Abdul Rahman Jamous

3 hours ago, Jay Young said:

My 1st AC would welcome your organization, but would insist that you use his system. Failing that, he would love that you had a system at all! I have seen him try to teach the job to so many.

We can teach the job, we cannot teach attitude.

Thanks all for the insight. 

 

Apparently this is something I have to really put my mind on.....

The struggle is real...

As you know I'm a 2nd camera assistant and I'm really struggling because my seniors don't believe in testing and do so little in preparation. I imagine that once I have the chance to become the one who manages the camera department I would absolutely create a system that limits improvisation. everything gonna be labeled and every thing is identified. I know for sure in the beginning I would have a bad reputation in the industry and I know for sure that I would have hard time to build up my team. but after a while people would respect me and actually be eager to work with me because I have created a system that works. 

I guess the problem with new DPs is that they don't do the efforts to find a good mentor to learn from. and also they don't give themselves time to really absorb the information that they get.  

this flare is created by using streak filter

 

5 hours ago, Stuart Brereton said:

You might say that sunstars and internal reflections are more desirable, and veiling flare is less desirable, but I can think of reasons why both might be useful. Many DPs (Roger Deakins, for instance) hate lens flares of any type, whereas other people actively seek them out (anamorphic streaks, for instance). Ultimately, it's down to personal taste, and the needs of whatever effects you are trying to achieve.

100% agree

Instead of making your essay based on what types of flares are desirable and what types are not. I think you might make a list of what type of flares each lens produce and what time a DP might desire this type of flare. (I hope that what I said does make sense lol)

Flares can be beautiful, ugly, charming and scary. A flare can ruin your shot, but in a lot of times it can be a happy accident. 

I highly recommend you to have as much references as you can in your essay. Capture a frame that has a flare and you may discuss how does this flare affect the mode of the scene. 

one of my favorite usage of flares is the one that used in the film "Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey". It makes the scene even more psycho.

On 6/21/2020 at 8:06 PM, Max Field said:

Like the title says, I wanted to get some DoPs opinions on the necessity of an establishing shot for storytelling.

I find it a bit witty that DPs instead of discussion the necessity of an establishing shot for storytelling. They insisted that it's necessary for directors to do their homework and be precise about what they want to shoot.

On 6/21/2020 at 8:06 PM, Max Field said:

It's cheaper to get a high quality close-up as opposed to a high quality extra-wide so I feel like budget plays a huge role in picking what we show.

movies cost money, but nowadays filmmaking has became much cheaper than before and budget shouldn't be the cause of canceling shots. I mean if your budget ain't enough to shoot your movie than don't shoot it. and shoot another movie that suits your budget.  

On 6/21/2020 at 8:06 PM, Max Field said:

Anyone have professional examples of DoPs choosing to not use an establishing shot?

I don't think that DPs are the ones who choose whether to shoot an establishing shot or not. I mean of course  DPs may suggest what shots should be taking. But at the end of the day the shot list is the responsibility of the directors. 



I used to work in a project called "Saudi Heroes" and in a lot of times we shot in a hospital. Yes taking establishing shots there was very demanding. but it was almost the only time where the whole crew worked together as a team. you got the production department trying to block people from entering the mise en scene. the production design and the DP walking around the place to figure out how to make the shot (nicer). and the audio engineer is talking to the camera operator about the shot so he may know where to place his boom-mic. 

On 9/21/2020 at 8:01 PM, Mark Dunn said:

Wonderful to see in its day - I think nowadays we might consider calling that "overlit". Very John Ford.

I hope David Mullen doesn't see that (also kidding!)

Nowadays I think the DP would look at the production design department and request more practical lighting. 

I hope this video is useful for you to understand the relationship between the sensor and the focal length of a lens.

I love how film is wrapped like a candy, except films are sweeter!

oh my god.... I want to go there and sniff every machine! 

