Logan Schneider

Thanks for the list David. I have a feeling a few of these have interesting stories attached... Logan Schneider DP Bozeman, MT

I heard that Terminator 2 was 70% ADR. And then who knows how much time they spent doing foley for Ah-nold's huge muscles. Logan Schneider DP Bozeman, MT

The same thing was happening with Dalsa at the cinegear masterclass last year when it was taking it's turn after the 435, d-20 and genesis. They were hard selling everything. A VERY accomplished dp friend of mine was asking to see the image on the monitors that we had seen all the other cameras on. He likes to light to a perfect monitor when he shoots digital. He asked to view what was happening on the monitor, the dalsa rep told him that they hadn't brought the downconverter because, with the metadata world, you don't need one. My friend said that he liked to have a monitor. The rep kept saying, 'no, you don't need that. this way is better.' In the end, when we all watched the footage from the four cameras at Laser Pacific, Dalsa had rendered the footage at the wrong settings and it was unwatchable. Makes you think someone should have had a monitor... It seems that the people with the least usable, unfinished cameras lay down the thickest BS. The Arri and Panavision reps were great. They were honest and realistic about the limitations of their product. They've been in the game long enough to understand that their product isn't perfect and that to lie to people is just going to hurt them once appraisals come out of the real product. If Red works, then great, but I think that hardselling everything and not admitting to the possibility of anything being less than perfect is just a sign of insecurity and desperation to be loved. If you build it, they will come. But take your head out of your ass until you have something real to show.

whoops. I didn't mean to show my secret stealth SR3. here's the normal one.

here's my SR3. I don't have a picture of my S.

Ballhaus owns two full Arricam packages. I seriously doubt that they were free. I seem to remember his ebay equipment listings talking about him selling his 535 so that he could upgrade to Arricams. It has become much harder to own equipment and make your money back for top dps. The cameras are so expensive, and then the lenses and accessories keep changing. Many who enjoyed owning cameras now just rent becuase of the huge prices. These include Deakins, Fauer, and many others. Bill Bennet did just upgrade to a 435 extreme with a full set of ultra primes, but there's not many who can make that sort of money back. He had to build a vault for insurance reasons.

Federico I don't have access to the z1 footage right now. It was an interview for a doc. I just lit it really softly and tried to stay near the end of the zoom to keep the depth of field down. Then the classic softs (a #1) gave the skin a milky texture and gave the background a more out of focus feel without making the woman look diffused. Really amazing filters. It was only the second shoot I've done with the camera, and the first was on a white cyc, so it was interesting to see what it can do in a natural light situation. We were lighting to a small HD monitor which helped a HUGE amount. I could really see exactly where the exposure fell off, which was very important to the look I was going for. The onboard LCD is a bit of a disaster. I've been shooting almost exclusively film for a while, so it was really a fun experience seeing exactly what are getting. It allowed me to push to the edge of the exposure level. On the other hand, if I went a little far doing the same thing on film I could most likely pull back some information that was hidden on the negative. Anyway, I'd love to see the trailer and I'll post a still if I can get my hands on one. I'll put up a reel, too, next time I get one together. Logan Schneider dp Bozeman, MT

Federico I think that the lighting in these stills is very stylish and well done. I especially like the old man. The lighting does remind me of the sort of hard lighting used on old James Bond films, which it seems like you were going for. Do you have any actual frames from the shoot? I'd like to see what these look like through the Z1. (I don't know if you're interested, but I just did a shoot with the z1 and I used schneider classic softs to give the skin that milky feel that film has. Just a thought.) I really like the card scene. The softlight on their faces is really nice. The kick on the main character's face seems a bit unnatural. Also, it seems that there is a bit too much light on the background. You could probably hit both birds with one stone by pulling the table further from the wall. This way your soft light will fall off and seperate your actors from the background. Also, it would give you more room to make the kick hit all of the actors. The only still that I didn't like as much was the last one. the room looks a bit overlit. There is a lack of contrast. One thing you could do is bring in a big black negative fill on the right side of the frame so that you get good blacks in your shadows. It seems like you were trying to go for a well lit feel, but I would just suggest trying to keep contrast in the frame. One technique that works well is something called 'key-side fill'. This means having the fill be on the side of the fill light, so that all of the light is still coming from the same direction and the blacks are still good on the shadow side. As for the little tiff going on between you and Evan, get over it. Both of you. Both of you are doing good work. Both of you should be above this sort of thing. Just say you're sorry. Nothing is more important betwen dps than respect. Insults demean yourself and this forum. There is no need to compete. Logan Schneider DP Bozeman, MT

