Marcos Cooper

In looking up the 2707 I learned that in the silent era cinematographers sometimes varied the frame rate based on the scene unfolding before them. If they felt an audience might be bored by a scene, they cranked more slowly to speed up the action. If the scene deserved more attention they would crank faster to give it a less rushed pace.

Relationships. The book is instructive on the key role that relationships play in moviemaking. Nothing about how fast to turn the crank on your Bell & Howell 2709.

The advice on how to light bathrooms is worth $32.75 all by itself. Consider the other 13 chapters of advice, schematics, and anecdotes as a free bonus My favorite tidbit: Plug your cable into the power and then connect it it to the lighting instrument, not the other way around.

Just finished Don Coscarelli's True Indie: Life and Death in Filmmaking and it is indispensable for the budding filmmaker. While he reveals some of the special effects from his masterpieces like Phantasm, the important lesson in this book is his explanation on how to build the relationships that will pave the way to a more enriching filmmaking career. Coscarelli was the typical indie success story. He grew up in Long Beach in the 60s and 70s, began building his base of collaborators in elementary school, and like others of that era, he continued to live with his parents long past the point of embarrassment. But the main lesson from the book is how maintaining childhood friendships turned into a network of collaborators that sustain him to this day. It's a fun read as an audiobook and overall is a much better guide into thinking like a filmmaker than, say, Robert Evans' The Kid Stays In The Picture: A Notorious Life.

Shooting in public: I don’t know how it works in the UK but in the U.S. you can often make your life easier by talking to the local authorities a day or two beforehand, let them know what you’re doing and what hours. Police are very respectful of rank so get the name of the watch commander or sergeant in charge. That way, if you get hassled you can say “Sgt. Smith gave us his approval yesterday” If you want to be a filmmaker you have to learn as much as you can about human psychology. For instance, even though it’s legal to shoot, most police officers have a zillion laws and policies to keep team of as well as their personal lives, so laws regarding filmmaking in public may have slipped to the bottom of their mental inventory.

L. Roy Hunt

Having tried this, it's remarkably difficult to get enough water down to keep the street consistently wet, roads are higher in the middle so the water runs off, plus the dust and dirt on the road will soak up quite a bit of water as well. Plan on hosing for at least 20 minutes before you get sufficient wettitude. And then, of course, you'll have to rewet as needed. I would recommend a couple of RainBirds or one of those waving back and forth lawn sprinklers that will shoot a defined pattern and don't need tending.

Could you explain what the cinematographer is doing in this show to make it look so stunning? Prescription: Murder shot by two-time Oscar winner Ray Rennahan is a made-for-TV movie featuring the first appearance of Peter Falk as Columbo. Rennahan was in his early 70s when he shot it and some of the scenes do have a bit of a stage play vibe yet it is still extremely watchable. Why is this such a standout? You can watch it on IMDB's streaming service

Or watch this, starring the most patient woman in the universe.

The background keeps changing from too bright to borderline dim and almost never matches the color temp of the main lights. The key light isn't soft enough so you're getting those ugly forehead highlights. The kicker/rimlight is too bright and it's burning out the sides of the actor's faces. The DOF being too shallow didn't bother me until you pointed it out but it's one of the many little things that ruins the effect.

That question certainly touched a nerve. But to circle back around; I'm building a second career but I'm old, even older than David Mullen and I need to streamline my working process. So...sticking with Vittorio's colors—using them as a way to limit the number of gels I have to order and keep track of in my head—is it a viable idea? Or would I be dooming myself to constant failure?

Would limiting myself to using only the 9 or 10 Storaro gels from Rosco be a reasonable creative strategy for maximizing visual impact while streamlining the decision process? (With the exception of CTB, CTO, and CTS, of course). Are his colors versatile enough to tell every kind of story, convey every emotion? Why? I’m exhausted. Between Lee, Rosco, Apollo, and GAM there are thousands of gel colors available. But I’m old as old can be and don’t have time to learn the nuances of so many options before I’m dead. Plus, Vittorio is a much greater genius than most of us...

holy cow.