Rick Cook

Just stopping in to say a majority of HMI bulbs come in closer to 6000k in my experience. Recently used a Joker 1600, Arri D12 Fresnel and a Arri 1.2k Par and all were slightly different. All had new bulbs. If I remember correctly I had to add 1/8 - Green to the 1.2k Par and looking back should have added a 1/8th CTO to the Joker to make them closer. I used a color meter on set, which I rarely use so luckily I tossed it in the bag!

Hey Philipp, I recently purchased a Komodo. So far it's been great. The form factor was the biggest seller to me. The image has been really impressive and if you are used to dealing with R3D's and IPP2 it will be great. In my opinion the weakest part of this camera is the single SDI Port. I haven't personally had issues but some folks had their output go down. There is little you can do besides sending it back to red. This is an issue when folks use cheaper sdi cables and the pins are not properly sized or the locking is not tight. It seams the 12G port on the camera is very sensitive. If you use the recommended 12G cables it will not be an issue. Another issue is the wait time to receive one. I know you'll likely rent but since its 40 days maybe you planned to purchase? They are back ordered for about 5 months.

It's all a matter of taste and what fits your needs. Both are pretty good options for the price. Just remember you will also need to find third party products for powering these cameras. The noise pattern on the 4k is horrible. Under certain conditions it has a terrible fixed pattern, and the footage is pretty much unusable. Haven't seen that issue using the 2k Cinema Camera.

Ah damn, I will just miss this. I'll be out there in two weeks.

Definitely attempt putting new Cells in it. I had one die, and was able to have it rebuilt for $45. I also snipped the cable on another that had been really messed up and used it to go into a HUGE battery to run my Arriflex BL. Now the thing Runs for days but is super heavy.

Learn to manage your anxiety all together. If your continously get it before shoots, then Its likely that you get anxiety at other times as well. Look up some ways to combat that, and just relax. I just always allow myself the time I need to prep for a shoot. Leave yourself enough time to do whatever needs to be done. I also like to just sit down and think about the logistics of every day the night before, you can reassure yourself that the day will (logistically) go smoothly.

I have bounced a 1.2k HMI off some ultrabounce through three frames with 1/4 diffusion in a sort of U shape wrapping around the talent. Its not exactly the Briese look, but I like the quality it gives to a female face.

I have heard good things about that place, though I have not been there myself. I know two people who went. They both mentioned they enjoyed the athmosphere, and how the classes were somewhat collaborative. I believe one of them said he had assisted the workshop in some way in exchange for a free/lower tuiton.

I recently purchased one knowing It would barely get a return if I was to Rent it. I try to look at it this way; Its still a 4K camera, and it still shoots Raw. Thats something I would have needed to spend $20k for. In this case I put together a working system for under $6k. I would always Rent gear anyway for a project if it had a strong enough budget regardless, but being able to offer the Red One to some lower budget productions can sometimes be a deal maker. A majority of the directors I work with at the level I am at now will not complain about a camera system that has been used on Major Pictures.

Though Im still cutting my teeth as well, Ive picked up a few thing recently on the topic. Knowing when to work for free should be important to you. I am just starting to get fairly busy myself Though I have had steady freelance gigs for a few years, I had been working with people who were trapped at the same level I was (Crappy gigs, low pay, No exposure). Every now and again, someone who has been succesful, will take on a project for personal reasons that others at their level have no interest in. They will give the same line " great oppurtunity for experience Blah Blah" Thats not as important as an Introduction in some respects. Find out who they know. The DP they last worked with might be getting big in your market, and you can say " wow I'd really like to meet him/her". Get a phone number or email, and offer to do a gig with that person for experience. If your ready for that level of work and perfom well, you will most likely be considered in the future for paid work. I do have a second job. I shoot local TV programing. Its great for now, because my second job is still shooting. Don't be afraid to try and sneak a foot in with your local news company. Keep it Part Time though, with flexible hours or still freelance (Its an easy world to get stuck in)

I find myself shooting a lot of interviews lately, and I will usually go with the following gear: 2 Arri 650's with Chimera Soft Boxes 3 Arri 300's 2 Lowell Rifa's If I need too, I will rent HMI fixtures. I use standard 3 point lighting for most of my interviews. Two 300's I use as Backlights, Rifa's on the opposite side of the talent as the key. The 650's are used for fill If I need it. The other 300 I generally use to throw something interesting in the background.

