Michael Ognisanti

Thanks David. So the key is providing the eyelight? I guess it just didn't look like the angles matched. I appreciate the response

I think this is a good example of what you were talking about. Sidelit with basically no fill but still defined eyelight. I still can see how this could be accomplished. What kind of light could they have used? Do you think they just crushed the blacks a ton in the grade to get rid of the spill

I agree. XAVC 12-bit should be available on this camera. As of now it only allows for 16-bit OCN or 10 bit XAVC 4K/ProRes HD. Nothing in between

Hello, I'm interested in hearing from people who've shot with the Venice. I have a shoot coming up and might use it. I've heard great things and saw Claudio Miranda's tests which looked great (maybe that has something to do with the DP though :) ). I love the dual ISO and 1 stop ND increments. To utilize full frame I know you need the R7 recorder which makes it quite the load. Doesn't seem like this would work on gimbals. But it sounds like its a completely new sensor which should be a good thing i'm guessing. Thoughts? Michael

I ended up using a Ronin 2 over the table that was underslung with speed rail mounted to the dolly running parallel to the table. I'm happy to say it worked great! We were able to configure the Ronin to have stop points 180 degrees apart so it landed at the same spot every time. I used the wheels and was able to get a good speed for the pan. They will probably still speed it up in post but tt would be the same with a fluid head pan. Thanks for all the good advice.

Just did the scout today. We are now doing a dolly shot along the length of the table to a person at the head THEN we whip pan (180 degrees) to the other side. YIKES! We are thinking of having the dolly run parallel to the table and underslinging the camera off a fisher jib over the table. Then mounting a ronin or movi with remote wheels for the whip pan. The wheels will help with the precise landing but I'm not sure how fast we'll be able to pan. We can always speed it up in post though. That's my plan at this point :unsure:

Thanks for the tips I was thinking about a geared head and speeding it up in post but id like to keep it as natural as possible. I read this article with Robert Yeoman discussing whip pans on Grand Budapest. It sounds like fluid head and practice is the magic ingredient! https://www.fastcompany.com/3042296/shooting-the-oscars-most-centered-movie-the-precision-filmmaking-behind-grand-budapest-hotel Thanks

Hi, I was wondering if anyone had tips on how to achieve a whip pan done practically in camera. I have a sequence for an upcoming shoot that requires the camera in the middle of a dinner table whip panning to different people. Sometimes going from one end to the other. Is there a specific fluid head, lens or shutter angle that would help make the move smooth and precise? I'd prefer to do this practically but I think we'd have the option to hide a cut in the blur or speed up the pan in post. Thanks Michael

Thanks for you response David To my eye I see it more in the blacks but I might just be more sensitive to it. I've used Sony a lot and that's always something I'm looking out for and rating the camera 1-2 stops slower. I was just curious if people are doing the same for Alexa.

Hello, I have a couple projects coming up where I will be shooting in dark environments. One is a TVC of people against a dark gradient background and the other is a short film of night exteriors and interiors. I recently noticed some noise in the blacks when shooting with the Alexa Mini at 800 iso. Has anyone else found this? Are people rating this camera lower when shooting in dark settings to raise the shadow detail. I’ve always done this with Sony but didn’t think it was necessary with Alexa as well. Thanks for you help Michael

Thanks Stefano, Yes I'd like to keep it simple for budget and time's sake. We do have the budget for some HMI's. I was thinking of putting diffusion on the windows and then shooting in a couple m18's. I won't reach the subjects but it should help with ambient and keeping the light consistent. I might use the practicals to fill in around the restaurant but flag it of the main table cause i think it might be hard to shape. Thanks Guy, I'll post pictures of the ceiling. I'd love to rig lights off the ceiling but it's a small crew and we will be pressed for time. Yes, reverse keys are what I am going for so it's just a matter where to put those lights if we can't rig them. What if i put a light from where the bar is left of camera and have that be the key for camera right person and then mount a white bounce card on the brick just out of frame and have that key the person camera left. You think that would work? Good questions Ryan. Our choice for putting the characters in this position were motivated by story. Simply enough the character in the back of the restaurant against a brick wall is trapped emotionally. And we liked seeing the environment of people around her. If we shot in the corner against the window we would lose that. Also, their is a bit when she is trying to leave and gets stuck and people are looking at her. It works well from that spot

Hello, I could use some advice on a lighting approach. I have a shoot that takes place in a diner. I’ve attached photos. 2 people sitting at a table in the back of the diner with windows far behind them at the other end. My question is how do I light them and how would I use the windows. I can push lights through the window but not sure if it would do anything since the subjects are so far from them. Since it’s a long scene I should probably use artificial light anyway for consistency even if it doesn’t hit them. But l also want to add light from the inside to hit them that is motivated by the windows and give them a nice edge. The problem is I don’t know where to put any lights. We have a wide shot that sees almost the whole diner and the singles are shot with 2 cameras from different directions. I could front light it but I don’t want it to look so flat. Any tips would be much apprecieted Thanks

Thanks for the feedback! I don't think I'm going to bounce off the ceiling. It will be to hard to control. I did some digging on the site and found a thread discussing similar ideas about practicals and augmenting. http://www.cinematography.com/index.php?showtopic=66629&hl=%2Bliving+%2Broom Here's a screen grab... I like this look but would just want to bring in more ambient since it's a cocktail party scene. I might try placing a few China lanterns in spots and moving them around when going in for close-ups. It's really the wide shot I'm most concerned with That's an interesting idea about the gels. I should have mentioned that this is supposed to be a holiday party but decorative Christmas lights could have that same effect. Thanks