Daniel Arriola

My main issue with your post was that you insisted that even though you have no experience and are willing to do anything. There are a number of areas you feel would be beneath someone of your stature. Areas that many professionals work for years to get into. There's only one direction to adjust your expectations, and that would be downward.

 

Sure lot's of US/CDN film schools take in foreign students, to be students. An internship is entirely different, it is not being a student enrolled in a program.

 

R,

Ok, no. I never said TV or office jobs were beneath me. I simply said I preferred something in the film industry, specifically production because that's what I like the most. You all say it's nearly impossible to get there, OK, I get it. I asked for everyone's advice because I had no clue if it was possible. Now I will start looking at different things for my internship. Anyways, don't say I'm downgrading TV/office people, because I know they've worked pretty hard over the years to get to where they are.

Goodbye.

I think it's great that you're anxious to learn and that's an attitude that will always serve you well. But look at the bigger picture - focus on graduating and take what you can get for now. Plus, an office internship would give you an entirely different perspective to all of the dry but critical elements that are necessary to put a film together. You never know where you may wind up 20 years from now, so getting an intro now would be beneficial.

Thanks Bill, can't argue that. I'm not so sure about it right now but I have a few months to think this over. Anyway your suggestion is highly appreciated.

If you JUST like cameras, you MAY be able to find FREE internship work at a rental house.

Yeah, that might be a nice choice as well after all, bet I could learn a lot there too.

Thanks for all the advice Tyler

 

I'm sorry Daniel, but you're being unreasonable in your request. It won't happen. Never has and never will. You will not be the exception to this rule. I don't mean to sound rude, but someone needs to bring you back into reality.

 

For starters, without experience you will get no where close to a blockbuster film set. They work with experienced people, all the way from the PA to the Producer. They have no interest in training you to be a PA, let alone how to work in the camera department.

 

The directors guild of america has a director-training program that is highly competitive, which allows you to intern with directors on some big projects. But it's hard to get into, and it's not camera department.

 

And then you say 'No TV'. Why, exactly? You do know that TV and films production is practically the same anymore, right? Modern television (minus the sitcoms) are shot single-camera much like any other film production. So, you're essentially saying you wouldn't want to intern on the set of Game of Thrones? You said no TV, so that is out. I think you might mean 'no sitcoms' - which is a different workflow than film for sure, but sitcoms are also probably the easier to get into as a PA due to the strict workflow of the sitcom structure.

 

You sound a lot like I did when I was younger and first came to this forum. Wanting to start off at the top with my name in lights. What that led to was me getting discouraged and abandoning film for over 10 years. Don't follow in my footsteps.

 

My advice for you is this:

 

#1: Go out and write your own shorts. Buy a cheaper camera and shoot them. Then you'll have actual experience working with the camera and actors and things, and that will take you a long way that starting as a PA will not.

 

or

 

#2: Find a smaller or independent film, or even a short film, shooting in your area. VOLUNTEER to to help them out. Not only might you get to actually be involved with production (something you will never do on a union film, at least not as a PA), but you'll have more responsibility.

 

I just got through shooting a commercial where I worked with 3 interns who volunteered their time. I'll be contacting them again with better job prospects on my next fiction project. THAT is how it works in the film industry - be it film or television. You get jobs based on your work history, not rather you were listed as a PA or extra on Batman. You find someone willing to give you a chance, and then you do a good job and stick with them. If you're good, they keep hiring you. If you're lucky and they're lucky, they'll get hired on the blockbuster and then bring you along. If you're really good and lucky, one day you'll take over their spot or move into their position and then you'll start to trend over again by helping those with less experience.

 

Films very much work like a traditional apprenticeship program in a way. To get a job in film, you make friends and do a good job, and then keep getting promoted. The alternative is if you want to be a filmmaker - in which case I'd suggest avoiding working as a PA at all, and start producing your own projects. PA's rarely become producers or directors. Normally, they move up the ranks into other hired set positions like grips, gaffers, etc.

 

In my opinion, there is a difference between wanting to work in the film industry and wanting to be a filmmaker. Filmmakers almost always start out making no budget or lower budget films rather than working on other projects trying to break in. Sure it does happen, but not very often. So first, you might want to ask yourself what you really want to do.