Happy Holidays to everyone here! Thanks to everyone that posts and shares information here on the forum. This truely is a helpful community with a lot of great hearts.

Hey Guys, I am looking for a Red Drive, Either 320gb or 640gb. Figured Id ask here, as I prefer this forum over others associated with RED. I am also interested in used Anton Batteries. I am considering a second charger at the right price as well. Thanks for taking the time to read. Rick Cook

I started shooting around the age of 13 when I bought a Hi8 camera from a garage sale to film skateboarding. At the time, all of my friends were drooling over the older skaters new VX1000's, DVX100's, with the Century Optics "Death Lens" (which is silly considering I just bought one on CL out of nostalgia for $50!). I filmed skating for years, until My freshman year of High School I took a TV Production Class. My teacher pushed us to try shooting narratives/commercials/music videos. Having my previous experience with shooting and editing made it an easy transition. I shot my own films with friends all throughout High School. Those years shaped me entirely, we had Tshirts made, and would promote our films using the early days of My Space. The only tragedy is; looking back on some of the work I did back then, I feel I have become more focused on Standards then Creativity.

You cant create information by simply lifting the blacks in post. If there is little to no detail on the low end of the image coming from the camera, then you will most likely have that (or information that suffers greatly) if you attempt to simply boost a signal in post. In my opinion, the noise added to an image in post looks worse then noise introduced by increasing the gain in camera.

You'd be better off finding a group of people in NYC to just work and grow with. I live just out of the city (and though I am not something worth aspiring towards) I have learned more by just shooting with dedicated people. Though I do know alot of people prefer a more Traditional Education.

I feel like like attitudes towards success, such as this do damage to the idea of aspiring to be a filmmaker. I have always looked at filmmaking as a means in which to entertain, and inform. More then anything you are a storyteller. In my eyes, if you have a viewer, and you have altered or informed this viewers perception, you are succesfull. Making a film that sells is essential to survival when it comes to funding and will always be the goal, but it does not determine if somebody is a successful filmmaker in my eyes. I know may not be the best to touch this, I recently shot my first feature. It is being passed around to distributers now. If it is sold (even as part of a 10 film for $5 box set) I will be honored. If it doesnt, I will still jump at every oppurtunity to be involved with telling a worthwhile story.

I work solo on a regular basis, shooting similar situations for a local pbs show. I shoot on my HDX900, which records 4 channels. What I typically do is run one mic into each of the cameras 2 XLR inputs, and in the menu assign the Front mic input as channel 3. The only draw back to this method is that the HDX has no manual controls for channels 3 & 4, so they are running with ACG. The audio is still pretty usable as a onboard scratch track, or room noise. Also (not that it matters much with AGC) you can swap between having levels visible for tracks 1&2 or 3&4 in the viewfinder. I prefer to do it this way so that I know all of the audio is on the tape. My editor also prefers this for obvious reasons.

Id say makeup is the most important part of a shoot like this. I unfortunately had an experience with a bad makeup artist on a glamour style shoot. While I feel the shots are good, I asked to have my name removed from the project because crappy makeup made the lead look ridiculous.

Is it possible for you to just DP the film? I Did not direct my thesis. I spoke with my professor, and at first he was against it. But we worked it out.

I DP a lot of studio shoots for television. I ALWAYS use a waveform monitor and vectorscope when painting the camera/camera's. Its not that difficult to learn, and they can be extremely useful. I'd say you should totally get comfortable with them. You may want to just shoot film's, but you will always have bills to pay. Some shoots will require different things.

