Jon Kline

You can hide a lot of reflections behind solids, including crew and equipment you might not want to move. They are also very useful when you want to show the reflection of your talent while isolating them from the reflected background.

This can be so challenging. Some suggestions: If your camera is at eye level, if you keep the lights high, their reflection can usually be out of frame. For rooms with low ceilings, linear lights like tubes can help with this. Avoid shooting perpendicular to any window, or you'll see yourself. Daytime is much more forgiving that night shots. If you intentionally blow out the sky, you can usually hide a light reflection in that part of the frame, since you can't get brighter than white. If you use box-shaped soft lights and make a window frame "cookie" with tape, it can sometimes look like you're seeing the reflection of another window, instead of a light. Lighting a scene with practical lights means that the reflections at least won't ruin the illusion (although they may still ruin the composition). 90-degree corners are "retro-reflective" meaning that they will *always* reflect right back to you no matter what horizontal angle you get them from. If you're seeing the camera in a 90-degree corner, the only solve is to obscure the camera, obscure the corner, or shoot from an extreme low/high angle. If you're planning on shooting through the glass, bring a polarizer and a ton of large solids.

Back then, cameras couldn't switch between NTSC and PAL, so some of those model numbers may be PAL (25 fps) versions. I believe the A, P, and AP are all US versions, though. There was also an HVX-205 which was an incremental improvement. As long as you have the right power, they should all support 24 or 23.976 fps anyway. They really were incredible cameras for the time. I remember always shooting either wide open or using insane ground glass adapters to get more control over depth of field. "Budget film look" was such a hassle back then. At this point, I don't know what the media situation is like. Make sure you plan for a few P2 cards. The series doesn't have SDI outs, so you'll be stuck converting from analog HD if you want an external recorder.

Are there two versions of this lens? I think the only one I've seen before has a much different zoom ring.

Looks like a cool app, but $13.99 is a lot. Is there any chance you can get camera rental shops to pay for it instead? If a company like Keslow bought you out, they could make it free in the US and use it to create new orders automatically.

Don't make the mistake of assuming price is the only thing that matters. I've had three different agents. The first one disappeared when I had trouble with my claim. The second one gave me bad advice about what risks to cover. The third one costs more on paper, but has already saved me a ton by pairing me with the right coverage from reputable companies.

If you work with crews from varying locations, they will all have varying expectations (and language!) for what they want to use. If I were getting started in the lighting, grip, and electric category, I'd put my emphasis on the less glamorous stuff that people never fly with: c-stands, sand bags, a 24x36 flag kit, clamps, and a crate of 20-amp stingers. Then LED lighting (probably something from LiteMat, LitePanels, or Quasar). Tungsten is great and I use it often, but I wouldn't buy any more. If you really like shooting with it, wait until the big rental shops have their sales/auctions, and pick up whatever you like at a bargain basement price. In my experience, any tungsten bigger than a 2K tends to go for super cheap.

I'm expecting my Alexa Mini LF soon. It's a big jump for me from owning FS7s. I work as a DP/owner operator and own a small-market camera rental shop, too. Most of my cinema camera gigs are commercials and ultra low budget narrative. I'm wondering what accessories make the most sense for me to put next on my list. It will be a few years before I can take on another monstrous expense like Signature Primes, but there are lots of "smaller" items I'm guessing clients will ask for or expect? What accessories should I have that make operating easier? Have you gone the Arri path for accessories, like the WCU and WVT, or third party? Do you feel strongly about going one way or the other? What items can wait and which do I need to have ASAP? Will clients look at me crazy if I suggest shooting on cinema primes that cost less than a luxury car? I'm asking this specifically in a non-branded forum to avoid the rabid fanboy responses. :-)

When shooting something more traditional I'll usually make sure that the front of the face key side is in 70-75 IRE as viewed in REC709. When you want the dramatic edge light look, you can go darker (45-65 maybe) and give yourself room for contrast without blowing out highlights. It will look dramatic but the down side is things are harder to discern. If what you're doing is demonstrative, it probably needs to be brighter. In log, the numbers are different but the philosophy is the same.

I just realized that in 10 years we will be digitally simulating CMOS smear, and in 20, rolling shutter. ?

You get kind of walled in with the need for an edgy look with the dynamic nature of a live workout. I shot more than 100 follow along workout videos and this was definitely a challenge. If you're doing a shot at a time, just find out what the motion is and light each shot individually. If you have to do the whole thing as if it's live, manage some expectations. Definitely get a sense from your client if the priority is to show the moves or to convey the intensity/emotion/brand. Sometimes they may fall in love with a look, but it has to be modified to suit their goals. things I found were: You can make the background as edgy as possible, with high contrast hard light taking over textured surfaces. Art department is your friend. If you key with a neutral white and edge with a bit of color, it's easier to forgive stray shadows. Don't light to 70 IRE. Fog is helpful, spend the extra for a device that can output a continuous effect.

Grid cloth is great, for sure. You might experiment with some non-standard options and save some money in the process. I've had great luck with huge plastic rolls for diffusing light in greenhouses. You might also consider translum. Sometimes having something with a bit of rigidity and durability helps to build your set pieces.

Since it looked like just two fixtures, and not particularly high wattage, my guess was some LED moving heads. You could do it with whatever is available, but there are a ton of affordable LED heads out there. I own an AV rental shop and have basically gone crazy trying to teach beginners how to set up two or three fixtures on a basic lighting board. It is very simple, kind of. Assuming they can set up truss, hang fixtures safely, run power safely, run DMX cabling or wireless effectively, terminate cable runs, configure appropriate DMX addresses, and operate a board is probably too much for most novices. If you are comfortable with lights and you have a willingness to learn and time, no problem.

That is definitely moving head LED fixtures. It looks pretty small, maybe just two lights and a controller, plus fog. If you don't know DMX, it's probably easiest to hire a grip who does. You could rent a kit like that for under $500 for the day where I'm from.