Henry Busby

Yes, the house lights are definitely an option. Is finding way to rig the house light to light about half the court a realistic possibility or is that a non-starter? We do have a few slow-motion shots. However, they're all CU's and MCU's, so we'll have more control over those. I'm not sure whether we'll be shooting day or night. The scene takes place at night. So if the gym is available day and night, then blacking out the windows is our best bet. They're not that big, but it should give use some more control right? The bleachers are lit by overhead flourescents that I'm pretty sure are on a separate switch. Maybe killing those bleacher lights could give us that spot-light effect on the court. I got a chance to visit the location again today. There was a baseball team in there so I was only able to snap a few photos (didn't want to interupt them). Take a look and tell what you think... location scouting Thanks again for all of the advice. -Henry

Hi everybody, I'm a fairly new poster but a long time lurker around these forums. I'm directing an upcoming short as part of my undergraduate studies. The film takes place entirely on an indoor basketball court at night time. The DP and I have been working on the visual style, and we're both on the same page about the look we're going for. The challenge is in it. For our wideshots, we like fall-off in Our school has very limited lighting equipment. Tweenies are the largest units we have, and even then we have a very limited number of them. So obviously, we're going to need to rent some lights. Does anyone have any suggestions for the simplest and most cost effective way of lighting a basketball gym to get a similar "late night"/ half-dimmed look? My DP and I would really appreciate all of your help. Thanks, -Henry My DP reel

It's hard to tell off of a monitor, but so far it looks like you nailed the look and the camera move. There's a little bit of inconsistency in the dolly move, but I think it should look fine when conformed to 24fps (I'm assuming). Great job on the production design. -Henry

Very nice. I don't have any experience with film, but for me, your 16mm reel felt less consistent. It's hard to judge things on a reel, but the black and white stuff stood out to me as your strongest. I thought these shots had a nice sense of atmosphere and movement, but I also thought they could've used some more contrast (like I said though, it's hard to judge things on a reel - that may not have been what the director wanted). I also thought the section near the end with the red volvo was interesting. You nailed the dingy grindhouse vibe across the board with your lighting and shot selection. However, some of your shots did not feel very motivated or reflect your talent (which you clearly have). Shots like the man on the beach or the dog in the snow felt like filler no do they really feel connected to any of the projects/segments. Some of the shots (the first few color shots and the one at :37 sec really had that student film vibe that I'd think you want to avoid on a reel. The lighting felt too obvious; like I felt as if I could draw the lighting plans for them just from seeing the shots. With that being said though, nice job! I thought your 7D sample was great. I've used the 7D quite a bit so I feel more comfortable commenting on it. I got a much better feel for your storytelling abilities. Your wideshots were great, particularly the hallway and the church. The shot of the family sitting together in the church pugh was very well composed (as were most of the shots throughout). One minor critique though - the skin tones, especially on the young boy. Is this from the color grade or make-up? I can't really put my finger on it, but they just felt a little strange. Anyways, that's just my opinion from one student to another. I'd really appreciate if you took a look at my reel a few posts below yours and left me some feedback. -Henry

Hi guys, I've enjoyed lurking around these and the Roger Deakins forums for a while time now, but I finally joined a few days ago. I'm a 20 year old cinematographer and student at the University of Alabama trying to learn as much as possible. I'm still learning my way around Compressor, and I feel like some of the colors came out a little more flat. I'd love to hear your honest thoughts about my new reel. Your opinions would mean a lot to me. Henry Busby - Demo Reel Thanks, -Henry