Matt Irwin

OK, well things seems to make a little more sense now... This doc is associated with a narrative feature that was produced by the same company and shot on the Red. What we are shooting does involve some handheld, but it is largely comprised of interviews on sticks, other solid shots, and interestingly: pickups for the feature. So we're shooting 4K to match that footage, and the documentary stuff will also stay in 4K. I'll be able to work out a configuration for handheld during prep-- it seems they have a relationship with a "nameless" rental house that's giving us a bunch of AKS. Not sure if the Element Technica rig is there, but i'll try to get my hands on it. Nick- those SR style rods look great for runaround work - I imagine with a battery on the back and a short zoom, the balance is similar to an SR?? I'll probably be carrying two short zooms and a telephoto prime-- will be evaluating lenses next week. I'm also able to bring an assistant to handle downloading and gear wrangling. Now that most of the facts are in, this seems to have quickly gone from "WTF" to "could be worse!" Thank you all for the excellent info! I'll make sure to post about the final outfit and how it worked. Cheers,

Thanks for the replies. I had a feeling the responses would be along these lines, and rightfully so. Don't get me wrong, in NO WAY would it be my choice to use a Red for this type of shoot-- production does own a Red package and is intent on using it. I would much prefer a normal 2/3" HD camera that fits perfectly on my shoulder like I'm used to. I'll have a good idea about how much I can push to change after the initial meeting. I've planned on pushing for both an assistant and a different camera. If it turns out they want 35mm DOF, I'll have limited bargaining room for the camera in this case. And if that's the deal then my back might tell me to look for work elsewhere. ;)

Hi, I've just been approached about shooting a documentary on the Red. My information regarding the production is limited as of now (meeting is tomorrow), but I was hoping someone here might be able to share some experiences with doc work and the Red. I do know that my choice in cameras is non-negotioable, and given the rate I was offered along with some other cues, I will probably not have an assistant. The Red is not exactly the first camera that springs to mind when I think about documentary / verite-style shooting - in fact it's toward the bottom of the list, but that's not to say it can't be done. I imagine a backpack full of batteries and drives will be in my near future. Am I correct in thinking that I can use super 16 lenses in 2k window mode? I would like to push for either that or switching to a b4 mount. Carrying a selection of short zooms or a prime set in the field for 4k would be murder, let alone the other issues that go along with that... I've got to figure out a decent configuration for balanced handheld shooting-- something that I can put on shoulder all day if need be. No doubt that the smaller s16 or b4 zooms will help... Any tips and experiences would be very helpful. Thanks, Matt

Yep, fantastic camera. FG Bauer designed the Moviecams, which were then acquired by Arri, who had Bauer head the design of the Arricam system. There is a similar practical logic to both systems, and the movements are interchangeable, if I'm not mistaken. As Rob mentioned above, the body can be built from naked and reconfigured with a 4mm ball driver. Very fast to change tops, remove the optical block, etc. There is a covered data port on the dumbside to accept clip-on control boxes for functions like shutter sync, xtal speed control/ramping, etc. Similar to the smaller boxes on the dumbside of the Arricams. I have on rare but notable occasion experienced rubbing on the 1000' mags, but not a harmful rubbing. If it happens, it will help to have the 2nd AC / loader give the mags a light pop on the bottom / dumbside in the center before handing it off to the 1st for a reload.

Is this a flat cyc wall or a cove (cyc with 2-3 sides & corners)? I've found that large lights (5k ++) are the way to go in these cases. It's easy to evenly light a chunk of the cyc to around 90 IRE with Image 80's and kino 4x's (or spacelights with some $$), even from the floor if you have to (bring your spot meter if you don't have a real waveform). The hard part is balancing the talent and getting a workable base exposure so that their fill side and dark detail doesn't disappear into mud or noise. I have boned myself before (shooting HVX, as matter of fact) with an actor who was wearing a black suit: lit him lower level with diffused kinos and small tungsten-- he looked great, except the detail in the suit was completely gone and visually overpowered by all the white around him. Nowadays, I would use baglights or a couple of 5k's or mini-9's either bounced or diffused through frame or chimera, or both, as a soft key- and a large overhead soft source to fill out. You tend to need a lot of light to compete with the white BG and the extra contrast it forces on the eye. I understand you may not have access to larger lights, but hopefully this will give you an idea of what to watch out for... I'd worry that you may not have enough heat with that package you listed to evenly light the white and properly light the talent (especially through an adapter!). On an unrelated note, bring loose duvetyn to throw on the white floor close to the edge of frame. This will help control any unwanted spill on the talent from below.

