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Alex Fuerst

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Everything posted by Alex Fuerst

  1. So I bought the Angenieux 17-68mm f/2.2 c-mount lens for my MFT cameras and I am wanting to use my variable ND filter on it. Obviously I needed a step up ring adaptor. I read at vintagelensesforvideo.com in the comments section of the post about this lens that it was most likely a series 7 filter. So I bought a series 7 to 58mm adaptor; I was way too big. I then bought a series 6 to series 7 adaptor; this was barely too small. I've gone to all the local Dallas/Fort Worth camera shops and they all have no clue. Does anyone know what the front filter specifications are for this lens? Any help much appreciated! Alex
  2. Much better Matt! I like that you broke up shots and spread it through out the reel. There's a lot more camera movement and that's a good thing. Nice work!
  3. Glad to hear your talent were using pads. Hope your camera man is feeling better next time you shoot. Best of luck!
  4. Hello fellow cinematographers and film makers! If I could borrow 3,750 frames at 24fps of your time to review my new reel. It would mean a great deal to me if you could offer some critique afterward. I'm in the middle of a huge push to take my work and career to greater quality and new opportunities. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I would be happy to return the favor. Thank you and happy shooting! Alex www.alexfuerst.com
  5. Noah, I'm going to be open with you about my opinion of the video you posted. It was hard to enjoy or visually understand what is happening for the first 2 1/2 minutes. Everything is out of focus and appeared to be shot vertically and presented horizontally. If this was intentional to serve a purpose for the story I completely missed it and feel it did not work. Make sure your camera operator knows how to properly focus, expose and frame shots with good composition. The audio mix with the music also makes it difficult to understand dialogue. I personally believe that it is NEVER acceptable for real violence to be used in film production. Use film techniques to portray the violence and keep your talent and crew safe and healthy. Period. I can guarantee you will feel much more accomplished as a filmmaker when you can "trick" the audience to believe the violent facade you create with film making tricks. Please be safe! The last 2 minutes of the video are one locked off shot of a phone call. Visually this is very uninteresting and you will loose the attention of your audience without enough visual interest. Try using different camera angles or movement of the camera or actor to spice things up for scenes like this. I know that was not what you want to hear but I say it to push you to be better and progress with your work and skill. Keep working at it! Best of luck to you. Alex
  6. I'm very much looking forward to using (hopefully buying) the CION. I think I've figured out a more cost effective configuration of the CION by forgoing the AJA Pak media cards and reader and get the Atomos Shogun monitor/recorder for roughly the same price. The Shogun will record 4K at least at 30p to ProRes HQ or CinemaDNG RAW on 2 SSDs or SSHDs of my choosing. Now I have my most used frame rates and preferred codecs plus a great field monitor. (You could go with an Odyssey 7Q for a more money but then your stuck using another proprietary media card) Zacuto's Gratical OLED EVF looks like a promising addition for the CION but that's another $3k. After talking in person with the guys from AJA a few times they have yet to confirm anything about the ISO range and also if there will be an ability to use different picture profiles such as Sony's S-LOG 2 or Canon's C-Log. They have axed the ability for 3D LUTs however. It was disappointing to see that there is only one media card slot rather than two for hot swappable media. At the end of the day you can spend less than $15k and have a killer 4K camera that feels and acts like a real camera. The Blackmagic URSA is much cheaper but has HUGE drawbacks for me and my usual production needs. For me, the CION is the sub $20k camera to have (final conclusion will be made once we get the final production specs and actual footage to view).
  7. Very interesting, on the cheap solution. Might just have to play with this one to see what you can get. David, I agree and would probably approach this very similarly with Kinos if budget allowed. Thank you for sharing your wisdom! I definitely remember using this back in film school. We used the larger 150w CFL bulbs if I remember correctly. Very good alternative and reusable!
  8. I think it all depends on what kind of jobs/projects you are trying to get. Honestly I would have a short 1 minute or so teaser reel and separate 2 to 2 1/2 minute reels for narrative/music video, doc/reality and corporate/industrial. It's a little more work but, just like a resume, it's better to have something more inline with the job you are getting more so than something with a broad approach to showcasing work. Those are my thoughts. Best of luck and happy shooting! Alex
  9. Let us know when the new one is done. Would love to see it.
  10. I agree with David. Lighting always, always should support the story. Look at the subject's eyes and watch for the reflections of the lighting setup. To me, it looks light they had a space light hung from overhead (probably a 1K or 2K with a skirt), the visible kicker from camera left and a light on the background (looks like it might even be backlighting the background material). There might be a fill light or bounce coming from camera right. It's going to be a challenge to get the same results with the lighting you listed above. Using one Dedo as the left kicker is the easy part. You could hang one from above and aim the other hitting the background with one soft boxes but I'm not sure the ratios will work out well. You'll probably have to get the top light pretty close to the subject's head. I'd suggest borrowing or renting lights with higher output and soft light. What camera are you shooting with? With only 450w of light your camera will need to have good low light performance to work with only the Dedo lights.
