aware that while moving, the degrees in which the light falls on the cam might change and you might go back to blown out sky in some edges of the frame.

thanks for the reply but can anyone give me specific brands or tools to be used? Coz i'm in lebanon and it is sometimes hard to find special equipment (like the gyroscope)

Hey guys, i have an upcoming shoot from a helicopter overlooking Beirut, Lebanon. The helicopter that's gona be used is an old military helicopter (puma i think) anyway, i have some fears concerning the vibrations that are gonna be transmitted to the cam. How can i stabilize the camera (probably RED one or 5D MKII) so i can get smooth shots without having some terrible shakiness in the cam? Can it be gripped at a vertical angle of 90 degree? (shoot straight down from the heli) Thanks Jad Beyrouthy Cinematographer | Beirut, Lebanon

Hi, I am searching for a good book about special effects cinematography, Visual effects shots, from basic chroma screens to the most complex challenges on set and in post. Any recommendations?

Needed Bolex 16mm with its accessories. Additional lenses is a plus. Thank you

Hi, I'm in pre-production for a short movie and i was discussing with the director the overall look of the final output. The director wanted the texture and feel of film but we have to shoot on RED one because of budget reasons (they rented it for free and got a solid workflow in post) and have a lot of tricky shots that have to be shot multiple times so they cannot afford 16mm. Other than using old Lenses (probably Cooke) and softening filters, we were thinking about printing the final edit on film and then scanning back to digital 2K (the output should be digital for production reasons also). We thought that we might win a certain film texture by printing then scanning back to 2K. Can this be done? Does anyone have other ideas to help? What kind of positive should we print on? Thank you. JB Cinematographer

Im shooting a scene where my lights are going to be a zippo lighter(held by the character, some candles in the background and a lantern on the side. The scene will be lifted by a bounced small sourced HMI from the window. I will be shooting on 16mm 500T Vision 3 stock. Any Does n Don'ts? It's my first time lighting for 16mm under these lighting conditions. Thank you, Regards,

If water on the glass does not pose ant problem, then try running down two drops of water before shooting, on the path you want the wine to take and then drop the wine. Not sure if it works but its an easy fast solution if it does. Good luck