Hey All, I was wondering if you guys could offer some advice on purchasing some equipment. I was given the task of putting together a proposal for new equipment to be used in a local Television station. We have a decent budget. So we are looking for the best, most current gear. It is VERY important though, that our equipment will stand the test of time. So far, my list is made up of newer HMI lights (we only have tungsten fixtures at the moment) and a few other things. The part I need help with, are camera packages! I have looked into the newer camera's and I am totally lost when it comes to ENG style camera's. I have looked into something like the Panasonic HPX370 and I was wondering if anyone had an opinion on it. Any opinions on p2? Or, if you could suggest something better for everyday TV use. Also, If you all had to put together a field package, What would your gear list consist of? For example, I can think of: Camera, Cards, Tripod, Wireless Mics (we have some, but more are good!) and most importantly BATTERIES! Any ideas on batteries? Our camera's now use Anton Bauer Hytron 100 batteries. Do any new camera's use these? Thank you so much in advance. I have two days to put this list together, and making the right decision is a must!

At the top of this page, there was an ad "Meet local women, Date today!" - Oh No! The adsense guys know what we are up too! This is a really interesting topic. While I am yet to work on a set that has "attractive female crew members" I have of course dealt with the cast members being absolutely stunning. I am a sucker for the "aspiring starlet" XD My most recent relationship ended yesterday, and she was an actress. I felt it was both easy and difficult to date someone working hard to succeed in the same industry. I am of course VERY young, at a whooping 21yrs. My experience with relationships could still be defined as Elementary.

Okay guys, so usually my questions here are something like "i have no money, what piece of equipment can I afford that will _____" Today I come to you searching for wisdom of another kind. Some fatherly advice from the older, more mature members of this community. I am a young guy, and have nothing holding me down (at this moment, who knows how long I'll have the freedom). I have come to the conclusion that I will not find steady work in my area. I live on the Jersey Shore, and I believe the only thing they shoot here, is sadly... The Jersey Shore... So I am looking into relocating myself. I was dreaming that someday a director, DoP, or crew would roll through town and pick me up and make me a PA or AC or something. Much like a traveling circus back in the day, but less clowns, and no elephants or anything. I doubt that will happen, so I'm thinking of taking my savings, and going to New York, or Los Angeles. Maybe finding someone who will let me sleep on a couch for small fee or something like that. My question for everyone who has an answer or opinion is this; Is relocating myself to find work a good plan, or should I find work, take the 3 1/2 hour $40 commute to NY and and slowly try to build relationships and get steady work? My parents both grew up in the town I live in now, so they have no advice on this subject. So anything you guys have from experience would give me some solid ideas on how to make this leap. Hell, even if you think it's the wrong idea, let me know. p.s I couldn't decide if this belonged in a student/newbie section, but I figured there may be other young people here in the same situation.

I am really glad I saw this post. I had a chance to shoot my first feature about 3 months ago. It was a disaster. There was equipment budget. So I borrowed everything I could, and was very fortunate to have the friends I do have, as they came through giving me a decent lighting package for the interiors. I feel the film could have been a success, but I almost feel like because I had not shot a feature, the director would step over my decisions and ruin shots. I knew we didn't have the equipment to completely control all the light coming through these large windows, but he wanted to them in frame. What I feel really hurt the film was his love for wide shots. On every shot, he wanted it wider. The film began to have a soap opera feel, as they were all oddly frames mediums. On top of this, the director is editing and grading. The shots are cut at point that don't make sense and there are odd transitions. His idea of grading is to reduce the saturation and add a "warm" filter. As a beginning DP I have lost sleep worrying that this project that I did ENTIRELY for free (even after learning the cast was paid) will ruin my future chances. Knowing that others have these "projects from hell" makes me relax a little. But, I still hope I don't get screwed of future chances because of this.