Ricky Cook

I cannot give you a first hand experience with NYFA. But, a few years ago I was looking into attending their courses. Visit the school first (obviously). They had a very tight place when I went there to check it out. The one thing that did impress me about them back then, was the amount of NYFA students I saw shooting on the street. Though, I am in manhattan a few days a week now, and I cant say I have seen them out in a while.

Looks Great! I have never seen anything some on the sigma 30mm. I want one now... of course the lens wasnt the reason it looks so good, though! Awesome job, the footage looks super clean! A question to you or anyone else whom may know the answer. The video has a very slow motion feel, Ive seen it before. Yet the lyrics match up. How was this achieved? Or am I wrong to think anything is different at all?

looks great! How did you guys achieve the flickering bokeh? I cant help but imagine you shot some flickr holiday lights and added them in post? The quality is fantastic! Well done, I'd certainly watch the full piece.

I promised a virtual High five, so here it goes! (I high fived my monitor, luckily knowbody was around to see that) I was told that he has all the batteries, and filters needed. Lets pray that is correct. I will be depending on him the first day, as this is uncharted territory for me. I will print this out though, so I have a reference. (my friend is from the Ukraine with a VERY heavy accent, It will make for a safety net when communication fails) I am not surprised you recommended biting the bullet and getting a professional Telecine done. I will look into affordable prices. Possibly I can find one with student friendly rates. I want to save myself money, as it’s a personal project, yet I want the best quality for my buck. I would love to shoot with super16 to avoid the footage being in 4:3, but I could moddify someone elses camera of course. And I think the camera take double perf, and I assume that wouldn't work anyway. You have offered me advice on a few things today, David. Thanks again!

I think the main battle is that I am still learning what setups work well. I sometimes set a scene then feel like something needs to be changed, yet I can’t quite pin point what it is. I shot a music video this past summer, with a female lead. I was constantly struggling with making the lead appear “beautiful” (it didn’t help that she wasn’t really stunning). The director would want to start shooting before the lights were even unloaded. The combination of the two made a setup stressful, as I knew I couldn’t adjust. I felt like I was setting lights without knowing where the light will hit, or what it will hit. I believe these are things I will come in time, and experience. I have never watched "Caravaggio". So I’m not familiar with the scene other then what is in the photos. You mentioned it is possible he leaned out of the key. Would'nt that explain why the backlight is so much more intense in the shot? On the wider shots, her chest is definitly well illuminated, and the CU in question looks like the soft source is coming from about that angle. Hmmm... Would this be considered a "breast Bounce"? I also love the Moon! Just curious, How could they have done that live? It seems to me like it would be a lot of work. That definitely would help! I will keep that in mind for anything I shoot from now on. It would eliminate a lot of the anxiety of bothering the Director/Actors. Thanks, both of you!

Thanks! I guess the missing link on this shoot was a blocking rehearsal! Its a lot easier to take care of these things before hand, so that you as a DP aware of what the blocking will entail. Do you ever feel like you absolutely have to make an adjustment, because something is totally not going the way you planned? For example, I set the lighting, and shot a take. Through the lens, the Light was flat, and uninteresting. I then decided to take a totally different approach and shot with mostly backlight. I just made this decision, and did it. Is that a rare occasion? Do you usually stick with your original plans, unless the director asks for a change? It was unusual in my case, because the director was in the scene as well, he was not given the chance to see the take. I’m assuming it would have been different had he been watching. Thanks for you help! I appreciate it. Rick

Hey there, So I am looking to get my hands dirty shooting a low budget short on 16mm. I have been doing my research for a while, and decided I wanted to take the cheapest route possible, as I want to see what I can do for a low price. I have a Arri 16S with a cooke zoom, that I will be given on extended loan. The DP im borrowing it from is going to be on this shoot, to answer any questions I have about the camera, and baby sit me. (first time shooting on film) I want to shoot in Black and white so far, but the script is up in the air, so It may change. That is what I know so far. Im really looking for some guidance from someone that has shot on 16mm. What should I take into account while putting this together? Im looking at as if their where two lists, I have, I need. I have: Camera +lens (might look into some primes if its affordable) I need: Film Stock (any suggestions? I am torn with Reversal or Negative, but probably will be Neg.) Telecine ( I have an old Eiki Projector, I’m fiddling with creating my own way of doing this to save, and id like it to be an HD transfer) or are there affordable ways to get a 1080p scan? In terms of shooting and getting the footage into HD, is there anything else I am forgetting? Thanks for taking the time to read, Rick

Hey there, So I did a very short film with a director I know the other day. He was basically doing some tests with the actors, kind of auditions you could say. We were working on limited lighting equiptment, a 1k, and a 300watt Fresnel. The scene was two people in front of a window, so I gelled the 1k and blasted it through the window. While shooting, I quickly realized that the 1k needed to be worked around, as it didn’t fill a large area. So I would keep an eye out and slightly alter the scenes blocking so that the actors would be in the proper light. This happened a few times, and I started to think. What is acceptable for the DP to change within a scene? Moving the actors a few feet so they are illuminated doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it could be to a director who wants total control. So to anyone who has an opinion, story, or advice to offer. What is a DP’s boundary as far as directing actors, or altering the blocking of a scene if it is meant to help the visuals in the film? Would it be acceptable for me to do this on a larger production? I’d imagine It largely depends on your relationship with the director.

Sweet deal! Wish I saw this earlier. If anyone has a decent 16mm camera... XP

I Want a better job. I work at my college maintaining the equipment. The way students treat gear kills me. We have a few xl2's, and the viewfinders are all freaked up these days. Its getting old. Im young enough to travel whereever filmmaking brings me, and Im just sitting around wishing. I also want experience working with film. Ive never shot anything on film, or worked on anything with film. I wish my school offered me ANYTHING Film related. The other stuff isnt so important these days, I could say I want an Ex3 or some new lenses, but I really dont need them. I just want some interesting projects to be a part of.

I dont Get most of the references in this post, but it gave me a good chuckle non the less! Some funny people on this forum :)

Thanks! I tried to keep it blue for most of the scenes. I appreciate you taking the time to watch!

I've used a 14 foot pro aim, and was not impressed. Maybe something less the 14' would be strong enough. But that crane was out of control. With a HVX200 it had a flimsy feel, and would bend alot. I guess it depend on your camera, but I wouldn't personally purchase one. I've used a Cobra crane. Maybe check those out. It was only a 9' but held more weight.

Thanks! I'm going to do a little research and see if they could use an intern in exchange for some knowledge! I couldn't intern for credit, but hopefully it will work out!

While I'm at it. Does anyone here know of any good NYC rental houses? I found a few that looked okay, but a few were mostly digital rentals. I'm assuming that's not getting me far.