I've been brought back to reality haha, thank you. I know it was too much to ask, but thanks to you guys I've understood a little better how the industry works. And you hit the jackpot regarding what I meant with TV. It was sitcoms and that kind of stuff I don't like. Now I know film and some TV series are shot in a similar way nowadays.

I've shot a couple of films recently, however I need to get an internship in order to graduate, and I just would like to work in something that actually has something to do with being around cameras, busy people, talent, sets, etc. because I know I can learn a lot there. And I'm aware TV can offer me that as well. Thanks for your interest, I would not like to get discouraged about doing what I love.

Have a nice day

 

Your posts are an excellent example of why NO ONE should hire you to do anything, paid or otherwise. You're just a punk kid, and you're not going to get very far in this business. You're welcome for the free advice.

 

R,

 

PS: Good luck getting out of Guatemala. Your country is not part of the VISA waiver program that the USA, Canada, and the UK, have in place.

After reading the other guys' replies I realized that the tiny industry in my country works in a totally different way than Hollywood, I wasn't aware it was THAT hard. Anyway you could've been a little nicer from the beginning, and I could've replied more politely as well.

I didn't get your PS, because Canada actually offers thousands of scholarships in every field of study for Guatemalans (Vancouver Film School is an example), and so does the US, the UK and many other countries, especially in Europe. Many people have the chance to study/work/do internships abroad, trust me. I don't know if you've been here, but we're a pretty cool country, and there are lots of beautiful places yet to be filmed. I have hopes because the industry is rising, but it's still pretty weak.

Well Daniel,

 

I get that you are excited about being able to see your name on the big screen, which is really awesome!

 

However, I would like to know why you wouldn't want to see your name at the end of a TV Series (besides the preference) when, nowadays, the people behind TV Series is as good (or better in some cases) as the people behind Cinema movies.

 

Not only that but also the jobs are absolutely similar and there are many things that you might learn from working on a TV Series that you might not being able to learn from working on a Cinema movie.

 

In terms of cinematography, DPs who work on TV Series have to work really fast and deliver an amazing product for months! So being able to do so while having a good / original sense of aesthetics is very important in a DP.

 

When working on Cinema movies you have more time to discuss angles, framing and all those important things that in a TV Series might not matter the most, however, they do! and the top TV Series DOP's do that in advance and are constantly working many steps ahead in their minds while shooting.

 

Again, big TV Series usually have the same toys as any big Cinema movie, I mean, you have camera cars, technocranes, cable cams, etc.. and you get to use them longer because a season of a TV Series can be made in 11 months (like Vikings) as opposed as a big movie which won't last that long (the longest period of time I have worked on on a movie was 9 months), I think that Star Trek 3 was shot in 7 or 8 months if I remember correctly, but Greg could tell you more about it.

 

Hence, if the preference is because you might think that the camera crew work different, that is not the case!

If you just want to actually learn about how the camera crew work as a team and what they do, both scenarios are super similar.

 

By the way, my internship was in a camera rental house (the best one in Spain at that time) where I was cleaning filters and learning how to use film cameras (HD was starting back then).. and after some months doing so, an American production came to test a new digital camera at that time and they asked me if I wanted to go with them as a 2nd AC for the b camera.. which meant running a lot, being observant, patient and knowing when they were going to ask me for something so I could have it ready in advance.

 

The camera we shot the movie on was the Red One.. and it was the first movie in the world which used it, just so you know.

 

I would like to point out that the Internet is a place where people misinterpret others' comments a lot, especially on forums, and even though Richard's answer might be seen as a tad blunt, he is super spot on in saying that, as it is going to be your internship, you might want to apply for jobs in both worlds, TV Series and Cinema movies.

 

You have double the opportunities and you could get lucky and see yourself on something like "Vikings"!

 

If you have a European passport you might want to check the Northern Ireland Screen Commission from time to time:

http://www.northernirelandscreen.co.uk/

 

By the way, the film industry IN THE WORLD is really small, just saying.

 

Have a lovely day.