Federico yes this is an open forum. I would just suggest trying to have a more constructive approach when you critique someone. People come here and put their work up so that people will show them ways to improve it. I'm not saying that you should say something is good that you didn't like. I'm saying that if you are going to say that something is bad, you should have a suggestion about how to improve those things. Also, I'm sure that you can find something about the reel that you like. Mention that. Find the things that are right about it. Show people what works so that they can build on that. This is an open forum, but it is a forum design to help people learn. If you just rip on someone's work, all you are doing is making yourself feel better at the expense of someone else. Logan Schneider DP Bozeman, MT

Federico I don't know where you learned how to critisize someone, but I suggest you work on it. Nothing that you said could be of any use to someone trying to develop their skills as a DP or for someone trying to make a reel. I have a feeling that you're not exactly Conrad Hall at this point in your career, so if you posted a reel you would not find the type of post that you made in any way helpful. Quite possibly it would be hurtful. If you mention a problem, have a suggestion for a solution. It's a good skill to have as a dp. Evan I thought that the reel that you put together was a wonderful start. There are some beautiful shots in it. I especially liked the ones from the period piece that had rich contrast, lit by windows from the side. In some of the other shorts there were some shots where the light felt a little too direct and overlit from the front. This could be helped by diffusion or pulling the actors away from the wall so that the light is not as direct and does not create unsightly shadows on the background. Most of all, trust your eye when you're shooting. What I liked most was that it felt like many of the shots were definitely part of telling a story. They weren't just pretty. There was obviously information being delivered to the audience. The reel is longer than it needs to be I think. I think that reels that dwell to long on each project feel like they don't have enough variety. I would keep it short. As for the music, if it feels right to you, it's right. Logan Schneider DP Bozeman, MT

I've been shooting film for a few years now and it still scares me. I think that that's part of the fun of it. I don't know exactly what I'm getting until I see it, but that makes me think twice and double check everything. In the end I think that my work comes from a deeper part of me when I'm shooting film. Over time I have learned to trust the film. I've learned to light with my eyes and how to decide my exposure and trust the film to reflect what I'm trying to feel. Film has a subconscious aspect to it. Now I am beginning to be able to do the same thing with video, to approach it the same way. I seem to recall Rodrigo Prieto, ASC AMC talking about one of the things that he likes about bleach bypass being that he didn't really always know what he's getting. I like that I'm scared when I'm waiting for the film. It tells me that I'm pushing myself. As for reliability, I have a DP friend who had a huge Navy destroyer waiting on him for 3 hours because his DVX-100s shut down from humidity. If film cameras are anything, they're durable. Good luck on your project. Logan Schneider DP Bozeman, MT

The fact that Arri and Aaton are both releasing new super 16 cameras attests to his longevity. I recently talked to Jon Fauer about what a good investment was in film gear. I thought that with the new digital cameras 35mm lenses would be the best choice. He suggested super 16. SRs and XTRs can be bought at a fraction of their original cost. I got a good deal on an SR3 and that's not something that's going to happen everyday. However, Super 16 is more attainable and viable than ever. I work in a small market, and my camera is something of a unique commodity. I have people in LA who would hire me and my camera a lot if I was there, though I wouldn't be able to charge as much. Here in MT shipping is expensive, so it provides a buffer for rental costs. If there's something I don't have I just tell them I have it and sublet. Most importantly, I think it is critical to know exactly why you are buying a package. I bought mine for experience, and it has given me a lot. I get to shoot B-camera or dp on smaller shoots and I've done a lot more assisting on jobs that I never would have been on otherwise. Now those same people call me to assist on 35mm jobs. I expect to be paying back my camera for years, but at the same time my reel is a hell of a lot better than it would have been and I am much more experienced as a dp and as an assistant. Also, when I get enough short ends together I go and shoot other projects that are interesting to me.

