Sebastien Scandiuzzi

Nice find! I’ve seen a few polaroids of his but none of the ones you linked! Great to see his eye, how he sees light, framing, etc.

Thats totally what it is, thanks Andrew!! For others who come to this post, this thread is helpful: http://reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?65022-Red-circles Sebastien

Hey Everyone, Noticed some odd bokeh symmetry and hue (red uniform vertical oval bokeh/flare)- is it just me or are these abnormal? I definitely don't like the look, possible stacked NDs slowing down the light (I'm generously using 'slowing') then reflecting back onto the sensor? Seems as though the bokeh is from a flat plane vs a curved one... RED Epic Dragon 6:5 2X Tiffen IR NDs Cooke 40 & 100 A/i Thanks! Sebastien

Hi Samuel, I meant 7207, thanks for the correction! We're renting from Koerner in Seattle, maybe it's subleased, I'm not sure.

Hello Everyone, I'm shooting a short this week on Vision3 7207 pushed 1 stop with ARRI SR 3 and would love any tips or helpful info regarding best practice (I'll of course be using a light meter, metering at 400). I haven't shot film since '92 so its been a long time, too long! As for exposing and dynamic range, I've read either 14 or 16 of useable stops, which is accurate in your experience? If 14 (or 16) is accurate, when pushing 1 stop will the dynamic range shift to 8 under and 6 over, similar to Alexa when adjusting ISO from 800 to 1600? Or will I loose 1 stop above middle grey = 7 under 6 over? Even if 14 useable stops is accurate, I would assume 5 stops over and 5 stops under is the limit if I wanted to save an over/under exposed shot? Thanks for your thoughts, I really appreciate it! Sebastien

True, but even a doorway dolly was too small nor did we have one (should've, I know). Handheld with direct FF and whip? Probably the best alternative and as I wrote, I was just stuck in DP/Director mindset of "time is wasting, any other solution is going to take longer" which isn't true and should've been an option I jumped on immediately, lesson learned.

Why? I don't think they, or hopefully anyone reading this, are naive enough to think my post's only purpose is to ruin their career. I've taken many lengths not to mention who they are, specifically what projects we've worked, WHEN, WHERE, and taken out many other personal items. Your immediate motive seems sincere, "I hope he doesn't read this thread" because... what, they may learn something that could benefit them going forward in their career? I suspect this is an attempt to vindicate yourself if something negative happens because if your intention is to be helpful wouldn't writing the opposite, "I hope he does read this thread" 'so he can become a better AC' serve your goal, assuming that is your intention? Why did I choose this forum? The problem is that I don't feel its responsible or professional to talk amongst local crews about crew members who everyone knows. It very possible that this issue could very well be just with me. But the problem with our 'small' circle of crew members, it's extremely tough to get straight answers; you don't know who is aligned with who, who is going to work for who on the next shoot and *if* (hypothetically) over beers I make a honest but stupid remark (again, hypothetical) it could jeopardize my career. I'm not established enough to have my work speak louder then some petty 'rumor' of people 'higher' up then me. This isn't my first attempt at asking for help. I've asked people who worked in the industry but are retired, asked people who don't know the person and received good insight but not much. As I wrote, I've spent A LOT of time considering posting this. I've made several attempts to talk this through with 'them' and I think I've made it clear that it is something I'm trying to work through, learn from and have better tools when on the lookout for negative traits hiring new AC's; versus using this larger online community to roast, blame, take down or revenge flame. If so, they know how to get a hold of me and should also know that I've given many opportunities to respond, with little to no response in return aside from 'no, I'm fine'. However, to come back to OP's point of "I hope he doesn't read this" it also presumes they don't have an opportunity to respond, which isn't true. If this is their preferred forum and they feel compelled I'd be interested to hear their side if this is the forum they feel most comfortable being honest (it wouldn't be my preference, not because of anything other then protection of privacy. Once that thread gets tugged it unravels quickly - please stop if you're reading something into that comment and just use common sense, it wasn't a threat of any kind).

