Don Davis

Hi gang, I need some basic distro information for a shoot next week. The shoot is on a sound stage that is wired for studio power needs (we're shooting against a greenscreen). I know that I need to run cam-lock out of the house power to a distro box, but I'm unclear about some of the protocol. Which end of the cam-lock gets attached first: the power end, or the distro box? What order are the cables attatched in: ground (green), then neutral (white), then what? Anything I should know about running cable in a studio setting? It's not a complicated shoot lighting-wise, but I just want to make sure I don't look like a complete idiot out there. I'd be grateful for any advice from you veterans... Best, Don Davis Novice DP Los Angeles, CA

Hey gang, I've seen lots of folks use polarizer filters when shooting handheld in outdoor situations. It seems that since the angle of the filter with respect to the light source is constantly changing (due to not being locked down), the effect of the filter would be intermittant. In theory this could manifest in reflections "phasing" in and out of the frame. Is this effect noticeable? What's the accepted practice regarding polarizers and handheld shooting? Don Davis Novice DP Los Angeles, CA

Hi gang, I recently shot a short where the editor happened to be on set. We had a brief discussion about coverage prior to shooting, and he insisted that all close-ups on talent be at least 30 degrees different in angle than the wide/medium shot. Only this, he claimed, would allow him to cut directly from a medium shot to the close-up. This was a single camera shoot, with multiple takes at different focal lengths to achieve a wide, medium, and CU of the talent. I've been on several 2-camera shoots where the DP would run both cameras simultaneously on one actor to capture a medium and CU in one take. In these circumstances he would place the lenses as close as possible to one another to insure it appeared to be from the same angle. My question is as follows: do you need to change camera position when punching in to a CU to ensure cutting options? Don Davis Novice DP Los Angeles, CA

I've worked with a number of gaffers who had very convenient leather holsters on their belts that appeared to be made for spot meters, and perhaps Minolta's F in particular. It was more compact than the standard pouches that come with lots of the meters these days. Looked almost like a gun holster. Anyone know where I can find one of these? Don Davis Novice DP Los Angeles, CA

Hey gang, I've been on a couple shoots where the DP, shooting inside a room, needed to bring light in through the window. Instead of just setting up a light outside and firing it in, he set up a mirror board and fired the light into that first. There was plenty of room to walk a lamp back away from the window, so it wasn't a space consideration. Any ideas on why this method was used? Don Davis AC/aspiring DP

What does the "C" stand for in "C-mount"? Don Davis Novice DP Los Angeles

The production company offered a substantial reward for the return of the film but never saw it again. The cabbie probably just threw the stuff in a dumpster. Or opened the cans. Insurance paid to reshoot the day, but I'm sure there was still a significant loss.

A friend of mine worked on a film in NYC where they had a million dollar day. At the end of the day the loader gave the exposed film to production, and production gave it to a PA to take to the lab. The PA ended up leaving all the film in the cab when he got to the lab. The cab took off, and all he could remember was that it was yellow. Imaging having to call your boss and tell him what happened!

Hey gang, Quick question on using house power on location. Most residential locations have 15 and 20 amp fuses. If I need more amps out of a circuit, can I simply replace a 20 amp house fuse with a 30 amp fuse? Say I need to run a 2K and a 1K off of one cicuit. Surely it's not that simple... Don Davis Novice DP Los Angeles

If the film was coming loose from the collapsable core on the feed side, the film would bunch up in the feed side until no more film could fit inside. The claw would continue to pull down the frames, but with the film frozen, you might get some torn perfs. It usually takes a little while in this situation for the feed side to fill up. And ultimately it does make a lot of noise. If this is indeed happening on multimple magazines, it sounds to me like either the loader forgot to clamp shut that collapsable core, or the clamp came loose, something that is more likely to happen during high fps shooting. So much of the SR cameras are in the mags, that if there's a problem in mulyiple mags, I'm inclined to look at human error. Hope this helps. Don Davis 2nd AC/novice DP Los Angeles, CA

Do a flat disc and a dome give the same reading when pointed at a key light providing no other light is falling on the dome? Don Davis Student DP Los Angeles, CA

Hello all, My apologies if this question has come up before--I couldn't find it in the archives. I'm curious about whether lighting ratios refer to f-stop measurements or magnitudes of light intensity. In other words, is a scene with a 5.6 key and a 2.8 fill a 2:1 ratio (two stops difference) or a 4:1 ratio (four times as much light)? Also, I've heard the ratio explained both as the relationship between key and fill, as well as between "key plus fill" and "fill". Which is it? Many thanks for humoring a beginner! Don Davis Student DP Los Angeles