I've had my SR3 for a year and a half and I haven't had a problem with the camera. Crazy directors? yes. Camera? Perfect. Just read the Jon Fauer book or have the rental house take you through it. Logan Schneider dp Bozeman, MT

From what I've heard the primary reason for the 416 was a desire for a brighter viewfinder and video tap. The magazines will not be compatable with SRs. It's a whole new design, but it won't put sr3s out of work. Logan Schneider dp

A friend of mine was gaffing for the Al Giddings,the underwater DP on Titanic, (JP also gaffed Northfork for David Mullin). One night he was about to leave long after everyone else had gone home and he saw Jim Cameron working alone, painting a set. That's passion. Logan Schneider

I bought an SR3 a year and a half ago. There were several reasons for this. Firstly, I wanted to gain experience. So far I have been able to shoot or assist on many jobs that I would not have had if I had not owned the camera. Also, because of this my reel is all film. While it would probably be good to have some HD on there, at least there is no DV. Secondly, I wanted to be able to shoot my own projects without having to spend too much money on rentals. Third, super 16mm has more economic staying power than video formats. As a result the camera is worth more today than when I bought it. The last year or two has had a resurgence in Super 16mm, and prices reflect that. Another incentive was the ability to buy filters and accesories that will hold their value for years. Another major consideration was my geographic location. I live in Montana, and my camera is a unique commodity here. Most shoots in the area done on super 16mm use my camera because it is cheaper not to ship equipment in. I've rented it in CA, but most of the work it gets is here in Montana. I got a good deal on my package. I would probably have and xtr+ or an SR2 if I hadn't found this camera, but even then most of the factors would be the same. I've got $50000 (US) in my package and I think that it was worth every penny. Logan Schneider DP Bozeman, MT

I saw the test with the Genesis, D-20 and 435 Extreme. The Genesis seems to have a CCD flaw that resulted in a vertical streaking from the candles that were in the test. I was told that they are working on it though. I didn't think the colors were that great on the D-20, so I guess it's a give and take. (the film looked the best, although what I noticed about the film later during the timing was that it has so much more range for manipulation.) Slight streaking problem or not, the Genesis is pretty amazing. A friend of mine is shooting a TV show with it right now and he loves it. He is more than happy. Logan Schneider DP www.thedmp.com

I've shot snowboarding for years. I think that MackDawg and Standard Films and Teton Gravity Research mostly use 7245 for daytime. Mackdawg never films below 32fps. I would say use 7218 for night. I recently saw Jesse Burtner and some other AK riders filming on a rail at night with work lights, which was enough for exposure, but if you want to really light a scene then I would suggest getting an ARRI kit. Exposing for snow, I use an incident light meter and usually take a reading with half of the ball in the sun and half in shadow. I shield the bottom of the ball to block the reflection of the snow. I hope this helps. Logan Schneider DP

searching for bobby fischer

I think that the beauty of the 235 is being able to handhold all day and rig anywhere. For commercials and music videos it lets you get closer, easier. Michael Bay bought one for "the Island" and used it constantly. What I don't understand is how Arri can justify pricing the one sided follow focus (FF-1) at around $5000. Logan Schneider DP

"Sex and Lucia" is available in just about any video store in the US. I thought it looked great, especially since they were dealing with the Mediterranean sun. Good movie, too. Logan Schneider DP

Most of the sets I've visited that were shooting super16 use SR3s. I've heard that doc people like Aatons but all the BBC type people that I know all swear by ARRI for its ruggedness. I started with an ARRI S because it is a tank. $2500 for a good package. Daylight spools are great for learning without spending too much. Try to get the Crystal motor that Tobin makes and one of the old Zeiss 10-100 zooms. The Angeniux mine came with always vignetted at wierd times. I have a friend who used to use his BL a lot, but because of the blimped lenses it can be a hassle. He had it cleaned well enough that it was as quiet as almost any SR1 I've used. Logan Schneider DP

"Badass", shot by Robert Primes, ASC was a good example of an HD release even though the budget was low. A lot of people couldn't tell that is wasn't film when it was screened at Panavision. He has a cameo too, in a scene where they are watching dailies. He won what I believe is still the only ASC award for HD for the pilot of "MDs". Logan Schneider DP

What video format did you telecine to? Whenever I have to transfer super16mm to dvcam I want to cry because on the HD monitor it is pristine and once it's on video it looks like it went through vietnam. Logan Schneider DP

does anyone know a lab that can read Arricode? It seems that no one can do it anymore. Fotokem said that they have a machine gathering dust, but they would only bring it out for a feature or other large production. It seemed like a good idea, though I do understand that Aatoncode is much more durable. Logan Schneider DP