Dylan Sunshine Saliba

I wanted to get your opinions on my reel. I respect this community SO VERY much!

I believe it's a matter of class. I call myself "Director of Photography" because I'm not afraid to sweat with the grunts in the trenches. When I can sit with a clear conscious in the air conditioned room with the rest of upper management, I feel I'll then be a cinematographer. Call me crazy.

Exposure is a compromise, especially when shooting 'available light'.

Well said!

Close but that is timelapse and the actors just moved very slowly here (I think)

Did you look at this link?

https://fstoppers.com/video/video-timelapse-real-time-5967

They composited the skaters into the background. It's very subtle at first but the clouds gave it away for me.

Also, it's only about ten or fifteen shots that actually do it.

First time I've heard the term "hyperlapse"...

You are still a cinematography god in my eyes Mr. Mullen!

Kinda like this?

https://fstoppers.com/video/video-timelapse-real-time-5967

Hello all filmmakers in the South Puget Sound area. I wanted to let you know about the Olympia Film Collective. We are a group of independent filmmakers that meet once a month (on the second Sunday) to help each other out with our various projects. The website is olyfilm.com and we love to meet hard working, creative people that want to make excellent independent cinema!

 

My understanding is a "hyperlapse" is a timelapse that moves a specific amount per interval. As to the OP, it's just a matter of matching foreground lighting (green screen footage) with the background images (your hyperlapse) to get the cleanest composite. Or I'm just over simplifying things....

I helped my friend a tiny bit on his first documentary. I think he did a really good job on telling a story. What do you guys think?

 

I've actually noticed a lot more CFL and LED rather than tungsten installed in the standard fixtures these days. They render the hand squeezer unusable. I have a few tungsten and cree LED's that are dimmable that I usually wind up switching out bulbs with. Nice tip with the tips n' streaks!

I feel like the chain of command is an extremely important part. "It's the chain I go get and beat you with until you realize I'm in ruttin command!" (Jane from Firefly). I feel the DoP is the right hand of the director and the 1st AD is the left hand. All parts need to work together to make it happen. I feel I should support the director's vision with my decisions and actions. I also feel responsible for the crew in a kinship that only happens in foxholes and trenches. I try my best to subtly voice concerns to the director from the crew, but that is met with mixed reactions. Making movies is war!

I really enjoyed the latest season of "Project Greenlight". Also, "The Great British Baking Show" was a refreshing bit of positivity in a cooking competition show. I also have guilty pleasure in "Ballers" and "iZombie".

We tried this in one of the shots from a short (

)we did earlier this year. The shot at 0:48 we had a Movi set up with a C100 and a Canon 16-35 F2.8 on it recording externally to an odyssey. It was a little heavy for the movi, but we made it work. We used the remote for the movi to slowly tilt down then whip tilt back up while hand operating the dolly and jib movement. A little clunky and it needed to be enhanced in post anyways, like Mr. Mullen suggested. Hindsight being 20/20 I would have given the movi operator more time to properly balance the setup, but that would have only made it smoother, not faster for the whip.

Here it is! My debut feature! Just a quick sizzle while the rest gets finished shooting. Three days of pick ups and it's in the can! Please let me know what you think!

 

most important.. have fun !

VERY key factor! because if you're not having fun....what's the friggin point?!?

If you know your locations, it can be easier to start the shot list. Depending on the director (some like to shot list with you, some like YOU to make the shot list) you can go ahead and start roughing in the shot list from the script and the look that the director requested. For me, I like to use the shot list as a battle plan (no battle has ever gone according to plan). This will let the AD know roughly what is needed per day in gear, crew and actors. Then you'll need to make sure that data integrity will be kept throughout the workflow, from cam to delivery. This is just my personal approach to the situation. I'm sure there are MUCH more experienced DPs to chime in with better workflows.

Hello

 

I'm an amateur filmmaker...I've been using Final Cut 4.5 on a Mac G5 for about 4 years now (got it from a friend). It works for what I do (shoot in Super 8, edit on digital) but I'm thinking I should get an upgrade...my friend suggested a mac mini but I don't know if Final Cut Pro would work and I've read negative things about them and about Final Cut Pro 10. So is there some other software and computer I should use? I like macs, I have to say...I hope this is an ok topic, I'm not fishing for Apple or anything!

 

Thanks

 

Gary

First thing, CONGRATULATIONS on making that setup work for you for so long! That was ancient when you got it four years ago! I completely second Tyler's suggestion. 3.1 macpro or better and you'll be in heaven. FCP7 is pretty cheap if you can find it. If not, Adobe Premiere Pro CC seems to be where most are headed if not going to the FCPX camp. I personally edited on a macmini in 2010 for a year and it worked just fine for my needs. I had to hack FCP7 to work on it with only 64mb VRAM instead of the 128 mb needed, but the performance hit was minimal with the content I was working with. The mac pro is much more robust, upgradeable and "futureproof". There isn't really anything that is actually future proof when it comes to computers, but 64 bit intel processor chips for a mac is a great start.