Looks great Matt. Since you mentioned it, do you have any pictures of your fluorescent rig with the CAT-5 and durotests? I ask because I used to make my own fixtures like that for certain applications and I'm always curious about how others go about the same thing. CAT-5 is and interesting idea--- are you using it as feeder?

I think it's stated somewhere on that site that the fixtures use PAR64 lamps.

Adam- Not exactly a rental house, but here's a start: http://books.google.com/books?id=YjAzP4i1o...result#PPA63,M1 There are also Bruce Finn's Toplight fixtures which are sort of an updated version of the original coops: http://finnlight.com/ Maybe you could sell the rental houses on these since they are newer and therefore "cooler" <_<

Light the test the way you're thinking, and then maybe try a very hot backlight on the actor. Might be useful to hang some white christmas lights in the frame to see some points of light, then frame through them or shoot them with a long lens so you can see out-of-focus points of light. Could also wag a bright flashlight into the lens to see how the net combines with barrel flare.

This sounds like a great project- I'm jealous! Definitely test netting the lens-- and pay attention to the prismatic flares and bokeh. (You can see what I mean in the first half of Atonement) It's subtle and a personal preference thing- you may like it, or it may be bothersome. I've used Fuji's 400T on a few projects (in S16) and it sounds like it would be a great stock for this-- it handles strong colors, especially orange and red, very well and gives a lot of room in grading to punch up colors if need be. Best of luck,

would also consider the 515, but would prefer the Ultimate for the euro QR top plate. matt (at) irwincine (dot) com

You would have a much easier time shooting toward the sun, thus placing your actors in natural backlight, and then filling them with bounce/reflectors. Depending on your shots, this may allow the actors and camera more freedom of movement since it is far less difficult to dance with reflectors or snipered shiny boards when they are next to camera as opposed to opposite camera. If you require a SOFT halo backlight, you have some options-- try to shoot during magic hour or at a time of day when the sun is low in the sky and softened through the atmosphere, diffuse the hard sun with a large frame of diffusion, and pray to Ra for the perfect amount of haze in the sky, to name a few... If you're going for hard key light with the sun, you can place large bounces or lemays (silver cloth reflectors) on either side and behind the actor. There are many other ways that might be suggested, and choosing the best approach depends on the shots, action, camera movement, logistics (!!!), and available resources. I could be more specific, but it's been quite a while since I've seen Se7en... suppose I need to remedy that soon.

I'm heading to Toronto next week for CDN Thanksgiving with some family, and I will undoubtedly be walking around with a still camera on a daily basis. It's been about three years since I've been back, and I remember there being some great small camera shops-- I just don't remember where they are or what they're called! Any locals here know of any gems? I know the big places Henry's and Vistek, but I'm getting the itch to pick up some old glass to play with--- m42 and the like.... Cheers,

Mine has served me well in the two months I've had it. Seems like the best choice out there now. Most useful features for me (aside from the obvious) are memory/difference, variable Kelvin presets, and footcandle readings (which would make this a great tool for a gaffer). Controls are very similar to Sekonic's exposure meters. Sekonic boasts the two separate red sensors for digital and film-- I honestly can't quantify how effective or different from each other they are--- but I will say that the meter has been very accurate in all situations so far. Other than that-- build quality is solid, rubber grips on the side are great, and it's smaller than the Minolta/Kenko meters (fits in the same Karau pouch as a Sekonic 358). Never used the Gossen before, but that little receptor head looks like it's begging to be snapped off...

