Brian Wells

Could be someone who is renting a Steadicam and needs it setup for him.

What kind of lens is that? I need to know so I can avoid it! I have never seen such bad chromatic aberration in my life! As far as the images are concerned, it has been said before to never show off a shot that didn't take any work to get. If there wasn't any lighting, there isn't much to talk about.

It's important to remember that marketing a production companies services is very different from actual video production. Only those with great business skills will succeed. If your passion is copywriting, then find a job at an agency. If your passion is working hands on with video equipment, then buy some equipment. If your passion is selling, then don't buy any equipment. Find someone who has equipment and call yourself an Account Executive and start marketing their services to the industry. These are three very different skillsets. If you continue on your path to becoming a "one man shop" you may soon discover that you actually don't have all the skills it takes to succeed. All of this ignores the fact that corporate video is pretty much dead. Sure, there are companies that still do training and promotional videos, but they're usually part of a much broader product offering (for example, a corporate theater and events staging company might offer video production for projection at the main event). A company which focuses solely on the production of low-end corporate promo's is a company not likely to find much work! Which leads me to say this: If your goal is to make a living, then learn web site development and search engine optimization! There's quite a bit of demand for those services.

Make sure you've set up the NTSC output for a 2:3:2:3 pulldown from a 23.98Fps timeline, or the video output will not be smooth as it should be. (FCP defaults to a 2:2:2:4 pulldown on G4's slower than 1Ghz).

Just like to add that I have finally come around to preferring tungsten softboxes over Kino Flo Diva Lite's. When comparing them side by side in an interview-type setting, the Kino looks absolutely dreadful with bad color reproduction (it still looks pink even with the dimmer on 100%!) and a "punchy" hard edge that is anything but "soft." The shadows cast by the Diva Lite fall somewhere in between a fresnel and a softbox. They are REALLY hard! Even compared to an Extra Small softbox, they are harder! The Diva Lite works well for certain applications, but it is far from the smoothness and color clarity of an actual tungsten softbox. Tungsten light is 100 CRI, which looks noticeably better than the spikey pink-hued fluorescent tubes used by the Diva Lite. My new favorite key is a Photoflex Starlite and Silverdome kit that I found on eBay for $90.00. It is a much better looking light. I am converting my Diva Lite's for greenscreen use with the 550NM biax tubes from Kino. That's about all these lights will be used for anymore because they look bad on everything else.

I feel like the last generations "DP" who once held the power over all photography is quickly changing hands to the new leader: The Animator. This person has the ultimate power to manipulate. While that has nothing to do with cinematography, it might be a viable career path. I know several animators who shoot "on-the-side" and are very good at it. So, it's not an either/or thing. You can do both, but may find more immediate financial success on the post side of things. Seems like there are always job opportunities available in post production -- particularly for editors who are also skilled at the various types of compositing. The barrier to entry of node based compositing (Apple Shake) dropped $2,500.00 earlier this week. At the new price, $499.00, it's actually cheaper than some of the plug-ins it includes! All that to say this: If your goal is to work "in the industry" then at least consider learning some skills that production companies need. Photographers are dime a dozen.

"I know for one the UK has lots of jobs in film so it shouldnt be a problem to get a job there." Sure hope Phil doesn't get wind of that! B)

It occured to me that I'd like to see some more output from my Dedolight 150W/24V head and the GY6.35 base 250W/24V lamp sounds interesting. My concerns are, of course, heat, and risk of fire! I've heard of lamping certain fresnels with higher wattage globes for increased output with little side effect (Pepper 100, etc.), so why not do the same with Dedolight? Your thoughts?

This topic has been discussed ad nauseam... Please, do a search on the difference between cameras. Better yet, Why not go to a facility and do some tests of your own? That's the only way to know for sure.

Unless you are already an established company with a solid reputation in a specific market, you might be better off buying some stocks if you want to see a return on your investment!

That may be true for major hollywood features, but the percentage is much higher for other types of production, such as commercials. Last month, a national commercial was shot on the Panasonic HVX200 for Subway. It was the "A" camera; there were no film cameras at all. That tells you something, doesn't it?

So many of these discussions are fueled by economy. Independent tests have shown that video from a $6k camcorder looks insanely good for the price. When compared to film, it's hard to justify the difference in cost. Especially at a time when budgets are sinking lower and lower and lower. So, from an economic point of view, there are alternatives to film that offer a much greater price/quality performance. Artistically, film offers some real competitive advantage, sure. But, if you're given a budget for a TV ad that is 1/4th of what it was 10 years ago, you're probably not going to be shooting 35mm anymore if you hope to see a profit at the end of the day. That's a good enough reason to shoot on something like HD. That's where the market has been for quite some time and it's not gonna turn around because some students "prefer" one over the other for "artistic" reasons. In other words, I agree with the veteran. Embrace digital if you want to make a living taking pictures in your lifetime.

