gustavius smith

Great illustration. Thanks.

I couldn't agree with you more! There were gasps in the movie theatre in New York city that night by the midway point of the film whenever the scenes cut between the storylines. People were tired, it was a tiring film to watch. The soundrack, was a nuisance like a bug flying around your ear. This film cannot be compared to 21 grams. The different film stocks didn't really do much for the story. Brad Pitt's performance was unmoving to say the least. A film critic worte that Babel is realy about what happens to white men when minorites have guns. Maybe that explains why this film is being praised about. I ran to see this film along with two other directors because of my love for 21 grams, I was very disappointed. Gustavius

Congrats! Great stuff! Gustavius Smith NY NY

Yes somewhere else on the net premiere was mentioned I just can't remember now. When one researches deep saturation, contrast, sharp images, you run into reversal + cross prosessing. Films like Clockers, and that Iraqi film with George Clooney and Ice Cube ( can't remember the name) also comes up. But what I am talking about is more natural looking just with deep color and sharp images. I was not suggesting cibachrome print by the way. Here is Mario's website by the way. www.cravoneto.com.br/

The higher quality digital Crato stills were too big to upload. Please see: http://www.artincontext.org/LISTINGS/IMAGE.../D/H9ZIHN1D.htm and: http://www.artincontext.org/LISTINGS/IMAGE.../E/H9ZIHO1E.htm After a day or so of quick research on the web it did seem to me (just a director not a cinematographer) that reversal film was close to this look. Where can I view examples of of the 7245 pushed one stop. Sincerely, Gustavius Smith NYNY The higher quality digital Crato stills were too big to upload. Please see: http://www.artincontext.org/LISTINGS/IMAGE.../D/H9ZIHN1D.htm and: http://www.artincontext.org/LISTINGS/IMAGE.../E/H9ZIHO1E.htm

Shooting for print with no DI. 35mm regular framing.

That's good to know. The blacks seem to be so much deeper to me than the films I have seen recently. One film that comes to mind is House of Sand that is similar in style.

I was hoping for advice on how to achieve this look with motion picture film. These are stills of Brazilian photographer Mario Cravo Neto he uses a technique of printing called cibachrome. I love the dark blacks, deep saturated colors, and natural lighting and I am set on requesting this look for a feature set in the Bahamas. I am guessing that this can be achieved with color reversal stock if DI was not an option. I thank you in advance for your time and consideration. Gustavius Smith NYNY An interior shot, with practical I assume I can make this light warmer if I want to instead of cool blue An interior/ext shot with daylight A nighttime shot

If it is not too much trouble could you please post more fram grabs of the reversal stock. Gustavius Smith NYNY

I once met the director /producer of this movie at a film festival he is a very interesting guy must have been an experience working with him. What do you like or dislike about shooting Ektachrome 100D (5285). Why did you choose to use reversal stock. I thought that it was a daylight only stock. Thanks Gustavius Smith NYNY

Taken from a Todd Field ( In the Bedroom Little Children) Interview in Independent Filmamker. Question regarding pre-production and shooting Is that desire antithetical to the demands of prepping a movie of this scale? As the machine gets bigger, you have to tame it more and more. It can be harder to keep mobile and to allow for those sorts of quick decisions or last-minute changes of mind. Todd Field Yeah. Well, here we were commuting 45 minutes to an hour at least every day to these different locations to build a sort of dream of a community, a community that doesn?t really exist. It isn?t the suburbs. It isn?t anywhere. It?s kind of this other world, a playground from my imagination, from my childhood. And yes, when you?re dealing at a certain level with a certain budget, suddenly you have 10 more trucks to move around and 10 more union people in the crew you don?t need and you don?t want to pay. You don?t want to have to tell them to be quiet, you don?t want their stuff to be right outside your frame, and you don?t want to wait for them to move it. It?s hard to travel in groups. It?s much easier to go out to dinner with two people than to go out with 10. And just because you have more money, it doesn?t mean that the film is going to be any better or that it?s going to be any easier. I think probably the opposite. I think I knew that going in, but it was completely confirmed for me by the end of the shoot. Money is relative. The audience asks, ?Well, how much money did you have to make it?? Who cares? You break down a script, and it may seem very simple on the page, but you never know. It?s arbitrary until you really map every single thing out: your locations, gas, crew ? all of that. On In the Bedroom, people would say, ?How much do you want to make the movie?? and I?d always say, ?How much have you got?? I knew I could do it for very little, because I lived [where we shot]. I knew those locations that are built into the script. I knew how long it takes exactly at any time of day to get from one point to the other. And I knew that I wouldn?t be strapped with having the long arm of the unions and 25 drivers and all that other stuff because nobody was paying attention. It?s gotten much, much harder now. I think it?s harder for people to make signature films, films that are personal to them. I?ve been reading your magazine for I don?t know how many years, and independent film has now become this ?thing.? It?s been codified. If you?re going out and making your first film, the unions are tracking you like foxes in the woods, waiting to go after you. It?s very difficult to make a non-union film right now. Todd It?s almost impossible. And that?s sad, because you think about guys like Victor Nunez, who?d go out and work with a six-man crew. Nobody was union, he had no drivers, and he could be really fleet of foot and work in a really personal, intuitive way. A couple of lights and an Aaton on his shoulder. That?s a very hard thing to do now. It makes you envy in a way people who are working in Iran or Turkey. If only I spoke a different language! Don?t you find that? I remember [acting in] Walking and Talking with Good Machine. Those guys were doing everything with frequent flyer miles, and they didn?t even pay us. We?d fly into town, stay in a hotel ourselves, there was no per diem. And they said, ?Well, that?s what it?s going to take, so let?s get it made!? All those great movies that came out of that period... It?s very hard to do it that way anymore. It?s interesting to hear you say this, because one would think that you have, after In the Bedroom, ?graduated? to bigger budgets. It sounds, though, like you want to maintain a more compact way of working. Todd Oh yeah, I like working that way. It?s a wonderful feeling about not spending money unnecessarily. At least you can wake up every day and look at yourself in the mirror and say, ?Okay, I?m doing this for the right reasons, I?m making a film, I?m putting every single part of my effort and my sweat and every dollar into the film, not into stupid things.?

