Aaron Medick

If you have a doorway, western dolly, or even a wheel chair you can do nicer hand held from them. No foot steps to hide. I've also had good results using a cine saddle under my elbow to stabilize the camera while I walked with it and on a dolly hand held. Also don't lock you knee joint when you step. Hope that helps, Aaron Medick, SOC

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewitem?itemId=140840071786&index=10&nav=SELLING&nid=02769740122 If the above doesn't work there is a link in the Stuff on EBay thread

Ends tomorrow

Time to do little Fall clean up to make room for new gear. This is all my stuff. There are other items beside the ones listed. Casio EXILIM ex-fh204wt_1235 LETUS HAWK DSLR viewfinder SUPER TAKUMAR 135mm SUPER TAKUMAR 105mm SUPER TAKUMAR 35mm ADAPTIMAX EF for SONY F3 DVD Case of cases AB charger

So the real answer is we don't do HH with Pan Gold. The cameras do get very heavy and an attentive AC, kind DP and Director is every operators best friends.

Use large soft sources and large black rags to place your reflections. A dido straight over top may look nice. Is the table top also Blue screen? As Mentioned Heiniken bottles are green. The card behing the bottle may be good or bad. Ask your self if you should see the background through the bottle if the answer is yes don't use a card. Didos cold be great as back lights as well.

I can't sight a specific use, but it was very commonly used in commercials and music videos in the 1990s. It is a hard and warm bounce source. These days Clay coat and Ultra bounce are more common. They don't change the color temp much and are very soft. I would use the checker for a flashy project with metalic make up and possibly for dark skin subjects. For a narrative scene(naturalistic) I would use the ultra bounce or clay coat. hope that helps.

Those are certainly the ascetic reasons but the technical reason is the physics of light. Light is ray "like" not a ray so a topper helps it be more ray like instead of bounces all over the place. With out a topper you are getting reflection off of the ceiling and the light from teh head is traveling in directions that are unascetically pleasing so cutter lets us control what we want to feature or hide.

Looks like the moving cyberlights, streak filter, and that particular shot looks like a MR16 strip off of a few mirrors or a very nicely arranged cyberlight reflection. or a straight mr-16 reflecting off the mirror in frame then pulsing it from 40% to 100%, but it look like is spinning to me more than pulsing.

Jonathan has the right idea, back light and top silk. If you have the budget for an 18k HMI/or 20K tungsten head for side Key light and an Arrimax 18K HMI for back light, you'd have a better chance then with reflectors. Also if you can rig 2 20x20 silk/ bleach muslin/etc to 2 condors you'll be able to easily diffuse the sun as it moves. One 20 by per condor, to be clear. Keep your ratios in color temp and exposer and it will all work out. I know that is easier said then done. Good Luck. This is clearly a fast, cheap, or good situation. You can have 2 of the three at the expense of the third. If there is no budget for the proper tools, you will have to shoot wide and medium shots mornings and evening, then go into close up coverage during the middle of the day. Aaron

I believe the accepted way to do this is to hide your adjustment(s) in a 3 frame dissolve in post. You set exposure for the day let the sun set. Adjust the exposure for night. Depending on location/subject you may need to do another adjustment to compensate exposure for dusk. Make sure you don't move the camera while adjusting exposure. Use a good tripod, head and few sand bags. Don?t set up on a moving object like a suspension bridge, tall building, etc. if you do you will have to run the footage thru a stabilization software in post. Good Luck, Aaron

I suggest a lighting exercise. Take any directional light, film light or flash light, in your hand or on a stand. move it around until you have no reflections. Of course, you will have to add other lights to light the scene, but the exercise should give you a good idea of light placements. The additional lights may need cutters. Your other option is to create a desired reflection. Good luck. Remember, there is no right answer. If you put 10 DPs in a room with the same lights you would get at least 10 different looks. PS - if you don?t have access to the closet find a gloss black substitute, a window at night, black file cabnet, etc.