There are all types of photography and cinematography so you sort of have to pick a style and run with it. For the most part a director will want to see a body of work that is relevant to the types of projects he does. So, a person with a reel full of documentaries would not an impress a music video director, for example. A reel full of music videos would not impress a dramatic film director. They're just too different. There is no connection, no relevance. I think the most important attribute to being successful in any industry is being able to connect with your clients on a personal level, such as having the same tastes in music, clothing, books, movies, etc. or having similar backgrounds or anything that creates a connection with them. Your working style must cooperate with theirs, obviously, so the more you have in common, the better your chances are for success. There are all sorts of DP's with a range of personalities who become highly successful in every genre of filmmaking. Photographic talent is only a small part of their success. The rest is just good business sense.

Because a person might spend several years designing, protoyping, testing, perfecting, and eventually manufacturing a basic matte box (full time work) only to sell a few hundred units over the lifetime of the product. R&D costs serious cash. On another note... Bas Ladru created one of the finest matte boxes ever available. The Vocas matte box is incredibly well designed, and not too expensive @ $1200 incl. rods support. I have one and it's fantastic.

Consider Cinebags.com. He makes a production bag that is within the "carry on" size requirements and will hold (all at the same time) a DVX100, matte box, iris rods, follow focus, wide angle lens, telephoto lens, ten 4x4 filters, six batteries, a Litepanel LED light, two Lectrosonics wireless mics, a light meter, rain cover, 3+ boxes of tapes, and a Steadicam Merlin. Fits in the overhead bin. Never leave home without it (and I do travel outside the US 2-3x a year like this!) I usually spread the contents out across several smaller backbacks for in-country travel, but the Cinebag is great for airline travel and keeping everything safe, while at the same time remaining inconspicuous.

At 144W and 19" square, it's hard to see it being used "on board" in the traditional sense. I suppose, based on the wattage, it's comparable in output to a 2' x 4 bank Kino Flo, but for $399. I'd like to see one in action.

Thank you, Scott. I only use Kino Flo brand fixtures and ballast because I believe your claims and I think they're the best. Appreciate your input here on this forum. Thanks again.

Bet they're not safety coated, though. But, thanks for your kind hearted attempt at helping me save some coin! Also, thank you to Matt and Michael for the leads, I'll check them out this week.

I am interested in experimenting with several of the colored Kino Tubes, but none of the usual places have them listed in their online stores (FilmTools, etc.). So, where's the best place in California to find these things? Kino Flo directly? Are they approachable?

Many schools require an internship to graduate. There are labor laws that make it virtually impossible to bring unpaid interns onto film sets. Besides, without a minimum number of hours the occasional film shoot would likely be inadequate for obtaining college credit. I suggest looking to TV stations and TV production companies instead. They can provide enough hours for college credit, and perhaps future employment opportunity (unlike the regional film industry which is staffed with A-list good old boys -- not that there's anything wrong with that).

where do all these low budget horror videos actually end up? who consumes them? everyone is supposedly selling them to distributors, but who actually buys them?

On a budget, you might look into ETC Source 4 Parnel. They're so versatile, I'm surprised they aren't used more often in film. Also, LTM makes a nice line of fresnels.

I have always heard and accepted the general notion that the higher cost of Kino Flos (vs. quartz/chimera) in a studio environment would be offset because they consume less electricity, generate less heat, remove the need for constant air conditioning, and in turn create a more suitable environment for quality sound recording (i.e. - less noise from less air conditioning). But, maybe these benefits are greatly exaggerated?

True -- I am a bit harsh on Lowel. I think there are better options out there. I will say that I like the quality of light from a Rifa/softbox more than the Diva, but in the end, the convenience of the Diva won my heart. When I'm in a hurry, I don't mind carrying a bigger light into a shoot if it means I get out of there quicker because I'm not waiting for my lights to cool down. Even though the Diva isn't as compact as the Rifa, it can be tucked away quicker because it doesn't get as hot. It's all personal preference, of course. Kata makes a small light bag that can hold a Diva 200, a couple 150's, some extra small kit stands, cardellini's, mafers, a 12x18 flag kit, and can also be slung around the shoulder like Lowel kit. I just find fluorescents to be a dream for quick shoots, but I know I am preaching to the choir here...

The menu's in that camera are real deep -- can't you get it setup somewhere? FILM REC is less contrasty than VIDEO REC, but VIDEO REC can be setup to look very close to FILM REC. It's just that FILM REC pre-defaults certain settings from being able to be manipulated. One DP I know prefers VIDEO REC because he gets less contrast and more dynamic range from it than the defaults in FILM REC. It really all depends on how it is setup. I personally have not shot with the VariCam, ever. My comments are based on (what I remember from) a three day workshop on the VariCam I attended last year.