Thanks Miguel Angel, that was a pretty nice approach. I guess the main reason I prefer film over TV is because of the (sometimes) much deeper content that you see on screen, talking about composition, colors, angles, etc. things you can't constantly do in TV. But you guys all have a point now, TV could be as interesting as Cinema. I just guess I used to think about TV as a set with studio cameras and fixed lighting. Now I see I could learn a lot from working on a TV show and probably will start looking for internships there and also at rental houses (I didn't know it could become so interesting there!)

Congrats for your work!

Most PA's (production assistants/runner) on bigger shows, work in their own little world. They rarely have access to set (outside of cleaning it after everyone has left) and the people on set. PA's generally sit in a holding pen until called upon and they generally don't even share the same catering, so the chance to intermingle is low.

 

On the feature I just worked on, we had two set PA's, one of them was the executive producers son. He was free to move around and talk to anyone, but he was so busy, he didn't have any time to really mingle. That was on a ultra low budget movie, shot with mid grade cameras and DSLR lenses. Stuff you can shoot with on your own.

 

Heck, I worked as an industry rep/engineer for a few years and was on film sets constantly. I had a few fun moments with the camera department, including going to rental house and going through the camera package. I didn't NEED to be there, but they let me in and we had fun. Did I learn anything? Not really. Have I ever communicated with those people since? Absolutely not. It was cool to be there, but that was the only real positive to take home. Moral of the story; even with great access, learning something valuable, something worth your time/effort, can be tricky.

 

The funny thing about being a PA is; most of the other PA's, have the same ambition and goals you do. So you COULD be part of a little community and work on their projects when the big movie shoot is done. I know a lot of PA's and they can be a pretty tight nit community, going from film to film together, making $125-$150/per 12hr shift.

 

I know Richards response was harsh, but he is absolutely correct. What he means by high school work is the low-complexity of the PA position, he isn't referring to you. He's having a laugh at your expense because what your asking for is the holy grail; Getting time on a major feature, being near the camera department and trying to learn things. The problem is, most films are crewed through nepotism, which means the crew is hired based on their previous record with other members of the crew. So for instance, a unit production manager will be hired and they will bring on THEIR crew. So even if it's a low-budget movie, getting in the door without any IMDB page to prove experience and/or already having seriously good connections on set, can be tricky.

 

 

Yea, I know... I'm a film guy as well. But I spent 3 years interning and 8 years working in the broadcast industry. Why? Because the techniques I learned, people I met and credits I earned, were invaluable for the future. I know that seems like a long time and I was very lucky during my childhood to get that work, but the access I had was unparalleled. During college, I interned for a production company who eventually hired me to be their assistant camera operator. Eventually I became operator on the B camera and shot a whole bunch of 16mm and 35mm commercials. I also edited several projects for broadcast television during the same time. All of that work came from working in the television industry and without that experience, I'd be nowhere today.

 

I know how exciting being on a real hollywood movie set can be, but without knowing someone very high up on the food chain who can walk you around and show you things, there is no way to get the access you want. I know a lot of people and if I wanted access to one of their sets, they would struggle to get me in. Big movies are far worse, it's a constant battle because they don't want the risk of people being able to snap picts with their phones you know? It's all about securing their "property" at that point, so they need to trust the crew in a way that TV doesn't.

 

Anyway, that's the story and I know its not what you wanna hear, but them's the breaks! I personally would get an internship on a show which is on a lot. This way you can walk around during your lunch break and check out the other productions being made, maybe you'll get lucky and have a few undisturbed minutes near the set entrance checking out a movie being made from a distance. If your sole goal is to be close to a film set, that's probably your best bet. Otherwise, working on television series, will give you plenty of experience. Most series are shot like a feature film anyway.

Thank you, I will take your advice into account. I know getting into the industry might take a long time and everything, I just thought there was a chance of getting lucky and making it into a large film, maybe someone around here started that way and had some tips for me. Now I've learned it's not that simple. Thanks for explaining it to me. I will surely check the other opportunities then.

 

I always love these posts, I'm willing to do anything....except for "TV series or office jobs" because as a high school student that type of work is beneath me and only good for those adults that are stuck doing it against their will.

 

You're welcome to intern for me on my next feature film, and I will put your name up on the big screen. You'll be credited as "Catering Assistant Number 4."

