Ale Reynoso

Thank you! Finally shot: The flourescents worked quite well. Although the budget was low, thats why the tubes only, I found them usefull (and efficient regarding power comsumption) to get a simulated soft window source. We arranged three banks of 4 tubes each properly flagged (two 1.2m, 4 feet, and one 0.6m, 2 feet) enough to get around f2.8 in a EX-1 with a RedRock Encore and Nikon 50mm set at 1.4, shooting 720p (not as sharp but noticeably more sensivity than 1080p) at a distance of 6m more or less. Used some other tubes for another small "window" and 2K fresnels with CTB for "touchs". Thank you Alejandro

Hi: Thanks for the reply. Of course safety (of equipment and people) is first. And may be we can afford a small jib arm after all, but wondering if someone had an interesting (and safe) idea. (i.e.) not exactly a "jib shot", more like a smooth hadheld, but I read that Christopher Doyle used the camera hanging from bungee cord to slowly move it down to a table in an interrogatory room in "Paranoid Park". Best regards Alejandro

Hi: Is there any example of a jib shot made really easy and cheap? We need to swing up an SR for the ending shot of a short, but a jib arm is getting out of the budget. We need to start in a close up with the camera facing almost all the way down and raise it a little, perhaps no more than 1.5m or 2m...links to a creative solution photo? Thank you!! Best regards Alejandro

Keep in mind that the Sony Z1 is rated as ISO 160-200. Make calculations of how much light do you need for a decent stop (at full zoom you loose the widest aperture of the wide angle end). See where you can put your lights, if you will use diffusion, etc. and use the photometric tables of the lamps to figure out wich ones. Good luck!! Alejnadro

It´s a common practice to use a DSLR as a reference. An important aspect is HOW are you going to meter the scene...let the camera "matrix" metering do the work? I would use the spotmeter and start with metering a gray card as a starting point. May be the DSLR is not such a good reference if you´re looking for the extremes in the highlights and shadows, but a good reference for the overall exposure. The negative could hold detail in highlight or shadows and your camera could be unable to show it (anyway you could set the base exposure and then "aim" to the highlights and/or shadows to spotmeter them. Always from the camera position. Now you can determine how "hot" a highlight is comparing to the base exposure). Another issue is the sensivity you are really getting in your camera. If the camera is an HS or EBM with the prism system for viewing, you are cutting at least 1/3 of a stop to the film (i.e. if you´re using ISO 500 film you should use ISO 400 in your exposure meter). You should perform tests to evaluate the correlation between the DSLR sensivity and the effective sensivity you´re getting of the lens+prism+shutter combination (I think the HS shutter is something like 165º). So light a gray card evenly and USING YOUR DSLR (in spotmeter or covering the entire card, make sure everything is zeroed) meter the card. Using the same sensivity in the DSLR than the label of the can as a starting point. Now roll a couple of feet at "normal" exposure (the f number showed in the DSLR) and over and underexposing in 1/3 of a stop steps up and down to 1 1/2 stops (better to hold the same f number in the film camera and move the lights instead: you´re cutting the iris adjustment error). Make shure you label every gray card (N, + 1/3, + 2/3, etc. or (i.e.) ISO 500, ISO 400, ISO 320, etc.) Take the roll to the lab and make them tell you wich is the right exposure. Use that in your DSLR. You should use 1/48s for 24 fps (1/50 in your camera). It would be a good idea to check the lens too (if the same aperture in the different lens give you the same exposure)... If it´s not possible just do the maths, substract 1/3 for the prism, and may be 1/3 for the shutter angle (165º is not even a 1/3, but better to overxpose tha sub) to the film ISO to rate the camera. Ideally recheck the DSLR meter with a trusted spotmeter. Good luck! Best regards.

Thanks a lot...I will start my homework with the location plans. Best regards

Thank you! I was thinking in a couple o small 1.2 or a 2.5K. I´m not fighting direct sunlight as the interiors are pretty dark. So the main difference will be the reach of the light? Assuming I´m getting the same output from the two different sources. Best regards Alejandro

Hello. I´m preparing out an indie short (not defined if HD or 16mm). I´m trying to be as efficient and practical as I can with the lighting package. In some day interiors I figured out to use a frame with some diffusion (silk?) in a window exterior and light through it with an HMI for a soft but powerfull source, but it´s expensive for our budget. Will I get the same effect if I just use a “wall” of fluorescent tubes (like an arrange of 3x3 or 4x2 fixtures? The combination that matches the HMI through silk regarding light output). May be with a light diffusion to blend them all? I feel may be I don´t get the same “punch”. Sometimes I hear complains about how the fluorescent renders. Or is this regarding colour rendition over HMI and tungsten? Thank you Alejandro

Hi! What about setting up some simple fixtures with the same tubes as in the ceiling? Best regards Alejandro

So good luck with your plan!!!!! See you Alejandro

Ask Klemens. Mention my name and this post. He is a very kind person. Klemens Hufnagl<klemens.hufnagl@gmx.at>, Best regards from Buenos Aires Alejandro

¿?...Hello! I started my post saying..."shoul I rate the scool only referring to the students work..." I can easilly assume that if someone as student is way too good, the school should have some credit (but anyway I could be wrong). As I told, Cata, David and Klemens work was outstanding... But you should know the school better than me being from Austria. And that was the question from Malik...so, isn´t the school that good? Best regards Alejandro

Nice job!!! Best regards Alejandro

By the way...what were you doing? a feature?, which one?...