Thank you, good thoughts and comments. That is part of the dilemma, I do and have reached out (not only during work time) to try and figure out if there is something going on that they can then clue me into what their triggers might be onset so I can avoid them when possible. Their work is worth the extra effort on my part. If they want to talk about their situation more deeply I have/will listen sincerely but I fear this could lead down a tricky business/personal 'hole' that could make matters worse. My personality is similar in that I easily confuse people who don't know me. I have a severe resting face so people who don't know me think I'm mad or angry, it's their issue and I don't let it interfere with my work. But that doesn't mean I'm without responsibility, especially if I'm aware of the effect on others. I do my best when there's an opportunity to talk to someone I haven't met yet to give them my full attention and hopefully dissolve any presumptions. I don't spend much time on trying to convince them if the person after the first encounter continues to make unfounded assumptions- I've done what I can do, I move on. Point being that I'm aware of the effect it has on others and to ignore this effect is irresponsible and ignorant, one would be extremely dim to not be aware of their deportment and its effect on moral. I think that is the overarching theme, the effect on moral. That being said, if there is a way to fix it, I'm happy to try especially if the outcome is positive, if not I completely understand and wish them well. But the writing has and is on the wall "time to move on". Thank you all for your thoughts, very much appreciated.

Edited for grammar/formatting

I struggled whether or not to post about this and having 4 people respond since I posted is a relief. Thank you I appreciate it.

Wanted to get some advice from members who've dealt with having an assistant that you've worked with before but because of one reason or another things 'get weird'. Not because of any particular reason, nothing at least I can put my finger on and anytime I try to bring it up its as though they have no idea what I'm talking about. In general: "when and how do you handle an AC who works in the same 'pool' of people you work with, who is constantly grumpy and moody but won't ever address the reason" is one of my questions, but please read the rest below if you have time. The above (excluding the last sentence) is only backstory, I'm not seeking advice for the above paragraph, but it is important history. I'm a loyal person and finding a crew that understands 'my language' is a huge part of finding a creative team; no brainer. Attitude is also a huge factor as well, especially with the budgets that I'm working with, while the pool of AC's that are willing to work for a lower rate is large, finding the right one is a long process. My question has 2 parts. 1. Attitude has gotten worse, clients ask me un-prompted if there's something wrong with the 1st AC (not good). However, and depending on which guest or how high up the chain of command the client who made the remark is, if my AC is a good/great and hard working (remember, this is lower budget work 10-15K) I see it as a trade off in my favor. 2. This shoot, the focus for steadi was a disaster and thats also taking into consideration that pulling focus on steadi is tough. We used an analog upgraded to 'digital' Bartech but the WFF kept loosing signal or was late on pulls. We trouble shooted, changed channels, power cycled everything, turned off all cell phones, etc...- did not find anything to fix the issue. The result was the 1st AC took the monitor and followed steadi which meant I also had to also follow looking over their shoulders in tight corners and then watch playback (wasting more time). But even moving closer we still had focus relay issues. As far as other options, we could've taken B CAM's Bartech which didn't have any issues all day but that meant re balancing and we were loosing light quickly. What I'm looking for as far as advice: what is the 'professional' protocal for situations like this? I was DP/Director on this project and had plenty of other things to troubleshoot but I feel like the way we handled the situation was... sloppy and lazy. The Bartech did start showing issues towards the middle of the shoot but was explained away by the WFF having to go through walls. Point being, In my opinion I would already be thinking about another solution, just in case. I'd love to know how this situation is handled in a more professional atmosphere (more experienced higher budget)? The many responses when asked what was going on, why is focus continually soft, was a pissed off AC (understandably) who when asked what can we do about it, the answer was a shrug as though there aren't any alternatives and a look of 'what do you expect, I'm just pulling focus on this unit that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't, its not my fault'. Am I wrong to assume that actually 'yes' there are plenty of solutions, it is your responsibility (to make sure the WFF works during prep which they had a full day with all gear) and why wasn't this troubleshooted earlier? For those of you who made it to then end of this post I appreciate it!! Its been great working with this AC and as I wrote, when you find someone who get's your 'language' it makes jobs that much easier and the focus (attention) is where it should be vs having to explain every step, every setup, my personal preferences to a new AC but it feels like all signs are pointing to 'its time to move on'. Thanks Everyone, apologies on the length!! Sebastien *grammar edit

Disappointed Moonlight didn't get their due elation, shock and acclaim from their peers, especially since La La Land was a foregone winner in most peoples mind. It would have been wonderful to witness Moonlight's cast and crew sheer joy and amazement winning Best Picture. However, La La Land handled the error with respect and sincerity. I don't agree with "everyone should get an Oscar" and was glad to see the producer suggest or say 'no, this award goes to them'. The academy is to blame for the error, that is certain. La La Land's first producer, once he was told, handled the error graciously and respectfully (at least the first producer to speak on behalf of cast and crew, the next producer was childish saying "well, I guess we lost" really? Thats your response?). I hope the way each production handled the error will be remembered more then the error itself.

