Jaan Shenberger

A little off topic, but I recently watched the director's cut of Legend on blu-ray (transferred from an answer print)… I was shocked to feel that it's visually and atmospherically on par with Blade Runner. Lighting and production design are really superb. The theatrical cut is pretty bad though… no wonder it's been largely forgotten.

Hello all. To clarify, I'm wondering specifically about the usage of "DoP" versus "DP" — thanks.

Thanks for the insight Phil. Mark - what about specifically "DoP" versus "DP" in Australia? (sorry, I should've been more specific in my original post — I'll edit it to do so).

Hello any international people on here — is "DoP" still used much in print, on call sheets, business cards, etc? Thanks in advance for any input.

If your digital spot meter's response time isn't fast enough to meter the police light's cast, then maybe try using an old analog reflective meter (pointed at a gray card receiving the light's cast). You can watch the exposure needle swing back and forth as the light varies, and easily get a feel for the average reading for the red and blue. I did this back in the 90s when metering for light being caustically reflected off water and it worked great. Hope this somehow helps.

Thanks for the info Stuart... the producers and myself are aware of the wide range of options in regards to Indian production gear, I was just hoping to get a firsthand recommendation from someone. I also have no idea if Chinese-made units from brands I'm unfamiliar with are more prevalent over there. I'd also like to avoid dealing with adapters, not to mention shipping from the US and back. Thanks again for the info.

Also, can anyone recommend where to rent Chimera or Jem chinaballs or pancakes? Thanks.

I'm going to be DPing a feature in Sri Lanka in a few months and have never shot in that part of the world, nor any 240v country. So I have no idea what the selection of 240v light units is like, relative to the US. I'm very fond of using multiple 24" chinaballs by Lanternlock that are very sturdy and affordable (http://lanternlock.com/), and was hoping to find something similar for rent or sale in India or Sri Lanka. Also, can anyone recommend where to rent Chimera or Jem chinaballs or pancakes? Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I'm going to be shooting a feature in Sri Lanka in a few months and have never shot in that part of the world, nor any 240v country. So I have no idea what the selection of 240v light units is like relative to the US. I'm very fond of using multiple 24" chinaballs by Lanternlock that are very sturdy and affordable (http://lanternlock.com/), and was hoping to find something similar for rent in India or Sri Lanka. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

there's nothing wrong with your file's color and no actual color shift is occurring as it moves from software to software. for some reason, apple's corevideo technology incorporates color profile tags which often result in unintended gamma shifts when particular movie files are displayed in some software. for example, your quicktimes that look washed out to you in quicktime player, etc will look exactly right in firefox on windows. if you apply your homebrew gamma/contrast then it'll look darker than intended when viewed in firefox on windows. this problem exists with numerous codecs and player software programs. i didn't read everything in this thread, but most often people are most concerned with producing h264 encoded movies that "look right". and to do that the current industry standard is to use the x264 codec which performs well compression-wise while also excluding the gamma tag nonsense. it's free...http://www.videolan.org/developers/x264.html hope this helps and best of luck.

since complex, i've been using gales creek insurance, who i was referred to by complex. after contacting about a dozen other options, i found they have the best rate, at least for my particular needs (though not as cheap as complex was, obviously). hope this may save someone some time. and thanks for everyone's suggestions.

thought since nearly everyone in sf seemed to go through complex corporation for insurance, i'd try asking here... anyone found any for single day that is anywhere near the great prices complex used to have? thanks for any suggestions.

I'm not a working DP, but rather a working director who is his own DP (if that makes sense), so take my advice with a grain of salt. If you're still in high school, then I suggest you do these thingees: - shoot as many projects as you can (duh) - shoot as much informal stuff as you can, like the way a painter uses a sketchbook (many of your best ideas about lighting/composition will come from this) - try to edit, yourself, some of the projects you shoot (understanding coverage, continuity and shot sequence is essential) - try to handle doing the costumes and props for a few projects (understanding how surfaces/materials work with lighting, etc.) - use books as the basis of your self-education rather than the internet. two or three $30 books will answer 90% of all your questions, including ones you haven't even asked yet-- unlike the internet which answers only your immediate question, and often superficially) - find some kind of still photography class that you can take - spend twice the amount of time studying lighting techniques than you do camera movement techniques when you get to college or as a young pro: - always remember that for any project you do, 1/3 of your real compensation is the money, 1/3 the experience/reel, and 1/3 to help lead to your next project (via contacts etc) - always do the best you can, no matter how dumb or under resourced the project (duh). people notice this and will remember you for it. - find out what directing major has the richest family and start shooting his/her projects (yeah i know it sounds crass, but i have seen it pay off for some). hope this helps and best of luck.

i think those stills are all powerful images... making something look pretty is easy-- and textbook as hell. being able to depict your subject as anything else is a mark of a truly talented photographer or cinematographer. the look seems well-suited for your one-line synopsis-- to me, the look evokes amatuer myspace non-camera flash portraiture, but with a sombering slant and a subtle (and assumingly conscious) use of light on the actors faces... though i hope the writing and acting is able to work with the imagery. i look forward to seeing the final.

somewhere in canada, there is an asphalt road that was paved with tax dollars and is driven over only once a month. discuss.