Once you personally know friends and colleagues who have been killed, maimed, or put in harm's way on set for no good reason, it's hard not to get angry about that kind of nonsense.

 

Well, consider the source... I'm hoping your AD wasn't on the "Midnight Rider" crew? It's just a movie folks, no one should get hurt playing make believe.

Yes indeed sir, I KNEW that comment wasn't going to go over well considering those knuckleheads poor choices. Hindsight being 20/20 and all.

 

 

 

David has been practising his profession with, er, whatever I'm allowed to call it, for 25 years. He never makes personal remarks and what he has to say is always worth taking on board. Every word of it. Including the 'p' word.

 

And Mr. Dunn, I would sooner poke my eyes out than go against anything Mr. Mullen ASC contributes. From what I've read of his posts, consummate professional doesn't even begin to describe the level he is on and the respect he deserves...I was trying to quote the OP from an earlier post, however I'm not too slick with these dang ole fancy 'puters. You kids with your hulu hoops and Zima!

"I hear the word "passion" being thrown around all the time. What is passion? Have you looked up its definition? Or have you shaped your own definition in your head and decided it applied to me? Let me give you its proper definition, and believe me this one little word has many. And this is THE number one use of the word.

Definition #1
any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate.

This is the part where I don't have to answer to you in that regard. You see I do have passion. My passion is to be the best mother**(obscenity removed)**ing filmmaker I can be. And I have intense emotions about that, because I am struggling with the technical poop. Being technical is the hub of all filmmaking of all creativity. Without any kind of technical ability, the work will fail abysmally. everything just becomes stifled and nothing will come through clearly. I haven't been smart by doing everything myself, and it's time to break away from that. I can do better, I have to allow the right opportunity where I have the proper funds and time to express my ideas.

Thanks for the feedback, i just didn't like the passion part. I mean you don't know me in that perspective."

 

 

As Cecil B. Demented said "Are you prepared to DIE for cinema?" That is what I personally take for passion. My AD said he is prepared to break his legs. You gotta REALLY want it, not just hobby on the side want it. I'll take it if it's convenient kinda attitude. Creativity comes from limitations. You need to study paintings and sculpture. You need to have activities like fencing or chess. "Technical poop" comes with proper experience listening to and learning from seasoned professionals.

How about using two flame bars in front of camera? Split them left and right as the camera moves past them, Citizen Kane style.

Thank you Mr. Murashige! That's sounds like a great idea!

A long zoom lens would work. Has the added benefit of keeping the fire/flame effect in frame for the whole shot.

Definitely my first thought too Satsuki! I have the Canon 70-200mm F2.8 IS that I'm planning on using at about 135mm F5.6. I was really hoping there is some trick shot to take it "through" the flames.

Hello all you wonderful cinematic minds out there!

Olympia Washington here and I'm hoping to get some input and a solution on this. I'm shooting a beyond micro budget feature in the fall and I've got this in the screenplay:

"EXT. CAMPFIRE IN FOREST - EVENING

Moving through a campfire to young mans face."

My first impulse is to set up the jib with a longer lens and have two grips hold a steel plate to cover the fire as I go over, but that will change the light coming from the fire. I could also rig some sort of protection plate under the camera and jib, but I would prefer not to add more weight than is needed on the jib. I also have a "danadolly like" DIY dolly that is six feet of straight track. I guess I could go past the fire and pan with the subject.

I'm shooting with a C100 and I've got a selection of decent glass, so if anyone has ANY ideas how to pull this shot off, PLEASE help!

Thanks for looking!

Dylan

So at 60 frames per second for smoother motion (which will be done in post), the shutter speed of the camera should be changed 1/120 (72), or should I leave it at 1/48? If I change the shutter speed from 1/48 at 60fps to 1/120, will that remove the smooth motion effect required for slow motion in post?

Definitely up the shutter speed to 1/120th ballpark for the high speed shots. You'll need more light or ISO as your exposure will drop about 1 1/3 stops. If your just conforming the clip in post, this setting should be fine. If your using twixtor or some other plug in, you can actually crank up the shutter speed even more to get sharper frames for the plugin to interpolate better in post. The math works out to double your frame rate (or target simulated twixtor frame rate) equals what your shutter speed should be for the standard 180 degree shutter angle look.

Beautiful images! Great color! My only critique would be a couple images were pushed a little far ISO wise. They still work very well and your on top of your game! Maybe you wanted the grain in there...but then we are getting into more artistic taste at that point. Keep up the great work is the moral of my post!