  11. What shot? There is no reference photo or link visible in your post.
  12. I've got mine from Bolt Productions (2 HSs and 2 LSs) and Electric Light & Power Co. has the older PRG versions which have much larger ballasts than the current Cineo ones (also at a higher rate if my memory serves me right). I've been putting the bug in the ear of some of the MPS and MLD Video guys to get some (especially the Mavericks and Matchstix). MPS, I'm sure, has different gear scattered among their various branches and simply ship gear when needed elsewhere. As these Cineo lights are newer products and let's say only the Dallas branch gets them in stock they may want to see how well they rent before telling the other branches. Or they could just be selfish and don't want to share! Haha. Just a guess. :)
  13. Rob, Look at their new (soon to be released) Maverick in this video starting at 3:28. It also shows the matchstix, Foton2 and TruColor HS in action. I'm not a fan of ballasts either. The Maverick does not have a ballast, only an Anton Bauer or V mount battery plate and dimmer knob. It has an output of a 1K (9000 lumens). No Litepanel or similar 1x1 LED boats that kind of output or soft light quality. Changing the phosphor panels to a different color temp would take less time than putting on a soft box and closer to time of adding a gel. (which you can gel these as well if need be) When first I picked up a Litepanel 1x1 it felt like a toy and the output was underwhelming, especially for the price. The build quality of the Litepanels has always been a huge disappointment to me and where Cineo's lights feel super solid enough to last years. I'd encourage you to rent a few and see what I'm talking about. I truly believe this remote phosphor technology has a huge leg up on LED fixtures.
  14. The Photon Beard is a Redhead derivative. So it is open faced and can be modified via barn doors and the like. It is not a fresnel type fixture. Cineo has the Foton2 which uses the remote phosphor technology and has interchangeable bayonet-style reflector barrels. That's the closest remote phosphor fixture to having focusable light.
  15. Just found one more manufacturer: Photon Beard http://www.photonbeard.com/ Their remote phosphor version of a standard redhead, the PhotonBeam 80, is claimed to be released at the end of July 2014. Glad to see another maker in the works.
  16. Having used the Cineo LS and HS before, I agree with what David said. These Cineo fixtures completely blow LitePanels (and all other LED fixtures) away in output, CRI, build quality and light quality all while sharing the same benefits of LED fixtures (dimmable, low power consumption/batter power option, small form factor, low heat emission). The phosphor panels are much easier and faster to change than Kino lamps. The Cineo lights are super soft and natural and fantastic with skin tones. If I were to go out and buy a light kit today the majority of them will be Remote Phosphor lights. Cineo has a CRI comparison of their products to many popular fixtures here: http://www.cineolighting.com/index.php/pages/light_lab/103 I can confirm that this is an accurate portrayal and not a stilted promotional hype tool. Cineo just announced at NAB 2014 a battery power version of their LS called the Maverick with slightly less output. Also, their Matchstix line of small 3", 6" & 12" strips that can squeeze nearly anywhere. I've made an album of Remote Phosphor and Plasma lighting videos on Vimeo.com to share the news from the mouths of the manufacturers and reps here: https://vimeo.com/album/2929456 The only makers I know of at this time are: Cineo Lighting (formerly with PRG) http://www.cineolighting.com BBS Lighting http://www.bbslighting.com Hive Lighting http://www.hivelighting.com I've seen the BBS Area 48 in person but have yet to use one myself. They also look fantastic! Hope to get to use an Area 48 and some of Hive's fixtures soon.
  17. Happy to lend my feedback to a fellow cinematographer! I'm glad you liked my reel. Cheers! Alex
  18. Matt, You've got some really beautifully shot and lit work. Here's my opinion and personal advice based on the above video. It is way too long for a reel and especially long for someone just out of university. However, most of the shots look very strong for someone just out of university. There is definitely skill and talent in your work. Try to keep your reel down to 2:00 to 2:30. I had a longer reel before and shortened my most recent one (vimeo.com/98841998) to 2:06 and have had much better response. Trim off any shot that doesn't represent your best work or serves a specific purpose (i.e. showing your diversity) With most viewers you have 30 seconds to make an impression so your best shots must compile most of that time. Some of the shots you chose (like 0:17, 0:35, 2:07, 2:49) I did not find visually interesting compared to the rest of your work. Make your shot lengths shorter unless specifically needed to showcase a camera move or lighting change. The beautifully lit shot (love the use of red) at 1:29 through 1:49 is a full 20 seconds. Despite it's beauty I found myself ready to move onto the next shot in the context of watching a reel. Well done overall! Refine it a bit and this can be killer. Would love to hear your thoughts on my reel. Happy shooting! Alex www.alexfuerst.com
  19. <iframe src="//player.vimeo.com/video/98841998?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&color=ff8820" width="1277" height="718" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>
  20. I really like the scene with the girl and the old man. Alex www.alexfuerst.com
  21. Chris Very nice work. I would recommend a different choice of music to fit your style better and aid your visuals. Keep shooting! Alex www.alexfuerst.com
  22. Brady, Here is my opinion. I think the music choice makes it feel too amateur and does not aid the visuals. The fish head shot is not strong and would recommend not using it. There are a few shots that look like they have not been graded and would pop much better once graded. The shots that stood out to me the most were the opening shot (great opener), the toy boat shots were fantastic, and the dancer in the chair. Make this shorter by 30 seconds by trimming down shots that are too long and cutting everything but your best shots. Keep shooting! Best of luck. Alex www.alexfuerst.com
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