I'd agree with David. I have found wider aspect ratios seem to save money in Art Direction. In 4x3 we still have to pan, dolly, etc, so we end up seeing more set since panning in 4x3 will cover the same field of view as a wider aspect ratio. I work from the point of view that the pace needs to be lit no matter the aspect ratio. I would say that you can some times move faster with a wide aspect ratio because you can let lights hit the floor that would be too bright or ugly knowing the light will be out of frame. Just my 2 cents. Aaron Medick

If it is your first meter, go for it. I've never used it. I did just read about it. It will do the basics one needs to measure light for proper exposer of motion picture film. In my experience most of us use the Spetra Digital IV A check it out http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller...;Q=&ci=4540

Nice work. IMHO, I think it is cut to fast. It is good to build a pacing in, but I find that producers and directors what to see a shot. I realize that it takes a while to build a reel, so if you don't have the material yet that is cool, but if you have a few really nice tracking shots, slow mo or something that last for more than 2 to 3 seconds I'd add that in. In the future I would fight to supervise the telecines and for better telecine machines. Some of you're images could look better this way you might want to consider do in an online color correct of you reel. Keep up the good work. you can see my old reels online at www.aaronmedick.com. if you are interested. I'll have new ones up early next year. Aaron

All that has been writen above is true. 99.9% of producers will pay for an AC to do a check out. If they do and the gear is bad, it's the AC ass. Unless the DP goes to bat for the AC saying it is a rental house?s problem because there is no way to test for the issue at hand. If the lab calls in problem, it is usually the DP that takes the guff because he/she is the head of the department and is still on for post. That said truth is that 99.9% of the time some one is fired from the camera department, usually an AC. It doesn't matter who is at fault, read or watch Coppola talk about firing people off sets just to deflect attention from himself.( I think is is Heart of darkness, anyone?) So a word to the wise, don't work above your knowledge level. It could cost you a days pay and years of other jobs that could have been are gone as well. All we have is our reputation.

The answer is we can't describe it briefly. I also suggest you test the diffusions. Buy a sheet of Hampshire, opal frost, 250, 216, full grid, and light grid. There are many others but these are a good start and the most common. You'll also need a 1K light with barn doors and scrims, a 35mm and/or digital camera, and a subject. Set up with the light, and camera subject as you choose. I would suggest putting the light 50 degrees off the camera, so you can see how the fall off changes with each diffusion. keep the stop the same by adding and subtracting scrims and distance of light to subject. Then take a still of the subject without diffusion on the light, then another with Hampshire and so on until you have a still of all, develop and compare. Of course you can do the test with a motion picture camera or video camera. If you us a particular camera for all your project then by all means us that camera. The cutting and diffusing of light is a practical exercise in physics. It wouldn't hurt to read up on the physics of light. This was my favorite class in college. You'll learn why the sky is blue, where rainbows come from and why and how diffusion works. If you have any more question fire away. Aaron

Thanks for the response. Yes, my crew has all shot in the desert before. I'll be doing some steadicam so the 4x4 is not going to work to cover the camera I'm thinking about either wrapping the camera in Canvas or white plastic to reflect the sun. In your opinion which is better? Also I'd like to set up 60 ft. of dolly track with a riding crane on it. Can this be done safely or should I simplify the shot for safety. I am hoping that plywood under the dolly track would sure up the ground. Thanks for the Storaro lead. I found it for $650, is that right? I also found the trilogy at the ASC store for $500. Is this the book you were recommending?

no body? Please forgive the miss spellings. I tried to go back and edit it but couldn't figure out how. Anyway, I've read the archive most of which I was knew already. My interest is in tricks like has anyone used/made a white cotton Barney for the camera to keep it cool? It is necessary? I was going to shoot with an 85b and polarizer. I want a warm image with a deep blue sky. Does any one have any recommendation other than this combo for this type of look? If I add an antique suede how much can I add before I kill the blue sky? I will shoot test in a few weeks, so I'm just getting my thought together on what to test. I believe that I'm shooting 5248. I love this stock. The 5201 was my first choice, but it is too expensive. Also if anyone has any recommendations about clothes for the desert or Hot humid cities with mosquitoes. Think of anything that you thought thank god I brought this or I wish I had brought that. Thanks in advance

I heading to the Sahara Desert in Sept. Shooting 35mm feature for 2 weeks and 4 weeks in a City. If any one has worked in similar conditions can you please let me know what you learned, what you brought with you. This can be anything from equipment to clothes, medicines, shoes. Any advise is greatly appreciated.

Great site. Thanks Tim.