Evan Luzi

Hey guys, I try not to solicit myself too hard on these forums cause I'm relatively new to posting, but I worked pretty hard creating this infographic about IMAX for my blog and I wanted to share it with like-minded individuals who might appreciate it more than the average person. The graphic can be found here: http://www.theblackandblue.com/IMAX/ What I was really astounded to find out was how small of a footprint IMAX really has compared to regular screens and how few of films are shot in the format per year. I also had no idea it was struggling financially so badly a few years ago until I started researching for this. The other thing the surprised me was the sheer scale of the cameras. I was aware that the cameras were bulky but in reading up on it, I really got a sense of how troublesome they could turn out to be for production. Does anyone have any good stories about IMAX shoots? What you liked? What was hard? Thanks and best regards, Evan

Hi Ben - I realize this is a bit late of a reply but I figure the information could be useful nonetheless. I point you towards a similar thread about essential tools for a toolkit here: http://www.cinematography.com/index.php?showtopic=48720 I will re-post what I wrote in that thread now: It's hard to describe what would be in the "perfect" kit because each AC uses slightly different tools or does things in their own way. A good place to start for a list of items would be in David Elkins' "The Camera Assistant's Manual." In one of the appendices of the book he has a list of tools that you can pick and choose from what you will absolutely need. You could also go to Filmtools and browse around their Camera section and try to remember some of the tools the 1st and DP had that you had used. If you don't want to be carrying around everything in a pouch, you can always buy a smaller/cheaper toolbag at a Home Depot or Lowe's until your tools outgrow it and you can afford a more sturdy production bag. With that said, here are some items that I use on EVERY job: Allen Keys, Screwdrivers, Tape (cloth and paper), Space Blanket (to protect the camera during lunch and breaks), Camera wedges, flashlight, Dust Off Plus, Kimwipes, Pancro, Sharpies, Staedler Marking Pens, Dry Erase Markers, Fatmax tape measure (if you expect to first), Soft tape (again if you plan on 1st AC-ing) and much more. There are a bunch of other small things I have in my kit that I can't think of right now. My initial investment of my kit was somewhere between $300 and $500. As Rob said, a good toolkit is essential and likely will be personalized to suit your working conditions.

Hi Rob, I think Markus covered all of the stuff you asked in great detail and he gave some great advice. I am going to shamelessly plug my own blog post I wrote about this very topic because it's relevant and I'm too lazy to type it all out again here. It's the 10 things I think every AC should know about the RED camera. (see here: http://www.theblackandblue.com/2010/10/28/10-things-every-camera-assistant-should-know-about-the-red-camera/) It's much more general than what Markus responded, but I think you may find one or two pieces of info in it to be useful for you. The important thing with RED is to not let the process change because it's digital. That means don't let production steal rehearsals or marks away from you as a camera assistant. Make sure you have a good workflow worked out with your 2nd AC and DIT, even if the DIT is just sitting at a computer, it's important for you guys to work something out where the other knows which cards are and aren't downloaded and safe to format at any one time. Lastly, download the RED manual online and read through the menu maps it provides. Print those out and bring them to set. That will allow you to find an option in the menu quickly if you don't know where it's at. Good luck! Evan

Hi all, What are some great cinematography websites, blogs and forums you all frequent (besides this one of course)? Mostly looking for sites that are production and cinematography specific. Thanks in advance, Evan

Hi James, It's hard to describe what would be in the "perfect" kit because each AC uses slightly different tools or does things in their own way. A good place to start for a list of items would be in David Elkins' "The Camera Assistant's Manual." In one of the appendices of the book he has a list of tools that you can pick and choose from what you will absolutely need. You could also go to Filmtools and browse around their Camera section and try to remember some of the tools the 1st and DP had that you had used. If you don't want to be carrying around everything in a pouch, you can always buy a smaller/cheaper toolbag at a Home Depot or Lowe's until your tools outgrow it and you can afford a more sturdy production bag. With that said, here are some items that I use on EVERY job: Allen Keys, Screwdrivers, Tape (cloth and paper), Space Blanket (to protect the camera during lunch and breaks), Camera wedges, flashlight, Dust Off Plus, Kimwipes, Pancro, Sharpies, Staedler Marking Pens, Dry Erase Markers, Fatmax tape measure (if you expect to first), Soft tape (again if you plan on 1st AC-ing) and much more. There are a bunch of other small things I have in my kit that I can't think of right now. My initial investment of my kit was somewhere between $300 and $500. As Rob said, a good toolkit is essential and likely will be personalized to suit your working conditions.

