Andrew Lynch

would this be open to new members? i'd love to come and meet some people, as I'm new to London.

If I'm on the right track, it stands for 'Group of Pictures'.

There are two types of codec - GOP and iFrame.

I-Frame basically contains separate information for each individual frame of video.

GOP - contains information for the first frame, and each subsequent frame references the difference between itself and that initial frame.

Though honestly, much of the audio recorded on the day isn't used later on.

what did you mean by that Adrian? what's your typical process for doing sound? zero budget myself, and don't have access to ADR. i know it's probably rather a long question!

Okay guys, I've read a lot of useful tips about job-hunting on this forum. I've got one more.

I'm wondering if I should pursue my own projects (with lo-no budget restrictions), or should i try to pursue work with larger scale projects taking place around Ireland? would that be more advantageous to my career, experience on these projects.

I'm a recent film school grad based in Cork City, Ireland. out of college a year now, and a bit lost. my ambition is to make a living in a camera department job, or any film-related job I can get!

also, I was wondering how i should market my student projects on my CV? i don't want to have too many projects down, and seem like I've got an ego. but similarly, I don't want to seem like a complete noob!

my cv is Website.

any thoughts?

The interview itself is just that, an interview outside (2 girls @48). without what they're saying it doesn't show anything more than pointing and shooting. It would be different if there was very interesting lighting happening, or in an amazing location, but it isn't.

Talking head is boring, and unless it looks really good, which this one doesn't, i'd nix it. For that you'd want to have the walls under exposed, him moved away from the walls, back light, and maybe closer in with a nice eye light.

 

You want to show your BEST work in your reel. If you haven't got enough work then you make a shorter reel! Don't add in stuff just to pad out time. It's quality much more than quantity.

 

 

as for talking head with light in BG. The light is too white to really feel in place, and it's at a bad angle, too hard, and aside from the lights in the BG we don't really get a good idea of place. It just sticks out to me for some reason. It feels very lit, almost "news like," and that's fine for a documentary reel, but in a narrative/montage reel it just kills and flow your other shots have made. I don't like to toot my own horn, but if you look @ my reel, the first 2 shots are a doco, as is 20 sec, 49sec-1:03 and 1:19, but they're also interesting shots (so I'm told by other people, though honestly I want to nix one of them and will eventually.)

 

As for the split. If you don't have enough on the doc-promo side, you needn't make a doc-promo reel yet. For the moment, let your narrative montage speak for you, or, have select sequences from docs/promos. I think those work better any way in that sense, as with Doc/Promo it's often a lot about what's said and the cinematography not getting in the way of the subjects, if you know what I mean.

You don't need to be camera Op to have it on your Camera reel if you were the one directing/lighting the shots. It's odd on the my own film things, as you often wear many hats. I don't see a problem with it so long as you can do it again without being the director ;) if you know what I mean.

For a directing reel, if you wanted one, segments of larger projects work. Though honestly, Try to specialize in one thing. Know about other jobs, but pick what you want to do and specialize in that and REALLY know it. I, as a DoP, am always wary of hiring, say a gaffer, who 1) has a reel, 2) has a "directors reel," or something similar to that as it just puts me off and makes me worry about the dynamics on set.

 

Good luck.

toot away, dude! checked out your reel, and I see what you mean.

thanks so much for your honest and useful advice. it's what i love about forums like this, people who can really help ya out.

It's not bad. I think the shots @ 48-51 and 56 really detract. I also am torn on whether you should break it up between docu style and narrative style. Also, I think you need to focus on one of the 3 thigns for the reel, either Camera/Edit/or Director. As someone looking to hire you, I have no idea what you did for each shot and as such have no basis of information to make a choice, you see what I mean?

thanks adrian!

you mean, the shot of the 2 girls with the car, the overexposed talking head, and the other talking head with lights in background, right?

what is it, for you, that makes em detract? is it the lack of interesting angle/subject in the first and last, and the bad exposure in the middle one? or other problem?

i was torn myself as well about splitting it up. i think because i don't have enough of a variety of stuff yet on the doc/promo side, i didn't want to split it up.

would u split it up in the same reel? like first half doc, second half narrative? or make seperate reels?

good point about focusing on camera/edit/directing. i guess that would essentially be my camera reel, tho i directed one or two of my favourite shots from my short films. though i wasn't operating the camera, i can still leave it on a camera reel, right?

i probably haven't directed enough stuff for a directing reel, and lack the FX skills for a decent editing reel. probably best to concentrate just on DP reel for now? could i call what i have that, cos i did the lighting for most of it.

cheers,

andy

Hey guys,

this is my first shot at putting a reel together. i'd love some educated feedback, in regards grading or any other more technical aspects.

appreciate it.

Reel

If you're doing GCSEs you're in the UK.

 

If you're in the UK you probably can't have a career in film.

