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J. Michael Whalen

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Everything posted by J. Michael Whalen

  1. In no particular order... -John Toll -Caleb Deschanel -Christopher Doyle -Roger Deakins -Sven Nykvist
  2. The Sony VX1000 is hands down the best mini DV camera ever to hit the market. My theory is that since it was one of, if not the first, pro-sumer camera to come out, Sony made it better than it needed to be. Sure it doesn't have the LCD screen but what it does have is an image that most can't produce on their best day. Even the more recent cameras to hit the stores just seem underpowered next to it.
  3. Just wanted to see what films in your opinion were missing from the Oscar list for Best Cinematography. Personally I thought The Good Shepherd was a no brainer for a nomination, and couldn't believe that Perfume (my favorite of the year) was ignored!
  4. I was about 18 when I was told that all the credit I've been giving to Directors should have gone to Directors of Photography! 18 Right Handed Taurus
  5. I've been looking forward to this film for awhile myself. I always had a thing for movies about Warhol and the gang. I think Warhol is one of the most used personalities in film if you think about it. Tons of people have played him throughout the different stages of his career. Also Ms. Sedgwick wasn't too hard on the eyes. I have to agree about using different stocks to get different looks. I make fun of my friends who shoot in HD and then spend hour upon hours trying to get it to look like super 8 when all it takes is a $100 camera and a couple rolls of film. I really look forward to the film.
  6. I really wanted to see it before, and now I want to see it even more. Tykwer is one of those directors that tends to have fairly long periods of time go by between films, and to me that's great because you get the impression that he's pretty selective. His films are great, and it's good to know he has another good one out now.
  7. For me I think the inspiration came from one of the first films I can remember seeing in a theater. It was THE BLACK STALLION and was shot by Caleb Deschanel. As I got older I really dug the work of Sven Nykvist, Christopher Doyle, John Toll, and Freddie Young(Lawrence of Arabia).
  8. It was a projected background, and another dead give away was the fact that the smoke from his 'Red Apple' wasn't going anywhere when he had the window open.
  9. Great question. I'd have to say... Michael Mann and Danti Spinotti - MANHUNTER, HEAT, THE INSIDER Bergman and Nykvist - WINTER LIGHT, FANNY and ALEXANDER, etc Sam Rami and Bill Pope- Army of Darkness and Spiderman 2, Spiderman 3 and of course... Wong Kar Wai and Chistopher Doyle!!
  10. Great list we've all put together, but I'm sorry to say that there is one that I hope no one has seen because it very well could be the worst film ever assembled. It's called CAGED TERROR, and comes from the wasteland of the mid - 70's 'counter culture' that never was. Set in the south... what a shock... with takes so long of people crying that it really looks like the camera op didn't have any idea as to how to turn the camera off! Two villans who 'just got back from 'nam' yet have blacksploitation sized afros, terrorize a couple who roll around the grassy fields until they eventually seek shelter in a chicken coop.
  11. All good advice, but the fact that there IS so much to learn is why I love cinematography. I doubt if you ever stop learning. Just realize that even those who you look up to were once in your position.
  12. A true loss of a master who had influenced almost everyone in this field to pick up a camera and a light meter. Though he had not worked in many years, the cinematic world is now a dimmer place.
  13. I agree with David. DIRECTING ACTORS is great, and I'm currently trying to find the follow up to it. I believe it's called The Directors Intuition (?) None the less Directing Actors really made me think in a different way about how to communicate with actors.
  14. As far as taking chances and creating a look in-camera, that's what cinematographers get paid for. It's not magic, you can shoot tests. I understand that, however there is a step called 'Processing' that is usually how many people get 'the' look of the film. If more Directors had the guts of Tony Scott where he'd probably allow a DP to throw paint on the film as it was shooting, that would be great, but many aren't that brave.
  15. I've never read anything about the shooting of that film, but I would think it's shoot 'straight' and then processes in post. If not, then they took a hell of a chance with it during filming. haha.
  16. All, I just want to thank everyone who took the time to write in. I greatly appreciate the advice and will certainly adopt a good bit of it in the projects to come. Thanks again!
  17. Thank you so much, and you are right. Taking shots is part of the game... no pun intended! haha. I'll keep my chin up.
  18. One thing that I have noticed as I continue to work as a DP is the amount of resentment towards me for never being a gaffer. I know many cinematographers have spent years working as PA's and Gaffers, and I think that's great. I never did. I was always into photography and then went into cinematography in college. Afterwards I continued to shoot and put together a demo reel, and was very luck to get hired as a DP. I recently had a Camera PA who claimed he was a great DP, and kept asking me my opinion about many different cameras. I told him that I have only used a handful of cameras and I like to stick to what I know. I then asked one of our gaffers if he could 'cut off the light' that was hitting the table. I didn't say, 'flag.' Apparently this was a huge issue for him, and he felt the need to make a big deal out of it. My feelings are that as long as I get an image that the director and I like, who cares if I don't use the right term. Have any of you had this happen? J.Whalen
  19. Another great book is Lloyd Kaufman's MAKE YOUR OWN DAMN MOVIE. I know over a dozen people who read that book and went out and made their film. Most weren't all that good...but at least they were motivated by it. haha Corman is really one of those guys who never got as much credit as he should have.
  20. Josh, Basically when you move to HD it's more of everything. More resolution... more drive space on a computer for editing...more money needed. To really see what it looks like you need to be able to have an HD playback monitor. All viewfinders on the camera are SD and you have to take into account that you are actually getting a lot more information than what you are looking at. In my opinion I think that if you were to go with a sony z1u you'd be very pleased with the results, and since it was one of the first Prosumer mini HD cameras on the market the price has dropped a lot from even a year ago. The tapes are quite a bit more than any mini dv tape in terms of price, but the difference is easily seen. Hope that helps. j. whalen
  21. Alex, I know for the Yellow Bastard, Nick Stahl wore Blue body paint against the green screen and basically they did multiple keys to get those effects. Marv's bandages were actually red but they appeared white. -j.
  22. Marty, I have to say that I can pick out who the Director of Photography was on a film and sometimes a Music Video, faster than I can on who directed it! Many of the directors I work with have been much more interested in working with the actors than figuring out where to place the camera. Thank god! When it comes to filters I more than likely don't tell them that I am using one. They just look at the monitor and I ask if they like what they see. I they don't, then I fix it. I was watching a rough cut of a film that I shot the majority of the other night with my girlfriend and she instantly knew what scenes I shot and what scenes the 2nd unit shot. I personally was shocked that she could tell, and when I asked how she knew she said that it was the way I had the light hit the actors and most importantly the framing and composition. She went on to say that the film was like looking at two different painting with the same subject by two different painters. That was probably the greatest summery of the difference between DP's that I ever heard. It really comes down to how you see things, or more importantly how you wish things looked. We all have a different way of looking at things and it is very noticable. Thanks for letting me ramble!
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