Wow, some fantastic work from all of the above. Not that I should be surprised! Here's me: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattirwin/ I'm in the middle of scanning and posting a new batch, so there will be some more current shots sometime soon. Cheers,

Daniel, If I'm understanding you correctly, your shot can be accomplished with a Cartoni Lambda head - basically a 3-axis nodal swing head that can be set up to spin the camera on it's optical center by way of a manual steering wheel (like a gear head wheel). I believe there is also a motorized version, but I've only ever seen the manual type in person. I know Clairmont rents them, as do some other places around LA. Don't think it's all that expensive to rent for a couple days. http://cartoni.com/eng/lambda.html

A Firestarter is a 1200w tungsten VNSP PAR 64 lamp that fits into a rock-and-roll par can. They are extremely powerful for their size and have a very tight beam--- perfect in a cluster with other spreads for "snipered" backlight at night, throwing shafts of light, bouncing, etc, etc, etc. The short answer to "why" is simplicity and portability. Less rigging and time to set up, which was an issue for us with limited crew, time, and budget. The cone shape of the umbrella allows for some control over the spread and intensity by moving the hotspot hi/low, left/right. Honestly, I'd probably use this again with a bigger crew and budget. I liked the results and it was fast, so why not? Perhaps having a larger umbrella made out of griff or ultrabounce would be worth it if I end up using this more....

Wu, I just finished shooting a low budget short, all night exteriors, with the Varicam (ASA 500-ish). We couldn't afford ballons, condors, etc for base light so here was our low budget solution: Rent several white sun umbrellas with the lighting package (they come with junior pins) and mount them to hi-hi rollers. Grid clamp one firestarter PAR to the bottom stick of the hi-hi and run it through a 2k variac for precise control. The result is a highly mobile "moon bounce" that can be placed anywhere you can put a stand with very little screwing around. Top stick on a hi-hi put the umbrella about 25-30' in the air. We also used this rig on single story rooftops with combo stands. At 100% dim (85 on the variac), I was getting about 12 fc in a 15' radius around the stand, falling off to about 3 fc at 30'. It's very affective as a low level top/back base light as long as you're not shooting a gigantic wide shot of a field. If you gel the pars, keep lots of heat shield handy. And mason/parachute line to tie off for wind. -MI

Hi, I just finished a project with the Varicam H using Abel Cine's "signature scene file" in FILM REC, and it looks like I'll have to shoot some pickups soon with my HVX200. Just wondering if anyone has a good SF recipe for this? I want to do the best I can in the camera, and then perfect the match in grading. Thanks,

Many thanks Freya, all good info. I've got some meetings this week with a few rental houses, and we've got lots of scouting planned. I'll definitely look into the pacific quay area. Isn't that where FilmCity is? Man, this country is gorgeous. Minus the neds of course. ;)

Many thanks John, I've sent an email to Panalux Glasgow, maybe have a visit in order. I'll have a look at glosgowfilm as well today. Still, any Glasgow or Edinburgh local crew care to meet in the next to weeks? Nothing official, just a meetup.

I'm currently in the UK on a scouting trip for an independent feature (as DP) that is set in and shooting in a town outside of Glasgow. Production is scheduled for next summer. I was hoping to get some locals' input.... What sort of production facilities and rental houses are available in Scotland and/or Glasgow? Sound stages? Post facilities/labs? Where do low-to-mid budget narrative features go for gear when shooting in Scotland? Do the big lights come from England? I've tooled around on FilmBang, saw a lot of broadcast-oriented rental places but not much that seems to cater to narrative. Am I off? I'll be in the area for two weeks starting on the 20th of this month. Anyone in camera/grip/electric/rental want to meet for lunch or a pint pending our scouting schedule? We will be hiring mostly local... would be good to acquainted.

Hi, Does anyone know if Crystal Moy Anamorphic lenses still exist and if so, where they can be rented (in the US)? They were originally created and distributed by Joe Dunton Camera.

The heavy weight (older) Moviecam mags will sometimes have issues with rubbing and/or sound. I can't attest to the lighter plastic mags. I never saw emulsion scratches though. As a 2nd, I would always give the mag a good whack in the center before handing it to the 1st during a mag change. This kept the problem almost non-existent.

Wow, I must have only "registered" the Leica R mount when I checked that page... I'm gonna go buy some Centrum Silver now.