I don´t know much of the world, but probably Bariloche is my place on earth... Best regards!!! Ale

I shot a Super 16mm short film as gaffer with "Filmakademie Wien" students in Buenos Aires. should I rate the school only referring to the students craft I should say it´s excellent. The work of Catalina Molina (director), Klemens Hufnagl (DoP) and David Bohum (producer) was way too good... I enjoyed so much working with them and the result was very, very good (I couldn´t see the transfer from film because it was back in Austria, but Klemens was very, very happy). I really liked Klemen´s working style and the mood he was able to get... I upoladed some photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/XTREME.ALEK/Ro...TalleresCamara# and here http://picasaweb.google.com/XTREME.ALEK/Ro...resIluminacion# Best regards Alejandro

Nice to have been usefull (not only my credit...). De nada!! Saludos desde Buenos Aires! Ale

Hello! At least a sketch of the location could be helpull in this cases. It´s a night shot, isn´it? Your first intention was to suspend big frames with difussion and light through/or bounced on them? May be you can suspend them from the top of the buildings of the set? and hide lights on alleys or anything that would bounce on the frames? helium baloons? One or two rows of skirted chinaballs with 1K lamps each?.... Try to upload a photo of the set... Good luck!! Alejandro

No se cuantos...pero somos muchos! (Don´t know how many, but we`re a bunch!..) Saludos Ale

Hey Dimitrios!! Don´t take me wrong. I didn´t want to be sarcastic, ironic, or anything. Perhaps you have way more experience than me and I din´t mean to "teach you" or anything!!! Just giving a help and keeping in mind some other aspects of the rating. That´s all. And I always keep in mind something I learned some time ago, not just regarding cinematography, but every other aspect of life: There is not a "right way". Just different, personal ways and some more aproppiate than another for a given matter. A even if there is a "broadly established right way", your way could be better. Just try... I´m sorry! All the best from Buenos Aires...and my english isn´t that good!!!!!!!!

Regarding the camera, I had great results in harsh daylight exteriors with gamma CINELIKE D, and then grading a little in post. Working with gamma HDNORM is quite challenging in bright sunlight (and clipped highlights looks REALLY ugly). Keep an eye in your 100% zebra... Use a pola and ND grads if you can. If you´re in low light interior/night you could swich to HIGH gamma. I used slow motion a lot, so instead of entering the menu each time I wanted to change the frame rate, I copied the settings of the camera in a different preset (in the back wheel). So I labeled CINE1 the first position, copied the setting to the second position, but with a frame rate of 50 (we´re PAL based). Labeled CINE1SL or something. You could switch frame rates just turning the wheel... We used a P2 Store and P2 viewer for PC last time for backups. You have to manually set all the partitions of the P2 Store as "virtual P2", so you can see them and download to the PC. The person in charge didn´t set all the partitions and didn´t copy all the shots... :( If you don´t set them all, some footage keeps hiden when you select "view all virtual P2", so he thought he had copied all... Good luck with your shooting! Check if this is in english http://www2.alfonsoparra.com/php/baul/Test...00%20camera.pdf If not search "Alfonso Parra" and "HVX200". He is a spanish DP with a lot of experience in HD/electronic cinematography. Best regards Alejandro

[Most of the times if you have an even lit gray card and a full frame of it, auto iris will not give you a measurment that is not more than 1/3 of an f/ stop up-down. 1/3 is a big difference if you are stating this, but it's very rare to get this false reading... :) And yes, I am not talking for a gray card that has been exposed to sunlight for three years... Dim I´m sorry. I didn´t understand that. What you are saying is that "auto" could give you and error of +-1/3 of a stop from 45 IRE? If yes, so I´m saying the same. There are some variables to get an 18% gray card in 45 IRE (i.e. AE shift, manual override...). And differente brands of cameras and different setups may give you a different level for the 18% gray with "auto" (of course slightly different. you will not miss for a whole stop for shure). There are even discussion about different lighmeters and still cameras reading the gray card different (about the standard of them being 12,5 or 14% of reflection...search the web). So what I´m saying is just to cut variables. Just use the in camera spotmeter with the gray card and rate it when you have 45 IRE from the card. Or use a WFM if the camera doesn´t have a built in spotmeter. I you use a cine gamma perhaps you set your gray a little lower to rate the camera (to be checked out when grading). Of course "auto" will give a baseline, but why not to be accurate... ...OK, in the end you will expend your time in the "video village" checking out the picture on a big monitor and WFM/VS or relying in your zebras to keep faces well exposed and avoiding clipped images... Best regards from Buenos Aires Alejandro

" tied the 4x4 frame and tripods..." I meant, 4 by meters (12 by feets...).

In fact we took some tent pegs (I worked with Luis)...they were totally useless. We used a lot of sandbags and tied the 4x4 frame and tripods to them, but sometimes even with that, someone had to hold the tripods of the 4x4´s because of the wind peaks... The axles deep buried would have been nice.

If you´re using a spotmeter with EV scale it´s a good way to work with the zonal system, knowing that the difference between EV´s is right one stop. Instead of guessing the difference in F stops, you get a straight difference in natural numbers. I.E. camera stop f 4.0. Dark side f 1.4. In EV´s would be (i.e.) Zone V in camera EV 10. Dark side EV 7 (Zone III). I think it´s a straight and easier math. Although I´m using a Minolta Spotmeter F that takes the things a little more easier: I you get the Camera F stop, you set it in the meter as A (Average), then every reading is in EV, BUT STARTING AT THE AVERAGE MEASURE. i.e. You read a gray card (i.e. f 2.8), then you set it as your average. Readouts over f 2.8 will be positive (1 stop over, or f 4.0 will read 1, 2 over or f 5.6: 2. And so on, with decimals intermediates). f 2.8 will be "0" (zero). Readouts under f 2.8 will give you negatives number (f 2.0 is -1, and so with the decimal intermediates). I find it quite practical and easy to work with. Best regards Alejandro