3 hours ago, Ofri Margalit said:

Thanks everyone, 

I think I thought it does matter, when I've heard Roger Deaking interview about 1917, there he said he liked shooting in the alexa mini LF - "I love the LF format, because you can shoot a close up on a 40, and it doesn't have the distorion of a 35 or 32."

So I'm a bit confused haha, can somoene explain what Roger means by that?

And also thanlks Abdul for the episode

 

you are welcome. 
 

to answer your question, I don't think that anyone here can explain what Roger means, but here is something you need to understand. No single camera is suitable for all motion pictures. 

The fact that Roger found that Alexa mini LF is suitable for the film "1917" doesn't mean that Alexa mini LF is suitable for all films. There are a lot of cameras out there. you got a lot of options, a lot of brands and a lot of sensor sizes. you and the DP need to find out what camera is suitable for your film.  it's your decision, not Deakin's

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_(Supernatural)

This episode was shot entirely inside a car. hope you get inspired by it. 

Hi Ofri!

I strongly recommend you to find a reference so you, the cinematographer and the director would have a common vision of what kind of "look" you are looking for. 

your budget is limited?? I would highly recommend you to think about your priorities. If I were you I would consider using Blackmagic design pocket cinema camera 4k, yes it has cropped sensor. But its size is very small so it's more comfortable for you to use it inside the car. also the Blackmagic design pocket cinema camera 4k is cheaper than other cameras. so you may spend more money on the lens. May be a zoom lens is suitable for you. may be you should consider using diopter and split diopter filters for closeup shots. 

you want to change from 1.33 to 1.77??  if I were you I would do that frame by frame via Photoshop.  there are plenty of tutorials in YouTube that teaches you how to do that.

This forum is full of craft masters who are willing to help you and answer your questions. But what you are asking about is too basic.

You are from India, you got a very strong film industry. attend as much shootings as you can. observe and learn. 

6 hours ago, Satsuki Murashige said:

Interesting. At what budget level were these projects? And did you notice this at the initial job interviews, or during the course of pre-production and production? 

Initial interviews, when more than one DP is competing for the same job. I would say that they mostly suggest to change things like locations or whether a scene is external or internal.

But frankly... I don't feel comfortable about this. I feel sorry for screenplay writers because they might have spent months or even a whole year working on a script and then they got to deal with the director, producer and actors who might turn their master piece into a mess!

At the end of the day the DP is not responsible for the story,,, but he/she is responsible for the way how the story was told.

On 8/5/2020 at 11:03 PM, Satsuki Murashige said:

Otherwise, it’s probably best to stick to the cinematography, especially on a job interview. 

I also thought this is the best strategy, but I was surprised that a lot of Directors (especially in Saudi Arabia where I live) like it when the DP suggest to add some changes to the script. Because for them it means that the DP has really got into the script and he/she genuinely care about it.  

On 8/3/2020 at 4:14 AM, Satsuki Murashige said:

Cinematographers on Cinematography: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9fMI3sZlWPGfJGcKTBtokg

 

 

What a treasure!

This video is very good to know the essential knowledge of color correction and grading.

The channels below were very helpful for me.

- KINETEK

- Filmmaker IQ

- wolfcrow

- ZY Productions 

Good luck!

6 hours ago, Robin R Probyn said:

Or any Tom Cruise film ? 

?

Perhaps you should consider watching the making of "The Lord of the Rings", "The Hobbit" and "Elf". you might get inspired by the tricks that they used to manipulate the height of the performers.

creating DIY reflectors is relatively easy and it's super fun to play with. 

I have a large carton box. on one side I glued Aluminium  foil (the one you use in the kitchen) and on the other side I glued copper sheets. It works!

It didn't "click" for me... there are not that much of close up shots and I don't feel that the visuals are mixed with the song very well. 

The music video is photographed by Rodrigo Prieto. 

What are your thoughts??

The attached image is taken from the user manual of panasonic varicam lt, hope you find it helpful.

Thank you very much!

Hallelujah!