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.

I totally understand what your saying about loading. That is my number one concern. I knew I had to have experience doing so, and should have included it in my question. I wasn't really referring to mistakes when loading, I understand those are critical mistakes and are unacceptable. A friend of a friend is a Loader, so I assumed it was often a specifc job. I'll ask him for advice, and see if he could teach me some basic procedure. I'll also look into rental houses in the NYC area, and see about interning. Thank you all for your advice!

On a small budget, I would think that the price of decent lenses would be enough to convince him to stick with what he already has. Like everyone has said, For the price of a good set of lenses and all the gear needed to make the dlsr as functional as the EX1, you could put the money elsewhere in the production and make the production that much stronger. It's never DoF that makes a movie great in my opinion.

Hey There! I'm sure this question has been asked plenty of times here. But, as I finish up my last semester at school, I'm beginning to think more and more about my future. I'm looking to find work as a 2nd AC or even a PA if it's what's needed. I check places like craigslist, and other places I've been told post crew needs. But I'm unsure about a few things. Mainly, I've never worked as a 2nd AC on film shoots. I've been a camera assistant on TV shoots, but the workflow and my responsibilities were totally different. I know I can handle the work as an AC but because I've never done it, I'm obviously going to make a few mistakes and such. My question essentially is this: Is it possible for me to get work as a 2nd AC with little experience doing it? And what are the best places for me to look for work. I'm young, and free to bounce wherever I can find work. I am right outside NYC so I'm hoping to grab work there. Thanks!

Hey there! This a short film I shot last week for a 48 hour film festival. It was my 4th Film I have DP'd. I could go on about what I was happy with, or disappointed with, but I’d rather have your opinions. http://vimeo.com/19000930 or just click WatchitonVimeo! I was Director of Photography, and did the color grading. It was shot in 8 hours, and took 15 hours or so to edit, leaving me a whole 45 minutes to do the Grade. It wasn’t ideal, so I just tried to give it a look and move on. Thanks to everyone who watches. I appreciate it!

This sounds like a nightmare... I’m still a student, doing odd jobs in the industry (whatever pays or is relevant to my interests). I feel as though I’ve already had so many experiences just like this. It is starting to scare me. Just last week I had an experience where I felt like I was being taken advantage of. I received a call from a “producer” who was looking to rent a studio I do work for. He had heard that I may be great to have on hand to answer questions or solve any problems they may have with the studios equipment. I was told that the shoot would take no longer than two hours, and he could pay me $100 for my time. I was reluctant to do this, but it was my day off and figured the money could be cash to go towards my upcoming 21st. I told him I would be happy to do this, and agreed to meet him at noon. It turned out that this man was not a producer but a retired Theater actor, and had little clue what he was doing. I was asked to set up lights for him (he had told me lighting was under control, turns out he meant it was something I could handle). He didn’t know how to operate his Gl1 (yes, its 2011 and he was excited for his new gl1) and he had duct taped a tiny mic to a pvc pole as a boom. He couldn’t monitor the audio because the headphone jack was broken on the camera, but he insisted it would be fine if the levels were okay. It was a nightmare, and I ended up shooting because he wanted to be more involved with the actors. It ended up taking almost 8 hours because he wasn’t happy with the talent, and kept saying “lets take a 20 minute break to calm us down”. Anyway a few hours after the shoot, he called to tell me the audio had a Hum, and we needed to reshot it the next day. I told him I wasn’t interested… As I approach the end of my final year at school, I find that most of the calls I receive for work are like this. I’m starting to feel like the only good connections I get, are the ones I seek out.

Its never amazing that movies like this have box office success. I used to question it, until I had a discussion with a family friend about movies. He had told me his few favorite movies of 2010, it made me vomit.... People go to the movies, and they feel comfortable with a movie like this. They had watched the first two, and wanted to see what the cast got themselve into this time. Its sad, and I wouldnt even say that a movie like this is "main stream".