 

If you don't have any route to work in the US, you are stuffed.

 

Sorry.

 

P

as someone who also wants to work in the UK, this is worrying to hear.

Hello Steve, and thank you for your reply. I don't know what can be said from a Youtube video but the quality of the trailer does look very good.

 

So in the end it comes down to a DSLR or Sony's EX3 or F3. What do you think of the Panasonic AF100 as compared to the Sony models? The F3 looks wonderful but for that kind of price, wouldn't RED be a more intelligent choice? Anyway I think I'll wait some more for that kind of hardware and buy a cheap DSLR instead.

 

Here are a couple more questions:

-Is a 7D superior in any way to a 60D?

-Are there any predictions how the market is going to evolve? Should I wait and buy an EX3 or F3 in a couple years? Would they be cheaper then?

-Are these cameras we're talking about going to hold up? I mean will a 7D be outdated in the next few years? Will an EX3?

Hey David,

I own a 60D, and i can chip in on the first point.

60D's articulating screen is very handy for video shooting, other than that cameras are very similar, image quality-wise.

anyone seen 'Zoo'?

Wiki

i thought this was beautifully shot.

I own a t2i and have shot quite a bit on the 7d. If you're planning on renting out a kit it might be worth getting the 7d simply for purposes of advertising/appearing more "professional." The t2i is about half the size and does not get taken very seriously due to its price and form factor. This can be an advantage if you're using it as a crash cam or with a tiny steadicam type rig, though. If you had to cheap out and buy a t2i that does not say much about your level of professionalism and investment in your craft. Or you can just put a huge lens and mattebox on the t2i.

 

The conventional wisdom seems to be that the image is exactly the same. I'm not sure, but there's certainly not a big difference.

 

The 7d has a few real advantages: 1/3 stop ISO settings (which, surprisingly, isn't really that big a deal since you can set most lenses within the 1/3 of a stop, though it's nice for maintaining depth of field within a scene and not having to relight as much) and vastly more flexible white balance settings. The t2i has no good settings between 3200K and 5600K except "white fluorescent," which is okay with cool white fluorescent lights and unacceptably red with incandescent lights. So if you like shooting at different white balance settings between daylight and tungsten or baking in slightly different color, this is a pretty big deal. The t2i has tons of daylight settings, though, for whatever reason. The 7d can also go to like 2700K or so which is more neutral with most incandescent lights; 3200K is a bit warm. The 7d also supports external monitoring, though I've not heard good things about the video out, and the interface is trivially better. The build quality is of course superior, which may matter if you plan to shoot in the rain.

 

The t2i has a few advantages of its own: autofocus during video capture (which is 99% useless) and a significantly sharper, larger, and brighter screen. I can't judge focus worth anything on the 7d's LCD without zooming in, and that's not available during capture, and that makes pulling focus really hard. The t2i's screen is still much lower res than its capture (720X480 vs somewhere around 720p) but I can spot aliasing and focus errors much more easily. This is a moot point if you set up external monitoring correctly with the 7d.

 

As always, it boils down to preference.

why is autofocus during video capture 99% useless? sorry if it's a noob question.

Hi guys,

wanted to get some examples of great cinematography shot with minimalist lighting and natural lighting.

As a beginning filmmaker, I'm trying desperately to avoid that overly 'lit' look that seems to be the scourge of low-budget filmmaking.

so could anyone give me examples of shots/scenes/movies that are very minimalist with their lighting. so when i'm making another lo/no-budget film, i can involve an audience in my film, and not imagine what kind of fresnel is just out of shot.

test, test, test.

having recently shot a short with a 60D, came across some of the issues jay mentioned.

moire in particular is a pain in the behind. test all your wardrobe out before hand and view on a big monitor to double check.

focus can be an issue with these cameras, loupe or monitor might come in handy.

relating to profiles: Highlight Tone Priority - make sure it's either off or on both cameras so they match up as well.

hope it helps :)

well, to chip in on the DSLR side, i've got a canon 60D. shot quite a bit with it and it hasn't overheated. also, it's got a moveable screen.

"I'm not sure how awkward it would be to hold without a moveable screen/etc."

- you're going to need a tripod for whatever camera you get, so be sure to factor that into your budget, unless you want the video to look amateur home-video style.

if you decide to go with a DSLR, the Zoom H4N or the Rode Video Pro Mic are excellent sound options.

alternatively you could go with some like a cheap Panasonic DV camera, you'd prob get one for that budget.

best of luck

Hi guys,

just joined today, this seems like a useful place for feedback and opinions.

i'm a freelance/no-budget/starter DP, with some experience from my film course. not that I'm out on my own working with people, I want to step up and improve my skills, and my technical abilities. i know i need more than technical abilities required to be a great DP, but it's a start.

i want to know what kinds of things i should 'by heart'? what should any self-respecting DP be able to do, technically?

i hope this is not too vague a question...