David Edward Keen

Just curious, is there a mathematical way to decide how much light to bring, given that the talent will be standing 10 feet from the key light, outside at night? I realize there are many variables, which may simply mean I will need to bring a bunch anyway...some method of ballparking it you guys have learned along the way?

Thanks guys...Honestly I think doing it in post is better. I don't think the light play will work the way I'm imagining..using a backdrop and fooling around with lights. We have to be outside. If I can put subtle fires in the distance in post, that will be fine.

I'm shooting a music video. The shot is a a low angle slow tracking shot in a pie-wedge sort of shape around Satan sitting on his motorcycle as he puts out the cigarette on a horn. I wanted to have a curtain, set behind Satan, I think of some translucent material, in the bokeh, filling the frame, with a orange or red source shining through the curtain. Imagining moving the curtain to create an effect of an impression of a hellish background. Any ideas ? I'm thinking of placing the lights on the ground illuminating the curtain that way...any thoughts? Shot lasts about 4 seconds.

Hahaha I found Michael LaVoie's question in my gmail...was about to respond that it's like he just asked a 6 year old how to land the space shuttle...then came here and realized it must be a question for David Mullen, ASC. But I'm interested all the same!

"Sometimes you shoot "cross coverage", the two cameras shooting almost at each other to get both sides of a conversation. " Is this referring to over the shoulder shots, reverse shots?

I'm a professional musician. Violinist and composer. I'm shootin flicks when Im not performing. yep, film making is a similar mt everest of information and practice. Optics make my head explode. Musical composition has much in common with cinema, events set up and organized in time. The world of light and colors and dark and cinematography is a revelation for me. Music has levels of relief, differences in exposure and depth of field. In an aria in a Mozart opera, the orchestral introduction will end with all the parts getting quite quiet but maintaining the excellent quality of sound (classical training helps that happen) and the singer comes in, filling the space..a lot like the actor being in focus with the rest of the frame in bokeh, or some number of stops brighter than other things in frame. And the musical lines underneath the singer, the accompaniment, will, with Mozart, always continue to serve different functions that make you feel good and are justified when you analyze them, just like small lights shone on the actor's eyes, or camera movement. Mozart even has special effects, things he does between two instruments that composite in such a way, because of their sound properties and timbres, that they combine and lead the ear to hear what can only happen with the two, not either alone. There's differences in light and exposure that is minute like with pitch in music. I recommend the music of Harry Partch and Dean Drummond to hear microtonal music, where there are 41 pitches per octave and there are exact shades of notes.

I began noticing and learning about cinematography etc while I happened to be watching The Sopranos. Anyone have any thoughts on this series regarding cinematography, lighting, character, any aspect? It was shot in 35mm I believe.

Thanks, yeah I'm just jumping into lenses.

Is it necessary to use a split diopter lens on a simple dslr? are they even made? Might it be best to try it in post?