Nicholas Lorini

Looking for feedback on cinematography https://nicholaslorini.com/goodwill

Some good thoughts in this thread. I am also struggling to figure out or realize the next steps in my own career. I've working up and down the camera department for close to 10 years. I am member of Local 600 in the Digital Loader classification. And I am currently working full time as an in-house DP for a production company. Problem is, I have been doing all this work in a non-market city in Florida so I don't have much of a network. I am thankful for the stability of the full time job but it pays significantly less than I could potentially earn in the freelance world. With a 2 year old at home and all the money and time that takes, I feel spread a bit thin as a full time employee (and the work is often quite boring corporate talking head kinda stuff). My short term goal/next step is to get my freelancing career moving. Longterm goal is to be a working freelance DP in commercials (eventually narratives/docs but I'd like a sustainable career first). Since I don't live in large market, I realize that I'll need to network outside my city, which is fine, I just have no idea where to start. Would love to hear some stories/advice as to how you all dealt with networking and building contacts without necessarily moving into a major market (can't really afford to move the whole family right now). Here's my website too if anyone has thoughts on what to improve there: www.nicholaslorini.com

Here's a piece I shot and edited. Looking for some feedback on ways to improve.

I'm sure many of you are aware of Yedlin's progress with image processing in the post pipeline. His latest video, released a couple weeks ago, dives further into the concepts with more explanation of the technical aspects of this process. I'm still wrapping my head around things and there doesn't seem to be anyone else but Yedlin talking about it at this level. I'm wondering if we can start a conversation here to further demystify what he is up to. Sorry if this seems vague but I really don't know where to start. It's all very interesting and appears to be important to the future of the craft and this forum is packed with wisdom and experience. Here's a link to the Follow Up: http://www.yedlin.net/DisplayPrepDemo/DispPrepDemoFollowup.html Thanks, Nick

I'm shooting a short soon and the director and I have agreed to obscure the time and place of the events happening. The whole story occurs in a very dark room until the last shot, the lead exits through a doorway which is to be blown out completely so as to show him exiting in to nothingness. My thoughts are to put up a large silk outside the doorway and hit it with a lot of light and also black out the interior of the room. Either that or try to green screen it. What would some of you do (or have done) in a situation like this? Also, I don't have much of a budget to work with so for lights we're talking like a 1k and some impact octacools and maybe a 750w Lowell. Thanks! Nick

That's interesting. Grading is the last thing I do, though it does make more sense to grade on the file with the most information. And I take it .R3D files won't hold audio syncs. I gotta say I kinda prefer Cine-X to Premiere for sound sync.

Hmm, I wasn't planning to make any grading changes in cine-x but I did just sync an entire folder of clips with its corresponding audio. Now I'm exporting those syncs to ProRes. You think it would be easier to just import the RAW .R3D files into Premiere, sync audio and take it all down to 1080 after coloring in the export?

I've learned quite a bit since this posting. My question now is whether to compress to ProRes 422 1080p before I send it to Premiere or leave in .R3D format

This is my first time editing a project shot on RED. I'm looking to get some insight on the workflow associated. I know there's a transcoding and debayering process that I do not completely understand, do I even need to do it? Should I apply any grades in Cine-X Pro or change any of the gamma curve or colorspace settings or just wait until I'm finished cutting and send it to DaVinci? Can I use my usual Premiere workflow for AVCHD files as far as cutting and syncing sound? We shot on RED Dragon at 5k Red gamma3 Red color4 Thanks, Nick!

The budget is not including the monitor. After having done some research I'm actually leaning toward the 6-core Mac Pro and stocking it with 64GB RAM. It seems to be more than adequate for just about any project. My only hold out is the possibility of a cheap yet comparable PC option but I am partial to the Apple interface. I also don't have the time to build my own machine or else I would.

I've just been hired to edit and color an 18 page short that will be shot on a RED. I am not sure which model the DP is bringing to set but I know the director will want him recording the in highest possible quality. I've been running tests on my current machine with some RED footage and it is not adequate for the job, so I'll need a new machine. I plan to cut in Premiere and round trip through DaVinci for color. I will also be using this machine to cut and color a feature in August (also shot on RED) and another in November. Basically, I'll need something powerful. Having never dealt with RED footage I'm not totally clear on how much horsepower is necessary. Put in my position, with a $4000 budget, what sort of machine would you guys invest in? Also, while I'm at it I'd like to get a calibrated monitor for the grading. If anyone has opinions in this field as well, please share! Thanks! Nick P.S. Any books, articles or websites you guys could recommend for RED workflow would be much appreciated as well.

MacBook Pro DaVinci Resolve Samsung And I may be willing to invest some personal capital. Although I'm primarily a DP I think I'll be wearing this hat in the future so it may be worth the investment

Thank you for your input! Only problem here is that I'm working on a no budget film so I'm not sure "several hundred dollars" for probes is in the cards. Is there any way of getting reasonably close on my own? The film will screen in a theater for its premiere but unlikely ever after that. Though, I guess since it's been brought up, I'm not totally clear on LUTs either. I understand that they can be a reference but also a sort of preset grade as they seem to be applied to my image when I use them. They're also terribly dramatic oftentimes and I find more subtle tinkering in the curves and wheels and such to do the trick. It also may be worth noting most of the footage I'm working with is shot on a C100 without any external recording device.