Thank you all this was really informative.

Was this a feature?

Thanks for your reply. I felt like not having a production manager was a real set back. I found myself worrying that the AC didn't eat meat, and losing sleep because I had to get coffee. Every question just came to me.

I have produced a 16mm short and had a crew and cast of about 25 people. In New York I get the opportunity to see crews on the street and to be frank I see a lot of guys with bulging stomachs standing around. It's not a pretty sight. I really want to produce my feature with a small cast. Yes I won't have loads of money for a crew but at the same time I despise waste and large crews I don't think it's good for creativity. I would prefer to keep a small crew in return for an extended shooting schedule of three or even four weeks for a 90 page script. Especaially since we will be shooting out of the country. I would appreciate if any of you can share your small crew experiences on independent productions. Here is what I had in mind for mine, a drama, nothing special going. DP/Camera Operator AC 2nd AC Director/Producer Asst Director Scipt Supervisor Sound Mixer Boom Operator PA/Cable Puller Gaffer Grip PA (Best Boy) Art Director Costume Makeup Property Master PA (Art Department) PA (art Department) Production Manaager Production Asst That's already 20 not including the cast. Which won't be more than five people on most of the days. I think this can work. Think drama like, In the Bedroom, Leaving LAs Vegas, Vera Drake, small movies. What do you think. Can it even be smaller? Gustavius Smith NY NY

Sounds like it it's coming along nicely Michael. Good Work! Gustavius NYNY

Wow. I can't wait to see it. Gustavius Smith NYNY

What about: Little Children Heading South Little Miss Sunshine House of Sand Last King of Scotland The King Man Push Cart If you are judging cinema on those movies you are right. Almost all those movies you listed were made under formulas driven by equity risk analyses not what makes a great movie. Having the opportunity to watch the blockbusters and the indies here in New York city on a weekly basis I would say cinema right now is breathtaking and artistic thanks to the indies. Gustavius Smith NYNY

I thought the look of the film matched the mood and the genre. There is a line in the film where Jack speaks to himself in which he says the black people of Boston have not learned the lesson of the Irish which is that no one is going to give you anything, you have to take it. I wonder if Scorcesse was outwardly expressing/explaining his motive to remake Infernal Affiars the chinese movie and turn it into the Departed. And are the Irish for Scorsesse in this instance hollywood-the great takers- Hollywood is oversampled like hip hop. I think there should be two categories of directors/writers, those who take their ideas from someone else and those who actually sit down observe life, research and come up with an original idea. I was so let down when I found out that Scarface was a remake of Scarface...the real credit for that film should got Pacino not Stone. Or what about Traffic, the orignal "Trafic" set in Afghanistan and Europe was way better dealing with heroin trade instead of cocaine in Mexico. Now that was really a take. Hey if I'm not mistaken (I could be) Do the right thing, She's got to have it, Jungle Fever, Menace to Society, Boys in the Hood, Hustle and Flow, Akeelah and the Bee are all orginal ideas. Nonetheless the Departed was a great film I highly recommend it. Scorcesse waited for the final credit to tell the world this film was a remake, the last credit, it should be the first. Gustavius Smith NY NY

Thanks. Gustavius Smith NYNY

I just read an AC 2004 article on the subject. I am going to get film daillies and depend on DVCAM for the offline only not image structure judgements. Gustavius Smith NY NY

Thanks David for your response. When I went to see Akeelah and the Bee in New York on a Saturday afternoon a while back they printed out tickets for that movie with Vince Vaghn and Jennifer Anniston then refused to reprint our tickets to Akeelah and the Bee, we were like hell no, we want our money to go to this film at the time we felt they did it on purpose. Who knows? I didn't know you were the DP. I enjoyed the film. It was refreshing like Baddass by Van Pebbles Jr. Anyway my question, if your original format is 35 4 perf anamorphic would you feel a one light DVCam from the negative for daillies is good enough to judge the image structure? Gustavius Smith NY NY

Makes sense, thanks. I hope this does not turn out to be more expensive than painting the six silos (yikes!) and using a dummy for the infant.

I hope you get better soon. Gustavius Smith NY NY

I have been inspired by the cinematography of Days of Heaven and also by David Mullen's theory in Akeelah and the Bee to shoot a low budget feature in 35 anamporphic to enhance the film's presence. I do not have the budget for a DI or HDCAM-SR. The situations in this movie are similar to Days of Heaven (the main actors work outdoors from sunrise to sunset) except we are on a 100 mile long island in the Bahamas ( with a population of less than 10,000) and not a cornfield. As producer/writer the scenes that are bothering me include a a wide shot of six silos in an open field and an effects shot involving an insect crawling on an infant's face. The six silos are gray concrete. I want to paint them into bright tropical colors. The wide shots of the silos happen in five scenes, not more than two minutes long. The infant scene is less than a minute. Couldn't I just scan those scenes, do the required post work, then reprint them to 35anamorphic print. Thanks in advance for your time and consideration. Gustavius Smith NY NY