Its tough to nail down with him which version of Veronique is most accurate, when asked he says: "none of the versions are accurate, only the original 35MM print" but when I asked which is closest he said "Criterion blu ray is closest". As you mentioned, Kieslowski and Idziak had a difficult relationship and initially Kieslowski hated the look of the film. But at what point or which print did Kieslowski change the color back to Idziak's preference, I wasn't able to get a clear answer. Its seemed bitter sweet for Idziak, their working relationship and friendship. When asked which of his movies was his favorite, his 'best' work, Idziak paused and looked at the screen with images from Veronique and said: "... this. Veronique is probably my favorite." I suspect the yellow/cyan was his intention. Also, he also has an extensive collection of gels as well and used them with his custom filters. There are scenes where the green is intentional, lighting the set behind Jacob while keeping her face neutral or slightly cyan/yellow. Part of the reason he used filters was to create a distinct look but it also had to do with only using tungsten stock (he made it seem as though T was the only option but Eastmancolor did make 50D but maybe it was cost prohibitive or that's all they had? Not sure). He says that it was too easy to get an in camera 'blue' look by not using an 85 correction filter in daylight. So he decided to try and use custom filters instead to create a unique look while maintaining contrast. He also mentioned that using a correction filter decreases your contrast because you're limiting the spectrum of colors on the negative. I should note, I'm paraphrasing, english isn't his first language (he's also loosing his hearing, said it was because he would often operate and forget to put his earplugs in to protect his ears) and the more detailed/technical the questions the more tangental his answers became, he would hear 'the look' or 'film' and repeat "there are 3 layers on a negative, I didn't like blue so wanted to change it to yellow/cyan" and I didn't feel like pushing him further so we'd shift to another topic. Hope that helps, I'm writing this pretty fast since I have to go, excuse any typos. I'll edit this later if there are issues.

Wow. I definitely wasn't expecting to hear his solution to the scene in 'Blue' (the blue wash over Binoche)! I asked if he simply panned a gelled light to the right of camera but he said it wasn't getting the result he wanted so he decided to wrap the camera in blue gel and then open the back to flash the film!!! Amazing. Flashing isn't anything new but I've never heard of DP's wrapping the camera in gel. I suspect you knew it wasn't a gelled light... He said the shot of the Dr reflected in the eyes of Binoche was a 200MM macro and the Dr was lit with a black wrapped 5K. He talked about his extensive collection (over 1000) found, bought and custom filters. He usually brings 500-600 with him in sets of 30 labeled alphabetically with a fliter 'map' for the AC so he can say "get me filter B 15" for his blue custom grad filter. Incidentally, he has a custom matte box with 6 slots so he can layer multiple filters and adjust them on all axis'. I asked if then filmed with a faster film stock because of the multiple filters but he said no, just the normal Eastmancolor but he said he couldn't remember the type of film. I also wanted to know how he got the blurred effect in Double Life of Veronique (when Weronika dies and they cut to Veronique making love). He used a magnifying glass in front of the lens while holding the camera! Again, it's not an original technique but to do both at the same time was quite impressive. I was interesting to hear how much Kieslowski was against a lot of Idziak's ideas for Double; the cyan/yellow color filters, the lens effects and said he was constantly at odds with Kieslowski for each of their features together. Interesting not because of the disagreements but because of how strong willed and confident he had to be, which was a good reminder. All in all it was a great night, very informative, relaxed and fun. I'll see if I can find out who filmed the discussion to post.

Exactly the type of question I was looking for, thanks David! I'm hoping to record the class and if so I'll hopefully get permission to post online otherwise I'll post his answer here.