I have a 43' plasma screen I am using to correct and grade for a feature film. I'm a bit confused about Rec 709. What I think I understand is that it is a standard color gamut used across many displays, including my plasma screen. I've gone in to the color settings under display on my computer and found that I can change the display profile of my plasma screen. The display was set to HD-709-A by default it seems. Is this safe or should I choose another option like HDR HDTV Display (Rec 709) - EOTF SMPTE 2084 or HDTV Display (Rec 709) - EOTF Rec. 1886 (Gamma 2.4) OR should I calibrate the display? If so, under what parameters (white point, gamma, etc.)? Another issue I have is that I don't know if I should grade on a Rec 709 display if the film will be largely distributed over streaming services to be viewed on home computers. Or if I should make two separate grades, one that is sRGB friendly and the other Rec 709. Any advice on this matter is welcome and much appreciated! Thanks, Nick

I'll be working on picture starting up in March and I've just been informed they already purchased the Ursa Mini 4.6k. I usually shoot on a Canon C100. I understand there are some differences between the two systems and I've done some research of my own (I'm aware of the necessity for expensive CFast cards and an OLPF) but I'd like to put the question to the community here: As an Ursa Mini user what are the advantages and disadvantages? Are there any peculiar nuances I should be privy to? How much of a learning curve do you think it will be moving from the C100 to the Ursa Mini? Thanks, Nick

So long story short, a director I work with now has been hired to produce another film in the area. He is pulling for me to DP the picture but the director is concerned about my experience. This producer has arranged a sort of trial by fire for me in which I will DP a few pages from two different scenes in the feature script as if we were in production (cast, crew) but not exactly on location. Though I don't have the full script, the producer has informed me that the story is essentially a robbery gone wrong sort of who-dun-it, told in the vein of Rashomon but contemporary and involving more interrogations than courtroom scenes. This director has listed Basic Instinct and Prisoners as references for the "look" he'd like to achieve. In that he is looking for something that is both stylized and realistic, simultaneously. My own personal instinct is guiding me toward noir realism (if such a term even exists). The Bad Lieutenant: Port Call New Orleans seemed to have something close to what I mean by that. Possibly No Country For Old Men but its been some time since I've seen it. I guess I'm wondering what any of you would do in this situation or if you have any advice for me to build on what I've got so far. Available equipment: some sort of 1k (haven't found out what kind yet), dolly, jib and steadicam and think some other lighting but nothing too substantial Thanks, Nick

I've been noodling around comments sections on different sites and I've stumbled upon an argument regarding the uncompressed output from the Canon C100 to the Atomos Ninja Blade. Some folks are claiming that the C100 uncompressed output is actually an 8-bit signal and the recorder then converts it to a 10-bit. Is this true? And if so should I even bother with an external recorder or just shoot the native AVCHD codec?

So after much contemplatation I think I'm going to stick with my C100 until I'm prepared for a better S35 imager. In the meantime I'd like to begin acquiring some decent glass. Right now I have a Nikon series e 50mm and a 28mm same series. I very much enjoy the look of these but they are still photo lenses and I want to embark on some short narrative work of my own, as well as documentary work. For this I'll need cinema lenses. I've emailed Duclos about the series e lenses I own and they don't have high hopes for them as the 28mm is plastic and the 50mm is a pancake. I'm wondering if it would be worth it to pick up a couple Nikkor Ai-s series ( which Duclos recommends for modification) and have them modified or if I should save my money and get a real serious piece of glass like a Cooke or an Arri.

Thanks for the thoughts Tyler. I'm in this jam mostly because I may be going to northern Iceland soon for a residency in the summer. I'll be making experimental and documentary shorts. And I will be there for one month and also spending at least two weeks in Europe. This is a long time to be renting so I figure I need purchase new equipment. The more I think about it the more I am realizing the logistical nightmare of bringing over the c100 plus recorder plus rigging. Hence my considering the pocket cam. I also see what you mean about the inadequecy of the c100 sensor. We've done a couple day-for-night shoots with it and the image is severely muddied in post. I'm wondering if maybe a shift to the Blackmagic Ursa may be a good move. I noticed BH has one for sale at 2,995. This would accomodate my super 35 preference and get rid of the necessity for an external recorder. If I could just get a decent piece of glass for it I think it would travel significantly easier than the c100 though still not as smooth as the BMPCC. Also as far as clients go, I've got one feature lined up for the fall and they've already told me a camera rental is in the budget.

That's kinda what I was leaning toward, as I enjoy the 35mm sensor over 16. Good glass is just so pricey. Thanks!

I've been working with video as an amateur now for 5 years. After I graduated college last year I decided it was time to move from a DSLR to a more cinema oriented body. I went with the Canon C100 and thanks to a grant I won in my last semester, I was able to purchase the Atomos Ninja Blade 2 as well. Right now, I am working as a DP on a small-budget horror feature. After this is through, I have my projects I'd like to embark on, BUT I may lose the Ninja Blade (because the grant was through the school and they want to/have the right to keep it). I understand this severely limits the recording capability of the C100. I read a thread the other night on this forum discussing the Blackmagic Pocket Cam. Now, I am wondering if I've made a mistake choosing the C100. Or if maybe the BMPCC would make my projects cheaper to achieve as I'm yet to purchase any of my own glass or rigging for the C100. My problem, I suppose, is this: Do I press on with the C100 and buy rigging and some glass for it (and unfortunately a new Ninja Blade) or do I liquidate and invest in the BMPCC and some glass for it? Or do I just sit tight with what I have and rent until I have enough money for something substantially better than either?