 

I mean gimme a break buddy.

 

R,

Hey 'R' I'm not in high school, I wish they assigned us cool projects like an internship back then.

There's a saying in my country (I don't know if they use it in your country), but here we do: if you don't have anything nice to say, then better don't say it at all. Regarding your offer, I will politely decline it, because I think I can do better. Also, didn't you think for a second that I asked for an internship in the film industry just because I prefer film over TV?

I'm sorry you have a boring job.

D

The UK has camera trainee schemes, but they are different to what you want. http://creativeskillset.org/job_roles/3829_camera_trainee

Thanks Brian, I'm gonna check it out.

Well, internships are kind of tricky in the world of production. Most interns are in the office, or as set PA's. Nobody is going to give you an internship in the camera department, it just doesn't happen.

 

Remember something very critical about moviemaking; speed is a huge factor. So if you're dragging along an intern, you are slowing down the production. Heck, bigger shows don't even hire non-experienced set PA's. They don't want people who call back and ask how much moca creme XYZ producer wants in their coffee, they already know that stuff.

 

You can however, intern with television production, that's a very common thing to do. All the major networks offer internship programs and even though you won't be able to physically touch a camera due to union rules, you can absolutely hang out with and learn from the camera people. Would it help your career? Probably not. I interned at several broadcast news outlets during my youth and was dismayed with how hands off it was. The union guys controlled everything and it really sucked. It's no different on a film set, you ain' getting NEAR a camera on a real production. You'd be lucky to see a monitor feed, let alone a camera.

Thanks Tyler, that was really helpful. I didn't write that well all along (sorry, English is not my native language). I know I won't get to be part of the camera crew or anything, I was just wondering if there was any chance to be a runner or someone who gets a little closer to the camera people, because that's my area of interest. The idea of hanging out with the camera crew is pretty good btw.

I did check television but honestly I'm not so into it. I mean, there are obviously lots of things and people to learn from, but I'd rather see how things are done on a film set.

Thank you!

Just my humble opinion,

First things first. I would suggest you don't buy a MiniDV camera right now. HD technology has changed substantially pretty fast, so go for a digital format, SDs and CF cards are much better/cheaper. They will save you some trouble/give you better quality image. (if it's your intention to buy a MiniDV then don't mind me).

Picking a camera is complicated, there are many things you have to consider (format, compression, sensor size, low-light performance, ease of use, etc it all depends on you). However, for the price you're saying, I'd say two pretty nice/versatile HD camcorders are the Canon HF G20, and the XA 20 (this one's a little over your budget though, but it's newer, has better audio quality, and a slightly better chip). These cameras feature:

small size

good quality HD image

10x zoom

extra batteries can be bought cheap if you're planning to shoot for long periods

take two SD cards, so you don't have to be changing constantly

32gb internal memory (don't rely only on this though)

microphone input (the XA supports XLRs)

Nice LCD/electronic viewfinder

Nice focus ring

You can shoot 24, 30, 60p

Just remember these are prosumer camcorders, if you want something professional, I'd say you'd have to go for at least $1500

Best of luck!

That's a cool reel. Nice to know there are more young cinematographers around here. I would suggest you change from 'director of photography' to 'cinematographer' (I think it looks cooler, although both are correct) at the beginning, and maybe include the date of your reel as well.

Keep up with the good work!

Hey guys, I hope this is the right category to post this.

Next year (june) I'm required to get an internship in order to graduate from film school. However, I'd like to get one in another country (US, Canada, UK mainly) because we don't have too much of an industry here. My dream internship would be to get into a major studio (Universal, WB, Pinewood...). I'll take any job, especially something that has to do with the camera department. I want to be on a film crew (no TV series, office jobs) preferably of a big, blockbuster film. I want my name to appear somewhere in the big screen.

The only problem is I don't know where to start. I've checked their internships/opportunities but nothing seems clear enough. Also, some studios don't offer jobs as a crew member, as they say each film's producers hire their own crew.

It would be highly appreciated if anyone could give me tips on how to get in a studio, or accept me into your next film's crew ;) haha

Waterproof camera housing, I suspect.