Adrian and Michael covered this pretty well but I just wanted to add my two cents as well as a few things... 1.) As you pointed out, there is much more to 2nd AC than just slating. Don't be too overly concerned with where the slate rests between setups, although it is important that it is kept safe and you are aware of where it is. A frontbox is ideal or some kind of ditty bag that you are carrying around essential tools in. Let the slate live in there until after rehearsals when you will need it. Another good place to keep the slate is near the lenses since you will often be staging those as close to the camera as the space you're shooting in will allow. Camera reports are easily kept in a pocket or pouch or you can make a "slateboard" to attach to the back of a slate using velcro. (see here: http://www.theblackandblue.com/2010/03/31/tookit-diy-how-to-build-a-tag-board-for-a-slate-clapperboard/) 2.) Camera shouldn't really be speeding without the first AD calling for it. This may be a habit somebody carried over from shooting digital. When shooting sync sound into the camera often you would call the slate after camera is rolling to capture the sound. On double system sound, however, it should be called before camera speeds. Rolling sound is cheaper than rolling camera. *Mark* and clear frame is all that should be on the film roll. 3.) On any shoot (non-union or union, monitor or no monitor) the DP, director or a camera operator will look through the eyepiece, set the frame and follow action if necessary. The 1st AC always will pull focus unless he/she is absent for some reason in which case the 2nd AC will be asked to step-up and fill in. 4.) It's not usually necessary for an AC to carry a meter. As Adrian said, it's more necessary for a gaffer. On some shoots I have been asked to get meter readings for the DP, but often they will set their own meter and hand it to me. You may bring one to set, but it would likely be for purely backup/safety reasons. 5.) Definitely purchase more paper tape in various colors. A thread from this forum is particularly useful on that (http://www.cinematography.com/index.php?showtopic=48160) Always have sharpies on you to mark anything and everything, including to lay claim to bottles of water. Purchase a variety of generic tools and allen/hex keys to fix/troubleshoot camera equipment. Gloves aren't really necessary except if someone needs some in a pinch or you are wearing multiple hats. A leveler is sometimes useful, but get an App for one on your phone if possible. One less thing to carry. Michael nailed some other details about the air and writing permanent stuff on the slate (on 1" white tape in sharpie, or printed from a p-touch label maker) As for film jobs, there are a variety of online resources. Mandy, Production Notices, and Craigslist are a few. However, most of your jobs will come from contacts and other AC's on shoots. As Adrian said, when you screw up, own up to it and you'll be fine. Don't be afraid to ask questions if you don't know how to do something, but ALWAYS remember the answer so you don't have to ask again. Definitely pick up The Camera Assistant's Manual by David Elkins or The Camera Assistant by Douglas Hart. Hart's book is a bit more introductory but both are important reads for any AC. A good place to buy more tape is someplace simple like FilmTools but also the Expendables Recycler has treated me well before. They don't have a price list online but you can email them and they will send back an invoice. Remember to keep a good attitude, bust your ass, and never complain and you'll do great. Good luck!

Paper tape is definitely what you would want to mark actors. Whether you use 1" or 1/2" is a matter of preference determined by the AC's. Cloth tape can be used but I find it's harder to tear on-the-go and it can leave residue on certain types of surfaces. Paper tape, overall, is also more lightweight and easier to carry around on a strap or leash. Like others mentioned above, having enough colors to cover the amount of actors in the scene is ideal, but if need be you can lay down the same color and draw stripes on it with a sharpie if there are more characters than colors. Whatever colors you use, however, make sure they stay consistent to the actor/character throughout the whole shoot. Tabbing marks is also encouraged for the reasons mentioned by Gerard. There is a way to rip the tape off the roll while tabbing it at the same time. It's hard to explain online but there are AC's who probably know and can teach you how to. I have not heard of the type of outdoor marks Ben brought up (the rubber ones) but I think it's a great idea! Another cheap outdoor/all-weather mark I picked up from another AC is to use T-Frames from any Home Depot or Lowe's and add camera tape to them. See here: http://www.theblackandblue.com/2010/04/19/toolkit-diy-cheap-outdoor-ground-actor-and-focus-marks/ (**Full disclosure: this is a link to my own blog, but I couldn't find any pictures of what I was talking about on the Home Depot website... sorry to whore myself out**)

Hey Mihai, I just got off a shoot recently in which I used O'Connor's FF. Like you speculate, it is very solid and well built. I was very much a fan of it. It was easily customizable and like said above it is designed for the lowest clearance possible for bigger lenses. You can swing the gear under the lens, or on it's side and have the gear on either side of the lens since the FF wheel simply detaches and reattaches to the other side. The 15mm and 19mm option is also nice though on the 19mm rods it doesn't slide as smooth since it's clearance is JUST enough to fit. I will say that it was great in how tight you could get the gears to lock and that allowed for very little play on the wheel. If you get a chance to check it out, I would and see if you like it better than Arri's options.

I agree that alot of the iPhone DOF calculators are a bit iffy on their accuracy. It's usually best to use them as an estimation and to pull whenever possible. Even though the DOF may be large enough to be acceptable focus, it's usually best to keep it on point. Focus tends to soften towards the edge of the DOF and your subject could float towards that. Also, if you aren't pulling alongside and something unexpected happens you'll be unprepared to compensate.