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Ben Kahn

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  • Occupation
    Cinematographer
  • Location
    New York

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  1. Hello, I’m shooting a short film that is set in the late 1970’s in a elementary school. We are using a Sony Venice with Zeiss super speeds and Angenieux ez zooms. I’m wondering if their are specifics strategies I can do in camera to get a time period feel. Been looking at movies of the era; camera movement, lighting styles. In post we might add some grain and color grade to get a vintage film look of the time. Nothing to aggressive so as not to look artificial though. One thing I’m curious about is filtration. Can I get recommendations of filters that would have been used at the time? I am conscious of baking in something too aggressive that will be hard to work with in post. However, anything I can get in camera is always preferable. Thanks for any suggestions!
  2. Had a conversation with the director. She had the same thought about getting on-stage coverage on the second night, pick up sections. You can definitely feel the camera closer on the talent with the dolly setup. It definitely adds variety to the piece. I hope we can get something like that! Nice work David! Thanks again
  3. Hi David, I replied to this yesterday but for some reason it didn't post so sorry for the delay. Thank you for this valuable insight! This is super helpful. We will also have the benefit of two performances so can utilize your strategy to shoot wide the first night and move in tighter the 2nd. Along those lines of tighter framing. The performer has more serious, emotional aspects to the show and the director is envisioning capturing those moments with a camera up close (wide lens/tight framing). Much like your steadicam shot but in front of the performer which would block the audience. My initial thought was to try and film those moments in a dress rehearsal but logistically that might not work, plus the performer might object to not having an audience to feed off of. Hopefully we can also do the re-performances after the show like she did. I like the remote head/dolly shot you have for the second performance. That never felt intrusive to the audience though? Thanks again for your help!
  4. Hello, I'm looking for information on shooting a stand-up comedy special. This is something the stand-up and their producers would be funding independently, hoping to sell to a network or streaming service. No budget restraints. Would be shooting in a fairly large theater. Mostly I'm curious what cameras are being used and how many. I'm in the narrative and commercial world and usual use Arri's and Venices. Are those being used for comedy specials or are they using broadcast cameras? The producers want this to feel more cinematic so that's a consideration. If anyone has any experience and can point me to resources (e.g. American Cinematographer articles...) I'd really appreciate it. Thanks
  5. Hello, I'm doing a TVC that takes place in a gymnasium. It's a bunch of kids playing basketball. I'm going for a moodier look so we found a gym where I can turn off the overheads and light through the windows. There is a line of small windows that go along the bleachers. Any recommendations as to what lights would work best to push through the windows? there are 9 windows but I don't necessarily have to light them all. It's not a huge budget so looking for reasonable cost suggestions. I think I'm also going to bounce some lekos off the back soffit (where the ceiling vents are) so the light will carry more. Thanks DSC_00171.heic
  6. Hi, I am shooting a driving scene using a tow dolly. We will use hostess trays and hood mounts. I'd love some advice on how to light it. I'd like to see some reflections in the windows (trees, buildings) but concerned that a bright sky will be overpowering and I won't see the actors. And using a polarizer might not cut the reflections down enough. I was thinking of doing an overhead frame of half soft frost that would kill any hard sun coming through while still letting light in. But i think that would also kill all the reflections Is it necessary to light the actors from the hood or insert car? We will be shooting early in the morning until around 11. Thanks for the help Ben
  7. @Miguel AngelI love this idea! I Don't think it will work for this but I'm definitely stealing this one! ?
  8. Thanks for the tips @Satsuki Murashige The scene takes place over one day but the last couple pages fall into evening. The location is locked in unfortunately and won't be using green screen or backing. I think the HMI and skypanels is my plan. Maybe instead of a silk overhang outside I'll use a solid to block as much hard sunlight getting in as possible. I'm going to see if we can schedule all the wide coverage in the mornings before the sun would make it through the windows. The houses on the west side of the street are the problem though because they will get direct sunlight. I'm crossing my fingers for cloudy days! thanks
  9. Hello, I am shooting a day interior scene that is 20 pages shot over 3 three days. The whole scene takes place in an open living room over the course of a day with seven characters sitting in front of a line of bay windows. I've attached pictures. I would love some advice on how to create a consistent lighting scheme. We'll be shooting from around 7:00am to 6:00pm. The windows face west. The scene is meant to be like a stage play so the characters stay in this area the whole time. Most of our coverage will be shot towards the windows. One caveat-the scene is set in Covid time so they keep the windows open. The director wants to see the open windows so we can't use sheers or windows. One idea I had was to build truss outside and hang a 4k and a few sky panels coming in from the camera right side windows. Then build a shelf off the roof with a 12x silk to help control some of the hard sun light that might get in. Also, thinking about a 12x20 2 stop net but I'm worried I would see the patterns. Thanks for the help.
  10. Hi, I'm shooting an old CRT TV, playing a video from a VCR. I'll be using the Sony Venice. I did a test with a Sony mirrorless and couldn't get rid of the rolling bars no matter what shutter I tried. I'm assuming it will have the same result with the Venice. I know sync boxes are used for film cameras. Do they work for digital cameras as well? Or is there another solution. Thanks for the help. Ben
  11. Hi, I'm looking for advice on shooting Christmas/party lights without having them flicker on camera. Are their flicker-free lights specifically made for filming? What about LED vs. incandescent? Does that make a difference? Or is it just a matter of playing with shutter angle? Thanks for your help
  12. Thanks! This is exactly what I was looking for. Do you happen to know what movie that Kiera Knightly clip is from?
  13. Hello, I was wondering if anyone has advice on how to simulate a night to day time lapse in camera. The scene is an overhead shot of a character lying in bed staring at the ceiling all night and into the morning. He is lit with a soft wash of blue moonlight. Then we see the transition to day. The effect of sun rising creates a moving hard light over his body. My thought is to just use a few LED's and fade from blue moonlight, to a soft, cool daylight mixed with a warm, hard sunlight. Maybe it's that simple I'd like to get that stop motion staccato effect too but I think it would have to be a post thing.. Thanks, Ben
  14. Thanks. These both will be super helpful
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