You're right, it could be a waterproof case, but it makes me wonder because the camera is already mounted, and the head looks awfully big compared to the crane.

So I found a russian arm vehicle on Instagram, but there's a front housing and I'm guessing it's for an HMI or something. I've never seen something like it before on a car. If anyone knows please let me know.

P.D. I asked the page but they never answered.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BEBlAW-FPxZ/?taken-by=griprigs

Very nice, you've got some pretty good material in there. In my humble opinion, your choice of music was pretty cool in the sense that it is not electronic as almost everyone else's reel. However, as Bill and Macks said, I think you should start with human figure and some traveling shots. Also, show some of your best shots (not saying the landscapes weren't cool) on the first few seconds in order to keep people engaged.

The BMCC can be, with a really expert colorist, underexposed almost 4 stops and sill have decent information retrievable.

 

I would stick with 800iso, but check it with a light meter, making sure your exposure on the subject is spot on and not worrying about falloff on unimportant background things.

Even if you use the Rokinon's, I think you should go with lighting to f2.8 as the Rokinons get a little wonky wide open, in my opinion - not the best that could be.

 

It would be helpful to know exactly where the noise occurred (in the deep shadows? Only after raising the underexposed image 3 stops?) then a more sound guideline might be given.

Thanks, great to know that about the Rokinon's aperture. And yeah, the noise occurred mostly on the deep shadows, but there was also some on the midtones, after raising it a bit in post (to be honest I don't know how many stops, because I don't know much about coloring, so I can't get into much detail there). However, the colorist we've got is very good, so I reckon he'll know what to do with the info you suggested.

I know the BMCC can recover lots of info in post, I was only insecure about the settings for that day, because I want to get the best info I can straight out of the camera. Last time I got some decent footage, but if it can be improved, all suggestions are welcome.

Thank you very much for your answer.

Daniel

Good night guys,

we're shooting a short film in about a month, and I'm planning to use a BMCC 2.5K. It's a low budget film so we'll be using some LED panels and Rokinon lenses. However, there's a night scene, so I'd like to know if there's any recommended exposure settings that you suggest. I haven't visited the location at night yet, but I know it's not pitch black, and that there are some practicals. Also, we're not looking for a high contrast/ very dramatic look, mostly soft light.

The only time I've shot night scenes with the BM I used ISO 800 and played with wide apertures (T/1.5 the widest) and I found it delivered a decent image. However, even after the color grading there was some noticeable noise. Is there something specific that you suggest so I can improve the image quality or is that about the best I can get?

Thanks in advance guys.

Daniel

I'm into commercial photography (as a hobby), so yesterday I decided to take some random shots of some bottles and cigars found at home. Since I don't have any lighting equipment, I used desk lamps and a construction light. Tried to match them with CTOs though. I didn't fill any glasses because I was not willing to drink or throwing them away, and since they're only tests, it doesn't really matter. Please give me feedback on lighting, setups, and post, as I would really like to get a job as a commercial photographer. Thank you in advance.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwHns6JAzPghdnBoMndPSG40SDQ/view?usp=sharing

Thanks for your reply Robert! I think I will go for the hostess tray because I'm on a budget; also I don't think there's any process trailer available here in my country.

Btw I think it's cool for my actor to drive the car because it's a wide road and there won't be any other cars around.

Have a nice day!

The Best way to rig a camera on a car is the most efficient way that gets the shot safely.

 

 

35 mph to the camera looks a lot faster than it is.

 

What do you want to see in the frame? how wide do you want to see? hand held? stabilized?

 

Thanks for replying. The shot I have in mind is wide. I intend to see the whole driver's window covering about two thirds of the frame (horizontally) and a little of the windshield (to create tree reflections) because our road has lots of trees. I think it would look better if it's stabilized.

Thank you and sorry for my bad english/poor knowledge I'm not very experienced yet!

Hello everyone

I'm doing some tests for a future (low budget) short film right now. One of the scenes calls for a few shots of the main actor inside a car (driver side), so I need to mount a rig. What do you think is the cheapest way to do it? The car won't be travelling faster than 35mph. The camera is a Canon HF G20 (kind of a crash cam, just in case)

Thank you very much, all replies are welcome!