Tiago Pimentel

Thanks David! I was also curious about the Tiffen Black Satin. How is this filter different or similar to the Low/Ultra Contrast filters? Thanks

Hi guys, I ended up buying a Tiffen Low Con 1 to test it with my Ursa Mini camera and I have to say I do love the look. I don't think it's as simple as just lowering contrast. It's doing something to the way everything rolls off (especially the focus to out of focus areas). Everything looks more natural and less "digital" to me. I wanted to try the Ultracon to see the difference but the strength that people usually recommend (Ultracon 2) is not available anywhere. Do you think I should go for 1 or 3? Cheers Tiago

Thanks Miguel, glad you enjoyed it!

Hi, Did this shorter version of a short film I directed last year. It got much more enigmatic, but hopefully the final "twist" really shows what this short story is all about. Hope you enjoy it and please share your comments, critiques and suggestions: Password: inside2020 Cheers Tiago

Hey guys, I am currently interested in trying a filter that might allow my digital camera (Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro) to achieve a more pleasant rolloff from shadows to highlights. I know that with controled lighting we can get close to whatever look we want, but sometimes (especially with strong sunny days and high contrast situations) the rolloff gets too "digital". So I've been reading a lot about contrast filters, especially the ones I mention below. Tiffen Low Contrast Tiffen Ultra Contrast Tiffen Satin I know they are different and the best would be to rent and try them out. Unfortunately, I can't even buy them where I'm from, so this will have to be an online purchase as informed as I can get it to be... So here's what I want from these filters: 1 - pleasant rolloff in high contrast situations 2 - subtle glow of hot spots (preferably not enough to make the filtered look too obvious) I'll be using them with Zeiss ZF.2 glass. Thanks for helping! Tiago

Hey David. In my case, with my camera, I feel like I can't really push saturation too much if the image is dark. Otherwise it will introduce that horrible chroma noise. But in dark scenes, saturation should be low anyway, so... I was just curious as to how other DPs were approaching dark scenes. One question: if you're using a camera rated at 800iso, would you use 200 or 400 for a dark scene?

Hey Stuart. Yeah, I forgot about dailies, they are always the main "issue". I was mentioning flagging because if you light a dark scene and expose it to have the skin tones falling where the camera is "expecting" them, then a lot more light is needed and, as such, a lot of flagging to keep ratios clean. But what you said makes absolute sense. But not all cameras deliver clean footage in a dark scene.

Hey guys I was curious how you are handling exposure with digital cameras, particularly with dark scenes involving people. Most cameras will render great skin tones if skin is exposed for 70IRE, but can mess everything up if set is lit and exposed to the end result. So my question is: are you exposing skintones for 70IRE or close and then pull everything down in post (a nightmare for any gaffer because of all the flagging he'll be doing) or do you expose exactly how you want it to look? Or maybe something in the middle? Thanks!

Hi, Thanks! Yeah, you're right about the text at the end. I will correct it. When you say the guy at 0:53 looks choppy, is it because of the jump cut of him already partly in the frame? Thanks!

Hi! My new director/DP reel. Hope you guys enjoy. Thanks Tiago Pimentel

Ah yes, completely agree with that! BTW, how do you correct for contrast in digital sensors? Do you create a custom LUT or use the contrast ratio with pivot? Or maybe a luma curve? Thanks!

Could you elaborate a bit more on that, David? ? Thanks

Thanks! Good advices. Exposing with digital sensors kind of changed a lot of the reality in the way we light. Are you guys using practicals (not everytime of course) as main lights or just as motivation for other bigger lights? (not counting HMIs for sun light). I've been reading that more and more DPs are using practicals on their own to light a scene.

Hey guys, How are you exposing skintones on a digital sensor? I know the principles should be the same as exposing for film, and a skintone should look good most of the times if you're using something like False Color to nail exposure, but sometimes you need the scene to be dark. Take the example below. Would you expose for the "right" skintone (let's say around 70 IRE) and take it down in post or would you expose for the end result? I'm asking this because digital cameras interpret skin tones differently according to where they fall in the waveform and sometimes, if I expose for the end result, I get very little headroom in post to push some colors without unwanted noise. Here's an example:

Hey guys, So what motivated to start this topic was the fact that most interviews I see online (even tutorials) don't quite nail the backlight effect that they mention in those videos. Most of the tutorials I find, the backlight seems to fall short from effectively making the talent pop from the background. Most of the times, I feel the backlight wraps around the key/fill light too much. I'm looking for those razor sharp, beautiful cinematic Conrad Hall kind of backlight. So, I was wondering what is usually your approach to get this kind of backlight when shooting a cinematic interview? My feeling is that most people are using soft light as back light and then point it at the talent as if it was a hard light. And that makes it wrap too much for my taste. So, I would say hard directional light as backlight is the way to go. Also, maybe using a warmer color temperature might also help with color contrast against key. And definitely more intense than key. As for positioning the light, that's always where I struggle most. Where and how high do you usually place it, without making the light spill too much to the top/front of the talent while avoiding veiling flares and other stuff like that? Here are two examples of what I mean (second example is over the top, but it's great to really highlight what I mean): Thanks!

Thanks David! For this Mulholland Dr effect, what strength of Hollywood BM would be more adequate? 1/4? Thanks

Hey guys The trailer is out: Thanks for watching Tiago Pimentel

David, you're absolutely right. I meant a filter that would affect more the highlights than sharpness. Because for this net filtering to work, I feel you need to start with a really sharp lens, otherwise the image would look too soft when the desired halation is reached. On the other hand, soft lenses also tend to halate more, so maybe things would balance each other.

Thanks David. Any particular filter you like that could recreate this effect? Something that could make the highlights glow like that without affecting sharpness.

Hi guys, Anyone knows what diffusion Deming used on Mulholland Drive to capture that Hollywood glow? And what would you use on a digital camera to achieve the same? In case you don't remember, here's the trailer. Thanks Tiago

Thanks guys. Anyone knows if there are any real and pragmatic differences between the Zeiss Contax, Milvus and Otus lines? There sure is a huge price gap. Just wanted to know if it's optically relevant. Thanks!

Stuart, would you recommend the contax Zeiss instead? Any other recommendation on a set of primes for a similar price tag? Thanks

That is bad, Stuart. I've read so many good things about that Zeiss glass. People usually rave about the Contax Zeiss which is basically the same as the ZF and ZE. I think the T* coating on the Contax might help with more organic flares. Was the problem with the highlights related to purplish flares or was it more about fringing? Were the lens wide open?

Thanks guys. What would you say are the main differences between the Zeiss Zf.2 and the Leica-R?

Hey guys. I'm looking for a set of primes suitable to render a modern and snappy look that we're used to getting in Netflix and other platforms. They need to have that sharp but organic look. Whatever set I end up choosing, it's going to be used with Ursa Mini pro cameras with Ef mount. I'm torn between the Zeiss Zf.2 and the Leica-R though I never tried the Leicas. Any suggestions? Thanks!