Hi Everyone, Slawomir Idziak, one of my favorite DP's, is going to be in Seattle for the Polish Film Festival and I'm excited to be moderating his master class, 1PM Oct 15th at SIFF. I'm also lucky to introduce screenings of The Double Life of Veronique (Oct 14th, 8PM) and Gattaca (Oct 16th 5:50PM). What would you like to ask him? Any particular scenes or techniques you'd like him to breakdown? I obviously have my own: his use of filters; his work with Kieslowski, Zanussi, Wajda; working in Russian controlled Poland and after the 89 revolution and a few more. I'd love to hear from others I'm sure there are some great questions I haven't considered. Thanks!!! Sebastien

Said to myself I'd add one or two but that quickly changed. Federico Fellini - He's been added already but I'm Italian so its illegal for me not to mention him. Like Kubrick, you can spot his movies a mile away: Amarcord, 8 1/2, I Vitelloni Jim Jarmusch - I'm a big fan of his so maybe I'm biased. Love his dialogue, love his characters: Midnight Train, Down By Law, Stranger Than Paradise, Only Lovers Left Alive Lynne Ramsay - Movern Callar, Ratcatcher, We Need To Talk About Kevin Robert Wiene - Faust, Cabinet of Dr Caligari Djibril Diop Mambety: The Little Girl Who Sold The Sun Jane Campion - An Angel At My Table, The Piano Jean Pierre Jennet - His movies are so inventive and fun: City of the Lost Children, Delicatessen, Amelie PT Anderson - I've been re-watching a lot of PT Anderson's movies lately, I always thought he was a great director/writer but I find that I enjoy them more and more with each viewing, I think he's the best of the next generation of american directors (cue the arguing): Magnolia, Punch Drunk Love, There Will Be Blood, Boogie Nights Yasuhiro Ozu - Beautifully composed, sad, funny and unadorned: I Was Born But... Jacques Audiard: A Prophet Michael Cimino: Heavens Gate, The Deer Hunter Krzysztof Kieslowski: A Short Film About Killing, Double Life of Veronique Wong Kar Wai: Chung-King Express, In The Mood For Love

(Just want to point out, I'm not looking for a definitive answer thats up for argument from other posters, I'm just looking for his personal impression) Tyler, since you've colored most of the cameras discussed within the sub $15K range, is the highlight issues with FS7/FS5 that big an issue as I've read? Is it more because the DP didn't capture a usable 'negative'? Or is there a real highlight issue in your opinion? Also, does most to all of the FS7 footage need more coloring/grading/timing in comparison to other cameras? Thanks!

Think I caught this mid censor :) Yup. $35K is just way too much. I forgot to add that. I think Canon decided rather then making the C500 mark II, to make C700.

In the article: "gives users the ability to convert between EF to PL mounts**" I thought, FINALLY!!! YES! This was a big factor for me, there isn't an EF to PL adapter because of the flange depth- not mentioning anything people on this thread probably weren't aware of, I just mention because its a pain in the ass if you want to use PL glass and I wouldn't buy the PL version since 80% of work is EF lenses. Hence my interest in Sony's FS7/FS5. I was pretty happy until I read the asterisk "**conversions to EF to PL at official Canon facilities". UGH! Of-**(obscenity removed)**-course Canon. And since Canon doesn't do anything quickly, and beyond the annoyance of not having the option to buy a PL mount, changing between EF to PL will mean I'll have to rent a camera for any jobs while its being converted. This is a great example of how Canon gets it right while getting it wrong. And I'm saying this as a Canon user.

Ok, but the question is still unanswered: what camera(s) in that price range are better? I'm struggling with this as well. I'm currently trying to find a good replacement for my C100/C300 which is great for the work I do to pay bills (promos, shorts, industrial). I agree the codec is infuriating but if own one it doesn't take long to get familiar with the camera's pros/cons and you can get great images despite the codec, just don't plan on making any big changes in post if you've made a significant error. Cropped higher frame rates is pretty damn stupid of Canon but I'd still take the color science over what Sony, Blackmagic, Panasonic (not the varicam) is offering and just rent a FS7/F5/F55 for those few times when I need 120/240fps. I've also owned XL1, GL2, XHa1, 5D I & II, C100/300 so familiarity is a big factor as well. So as it is, I'm leaning towards C300 mrk II even though I share your frustrations I just don't see a better alternative.

I also feel that the stylized look of "The Night Of" is earned since this is Nas' first experience in a completely new environment (at least so far as we know) that is new, dangerous, tense, claustrophobic and threatening.